December 20, 2005 Boat people mark milestone Vietnamese community fetes 30 years of life in Canada

Thirty years ago, Vietnamese boat people came to Canada in search of a better life. That better life was celebrated this past weekend as the community gathered in Ottawa for a two-day conference hosted by the Vietnamese Canadian Federation.

A sold-out crowd of 340 feasted and enjoyed an evening of entertainment during the gala dinner held Saturday at the Travelodge Hotel. Among those in attendance were Diep Trinh, executive director of the Vietnamese Canadian Centre, Dr. Chan Le of the Vietnamese Canadian Federation, and Ottawa Centre candidates Paul Dewar (NDP) and Richard Mahoney (Liberal).

In 1975, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fled in small, leaky boats following the fall of South Vietnam to the Communists. Project 4000, a campaign initiated by then-mayor Marion Dewar, brought 4,000 refugees to the capital region. Today, about 7,000 Vietnamese Canadians live in Ottawa.

The gala also saw the formal launch of the Vietnamese Boat People Museum project, expected to be built in Centretown within 3-5 years and cost about $2 million.

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Par-fyum lavished guests Thursday with an aphrodisiac favourite -- champagne and oysters -- during a holiday party at the stylish Hull restaurant.

Socializing with guests were owners Caroline Gosselin and John Leung, executive chef for British High Commissioner David Reddaway, who was joined at the event by wife Roshan, son Alex, Deputy High Commissioner Julian Evans and his wife Gayle.

Also in the crowd were Stephan Klovan of Klovaco Entertainment; art dealer Jason Duval; Kettleman's Bagel owner Craig Buckley with wife Maureen; savvy sommelier Stacey Metulynsky, who's having a blast shooting a new wine and food series for Food Network Canada; and Tony Garcia, who does marketing for Le Cordon Bleu and also owns Don Alfonso Restaurant.

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Jazz aficionados got a swingin' treat Thursday with a performance by jazz great Monty Alexander at the 8th Annual Fall into Swing Benefit Concert.

The evening, which also included live and silent auctions, raised some $25,000 for the Ottawa International Jazz Festival.

More than 200 people attended the concert at Library and Archives Canada, including Jamaican High Commissioner Carl Marshall, who greeted the Jamaican-born Alexander; host Ken Rockburn; and festival president Andrew Hamlin, executive producer Catherine O'Grady and sponsorship director, Alison McCuaig.

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Legal eagles flocked Tuesday to the new location of Tierney Stauffer for the law firm's holiday bash.

Several hundred guests filled the sprawling office space inside the Corel Building at 1600 Carling Ave., where the firm now has plenty of room to grow. Among the minglers were Associate Chief Justice Douglas Cunningham of the Superior Court of Justice, Superior Court Justice Giovanna Roccamo, and retired Superior Court Justice James Chadwick, now a mediator, arbitrator and facilitator with the Ottawa Dispute Resolution Group.

Lawyers and brothers Frank, Stephen and Dana Tierney along with Ian Stauffer and Doug Laughton were among the party hosts spotted chatting with guests, who included David Pratt, advisor and special ambassador to the Canadian Red Cross, and real estate developer Fried Kemper.

Just steps away from the Elgin St. courthouse another group of lawyers was celebrating at a bash hosted by criminal defence lawyers James Foord and Graham Murray, of the firm Foord Murray, along with defence lawyer Kimberley Pegg at their Cooper St. offices.

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Pregnant talk show host Catherine Clark says she and hubby Chad Schella of the Senators Foundation are "completely overjoyed" about becoming parents. "I am feeling great," said the mom-to-be, who's due in late May.

It's not known whether the bundle of joy will be a boy or a girl but the baby will be the first grandchild for former prime minister Joe Clark and wife Maureen McTeer, a lawyer and author.