More like 'Tram 1223 being moved to Burnaby's Centennial Heritage Village'
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B.C.E.R. Video: Then and now
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary5926
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Moving Images
- Accession Code
- BV013.27.21
- Call Number
- 388.46 TRA VR Ver 1
- Place of Publication
- Vancouver
- Publisher
- Transit Museum Society
- Publication Date
- c2004
- Physical Description
- 1 videodisc (128 min, 43 sec.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Street-railroads
- Electric railroads
- Transportation
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Notes
- Original footage shot on 16mm film in the early 1950's by Ken Hodgsen.
- Summary : Historical film footage of Lower Mainland trams on their various routes as well as an excursion train. Film footage is part of the B.C. Transit Centennial and includes a voice over commentary by Frank Horn and Vic Sharman. Frank worked as a motorman on the BC Electric Railway. The trams are shown travelling through Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey, North Delta, Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack. The excursion train was filmed in Washington State, U.S.A. The narrators give commentary, describing the routes, landmarks of the past and present, the various kinds of trams and buses seen, drivers’ protocols, and historical information.
- Produced by David Asselin, President, Transit Musem Society
- Cover on verso of DVD case includes photos with description: "Here are three instructors... Vic Sharman, Frank Horne & Don Bellamy for the Downtown Historic Railway (D.H.R.) Who have all had previous experience driving interurbans in the Vancouver area in the 1940's & 1950's"
- Contact Burnaby Village Museum to view video.
Images
![Don Wrigley with Interurban 1223, [2000] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-3112-1.jpg?width=280)
Don Wrigley with Interurban 1223
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription98008
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, posing inside of the trolley car and outside of rusted, pre-restoration car.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 535-3112
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, posing inside of the trolley car and outside of rusted, pre-restoration car.
- Subjects
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Transportation - Rail
- Organizations - Societies and Clubs
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a February 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata for 535-3112-1: "Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, and of the Burnaby Historical Society, surveys the gutted interior of the old trolley car."
- Caption from metadata for 535-3112-2: "Don Wrigley, the President of the Friends of Interurban 1223, and of the Burnaby Historical Society, wants to keep the old trolley car in Burnaby."
Images
![Don Wrigley with Interurban 1223, [2000] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-3112-1.jpg)
Fraser rails that glow : [B.C. trolleymen's addenda, vol. 1]
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary5928
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV013.27
- Call Number
- 388.46 REU
- Author
- Reuss, David
- Place of Publication
- [Cloverdale, B.C.]
- Publisher
- David Reuss
- Publication Date
- 2003
- Physical Description
- 124 p. : ill. ; 22 x 29 cm
- Inscription
- Verso of the cover: "To the Friends of #1223 who by now have both sides done! Splendid! David E. Reuss" [handwritten in black ink on bottom of the page in the centre]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Electric railroads
- Street-railroads
- Transportation
![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg?width=280)
Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory443
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:07:58
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the interurban tram service in Burnaby, how it was used, the interurban routes, reasons for closing the interurban and later building Skytrain, and attempts to purchase an old tram car for Heritage Village
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the interurban tram service in Burnaby, how it was used, the interurban routes, reasons for closing the interurban and later building Skytrain, and attempts to purchase an old tram car for Heritage Village
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:07:58
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne 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 Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- 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 business computerization 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
![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track three of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_3.mp3
The motorman and his duties : a handbook of theory and practice for operating electric cars
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary5480
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- Gutmann, Ludwig
- Edition
- 5th ed., rev. and enl.
- Publication Date
- c2006
- Call Number
- 625.66 GUT
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- ISBN
- 9781847287427
- Call Number
- 625.66 GUT
- Edition
- 5th ed., rev. and enl.
