Stephen Gill, Dr. Emails: stephengill@cogeco.ca & stefgill@hotmail.com

Box 32, Cornwall, Ont. K6H 5R9 Canada. (TEL.613- 932-7735)

*ATTACHMENT: MPP JOHN CLEARY DECORATING GILL WITH THE MEDAL

*PICTURE: COURTESY OF PHOTOJOURNALIST CHRIS MCPHEE OF THE SEWAY NEWS

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QUEEN’S GOLDEN JUBILEE MEDAL FOR STEPHEN GILL

Writer and poet Stephen Gill was honoured lately with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal. The medal commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Accession to the throne.

The medals were awarded to those persons who have made a significant contribution to Canada, to their community or to their fellow Canadians. Congratulating Stephen Gill, Mr. John Cleary, the Member of the Ontario Parliament, says in a letter “well deserved honour.” Mayor of the City of Cornwall (Ontario) Brian Sylvester, says: “This recognition is well deserved and you have every right to be proud of your achievements.”

Other recognitions of Stephen Gill include two honorary doctorates and an offer for the third; Laureate Man of Letters from United Poets Laureate International; Pegasus International Poetry for Peace Award from Poetry in the Arts, Inc., Texas, USA; Sahir Award of Honor from Sahir Cultural Society, Panjab, India; and a Plaque from The World Council of Asian Churches (Canada). His poems have been translated and published in several languages, and he has been included in prestigious national and international who’s who titles. He is honorary editor and advisor to several publications.

Stephen Gill has authored more than twenty books, including collections of poems, literary criticism and fiction. His poetry and prose have appeared in more than three hundred and fifty publications. He has written book reviews, research papers, and articles on world peace. The main body of his works is in English. Once in a while, he writes poetry in Urdu, Hindi and Panjabi. He is a Government certified cultural interpreter for Urdu and English. He has translated poems of others into Urdu, Hindi and Panjabi languages and vice versa. He writes mostly about Global peace and social concerns.

In addition to poetry, he writes and lectures about the rights of minorities in the region of India and Pakistan. He believes that denial of human rights leads to tensions. Unnecessary tensions lead to insecurity and where there is no security there is no chance for the beauty of prosperity and peace to shine. In the absence of peace and prosperity, even the majority suffers. The security of a nation or majority cannot last long if minority groups are insecure. He believes the problems of peace and prosperity can be solved only through peaceful means.

Stephen Gill was born in the Panjab of Pakistan where he passed the early years of his life and grew in India. He lived in Ethiopia and England for a while before settling in Canada about forty years ago. Stephen Gill “writes concisely, gracefully of commonplace things and contemporary concerns, suggesting thoughts and feelings of depth without forcing them on the reader.”(The Ottawa Citizen). “What is apparent in all of Stephen Gill’s work is his generous use of imagery, the substance of all poetry to allow to comprehend the shadow, form and content inseparable as always but in a contemporary, un abstruse and most relevant fashion that remain timeless and universal.” (The Pilot). “Stephen Gill expresses his thoughts and hopes for a peaceful and beautiful world,” (Books), and the Expositor, a daily Canadian newspaper, says, “Stephen Gill builds bridges with his books.”

For additional information about Stephen Gill, visit his websites:

http://www.authorsDen.com/stephengill & www.stephengill.ca