Canadian Gurdwara Launches Centennial Celebrations

Mayor George Peary and city council will be making an extraordinary proclamation Monday (January 10, 2011) afternoon to launch the 100th anniversary year-long celebration of Abbotsford's historic Gursikh Gurdwara.

A designated national historic monument, the gurdwara on South Fraser Way was completed in 1911 by struggling pioneers.

The oldest, and longest standing building of its kind in North America, it is the only gurdwara to have a national historic designation outside of India and Pakistan.

Satwinder Singh, director of the UFV Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, said the historic gurdwara, is a testament to the pride, vision and community commitment of early Sikh immigrants.

To honour the anniversary, the gurdwara's Khalsa Diwan Society is organizing one event a month for the entire year.

Kabul Singh, president of the Khalsa Diwan Society, said the year-long celebration has been in the works for a year and a half.

He said Prime minister Stephen Harper has been invited to attend the August festivities and organizers want to apply for a commemorative stamp.

The activities are designed to involve the entire community of Abbotsford, including members of other faiths, Kabul Singh said.

The celebration's kick-off takes place at city hall at 3 p.m. with a proclamation by Peary and the unveiling of a historical exhibit about the gurdwara.

Peary said he was looking forward to the centennial."I think the city has to join in this celebration. [The gurdwara] is our only national historical monument and one of which we can be extremely proud."

The gurdwara speaks to the perseverance of the early Sikh pioneers, he added.

"Early immigrants, especially those whose skin was a different colour [had much to endure], but today their descendants are a vibrant part of our community and economy and it's hard to image our city without them."

Sikhs first arrived in the area in 1905, working primarily on farms and in the forest industry.

Sikh-Canadian pioneers managed to purchase a one-acre property; then they, and other men who worked at the lumber mill on Mill Lake, carried timber, donated by the Trethewey family, on their backs from the lake up the hill to the temple site.

In addition to the launch event, readers, writers and film festivals are planned for the University of the Fraser Valley and a historical exhibit is being organized at the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford.

The Khalsa Diwan Society will also hold a three-day prayer service, ending with a festival on the gurdwara grounds the last weekend of August.

Centennial celebrations

The Carenage, which is one of the focal points for the 300th anniversary of the Town of St. George, will host its first major event in the tri-centennial celebrations on Sunday, March 14.
The Tri-Centennial Committee, which is responsible for overseeing all commemorative events in the city, is using March 14 as a sports and cultural activities’ day.

The Committee, with assistance from community volunteers, will utilised the Carenage roadway, seawater and basketball court for swimming races, B-ball and soccer games and live musical performances.

“The day, of course, is expected to be entirely fun-filled. But we also would like it to be a catalyst for renewed business interest in the once vibrant Carenage community,’’ said Bettyann Lazarus, a member of the public relations team of the Tri-Centennial Committee.

“Apart from the fun, we hope there’ll be vending to generate a bit of revenue for Carenage businesses.’’ Other centres of activities for the tri-centennial celebrations will include Fort George, Four Roads and River Road.

The celebrations were launched in January with a declaration from Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas, who offered his government’s fullest support for the commemorative activities. Parliamentary representative Peter David has described the Town of St. George as a “gem,’’ and has appealed to all Grenadians to embrace the celebrations.

“The Town of St. George does not belong to the people who live in the Town,'' said MP David. “It belongs to all of us, throughout the length and breadth of Grenada.

That is why I invite all, even those from the rest of the Caribbean, to be part of the celebrations.'' “An Encounter of Many Worlds’’ is the theme of celebrations, which run until April.

The Carenage will again hold centre stage on Friday, April 23, with a planned mini-carnival in the area, as well as on April 24 with the Tri-Centennial Committee putting on a street bazaar and cultural show, with accompanying firework.