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![Interview with Kanwal Singh Neel, [1973-2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jul. 2023 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0011_002.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Kanwal Singh Neel
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19607
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1973-2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (50 min., 32 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 30 fps
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Kanwal Singh Neel conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. The interview was conducted and recorded on the Zoom platform. 00:00 – 00:06:47 Kanwal shares some of the mentors that influenced him in his life, education and …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (50 min., 32 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 30 fps
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Rajdeep Interviewee: Kanwal Singh Neel Interview Date: July 5, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 50 min., 32 sec. Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Kanwal Singh Neel conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. The interview was conducted and recorded on the Zoom platform. 00:00 – 00:06:47 Kanwal shares some of the mentors that influenced him in his life, education and career, how his three-year grandson has been an inspiration and how important it is to educate yourself in different ways. 00:06:48 - 00:19:02 Kanwal talks about the diversity in the schools that he’s encountered over the years as a student and as an educator and shares his experiences getting hired as an educator on public television and being known as "the math guy". 00:19:03 - 00:46:39 Kanwal talks about the “Friends of Simon” tutoring out-reach program and his involvement. 00:26:40 - 00:30:24 Kanwal shares his experiences officiating the Canada Summer Games, the Harry Jerome Track Classic, the Commonwealth Games and other world class sporting events. 00:30:25 - 00:38:58 Kanwal describes a typical day while working at Simon Fraser University as Associate Director of Professional Programs, as a sports official and his involvement with Friends of Simon. Kanwal speaks about the importance of finding a balance between staying connected, finding your purpose and carrying on the passions that you enjoy. Kanwal talks about some of his favourite places in Burnaby including Simon Fraser University, Burnaby Mountain, Deer Lake and Central Park. 00:38:59 - 00:43:31 Kanwal talks about the changes that he’s seen in the lower mainland over his life time including; diminishing agricultural land, the fishing industry, public transportation, housing and retail infrastructure and homelessness. 00:43:32 - 00:50:32 Kanwal talks about his involvement with the Punjabi Cultural Association, the introduction of Punjabi language courses in public schools and his involvement in a Bhangra event. Kanwal imparts a final message to youth of today emphasizing the importance of, building relationships, giving back to your community, learning through education and being respectful of your own journey and others.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Kanwal Singh Neel was born in Mombasa, Kenya in 1953 and immigrated with his family to Canada in 1969. For the first few weeks after immigrating the family stayed at the Sikh Temple on Second Avenue before moving into a house which they rented. Kanwal attended Kitsilano Secondary School and later transferred to Steveston High School when his family moved to Richmond. In 1972, Kanwal and friends formed a bhangra group "Punjab Cultural Association" and in 1974 they performed at the World Exposition in Spokane, Washington. The group performed at various venues including the Pacific National Exhibition and other cities in the Province. In 1973, Kanwal was an officiate during the Canada Summer Games at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. Kanwal obtained a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from University of British Columbia in computer science and mathematics and got his first teaching job in 1977. In 1978, he was an officiate of the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta. Over the next ten years he devoted himself to becoming an educator and during this time he became more involved with the B.C. Math Teachers Association. Kanwal and his wife Nancy married in 1982 and have two daughters. In the early 1990's, Kanwal joined Simon Fraser University as a faculty associate to work, train and mentor student teachers. Kanwal became President of the B.C. Math Teachers Association and travelled throughout the province to help solve issues being faced by students. In 1993, he co-hosted a TV show "Math Shop" on The Knowledge Network and he later co-authored a textbook series titled "Math Makes Sense". Kanwal continued to advance his knowledge in the field of mathematics obtaining a Doctorate from Simon Fraser University in 2008. Kanwal developed his doctoral work in Haida Gwaii, studying the mathematics that the Haida peoples used in day to day life, applying the applications and integrating the mathematics concepts with their cultural knowledge. Kanwal also worked with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation and the Stó:lō Nation in helping to develop resources for them. Kanwal has been recognized with various awards and honours including being awarded an honorary doctorate by Kwantlen Polytechnic University and in 2017 as an inductee in the Sports Wall of Fame in Richmond for his outstanding contribution to amateur sport as an International Athletics Official. Since retirement, Kanwal continues to be involved in a project at Simon Fraser University "Friends of Simon" where university students go out and mentor and tutor immigrant and refugee children from South Asia and Africa and other countries. Interviewer biography: Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Education
