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Interview with Shirley Cohn
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19597
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Shirley Cohn Location of Interviews: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Dates: April 14, 2023 and September 6, 2023 Total Number of Tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 67 min., 33 sec. Digital master recording (wav) recording of second interview (50 min., 36 sec.) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on September 6, 2023: 0:00 – 16:09 Shirley Cohn shares background information about her parents who immigrated to Detroit from Hungary in the 1930’s. Shirley recalls what it was like for her parents being Jewish during World War II and how many of their relations were killed in the Holocaust. Shirley talks about her Jewish Hungarian heritage, what it was like growing up in Detroit, the Jewish community in Detroit and the Jewish holidays and traditions that her family celebrated. Shirley recalls her high school and University education and experiences, starting her career in social work and how she met her future husband, Theodore “Ted” Cohn. 16:10 – 18:27 Shirley shares the story about her father in law, Dr. Daniel E. Cohn who was Harry Houdini’s doctor at the time of his death in Detroit on Oct. 31, 1926. Shirley explains that she donated some of Dr. Daniel E. Cohn’s original documents pertaining to this event to the New York Public Library. 18:28 – 26:04 Shirley describes her experiences living and working in London Ontario while her husband was a professor at University of Western Ontario and Shirley worked as a social worker in family services. Shirley recalls experiences of anti-Semitism while living in London. Shirley talks about moving to Burnaby in 1977 after her husband took a job as a professor at Simon Fraser University. Shirley describes her experiences living in Burnaby, raising a family and working as a social worker at Burnaby General Hospital. 26:05 – 26:18 Shirley talks about her interests outside of work, her family’s involvement in the Burquest Jewish Community Association and being a member of Temple Shalom. Shirley conveys information about other Jewish synagogues in Greater Vancouver, describes Reform Judaism at Temple Shalom and some Jewish cultural practices that her family has been involved with. 26:19 – 33:12 Shirley describes her family’s experiences living in the Garden Village nieghbourhood in Burnaby, her involvement sharing Jewish cultural traditions at her children’s school and recalls her children’s experiences attending school in Burnaby. 33:13 – 40:46 Shirley conveys the career paths that her children took and talks about what she likes about living in Burnaby including; the walking and hiking trails, the cultural and art performances and her involvement in local politics. Shirley talks about her and her husband’s involvement in the SFU retirees association and the SFURA walking and hiking group. Shirley reflects on her husband’s academic career, experiences teaching at SFU and the role of the Hillel Jewish Students Association at the Simon Fraser University. Shirley talks about the difficulties of discussing political views about the State of Israel. Shirley describes some traditional Jewish foods, the roles that they play and a local bakery that carries Jewish bake goods. 40:47 – 50:36 Shirley describes her current daily life in Burnaby; working one day a week as a social worker, gardening, her involvement at Temple Shalom and the Jewish Community Centre and how she travels in Burnaby. Shirley recalls the changes that she’s encountered in Burnaby and in her career over the years, shares a story about her husband losing his thesis and describes what Burnaby was like while she was raising her family. Shirley shares what she thinks about the areas of development in Burnaby and conveys the importance of having parks and affordable housing. In closing, Shirley reflects on what is like to be a Jewish person living in Burnaby.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Shirley Tanner was born in Detroit in 1947. Her parents were both Jewish. Her mother fled Hungary as a refugee in 1939, while her father emigrated from there in 1934. Shirley attended public schools in Detroit, and then studied social work at the University of Michigan. After marriage, Shirley and Ted Cohn moved to Ontario where Ted had a faculty appointment at the University of Western Ontario in political science. Six years later they moved to Burnaby for Ted’s teaching position in political science at Simon Fraser University. While living in Burnaby, Shirley took care of a growing family while also practicing social work, mainly at Burnaby Hospital. The family enjoyed Burnaby’s libraries and parks. Shirley helped out at her children’s schools, became a Block Watch captain, and the family joined Burquest Jewish Community Association. The Cohns later became members of Temple Sholom Synagogue in Vancouver, while remaining in Burnaby. Beginning in 2009, Ted started an informal hiking group for retired Simon Fraser University staff. This group has been open to others, so now has a wide variety of members. Shirley has also helped lead hikes in the region. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Recreational Activities - Hiking
- Organizations
- Organizations - Societies and Clubs
- Migration
- Persons - Jewish Canadians
- Religions - Judaism
- Social Issues - Racism
- Social Issues
- Wars - World War, 1939-1945
- Names
- Cohn, Dr. Daniel E.
- Cohn, Shirley
- Cohn, Theodore H. "Ted"
- Burquest
- Hillel Jewish Students Association
- Simon Fraser University
- SFURA walking and hiking group
- Simon Fraser University Retirees Association "SFURA"
- Temple Shalom
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
- Summary, recording and transcript of second interview available on Heritage Burnaby
Images
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_003.mp3Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19611
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (90 min., 21 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (90 min., 4 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Shushma Datt and her son, Sudhir Datta conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik. 00:00 – 12:47 Interview opens with introductions. Shushma Datt shares information about; where she’s lived in Burnaby sin…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (90 min., 21 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (90 min., 4 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewers: Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik Interviewees: Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta Location of Interview: Spice Radio, Norland Avenue, Burnaby Interview Date: January 20, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:30:21 Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Shushma Datt and her son, Sudhir Datta conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik. 00:00 – 12:47 Interview opens with introductions. Shushma Datt shares information about; where she’s lived in Burnaby since immigrating in 1972 and her arranged marriage which lead her to immigrate to Canada. Datt provides detailed information about her family background in Kenya and her parent’s decision to move their family from Kenya to India in the 1960s and then to England in the 1965. Datt describes her family’s experiences living in Kenya and India in the 1960s and provides some context on the political unrest that happened in Kenya which lead her family to leave. 12:48 - 28:07 Datt talks about her time living in England and shares information on her family life and her employment experiences. Datt conveys an experience from her childhood that inspired her to become a broadcaster and shares her experiences working for the BBC oversees service in England (1965-1972). Datt describes some of the articles that she's written for various publications and the people that she's interviewed. Datt highlights a particular experience about writing a critical review about the controversial design on Jimi Hendrix’s album “Axis: Bold as Love” that depicted Hindu religious iconography. 28:09 – 34:47 Datt and Datta provide further details about Datt's arranged marriage which lead her to immigrate to Canada in 1972 and to work as a broadcaster in Canada. Datt recalls her experiences working as a radio station operator for CHQM, a radio broadcaster for CJVB and starting her own South Asian radio station Rim Jhim in 1987. 34:48 – 40:01 Datt and Datta share information on where they’ve lived in Vancouver and Burnaby. Datt and Datta recall pivotal family life events that impacted their lives in 1974. 40:02 – 45:53 Datt recalls the travel trunks and contents that she and her family brought with them when they left Nairobi. Datt describes the letters that her parents wrote. Datt and Datta describe photos of their family and convey the impacts to their family after two of Datt’s brothers died at 24 years of age. 45:54 – 50:56 Interview continues chronologically from 1974, after Datt’s son, Sudhir Datta was born. Datt describes how she had to work hard to help pay her bills and support her family. Datta describes his childhood growing up as a South Asian child living and attending school in Burnaby (1979-1992). Datt and Datta recall Datt’s graduation ceremony and Datta’s Order of British Columbia awards ceremony. 50:57 – 58:03 Datt and Datta talk about food and cooking and where they’ve shopped for traditional food supplies. Datta explains her family lineage as Hindus who eat meat and how she’s been a vegetarian for over 30 years. Datt and Datta share stories about Datt’s mother Leela Datta. 58:04 – 1:05:38 Both Datt and Datta reflect on what’s it’s been like living as South Asians in Burnaby. Datt conveys the message that she got from her mom, Leela Datta "not to assimilate but to integrate". They both reflect on how the ethnic and cultural diversity of neighbourhoods has changed over time and Datt describes his experiences as a student in Burnaby. 1:05:39 – 1:16:51 Datt and Datta talk about the role of religion in their lives, describe the purpose of Radio Rim Jhim and reflect on how the South Asian community has grown in Metro Vancouver and the disparities created within. They both recall how their lives were threatened and impacted in 1984 following an interview that Datt did with Indira Ghandhi. Datt talks about the origins of her and her son’s surnames. 1:16:52 – 1:26:11 Datt and Datta talk about and reflect on their own experiences of racism and discrimination. Datt talks about Spice Radio’s annual campaign “Raise your hands against Racism”. Datt and Datta provide background on the radio stations Rim Jhim and Spice Radio including; how they got started, their unbiased approach to broadcast content and their experiences in the complex realm of broadcasting a multi-cultural radio station. 1:26:12 – 1:30:04 In closing, Datt and Datta convey what they think that younger generations of South Asian Canadians should understand about the South Asian Community in British Columbia.
