2 records – page 1 of 1.

Book reading given by Pixie McGeachie January 10, 1973 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory242
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1872-1874
Length
0:08:15
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Pixie McGeachie's continued reading of "Archdeacon on Horseback" by Canon Cyril E.H. Williams and herself. This section of the reading describes the mission at Lytton, British Columbia. An unidentified man speaks at the completion of the reading, giving som…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Pixie McGeachie's continued reading of "Archdeacon on Horseback" by Canon Cyril E.H. Williams and herself. This section of the reading describes the mission at Lytton, British Columbia. An unidentified man speaks at the completion of the reading, giving some details on various individuals discussed during the reading.
Date Range
1872-1874
Photo Info
Pixie McGeachie (left) and Florence Godwin, 1992. Item no. 330-003
Length
0:08:15
Subjects
Buildings - Religious
Interview Date
January 10, 1973
Scope and Content
Recording is of a book reading given by Pixie McGeachie on January 10, 1973 to the Burnaby Historical Society from the book "Archdeacon on Horseback" by Canon Cyril E.H. Williams (then archivist in the Vancouver School of Theology, University of British Columbia) and Pixie McGeachie.
Biographical Notes
Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie was a resident of Burnaby for over sixty years. Pixie married John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie and raised their children Kathi (Dunlop) and David McGeachie in the house the couple built themselves in 1947. Pixie served as the editor for the Burnaby Examiner newspaper and wrote a column entitled "Burnaby History" for The News. In 1974 she authored her first book titled "Bygones of Burnaby" which was one of the first to develop anecdotal stories about pioneer life in Burnaby. She authored "Burnaby - A Proud Century" in 1992 and in 2002 she wrote a biography of the city's namesake in the book "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's letters from Colonial B.C." She also contributed many hours of volunteering; helping to establish Burnaby's first museum Heritage Village in 1971, serving as President of the Burnaby Historical Society from 1991-1993. She served a six year term on Burnaby's Heritage Commission leading the charge to preserve many historic sites throughout the city, and during her twenty years as the Community Archives volunteer archivist for the historical society, she succeeded in gathering thousands of rare and valuable historic photographs and documents which now forms the core of the photograph collection on the Heritage Burnaby website (as these items were donated by the Society to the City Archives in 2007). The City of Burnaby awarded Pixie McGeachie the Kushiro Cup as Citizen of the year in 2002. In 2006 she received a Heritage BC project award for leading the Friends of Interurban 1223 project, and in 2008 Heritage BC recognised her again by presenting her with the Ruby Nobb Award. John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie died October 12, 1981 at the age of sixty-seven. Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie died August 14, 2010 at the age of eighty-nine.
Total Tracks
6
Total Length
0:54:31
Interviewee Name
McGeachie, Doreen “Pixie”
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 six of recording of a book reading given by Pixie McGeachie

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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

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