|  | ICSSPE News | No.55 January 2009 |
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In Memoriam: Vincent Chew |
It was with great sadness that we had to inform ICSSPE members of the passing of Vincent Chew, on September 25, 2008 in Berlin. He was ICSSPE’s Communication Manager for more than a year and had become not only a great colleague but also a friend. Those of you who had the opportunity to work with, and get to know Vincent, may remember him as we do: as a hard-working colleague, a dedicated sportsperson with great passion for sport and all things related to it. Vincent was a gifted writer and photographer who authored many articles for ICSSPE and a host of sport journals and music magazines. He had a great talent for organising national and international events and these skills really stood out during the recent ICSEMIS Convention in Guangzhou, China, in August. Vincent was always full of energy and humour and was keen to travel the world. I think travelling was one of his biggest passions and during the time he spent living in Europe, he made the most of the short distances and visited many different countries and cultures on weekend trips. His beautiful photographs of these journeys document his travels extremely well. He also had a great love and knowledge of music and went to dozens of concerts during his time in Berlin. I have never met a person so disciplined and organised in both his work and personal life. Vincent lived such a healthy life, with a strict exercise and training regime filled with daily running and gym sessions, complemented with a host of sports including baseball, basketball and beach volleyball. In his last days, he was particularly happy because he was preparing to return to his home country, Canada, where he had accepted a new position as a Venue Manger with the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010, a position that exactly fitted his skills and competencies and was also one of his dreams. I had never seen Vincent as happy as in those days before his accident and maybe that is a small comfort to help us deal with this tragedy. In Canada, Vincent's family organised his funeral mass at St. Paul's Catholic Church in Richmond, British Columbia on Friday 10th October, followed by a wake (reception) to celebrate his time on earth. To honour his Chinese heritage, there were also prayers for him at a Buddhist temple in Richmond. In Berlin, a farewell for Vincent took place on Thursday 9th October at Belushi's Bar, a place where Vince used to watch sports and meet up with friends. A facebook site was created in Vincent’s honour, “A Tribute to Vince Chew”, where hundreds of friends and colleagues posted messages of condolence and shared happy memories and photographs. Vincent’s unforgettable, sunny personality will stay with us. He will be sorely missed and the ICSSPE team are so grateful for the time that we shared with him. Katrin Koenen http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 In Memoriam: Vincent Chew