- History
- Interviewees biographies: Shushma Datt was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1946 and is the second eldest of six children. In the 1960s during the unrest in Kenya, her family moved to India. After about nine months of living in India, Datt's family decided to return to Kenya, leaving Datt and her brother to complete their education in India. While living in India, Datt studied at Delhi University and worked at the Indian newspaper. In 1965, Datt, her parents and five siblings decided to leave Kenya and immigrated to England. While living in England, Datt got work as a broadcaster with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) overseas service, producing her first program in 1969. During her time with the BBC, Datt has interviewed many influential artists including Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles as well as the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. In 1972, Datt immigrated to Canada and settled in Burnaby. In late 1973, Datt sponsored her mother who joined her in Burnaby. Datt joined the CJVB radio station in Vancouver working as the Punjabi and Hindi language broadcaster. Datt worked here until 1978 when she started her own radio station, Radio Rim Jhim. In 2005, Datt obtained her own AM radio band license for a multicultural radio station RJ1200 which was later rebranded "Spice Radio". In 2015, Datt launched Spice Radio's annual "Hands Against Racism" campaign which has won awards from the Government of British Columbia and the B.C. Association of Broadcasters. Datt has also been a producer for Omni TV and Shaw TV and was the first woman to obtain a broadcasting license from the Canadian Radio- Television Telecommunications Commission. In 1992, Shushma Datt was awarded the Order of British Columbia and is also the recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. Datt has been listed by the Vancouver Sun newspaper as among the 100 "most influential Indo-Canadians" and has been recognized by the Royal British Columbia Museum as one of the 150 "most influential British Columbians". Sudhir Datta is the only child of Sushma Datt and was born in Burnaby. Datta graduated with a computer science degree from Capilano University in 1995. Datta is the Vice President of Media Broadcasting (founded in 1984) creating television and radio programming for Canada's South Asian Community and has been the General Manager and Program Director of Spice Radio since 2006. Datta is also the author of many articles highlighting the South Asian community in Vancouver. Interviewers biographies: Anushay Malik is labor historian with a geographical focus on South Asia. Anushay studied at the University of London and was a research fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2014, Anushay moved back to her native Pakistan and joined Lahore University of Management Services as an Assistant Professor. In 2023, Anushay is a visiting scholar at Simon Fraser University and lives in Burnaby with her family. Anushay was a co-curator of the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”. Jane Lemke has worked in various museums in the Lower Mainland and has been the Curator at Burnaby Village Museum since 2019. Her educational background includes a Master of Arts degree in History and a Master of Museum Studies degree. Her research focus has been on trauma and memory and its role in shaping Canadian identity. She loves sharing memories and stories of Burnaby with the public. Jane sits on the Council of the BC Museums Association and is the Chair of the BC Museums Association Professional Development and Education Committee.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Migration
- Occupations - Broadcasters
- Occupations - Entrepreneurs
- Occupations - Journalists
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Radio Stations
- Religions
- Religions - Hinduism
- Religions - Sikhism
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Responsibility
- Malik, Anushay
- Lemke, Jane
- Accession Code
- BV023.1.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcript available upon request
Audio Tracks
Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta, [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta, [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0001_0003_003.mp3Interview with Steve Mancinelli by Kathy Bossort September 13, 2015 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory547
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1955-1990
- Length
- 0:08:36
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s early life growing up in the Cascade-Schou District, playing in the bush as a child, fishing at Stoney Creek, tobogganing on Burnaby Mountain, and learning more about nature as an adult. He also talks about the Pavilion area restaurant calle…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s early life growing up in the Cascade-Schou District, playing in the bush as a child, fishing at Stoney Creek, tobogganing on Burnaby Mountain, and learning more about nature as an adult. He also talks about the Pavilion area restaurant called “The Owl and the Oarsman”.
- Date Range
- 1955-1990
- Length
- 0:08:36
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Cascade-Schou Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- September 13, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Steve Mancinelli conducted by Kathy Bossort. Steve Mancinelli was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the activities of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society between 1988 and 1997 and its advocacy for the protection of green space on Burnaby Mountain prior to the land transfer from SFU to Burnaby in 1995. Steve Mancinelli also talks about his other environmental and political activities, recreation on Burnaby Mountain, and the value of its natural assets.
- Biographical Notes
- Stephen Mancinelli was born in Vancouver in 1953 to Mario and Joan Mancinelli, one of three sons. The Mancinelli family moved to Burnaby in 1955 to the Cascade-Schou District. Steve attended Schou School (Gr. 1- 7) and Moscrop School (Gr. 8-10), playing as a child in the bush on the future Discovery Park site, before the family moved to Port Coquitlam. Steve moved back to Burnaby when he was 18, married his wife Glenda in 1980, and raised his family of two daughters (Julia and Aimee) in the Capital Hill District, before moving to Coquitlam in 2002. Employed as a sheet metal worker for 25 years, Steve has recently worked as a custodian for Coquitlam School District 43 for 19 years. Steve was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, and has also been a member of the Capital Hill Community Association, on the Board of Directors for Burnaby Psychiatric Services, and a Regional Director for the Green Party. Steve took an early interest in organic gardening, planting trees, and finding inventive ways to recycle waste and promote responsible use of the environment. Steve’s experience working on environmental issues was an important asset to the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which formed ca. 1988 to become a key advocate for preserving parkland on Burnaby Mountain. The Society was awarded the City of Burnaby 1998 Environment Award in Communications for its work in preserving the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. In 2001 Steve was awarded an Environmental Star in Community Stewardship for being “active in preserving and enhancing Burnaby’s natural environment for over thirty years”.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:42
- Interviewee Name
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Interview Location
- Steve Mancinelli's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Steve Mancinelli
Track one of interview with Steve Mancinelli
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-001/MSS196-001_Track_1.mp3Interview with Steve Mancinelli by Kathy Bossort September 13, 2015 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory548
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1975-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli joining the new environmental organization “Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society” ca. 1988 and his earlier involvement in environmental issues. He talks about the Society’s beginnings, goals and lobbying activities; about the group’s Presiden…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli joining the new environmental organization “Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society” ca. 1988 and his earlier involvement in environmental issues. He talks about the Society’s beginnings, goals and lobbying activities; about the group’s President Dean Lamont and his link with Naheeno Park; other stakeholders involved; and about the early involvement of Chief Leonard George and the Burrard Band youth in the Society’s activities.
- Date Range
- 1975-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Names
- Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society
- Lamont, Dean
- George, Leonard
- Tsleil-Waututh First Nation
- Naheeno Park
- Simon Fraser University
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- September 13, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Steve Mancinelli conducted by Kathy Bossort. Steve Mancinelli was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the activities of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society between 1988 and 1997 and its advocacy for the protection of green space on Burnaby Mountain prior to the land transfer from SFU to Burnaby in 1995. Steve Mancinelli also talks about his other environmental and political activities, recreation on Burnaby Mountain, and the value of its natural assets.
- Biographical Notes
- Stephen Mancinelli was born in Vancouver in 1953 to Mario and Joan Mancinelli, one of three sons. The Mancinelli family moved to Burnaby in 1955 to the Cascade-Schou District. Steve attended Schou School (Gr. 1- 7) and Moscrop School (Gr. 8-10), playing as a child in the bush on the future Discovery Park site, before the family moved to Port Coquitlam. Steve moved back to Burnaby when he was 18, married his wife Glenda in 1980, and raised his family of two daughters (Julia and Aimee) in the Capital Hill District, before moving to Coquitlam in 2002. Employed as a sheet metal worker for 25 years, Steve has recently worked as a custodian for Coquitlam School District 43 for 19 years. Steve was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, and has also been a member of the Capital Hill Community Association, on the Board of Directors for Burnaby Psychiatric Services, and a Regional Director for the Green Party. Steve took an early interest in organic gardening, planting trees, and finding inventive ways to recycle waste and promote responsible use of the environment. Steve’s experience working on environmental issues was an important asset to the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which formed ca. 1988 to become a key advocate for preserving parkland on Burnaby Mountain. The Society was awarded the City of Burnaby 1998 Environment Award in Communications for its work in preserving the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. In 2001 Steve was awarded an Environmental Star in Community Stewardship for being “active in preserving and enhancing Burnaby’s natural environment for over thirty years”.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:42
- Interviewee Name
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Interview Location
- Steve Mancinelli's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Steve Mancinelli
Track two of interview with Steve Mancinelli
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-001/MSS196-001_Track_2.mp3Interview with Steve Mancinelli by Kathy Bossort September 13, 2015 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory549
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1988-1995
- Length
- 0:08:49
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s description of the issues involved in SFU’s proposed expansion in the 1980s; his ideas about alternatives to SFU’s plans; the broad support for the conservation area preservation concept; and the wider issues for the municipality in the disp…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s description of the issues involved in SFU’s proposed expansion in the 1980s; his ideas about alternatives to SFU’s plans; the broad support for the conservation area preservation concept; and the wider issues for the municipality in the dispute.
- Date Range
- 1988-1995
- Length
- 0:08:49
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- September 13, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Steve Mancinelli conducted by Kathy Bossort. Steve Mancinelli was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the activities of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society between 1988 and 1997 and its advocacy for the protection of green space on Burnaby Mountain prior to the land transfer from SFU to Burnaby in 1995. Steve Mancinelli also talks about his other environmental and political activities, recreation on Burnaby Mountain, and the value of its natural assets.
- Biographical Notes
- Stephen Mancinelli was born in Vancouver in 1953 to Mario and Joan Mancinelli, one of three sons. The Mancinelli family moved to Burnaby in 1955 to the Cascade-Schou District. Steve attended Schou School (Gr. 1- 7) and Moscrop School (Gr. 8-10), playing as a child in the bush on the future Discovery Park site, before the family moved to Port Coquitlam. Steve moved back to Burnaby when he was 18, married his wife Glenda in 1980, and raised his family of two daughters (Julia and Aimee) in the Capital Hill District, before moving to Coquitlam in 2002. Employed as a sheet metal worker for 25 years, Steve has recently worked as a custodian for Coquitlam School District 43 for 19 years. Steve was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, and has also been a member of the Capital Hill Community Association, on the Board of Directors for Burnaby Psychiatric Services, and a Regional Director for the Green Party. Steve took an early interest in organic gardening, planting trees, and finding inventive ways to recycle waste and promote responsible use of the environment. Steve’s experience working on environmental issues was an important asset to the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which formed ca. 1988 to become a key advocate for preserving parkland on Burnaby Mountain. The Society was awarded the City of Burnaby 1998 Environment Award in Communications for its work in preserving the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. In 2001 Steve was awarded an Environmental Star in Community Stewardship for being “active in preserving and enhancing Burnaby’s natural environment for over thirty years”.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:42
- Interviewee Name
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Interview Location
- Steve Mancinelli's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Steve Mancinelli
Track three of interview with Steve Mancinelli
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-001/MSS196-001_Track_3.mp3Interview with Steve Mancinelli by Kathy Bossort September 13, 2015 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory550
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1988-1995
- Length
- 0:10:07
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s memories about the members of the Society including Merrill Gordon, Karen Morcke, Diane Hansen and Gavin Ross, and the interests and strengths they brought to the Society. He talks about the loss of deer habitat with the building of UniverCi…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s memories about the members of the Society including Merrill Gordon, Karen Morcke, Diane Hansen and Gavin Ross, and the interests and strengths they brought to the Society. He talks about the loss of deer habitat with the building of UniverCity and the Parkway.
- Date Range
- 1988-1995
- Length
- 0:10:07
- Names
- Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society
- Lamont, Dean
- Gordon, Merrill
- Morcke, Karen
- Hansen, H. Diane
- Ross, Gavin
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- September 13, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Steve Mancinelli conducted by Kathy Bossort. Steve Mancinelli was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the activities of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society between 1988 and 1997 and its advocacy for the protection of green space on Burnaby Mountain prior to the land transfer from SFU to Burnaby in 1995. Steve Mancinelli also talks about his other environmental and political activities, recreation on Burnaby Mountain, and the value of its natural assets.
