9 records – page 1 of 1.

H.T. Ceperley Estate 'Fairacres' Mansion

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark526
Repository
Burnaby Heritage Planning
Description
'Fairacres' is a large, two-and-one-half storey estate house in the British Arts and Crafts style, located in Deer Lake Park, with four associated original outbuildings.
Associated Dates
1911
Formal Recognition
Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
Other Names
Henry Tracy & Grace Ceperley Estate
Burnaby Art Gallery
Street View URL
Google Maps Street View
Repository
Burnaby Heritage Planning
Other Names
Henry Tracy & Grace Ceperley Estate
Burnaby Art Gallery
Geographic Access
Deer Lake Avenue
Associated Dates
1911
Formal Recognition
Heritage Designation, Community Heritage Register
Enactment Type
Bylaw No. 9807
Enactment Date
23/11/1992
Description
'Fairacres' is a large, two-and-one-half storey estate house in the British Arts and Crafts style, located in Deer Lake Park, with four associated original outbuildings.
Heritage Value
'Fairacres' is important as a record of the early years of Burnaby, specifically the Deer Lake area, as a place of tranquility and beautiful scenery in which the wealthy and successful in the burgeoning cities of New Westminster and Vancouver chose to retire or to make their family homes. The main house, which anchors in style and setting the outbuildings on the estate, demonstrates the social, cultural, and aesthetic values of local wealthy businessmen and women of the early twentieth century - values such as appreciation of architectural elegance and grand interior spaces, leisure and recreation, formal landscaped gardens and scenic views. Also important is the association with the English-born and trained architect Robert Mackay Fripp (1858-1917), as this was one of his grandest residential commissions. Steeped in the current architectural trends in Great Britain, Fripp designed this sprawling mansion in the Arts and Crafts style, reflected in the architectural detailing and proportions. The style was common at the time and was often used for estate mansions as a symbol of affluence and good, modern taste as well as an affinity for all things British. Quality is displayed inside and out in the finishes and materials, orchestrated by prominent local contractor, James Charles Allen, including imported English materials of specific value such as imported Medmenham tiles in the fireplace surrounds, one of the earliest documented use of these tiles outside the United Kingdom. Detailed features of the interior woodwork were carved by Scottish-born master wood carver George Selkirk Gibson (1867-1942), who was best known for his many commissions for prominent British Columbia architect Samuel Maclure. The outbuildings at 'Fairacres' are an important record of the functioning of a large estate of the time. The Garage and Stables and the Chauffeur’s Cottage accommodated the use of automobiles, horses and carriages, and in concert with the estate's location near the new British Columbia Electric Railway 'Burnaby Lake' interurban line, illustrate the evolving nature of regional transportation and the growing bedroom communities and estates made possible by increasing options for transportation. Other outbuildings accommodated the agricultural activities that helped support the Ceperley estate. The estate was conceived and funded by American-born Grace E. Dixon Ceperley (1863-1917), who had achieved significant wealth through a bequest from her brother-in-law, Vancouver pioneer Arthur Ferguson. Her husband, Henry Tracy Ceperley (1850-1929), also American-born, was a successful and well-respected businessman who made a significant contribution to the development of the City of Vancouver. The construction of 'Fairacres' spawned the transformation of the Deer Lake area from a farming community into a preferred location for elite suburban homes. 'Fairacres' is significant to the City of Burnaby as its first civic heritage conservation project. Acquired in 1966 for conversion to Burnaby’s first art gallery, it was dedicated in 1967 to mark Canada’s Centennial of Confederation.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the ‘Fairacres’ mansion include its: - setting in relation to the gardens, its former market garden, and the vistas to Deer Lake and other grand homes in the area - side gable roof with prominent dormers and cedar shingle cladding - verandah across the eastern (garden) facade, with its view over the landscaped gardens and the distant mountains - porte cochere with its side steps for those arriving by automobile, and central raised step for those alighting from horse-drawn carriages - rich variety of exterior elements that demonstrate the typical Arts and Crafts use of local materials such as cobble stone chimneys and foundations, wide wooden siding and half-timbering - mixture of double-hung and casement wooden-sash windows, many with multi-paned sash - lavish interior spaces, designed for entertaining on a grand scale, including a billiard room with a beamed ceiling and an inglenook fireplace, and generous living and dining rooms arranged off a central hall - quality of the interior materials such as imported Medmenham tiles in fireplace surrounds, window hardware by Hope and Sons, and leaded stained glass - interior wood work including the staircase, and carvings by George Selkirk Gibson - remaining formal Edwardian garden landscape elements, including the cross-axial plan that reflects the relationship of the mansion to its 'outdoor rooms'
Locality
Deer Lake Park
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Architect
Robert Mackay Fripp
Builder
James Charles Allen
George Selkirk Gibson
Function
Primary Current--Museum
Primary Historic--Estate
Community
Burnaby
Cadastral Identifier
P.I.D. No. 004-493-311 Legal Description: Block 3 Except: Part subdivided by Plan 26865, District Lot 79, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 536
Boundaries
‘Fairacres’ is comprised of a single municipally-owned property located at 6344 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby.
Area
17,065.00
Contributing Resource
Building
Landscape Feature
Ownership
Public (local)
Other Collection
City of Burnaby, Visual Art Collection: Original rendering by R.P.S. Twizell Burnaby Historical Society, Community Archives: Ceperley Photograph Album Burnaby Village Museum, Collection: Carved dining room panels by G.S. Gibson and other hardware items
Documentation
Heritage Site Files: PC77000 20. City of Burnaby Planning and Building Department, 4949 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C., V5G 1M2
Names
Ceperley, Grace
Ceperley, H.T.
Fripp, Robert Mackay
Allen, James Charles
Gibson, George Selkirk
Subjects
Buildings - Heritage
Buildings - Residential - Houses
Buildings - Residential
Street Address
6344 Deer Lake Avenue
Street View URL
Google Maps Street View
Images
Less detail