- Author
- Gutmann, Ludwig
- Contributor
- Metcalfe, George Richmond
- Place of Publication
- [Los Angeles, Calif. ]
- Publisher
- Periscope Film
- Publication Date
- c2006
- Physical Description
- 177 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Railroad conductors--United States
- Street-railroads
- Electric railroads
- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Transportation
- Notes
- Originally published: Chicago : Windsor & Kenfield Pub. Co., 1903.
- Includes index.
The story of the B.C. Electric Railway Company
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary794
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- Ewert, Henry, 1937-
- Publication Date
- c1986
- Call Number
- 388.46 EWE Copy 1
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- ISBN
- 092062054X
- Call Number
- 388.46 EWE Copy 1
- Author
- Ewert, Henry, 1937-
- Place of Publication
- North Vancouver
- Publisher
- Whitecap Books
- Publication Date
- c1986
- Printer
- D.W. Friesen & Sons
- Physical Description
- 336 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.
- Inscription
- "R. Salsbury" "1987" [handwritten in blue ink, on the upper right hand corner of the opposite front end paper
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Street-railroads
- Electric railroads
- Transportation
- British Columbia--History
- Notes
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- 3 copies held : copy 1.
Tram memories : in celebration of the restoration of Interurban 1223
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary5863
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- McGeachie, Pixie, 1921-
- Publication Date
- c2007
- Call Number
- 388.460971 TRA
for the B.C.Electric Railway Company,interur-
ban car 1223 was operated as a passenger car on the electric interurban lines of Burnaby and
the Lower Mainland until 1958. It was rescued from destruction and dedicated as a historic
monument by The Burnaby Historical Society in 1958 at Edmonds and Kingsway and in
1971
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Digital Reference Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Call Number
- 388.460971 TRA
- Author
- McGeachie, Pixie, 1921-
- Contributor
- Friends of Interurban 1223
- Place of Publication
- Burnaby
- Publisher
- City of Burnaby
- Publication Date
- c2007
- Printer
- City of Burnaby Printshop
- Physical Description
- 91 p. : ill., map ;,20 cm
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Electric railroads
- Local transit
- Street-railroads
- Transportation
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Name Access
- British Columbia Electric Railway Company
- Notes
- Editor : Pixie McGeachie
Images
Digital Books
Transportation and urban development in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, 1890 - 1915
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary870
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Call Number
- 388.4 TRA
- Place of Publication
- Burnaby
- Publisher
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Publication Date
- 1986
- Physical Description
- 24 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Electric railroads
- Local transit
- Street-railroads
- Transportation
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Notes
- Spiral bound, master copy.
- Includes 1 copy of distributed version (smaller booklet with clearer photographs)
- Includes bibliographical references
Vancouver's glory years : public transit, 1890-1915
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary1379
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- Conn, Heather
- Ewert, Henry, 1937-
- Publication Date
- c2003
- Call Number
- 388.46 CON COPY 1
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Reference Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- ISBN
- 1552855171
- Call Number
- 388.46 CON COPY 1
- Author
- Conn, Heather
- Ewert, Henry, 1937-
- Place of Publication
- North Vancouver, BC
- Publisher
- Whitecap Books
- Publication Date
- c2003
- Physical Description
- 224 p. : ill. ; 29 cm.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Electric railroads
- Local transit
- Street-railroads
- Transportation
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Notes
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-209) and index.
- 2 copies held: copy 1.
![Colin Stevens and Andrew Todd with Interurban 1223, [2001] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2738.jpg?width=280)
Colin Stevens and Andrew Todd with Interurban 1223
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription97362
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2001]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Colin Stevens, the curator of the Burnaby Village Museum, and Andrew Todd, a conservator, talking while standing next to the Interurban tram 1223 that is undergoing restoration work. The streetcar is draped in plastic sheets.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2001]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 535-2738
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Colin Stevens, the curator of the Burnaby Village Museum, and Andrew Todd, a conservator, talking while standing next to the Interurban tram 1223 that is undergoing restoration work. The streetcar is draped in plastic sheets.
