Kelowna, British Columbia
Mr. Kawamoto served in the Canadian Forces from 1951 to1986. During the 1980s, he travelled from Ottawa to Vancouver where he created a military display at the Seaforth Armoury during Veterans’ Week. He also participated in Remembrance Day ceremonies at Stanley Park. Mr. Kawamoto was instrumental in contacting Japanese Canadians to form the Japanese Canadian War Memorial Committee. Their first task was to raise money to refurbish the cenotaph. This was successful, as well as efforts to affix a new plaque displaying the names of 52 additional First World War Veterans who died during that war. Attendance at the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies has increased from approximately 70 attendees to 300. Mr. Kawamoto has been the Co Chair and Master of Ceremonies at the Stanley Park Remembrance Day ceremony since 1982. Although he now resides in Kelowna, British Columbia, Mr. Kawamoto is well known in the Vancouver area for his volunteerism. Over the years, he has set up a display of photos and military artefacts and has memorialized 222 Japanese soldiers who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.