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Burnaby North High School
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark745
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1923-1982
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Geographic Access
- Willingdon Avenue
- Associated Dates
- 1923-1982
- Heritage Value
- Burnaby North and Burnaby South were the first high schools built in the City. Before the high school opened, Burnaby students had to travel to Vancouver if they wished to pursue education beyond an elementary level. In 1921, arrangements were made to use the basement of the Presbyterian Church for instruction of local students. By 1922 the Burnaby North High School opened at its first permanent location (4375 Pandora Street - which is now Rosser Elementary). In 1945, the Willingdon Avenue site was built and was used until a new building was constructed in 1961 on Hammarskjold Drive. From 1962, the school was used as Burnaby Heights Junior High school, but it closed in 1982 and the junior high students went to the new Burnaby North on Hammarskjold.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Capitol Hill (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Capitol Hill Area
- Street Address
- 250 Willingdon Avenue
- Street View URL
- Google Maps Street View
Images
BCER Burnaby Lake Line
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark760
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1911
- Heritage Value
- The Burnaby Lake Line was constructed due to the advocacy of Burnaby residents and the Municipality of Burnaby to build the line. A petition was circulated by residents in 1907, and eventually substantial land bonuses were given to the company to induce them to build the line. Property owners in the area hoped the construction of the line would increase their land values. Construction of the 15-mile line was announced in 1909, and the line opened in 1911. The line travelled from Vancouver to New Westminister through central Burnaby.The last day of service was October 23, 1953. When the Trans Canada highway was constructed in the 1960s, it followed the right of way of the Burnaby Lake Line through Burnaby.
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Lake Area
Images
Parkcrest Neighbourhood
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark671
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1925-1954
- Heritage Value
- On May 10, 1951, the Burnaby News-Courier reported on the new Parkcrest subdivision, saying: "Central Burnaby is the scenic locale of a successful attempt to produce modern houses economically and yet avoid the mass production effect common to other housing developments. That is one of the many highlights peculiar to the new Parkcrest development of 275 homes...By giving home purchasers a wide choice of finishes, extras and colours, hundreds of variations are possible on the six basic floor plans...Travelling time by car to Hastings and Granville from Parkcrest has been clocked at 15 minutes...Both primary and junior high schools are within walking distance. A modern shopping centre is planned for the future...Several streets are laid out in a straight but irregular manner, thus eliminating the prosaic side by side appearance block by block, as in other housing developments."
- Planning Study Area
- Parkcrest-Aubrey Area
Images
Hazel Peterson photographs
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription62794
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1880-2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- ca. 60 photographs : b&w and col. -- 2 prints : col. illustrations
- Scope and Content
- File consists of loose photographs of Hazel Peterson (nee Erickson), as well as photographs of her family and parents, Charles and Amanda Erickson, and her husband, Edwin Peterson. Photographs are from all stages of Hazel Peterson's life, including infancy and childhood and later years of her life,…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1880-2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Hazel Peterson subseries
- Physical Description
- ca. 60 photographs : b&w and col. -- 2 prints : col. illustrations
- Material Details
- Some photographs remain in frames or paper covers.
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 504-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2000-08
- Scope and Content
- File consists of loose photographs of Hazel Peterson (nee Erickson), as well as photographs of her family and parents, Charles and Amanda Erickson, and her husband, Edwin Peterson. Photographs are from all stages of Hazel Peterson's life, including infancy and childhood and later years of her life, including a trip to Hawaii in 1982. File includes studio portraits, cartes de visites, postcards, and some illustrations.
- Subjects
- Travel
- Persons - Children
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on content of file
- Note on verso of 504-022 reads: "This was taken several years ago / Your niece / Hazel Petersen (at left)"
- Note on verso of 504-027 reads: "Hazel Erickson Peterson"
- Note on verso of 504-028 reads: "all of us except Ethel" and identifies the siblings in the photo
- Note on verso of 504-029 reads: "not such a bad picture considering" and identifies the people in the photo.