- Names
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a September 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata: "Colin Stevens, the curator of the Burnaby Village Museum, and Andrew Todd, a conservator who's consulting on the move and restoration of the old Interurban streetcar, discuss the plans for the move, which is set to take place next week."
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Avenue
- Street Address
- 4900 Deer Lake Avenue
- 6501 Deer Lake Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
![Colin Stevens and Andrew Todd with Interurban 1223, [2001] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2738.jpg)
![Friends of Interurban 1223 restoration, [2002] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2002-2.jpg?width=280)
Friends of Interurban 1223 restoration
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96319
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2002]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of restoration work done by the Friends of the Interurban on Interurban tram 1223. Photographs depict Dennis Brown and Tom Gooden removing an old seat from the streetcar, and Wes Bennett and Ralph Salasbury working on a wall panel.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2002]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 535-2002
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of restoration work done by the Friends of the Interurban on Interurban tram 1223. Photographs depict Dennis Brown and Tom Gooden removing an old seat from the streetcar, and Wes Bennett and Ralph Salasbury working on a wall panel.
- Subjects
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a March 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata for 535-2002-1: "Dennis Brown and Tom Gooden remove one of the old seats from the Interurban Streetcar, being restored by the Friends of the Interurban. The group is still looking for volunteers and funding to help continue the project."
- Caption from metadata for 535-2002-2: "Wes Bennett and Ralph Salasbury work on a wall panel of the old Interurban rail car, being restored by the Friends of the Interurban. The group is still looking for more volunteers and funding to help with the project."
Images
![Friends of Interurban 1223 restoration, [2002] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2002-2.jpg)
![Interurban 1223 restoration, [2003] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2290.jpg?width=280)
Interurban 1223 restoration
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96668
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2003]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Dennis Brown and Ed Eckley updating Mayor Derek Corrigan on the restoration of the interurban tram 1223. The three men are standing underneath the roof of the trolley, with exposed wiring and lighting.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2003]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 535-2290
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Dennis Brown and Ed Eckley updating Mayor Derek Corrigan on the restoration of the interurban tram 1223. The three men are standing underneath the roof of the trolley, with exposed wiring and lighting.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a March 2003 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata: "Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan gets an update on the progress of the restoration of the old Interurban trolley from Dennis Brown, the project manager, and Ed Eckley, who's in charge of fundraising for the restoration."
Images
![Interurban 1223 restoration, [2003] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2290.jpg)
Interurban 1223 Volunteers Feb. 26, 2005
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription98462
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- February 26, 2005
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 14 photographs (jpgs) on 1 optical disc
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of volunteers working on the restoration of interurban tram 1223.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- February 26, 2005
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Series
- Administration series
- Physical Description
- 14 photographs (jpgs) on 1 optical disc
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 633-016
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2020-06
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of volunteers working on the restoration of interurban tram 1223.
- Subjects
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Transcribed title
- Title transcribed from optical disc label
- Street Address
- 6501 Deer Lake Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
![Interurban 1231 on the track between Science World and Granville Island, [between 1998 and 2011] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2012/2012_0018_0011_001.jpg?width=280)
Interurban 1231 on the track between Science World and Granville Island
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription2887
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1998 and 2011]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. inkjet print ; 20.5 x 25 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban car 1231 "Burnaby Lake Line" on the tram tracks between Science World and Granville Island. The Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway was a heritage electric railway that was in operation between 1998 and 2011 which ran two restored interurba…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. inkjet print ; 20.5 x 25 cm
- Material Details
- Inkjet print of a digital image on white photocopy paper.
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban car 1231 "Burnaby Lake Line" on the tram tracks between Science World and Granville Island. The Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway was a heritage electric railway that was in operation between 1998 and 2011 which ran two restored interurban trams on the line between Science World and Granville Island. These tracks were formerly used as a frieght railway right-of-way.