- Biographical Notes
- Stephen Mancinelli was born in Vancouver in 1953 to Mario and Joan Mancinelli, one of three sons. The Mancinelli family moved to Burnaby in 1955 to the Cascade-Schou District. Steve attended Schou School (Gr. 1- 7) and Moscrop School (Gr. 8-10), playing as a child in the bush on the future Discovery Park site, before the family moved to Port Coquitlam. Steve moved back to Burnaby when he was 18, married his wife Glenda in 1980, and raised his family of two daughters (Julia and Aimee) in the Capital Hill District, before moving to Coquitlam in 2002. Employed as a sheet metal worker for 25 years, Steve has recently worked as a custodian for Coquitlam School District 43 for 19 years. Steve was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, and has also been a member of the Capital Hill Community Association, on the Board of Directors for Burnaby Psychiatric Services, and a Regional Director for the Green Party. Steve took an early interest in organic gardening, planting trees, and finding inventive ways to recycle waste and promote responsible use of the environment. Steve’s experience working on environmental issues was an important asset to the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which formed ca. 1988 to become a key advocate for preserving parkland on Burnaby Mountain. The Society was awarded the City of Burnaby 1998 Environment Award in Communications for its work in preserving the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. In 2001 Steve was awarded an Environmental Star in Community Stewardship for being “active in preserving and enhancing Burnaby’s natural environment for over thirty years”.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:42
- Interviewee Name
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Interview Location
- Steve Mancinelli's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with Steve Mancinelli
Track four of interview with Steve Mancinelli
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-001/MSS196-001_Track_4.mp3Interview with Steve Mancinelli by Kathy Bossort September 13, 2015 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory551
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1988-2015
- Length
- 0:05:03
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s description of the Society’s involvement in environmental issues and projects other than Burnaby Mountain, and its visits to schools to talk about environmental concerns. He talks about his continuing work on recycling programs, including th…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s description of the Society’s involvement in environmental issues and projects other than Burnaby Mountain, and its visits to schools to talk about environmental concerns. He talks about his continuing work on recycling programs, including the one at the Coquitlam school where he is employed.
- Date Range
- 1988-2015
- Length
- 0:05:03
- Subjects
- Education
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- September 13, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Steve Mancinelli conducted by Kathy Bossort. Steve Mancinelli was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the activities of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society between 1988 and 1997 and its advocacy for the protection of green space on Burnaby Mountain prior to the land transfer from SFU to Burnaby in 1995. Steve Mancinelli also talks about his other environmental and political activities, recreation on Burnaby Mountain, and the value of its natural assets.
- Biographical Notes
- Stephen Mancinelli was born in Vancouver in 1953 to Mario and Joan Mancinelli, one of three sons. The Mancinelli family moved to Burnaby in 1955 to the Cascade-Schou District. Steve attended Schou School (Gr. 1- 7) and Moscrop School (Gr. 8-10), playing as a child in the bush on the future Discovery Park site, before the family moved to Port Coquitlam. Steve moved back to Burnaby when he was 18, married his wife Glenda in 1980, and raised his family of two daughters (Julia and Aimee) in the Capital Hill District, before moving to Coquitlam in 2002. Employed as a sheet metal worker for 25 years, Steve has recently worked as a custodian for Coquitlam School District 43 for 19 years. Steve was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, and has also been a member of the Capital Hill Community Association, on the Board of Directors for Burnaby Psychiatric Services, and a Regional Director for the Green Party. Steve took an early interest in organic gardening, planting trees, and finding inventive ways to recycle waste and promote responsible use of the environment. Steve’s experience working on environmental issues was an important asset to the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which formed ca. 1988 to become a key advocate for preserving parkland on Burnaby Mountain. The Society was awarded the City of Burnaby 1998 Environment Award in Communications for its work in preserving the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. In 2001 Steve was awarded an Environmental Star in Community Stewardship for being “active in preserving and enhancing Burnaby’s natural environment for over thirty years”.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:42
- Interviewee Name
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Interview Location
- Steve Mancinelli's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track five of interview with Steve Mancinelli
Track five of interview with Steve Mancinelli
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-001/MSS196-001_Track_5.mp3Interview with Steve Mancinelli by Kathy Bossort September 13, 2015 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory552
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1980-2015
- Length
- 0:13:18
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s description of the kinds of recreation on Burnaby Mountain in the 1980s and 1990s, some of the conflicts and impact on the landscape that resulted, and the need to replace piecemeal management with planning that takes in the whole of the mou…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s description of the kinds of recreation on Burnaby Mountain in the 1980s and 1990s, some of the conflicts and impact on the landscape that resulted, and the need to replace piecemeal management with planning that takes in the whole of the mountain. He talks about Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society’s guided public walks, trail map, and trail improvement work. He also mentions the totem poles in Naheeno Park.
- Date Range
- 1980-2015
- Length
- 0:13:18
- Subjects
- Recreational Activities
- Planning
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- September 13, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Steve Mancinelli conducted by Kathy Bossort. Steve Mancinelli was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the activities of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society between 1988 and 1997 and its advocacy for the protection of green space on Burnaby Mountain prior to the land transfer from SFU to Burnaby in 1995. Steve Mancinelli also talks about his other environmental and political activities, recreation on Burnaby Mountain, and the value of its natural assets.
- Biographical Notes
- Stephen Mancinelli was born in Vancouver in 1953 to Mario and Joan Mancinelli, one of three sons. The Mancinelli family moved to Burnaby in 1955 to the Cascade-Schou District. Steve attended Schou School (Gr. 1- 7) and Moscrop School (Gr. 8-10), playing as a child in the bush on the future Discovery Park site, before the family moved to Port Coquitlam. Steve moved back to Burnaby when he was 18, married his wife Glenda in 1980, and raised his family of two daughters (Julia and Aimee) in the Capital Hill District, before moving to Coquitlam in 2002. Employed as a sheet metal worker for 25 years, Steve has recently worked as a custodian for Coquitlam School District 43 for 19 years. Steve was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, and has also been a member of the Capital Hill Community Association, on the Board of Directors for Burnaby Psychiatric Services, and a Regional Director for the Green Party. Steve took an early interest in organic gardening, planting trees, and finding inventive ways to recycle waste and promote responsible use of the environment. Steve’s experience working on environmental issues was an important asset to the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which formed ca. 1988 to become a key advocate for preserving parkland on Burnaby Mountain. The Society was awarded the City of Burnaby 1998 Environment Award in Communications for its work in preserving the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. In 2001 Steve was awarded an Environmental Star in Community Stewardship for being “active in preserving and enhancing Burnaby’s natural environment for over thirty years”.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:42
- Interviewee Name
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Interview Location
- Steve Mancinelli's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track six of interview with Steve Mancinelli
Track six of interview with Steve Mancinelli
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-001/MSS196-001_Track_6.mp3Interview with Steve Mancinelli by Kathy Bossort September 13, 2015 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory553
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1988-2015
- Length
- 0:10:02
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s beliefs about the value of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, why people agreed to its preservation, and the role of the Society in rallying support for the preservation concept. He talks about how people use the mountain, and some of t…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Steve Mancinelli’s beliefs about the value of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, why people agreed to its preservation, and the role of the Society in rallying support for the preservation concept. He talks about how people use the mountain, and some of the safety concerns, including the risk of meeting bears on the mountain and the problem of parking.
- Date Range
- 1988-2015
- Length
- 0:10:02
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- September 13, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Steve Mancinelli conducted by Kathy Bossort. Steve Mancinelli was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the activities of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society between 1988 and 1997 and its advocacy for the protection of green space on Burnaby Mountain prior to the land transfer from SFU to Burnaby in 1995. Steve Mancinelli also talks about his other environmental and political activities, recreation on Burnaby Mountain, and the value of its natural assets.