Miss Harry and Kitty Off to Get the Mail

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription39543
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1904]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph ; sepia ; 7.2 x 10 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of Harriet Woodward with Kitty sitting in a horse drawn cart on the Hill family property known as Brookfield. The photograph is taken looking towards the northeast and Douglas Road can be seen in the background along with Bernard Hill's house (later 4990 Canada Way). In the foreground …
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1904]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Series
Kitty Hill Peers family photograph series
Physical Description
1 photograph ; sepia ; 7.2 x 10 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-862
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of Harriet Woodward with Kitty sitting in a horse drawn cart on the Hill family property known as Brookfield. The photograph is taken looking towards the northeast and Douglas Road can be seen in the background along with Bernard Hill's house (later 4990 Canada Way). In the foreground to the left, a box camera is visible sitting on the ground.
Subjects
Transportation - Carts
Transportation - Horses
Names
Peers, Katherine Maude Hill "Kitty"
Woodward, Harriet
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on caption accompanying photograph
Geographic Access
Douglas Road
Deer Lake Avenue
Canada Way
Street Address
6501 Deer Lake Avenue
4990 Canada Way
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Less detail

Mowing at Gaines' Farm, Burnaby

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription39548
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1906]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 12 x 17 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of a farmer driving a team of two horses mowing hay in a field. The photograph bears the caption "Mowing at Gaines' farm" and is accompanied by a notation in the album indicating that the field was across Douglas Road from Brookfield, the home of Claude Hill. This property belonged to …
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1906]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Series
Kitty Hill Peers family photograph series
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 12 x 17 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-867
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of a farmer driving a team of two horses mowing hay in a field. The photograph bears the caption "Mowing at Gaines' farm" and is accompanied by a notation in the album indicating that the field was across Douglas Road from Brookfield, the home of Claude Hill. This property belonged to Claude's brother Bernard Hill and was later known as 4990 Canada Way. The man is unidentified. In the background to the west can be seen Burnaby Lake and to the left the Pole Line Road (later Sperling Avenue) and to the right, Douglas Road and an unidentified house. This is the current location of the Kensington Avenue freeway interchange.
Subjects
Agriculture - Crops
Agricultural Tools and Equipment
Animals - Horses
Occupations - Farmers
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Cooksley, William Thomas
Notes
Title based on caption accompanying photograph
Geographic Access
Deer Lake Avenue
Canada Way
Douglas Road
Street Address
4990 Canada Way
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
Less detail

Farm workers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38856
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1905]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 10.5 cm on page 14 x 17.5 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of workers in the field picking crops on the farm belonging to F.J. Hart. The property was on the corner of Douglas Road (later Canada Way) and Sperling Avenue although the Hart House was located at 6664 Deer Lake Avenue.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1905]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Series
Kitty Hill Peers family photograph series
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 10.5 cm on page 14 x 17.5 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-175
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of workers in the field picking crops on the farm belonging to F.J. Hart. The property was on the corner of Douglas Road (later Canada Way) and Sperling Avenue although the Hart House was located at 6664 Deer Lake Avenue.
Subjects
Agriculture - Crops
Occupations - Agricultural Labourers
Agriculture - Farms
Agriculture - Fruit and Berries
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
Douglas Road
Sperling Avenue
Canada Way
Deer Lake Avenue
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Less detail