- Subjects
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Accession Code
- BV012.18.11
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [between 1998 and 2011]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Scan Resolution
- 300
- Scan Date
- 13-Mar-2018
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
![Interurban 1231 on the track between Science World and Granville Island, [between 1998 and 2011] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2012/2012_0018_0011_001.jpg)
Interview with Ted Burnham by Eric Damer September 19, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory313
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1946-1986
- Length
- 0:10:42
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham's memories of the interurban tram. He mentions getting his driver's license and goes on to discuss more of his work history; in the computer industry, then in the medical industry.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham's memories of the interurban tram. He mentions getting his driver's license and goes on to discuss more of his work history; in the computer industry, then in the medical industry.
- Date Range
- 1946-1986
- Photo Info
- Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham, [195-]. Item no. 549-021.
- Length
- 0:10:42
- Subjects
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- September 19, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 19, 2012. Major theme discussed: the role of the municipal worker in the nineteen-fifties and nineteen-sixties.
- Biographical Notes
- E.L. "Ted" Burnham was born in 1930 and grew up in East Burnaby. He attended Armstrong Street and Edmonds Schools and then Trapp Technical High School before beginning work at a range of occupations in the late nineteen-forties. Ted studied business administration at the University of British Columbia and worked from 1953 to about 1958 for the municipality of Burnaby in the engineering and welfare departments, then briefly for Remington-Rand computers, and then at the Hannah Medical Clinic until 1973. After marrying in 1957, Ted and his wife moved from McKay Avenue to Kaymar Drive and raised two daughters. In the ninteen-seventies and later, Ted became involved in municipal politics, the Heritage Village, and in his own real estate and insurance business.
- Total Tracks
- 3
- Total Length
- 0:29:27
- Interviewee Name
- Burnham, Edward Lewis "Ted"
- 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
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Ted Burnham
Track two of recording of interview with Ted Burnham
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-006/MSS171-006_Track_2.mp3
Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory445
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Length
- 00:01:29
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about acquiring and maintaining streetcars for Burnaby Heritage Village
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about acquiring and maintaining streetcars for Burnaby Heritage Village
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:01:29
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne 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 Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- 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 business computerization 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 five of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track five of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_5.mp3![Pixie McGeachie and Interurban 1223, [2002] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2321-1.jpg?width=280)
Pixie McGeachie and Interurban 1223
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96716
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2002]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of Pixie McGeachie, Burnaby's Citizen of the Year. McGeachie poses in the interurban tram 1223 that is undergoing restoration work, for which McGeachie was an advocate.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2002]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 535-2321
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of Pixie McGeachie, Burnaby's Citizen of the Year. McGeachie poses in the interurban tram 1223 that is undergoing restoration work, for which McGeachie was an advocate.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in an April 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata: "Pixie McGeachie is Burnaby's Citizen of the Year, recognizing her drive and dedication to the restoration of the old interurban streetcar, currently underway in a warehouse."
Images
![Pixie McGeachie and Interurban 1223, [2002] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-2321-1.jpg)
![Pixie McGeachie and Interurban 1223, [2002] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-3015.jpg?width=280)
Pixie McGeachie and Interurban 1223
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription97741
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2002]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Pixie McGeachie and her great-grandson, Landon Dixon, wearing "Friends of the Interurban 1223" fundraising T-shirts. The Interurban tram, gutted and undergoing restoration, is visible in the background.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2002]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 535-3015
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Pixie McGeachie and her great-grandson, Landon Dixon, wearing "Friends of the Interurban 1223" fundraising T-shirts. The Interurban tram, gutted and undergoing restoration, is visible in the background.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a November 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata: "Pixie McGeachie and her great grandson, Landon Dixon, 3, admire each other's new Interurban t-shirts. The shirts, available in adult and kid sizes, are a fundraiser for the restoration of the old Interurban streetcar."
