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Interview with Don Brown by Rod Fowler February 26, 1990 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory505
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1954-1963
- Length
- 00:05:41
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown’s memories of what familiar places were like in 1954 and how they had changed when he returned to Burnaby in 1963, particularly mentioning Kingsway, Grandview, and the Lake City industrial park on Burnaby Mountain
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown’s memories of what familiar places were like in 1954 and how they had changed when he returned to Burnaby in 1963, particularly mentioning Kingsway, Grandview, and the Lake City industrial park on Burnaby Mountain
- Date Range
- 1954-1963
- Photo Info
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Don Brown, November 2, 1997. Item no. 535-0979
- Length
- 00:05:41
- Subjects
- Buildings
- Buildings - Commercial - Drive-In Theatres
- Industries
- Transportation - Automobiles
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lake City Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Maywood Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 26, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Don Brown, conducted by Rod Fowler. Don Brown was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Don Brown’s description of the changes in Burnaby’s built and natural landscapes and socioeconomic conditions, especially between 1947 and 1975, the strong impression made on him by those changes evident in the interview. He talks about his work and career as a police officer with the Burnaby Provincial Police and RCMP. The interview also details his involvement in Burnaby politics and volunteer community groups. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Donald Neil “Don” Brown was born in Birmingham, England May 4, 1919, and immigrated with his parents and siblings to Winnipeg in 1922. At the outbreak of WWII Don Brown left high school and enlisted in the 12th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, serving six years in the army. Before going overseas he married Helen Birch in 1939. In 1947 Don Brown joined the B.C. Provincial Police which was absorbed by the RCMP in 1950. He worked as a police officer in Burnaby from 1947 to 1954, and then was transferred to Ottawa (with a stop in Regina) for nine and a half years where he attended Carleton University to study forensics. In 1963 Don Brown was transferred back to Vancouver and bought and moved into a house on Watling Street in Burnaby where he still lived in 1990. Another transfer took him to Edmonton for five years, returning to Burnaby in 1975. Following retirement in 1980 with the rank of Supervisor and after 22 years in forensic laboratories, Don Brown started his own business as a private document examiner. Don Brown was active in Burnaby politics, serving as Alderman from 1979-1985. He was also involved in many community groups including the South Burnaby Men’s Club, which he helped found in 1952, as well as active in the Burnaby Historical Society, and served on the Burnaby School Board, Burnaby Centennial Committee, and the Community College for the Retired. Don and Helen Brown had six children: Donna, Don, Gina, Patricia, Christopher and Susan. Don Brown died May 16, 2009.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 01:35:07
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Donald N. "Don"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with Don Brown
Track four of interview with Don Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-016/MSS187-016_Track%204.mp3Interview with Jim and Linda Champion by Eric Damer October 21, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory318
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1951-1969
- Length
- 0:11:40
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Linda and Jim Champion's memories of living so close to the Oakalla Prison Farm. They also tell stories about changes to the neighbourhood, the family horse and living "a country life."
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Linda and Jim Champion's memories of living so close to the Oakalla Prison Farm. They also tell stories about changes to the neighbourhood, the family horse and living "a country life."
- Date Range
- 1951-1969
- Length
- 0:11:40
- Names
- Oakalla Prison Farm
- Subjects
- Animals - Horses
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 21, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Jim Champion and his daughter Linda Champion conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 21, 2012. Major themes discussed are: raising a family in Burnaby as well as the experience of growing up in the area as it developed from farmland to suburbia.