- Biographical Notes
- Stephen Mancinelli was born in Vancouver in 1953 to Mario and Joan Mancinelli, one of three sons. The Mancinelli family moved to Burnaby in 1955 to the Cascade-Schou District. Steve attended Schou School (Gr. 1- 7) and Moscrop School (Gr. 8-10), playing as a child in the bush on the future Discovery Park site, before the family moved to Port Coquitlam. Steve moved back to Burnaby when he was 18, married his wife Glenda in 1980, and raised his family of two daughters (Julia and Aimee) in the Capital Hill District, before moving to Coquitlam in 2002. Employed as a sheet metal worker for 25 years, Steve has recently worked as a custodian for Coquitlam School District 43 for 19 years. Steve was one of the founding members of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, and has also been a member of the Capital Hill Community Association, on the Board of Directors for Burnaby Psychiatric Services, and a Regional Director for the Green Party. Steve took an early interest in organic gardening, planting trees, and finding inventive ways to recycle waste and promote responsible use of the environment. Steve’s experience working on environmental issues was an important asset to the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which formed ca. 1988 to become a key advocate for preserving parkland on Burnaby Mountain. The Society was awarded the City of Burnaby 1998 Environment Award in Communications for its work in preserving the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. In 2001 Steve was awarded an Environmental Star in Community Stewardship for being “active in preserving and enhancing Burnaby’s natural environment for over thirty years”.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:42
- Interviewee Name
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Interview Location
- Steve Mancinelli's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Steve Mancinelli
Track seven of interview with Steve Mancinelli
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-001/MSS196-001_Track_7.mp3Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19350
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Interviewee: Surjeet Kaur Parmar Language of Interview: Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi Location of Interview: home of Surjeet Kaur Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: December 6, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of tracks: (1:15:32) Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and Canada, her personal experiences and her ancestors’ stories as South Asian immigrants, reflections on and personal experiences of racial discrimination as a South Asian immigrant, her places of residence, her employment background, her cultural practices and traditions including food, clothing and craft. The interview begins with introductions from interviewer Anushay Mailik. Surjeet Kaur Parmar imparts her own family’s migration story beginning with her very first elders that immigrated to Canada from India. A relative (unnamed) immigrated to Canada first and a few years later (around 1905) returned to India and brought back three cousins that included; Ginaya Singh (Ghania Singh Manhas) and Doman Singh . Mayo Singh (Ghania Singh’s younger brother) came in 1906 on his own to join them. Surjeet’s grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) also wanted to immigrate at this time, but he was too young and weak to manage such a long trip. Surjeet conveys that while living in British Columbia, Mayo and Ginaya Singh worked together at saw mills. With their knowledge and understanding of mill work they ended up owning and operating a mill in Paldi near Duncan on Vancouver Island. At this time, most of the men from Surjeet’s family region in Punjab were abroad and with no men living at home. Mayo Singh’s father (Bhulla Singh) looked after her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) and paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh Manhas) back in Punjab. When Mayo’s father died, Mayo Singh adopted her paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh) and brought him to Canada in 1926. Surjeet describes her ancestors’ immigration journey from India to Canada. They all travelled by ship and if someone ran out of money en route, they could work on the ship. Surjeet explains that both Mayo and Ginaya Singh are Surjeet’s grandfather’s first cousins and her father’s second cousins. Surjeet recollects her grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) saying “now that you’ve arrived there, take one cousin from each side with you”. Surjeet explains that the cousins were all from the same village in Punjab and her great grandfather wanted someone to go abroad, so he sent a few and had them bring more as the years went on. Surjeet says that she’s uncertain as to why they chose Canada rather than America but thinks that they did some form of research and determined that it was a good place to come to. Surjeet admits that she doesn’t know the name of her paternal grandfather or other elders since she never met them. Surjeet shares that it was a traditional practice to mark pots and pans with family names and imparts that she discovered her father’s name “Lashman Singh” written on the bottom of a glass. Surjeet expresses that she’s marked her own pots and pans with her name to identify which ones are hers when she gets together with family or does catering. Surjeet refers to a kohl bottle that she has and how she’d like to offer it to the museum. She explains how the kohl bottle is no longer in use but was used by her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) and daughter and her grandchildren. Surjeet describes a blanket that she made called a “phulkari”, now on display in a small museum in Coquitlam, a wedding shawl, that her daughter now owns and a silk sari with embroidery. Surjeet and Anushay discuss the possibility of donating the kohl bottle and the sari to the museum. Surjeet explains how the kohl is used and how her mother used to make kohl. She describes how you rub the kohl with your hands, put cardamom in it, one or two other ingredients and fill the kohl bottle up with water. Surjeet says that she used kohl as eyeliner when living in India. The interviewer asks Surjeet more about Ginaya Singh. Surjeet conveys that Ginaya Singh ended up leaving the mill on Vancouver Island and moved to Vancouver. After Ginaya Singh died from a heart attack (in 1953) his family moved from Vancouver to Burnaby. Surjeet recalls that following the death of Ginaya Singh’s youngest son, her family didn’t celebrate “Lohri” (a winter festival celebrating newborns and newly married people) for three years. She shares that she was very young at this time but remembers there being beautiful photographs of young children all dressed up and displayed in her family home. She expresses that dressing up for photos has changed over time and adds that suits didn’t really come into fashion until after the 1970s or 1980s. Surjeet conveys that her uncle named Kashmira Singh first worked at the mill in Paldi near Duncan then moved to Vancouver and opened up his own mill in North Vancouver. Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas arrived in 1953. Surjeet expresses that Kapoor Singh was educated and worked as a manager at the mill on Vancouver Island. Surjeet recollects meeting Mayo Singh, his wife and eldest son in 1952 when they travelled to India for a cousin’s wedding. Surjeet remembers that Mayo Singh’s family had a very large house in India. She describes the house as a very opulent two story house with indoor plumbing for a bathtub, a kitchen with a woodstove, coloured mirrors, bejeweled curtains, a motor room to park cars, a buffalo and more. Surjeet refers to Nand Singh, a younger brother of Mayo Singh, who travelled from India to San Franciso and spent a year wandering around before deciding to return to India. She describes him as living in Bombay with his wife Vishan Kaur and having a transport business. Nand had two kids that came to Canada. Surjeet recollects the tragic death of Ganda Singh (Ginaya Singh) who died of a heart attack on someone’s doorstep, they thought that he was drunk so didn’t open the door. Surjeet conveys that Mayo Singh’s wife, Mission Kaur (Saradani Bishan Kaur) died while visiting India (in 1952) and that some of Mayo’s sons were married in Canada and one in India. Surjeet expresses that it was hard for Mayo’s sons to have one of their parents die in India and one die in Canada (Mayo Singh died in B.C. in 1955). Surjeet describes the hospital that Mayo built in the village of Paldi. She mentions that there were festivals and functions that took place there, there were many nurses and doctors. She recalls there being a school where their land was. She recalls that if they got headaches they were treated with medicine and that it didn’t cost much, only a six pence. Surjeet talks about her arranged marriage to Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar. Surjeet explains that her father and brother immigrated to British Columbia first (1953) and after a few months they brought Surjeet and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas). She recollects that when she was in Grade 10 and around 17 years of age, her family made plans to travel to India to attend a family wedding. During this time, her father suggested that it would be a good opportunity to take Surjeet with them to find her a husband in India to marry. After meeting and marrying Nadeem Parmar in India, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England. Surjeet recollects that in order to immigrate to Canada, each family member had to pass a medical exam and how difficult it was. Her two sisters, mother and brother all had to take the test in Delhi. Surjeet recalls living in England with Nadeem. While living in England, Nadeem worked during the day and studied engineering at college in the evening. Surjeet expresses that she liked living in England and was sad to leave. While living there, they enjoyed a close knit Punjabi community and they all lived in the same area. Surjeet states later in her interview that living in Canada was different from living in England. In England, family and friends lived closer together whereas in Canada places were further apart. Surjeet says that while living in England she could walk to do her shopping. While living in England, after her children were a bit older, she worked as a seamstress in a shirt factory for a few years before coming to Canada. Surjeet imparts that her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) died of a heart attack in 1970 and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) died in 1998. Her father and her family first lived in North Vancouver and then her parents bought a house on Eton Street in Burnaby, near the Ocean. After her father died, her brother and mother bought a house and moved to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in Burnaby. In 1973, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children immigrated to Canada and moved in with her brother and mother. Surjeet includes that her paternal aunt (Koshali Kaur Manhas) and cousins also moved to Burnaby and that her aunt and some of her cousins were sponsored by her son who came earlier. Surjeet recalls that after arriving in Canada she got work sewing in a factory located on Water Street in Gastown. Surjeet recollects travelling to her job by bus. Surjeet shares that she brought saris and quilted blankets “rijai”, not household items, in her suitcase when she came to Canada from England. Surjeet explains that the “rijai” (quilted blankets) were made from cotton from her home village in India. The blankets were made by women and then brought back to her to quilt on her sewing machine. Surjeet recalls that when she returned to Canada (in 1973 with her husband and children) they first lived with her mother and brother on Capitol Hill in Burnaby before moving to a house on Fell Avenue and then to their current home in 1982. In 1981, she worked at “Canadian Window Covering” factory making window coverings. The factory was located in the Brentwood area of Burnaby. Surjeet recalls how the factory became unionized and of how she left the factory and found union work at the Labatt’s brewery (Winery and Distillery Workers Local 300). Surjeet describes the work that she did while working at Labatt’s brewery which was located next to the Royal Columbian Hospital in Burnaby. Around 1995, when the Labatt’s factory closed down in Burnaby, she got union work as a bottle sorter for BDL Brewers Distributor Limited, where bottles were gathered for distribution at Braid Station. Surjeet left this job in 2000. Surjeet talks about traditional foods like bindi, sabji, aam and karela and where she’s shopped to find traditional ingredients for South Asian cuisine. She recollects how at first she could only find traditional ingredients at stores in Gastown, Chinatown and on Main Street in Vancouver but now they are more readily available at major grocery stores. Surjeet expresses that traditional spices and dry goods have been hard to find, apart from stores like, Famous Foods and Patels when it was located on Commercial Drive. Surjeet talks about using ingredients such as green pea flour and Besan flour to make pakoras and kahdri. Surjeet states that many immigrants didn’t wear their traditional clothing until she came later. She expresses that many South Asian immigrants didn’t wear their clothes “because there were no rights, we had to try to become like them”. Surjeet conveys that even though some were able to purchase property (she provides an example of family members in Duncan who faced discrimination by the owner/seller of a piece of property they were purchasing) that they had very little rights and they were all living in fear. She expresses that she herself didn’t experience this but in the beginning when people settled here (in B.C.) that it was very difficult. Surjeet says that when she goes to the Gurdwara and to work, she wears a sari and conveys that while working at the factory, she was encouraged to wear a sari, it was accepted then. She brought printed saris to work and her co workers said that they’d wear them to parties. Surjeet reflects on her own experiences of racism and discrimination and expresses that her generation “has learned how to stand up in front, then they got scared of saying anything”. “The people who came here first were afraid because they were alone, they had to settle down here and make a home from scratch, but the ones who came after had everything already built and made”. She explains how they helped one another when they came (to British Columbia). She describes how the Gurdwara was located on 2nd Street and all of the ships went there (new immigrants?), people would gather, get water, help one another and there would be a place for all people. Surjeet shares a personal experience of helping members of her husband’s family to immigrate to Canada. She tells of the complications of some being left behind in India and that some came to Canada as refugees that she and her husband sponsored. Surjeet expresses their struggles with raising a family, working and trying to pay for their own house while also trying to assist and support family members. Surjeet describes in detail how her husband Nadeem went back to India after his mother died to help his father, sister and her family immigrate. She explains that the immigration process took about four years and his father had to apply as a refugee. Nadeem’s sister came with her children but had to return to India so Surjeet and her family had to look after Nadeem’s sister’s child/children. Surjeet expresses that during this time she continued to work at Canadian Window Coverings, working an afternoon shift and sometimes taking her son with her. She expresses that this as a very hectic time, working the whole day, making food for everyone, grocery shopping, looking after a her sister in law’s younger child at night and getting no rest. Surjeet describes the time when she was working and her children were attending the local school. She expresses the challenges of working long days and often arriving home after her children. She recollects a time when there was a snow storm and how she was worried about her children making it home and being alone while she was at work, there were no cell phones in those days but they had phone numbers of her brother and sister. Surjeet tells of how they tried to help the rest of the Nadeem’s family immigrate including his brother who was a soccer player in India. They were able to buy a house for the whole family to live but expresses after several months Nadeem’s brother decided to stay in India. Surjeet expresses the complications and frustrations of trying to bring all family members to Canada.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Surjeet Kaur Parmar was born in Punjab, India in 1942 to parents Lashman Singh Manhas (1913-1970) and Budhan Kaur Manhas (1906-1998). Surjeet’s ancestors, Ghania Singh Manhas, Doman Singh and Mayo Singh immigrated to British Columbia in 1905 and 1906. The group got work in saw mills and soon began owning and operating their own saw mills, first in Chilliwack and Rosedale districts and later in 1920 on Vancouver Island near Duncan (Paldi) (known as the Mayo Lumber Company). In 1927, Surjeet’s paternal uncle, Kashmir Singh Manhas left Paldi, Punjab at the age of 18 years with Mayo Singh Manhas and after months of travel they arrived at Paldi on Vancouver Island. In 1953, Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas and her two brothers immigrated to Canada and soon after brought her and her mother, Budhan Kaur Manhas. After immigrating, her father began working at “Kashmir Lumber Company” in North Vancouver which was owned by his brother Kashmira Singh Manhas. Surjeet, her parents and two brothers first made their home in North Vancouver and the 1960s they moved to 3824 Eton Street in Burnaby. In 1959, Surjeet and her family returned to India for her brother’s wedding. During this time a marriage was arranged for Surjeet to marry Nadeem Parmar and they were married in 1960. Following their marriage, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England where they began raising their two children. While living in England, Surjeet worked as seamstress at a factory. In 1973, following the death of Surjeet’s father who died in 1970, Surjeet and Nadeem decided to immigrate to British Columbia. For the first few years, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children lived with her mother and brother in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Burnaby before purchasing their own home on Fell Avenue. While living in Burnaby Surjeet has worked as a seamstress for Canadian Window Covering, Labatt's Brewery and BDL Brewers Distributor Limited which she left in 2000. In 1982, Surjeet and her family moved into a new home that they had built on Woodsworth Street where they still live today. Interviewer biography: Anushay Malik is labor historian with a geographical focus on South Asia. Anushay studied at the University of London and was a research fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2014, Anushay moved back to her native Pakistan and joined Lahore University of Management Services as an Assistant Professor. In 2023, Anushay is a visiting scholar at Simon Fraser University and lives in Burnaby with her family. Anushay was a co-curator of the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills
- Clothing
- Crafts
- Employment
- Migration
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Occupations - Labourers
- Occupations - Millworkers
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Names
- Parmar, Surjeet Kaur
- Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"
- Manhas, Ghania Singh
- Singh, Mayo
- Manhas, Kashmir Singh
- Manhas, Sher Singh
- Manhas, Budhan Kaur
- Manhas, Lashman Singh
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.5
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Related Material
- See also BV022.29.1 - interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription of interview translated to English from Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi to English created by Rajdeep
- Transciption available on Heritage Burnaby
- Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0005_003.mp3Interview with Ted Burnham by Eric Damer September 19, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory313
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1946-1986
- Length
- 0:10:42
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham's memories of the interurban tram. He mentions getting his driver's license and goes on to discuss more of his work history; in the computer industry, then in the medical industry.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham's memories of the interurban tram. He mentions getting his driver's license and goes on to discuss more of his work history; in the computer industry, then in the medical industry.