Images
![Pixie McGeachie and Interurban 1223, [2002] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-3015.jpg)
![Westcoast Harmony Chorus in Interurban tram 1223, [2006] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-1900-1.jpg?width=280)
Westcoast Harmony Chorus in Interurban tram 1223
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96208
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2006]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of Westcoast Harmony Chorus members Amalie Livera, Gayle Rowden, Jane Lythgo, and Irene Ingraham posing inside of the Interurban tram 1223 at the time that it was undergoing renovations. The Chorus members pose with red scarves and a rose as a promotion for their Valentine…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2006]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 2 photographs (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 535-1900
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- File contains photographs of Westcoast Harmony Chorus members Amalie Livera, Gayle Rowden, Jane Lythgo, and Irene Ingraham posing inside of the Interurban tram 1223 at the time that it was undergoing renovations. The Chorus members pose with red scarves and a rose as a promotion for their Valentine's Day "singagrams."
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a February 2006 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata for 535-1900-1: "Amalie Livera, Gayle Rowden, Jane Lythgo and Irene Ingraham, of the Westcoast Harmony Chorus, warm up for their annual old-fashioned Valentine's Day singagrams at the old Interurban currently being restored in Burnaby."
- Caption from metadata for 535-1900-2: "Amalie Livera, Gayle Rowden, Jane Lythgo and Irene Ingraham, of the Westcoast Harmony Chorus, warm up for their annual old-fashioned Valentine's Day singagrams at the old Interurban currently being restored in Burnaby."
Images
![Westcoast Harmony Chorus in Interurban tram 1223, [2006] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/535/535-1900-1.jpg)
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19350
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Interviewee: Surjeet Kaur Parmar Language of Interview: Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi Location of Interview: home of Surjeet Kaur Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: December 6, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of tracks: (1:15:32) Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and Canada, her personal experiences and her ancestors’ stories as South Asian immigrants, reflections on and personal experiences of racial discrimination as a South Asian immigrant, her places of residence, her employment background, her cultural practices and traditions including food, clothing and craft. The interview begins with introductions from interviewer Anushay Mailik. Surjeet Kaur Parmar imparts her own family’s migration story beginning with her very first elders that immigrated to Canada from India. A relative (unnamed) immigrated to Canada first and a few years later (around 1905) returned to India and brought back three cousins that included; Ginaya Singh (Ghania Singh Manhas) and Doman Singh . Mayo Singh (Ghania Singh’s younger brother) came in 1906 on his own to join them. Surjeet’s grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) also wanted to immigrate at this time, but he was too young and weak to manage such a long trip. Surjeet conveys that while living in British Columbia, Mayo and Ginaya Singh worked together at saw mills. With their knowledge and understanding of mill work they ended up owning and operating a mill in Paldi near Duncan on Vancouver Island. At this time, most of the men from Surjeet’s family region in Punjab were abroad and with no men living at home. Mayo Singh’s father (Bhulla Singh) looked after her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) and paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh Manhas) back in Punjab. When Mayo’s father died, Mayo Singh adopted her paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh) and brought him to Canada in 1926. Surjeet describes her ancestors’ immigration journey from India to Canada. They all travelled by ship and if someone ran out of money en route, they could work on the ship. Surjeet explains that both Mayo and Ginaya Singh are Surjeet’s grandfather’s first cousins and her father’s second cousins. Surjeet recollects her grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) saying “now that you’ve arrived there, take one cousin from each side with you”. Surjeet explains that the cousins were all from the same village in Punjab and her great grandfather wanted someone to go abroad, so he sent a few and had them bring more as the years went on. Surjeet says that she’s uncertain as to why they chose Canada rather than America but thinks that they did some form of research and determined that it was a good place to come to. Surjeet admits that she doesn’t know the name of her paternal grandfather or other elders since she never met them. Surjeet shares that it