Sarjit "Mac" Singh collection

Fonds/Collection, 2023_26

Born in 1929 to parents Waryam Singh and Karam Kaur Sangha, Sargit “Mac” Singh was a successful farmer and businessman in Surrey, British Columbia. Mac Singh was born in Rutland, in Kelowna, B.C., and attended schools in Surrey. Having grown up and working on his family farm, he was exposed to the agricultural industry at an early age. Mac Singh owned Cloverdale Produce Farms located on 168th Street in Surrey and for many years successfully grew a myriad of vegetables. The farm had once been owned by Mac Singh, his brother, and a few others, but Mac Singh was eventually able to buy the others out, and build a successful thriving farm business. Mac Singh contributed to the community and was heavily involved in various committees and groups throughout his life. As a young adult, he was part of the Surrey Junior Chamber of Commerce, colloquially known as the Cloverdale Jaycees, and the 4-H Junior farm movement in Cloverdale. As an adult, he helped to start the Cloverdale Lettuce Co-op in Surrey, and was part of the Vegetable Co-op in Richmond. For several years, he was the Commissioner of Surrey Dyking, and in 1976, he was appointed by the provincial government of BC to be part of the BC Land Commission. He was also part of the Cloverdale Board of Trade, the Surrey Parks and Recreation Commission, Surrey Council’s Special Committee for Economic Development, and was part of the BC Coast Vegetable Marketing Board. In 1956, Mac Singh married Gerrie Elizen. Gerrie had first arrived in Canada from Holland with her family in 1950. Mac and Gerrie first met when her family was hired to work on Singh’s farm. Being an interracial couple at a time of great prejudice, the two faced some harsh scrutiny from others. However, they also received support from loved ones and the couple went on to have three children together, Ron, Thelma, and Tim. Mac Singh died suddenly at the age of 48 on April 6, 1978 and Gerrie passed away in 2023. This collection is a compilation of records pertaining to Mac and Gerrie Singh. Records include photographs originally taken by newspaper photographers, as well as an oral history interview with Gerrie Singh. Items in this collection were compiled from various other fonds and collections available at the City of Surrey Archives.

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