- Date Range
- 1946-1986
- Photo Info
- Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham, [195-]. Item no. 549-021.
- Length
- 0:10:42
- Subjects
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- September 19, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 19, 2012. Major theme discussed: the role of the municipal worker in the nineteen-fifties and nineteen-sixties.
- Biographical Notes
- E.L. "Ted" Burnham was born in 1930 and grew up in East Burnaby. He attended Armstrong Street and Edmonds Schools and then Trapp Technical High School before beginning work at a range of occupations in the late nineteen-forties. Ted studied business administration at the University of British Columbia and worked from 1953 to about 1958 for the municipality of Burnaby in the engineering and welfare departments, then briefly for Remington-Rand computers, and then at the Hannah Medical Clinic until 1973. After marrying in 1957, Ted and his wife moved from McKay Avenue to Kaymar Drive and raised two daughters. In the ninteen-seventies and later, Ted became involved in municipal politics, the Heritage Village, and in his own real estate and insurance business.
- Total Tracks
- 3
- Total Length
- 0:29:27
- Interviewee Name
- Burnham, Edward Lewis "Ted"
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Ted Burnham
Track two of recording of interview with Ted Burnham
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-006/MSS171-006_Track_2.mp3Interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19608
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Rajdeep Interviewees: "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 8, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:02:03 min Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph credit: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on where they were born and grew up (in Burnaby), names of their parents and provide details on their family history. They describe how their grandparents and other relatives continued to live in Punjab after their father and mother immigrated to Canada in the 1970’s, recall the reasons their parents decided to immigrate and details of their lives before and after arriving in Canada. 00:05:27 – 00:06:46 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe some of their experiences travelling through Vancouver airport and compare their experiences with their mother’s own experiences. Gurvinder and Harvinder describe the layout of the airport and how customs and immigration has changed over time. 00:06:47 – 00:09:21 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide details about their mother, Parveen Sihra. They share information regarding her education in India and how she was unable to get work related to her degree in biology after immigrating to Canada. They convey how she worked in the Burnaby City Hall cafeteria in the 1990’s and how she worked part time in order to take care of her children. They share how their parents were proud Canadians participating in events inside and outside the South Asian community and were both fluent in English but often spoke Punjabi at home. 00:09:22 – 00:16:06 Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their childhood experiences growing up in Burnaby. They talk about the sports that they were involved with including hockey and Taekwondo, family vacations spent travelling to India and their experiences attending Marlborough Elementary School and Moscrop Secondary School.They describe how they first became interested in watching wrestling and trying it out on their own in their family home. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their own experiences of discrimination while growing up and playing sports. 00:16:07 – 00:27:37 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect and recall events that lead them to their dream of becoming professional wrestlers. They talk about pivotal events including attending their first live wresting event at GM Place with their father in 1996, beginning their training in Calgary in 2004, travelling across the country to participate in minor wrestling events, wrestling in Rogers Arena in 2017 and 2020 and getting their first call to join WWE. They talk about the support that they’ve had along the way to getting them where they are today and comment on why they want to be wrestlers in the WWE. 00:27:38 – 00:29:25 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide background information on their various wrestling personas and names in the world of professional wrestling including the Singh Brothers and the Bollywood Boyz. 00:29:26 – 00:38:43 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their experiences wrestling in India and the support and expectations of family members in becoming successful. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall and reflect on the experience of being fired from the WWE when cutbacks were made during the COVID pandemic. 00:38:44 – 00:42:53 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe what a day in their lives looks like now. They talk about how they’re still very passionate and focused on their wrestling careers and describe their experiences of having support and enthusiasm from fans and their parents. They talk about travelling across the country to particpate in different wrestling events. 00:42:54 – 00:47:18 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their training regimen including exercise and diet and describe areas in Burnaby where they like to train in gyms and the outdoors. 00:47:19 – 00:49:49 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about neighbourhoods in Burnaby including Metrotown and Deer Lake and how they’ve seen them change over the years. 00:49:50 – 00:54:27 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their highest and lowest points in their wrestling careers, highlighting specific events. They talk about the physical stamina it takes for wrestling and compare their sport with the sport of Kabaddi (a contact team sport between two teams originating in India). 00:54:28 – 00:59:01 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect on what toughness means to them, and what keeps them motivated to do what they do. 00:59:02 – 01:01:31 Gurvinder and Harvinder impart their words of wisdom to younger kids in chasing their passions and dreams and talk about their favourite Bollywood films and actors.
- History
- Interviewees' biographies: The Bollywood Boyz are a Canadian professional wrestling tag team composed of brothers Gurvinder "Gurv" Sihra (born in 1984) and Harvinder "Harv" Sihra (born in 1987). The pair are best known for their time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where Gurvinder and Harvinder performed under the ring names Sunil Singh and Samir Singh. They were both born and raised in Burnaby by their parents Harjeet and Parveen Sihra and attended Moscrop Secondary School. Gurvinder graduated from Douglas College where he studied criminology and has worked in loss prevention and has a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Harvinder attended Douglas College with studies in history and has worked as a model and an actor. Both Gurvinder and Harvinder Sihra are Sikhs. Interviewer biography: Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Migration
- Pandemics - COVID-19
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Religions - Sikhism
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Discrimination
- Social Issues - Racism
- Sports
- Sports - Martial Arts
- Sports - Wrestling
- Sports - Ice Hockey
- Travel
- Names
- The Bollywood Boyz
- Sihra, Guvinder "Gurv"
- Sihra, Harvinder "Harv"
- Sihra, Harjeet
- Sihra, Parveen
- World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"
- Moscrop Secondary School
- Marlborough Elementary School
- Metrotown
- Responsibility
- Rajdeep
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Park
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.12
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Photographer
- World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum
Images
Audio Tracks
Interview with
Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory518
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:04:54
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita and her family’s move to Burnaby in 1969 to an apartment near Brentwood Mall. She tells about continuing to demonstrate origami in schools and teach Ikebana in the community.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita and her family’s move to Burnaby in 1969 to an apartment near Brentwood Mall. She tells about continuing to demonstrate origami in schools and teach Ikebana in the community.
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:04:54
- Subjects
- Persons - Volunteers
- Arts
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Brentwood Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track three of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_3.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory519
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:07:26
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s explanation about the practice and art of Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana) and her specific school or discipline Ikebana Sogetsu. She talks about the meanings of the material used.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s explanation about the practice and art of Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana) and her specific school or discipline Ikebana Sogetsu. She talks about the meanings of the material used.
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:07:26
- Subjects
- Arts
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track four of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_4.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory520
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s involvement in the Multicultural Society, flower-arranging groups, and her own practice and willingness to respond to requests for presentations. She describes how traditional rules govern doll-making, Ikebana and the wearing of the kimono.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s involvement in the Multicultural Society, flower-arranging groups, and her own practice and willingness to respond to requests for presentations. She describes how traditional rules govern doll-making, Ikebana and the wearing of the kimono.
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track five of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track five of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_5.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory521
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1976-1990
- Length
- 00:07:36
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s trips to Japan in 1976 and 1980, visiting family in Myagi Prefecture, their response to her and her daughter, and her impression of Japan
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s trips to Japan in 1976 and 1980, visiting family in Myagi Prefecture, their response to her and her daughter, and her impression of Japan
- Date Range
- 1976-1990
- Length
- 00:07:36
- Subjects
- Travel
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track six of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track six of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_6.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory522
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:13:56
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and dis…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and distrust in her family. She also talks about visiting Hiroshima on her trip to Japan in 1980
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:13:56
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track seven of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_7.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 8
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory523
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1984-1990
- Length
- 00:04:47
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s six years service on Burnaby’s Family Court. She talks about what the Court does and the need for better services for battered women. She also relates that when Municipal officials receive visitors from Japan she is often asked to help.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s six years service on Burnaby’s Family Court. She talks about what the Court does and the need for better services for battered women. She also relates that when Municipal officials receive visitors from Japan she is often asked to help.
