Maurice Wong and Bill Brymer

A Friendship Fuelled by Curiosity

You could say that continuous learning is the theme of Bill and Maurice’s lifelong friendship. The two met as dental students at Dalhousie University, where they shared living quarters they jokingly describe as being straight out of Charles Dickens. Sixty years later, they’ve both retired from busy careers as dentists, educators and mentors, but their friendship remains as strong as ever – as does their love of Knowledge.

They value the quality and variety of programming, which they see as a treasure trove that always offers new things to discover. If one of them watches a show that really resonates, they’ll urge the other to check it out, then follow up with a phone conservation about the ideas it sparked. “The fact is, we go down a lot of rabbit holes,” says Bill. “A program will just trigger us, and suddenly we’re learning about something completely unexpected.”

Travel, architecture and history are perennial favourites, but their curiosity knows no bounds. Maurice was especially pleased to watch Spring After Spring, a documentary about Vancouver Chinatown’s annual Lunar New Year parade. Not only was he raised in Chinatown, his daughter Joanna is a co-producer of the film. “The programs on Knowledge have such great depth – they immerse you in a sense of the community,” he says. “Not only that, you watch them and you feel good. How many programs these days not only make you feel good, but keep you thinking and talking about them for days afterward?”

Both Bill and Maurice are proud Knowledge Partners, happy to support something they hope will keep going strong for years and years – just like their friendship. “I’ve come to realize how vital Knowledge is for our province and for Canada,” says Bill. “That’s why it’s so important to support it.”