Locals making a difference at home and abroad

COLUMN: Locals make a difference at home and abroad

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• posted Mar 2, 2014 at 12:00 PM

On the Spot by Ken Herar
Many locals are making their mark around the globe and at home.
Former Abbotsford mayor and longtime high school principal George Peary recently returned from India on Dec. 12 where he was teaching at the University of the Fraser Valley for four months.
This was Peary’s second trip to Chandigarh, the capital city of Punjab, which is located in northern India. He and his wife Silvia first visited UFV Chandigarh in the fall of 2012, where he taught first- and fourth-year business classes. While being provided all the luxuries of a visiting professor: driver, car, cook and accommodations  – a busy schedule was maintained teaching six days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“India is colourful, vibrant and the food is spectacular, but the people make India. We were welcomed and treated royally,” said Peary.
During his stay, he and his wife had the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal, Golden Temple and travel to the cities of  Jaipur, Shimla and Goa.
When Peary returned to Canada, he was approached by Shav Brar from the board of the Dasmesh Punjabi School in Abbotsford.
They offered him the principalship of the school for six months. It was an offer that he couldn’t refuse.
“I love it and it’s a remarkable school. It’s the first time I have been a principal of an elementary school in my career. I am even taller than a few of my students,” said Peary. To view pictures from Peary’s journey, visit Chandigarhchaat.blogspot.ca
* Two Abbotsford women are seeing your support to help children in need.
Kim Lee, founder of Imani Orphan Care Foundation, and Amanda Rauh of Watoto, Rescue, Raise Rebuild Foundation, are travelling to Kenya and Uganda this spring.
Lee noted, “We are a Canadian non-profit organization that supports children in need in two orphanages in Kenya. These precious children were abandoned by their families, orphaned, or rescued from an unhealthy situation. We support them with donations and sponsorships to help pay for their food, education, health care, and spiritual instruction.”
Imani’s goal is to help offer these disadvantaged children the opportunity to gain tools, skills, and knowledge, so that they can create better futures for themselves.
“... you’ll make a difference in the life of a child in need in Kenya. The funds will be used for the ongoing care of all the kids that spend their childhood living there,” said Lee.
To sponsor a child or find out more, visit: www.imaniorphancare.com
* At home, Bridges of Faith recently commemorated a United Nations interfaith initiative with three tours of place of worship, a major dialogue event, and other community-building events in January and February in Abbotsford.
“This group maintains the world view  that it is okay that people have different beliefs, and that we can respectfully and lovingly contribute to the community in our own way,” said  Rudolf Dutoit of Abbotsford Community Services.Support Bridges of Faith by joining an interfaith event, or partner in interfaith work: rudolf.dutoit@abbotsfordcommunityservices.com or 604 859 7681 ext 270.

Imani Orphan Care Foundation and Watoto, Rescue, Raise Rebuild Foundation recieve Cycling4Diversity shirts for kids in Kenya and Uganda

Naranjan Grewall celebrates 60 years as first South Asian mayor in Canada

Grewall first Indo-Canadian to hold office of  mayor in Canada

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• by  Staff Writer - Abbotsford News
  
