Louie-Byne, Alice
Alice Louie-Byne (née Quon) was born in 1916 to Quon Liang and Ng Shee. When Ng Shee first arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1914, women were minorities in the gender-imbalanced Chinese ‘bachelor’ community. Alice says that her mother found a friend in her sister-in-law. The two women attended meetings at the Oriental Home and School, established by the Methodist Church as a refuge for young Asian women, where they learned Canadian domestic skills like crocheting and knitting.
Alice and her family moved to Calgary, Alberta, where her parents opened a restaurant. At the age of 12, she left school to work in the family’s restaurant, an industry she would remain in for many years. As a young adult, she encountered barriers to job opportunities outside of family-run businesses. While raising her children, Alice worked alongside her husband at the White Star Café and later, the family’s convenience store. She became a secretary for the Calgary school board in 1964, and later worked for the provincial government in various roles. Outside of work and family life, Alice played an instrumental role in the organization of the annual ‘Chow Mein Tea,’ a Chinese United Church fundraising event. Alice continues to reside in Calgary.
In part one of a six-part interview, Alice Louie-Byne discusses her family life, schooling, early work history, and marriage. Alice was born in 1916, and had lived in Calgary, Alberta for 89 years at the time of the interview. She describes her parents’ married life, noting that her father’s work schedule made him an infrequent presence in the family home. Alice recalls that school was difficult, but that her teachers treated her well. She attended Chinese school in the evenings during middle school. She explains that she was made to quit school at age 12 to enter the workforce; she started working at a restaurant, was a servant, and then worked at a different restaurant
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