More like 'Stream of Dreams project'

100 records – page 1 of 5.

Personal material

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription82732
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1910-1978]
Collection/Fonds
Hazel Simnett collection
Description Level
File
Physical Description
9 paintings : colour print, 2 photographs : b&w, and 1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of application for a driver's license, Kingsway Driving School report card, driver's examination receipt and a letter addressed to Hazel Simnett from the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. Also included is an immigration inspection card of Fred Simnett aboard the S.S. Lake Champlai…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1910-1978]
Collection/Fonds
Hazel Simnett collection
Series
Simnett personal papers series
Physical Description
9 paintings : colour print, 2 photographs : b&w, and 1 folder of textual records
Description Level
File
Record No.
MSS167-008
Accession Number
2013-22
Scope and Content
File consists of application for a driver's license, Kingsway Driving School report card, driver's examination receipt and a letter addressed to Hazel Simnett from the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. Also included is an immigration inspection card of Fred Simnett aboard the S.S. Lake Champlain from Liverpool and a letter from the Office of the Mayor addressed to Mary Ann Simnett for her ninetieth birthday. Also included is a photograph (see item 559-001). Also included are newsclippings regarding Robert Burnaby and the "Bygones of Burnaby" book, a programme of the Robert Burnaby Commemorative Dinner, a photocopy of "The Argus" (Burnaby South High School's newspaper) from 1938, a programme from Madys Pridmore Brown's Variety Programme, "The Buzzer" Volume 40 Issue 16 advertising Vancouver street cars, New Vista Society certificate addressed to Hazel Simnett, an envelope of Fenwick Lansdowne bird prints from 1957 and a print of the Royal Family found in a cardboard envelope postmarked 1972.
Subjects
Arts - Paintings
Documentary Artifacts - Newspapers
Documentary Artifacts - Photographs
Performances - Concerts
Organizations - Societies and Clubs
Personal Symbols - Certificates
Transportation
Persons - Royalty
Names
Simnett, Hazel
Simnett, Frederick "Fred"
Simnett, Mary Ann
Lansdowne, James Fenwick
Media Type
Textual Record
Photograph
Graphic Material
Notes
Title based on note accompanying file on folder ; The Argue was stapled together
Simnett personal papers series
Historic Neighbourhood
Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Clinton-Glenwood Area
Less detail

Arts and crafts

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45984
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
June 10, 1979
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 24 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of women doing arts and crafts at Edmonds House. Marion Olson and Verda Joynt are at a table glazing pottery, while May Clark sits behind them, throwing something on the wheel as Doris Albright stands, painting at an easel. This most likely the site of what is now Edmonds Centre.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
June 10, 1979
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 24 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-879
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2003-02
Scope and Content
Photograph of women doing arts and crafts at Edmonds House. Marion Olson and Verda Joynt are at a table glazing pottery, while May Clark sits behind them, throwing something on the wheel as Doris Albright stands, painting at an easel. This most likely the site of what is now Edmonds Centre.
Subjects
Arts - Paintings
Arts - Sculptures
Recreational Activities
Names
Olson, Marion
Joynt, Verda
Clark, Mary
Albright, Doris
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Hodge, Craig
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
Kingsway
Street Address
7282 Kingsway
Historic Neighbourhood
Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Richmond Park Area
Images
Less detail

A woman on a chair holding a paintbrush surrounded by paintings

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59136
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 17.5 x 25.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a person holding a paintbrush, surrounded by paintings on the walls and on stands.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 17.5 x 25.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-1475
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2009-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of a person holding a paintbrush, surrounded by paintings on the walls and on stands.
Subjects
Arts - Paintings
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
King, Basil
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Photographer's stamp on verso
Note on verso reads: "page 6 / Burnaby / Today / PMT 100%"
Images
Less detail

Children's toys and crafts

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription70304
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a group of people together at a vendor's blanket filled with children's toys and crafts the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
528-023
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2011-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of a group of people together at a vendor's blanket filled with children's toys and crafts the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978.
Subjects
Geographic Features - Automobile Parking Lots
Arts - Paintings
Toys
Names
Lougheed Drive-In Theatre
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Jeffries, Bill
Notes
Title based on contents of item
1 b&w print (12.5 x 17.5 cm) accompanying
Geographic Access
Lougheed Highway
Historic Neighbourhood
Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
West Central Valley Area
Images
Less detail

