Over the past year, we have celebrated 50 years of new beginnings as we marked our 50th anniversary. During this time, we have been delighted to partner with the Ismaili Centre Vancouver, as they have also celebrated 50 years since their founding. Both organizations have a share history, having played a vital role in supporting Ugandan Asians who arrived in British Columbia following their expulsion from Uganda in the 1970s.
We were, therefore, excited to come together on Saturday, March 4th at a gala dinner to celebrate our achievements at the Ismail Centre Vancouver. Long-serving staff from across the organization attended the event and heard tributes to our work from a range of civic and political leaders, including the Premier of BC, David Eby, and Jagmeet Singh MP, leader of the federal NDP. Thank you to all our colleagues, friends and dignitaries for joining us in this celebration.
Learning together in community
The evening featured a fireside chat with Mike Molloy who was stationed in Uganda to facilitate the paperwork of Noorallah Jamal, whose family were one of the first to arrive in Canada. Their discussion was moderated by Omar Sachedina, chief news anchor and senior editor for CTV National News. It was a fascinating conversation that touched on both the struggles and accomplishments so many other newcomers have faced when building their lives in British Columbia.
The Ismaili Council was also honoured with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award through the Government of Canada.
We will share the fireside discussion video soon.