- Date Range
- 1984-1990
- Length
- 00:04:47
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track eight of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track eight of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_8.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 9
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory524
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1980-1990
- Length
- 00:19:08
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s involvement with the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko and her interest in the link between BC’s aboriginals and the Ainu of Japan. She describes Toko’s visits, her arrangement for Toko to meet Haida carver Bill Reid, and the events surrounding Burnaby…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s involvement with the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko and her interest in the link between BC’s aboriginals and the Ainu of Japan. She describes Toko’s visits, her arrangement for Toko to meet Haida carver Bill Reid, and the events surrounding Burnaby’s sister-city Kushiro’s gift of Toko’s sculptures to Burnaby for the Centennial. She also describes Toko’s appreciation of the Haida totems and the native people of BC, and his gift of a set of carving tools to Chief Saul Terry
- Date Range
- 1980-1990
- Length
- 00:19:08
- Subjects
- Celebrations - Centennial
- Indigenous wood-carving - Totem poles
- Woodworking Tools and Equipment
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track nine of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track nine of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_9.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 10
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory525
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1989-1990
- Length
- 00:06:41
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s description of how Toko Nuburi and his son [Shusei] worked to create the pole carvings in 1989. She also relates that seeing Toko, a man of the north of Japan, explains her own physical characteristics
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s description of how Toko Nuburi and his son [Shusei] worked to create the pole carvings in 1989. She also relates that seeing Toko, a man of the north of Japan, explains her own physical characteristics
- Date Range
- 1989-1990
- Length
- 00:06:41
- Subjects
- Celebrations - Centennial
- Ceremonial Artifacts - Totem Poles
- Woodworking Tools and Equipment
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track ten of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track ten of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_10.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 11
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory526
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:07:33
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the lessons Toki Miyashita learned from visiting Ikebana teachers, especially care for and skill using their tools, and mindfulness in choosing material for arrangements. She notes that flower arranging is used as a way to relax and feel calm.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the lessons Toki Miyashita learned from visiting Ikebana teachers, especially care for and skill using their tools, and mindfulness in choosing material for arrangements. She notes that flower arranging is used as a way to relax and feel calm.
- Date Range
- 1969-1990
- Length
- 00:07:33
- Subjects
- Arts
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track eleven of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track eleven of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_11.mp3Interview with Tom Mark by Eric Damer October 12, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory366
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1995
- Length
- 0:05:40
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's experiences as a care giver for his wife as well as a volunteer at the Burnaby Health Department. He mentions being awarded Burnaby's Kushiro Cup Citizen of the Year Award in 1995. Tom finishes his interview with a childhood story involv…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's experiences as a care giver for his wife as well as a volunteer at the Burnaby Health Department. He mentions being awarded Burnaby's Kushiro Cup Citizen of the Year Award in 1995. Tom finishes his interview with a childhood story involving his uncle's roadster.
- Date Range
- 1930-1995
- Length
- 0:05:40
- Subjects
- Persons - Volunteers
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 12, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Thomas "Tom" Mark conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 12, 2012. Major theme discussed: being a volunteer.
- Biographical Notes
- Thomas "Tom" Mark was born in 1923 and grew up in New Westminster. In 1937 his family moved to Victoria, British Columbia where he finished his schooling and worked for a year in the shipyard before enlisting in the air force. He was stationed in England during the war, and in 1946 he bought a small house in East Burnaby for his English bride and himself. For three years Tom drove a heating fuel truck for Shell Oil and then became the agent for a Shell marine service station on the Fraser River, near the Patullo Bridge. His aviary garnered him the nickname “birdman of Burnaby.” His son attended St. Thomas Moore High School and then Simon Fraser University when it opened in 1965. In 1995 Tom Mark was awarded the Kushiro Cup for Outstanding Citizen of the Year for his volunteer work with the Burnaby Health Department.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:32:43
- Interviewee Name
- Mark, Thomas "Tom"
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Tom Mark
Track four of recording of interview with Tom Mark
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-018/MSS171-018_Track_4.mp3Interview with Tony and Hazel Padula by Eric Damer November 27, 2012 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory375
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1964-1988
- Length
- 0:09:54
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of coming back to live at Deer Lake Place. Tony and Hazel discuss the building of their house and their children's childhood there, including the school system at that time.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of coming back to live at Deer Lake Place. Tony and Hazel discuss the building of their house and their children's childhood there, including the school system at that time.
- Date Range
- 1964-1988
- Photo Info
- Hazel (Bongea) Padula standing on the steps of her home at High Lawn, [195-]. Item no. 549-052.
- Length
- 0:09:54
- Subjects
- Buildings - Residences - Houses
- Education
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 27, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 27, 2012. Major themes discussed are: neighbourhoods and family heritage.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony Padula’s family came to Vancouver from Italy in 1926, the year Tony was born. After graduating from school, Tony entered the shoe industry as a salesman. Hazel Bongea (later Padula) was born in 1931 in Saskatchewan and moved to Vancouver with her family when she was ten years old. After graduating from school, Hazel found work with Standard Oil in Vancouver. Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula married in 1951. By 1953 they had bought property in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Burnaby where they built a home and began a family. The Padulas moved away in 1959 but returned five years later to a new home in central Burnaby, where they lived for twenty-two years before moving again, this time to North Vancouver. After six years in North Vancouver, Tony and Hazel retired to New Westminster.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:09:21
- Interviewee Name
- Padula, Hazel Bongea
- Padula, Tony
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track five of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula
Track five of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-020/MSS171-020_Track_5.mp3Interview with Tony and Hazel Padula by Eric Damer November 27, 2012 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory376
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1988
- Length
- 0:08:42
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of raising their children in Burnaby. Tony and Hazel discuss the sports activities that their children where involved in. They also mention their neighbours; included here is a tragic story of a neighbour loo…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of raising their children in Burnaby. Tony and Hazel discuss the sports activities that their children where involved in. They also mention their neighbours; included here is a tragic story of a neighbour loosing their life on the highway.
- Date Range
- 1988
- Photo Info
- Hazel (Bongea) Padula standing on the steps of her home at High Lawn, [195-]. Item no. 549-052.
- Length
- 0:08:42
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Neighbourhoods
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 27, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 27, 2012. Major themes discussed are: neighbourhoods and family heritage.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony Padula’s family came to Vancouver from Italy in 1926, the year Tony was born. After graduating from school, Tony entered the shoe industry as a salesman. Hazel Bongea (later Padula) was born in 1931 in Saskatchewan and moved to Vancouver with her family when she was ten years old. After graduating from school, Hazel found work with Standard Oil in Vancouver. Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula married in 1951. By 1953 they had bought property in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Burnaby where they built a home and began a family. The Padulas moved away in 1959 but returned five years later to a new home in central Burnaby, where they lived for twenty-two years before moving again, this time to North Vancouver. After six years in North Vancouver, Tony and Hazel retired to New Westminster.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:09:21
- Interviewee Name
- Padula, Hazel Bongea
- Padula, Tony
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track six of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula
Track six of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-020/MSS171-020_Track_6.mp3Interview with Tony and Hazel Padula by Eric Damer November 27, 2012 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory377
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1952-1988
- Length
- 0:09:42
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of the differences between the two neighbourhoods that they have lived in, in Burnaby. Tony and Hazel discuss the process of getting a mortgage.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of the differences between the two neighbourhoods that they have lived in, in Burnaby. Tony and Hazel discuss the process of getting a mortgage.
- Date Range
- 1952-1988
- Photo Info
- Hazel (Bongea) Padula standing on the steps of her home at High Lawn, [195-]. Item no. 549-052.
- Length
- 0:09:42
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Neighbourhoods
- Planning Study Area
- Brentwood Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 27, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 27, 2012. Major themes discussed are: neighbourhoods and family heritage.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony Padula’s family came to Vancouver from Italy in 1926, the year Tony was born. After graduating from school, Tony entered the shoe industry as a salesman. Hazel Bongea (later Padula) was born in 1931 in Saskatchewan and moved to Vancouver with her family when she was ten years old. After graduating from school, Hazel found work with Standard Oil in Vancouver. Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula married in 1951. By 1953 they had bought property in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Burnaby where they built a home and began a family. The Padulas moved away in 1959 but returned five years later to a new home in central Burnaby, where they lived for twenty-two years before moving again, this time to North Vancouver. After six years in North Vancouver, Tony and Hazel retired to New Westminster.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:09:21
- Interviewee Name
- Padula, Hazel Bongea
- Padula, Tony
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track seven of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula
Track seven of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-020/MSS171-020_Track_7.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Eric Damer October 10, 2012 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory324
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1994
- Length
- 0:07:32
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Fabian's understanding of how neighbourhood parks came about during the Depression. He also discusses the development of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Fabian's understanding of how neighbourhood parks came about during the Depression. He also discusses the development of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area.
- Date Range
- 1930-1994
- Photo Info
- Tony Fabian relaxing at a picnic table, [1970]. Item no. 549-026.
- Length
- 0:07:32
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Parks
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 10, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 10, 2012. Major theme discussed: environmental conservation practices in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony Fabian was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan in 1934. He and his wife moved to Burnaby in 1957, where he worked for the telephone company and raised a family. Tony has been an advocate for preservation of parklands and watercourses, helping to protect Burnaby and Deer Lake Parks and to create the Burnaby Fraser Foreshore and Barnet Marine Parks in the early nineteen-seventies, serving as a member of Burnaby’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Tony Fabian was presented with the 2008 City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 5
- Total Length
- 0:47:48
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of recording of interview with Tony Fabian
Track three of recording of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-009/MSS171-009_Track_3.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Eric Damer October 10, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory325
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1972-2012
- Length
- 0:11:59
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Fabian's involvement in the development of the Stream Preservation Bylaw in Burnaby. He discusses fish populations, air quality, and bird populations in Burnaby as well.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Fabian's involvement in the development of the Stream Preservation Bylaw in Burnaby. He discusses fish populations, air quality, and bird populations in Burnaby as well.
- Date Range
- 1972-2012
- Photo Info
- Tony Fabian relaxing at a picnic table, [1970]. Item no. 549-026.
- Length
- 0:11:59
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 10, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 10, 2012. Major theme discussed: environmental conservation practices in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony Fabian was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan in 1934. He and his wife moved to Burnaby in 1957, where he worked for the telephone company and raised a family. Tony has been an advocate for preservation of parklands and watercourses, helping to protect Burnaby and Deer Lake Parks and to create the Burnaby Fraser Foreshore and Barnet Marine Parks in the early nineteen-seventies, serving as a member of Burnaby’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Tony Fabian was presented with the 2008 City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 5
- Total Length
- 0:47:48
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Tony Fabian
Track four of recording of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-009/MSS171-009_Track_4.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Eric Damer October 10, 2012 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory326
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1971-2012
- Length
- 0:09:30
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Fabian's memories of the development of the Fraser River Foreshore and the Confederation Community Centre (previously named Confederation House).
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Fabian's memories of the development of the Fraser River Foreshore and the Confederation Community Centre (previously named Confederation House).