- Biographical Notes
- Although Jim Champion was born in Burnaby in 1924, he grew up and attended school in White Rock. After serving in the navy during the war, Jim Champion came back to Vancouver, met and married Ethel (Danielson) Champion and began working for the Vancouver Fire Department. Jim and Ethel Champion's eldest daughter, Linda Champion, was born in 1948. In 1949, the Champions bought 1.8 undeveloped acres on Gilpin Street and began to build. By the time their house was built, they had become a family of six, so Jim and Ethel worked to built a larger house adjacent to the first. The Champions had chickens and a horse as their neighbourhood changed from farmland to suburbia. Jim has retired from the Vancouver Fire Department and his daughter Linda Champion is currently a City of Burnaby employee.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:41:09
- Interviewee Name
- Champion, Jim
- Champion, Linda
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Jim and Linda Champion
Track four of recording of interview with Jim and Linda Champion
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-007/MSS171-007_Track_4.mp3Interview with Marianne May Bateman February 22, 1978 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory188
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Length
- 0:09:03
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Photo Info
- Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman with his four daughters; Marianne May is sitting on a chair beside her father, [1903}. Item no. BV992.29.1
- Length
- 0:09:03
- Subjects
- Buildings - Residences - Houses
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Interviewer
- Stevens, Colin
- Interview Date
- February 22, 1978
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Marianne May "May" Bateman conducted by Colin Stevens, February 22, 1978. Major themes discussed are: Elworth.
- Biographical Notes
- May Bateman was born in 1894 in Portage LaPrairie, Manitoba to Edwin Wettenhall Bateman and Cassie (Dale) Bateman. May's father, Edwin Bateman was born in 1859 in Sandbach, Cheshire, to James and Caroline Mary Wettenhall Bateman (their home in Sandbach was called Elworth Cottage). When he was twenty-one, E.W. Bateman immigrated to Manitoba, Canada where he met Catherine “Cassie” Dale, daughter of George and Sarah Gillon Dale. They were married in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on November 9, 1886. Edwin and Cassie had seven children, the eldest Edna Caroline Annie (Corner) born in 1889, George, Mamie (McWilliams) born in 1892, Marianne May “May” Bateman born in 1894, Jessie (Fox Kemp), Carey, and the youngest Warren Stafford born in 1901.Cassie (Dale) Bateman died in Portage La Prairie in 1909. Edwin was transferred to Vancouver by the Canadian Pacific Railway where he married Cassie’s younger sister Mary Dale, born 1865, and moved his six children to Vancouver. The Bateman family first lived at 7th and Balsam in a large new house. It wasn’t until 1920 that they decided to move to the quieter atmosphere of the Burnaby Lake- Deer Lake area. By this time Edwin Wettenhall Bateman was a retired CPR executive. He moved his wife and daughter May to Deer Lake and commissioned 'Elworth' house, designed by English-born and trained architect Enoch Evans. The house was completed by contractor William Dodson in 1922 and located at the site of what would become Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Avenue. The Batemans lived here for seventeen years before moving back to Vancouver in May of 1935. Mary Bateman died July 5, 1935. Edwin Wettenhall Bateman died on November 25, 1957 at the age of ninety-seven. Marianne May Bateman died in 1990.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:30:44
- Interviewee Name
- Bateman, Marianne May
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- 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 one of interview with May Bateman
Track one of interview with May Bateman
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-014-1/MSS137-014-1_Track_1.mp3Interview with Marianne May Bateman February 22, 1978 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory189
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Length
- 0:09:40
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Marianne May Bateman's memories of the Bateman house Elworth, comparing it to its' present use at the Burnaby Village Museum (then Heritage Village).
- Date Range
- 1920-1978
- Photo Info
- Photograph of Edwin Wettenhall Bateman with his four daughters; Marianne May is sitting on a chair beside her father, [1903}. Item no. BV992.29.1
- Length
- 0:09:40
- Subjects
- Buildings - Residences - Houses
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Drive
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Interviewer
- Stevens, Colin
- Interview Date
- February 22, 1978
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Marianne May "May" Bateman conducted by Colin Stevens, February 22, 1978. Major themes discussed are: Elworth.