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Sports
- Events - Competitions
- Housing
- Performances
- Names
- Neel, Kanwal Singh
- Simon Fraser University
- Friends of Simon
- Canada Summer Games
- Swangard Stadium
- Punjabi Cultural Association
- Responsibility
- Rajdeep
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Central Park
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.11
- Date
- [1973-2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Images
![Interview with Kanwal Singh Neel, [1973-2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jul. 2023 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0011_002.jpg)
Jesse Love farmhouse series
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription9782
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1893-1970] (date of originals), copied 1988-1998, predominant 1988-2000
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- Physical Description
- approx. 84 cm of textual records + approx. 1,910 photographs + approx. 100 architectural drawings + 3 audio cassettes + 1 videocassette
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of records involved in the purchase, moving, restoration, research, conservation and exhibiting of the Love family farmhouse by Burnaby Village Museum. Records have been arranged into the following subseries: 1) Love farmhouse conservation work files subseries 2) Love farmhouse re…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Jesse Love farmhouse series
- Description Level
- Series
- Physical Description
- approx. 84 cm of textual records + approx. 1,910 photographs + approx. 100 architectural drawings + 3 audio cassettes + 1 videocassette
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of records involved in the purchase, moving, restoration, research, conservation and exhibiting of the Love family farmhouse by Burnaby Village Museum. Records have been arranged into the following subseries: 1) Love farmhouse conservation work files subseries 2) Love farmhouse restoration photographs subseries 3) Love farmhouse curatorial files subseries 4) Love farmouse research files subseries 5) Love family photographs 6) Love farmhouse Oral History subseries 7) Love farmhouse architectural drawings subseries
- History
- Jesse Love was born in Swindon, England in 1847 and left England to work on a dairy farm in the Toronto area. While working on the farm in Toronto, he met Martha Leonard who he married in 1879. Martha was born on February 3, 1858 in Bedfordshire, England and had come to Canada with her parents George and Ann Leonard. While living in Toronto, Jesse and Martha had two children, George born March 22, 1880 and Annie Elizabeth on August 24, 1881. About one year after Annie was born, the Love family moved to North Dakota to grow wheat. While living there, they had two more children, Henry who was born August 24, 1883 and Edith Minnie born October 9, 1885. The family decided to move further west after hearing about the fairer weather conditions from Martha’s father, George Leonard, who had settled in Vancouver in 1885. On May 23, 1887, Jesse, Martha and their four children arrived in Vancouver after travelling across Canada from Winnipeg on the first transcontinental train. The Loves made their home in Vancouver while Jesse helped clear land on Granville Street. Their fifth child, Thomas Robert was born on September 17, 1887 and soon after, the family moved to Lulu Island in Richmond where they lived growing vegetables and selling them to Vancouver hotels. While living and farming on Lulu island, the couple had two more girls, Martha (Dot or Dorothy) born on December 17, 1889 and Sarah Marie, born February 8, 1892. On October 6, 1893 an agreement was signed by Jesse Love to purchase 14.52 acres of land from Joseph C. Armstrong. The acreage covered the north east section of District Lot 25 within the newly incorporated District of the Municipality of Burnaby. It was here where the original Love house was built (between October 1893 and April 15, 1894) by Jesse Love with the help of local builder George Salt and father in law, George Leonard. The house consisted of an entrance hall, dining room, lean to kitchen, master bedroom and three bedrooms upstairs. A road was constructed and named Cumberland in 1905 and ran from District Lot 25 through to District Lot 11. The address for the Love home was 1390 Cumberland Road and in the early 1960’s the address was renumbered 7651 Cumberland Street. On the land surrounding the house, Jesse Love planted an orchard along with strawberries and raspberries which he sold at the Fraser Valley Market, T.S. Anandale’s Grocery Store in New Westminster and to hotels around Vancouver. Jesse Love served on the Burnaby School Board and also as a District Councillor in 1901 and from 1904-1907. While living in the house, Jesse and Martha had four more children, Phoebe Leonard, born April 15, 1894, Esther, born August 28, 1896, John Leonard, born June 7, 1899 and Hannah Victoria (also known as Girlie) who was born May 