was a traditional practice to mark pots and pans with family names and imparts that she discovered her father’s name “Lashman Singh” written on the bottom of a glass. Surjeet expresses that she’s marked her own pots and pans with her name to identify which ones are hers when she gets together with family or does catering. Surjeet refers to a kohl bottle that she has and how she’d like to offer it to the museum. She explains how the kohl bottle is no longer in use but was used by her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) and daughter and her grandchildren. Surjeet describes a blanket that she made called a “phulkari”, now on display in a small museum in Coquitlam, a wedding shawl, that her daughter now owns and a silk sari with embroidery. Surjeet and Anushay discuss the possibility of donating the kohl bottle and the sari to the museum. Surjeet explains how the kohl is used and how her mother used to make kohl. She describes how you rub the kohl with your hands, put cardamom in it, one or two other ingredients and fill the kohl bottle up with water. Surjeet says that she used kohl as eyeliner when living in India. The interviewer asks Surjeet more about Ginaya Singh. Surjeet conveys that Ginaya Singh ended up leaving the mill on Vancouver Island and moved to Vancouver. After Ginaya Singh died from a heart attack (in 1953) his family moved from Vancouver to Burnaby. Surjeet recalls that following the death of Ginaya Singh’s youngest son, her family didn’t celebrate “Lohri” (a winter festival celebrating newborns and newly married people) for three years. She shares that she was very young at this time but remembers there being beautiful photographs of young children all dressed up and displayed in her family home. She expresses that dressing up for photos has changed over time and adds that suits didn’t really come into fashion until after the 1970s or 1980s. Surjeet conveys that her uncle named Kashmira Singh first worked at the mill in Paldi near Duncan then moved to Vancouver and opened up his own mill in North Vancouver. Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas arrived in 1953. Surjeet expresses that Kapoor Singh was educated and worked as a manager at the mill on Vancouver Island. Surjeet recollects meeting Mayo Singh, his wife and eldest son in 1952 when they travelled to India for a cousin’s wedding. Surjeet remembers that Mayo Singh’s family had a very large house in India. She describes the house as a very opulent two story house with indoor plumbing for a bathtub, a kitchen with a woodstove, coloured mirrors, bejeweled curtains, a motor room to park cars, a buffalo and more. Surjeet refers to Nand Singh, a younger brother of Mayo Singh, who travelled from India to San Franciso and spent a year wandering around before deciding to return to India. She describes him as living in Bombay with his wife Vishan Kaur and having a transport business. Nand had two kids that came to Canada. Surjeet recollects the tragic death of Ganda Singh (Ginaya Singh) who died of a heart attack on someone’s doorstep, they thought that he was drunk so didn’t open the door. Surjeet conveys that Mayo Singh’s wife, Mission Kaur (Saradani Bishan Kaur) died while visiting India (in 1952) and that some of Mayo’s sons were married in Canada and one in India. Surjeet expresses that it was hard for Mayo’s sons to have one of their parents die in India and one die in Canada (Mayo Singh died in B.C. in 1955). Surjeet describes the hospital that Mayo built in the village of Paldi. She mentions that there were festivals and functions that took place there, there were many nurses and doctors. She recalls there being a school where their land was. She recalls that if they got headaches they were treated with medicine and that it didn’t cost much, only a six pence. Surjeet talks about her arranged marriage to Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar. Surjeet explains that her father and brother immigrated to British Columbia first (1953) and after a few months they brought Surjeet and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas). She recollects that when she was in Grade 10 and around 17 years of age, her family made plans to travel to India to attend a family wedding. During this time, her father suggested that it would be a good opportunity to take Surjeet with them to find her a husband in India to marry. After meeting and marrying Nadeem Parmar in India, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England. Surjeet recollects that in order to immigrate to Canada, each family member had to pass a medical exam and how difficult it was. Her two sisters, mother and brother all had to take the test in Delhi. Surjeet recalls living in England with Nadeem. While living in England, Nadeem worked during the day and studied engineering at college in the evening. Surjeet expresses that she liked living in England and was sad to leave. While living there, they enjoyed a close knit Punjabi community and they all lived in the same area. Surjeet states later in her interview that living in Canada was different from living in England. In