- Note on verso of 504-030 reads: "Agnus McDonald" and "Touch up outline of deer"
- Note on envelope for 504-039:504-041 reads: "Hazel Petersen resided at Dania Home, Burnaby, for 20 years before her death shortly before her 100th birthday."
SnapShots album
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription93394
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1915]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (118 photographs ; b&w and sepia) ; 18 x 29.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Album contains photographs of Hazel Peterson and her family. Many appear to document a family trip to Alaska on a steam ship ca.1915.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1915]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Hazel Peterson subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 album (118 photographs ; b&w and sepia) ; 18 x 29.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 504-047
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2000-08
- Scope and Content
- Album contains photographs of Hazel Peterson and her family. Many appear to document a family trip to Alaska on a steam ship ca.1915.
- Subjects
- Travel
- Transportation - Ships
- Names
- Peterson, Hazel
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title taken from cover of album
Excursions in northern British Columbia and Yukon Territory and along the North Pacific Coast : excursions C8 and C9; no.10
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary537
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV986.53.45
- Call Number
- 557.1 GSC
- Place of Publication
- Ottawa
- Publisher
- Government Printing Bureau
- Publication Date
- 1913
- Physical Description
- 179 p. : ill., maps (some folded) ; 20 cm.
- Inscription
- Stamped inside: "Kennco Library"
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Geology--British Columbia
- Geology--Yukon
- British Columbia--Description and travel
- Canada, Western--Description and travel
- Yukon--Description and travel
- Notes
- "Excursions C8 and C9."
- Six maps on folded leaves in pocket.
- Includes bibliographies.
Across Canada : annotated guide via Canadian Pacific Railway, the greatest transportation system in the world
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary2898
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV973.148.3
- Call Number
- 917.1 CAN
- Place of Publication
- [Montreal]
- Publisher
- [Canadian Pacific Railway]
- Publication Date
- 1914
- Physical Description
- 112 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.
- Inscription
- "May 2nd 1914 _________ Frank ___ _ _ C.P.R." [handwritten in pencil on back cover]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Railroad travel--Canada--Guidebooks
- Canada--Description and travel
- Subjects
- Transportation
- Notes
- 11 p. of advertisements following p. 101
A Canadian school geography
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary8
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV971.5.7
- Call Number
- 917.1 COR 1929
- Contributor
- Denton, V. L. (Vernon Llewllyn), 1881-1944
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Publisher
- J. M. Dent & Son Ltd.
- Publication Date
- 1929
- Printer
- Richard Clay & Sons, Limited
- Physical Description
- xiv, 498 p. : ill., maps ; 20 cm.
- Inscription
- "Department of Education Text-Book Branch" [label pasted onto front pastedown] "W-2d" [handwritten in black ink on "Department of Education" label on front pastedown] "218-227 supplement as regards your ____" [handwritten in black ink on front pastedown] "Canada 1932" [handwritten in black ink on front endpaper] "F94" [handwritten in pencil on front endpaper] "In case of fire Throw this in" [handwritten in pencil on back of front endpaper] "Patricia Jeffery" [stamped in black ink on supplement title page] "Class 4 P. N. S." [handwritten in black ink on supplement title page] "Patricia Jeffery" [handwritten in black ink on title page verso]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Geography--Textbooks
- Canada--Description and travel
- Geography--Historical texts
- Notes
- "with numberous sketch maps, diagrams and illustrations"--T.p.
- "Authorized for use in the schools of British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan" --T.p.
- "With a supplementary chapter on British Columbia by V.L. Denton"
- Supplementary chapter on British Columbia p. 451-498
- Author's given name and dates: Cornish, George A. (George Augustus), 1872-1960
- Author's given name and dates: Denton, V.L. (Vernon Llewllyn), 1881-1944
A Canadian school geography
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary348
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV989.9.22
- Call Number
- 917.1 COR 1924 Copy 1
- Contributor
- Denton, V. L. (Vernon Llewllyn), 1881-1944
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Publisher
- J. M. Dent & Son Ltd.
- Publication Date
- 1924
- Printer
- Richard Clay & Sons, Limited
- Physical Description
- xiv, 498 p. : ill., maps ; 20 cm.
