Gill, Nash

Group photo of Gill family members. Khem Singh Gill is seen seated on a chair. Surrounding him are various Gill family members. There are five young men standing in a row behind Khem Singh, and Nash Singh Gill is seen standing first from the right. Next to Khem Singh are four young children, two girls and two boys.

Indar Singh, Kartar Kaur Gill, and Nachattar (Nash) Singh, are shopping in downtown Vancouver. Kartar Kaur is holding a patterned bag and wearing a long, black fur-lined coat with her head covered by a chunni. Indar Singh is wearing dress pants and a collared shirt with a sweater. In the background, there is a sign for McLeod's Restaurant amongst the buildings and other pedestrians.

Audio interview with Surjit Singh Tatla conducted by Meena Bolla and Kusum Soni. Tatla is a Canadian citizen who came to Canada in 1970. He began working at a sawmill in Mission, B.C.. Tatla discusses his immigration history, personal history, and his experience working in Canadian sawmills. Tatla also discusses his co-workers, his hardships, and experiences in Canada. He mentions working in union versus non-union mills and living conditions. Tatla also discusses the South Asian community in Canada and celebrations he attended. He concludes by mentioning shopping in South Asian grocery stores, his retirement, and the benefits of government jobs in India verus jobs in Canada.

Transcription of interview with Surjit Singh Tatla discusses his immigration history, personal history, and his experience working in Canadian sawmills. Tatla also discusses his co-workers, his hardships, and overall experiences in Canada. He mentions working in union versus non-union mills and the living conditions. Tatla discusses the South Asian community in Canada and celebrations he attended. He concluded by mentioning shopping in South Asian grocery stores, his retirement, and the benefits of government job in India verus jobs in Canada.

Narrative of Surjit Singh Tatla discusses his personal history, working in various sawmills, and his co-workers. Singh also mentions the differences of working in union versus non-union mills and his overall experience in mills. He also discusses his living conditions, purchasing Indian groceries, and his retirement.

Creator: Gill, Nash

Interview with Nash Gill about his life growing up in Canada. Nash Gill's family immigrated in 1949. Nash's father, Indar Singh Gill, was already a Canadian resident therefore, Nash got his citizenship directly. Gill was only one and a half years old when he moved from Punjab to Canada with his mother. He grew up in Mission and his family used to visit the gurdwara in Abbotsford weekly. He was one of the few South Asian Canadians in his school. In high school, during graduation, he was the only South Asian Canadian in his class. He spent his summers berry picking. Nash Gill describes how during the Great Depression, his father started working for Kapoor Lumber, and later on, he built his own mill, calling it Fraser Valley Sawmill. This is a full-length interview recorded on August 30th, 1996 conducted by Nirakshik Chand at Mr. Gill's law office in Abbotsford.