Abbotsford

Audio interview of Bachan Kaur Alamwala and Jasmer Kaur Alamwala taken on May 19, 2008. The interview starts with questions related to Bachan Kaur's and Jasmer Kaur's life in Canada, their villages in India, and the years when they both got married. Bachan Kaur moved to Canada to reunite with her husband, Sarwan who was working at a sawmill in Honeymoon Bay. She moved in 1949 with the couple's two children, daughter Surinder, and son Jasvir. Jasmer Kaur also immigrated to Canada to join her husband, and in 1959 arrived with her eight month old son, Harminder. The interviewer asks them questions related to the pay their husbands received at that time from the mill in Honeymoon Bay. Bachan and Jasmer tell their experiences of working on a farms and wearing dresses outside the house.

Transcription of interview of Bachan Kaur Alamwala and Jasmer Kaur Alamwala taken on May 19, 2008. The interview starts with questions related to Bachan Kaur's and Jasmer Kaur's life in Canada, their villages in India, and the years when they both got married. Bachan Kaur moved to Canada to reunite with her husband, Sarwan who was working at a sawmill in Honeymoon Bay. She moved in 1949 with the couple's two children, daughter Surinder, and son Jasvir. Jasmer Kaur also immigrated to Canada to join her husband, and in 1959 arrived with her eight month old son, Harminder. The interviewer asks them questions related to the pay their husbands received at that time from the mill in Honeymoon Bay. Bachan and Jasmer tell their experiences of working on a farms and wearing dresses outside the house.

Narrative of Bachan Kaur in which she describes her biography from her childhood in Punjab, India, to her marriage and finally, her immigration to Canada. Bachan Kaur first came to Lake Cowichan, where her husband worked at the Honeymoon Bay mill. Later the family moved to Abbotsford, where they had a 10-acre farm in 1968. In Abbotsford, Bachan Kaur worked at a cannery and cared for her children. After being in Canada for six years, Bachan Kaur began sponsoring other members of her family.

Photograph showing an unidentified bride and groom surrounded by at least three generations of the Alamwala family. Both bride and groom have haars on. The bride is wearing a beaded Indian salwar suit, while the groom has a light-coloured turban and a dark-coloured suit. Sarwan Singh is standing, last-right, wearing a dark-coloured suit with a flower pinned to his suit. Bachan Kaur is sitting next to the bride, wearing a salwar suit.

Creator: Griffin, Sean

Photo of South Asian truckers and independent owner-operators at the protest convoy from Abbotsford to Surrey in a campaign to stop trucking companies from whipsawing drivers to push wage rates down.

Creator: Thandi, Ossi Kaur

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Ossi Kaur was born in Fraser Mills, BC. Ossi's grandfather came to Canada at the turn of century. He and Ossi's father worked at the mills and lived in a company house on site. When Ossi's family went to India, her father remarried. She and her brother did not return to Canada and stayed back in India. In 1925, she married Sucha Singh after getting a letter from his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi, asking her to help him immigrate to Canada. While on the boat to Canada, she was pregnant with her first child. The couple settled in Abbotsford, and although she found living in Abbotsford lonely, she grew accustomed to it. She used to work on the family farm, while Sunder's daughters and Harry Singh's daughter used to visit her frequently. This is a full-length interview conducted on July 15, 1996 by Nirakshik Chand at Mrs. Ossi's residence in Abbotsford.

Creator: Thandi, Sunder

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Sucha Singh Thandi in which he describes his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi. Sunder singh Thandi migrated to Canada 1906-1907, He was in his thirties when he decided to move from Punjab, India. He was a farmer and was involved in agricultural sector. He wanted to explore more places, as that time many people were moving to different countries, therefore, he decided to visit Canada with the intentions of returning back to his home country. This interview was recorded on June 14th, 1996.

Creator: Thandi, Sunder

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Sucha Singh Thandi describing his uncle, Sunder Singh Thandi. Sunder Singh came to Canada in 1906. In India, he used to buy animals and sell them. He came to Canada for a trip, with a plan to work, make some money, and return home. He got on the boat from Calcutta, and when he arrived, he worked hard and resided in barns or bunkhouses. He was close to the friends he met on the ship because none of them knew English. He moved to Abbotsford and worked at Mill Lake before purchasing a farm of 60 acres. In 1947, he was married and together he and his wife took care of their two foster daughters. During war times, Sucha Singh went to play a central role in the Heritage Sikh temple. He also donated the steel Nishan Sahib. He died in 1953 of throat cancer at the age of 90. This interview was conducted on June 22, 1996 at Abbotsford.

Creator: Thandi, Sucha Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Sucha Singh Thandi was 19 years old when he came to Canada. His uncle wanted him to come to Canada to help him with the farm and get more education. Sucha Singh was married before coming to Canada, and it was arranged to marry a woman who had been born in Canada. When the young couple reached Hong Kong, they went to a temple and stayed there for 2 days before travelling to California and taking a train to Canada. He started to work on his uncle's farm before he passed away, but continued to live with his aunt until she passed away. He then started to drive a truck delivering sawdust to farms. This is a full-length interview recorded on June 22, 1996.

Creator: Power, Gurdial Singh

Creator: Chand, Nirakshik

Interview with Gurdial Singh Power. Before coming to Canada, Mr. Gurdial Singh Powar had a central government job. All of his brothers came to Canada after he settled down. He came to Canada for a better life, but he misses his job in India. Gurdial Singh describes how he was very comfortable with reading, writing, and talking in English. When he first arrive, he started by working as a helper in the garage. After he got his work permit, he started working in the garage full-time. When he went to the immigration office for an interview, he was asked questions related to the mechanical line after he told them what he was doing in Canada for a living. His paperwork was passed quickly. This is a full length interview conducted on June 10, 1996 by Nirakshik Chand.