- Biographical Notes
- May Bateman was born in 1894 in Portage LaPrairie, Manitoba to Edwin Wettenhall Bateman and Cassie (Dale) Bateman. May's father, Edwin Bateman was born in 1859 in Sandbach, Cheshire, to James and Caroline Mary Wettenhall Bateman (their home in Sandbach was called Elworth Cottage). When he was twenty-one, E.W. Bateman immigrated to Manitoba, Canada where he met Catherine “Cassie” Dale, daughter of George and Sarah Gillon Dale. They were married in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on November 9, 1886. Edwin and Cassie had seven children, the eldest Edna Caroline Annie (Corner) born in 1889, George, Mamie (McWilliams) born in 1892, Marianne May “May” Bateman born in 1894, Jessie (Fox Kemp), Carey, and the youngest Warren Stafford born in 1901.Cassie (Dale) Bateman died in Portage La Prairie in 1909. Edwin was transferred to Vancouver by the Canadian Pacific Railway where he married Cassie’s younger sister Mary Dale, born 1865, and moved his six children to Vancouver. The Bateman family first lived at 7th and Balsam in a large new house. It wasn’t until 1920 that they decided to move to the quieter atmosphere of the Burnaby Lake- Deer Lake area. By this time Edwin Wettenhall Bateman was a retired CPR executive. He moved his wife and daughter May to Deer Lake and commissioned 'Elworth' house, designed by English-born and trained architect Enoch Evans. The house was completed by contractor William Dodson in 1922 and located at the site of what would become Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Avenue. The Batemans lived here for seventeen years before moving back to Vancouver in May of 1935. Mary Bateman died July 5, 1935. Edwin Wettenhall Bateman died on November 25, 1957 at the age of ninety-seven. Marianne May Bateman died in 1990.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:30:44
- Interviewee Name
- Bateman, Marianne May
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- 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 two of interview with May Bateman
Track two of interview with May Bateman
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-014-1/MSS137-014-1_Track_2.mp3Interview with Sev Morin by Rod Fowler April 4, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory538
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1950-1990
- Length
- 00:06:16
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s description of Burnaby’s growth and business development along Kingsway and Hastings, the Lake City Industrial Park, and the purchase of property in 1958 for the Heritage Park and Art Gallery.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s description of Burnaby’s growth and business development along Kingsway and Hastings, the Lake City Industrial Park, and the purchase of property in 1958 for the Heritage Park and Art Gallery.
- Date Range
- 1950-1990
- Photo Info
- Sev Morin (left) of Severin's in Burnaby (formerly the Gai Paree) hosting a gala New Year's celebration, 1979. Item no. 480-712
- Length
- 00:06:16
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial
- Buildings - Civic
- Buildings - Industrial
- Buildings - Schools - Universities and Colleges
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Lake City Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Kingsway-Beresford Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- April 4, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Severin "Sev" Morin, conducted by Rod Fowler. Sev Morin was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Sev Morin’s banquet hall, restaurant and night club business on Kingsway, originally named the “Gai Paree Supper Club” (1947-1976) and later “Severin’s” (1976-1985) and “Diego’s” (1985-1994), its function as a Burnaby landmark, and the entertainment and political people he met through his business. He also describes his many volunteer activities in Burnaby, including member of the SFU Senate, Rotary Club, Variety Club and Telethon, fund raising for Burnaby Hospital, and tourism related groups, and his political work for the federal Liberal party. He talks about his parents’ origins, the lives of his brothers Rudy and Rene, and the family’s involvement in establishing the “Gai Paree”. He also shares his views about the business and cultural development of Burnaby. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Severin “Sev” Rene Morin was born September 21, 1927, in Bonneville, Alberta, to Rene Pierre Morin (1878-1963) and Anne Marie (nee Lachiver) Morin (1886-1956). Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Morin and their son Rene Francois (1905-1954) immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, from France in 1913, where Rene Pierre Morin worked for the C.N.R. and a second son Adolphe “Rudy” Ferdinand (1922-1969) was born, followed by their third son Severin. In 1943, after R.P. Morin retired, the family moved to Burnaby to a house on Sperling Avenue. Sometime earlier the two older Morin brothers found work in Trail at the smelter and developed musical careers. In 1946/47 the Morin family purchased property on Kingsway and built a banquet hall, the “Gai Paree Supper Club”. Sev and Rudy Morin managed the club and Rene F. Morin moved to Burnaby to join them with his band. The supper club, with its live music and dance floor, became a popular meeting place and wedding venue, eventually expanding into a restaurant and nightclub in the 1970s. The “Gai Paree” was renamed “Severin’s” in 1976 and “Diego’s” in 1985, closing finally in 1994. Sev Morin’s business life included three record stores which he owned with his friend Jack Cullen. Through these businesses Sev Morin was well known in the entertainment and hospitality industry. He and his restaurant also hosted political and social events that made the restaurant a community landmark. Sev Morin contributed many volunteer hours to community and charitable organizations, including an appointment to the SFU Senate, fundraising for the Burnaby Hospital, Director of the Variety Club and Rotary Club, and consultant for a variety of tourism related ventures. He also was active in the federal Liberal Party. Sev Morin and his wife Pauline married in 1950 and had three children. Sev Morin died at age 86 on March 28, 2014.