- Inscription
- "Ethel Anderson, 9387 Fullerton Ave., Victoria, B.C." [handwritten in black ink on front endpaper] "Ethel Anderson" [handwritten in pencil on front endpaper] Provinces and their capitals handwritten in pencil on back pastedown.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Geography--Textbooks
- Canada--Description and travel
- Geography--Historical texts
- Notes
- "with numberous sketch maps, diagrams and illustrations"--T.p.
- "Authorized for use in the schools of British Columbia" --T.p.
- "With a supplementary chapter on British Columbia by V.L. Denton"
- Supplementary chapter on British Columbia p. 451-498
- Copy 1 of 2
- Author's given name and dates: Cornish, George A. (George Augustus), 1872-1960
- Author's given name and dates: Denton, V.L. (Vernon Llewllyn), 1881-1944
A Canadian school geography
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary1744
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV984.21.135
- Call Number
- 917.1 COR 1927
- Contributor
- Denton, V. L. (Vernon Llewllyn), 1881-1944
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Publisher
- J. M. Dent & Son Ltd.
- Publication Date
- 1927
- Printer
- Richard Clay & Sons, Limited
- Physical Description
- xiv, 498 p. : ill., maps ; 20 cm.
- Inscription
- "WOODWARDS LTD. BOOK DEPT. 90¢" [stamped in purple in on front endpaper] "Vera Morrow" [handwritten in red ink on front endpaper] "Section Page" [handwritten in pencil on front endpaper] "Vera Morrow" [handwritten in green ink on other side of front endpaper] "[All rights reserved] to Vera Morrow" [handwritten in red ink on page before t.p.] "Vera Morrow Kitchener St. school Geography Book (text)" [handwritten in pencil on back endpaper] Study notes handwritten in pencil in margins throughout the book
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Geography--Textbooks
- Canada--Description and travel
- Geography--Historical texts
- Notes
- "with numberous sketch maps, diagrams and illustrations"--T.p.
- "Authorized for use in the schools of British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan" --T.p.
- "With a supplementary chapter on British Columbia by V.L. Denton"
- Supplementary chapter on British Columbia p. 451-498
- Author's given name and dates: Cornish, George A. (George Augustus), 1872-1960
- Author's given name and dates: Denton, V.L. (Vernon Llewllyn), 1881-1944
A history and geography of British Columbia
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary5955
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV018.11.24
- Call Number
- 971.1 LAW 1914
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Publisher
- Educational Book Co., Ltd.
- Publication Date
- c1913
- Series
- Dominion series.
- Physical Description
- 156 p.: ill. ; 20 cm.
- Inscription
- "Edna Barton Sir James Douglas School Victoria B.C." [handwritten on front pastedown and opposing page in pencil] Note enclosed regarding ownership of book "Edna Barton 1457 Homely St. Victoria B. C." [handwritten on page opposing back pastedown]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- British Columbia--History
- British Columbia--Description and travel
- Notes
- "History --by Maria Lawson" --t.p.
- "Geography --by Rosalind Watson Young" --t.p.
- "Authorized for use in the schools of British Columbia" --t.p.
- 3 copies of alternate version published by W.J. Gage & Company, Limited ,1906
Asia
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary358
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV989.9.32
- Call Number
- 915 CAR
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Publisher
- American Book Company
- Publication Date
- c1923
- Physical Description
- 479 p. : ill., col. maps ; 19 cm.
- Inscription
- "Ethel Anderson, 938 Fullerton Ave., Victoria, B.C." [handwritten in black ink on front endpaper] "T.N. Hibben & Co. ESTD. 1858 1122 Gov't. St. Victoria B.C." [sticker pasted onto back pastedown]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Readers-- Geography
- Asia--Description and travel
- Geography--Textbooks
- Notes
- Author's given name and dates: Carpenter, Frank G. (Frank George), 1855-1924
Asia
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary2523
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV975.54.11
- Call Number
- 915 CAR
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Publisher
- American Book Company
- Publication Date
- c1911
- Physical Description
- 384 p. : ill., col. maps ; 19 cm.
