Community members gathered at a Gurdwara in Vancouver on Sunday to celebrate the life of Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill.
Dr. Gill was the first Indo-Canadian to graduate from UBC in medicine and the first Indo-Canadian doctor in the country.
Among his many contributions, he was president of the Vancouver Khalsa Diwan Society and had a reputation for mentoring new immigrants.
Dr. Gill passed away earlier this week at the age of 92.
“His advice was always, ‘be honest, work hard and follow the laws of Canada and work with compassion and with ethics.’ He was always very ethical,” said Jarnail Singh Bhandal, former president of the Rost St. Gurdwara.
Dr. Gill was 18 years old when he immigrated to Canada. After witnessing racism firsthand, Dr. Gill met with then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to fight for greater rights.
“I think we should always look back at our pioneers,” Jagdeep Singh Sanghera said, vice-president of Vancouver Khalsa Diwan Society.
“Their contributions… their sacrifices (were) made to make our lives easier for my generation and my kid’s generation ,who were born here, and generations to come after that.”
Dr. Gill retired after 40 years of practice in New Westminster. He went on to help 25 villages in Punjab with infrastructure and educational improvements through the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society, which he founded.
Among his many honours, Dr. Gill was the first Indo-Canadian to receive the Order of British Columbia.
He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.