- Total Tracks
- 10
- Total Length
- 00:56:44
- Interviewee Name
- Morin, Severin "Sev"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Sev Morin
Track two of interview with Sev Morin
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-021/MSS187-021_Track%202.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory597
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1956-1980
- Length
- 0:15:48
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s memories of his moving to Hardwick Street in Burnaby in 1957; his views about early attitudes toward clearing the land in Burnaby and how people’s attitudes changed with regard to protecting the environment; and his description of the “golden ye…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s memories of his moving to Hardwick Street in Burnaby in 1957; his views about early attitudes toward clearing the land in Burnaby and how people’s attitudes changed with regard to protecting the environment; and his description of the “golden years” for park creation and planning in the 1970s.
- Date Range
- 1956-1980
- Length
- 0:15:48
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Parks
- Geographic Access
- Hardwick Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Tony Fabian
Track two of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_2.mp3Interview with Tony Fabian by Kathy Bossort October 29, 2015 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory598
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1960-1990
- Length
- 0:12:29
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s story about his first involvement in civic politics when he questioned the cutting in half of Hardwick Park and his learning about the legal status of park dedications. He talks about the value of understanding the geographic history and natural …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Tony Fabian’s story about his first involvement in civic politics when he questioned the cutting in half of Hardwick Park and his learning about the legal status of park dedications. He talks about the value of understanding the geographic history and natural processes of Burnaby landscapes.
- Date Range
- 1960-1990
- Length
- 0:12:29
- Names
- Hardwick Park
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Parks
- Planning
- Geographic Access
- Hardwick Street
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 29, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Tony Fabian conducted by Kathy Bossort. Tony Fabian was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Tony Fabian’s part in park creation and protection of natural areas in Burnaby, particularly as a member of the Park and Recreation Commission in the 1970s; his childhood and how that contributed to his land ethic; and the history of the uses made of and setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Tony S. Fabian was born in 1934 in north Saskatchewan. At less than a year old Tony, along with his siblings, was removed from his family home and eventually placed with an immigrant farm family. As a child he worked on the farm and witnessed what he considered abusive treatment of the land and farm animals. When he was about 12 years old his adoptive family moved to the BC coast where he went on his own, working for a variety of farmers in Richmond and Delta. At 19 he contracted polio, quit farm work, and found work with the telephone company. In 1956 Tony married, and in 1957 he and his wife moved to a home on Hardwick Street in Burnaby where he still lives. Tony entered civic politics in the 1960s when he objected to development on Hardwick Park and became concerned about the destruction of Burnaby’s natural landscapes. He became a life long advocate for preserving natural areas and helped to create large parks in Burnaby on the foreshore of the Fraser River and on Burrard Inlet. He served as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission 1970-1975, is a long time volunteer with the Burnaby Lake Park Association, and continues to stay current on local and regional environmental issues. In 2008 Tony was presented with the City of Burnaby Environment Award for Community Stewardship.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:43:22
- Interviewee Name
- Fabian, Tony S.
- Interview Location
- Tony Fabian's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Tony Fabian
Track three of interview with Tony Fabian
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-007/MSS196-007_Track_3.mp3