From Brookfield

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38833
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1904]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : sepia ; 5.5 x 5.5 cm on page 11.5 x 14 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph taken looking north from the home of Claude Hill (known as Brookfield). Claude can be seen at the far right of the photograph. A road (probably Douglas Road) can be seen in the background. This property is currently the site of the Burnaby Village Museum.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1904]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Series
Kitty Hill Peers family photograph series
Physical Description
1 photograph : sepia ; 5.5 x 5.5 cm on page 11.5 x 14 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-152
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph taken looking north from the home of Claude Hill (known as Brookfield). Claude can be seen at the far right of the photograph. A road (probably Douglas Road) can be seen in the background. This property is currently the site of the Burnaby Village Museum.
Names
Hill, Louis Claude "Claude"
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
Douglas Road
Deer Lake Avenue
Canada Way
Street Address
6501 Deer Lake Avenue
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Less detail

Interview with Alfred Bingham June 10, 1975 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory60
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1917-1935
Length
0:08:22
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to Alfred Bingham's memories of tree felling in Burnaby.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to Alfred Bingham's memories of tree felling in Burnaby.
Date Range
1917-1935
Photo Info
Alfred Bingham, April 20, 1947. Item no. 010-066
Length
0:08:22
Subjects
Occupations - Lumberjacks
Plants - Trees
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
Interview Date
June 10, 1975
Scope and Content
Recording is a taped interview with Alfred Bingham by SFU graduate student Bettina Bradbury June 10, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression, Pioneers, and the Co-operative Movement. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
Alfred "Alf" Bingham was born in England in 1892 and moved to Canada in 1912. His first job in Canada was laying track for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) from Edmonton to McBride in 1912. His second was in Vancouver at the Rat Portage Mill on False Creek, working on the Resaw machine. He quit after one week due to poor working conditions. After taking part in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike as a delegate of the Retail and Mailorder Union (A.F.L.) on the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council, Alfred moved to Burnaby where he and fellow Burnaby residents Angus McLean and Percy Little worked ten hour days to build a Shingle Mill on the edge of Burnaby Lake for Simpson & Giberson. George Green, carpenter and millwright (author of “The History of Burnaby”) also helped in the construction of the mill. Alfred built his own home from lumber cut from the mill in the Lochdale area on Sherlock Street between Curtis Street and Kitchener Street. On April 10, 1920 Alfred married Mary Jane “Ada” Reynolds. Alfred and Ada often took in foster children during their marriage. Due to her nursing experience, Ada was often called upon to deliver babies in the Burnaby area. Alfred and Ada Bingham were instrumental members of the Army of the Common Good, collecting vegetables and grains from growers in the area and even producing over 125 tons of vegetables from its own gardens to feed children and youth suffering from the lack of resources during the Depression years. The army was in operation for ten years and during that time the members organised the Credit Union movement of British Columbia and drew up the Credit Union act thorough the Vancouver Co-operative Council. They also started Co-Op stores and the Co-Op Wholesale Society. Alfred was also Secretary of the Burnaby Housing committee and in 1946 he became the Secretary of the North Burnaby Labour Progressive Party (LPP). Mary Jane “Ada” (Reynolds) Bingham died on August 9, 1969. Her husband Alfred died on April 29, 1979.
Total Tracks
14
Total Length
1:57:27
Interviewee Name
Bingham, Alfred "Alf"
Interviewer Bio
Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Oral history subseries
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track three of interview with Alfred Bingham

Less detail

Interview with Maureen Olofson by Kathy Bossort October 14, 2015 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory569
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1906-1950
Length
0:09:08
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s parents immigration to Saskatchewan, her mother Kerstin in 1912 and father Axel in 1928, Maureen’s birth on a trip to Sweden in 1938, and her family’s move to Burnaby in 1942 and the start of their mink ranch, the GAK Fur Farm, near Curtis Av…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s parents immigration to Saskatchewan, her mother Kerstin in 1912 and father Axel in 1928, Maureen’s birth on a trip to Sweden in 1938, and her family’s move to Burnaby in 1942 and the start of their mink ranch, the GAK Fur Farm, near Curtis Avenue in the old Hastings Grove subdivision on Burnaby Mountain.
Date Range
1906-1950
Length
0:09:08
Names
Olofson, Axel
GAK Fur Farm
Skofteby, Gus
Ericksson, Karin
Subjects
Agriculture
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Historic Neighbourhood
Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Westridge Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
October 14, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Maureen Olofson conducted by Kathy Bossort. Maureen Olofson was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Maureen Olofson’s memories of growing up on her parent’s Burnaby Mountain mink ranch between 1942 and 1950 and about the operation of the farm. She also talks about her parents’ history, her teaching career, and her thoughts about the beauty and value of Burnaby Mountain’s natural area.
Biographical Notes
Maureen Olofson was born 1938 in Glote, Harjedalen, Sweden, to Axel (1906-1998) and Kerstin Margareta (1906-1980). Axel and Kerstin Olofson, who had separately immigrated to Canada in 1928 and 1913 respectively, married in Canada and then returned to Sweden where Maureen was born. They moved to Burnaby in 1942 with their daughters Maureen and Anita Lea, and bought land and a mink ranch on Burnaby Mountain with their partners Gus Skofteby and Karin Ericksson (Kerstin’s sister). The GAK Fur Farm, located in the old Hastings Grove subdivision on 4th Avenue near Curtis Street, was one of the largest mink ranches in BC, an award winning operation with over 1200 mink animals. In 1950 the partners sold the land and the Olofson family moved to rented homes on Sperling Avenue. In 1952 Axel sold the last of his minks and opened a sporting goods store on Hastings Street. In 1954 the family moved to North Vancouver where Axel Olofson reestablished his sports business. Maureen attended Sperling Avenue School from Gr. 1 to Gr. 8 and Burnaby North High School to Gr. 11, completing school in North Vancouver, before going to UBC where she trained as a teacher. She returned to Burnaby in 1977 to teach, retiring in 1997. She is a volunteer with the Swedish Canadian Rest Home Association and the Dania Homes Society. Maureen continues to enjoy activities on Burnaby Mountain and works toward preserving the natural beauty of the mountain.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
1:19:04
Interviewee Name
Olofson, B. Maureen
Interview Location
Maureen Olofson'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
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Maureen Olofson