Framed prints and paintings

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription70414
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a wall of ornately framed prints and paintings at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978. Two unidentified swap meet attendees are perusing the framed pieces.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
528-110
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2011-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of a wall of ornately framed prints and paintings at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978. Two unidentified swap meet attendees are perusing the framed pieces.
Subjects
Geographic Features - Automobile Parking Lots
Arts - Paintings
Names
Lougheed Drive-In Theatre
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Jeffries, Bill
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Geographic Access
Lougheed Highway
Historic Neighbourhood
Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
West Central Valley Area
Images
Less detail

Jim Brown and Elizabeth Nunn at the Burnaby Art Gallery

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59148
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of two people browsing stacks of prints at the Burnaby Art Gallery.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-1483
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2009-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of two people browsing stacks of prints at the Burnaby Art Gallery.
Subjects
Arts - Paintings
Buildings - Civic - Art Galleries
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Braid, Tom
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Photographer's stamp on verso
Note on verso reads: "PMT 100% / page A-2 / Burnaby / Today"
Street Address
6344 Deer Lake Avenue
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
Less detail

Man showing off art work

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59005
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 25.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of an unidentified man holding a painting. Two other paintings are displayed on a ledge behind him.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 25.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-1414
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2009-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of an unidentified man holding a painting. Two other paintings are displayed on a ledge behind him.
Subjects
Arts - Paintings
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Hodge, Craig
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Photographer's stamp on verso
Note on verso reads: "PMT 100% / page A-9 / Burnaby Today"
Images
Less detail

Radios, paintings and sunglasses

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription70282
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a table filled with radios and sunglasses at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978. Paintings have been propped against a pickup truck behind the table and two unidentified vendors are behind the table with potential customers out in front.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
528-016
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2011-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of a table filled with radios and sunglasses at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978. Paintings have been propped against a pickup truck behind the table and two unidentified vendors are behind the table with potential customers out in front.
Subjects
Geographic Features - Automobile Parking Lots
Transportation - Automobiles
Arts - Paintings
Telecommunication Tools and Equipment - Radios
Names
Lougheed Drive-In Theatre
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Jeffries, Bill
Notes
Title based on contents of item
1 b&w print (12.5 x 17.5 cm) accompanying
Geographic Access
Lougheed Highway
Historic Neighbourhood
Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
West Central Valley Area
Images
Less detail

Replicas of paintings

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription70392
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Scope and Content
Photograph of replica prints of paintings propped up against a station wagon at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978. An unidentified shirtless vendor is sitting in a lawn chair next to his wares.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
528-088
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2011-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of replica prints of paintings propped up against a station wagon at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978. An unidentified shirtless vendor is sitting in a lawn chair next to his wares.
Subjects
Geographic Features - Automobile Parking Lots
Arts - Paintings
Names
Lougheed Drive-In Theatre
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Jeffries, Bill
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Geographic Access
Lougheed Highway
Historic Neighbourhood
Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
West Central Valley Area
Images
Less detail

Robin Mayor

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45168
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
August 20, 1980, published August 25, 1980
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 14 x 22.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Robin Mayor standing inbetween two of his paintings at the Burnaby Art Gallery. The painting of the jersey cow on the left is "Linda the Navigator" and the one on the right is "Curly". Both paintings are acrylic and mixed media on canvas.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
August 20, 1980, published August 25, 1980
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 14 x 22.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-064
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2003-02
Scope and Content
Photograph of Robin Mayor standing inbetween two of his paintings at the Burnaby Art Gallery. The painting of the jersey cow on the left is "Linda the Navigator" and the one on the right is "Curly". Both paintings are acrylic and mixed media on canvas.
Subjects
Buildings - Civic - Art Galleries
Arts - Paintings
Occupations - Artists
Names
Mayor, Robin
Burnaby Art Gallery
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Battistoni, Peter
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: "COWS ARE BEAUTIFUL...Artist Robin Mayor poses with two of his unique cattle pictures at the Burnaby Art Gallery. At left is Linda the Navigator; at right, Curly. Both are acrylics and mixed media on canvas."
Geographic Access
Deer Lake Avenue
Street Address
6344 Deer Lake Avenue
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
Less detail