- Date Range
- 1971-2012
- Photo Info
- Tony Fabian relaxing at a picnic table, [1970]. Item no. 549-026.
- Length
- 0:09:30
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 10, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 10, 2012. Major theme discussed: environmental conservation practices in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony Fabian was born and raised in rural Saskatchewan in 1934. He and his wife moved to Burnaby in 1957, where he worked for the telephone company and raised a family. Tony has been an advocate for preservation of parklands and watercourses, helping to protect Burnaby and Deer Lake Parks and to create the Burnaby Fraser Foreshore and Barnet Marine Parks in the early nineteen-seventies, serving as a member of Burnaby’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Tony Fabian was presented with the 2008 City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 5
- Total Length
- 0:47:48
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track five of recording of interview with Tony Fabian
Track five of recording of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-009/MSS171-009_Track_5.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory597
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1956-1980
- Length
- 0:15:48
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s memories of his moving to Hardwick Street in Burnaby in 1957; his views about early attitudes toward clearing the land in Burnaby and how people’s attitudes changed with regard to protecting the environment; and his description of the “golden ye…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s memories of his moving to Hardwick Street in Burnaby in 1957; his views about early attitudes toward clearing the land in Burnaby and how people’s attitudes changed with regard to protecting the environment; and his description of the “golden years” for park creation and planning in the 1970s.
- Date Range
- 1956-1980
- Length
- 0:15:48
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Parks
- Geographic Access
- Hardwick Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Tony Fabian
Track two of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_2.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory598
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1960-1990
- Length
- 0:12:29
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s story about his first involvement in civic politics when he questioned the cutting in half of Hardwick Park and his learning about the legal status of park dedications. He talks about the value of understanding the geographic history and natural …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s story about his first involvement in civic politics when he questioned the cutting in half of Hardwick Park and his learning about the legal status of park dedications. He talks about the value of understanding the geographic history and natural processes of Burnaby landscapes.
- Date Range
- 1960-1990
- Length
- 0:12:29
- Names
- Hardwick Park
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Parks
- Planning
- Geographic Access
- Hardwick Street
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Tony Fabian
Track three of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_3.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory599
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1860-1995
- Length
- 0:15:57
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s description of the history of setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain, the creation of the Pavilion area in 1957, the history of proposals for how Burnaby Mountain could be used, the land transfer to SFU in 1963, and difficulty accessing the m…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s description of the history of setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain, the creation of the Pavilion area in 1957, the history of proposals for how Burnaby Mountain could be used, the land transfer to SFU in 1963, and difficulty accessing the mountain for recreation prior to 1965. He also talks about the dispute between SFU and the City of Burnaby over land ownership and control.
- Date Range
- 1860-1995
- Length
- 0:15:57
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with Tony Fabian
Track four of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_4.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory600
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1980-2015
- Length
- 0:09:30
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, further discussion about what Burnaby Mountain is good for, and his views about the kind of forest he would like to see on the mountain.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, further discussion about what Burnaby Mountain is good for, and his views about the kind of forest he would like to see on the mountain.
- Date Range
- 1980-2015
- Length
- 0:09:30
- Names
- Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society
- Gordon, Merrill
- Lamont, Dean
- Mancinelli, Stephen J. "Steve"
- Simon Fraser University
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track five of interview with Tony Fabian
Track five of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_5.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory601
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1956-2015
- Length
- 0:16:27
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s view that the traditional landmark character of Burnaby Mountain is its wildness which has now been lost. He talks about the decline in local peoples’ concern for the natural environment and the challenge of educating young people about nature.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s view that the traditional landmark character of Burnaby Mountain is its wildness which has now been lost. He talks about the decline in local peoples’ concern for the natural environment and the challenge of educating young people about nature.
- Date Range
- 1956-2015
- Length
- 0:16:27
- Subjects
- Geographic Features
- Planning
- Education
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track six of interview with Tony Fabian
Track six of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_6.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory602
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1970-2015
- Length
- 0:12:19
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s views about the Trans Mountain pipeline protest on Burnaby Mountain and how he sees himself as an environmentalist. At the end of the interview he summarizes some of his successes when he was a Parks Commissioner.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s views about the Trans Mountain pipeline protest on Burnaby Mountain and how he sees himself as an environmentalist. At the end of the interview he summarizes some of his successes when he was a Parks Commissioner.
- Date Range
- 1970-2015
- Length
- 0:12:19
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Tony Fabian
Track seven of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_7.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory441
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1926-1989
- Length
- 00:10:22
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is mainly about the start of the Lewarne family ice cream business in the Depression and its history under three generations of the family. He also remembers the hard times of the Depression, the schools he attended in South Burnaby, and Mr. Seller’s shetland ponies.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is mainly about the start of the Lewarne family ice cream business in the Depression and its history under three generations of the family. He also remembers the hard times of the Depression, the schools he attended in South Burnaby, and Mr. Seller’s shetland ponies.
- Date Range
- 1926-1989
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:10:22
- Subjects
- Occupations - Entrepreneurs
- Business
- Geographic Access
- Nelson Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Sussex-Nelson Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track one of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_1.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory443
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:07:58
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the interurban tram service in Burnaby, how it was used, the interurban routes, reasons for closing the interurban and later building Skytrain, and attempts to purchase an old tram car for Heritage Village
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the interurban tram service in Burnaby, how it was used, the interurban routes, reasons for closing the interurban and later building Skytrain, and attempts to purchase an old tram car for Heritage Village
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:07:58
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track three of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_3.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory445
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Length
- 00:01:29
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about acquiring and maintaining streetcars for Burnaby Heritage Village
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about acquiring and maintaining streetcars for Burnaby Heritage Village
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:01:29
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track five of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track five of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_5.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory446
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1944-1990
- Length
- 00:03:58
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s war service, education, joining father’s business, and expansion of ice cream business into refrigerated warehouses
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s war service, education, joining father’s business, and expansion of ice cream business into refrigerated warehouses
- Date Range
- 1944-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:03:58
- Subjects
- Education
- Occupations - Entrepreneurs
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track six of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track six of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_6.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory447
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1937-1990
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s discussion of the attitudes, energy and time commitment required for operating a seasonal business and needed for politics. He mentions the Nelson Avenue family home, still lived in by his mother
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s discussion of the attitudes, energy and time commitment required for operating a seasonal business and needed for politics. He mentions the Nelson Avenue family home, still lived in by his mother
- Date Range
- 1937-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Geographic Access
- Nelson Avenue
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track seven of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_7.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 8
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory448
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:06:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Burnaby going into receivership and as a stronghold for socialists. Bill Lewarne describes the contributions of Ernie and Harold Winch
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Burnaby going into receivership and as a stronghold for socialists. Bill Lewarne describes the contributions of Ernie and Harold Winch
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:06:53
- Subjects
- Government
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track eight of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track eight of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_8.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 9
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory449
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1965-1990
- Length
- 00:09:43
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about how Bill Lewarne got involved in politics and some of the people he worked with: Charles Walburn, Nora Code, Ray Weir, Richie Smith and Dugald Patterson
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about how Bill Lewarne got involved in politics and some of the people he worked with: Charles Walburn, Nora Code, Ray Weir, Richie Smith and Dugald Patterson
- Date Range
- 1965-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:09:43
- Subjects
- Elections
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track nine of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track nine of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_9.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 10
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory450
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Burnaby and New Westminster May Days and how geography and poor transportation affects municipal east-west and north-south connections
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Burnaby and New Westminster May Days and how geography and poor transportation affects municipal east-west and north-south connections
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Subjects
- Events - May Day
- Transportation
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track ten of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track ten of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_10.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 11
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory451
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1965-1990
- Length
- 00:08:20
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s early political career with Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and starting new political organization (BCA - Burnaby Citizens Association). He muses about how democracy works and the pros and cons of political life.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s early political career with Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and starting new political organization (BCA - Burnaby Citizens Association). He muses about how democracy works and the pros and cons of political life.
- Date Range
- 1965-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:08:20
- Subjects
- Elections
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track eleven of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track eleven of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_11.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 12
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory452
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1965-1987
- Length
- 00:10:39
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s problems raising funds for his first political campaign without incurring favours, and the challenge of remaining nonpartisan in office
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s problems raising funds for his first political campaign without incurring favours, and the challenge of remaining nonpartisan in office
- Date Range
- 1965-1987
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:10:39
- Subjects
- Elections
- Officials - Mayors and Reeves
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track twelve of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track twelve of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_12.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 13
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory453
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1979-1990
- Length
- 00:06:22
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s continued involvement with BTA on its Board, and his run for provincial office for Socreds in 1979 against Rosemary Brown
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s continued involvement with BTA on its Board, and his run for provincial office for Socreds in 1979 against Rosemary Brown
- Date Range
- 1979-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:06:22
- Subjects
- Elections
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track thirteen of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track thirteen of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_13.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 14
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory454
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Length
- 00:09:06
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s involvement in Burnaby organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s involvement in Burnaby organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:09:06
- Subjects
- Organizations
- Persons - Volunteers
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track fourteen of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track fourteen of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_14.mp3Interview with William J. Copeland by Rod Fowler February 18, 1990 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory435
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1960-1990
- Length
- 00:03:16
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's involvement in the International Association of Fire Fighters union.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's involvement in the International Association of Fire Fighters union.
