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![Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0016_001.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Norman Dowad
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19638
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information …
- 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
- 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Norman Dowad Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: August 14, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information about his grandfather Samuel Dowad's immigration to Canada and his father Wilfred Dowad's military service and successes as a property developer. 00:14:39 – 00:17:26 Norm provides background information on his mother’s side of the family. 00:17:27 – 00:31:36 Norm talks about his childhood, growing up in the Deer Lake neighbourhood, his early education in Burnaby and sports that he played. 00:31:37 – 00:39:59 Norm talks about his educational experiences attending Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and Osgoode Hall law school and information regarding his law career. 00:40:00 – 00:45:03 Norm reflects on his childhood growing up in Burnaby and on his experiences and relationships as a student and in his career as a lawyer. 00:45:04 – 01:01:37 Norm talks about his siblings and shares information about family property development projects as well as career and business successes. In closing he talks about research that he’s done through Archives Canada on his grandfather Sam Dowad and father Wilfred Dowad.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Normam Dowad was born and rasied in Burnaby. Norm graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School, Simon Fraser University for one year, and obtained his law degree from York University. Norman began practicing law in 1974 years and has his own law practice that he operates out of Vancouver as of 2023. 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
- Agriculture - Farms
- Education
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Migration
- Sports
- Sports - Football
- Wars - World War, 1939-1945
- Names
- Dowad, Norman W. "Norm"
- Dowad, Samuel Esper "Sam"
- Dowad, Wilfred "Wilf"
- Dowad, Naomi "Mamie" David
- Dowad, Martha Elias Shaheen
- Dowad, Kathleen "Kay"
- Rideout, Dr. John Anthony
- Burnaby Central Secondary School
- Douglas Road School
- W. Dowad Limited
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Geographic Access
- Buckingham Avenue
- Deer Lake
- Street Address
- 5533 Buckingham Avenue
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.16
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Images
![Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0016_001.jpg)
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0016_002.mp3![Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023 thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_001.JPG?width=280)
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) 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 - Societies and Clubs
- Migration
- Persons - Jewish Canadians
- Religions - Judaism
- Social Issues - Racism
- 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
![Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023 thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_001.JPG)
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 Jiro Kamiya, 2015
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4476
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [2015]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (01:11:02 min)
- Scope and Content
- Recording of a interview with Jiro Kamiya about the ofuro he built as an exhibit for display at Burnaby Village Museum, and his work in Canada generally. When he speaks in Japanese, his son Frank Kamiya does the English translation. Frank recalls how his father, a Japanese-trained carpenter, came …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Museum research interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (01:11:02 min)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Lisa Codd Interviewees: Jiro Kamiya and his son Frank Kamiya Location of Interview: Nikkei Home, Burnaby Interview Date: [2015] Total Number of Tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 1:11:02
- Scope and Content
- Recording of a interview with Jiro Kamiya about the ofuro he built as an exhibit for display at Burnaby Village Museum, and his work in Canada generally. When he speaks in Japanese, his son Frank Kamiya does the English translation. Frank recalls how his father, a Japanese-trained carpenter, came to be involved in the project, which was donated to the Museum by the Japanese Canadian Citizens Association. An unidentified woman is also present and contributes to the discussion. 0:00 – 6:38: Frank Kamiya recalls the museum’s ofuro project, describing how his father became involved with it. He talks about the ofuro in Canada, speaking of their importance to Japanese Canadians but noting that they have been superseded by newer products. Frank also mentions that ofuros are now subject to modern building regulations. 6:38 – 20:30: Jiro Kamiya describes the construction of the ofuro. He explains the technique of water-proofing and talks about the different sizes of baths, discussing the differences in Japanese and Canadian styles and in the way water was supplied. 20:30 – 28:27: This portion of the recording pertains to Jiro Kamiya’s background as a carpenter in Shizuoka, Japan, in the family’s business, and how he came to immigrate to Canada. Frank talks about his father’s innovations and skills. He discusses the differences between Japanese and Canadian tools. Lisa Codd asks about the tools Jiro donated to the museum. 28:27 – 36:00: Frank talks about his father’s involvement in the building of the Museum’s ofuro. He notes that he himself drew up the plans and submitted them to City Hall. He asks about the ofuro’s plaque and the building’s condition. Lisa explains how the classification of buildings as replica or heritage determines how conservation choices are made. 36:00 – 45:47: Frank describes the purpose and use of the ofuro and the kind of accessories which should be included in the Museum’s display. The exact meaning of ‘ofuro’ is discussed with Jiro, as is bathing protocol for the larger and smaller kinds. 45:47 – 59:13: Jiro recalls New Year and other traditions and Lisa and Frank remark on the differences between the established infrastructures of Japan and those of rural Canada. Frank describes his father’s work in Canada. Jiro talks of being unable to join the carpenters union, but advancing in his profession through his ability and experience with Japanese techniques. 59:13 – 1:11:02: Jiro talks about the work that he did during internment during World War II and his choice to go to Winnipeg with his family. Frank relates how his father adapted to shipyard work, and Jiro tells anecdotes about his working years.
- History
- Interviewee: Jiro Kamiya (ne Tsuneki) was born on August 29, 1910 in Shizuoka Ken, Japan to parents Torakichi Tsuneki and Sono Ssuneki. In 1936, Jiro married Toneko Kamiya. The Tsuneki family were Master Carpenters for over 500 years and the family business, Torakichi Tsuneki Construction Co was the largest and best known construction company in Shizuoka Ken. Jiro also became a master carpenter working for his father's company. In 1933, Jiro immigrated to Canada and in 1936, he returned to Japan to marry. In 1937 he got work at the Hammond Cedar Mill leading a crew of six men and worked there for about three or four years. In 1942 along with over 21,000 Japanese Canadians, Jiro and his family were forcibly removed from the coastal area of British Columbia. Jiro and his family were relocated to Oak Bluff, Manitoba to work on the beet farms. JIro chose this location of internment so that he could keep his family together. While living in Manitoba, Jiro also found work as a carpenter. In 1948 when he was permitted to return to British Columbia, Jiro and his family relocated to Kamloops. In 1951, he began working as a carpenter for Matsumoto Shipyard in North Vancouver and between 1961 and 1974, he worked for Grimwood Construction. From 1975, he worked for Dawson Hall Construction until his retirement at the age of 68. Following his retirement he built a house for his nephew on Mayne Island and a summer house for himself which he completed in 1988. In 2001, Jiro and his wife, Toneko moved to Nikkei Home. While living at Nikkei Home, Jiro made chopsticks out of hardwood, creating over a thousand pairs up until he was 99 years old. Jiro passed away in 2015. Interviewer: Lisa Codd has worked in the museum sector since 2000 and between 2005 and 2019, she worked as the curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In 2019, Lisa began her work as the City of Burnaby Heritage Planner.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Persons - Japanese Canadians
- Names
- Kamiya, Jiro
- Kamiya, Frank
- Accession Code
- BV019.13.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [2015]
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Audio is only available to listen at the Burnaby Village Museum
Audio Tracks
Interview with Jiro Kamiya, 2015, [2015]
Interview with Jiro Kamiya, 2015, [2015]
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2019_0013_0001_001.mp3