BC Cultural Diversity Association (BCCDA), with the mandate of building harmony between cultures, celebrated and recognized the contributions of seniors to the society at its annual Seniors Day event on Saturday, October 1 in Richmond.
BCCDA has organized seniors recognition events in October of 2018, 2019 and 2021. In 2020, due to COVID-19, no event was held. 2020 was also the year when anti-Asian racism had reportedly increased significantly in the major cities of British Columbia.
The 2022 seniors recognition celebration featured recognition of 10 senior honorees (80+ years) from diverse cultural backgrounds who have made great difference in their communities.
They are Arthur Shuren Cheng, Sergeant Sukhdev Singh Gadri, Dr. Robert Krell, Sophia M. Leung, Dr. Eddie Lo, Ralph Long, Peter Praegel, Dr. Doo Ho Shin, Dr. Jan Walls and Wu Shiyin.
Sergeant Sukhdev Singh Gadri was born in 1941. He retired from the Indian Air Force (over 35 years of service), and also worked for the State Bank of India. He immigrated in 2002, and since then he has volunteered at the Indian Ex-Servicemen Society of BC. He deals with pension benefits for Indian defense veterans and raises donations. He is Vice-President and Treasurer. Many persons face problems, and Gadri uses his service experience in Air Force and banking to help veterans with all their issues. He has a team of highly qualified skilled veterans who visit schools to educate young students about history and responsibility, and build goodwill, including organizing functions on the epic battle of “Saragrhi” fought by the British Indian Army on September 12 each year. He encourages the young generation to join Canadian Armed Forces, and on November 11 of every year, the veterans participate in Remembrance Day Celebrations.
Several cultural performances representing different facets of the society were part of the event that also included food and meet-and-greet for about 200 guests and VIPs.
October 1 was proclaimed as International Day of Older Persons by the United Nations in 1990. The Canadian Parliament passed the Celebrating Canada’s Seniors Act in 2010 designating October 1 each year as National Seniors Day.
The federal ministerial portfolio for seniors was created in 2018 and Minister of Seniors was appointed.
The BCCDA is a non-profit organization incorporated in 2018 under the Societies Act in British Columbia for the purpose of promoting harmony in/between cultures. The Acting President is Violet Chan and the Vice President is Dave S. Hayer.
