In celebration of Sikh Heritage Month, please join us in the premiere screening of a new Heritage Minute by Historica Canada on April 19th, that showcases the rich cultural heritage of Paldi, a welcoming and inclusive town founded by immigrants on Vancouver Island, BC.

An historic town in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, Paldi was founded in 1916 by Mayo Singh Manhas. A punjabi man who alongside his brother and other Punjabi families, started the town and with the location close to the railways took advantage of the opportunity and ran their own successful lumber company, Mayo Lumber Company. Soon, Japanese, Chinese, and European families made Paldi their home and worked the mill, and a community began to form.

In 1919, a Gurdwara (sikh temple) was built, followed by a school, a company story and post office, and a Japanese temple. The town thrived off the lumber mills, and the diverse and rich community that was built that called the town to be their home.

The town was bustling, until the mid and late 50s, after World War II and the persecution of Japanese and immigrant families caused many to not return from the war, or displaced from their homes.

In 1955, Mayo, also known as the “Cowichan Lumber King” passed away and in honour of his death, the mill went quiet. Soon the business trickled down stream to Nanamio, where a new operation was built and the residents that returned of Paldi followed.

Though nobody lives in Paldi now, the Gurdwara remains the last building still standing.

This story of Paldi on April 19th is captured through the eyes of the town’s founder’s wife Bishan Kaur Mayo.

All are welcome, and a dinner will be served along with the experience of this story.

RSVP by April 17 by emailing sasi@ufv.ca