Less detail

From Brookfield

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38845
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1904]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : sepia ; 5 x 7.5 cm on page 11.5 x 14 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph taken looking north from the home of Claude Hill. This house, known as Brookfield, was in the Burnaby Lake area and was home to the Hill family until about 1906. The property is the current site of the Burnaby Village Museum. To the right can be seen a road which is most likely Douglas R…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1904]
Collection/Fonds
Peers Family and Hill Family fonds
Series
Kitty Hill Peers family photograph series
Physical Description
1 photograph : sepia ; 5 x 7.5 cm on page 11.5 x 14 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-164
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph taken looking north from the home of Claude Hill. This house, known as Brookfield, was in the Burnaby Lake area and was home to the Hill family until about 1906. The property is the current site of the Burnaby Village Museum. To the right can be seen a road which is most likely Douglas Road (later Canada Way).
Subjects
Plants - Trees
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
Douglas Road
Deer Lake Avenue
Street Address
6501 Deer Lake Avenue
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
Less detail

Interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse by Kathy Bossort November 24, 2015 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory628
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1913-2015
Length
0:19:24
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse talking about the history of setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain beginning in 1942 with By-Law 1772; the kinds of park dedications used by the City and shift in nature of dedications to accommodate long range park planning…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse talking about the history of setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain beginning in 1942 with By-Law 1772; the kinds of park dedications used by the City and shift in nature of dedications to accommodate long range park planning; and looking at the big picture policy and programs for land assembly for major open spaces and linkages.
Date Range
1913-2015
Length
0:19:24
Names
Burnaby Planning and Building Department
Barnet Mountain Park
Subjects
Geographic Features - Parks
Planning
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
November 24, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse conducted by Kathy Bossort. Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse were two of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the history of setting aside parkland by dedication on Burnaby Mountain, the 1974/76 delineation of the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain, and the dispute between Burnaby and Simon Fraser University over land ownership and control on Burnaby Mountain, as discussed by two retired participants in these events from the City of Burnaby’s Planning and Building Department, Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse. They also talk about their interaction with the public in developing policies, particularly for the 1974 report “The Public Meetings - Phase One”, and the importance of a strong policy base for long range planning and the patience needed to assemble land for large parks. They talk as well about their careers, their close working relationship in the department, and the cooperation between City and SFU staff in the development of UniverCity.
Biographical Notes
Basil Luksun was born and educated in South Africa, immigrating to Canada and Burnaby in 1972 to escape the harmful effects of apartheid. He holds a BSc degree from the University of Cape Town and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Town Planning from the University of Witwatersrand. He joined the City of Burnaby’s Planning and Building Department in 1973, working his way up through the organization to Director of the department before retiring after 39 years in 2012. When he started work in the 1970s, the City of Burnaby was focusing on green space planning projects and he takes great pride in these projects as well as the city’s focus on long-term planning. Basil lived in the Capital Hill area from 1972 to 1990. He currently resides in Vancouver and has two sons, Warren and Derek. Jack Belhouse was born in 1946 in Vancouver and attended UBC, York University and SFU (1965-1972), majoring in urban geography. He began working in Burnaby’s planning department as a summer student in 1968, and was offered a full-time position when he graduated from university. He became Director of the Planning and Building Department before retiring after 38 years with the city in 2006. He and Basil Luksun worked closely together in long range planning in the department. Jack lives in Coquitlam with his wife Linda and has two children, Brad and Lori.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
1:58:23
Interviewee Name
Luksun, Basil
Belhouse, Jack
Interview Location
Basil Luksun's home in Vancouver
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
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track two of interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse

Less detail

9 records – page 1 of 1.