Swap meet paintings

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription70274
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Scope and Content
Photograph of paintings propped up on a small pickup truck at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
528-008
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2011-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of paintings propped up on a small pickup truck at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978.
Subjects
Arts - Paintings
Transportation - Automobiles
Names
Lougheed Drive-In Theatre
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Jeffries, Bill
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Geographic Access
Lougheed Highway
Historic Neighbourhood
Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
West Central Valley Area
Images
Less detail

Woman with a painting

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription70302
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Scope and Content
Photograph of an unidentified woman holding up a painting and smiling at the camera at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1978
Collection/Fonds
Bill Jeffries fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w negative ; 35 mm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
528-021
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2011-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of an unidentified woman holding up a painting and smiling at the camera at the Lougheed Drive-in swap meet in the summer of 1978.
Subjects
Geographic Features - Automobile Parking Lots
Arts - Paintings
Names
Lougheed Drive-In Theatre
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Jeffries, Bill
Notes
Title based on contents of item
1 b&w print (12.5 x 17.5 cm) accompanying
Geographic Access
Lougheed Highway
Historic Neighbourhood
Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
West Central Valley Area
Images
Less detail

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
Subseries
South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries
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.mp3
Less detail

Melissa Tang doing Arts and Crafts

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58999
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 20.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of two children doing an arts and crafts project.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 20.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-1409
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2009-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of two children doing an arts and crafts project.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Crafts
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Hodge, Craig
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Note on recto reads: "Melisa Tang (5) of Bby"
Photographer's stamp on verso
Note on verso reads: "P% B.T. 100% / Burnaby Today"
Images
Less detail

Shauna Cullenton and children with Arts and Crafts

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58998
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 20.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of adults and children doing an arts and crafts project.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 20.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-1408
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2009-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of adults and children doing an arts and crafts project.
Subjects
Persons - Children
Crafts
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Hodge, Craig
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Note on recto reads: "Shauna Cullenton (7) of Bby."
Photographer's stamp on verso
Note on verso reads: "PMT 100% / page 11 / Burnaby Today"
Images
Less detail

A crowd looking at some unidentified sculptures

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59039
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18.5 x 25.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a crowd examining sculptures in an unidentified location.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18.5 x 25.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-1445
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2009-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of a crowd examining sculptures in an unidentified location.
Subjects
Persons - Crowds
Buildings - Civic - Art Galleries
Arts - Sculptures
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Hodge, Craig
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Note on recto reads: "Crowd look at some of the sculptures"
Photographer's stamp on verso
Note on verso reads: "page 3 / Burnaby / Today / 110%"
Images
Less detail

A man auctioning the "Rocketship" sculpture

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59040
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18.5 x 25.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a person auctioning a sculpture identified as the "Rocketship" in an unidentified location.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
ca.1983
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 18.5 x 25.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-1446
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2009-01
Scope and Content
Photograph of a person auctioning a sculpture identified as the "Rocketship" in an unidentified location.
Subjects
Arts - Sculptures
Buildings - Civic - Art Galleries
Persons - Crowds
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Hodge, Craig
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Note on recto reads: "auctioning the "rocketship""
Photographer's stamp on verso
Note on verso reads: "PMT / 82% / page 3 / Burnaby / Today"
Images
Less detail