• posted Feb 6, 2014 at 2:00 PM

Mission has always had a vibrant Indo-Canadian community, and I have been very fortunate to call this my home. I have always been interested in local history and have long been fascinated by the story of former mayor of Mission City, Naranjan Grewall. It’s actually 60 years ago that he was appointed as mayor, making him the first Indo-Canadian in Canada to hold such a political office.
Four years earlier, he was elected to city council, making him the first visible minority and Indo-Canadian elected to public office in this country. He was later nominated as a provincial candidate for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1956, making him also the first visible minority to run as a candidate in Canada. He was narrowly defeated by Socred Labour Minister Lyle Wicks.
It was not his candidacy that inspired me; it was his commitment to changing how government does business in this province, paving the way for future generations. And one of those legacies he left behind was the Mission Tree Farm. In 1958, Mission was the first municipality to be given responsibility to monitor their own forest called Tree Farm License #26.
The District of Mission has managed this resource since 1958 and it is often cited as an excellent example of how a locally managed forest can provide benefits to the community. Since 1990, surplus revenues have provided approximately $5 million to capital projects.
The incident between former B.C. premier WAC Bennett and Grewall demonstrated how fierce political battles were fought in B.C. and could have been one of the deciding factors of granting the tree farm.
During the much-heated 1956 provincial election, Grewall, as a CCF candidate, commonly addressed the issues of taxes, bridges, farmers and the forestry industry, which he claimed were being "monopolized" by a handful of large companies in the province.
Grewall referred to these stakeholders as "timber maharajahs," and said the system would revert to a "form of feudalism, which I left 30 years ago."
He spoke passionately before the provincial cabinet and testified at the Sloan Commission on behalf of small logging operators in B.C.
Just before election day, the premier spoke in Mission City, which was supposed to be the last leg of the long summer campaign. During Bennett's Social Credit address, many of the uninvited CCF supporters gathered and heckled him from inside and outside the hall, making it one of the most memorable moments in B.C. political history.
Bennett spoke for more than two hours and amplifiers carried his voice to the crowd and those unable to squeeze into the hall.
During the first half of his speech, the premier's smile was well in evidence as he jibed back at his hecklers. Bennett showed no fear of his hecklers, combining humour and charisma to fight them. At one point he even called out: "I just love hecklers."
When Bennett announced there would be no debt by 1962, a heckler cried out: "You won't be here in 1962!"
The premier shot back: "I'll be here in '82!"
Bennett said efforts were made to get the Mission High School auditorium for the meeting, but it was not available, "which shows that schools are not owned by the government and I am not a dictator."
At this point a voice was heard shouting out "baloney." The heckler was CCF candidate Grewall, who proceeded to enter the hall and began to seat himself on the stage, "to the accomplishment of mixed cheers and catcalls."
The premier continued his speech, as many cried out to hear Grewall speak. Bennett said that the CCF and Liberals could rent their own hall if they wished to address the gathering.
I spoke with former premier Dave Barrett in 2003 and recalled hearing many incredible stories about Grewall, when he first arrived in Canada in 1957.
Barrett said during the interview: "He was an icon, I didn't think I had a chance of getting elected in his riding. He lost the election, but won the hearts of many."
When Barrett became premier in 1972, he was invited to the Sikh Temple in Vancouver and was presented with a ceremonial sword.
As he received the sword, he told the audience: "This isn't for me, this is for Naranjan Grewall. He is our true hero."
Barrett and Grewall never met, but he started his political career in Grewall's former riding of Dewdney, when he first got elected to the B.C. legislature in 1960.
When Grewall was nominated as a candidate for the CCF party in the Dewdney riding in 1956, this drew excitement. But, according to Barrett, Grewall faced open discrimination on the campaign trail.
"The former mayor knew the risk he was taking and many people were surprised he took this risk to enter the race," said Barrett.
Barrett said Grewall overcame many racial insults along the way.
"Every kid in the North Fraser, who thinks he or she is being discriminated against, should read the Grewall story and the challenges he faced."
Grewall was later found dead in a Seattle motel room with a gunshot wound to the head in July of 1957. He was 47 years of age.
Ken Herar writes monthly for the Abbotsford News on diversity issues.

Abbotsford-Mission MLA Simon Gibson with a Cycling4Diversity shirt

Homes evacuated along Herar Lane

UPATED: Homes evacuated along Mission's Herar Lane

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• by  Jason Roessle - Mission City Record
  
• posted May 21, 2013 at 5:00 PM— updated May 23, 2013 at 9:23 AM

Herar Lane residents evacuated from their homes Tuesday afternoon following a natural gas leak fire were allowed to return shortly after 11:30 p.m.
Earlier in the day, an energized power line detached from the pole and fell on top of a stop sign at the intersection of Stave Lake Street and Parr Avenue, said Deputy Fire Chief Larry Watkinson.
The stop sign was buried deeply enough that it touched the six-inch steel gas main, and ruptured it, causing a fire to start, said Fortis BC spokesperson Michael Allison.
Stave Lake Street between Best and Cherry Avenues was closed for hours, and Fortis requested all homes on the east side of Herar Lane be evacuated shortly before 5 p.m.
Mission’s emergency operations centre at fire station one was activated to help deal with the evacuation, and Mission’s Emergency Social Services volunteers were set up at the Leisure Centre to aid evacuees.
Gloria Danielson and her husband Jack have lived on Herar Lane for 13 years, and around 1:40 p.m., they noticed a strong smell of gas outside and soon saw the BC Hydro and Fortis trucks arrive on Stave Lake Street.
At first the couple assumed someone had crashed into the electrical box in the road curve, but a few hours later, a Mission firefighter was at their door telling them they had to leave the home. They stayed at her sister’s until the all clear was given.
Allison said said special equipment had to be brought in from Coquitlam to stop the flow of gas, and once that was brought under control, repair work began.
The incident caused a power outage which affected 3,300 customers at the peak. Power was restored around 7 p.m.

Cycling4Diversity Foundation had a chance to meet up with Deputy Editor Fabian Dawson from The Province newspaper.

Cycling4Diversity Foundation presents What's On Mission Publisher Cory Cassels with shirt