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Title: Brenda and Melvin Louie-Byne in front of the Dandee Confectionary, Calgary
Date: 1948
Donor: Louie-Byne, Alice
Subject: Family Life, Work, Childhood
Province: Alberta

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 this photo, Alice Louie-Byne’s children, Brenda and Melvin Louie-Byne, stand outside their parents’ convenience store, the Dandee Confectionary. Alice and her husband, Luey Yuen Kai (Louie Byne) sold their restaurant business in 1946 and bought a ‘mom ‘n’ pop shop.’ Alice took on many of the responsibilities, from the buying to the managing, while her children helped out with smaller tasks. The store was popular with local children, so much so that Alice would receive phone calls from parents who were trying to locate their children.