Chain Singh Batth a retired  and first paramedic from the South Asian community

Chain is a very valued and well respected member of our communty and
India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas in Richmond.

Los Angeles, Aug 05, 2022
NRIpress.club/Balwant Sanghera/ Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh

Volunteers are the backbone of every community. They put in countless volunteer hours to help and serve others without expecting anything in return. Long-time Richmond resident, a veteran paramedic and a proud member of the South Asian community, Chain Batth is one such individual. Born and raised in Village Bathlan in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, Chain trained and served as a teacher before moving to England in 1962. There, he trained and worked as a bus driver for seven years before moving to Metro Vancouver in 1969. Here, he tried his hand at saw mill in Donald, BC (near Golden). However, destiny had something else in store for him. Thus, after working in Donald for only couple of weeks Batth moved to Metro Vancouver and settled on a blue  berry farm in Richmond.

Here again, in addition to developing his berry farm, he also worked in the lumber industry for four years before entering a new phase in his life. While working in the mill, he trained as a First Aid Attendant. It helped him greatly when Chain switched over to a new line of work.   At that time there was a lot of demand by BC Ambulance Service for paramedics as it was a relatively new area especially for members of the South Asian community.

Chain was attracted to this profession. His First Aid training helped him greatly with his new profession.  As such, he had little difficulty in qualifying for the position as a paramedic with the BC Ambulance Service. Once in, Batth put all of his energy into becoming an ideal paramedic. In this process he became a model paramedic not only for his colleagues but also for the community. He has been appreciated equally by his patients, his colleagues and the community. Chain has been honoured with a number of awards as a result of his dedication to saving lives and helping others. He takes great pride in being the first paramedic (with the BC Ambulance Service) of South Asian heritage in this province. He cherished his role in saving and helping people. Chain was very well respected by his colleagues. Though he retired several years ago after serving as a paramedic for 22 years, yet he still talks about his years and experience as a paramedic with great pride.

In addition to being a very proud retired paramedic, Chain Singh Batth has also been a very dedicated volunteer at India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas on Richmond’s Highway to Heaven. He has been involved as a volunteer at this place of worship for more than 35 years. Chain has served on the Gurdwara Management Committee in various positions over the years. Even now he is at the Gurdwara helping with various tasks from early morning till late evening. All of us at the Gurdwara appreciate this veteran’s ever present smile. Batth is a well-respected guide, mentor, and very reliable resource person on any health related and safety issues at the Gurdwara. All of us at the Gurdwara are honoured to have him with us.  He is a great asset to our Gurdwara management and the congregation. We wish him well.

Balwant Sanghera
General Secretary, India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas,Richmond, BC