- Inscription
- "G. Parfitt." [handwritten in blue ink on front endpaper]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Readers-- Geography
- Asia--Description and travel
- Geography--Textbooks
- Notes
- Author's given name and dates: Carpenter, Frank G. (Frank George), 1855-1924
Beautiful Burnaby, British Columbia
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary1108
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Textual Record
- Call Number
- 971.1 BEA
- Place of Publication
- New Westminster, B.C.
- Publisher
- Jackson Printing Co.
- Publication Date
- 1921
- 1927
- Physical Description
- 40 p. : ill. ; 30 cm.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Burnaby (B.C.)--History
- Burnaby (B.C.)--Description and travel
Europe
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary359
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV989.9.33
- Call Number
- 914 CAR
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Publisher
- American Book Company
- Publication Date
- c1922
- Physical Description
- 505 p. : ill., col. maps ; 19 cm.
- Inscription
- "T.N. HIBBEN & Co ESTD. 1858 1122 GOV'T. ST. VICTORIA B.C." [sticker placed at bottom of the back paste down]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Readers-- Geography
- Geography--Historical texts
- Geography--Textbooks
- Europe--Description and travel
- Notes
- Author's given name and dates: Carpenter, Frank G. (Frank George), 1855-1924
The everyday library for young people : volume i : travels here and there
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary1782
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV983.39.11
- Call Number
- 031 MEE v.1
- Contributor
- Mee, Arthur, 1875-1943
- Thompson, Holland, 1873-1940
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Publisher
- Grolier Society
- Publication Date
- c1924
- Printer
- Colonial Press
- Physical Description
- 336 p. ; ill., col. front. ; 25 cm.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Encyclopedias and dictionaries
- Travel
- Notes
- Edited by Arthur Mee and Holland Thompson
- "Random journeys in many lands" --t.p.
- Volume 1 of 4.
In the Heart of Savagedom : reminiscences of life and adventure during a quarter of a Century of Pioneering and Missionary Labours in the wilds of East Equatorial Africa
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary262
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- Watt, Rachel
- Edition
- 3rd ed.
- Publication Date
- 1920
- Call Number
- 266.76 WAT
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV971.169.13
- Call Number
- 266.76 WAT
- Edition
- 3rd ed.
- Author
- Watt, Rachel
- Place of Publication
- London
- Publisher
- Pickering & Inglis
- Publication Date
- 1920
- Physical Description
- 422 p. : ill. ; 19 cm.
- Inscription
- "Heritage Village S3 m" -- handwritten in pen on endpaper (front). "Grace S. Saritty / 1703 Davie Street Victoria B.C." -- handwritten in ink on endpaper (front). "1703 Davie Street Victoria B.C." -- stamped on endpaper (front). "1703 Davie Street Victoria B.C." -- stamped on flyleaf.
- Notes
- edited by Stuart Watt, d. 1914, (husband of author)
- Includes index.
Our Canada: a Canadian citizen primer
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary2076
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV979.51.2
- Call Number
- 971 REA
- Place of Publication
- Toronto
- Publisher
- Ryerson Press
- Publication Date
- 1923
- Physical Description
- 130 p. ; 20 cm.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Canada--History
- Canada--Politics and government
- Canada--Description and travel
Interview 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.mp3The Briton in France : being a pocket interpreter and guide to France and its language
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary3395
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- Rees, D. J. (David John)
- Edition
- 8th ed.
- Publication Date
- 1918
- Call Number
- 448.34 REE
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV993.12.5
- Call Number
- 448.34 REE
- Edition
- 8th ed.
- Author
- Rees, D. J. (David John)
- Place of Publication
- London
- Publisher
- Leopold B. Hill
- Publication Date
- 1918
- Physical Description
- 119 p. : ill. ; 18 cm.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- French language--Conversation and phrase books--English
- Notes
- "Containing travel talk and idiomatic expressions, with correct phonetic pronunciation."
- "French grammar at a glance."
- Author's given name: Rees, D. J. (David John)