Gian Singh Virk

BY Glen Ewan

On August 4 2016, after a valiant struggle, Gian Singh Virk died at Golden.    In his Sikh religion, his life is now complete and his spirit will return to its Creator.

I was honoured to be asked by the family to give the eulogy and what follows are some of my remarks from the service on Friday, August 12.

Gian Virk once told me “Glen, we cannot fail when we work together.”   I can’t remember if that was during discussions of a business transaction or while he and I contemplated yet another election campaign, but the context does not matter.   

“We cannot fail when we work together” was what he believed in and how he carried on his life.

Gian Singh Virk was born in 1936 in India and raised in a small farm village, one of five children.   He had two brothers he loved and two sisters he adored.

He was the first ever in his family to go to College and to obtain a degree.    There he was a firebrand leader of the student movement and he developed the ability to speak up and to speak out.

Upon College graduation in India and while still a teenager, he taught school.   When he married Harbhajan in 1957 they began their immigrant journey together, like many in his family, first to England and then to Canada.

At first he worked at a sawmill on Vancouver Island at Lake Cowichan.   In 1970, he and the family which now included three boys, came to work and to live in Donald.    Donald was home to many members of the Indo-Canadian community and Gian’s fluency in English made him their spokesperson.

After a few years, he moved the family all the way to Golden itself and Golden became for him, as it is for Bev and me, as it is for so many of us here, a home and community we are so proud of.

Often after he retired, and especially after the death of his son Aman, he was asked if he would move to Calgary to be closer to his other boys.  No, he would always answer, Golden is my home.

He was educated and eloquent.   He wanted to use his training and his passion.   While working at Donald he went into IWA Union service and took on jobs that were less manual labour and more brain work.

Meanwhile as it had been in India, his life in Golden continued to be one of firsts.  He was the first of Golden’s Sikh population to be active in union matters.

In the 1970’s he and his partners bought an apartment building on 12^th Street and made it a home and a business, a first for Indo-Canadians in Golden.

In 1979 he and his partners bought the Selkirk Inn on the Trans Canada Highway and it became the first business owned and operated by a South Asian family in Golden.

In 1980, he was part of the Sikh community that pooled its resources and labour to fulfill a dream, to build a temple, a Gurdwara, here in Golden.   His voice and his influence could be heard there almost every Sunday and holy day since.    

Meanwhile in the 1980’s the Selkirk Inn was becoming a hub of political activity for Golden.   In line with his union background and his student days, he was a strong NDP supporter at a time when few people in Golden were.   

If the NDP needed a room to meet, he was always the first to offer us space.   At first we were not very many, so we would use a small room.  As our support and membership grew  we began to meet in the Selkirk Inn restaurant.   Gian would simply close the restaurant to the public and let the NDP take over the space.

When political dignitaries came to town, he insisted on hosting them, providing accommodation and Harbhajan’s chai and goodies.    And, of course, he would provide free advice on how to deal with local, provincial or federal issues.

In fact he was very good at giving advice.   For instance, many of us have seen and heard him at the Temple or weddings or other celebrations offering his wisdom to anyone who would listen.

Even for those of us who did not understand Punjabi, hearing him speak we could always feel the passion in his voice and the love in his appeal to the crowd, large or small.

I came to the conclusion very early on that Gian never met a microphone he did not like.

Even though he was publicly engaged in politics in India, when he emigrated, like so many newcomers, public office for himself was one of the dreams he had to put aside.   So he was never more proud than when his youngest son, Aman, was elected to Town Council and then went on to become Mayor of Golden.   

Like all immigrants, he made many personal sacrifices to ensure that his boys would have a better life here in Canada.     He made sure that they were educated, that they had capital for business ventures and that they lived in comfortable homes with their own families.

His oldest son, Kal, lives in Calgary and has grown children of his own.   His second son, Peter, also lives in Calgary and he too has grown children now.     Aman’s widow, Gursharn, remains in Golden with their two children, one of whom will be off to university in Ottawa this fall.

Gian worked hard and he worked a long, long time.   His goals in life were many and he shared the wisdom of his education and his experience with others.

Gian Singh Virk, my friend, you will always be an inspiration, an example of sacrifice, hard work and the spirit of sharing.