- Date Range
- 1960-1990
- Photo Info
- Mayor Bill Copeland cutting the ribbon for the opening of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts accompanied by Jack and Doris Shadbolt and Councillors Doug Drummond and Derek Corrigan, 1995. Item no. 535-0067
- Length
- 00:03:16
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 18, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Burnaby Mayor William J. Copeland conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Copeland was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Copeland’s education, career and experience as a Burnaby firefighter from 1955 to 1987, and his work for the union International Association of Fire Fighters. He talks about his early family life in Burnaby and Vancouver, war service, training with the Federal Fire Service, the organizations he has belonged to, and the careers of his three children. He briefly talks about Burnaby politics and his unexpected election to Mayor of Burnaby. Major themes of the interview, described by track: Track 1: Organizations - Unions; Public Services - Fire Protection; International Association of Fire Fighters; Track 2: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 3: Elections; Track 4: family history and education; Track 5: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 6: Elections
- Biographical Notes
- William John (Bill) Copeland (1927-2002) was born in Vancouver May 19, 1927. As a young child he lived with his parents on Southwood Street in South Burnaby on a chicken ranch. Bill’s father was a miner and was often away from home. The family moved to Pioneer Mines at Bridge River for a few years and then moved back to Vancouver in 1941 when his father contracted silicosis. Bill served in the navy for about a year near the end of WWII, was in the Canadian Merchant Marine and worked as a pipe fitter, before beginning his career as a fire fighter. He trained with the Federal Fire Service and worked two years at the Wireless Station in Delta. In 1955 he started work as Fire Fighter No. 53 in Burnaby, retiring 33 years later in 1987. Most of his career was spent at the Control Station or Number 1 Firehall, first located at Wiilingdon and Hastings (now No.5 Station) and later on Sperling near Canada Way. Bill worked as a first aid instructor, eventually moving into the training office, and retired as assistant chief. In 1987, shortly after retiring, Bill was asked to run for Mayor for the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). Much to his surprise he won. He served with distinction for three terms (1987-1996). Bill, his wife Ruth, and their three children, Doug and Dan (both firefighters) and Emily (a teacher), lived in North Burnaby on Cliff Avenue, the family home for about 35 years. Bill was active in many organizations including the Cliff Avenue soccer organization, St. John Ambulance, Burnaby Red Cross, and CNIB, among others. He began representing firefighters locally in the International Association of Fire Fighters in the early 1960s, eventually becoming President of the provincial association and then Vice President of the 6th District representing Western Canada.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 0:25:35
- Interviewee Name
- Copeland, William J
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with William J. Copeland
Track one of interview with William J. Copeland
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-013/MSS187-013_Track_1.mp3Interview with William J. Copeland by Rod Fowler February 18, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory436
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1953-1990
- Length
- 00:02:44
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's training as a firefighter in the Federal Fire Service at the Wireless Station in Delta, and his career in Burnaby, mainly at Control Station.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's training as a firefighter in the Federal Fire Service at the Wireless Station in Delta, and his career in Burnaby, mainly at Control Station.
- Date Range
- 1953-1990
- Photo Info
- Mayor Bill Copeland cutting the ribbon for the opening of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts accompanied by Jack and Doris Shadbolt and Councillors Doug Drummond and Derek Corrigan, 1995. Item no. 535-0067
- Length
- 00:02:44
- Subjects
- Public Services - Fire Protection
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 18, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Burnaby Mayor William J. Copeland conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Copeland was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Copeland’s education, career and experience as a Burnaby firefighter from 1955 to 1987, and his work for the union International Association of Fire Fighters. He talks about his early family life in Burnaby and Vancouver, war service, training with the Federal Fire Service, the organizations he has belonged to, and the careers of his three children. He briefly talks about Burnaby politics and his unexpected election to Mayor of Burnaby. Major themes of the interview, described by track: Track 1: Organizations - Unions; Public Services - Fire Protection; International Association of Fire Fighters; Track 2: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 3: Elections; Track 4: family history and education; Track 5: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 6: Elections
- Biographical Notes
- William John (Bill) Copeland (1927-2002) was born in Vancouver May 19, 1927. As a young child he lived with his parents on Southwood Street in South Burnaby on a chicken ranch. Bill’s father was a miner and was often away from home. The family moved to Pioneer Mines at Bridge River for a few years and then moved back to Vancouver in 1941 when his father contracted silicosis. Bill served in the navy for about a year near the end of WWII, was in the Canadian Merchant Marine and worked as a pipe fitter, before beginning his career as a fire fighter. He trained with the Federal Fire Service and worked two years at the Wireless Station in Delta. In 1955 he started work as Fire Fighter No. 53 in Burnaby, retiring 33 years later in 1987. Most of his career was spent at the Control Station or Number 1 Firehall, first located at Wiilingdon and Hastings (now No.5 Station) and later on Sperling near Canada Way. Bill worked as a first aid instructor, eventually moving into the training office, and retired as assistant chief. In 1987, shortly after retiring, Bill was asked to run for Mayor for the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). Much to his surprise he won. He served with distinction for three terms (1987-1996). Bill, his wife Ruth, and their three children, Doug and Dan (both firefighters) and Emily (a teacher), lived in North Burnaby on Cliff Avenue, the family home for about 35 years. Bill was active in many organizations including the Cliff Avenue soccer organization, St. John Ambulance, Burnaby Red Cross, and CNIB, among others. He began representing firefighters locally in the International Association of Fire Fighters in the early 1960s, eventually becoming President of the provincial association and then Vice President of the 6th District representing Western Canada.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 0:25:35
- Interviewee Name
- Copeland, William J
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with William J. Copeland
Track two of interview with William J. Copeland
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-013/MSS187-013_Track_2.mp3Interview with William J. Copeland by Rod Fowler February 18, 1990 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory437
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1955-1990
- Length
- 00:04:32
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's election to Mayor in 1987, attributing it to being well known through his work as a fire fighter and as a volunteer with various organizations such as the soccer club Cliff Avenue Union FC, Burnaby Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, CNIB, the firef…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's election to Mayor in 1987, attributing it to being well known through his work as a fire fighter and as a volunteer with various organizations such as the soccer club Cliff Avenue Union FC, Burnaby Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, CNIB, the firefighters' union, among others
- Date Range
- 1955-1990
- Photo Info
- Mayor Bill Copeland cutting the ribbon for the opening of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts accompanied by Jack and Doris Shadbolt and Councillors Doug Drummond and Derek Corrigan, 1995. Item no. 535-0067
- Length
- 00:04:32
- Subjects
- Elections
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 18, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Burnaby Mayor William J. Copeland conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Copeland was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Copeland’s education, career and experience as a Burnaby firefighter from 1955 to 1987, and his work for the union International Association of Fire Fighters. He talks about his early family life in Burnaby and Vancouver, war service, training with the Federal Fire Service, the organizations he has belonged to, and the careers of his three children. He briefly talks about Burnaby politics and his unexpected election to Mayor of Burnaby. Major themes of the interview, described by track: Track 1: Organizations - Unions; Public Services - Fire Protection; International Association of Fire Fighters; Track 2: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 3: Elections; Track 4: family history and education; Track 5: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 6: Elections
- Biographical Notes
- William John (Bill) Copeland (1927-2002) was born in Vancouver May 19, 1927. As a young child he lived with his parents on Southwood Street in South Burnaby on a chicken ranch. Bill’s father was a miner and was often away from home. The family moved to Pioneer Mines at Bridge River for a few years and then moved back to Vancouver in 1941 when his father contracted silicosis. Bill served in the navy for about a year near the end of WWII, was in the Canadian Merchant Marine and worked as a pipe fitter, before beginning his career as a fire fighter. He trained with the Federal Fire Service and worked two years at the Wireless Station in Delta. In 1955 he started work as Fire Fighter No. 53 in Burnaby, retiring 33 years later in 1987. Most of his career was spent at the Control Station or Number 1 Firehall, first located at Wiilingdon and Hastings (now No.5 Station) and later on Sperling near Canada Way. Bill worked as a first aid instructor, eventually moving into the training office, and retired as assistant chief. In 1987, shortly after retiring, Bill was asked to run for Mayor for the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). Much to his surprise he won. He served with distinction for three terms (1987-1996). Bill, his wife Ruth, and their three children, Doug and Dan (both firefighters) and Emily (a teacher), lived in North Burnaby on Cliff Avenue, the family home for about 35 years. Bill was active in many organizations including the Cliff Avenue soccer organization, St. John Ambulance, Burnaby Red Cross, and CNIB, among others. He began representing firefighters locally in the International Association of Fire Fighters in the early 1960s, eventually becoming President of the provincial association and then Vice President of the 6th District representing Western Canada.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 0:25:35
- Interviewee Name
- Copeland, William J
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with William J. Copeland
Track three of interview with William J. Copeland
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-013/MSS187-013_Track_3.mp3Interview with William J. Copeland by Rod Fowler February 18, 1990 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory438
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1927-1990
- Length
- 00:06:37
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's childhood in Burnaby and Vancouver, his father's work as a miner, his war service, education, and his three children
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's childhood in Burnaby and Vancouver, his father's work as a miner, his war service, education, and his three children
- Date Range
- 1927-1990
- Photo Info
- Mayor Bill Copeland cutting the ribbon for the opening of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts accompanied by Jack and Doris Shadbolt and Councillors Doug Drummond and Derek Corrigan, 1995. Item no. 535-0067
- Length
- 00:06:37
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 18, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Burnaby Mayor William J. Copeland conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Copeland was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Copeland’s education, career and experience as a Burnaby firefighter from 1955 to 1987, and his work for the union International Association of Fire Fighters. He talks about his early family life in Burnaby and Vancouver, war service, training with the Federal Fire Service, the organizations he has belonged to, and the careers of his three children. He briefly talks about Burnaby politics and his unexpected election to Mayor of Burnaby. Major themes of the interview, described by track: Track 1: Organizations - Unions; Public Services - Fire Protection; International Association of Fire Fighters; Track 2: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 3: Elections; Track 4: family history and education; Track 5: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 6: Elections
- Biographical Notes
- William John (Bill) Copeland (1927-2002) was born in Vancouver May 19, 1927. As a young child he lived with his parents on Southwood Street in South Burnaby on a chicken ranch. Bill’s father was a miner and was often away from home. The family moved to Pioneer Mines at Bridge River for a few years and then moved back to Vancouver in 1941 when his father contracted silicosis. Bill served in the navy for about a year near the end of WWII, was in the Canadian Merchant Marine and worked as a pipe fitter, before beginning his career as a fire fighter. He trained with the Federal Fire Service and worked two years at the Wireless Station in Delta. In 1955 he started work as Fire Fighter No. 53 in Burnaby, retiring 33 years later in 1987. Most of his career was spent at the Control Station or Number 1 Firehall, first located at Wiilingdon and Hastings (now No.5 Station) and later on Sperling near Canada Way. Bill worked as a first aid instructor, eventually moving into the training office, and retired as assistant chief. In 1987, shortly after retiring, Bill was asked to run for Mayor for the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). Much to his surprise he won. He served with distinction for three terms (1987-1996). Bill, his wife Ruth, and their three children, Doug and Dan (both firefighters) and Emily (a teacher), lived in North Burnaby on Cliff Avenue, the family home for about 35 years. Bill was active in many organizations including the Cliff Avenue soccer organization, St. John Ambulance, Burnaby Red Cross, and CNIB, among others. He began representing firefighters locally in the International Association of Fire Fighters in the early 1960s, eventually becoming President of the provincial association and then Vice President of the 6th District representing Western Canada.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 0:25:35
- Interviewee Name
- Copeland, William J
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with William J. Copeland
Track four of interview with William J. Copeland
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-013/MSS187-013_Track_4.mp3