England, family and friends lived closer together whereas in Canada places were further apart. Surjeet says that while living in England she could walk to do her shopping. While living in England, after her children were a bit older, she worked as a seamstress in a shirt factory for a few years before coming to Canada. Surjeet imparts that her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) died of a heart attack in 1970 and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) died in 1998. Her father and her family first lived in North Vancouver and then her parents bought a house on Eton Street in Burnaby, near the Ocean. After her father died, her brother and mother bought a house and moved to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in Burnaby. In 1973, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children immigrated to Canada and moved in with her brother and mother. Surjeet includes that her paternal aunt (Koshali Kaur Manhas) and cousins also moved to Burnaby and that her aunt and some of her cousins were sponsored by her son who came earlier. Surjeet recalls that after arriving in Canada she got work sewing in a factory located on Water Street in Gastown. Surjeet recollects travelling to her job by bus. Surjeet shares that she brought saris and quilted blankets “rijai”, not household items, in her suitcase when she came to Canada from England. Surjeet explains that the “rijai” (quilted blankets) were made from cotton from her home village in India. The blankets were made by women and then brought back to her to quilt on her sewing machine. Surjeet recalls that when she returned to Canada (in 1973 with her husband and children) they first lived with her mother and brother on Capitol Hill in Burnaby before moving to a house on Fell Avenue and then to their current home in 1982. In 1981, she worked at “Canadian Window Covering” factory making window coverings. The factory was located in the Brentwood area of Burnaby. Surjeet recalls how the factory became unionized and of how she left the factory and found union work at the Labatt’s brewery (Winery and Distillery Workers Local 300). Surjeet describes the work that she did while working at Labatt’s brewery which was located next to the Royal Columbian Hospital in Burnaby. Around 1995, when the Labatt’s factory closed down in Burnaby, she got union work as a bottle sorter for BDL Brewers Distributor Limited, where bottles were gathered for distribution at Braid Station. Surjeet left this job in 2000. Surjeet talks about traditional foods like bindi, sabji, aam and karela and where she’s shopped to find traditional ingredients for South Asian cuisine. She recollects how at first she could only find traditional ingredients at stores in Gastown, Chinatown and on Main Street in Vancouver but now they are more readily available at major grocery stores. Surjeet expresses that traditional spices and dry goods have been hard to find, apart from stores like, Famous Foods and Patels when it was located on Commercial Drive. Surjeet talks about using ingredients such as green pea flour and Besan flour to make pakoras and kahdri. Surjeet states that many immigrants didn’t wear their traditional clothing until she came later. She expresses that many South Asian immigrants didn’t wear their clothes “because there were no rights, we had to try to become like them”. Surjeet conveys that even though some were able to purchase property (she provides an example of family members in Duncan who faced discrimination by the owner/seller of a piece of property they were purchasing) that they had very little rights and they were all living in fear. She expresses that she herself didn’t experience this but in the beginning when people settled here (in B.C.) that it was very difficult. Surjeet says that when she goes to the Gurdwara and to work, she wears a sari and conveys that while working at the factory, she was encouraged to wear a sari, it was accepted then. She brought printed saris to work and her co workers said that they’d wear them to parties. Surjeet reflects on her own experiences of racism and discrimination and expresses that her generation “has learned how to stand up in front, then they got scared of saying anything”. “The people who came here first were afraid because they were alone, they had to settle down here and make a home from scratch, but the ones who came after had everything already built and made”. She explains how they helped one another when they came (to British Columbia). She describes how the Gurdwara was located on 2nd Street and all of the ships went there (new immigrants?), people would gather, get water, help one another and there would be a place for all people. Surjeet shares a personal experience of helping members of her husband’s family to immigrate to Canada. She tells of the complications of some being left behind in India and that some came to Canada as refugees that she and her husband sponsored. Surjeet expresses their struggles with raising a family, working and trying to pay for their own house while also trying to assist and support family members. Surjeet