Interview with Annie Boulanger by Rod Fowler April 9, 1990 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory485
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1970-1990
Length
00:06:30
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s membership in and work for Burnaby Writers’ Club and Burnaby Arts Council. She describes the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1983 and 1990, her election to President in 1985, the inadequacy of the James Cowan Theatre, and her ho…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s membership in and work for Burnaby Writers’ Club and Burnaby Arts Council. She describes the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1983 and 1990, her election to President in 1985, the inadequacy of the James Cowan Theatre, and her hopes for arts facilities in the Deer Lake area.
Date Range
1970-1990
Length
00:06:30
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Burnaby Writers' Club
Subjects
Persons - Volunteers
Arts
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 9, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Annie Boulanger, conducted by Rod Fowler. Annie Boulanger 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 Annie Boulanger’s volunteer community work in Burnaby, including initiating the teaching of french and gymnastics at Seaforth School where her children attended, doing historical research and oral histories for Burnaby Heritage Village and the SFU Archives, becoming a long term member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club, being a member and President of Burnaby Arts Council, and member of the Parks Board's Centre for the Performing Arts Committee (1987). The interview focuses attention on the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1985 and 1990, and the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting the arts through a municipal arts policy. Annie Boulanger also talks about her parents’ history, their home on Napier Street and her later home on Government Road, her education and teaching career, and her arts journalism. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Annie Urbanovits Boulanger’s parents emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Louis in 1925 and Irene in 1930, where they married. Louis and Irene Boulanger moved to Vancouver where Louis worked in the Vancouver Shipyards during WWII and then for Nichols Chemical Company in Barnet for 15 years. While the Urbanovits family lived in Cloverdale, Louis commuted to Kask’s Camp in Barnet, until they moved to Burnaby in 1951 to an old farm purchased on Napier Street. Between 1951 and 1956 Annie completed her BA degree, majoring in chemistry and english with a minor in physical education, and obtained her teaching diploma at UBC. She taught for 4 years in various locations in BC before marrying and moving to Manitoba and Ottawa. She and her husband and five children (two more children to come later) returned to Burnaby in 1964 to a home on Government Street to be close to family. Annie Boulanger became involved in the community first through her children’s school, initiating and teaching french classes in Seaforth School in 1969, and supporting the development of gymnastics in school and as a municipal program. Her interest in Archives lead to doing oral histories for John Adams, curator of Heritage Village [Burnaby Heritage Village], and for SFU Archives. She became a long time member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club in the 1970s, taking a course in writing non-fiction from Chris Potter. In 1983 Annie Boulanger joined the Burnaby Arts Council, becoming President in 1985. She was involved in lobbying the municipality for better monetary support and facilities for the arts and for the creation of a Municipal Arts Policy. She has continued to promote the arts in Burnaby through her appointment to Burnaby’s Visual Arts Advisory Board in 1997, her arts journalism, writing regular book and theatre reviews for the local newspaper, and other activities. She was a member of the Burnaby Centennial Committee and was one of the editors of the book “Burnaby Centennial Anthology”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:41:53
Interviewee Name
Boulanger, Annie
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
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
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.
Audio Tracks

Track three of interview with Annie Boulanger

Less detail

Interview with Annie Boulanger by Rod Fowler April 9, 1990 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory486
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1985-1990
Length
00:06:27
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s views on the Parks Board and its committee looking into creating both a new theatre in Metrotown and an Arts Centre at Deer Lake, her belief that this proposal did not meet community needs, the 1987 referendum’s failure, and the subsequent cr…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s views on the Parks Board and its committee looking into creating both a new theatre in Metrotown and an Arts Centre at Deer Lake, her belief that this proposal did not meet community needs, the 1987 referendum’s failure, and the subsequent creation of an Arts Policy Committee for Burnaby
Date Range
1985-1990
Length
00:06:27
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Burnaby Arts Centre
Subjects
Persons - Volunteers
Arts
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 9, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Annie Boulanger, conducted by Rod Fowler. Annie Boulanger 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 Annie Boulanger’s volunteer community work in Burnaby, including initiating the teaching of french and gymnastics at Seaforth School where her children attended, doing historical research and oral histories for Burnaby Heritage Village and the SFU Archives, becoming a long term member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club, being a member and President of Burnaby Arts Council, and member of the Parks Board's Centre for the Performing Arts Committee (1987). The interview focuses attention on the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1985 and 1990, and the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting the arts through a municipal arts policy. Annie Boulanger also talks about her parents’ history, their home on Napier Street and her later home on Government Road, her education and teaching career, and her arts journalism. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Annie Urbanovits Boulanger’s parents emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Louis in 1925 and Irene in 1930, where they married. Louis and Irene Boulanger moved to Vancouver where Louis worked in the Vancouver Shipyards during WWII and then for Nichols Chemical Company in Barnet for 15 years. While the Urbanovits family lived in Cloverdale, Louis commuted to Kask’s Camp in Barnet, until they moved to Burnaby in 1951 to an old farm purchased on Napier Street. Between 1951 and 1956 Annie completed her BA degree, majoring in chemistry and english with a minor in physical education, and obtained her teaching diploma at UBC. She taught for 4 years in various locations in BC before marrying and moving to Manitoba and Ottawa. She and her husband and five children (two more children to come later) returned to Burnaby in 1964 to a home on Government Street to be close to family. Annie Boulanger became involved in the community first through her children’s school, initiating and teaching french classes in Seaforth School in 1969, and supporting the development of gymnastics in school and as a municipal program. Her interest in Archives lead to doing oral histories for John Adams, curator of Heritage Village [Burnaby Heritage Village], and for SFU Archives. She became a long time member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club in the 1970s, taking a course in writing non-fiction from Chris Potter. In 1983 Annie Boulanger joined the Burnaby Arts Council, becoming President in 1985. She was involved in lobbying the municipality for better monetary support and facilities for the arts and for the creation of a Municipal Arts Policy. She has continued to promote the arts in Burnaby through her appointment to Burnaby’s Visual Arts Advisory Board in 1997, her arts journalism, writing regular book and theatre reviews for the local newspaper, and other activities. She was a member of the Burnaby Centennial Committee and was one of the editors of the book “Burnaby Centennial Anthology”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:41:53
Interviewee Name
Boulanger, Annie
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
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
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.
Audio Tracks

