Mohinder Singh Gill
Date of Birth:
January 3rd, 1933
Birthplace:
Village Nathuwala, District Ferozepur, Punjab, India
Current City:
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Date of Interview:
November 20th, 2014
Mohinder Singh Gill was born on January 3rd, 1933 in Village Nathuwala, District Ferozepur (formerly District Moga), Punjab, India. He immigrated to Canada on November 23, 1962 under the family class basis and through the sponsorship of his sister who was living here in Canada before him. Today Mohinder Singh is a Naturalized Canadian Citizen.
Mohinder Singh lived in his birthplace Village Nathuwala from 1933 until 1951. Before immigrating to Canada he was a truck driver in India from 1951 to 1962. Within seven to eight days of arriving to Canada, he found work in the Nicola Valley Mill which was located in Merritt.
According to Mohinder Singh, before migrating to Canada, Punjabi men didn’t necessarily have ‘lumber on their mind.’ However, upon arrival the men took up whatever sort of employment they were offered. Mohinder Singh recalls referring to the mill task of pulling lumber as being “Phattey khichna”, which was the Punjabi word equivalent. Overall, the men would take on any task that was given to them with very little complaints about the task at hand.