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Consul General of Malaysia
Mohd Hassan Bal |
It’s to be one of a kind—unlike anything Vancouver has ever seen before.
Every other community has a club house or a centre it calls its own, but the Malaysian Association of British Columbia has dreams of something unrivaled.
“We want to build a Malaysian village,” said president of the association, Gina Hansen. “Many of us are away from home so we want to have somewhere for us and our children to come together and remember our roots.”
The village, still in the planning stages, would sit on two acres as close to downtown as possible, and would house a cultural theme park, a Malaysian restaurant, a hotel, condos and townhomes, a retirement residence, a visitor centre and a new home for the MABC.
“All the buildings would reflect Malaysian architecture,” said Hansen. “And since most Malysians don’t really like drinking, this would be a place for us to hold activities that would bring us together like dancing, dinner and games.”
Consul General of Malaysia, Mohd Hassan Bal, is excited about the project and has pledged his support in whatever capacity.
“When I first heard about the idea, I thought, ‘Wow! This is huge,’” he laughed.
The MABC has a three person committee to head the large project. They are currently looking for donations to acquire a down payment. And they have already hired private realtors to look for available space.
Hansen says the MABC will be out in full force this Spring with events lined up for the public to learn more about Malaysian culture. On April 26, the association will hold a badminton tournament at RichmondPro, the largest private badminton facility in North America.
The national sport is a favourite among Malaysians, said Hansen. Even Consul Hassan has signed up, although these days, golf is more his thing. Nevertheless, he and his wife, who is a “very good player,” according to Hansen, plan to compete in the mixed-doubles division.
“This is a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the MACB and all the good work they do,” said Hassan.
The MABC was founded in 2002 as a non-profit to bring together the Vancouver- Malaysian community.
The badminton tournament, which begins at 9 a.m., will include two catagories — advanced/intermediate and intermediate/beginner — and participants can either choose to participate in the same-sex doubles division or mixed doubles. Registration fees are $25 for members and $30 for non members.
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