Track four of interview with Annie Boulanger

Less detail

Interview with Annie Boulanger by Rod Fowler April 9, 1990 - Track 7

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory489
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1960-1990
Length
00:02:20
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s involvement in the Burnaby Writers’ Club, and its history and founding members Eileen Kernaghan and Chris Potter and other well known writers who were members of the club
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s involvement in the Burnaby Writers’ Club, and its history and founding members Eileen Kernaghan and Chris Potter and other well known writers who were members of the club
Date Range
1960-1990
Length
00:02:20
Names
Burnaby Writers' Club
Kernaghan, Eileen
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 9, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Annie Boulanger, conducted by Rod Fowler. Annie Boulanger 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 Annie Boulanger’s volunteer community work in Burnaby, including initiating the teaching of french and gymnastics at Seaforth School where her children attended, doing historical research and oral histories for Burnaby Heritage Village and the SFU Archives, becoming a long term member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club, being a member and President of Burnaby Arts Council, and member of the Parks Board's Centre for the Performing Arts Committee (1987). The interview focuses attention on the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1985 and 1990, and the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting the arts through a municipal arts policy. Annie Boulanger also talks about her parents’ history, their home on Napier Street and her later home on Government Road, her education and teaching career, and her arts journalism. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Annie Urbanovits Boulanger’s parents emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Louis in 1925 and Irene in 1930, where they married. Louis and Irene Boulanger moved to Vancouver where Louis worked in the Vancouver Shipyards during WWII and then for Nichols Chemical Company in Barnet for 15 years. While the Urbanovits family lived in Cloverdale, Louis commuted to Kask’s Camp in Barnet, until they moved to Burnaby in 1951 to an old farm purchased on Napier Street. Between 1951 and 1956 Annie completed her BA degree, majoring in chemistry and english with a minor in physical education, and obtained her teaching diploma at UBC. She taught for 4 years in various locations in BC before marrying and moving to Manitoba and Ottawa. She and her husband and five children (two more children to come later) returned to Burnaby in 1964 to a home on Government Street to be close to family. Annie Boulanger became involved in the community first through her children’s school, initiating and teaching french classes in Seaforth School in 1969, and supporting the development of gymnastics in school and as a municipal program. Her interest in Archives lead to doing oral histories for John Adams, curator of Heritage Village [Burnaby Heritage Village], and for SFU Archives. She became a long time member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club in the 1970s, taking a course in writing non-fiction from Chris Potter. In 1983 Annie Boulanger joined the Burnaby Arts Council, becoming President in 1985. She was involved in lobbying the municipality for better monetary support and facilities for the arts and for the creation of a Municipal Arts Policy. She has continued to promote the arts in Burnaby through her appointment to Burnaby’s Visual Arts Advisory Board in 1997, her arts journalism, writing regular book and theatre reviews for the local newspaper, and other activities. She was a member of the Burnaby Centennial Committee and was one of the editors of the book “Burnaby Centennial Anthology”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:41:53
Interviewee Name
Boulanger, Annie
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
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
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.
Audio Tracks

Track seven of interview with Annie Boulanger

Less detail

100 records – page 1 of 5.