Skip to content

Founding member of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple retires to Surrey

Founding member of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple retires to Surrey
web1_Bains-20170503_184643
After 47 years in Williams Lake Gurmel Bains and his wife Sukhjit have relocated permanently to Surrey with the sale of their home and former S&D Food store on First Avenue. Photo submitted

After 47 years in Williams Lake Gurmel Bains and his wife Sukhjit have relocated permanently to Surrey with the sale of their home and former S&D Foods store on First Avenue.

Gurmel was instrumental in helping to build the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple which is celebrating Viasakhi this weekend.

Gurmel and his family immigrated to Canada from India on April 17, 1971.

In India Gurmel taught math, English and science to students in grades 8, 9, and 10. But like many new immigrants to Canada with a family to raise he didn’t have the time or resources to re-train as a teacher in Canada.

Instead he took a job with West Fraser and dived into community life.

He helped people immigrating from India to improve their English reading and writing skills and he joined the plant committees at West Fraser.

He also served as liaison to the local IWA union and served on the IWA executive as second vice-president.

He was also among the founders of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple Society and served as the society’s president in the early years, which included overseeing construction of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple on Mackenzie Avenue that was completed in 1974.

In those days grocery stores didn’t cater to international tastes as they do today.

So in addition to working at West Fraser Gurmel and his family bought a building on First Avenue North and opened S&D Foods. The family lived in an apartment upstairs and ran the store downstairs which provided a new resource for fresh produce, spices, basmati rice and other specialty items used in Sikh vegetarian cooking.

As they grew, Gurmel and Sukhjit had the help of their three sons, Navdeep, Hardeep, and Navtej in running the store while they were in high school and during summers while they were attending university.

All three sons now have professional careers in the Lower Mainland where they live with their families.

“They all have two degrees,” says Gurmel, who is a believer in life-long learning.

Navdeep earned a degree in business and became a Chartered Professional Accountant working for an accounting firm.

Hardeep earned degrees in business management and general accounting and now manages a branch of Scotia Bank in Surrey.

Navtej earned a degree in pharmacy and a masters degree in business and now manages a chain of drug stores in Surrey.

For many years Gurmel and his wife Sukhjit have been sharing time between their home in Williams Lake and their home in the Lower Mainland to be with their sons and their families.

Recently they sold the S&D Foods building and with the sale have relocated permanently to Surrey.

It is with heavy hearts that they leave the community and the many friends they have made here over the years.

“After 47 years in Williams Lake I would like to thank everyone who supported and extended love to me and my family over the years,” Gurmel says.