describes in detail how her husband Nadeem went back to India after his mother died to help his father, sister and her family immigrate. She explains that the immigration process took about four years and his father had to apply as a refugee. Nadeem’s sister came with her children but had to return to India so Surjeet and her family had to look after Nadeem’s sister’s child/children. Surjeet expresses that during this time she continued to work at Canadian Window Coverings, working an afternoon shift and sometimes taking her son with her. She expresses that this as a very hectic time, working the whole day, making food for everyone, grocery shopping, looking after a her sister in law’s younger child at night and getting no rest. Surjeet describes the time when she was working and her children were attending the local school. She expresses the challenges of working long days and often arriving home after her children. She recollects a time when there was a snow storm and how she was worried about her children making it home and being alone while she was at work, there were no cell phones in those days but they had phone numbers of her brother and sister. Surjeet tells of how they tried to help the rest of the Nadeem’s family immigrate including his brother who was a soccer player in India. They were able to buy a house for the whole family to live but expresses after several months Nadeem’s brother decided to stay in India. Surjeet expresses the complications and frustrations of trying to bring all family members to Canada.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Surjeet Kaur Parmar was born in Punjab, India in 1942 to parents Lashman Singh Manhas (1913-1970) and Budhan Kaur Manhas (1906-1998). Surjeet’s ancestors, Ghania Singh Manhas, Doman Singh and Mayo Singh immigrated to British Columbia in 1905 and 1906. The group got work in saw mills and soon began owning and operating their own saw mills, first in Chilliwack and Rosedale districts and later in 1920 on Vancouver Island near Duncan (Paldi) (known as the Mayo Lumber Company). In 1927, Surjeet’s paternal uncle, Kashmir Singh Manhas left Paldi, Punjab at the age of 18 years with Mayo Singh Manhas and after months of travel they arrived at Paldi on Vancouver Island. In 1953, Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas and her two brothers immigrated to Canada and soon after brought her and her mother, Budhan Kaur Manhas. After immigrating, her father began working at “Kashmir Lumber Company” in North Vancouver which was owned by his brother Kashmira Singh Manhas. Surjeet, her parents and two brothers first made their home in North Vancouver and the 1960s they moved to 3824 Eton Street in Burnaby. In 1959, Surjeet and her family returned to India for her brother’s wedding. During this time a marriage was arranged for Surjeet to marry Nadeem Parmar and they were married in 1960. Following their marriage, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England where they began raising their two children. While living in England, Surjeet worked as seamstress at a factory. In 1973, following the death of Surjeet’s father who died in 1970, Surjeet and Nadeem decided to immigrate to British Columbia. For the first few years, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children lived with her mother and brother in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Burnaby before purchasing their own home on Fell Avenue. While living in Burnaby Surjeet has worked as a seamstress for Canadian Window Covering, Labatt's Brewery and BDL Brewers Distributor Limited which she left in 2000. In 1982, Surjeet and her family moved into a new home that they had built on Woodsworth Street where they still live today. Interviewer biography: Anushay Malik is labor historian with a geographical focus on South Asia. Anushay studied at the University of London and was a research fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2014, Anushay moved back to her native Pakistan and joined Lahore University of Management Services as an Assistant Professor. In 2023, Anushay is a visiting scholar at Simon Fraser University and lives in Burnaby with her family. Anushay was a co-curator of the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills
- Clothing
- Crafts
- Employment
- Migration
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Occupations - Labourers
- Occupations - Millworkers
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Names
- Parmar, Surjeet Kaur
- Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"
- Manhas, Ghania Singh
- Singh, Mayo
- Manhas, Kashmir Singh
- Manhas, Sher Singh
- Manhas, Budhan Kaur
- Manhas, Lashman Singh
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.5
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Related Material
- See also BV022.29.1 - interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription of interview translated to English from Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi to English created by Rajdeep
- Transciption available on Heritage Burnaby
- Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0005_003.mp3