12, 1902. As the family grew to eleven children, additions along with some substantial remodelling in the craftsman style took place. In about 1898, a north wing addition was added to include a parlour with two windows, the construction of two more bedrooms and the relocation of the stair case to the North West wall. In 1903 the front door moved to the north elevation, a front porch was extended along the east wall and a summer lean to kitchen was added to the west elevation. Between 1905 and 1910, a tin embossed ceiling was installed along with an addition of the main kitchen which included a pantry, bathtub and a back porch. In about 1912, five craftsman style windows replaced the original pioneer tent style, the front verandah was enlarged to wrap around the south and east elevations, a back door was installed in the kitchen to access the verandah and wood shingle siding and brackets were added to the exterior. In 1918, at the age of 31 years, Robert Love fell ill due to an influenza epidemic and died on November 23, 1918. Following their son’s death, Martha Love became weak and on August 24, 1920, she passed away. By this time, Jesse had sold off a large percentage of his land and his youngest daughter, Girlie decided to stay on to live and care for him. Since the house was too large for just the two of them, Jesse invited any other children to return and share the residence. For a while his son, George and his wife joined them until 1925, followed by his daughter Sarah Parker (nee Love), her husband William and their three children, Albert, Bill and Elsie. The house remained pretty unchanged until 1928 after Jesse Love died of pneumonia (March 10, 1928) and the house was purchased by Sarah and her husband William Parker who continued to live there with their children. The master bedroom wall on the main floor opened up to the dining room, the kitchen pantry and bathtub converted to an alcove with a marble counter and enlarged window and sink while the bathroom was moved to the upstairs and the furnace and coolers were installed in the crawl space under the kitchen. A hot water tank was installed in the house in 1966. Sarah continued to live in the house until a little while after her husband William died in 1961. She sold the house to her daughter Elsie and husband John Hughes in 1966, who lived in the house along with their son Brent, until August 23, 1971. Mahbir Molchan Papan and his wife Geraldine Papan bought the house August 23, 1971 and by 1982, the house was sold to Nirmal Singh Singha and Narinder Singha. The Papans continued to rent the house from Nirmal Singh Singha and Narinder Singha until the late 1980s. In 1988, the house was scheduled for demolition with the remaining property to be subdivided. Fortunately, a neighbour, Mr. Harvey Elder recognized the farmhouse's historical significance and contacted the Burnaby Historical Society. Following this event, the owners agreed to donate the building to the Burnaby Village Museum (under the Century Park Museum Association) who financed the move of the house from Cumberland Street to the museum site. Heritage planner and architect, Robert Lemon provided guidance for the project. Prior to the move, the two porches were removed and demolished while the kitchen and roof were both separated from the main house. The kitchen and roof of the house were transported to Burnaby Village Museum on May 20, 1988 by Nickel Bros. House Moving company, while the main frame of the house completed its transportation to the museum near the end of May 1988 (due to low overhead wires). The house was moved down Cumberland Street to 10th Avenue, up Canada Way to Sperling and set on temporary footings near Hart House. Robert Lemon oversaw structural improvements such as, upgrading floor joists and creating new foundations to replace the original timber foundation of the farmhouse. The restoration went through several phases of work between 1988 until it opened in November 1998. Restoration began on both the interior and exterior features to be interpreted from the period of 1925. On November 23, 1992, the building was designated a heritage building under Heritage Designation Bylaw 1992, Bylaw Number 9807. In 1993, the architecture firm of Brian G. Hart Associates was appointed for the design and construction supervision of the restoration project. Plans were created for a foundation on the museum site in 1989 and the farmhouse was eventually settled on a permanent foundation behind the Burnaby Village Museum administration building in 1993 along with the reattachment of the roof. The kitchen section was reattached to the main house in 1994 along with skirting around the foundation and the reshingling of the exterior. In 1996, the tin ceiling was removed to make way for the installation of the internal electrical system along with sprinklers, ceiling heating and fire break gyprock. The dining room ceiling joists were consolidated, a pantry and bathroom were added to the kitchen, the downstairs bedroom wall was opened and filled, the dining and kitchen doorways were widened. In 1997, a wheelchair ramp was installed along with a concrete sidewalk, stair rails, cement pads at the base of the stairs and a gravel sink for any excess water. Interior work included painting of the kitchen, restoration and furnishing of the kitchen pantry, insulation of the house floor to protect from rodents along with the reconstruction of the kitchen and house chimneys. The registrar worked together with the curator and conservator and was tasked with a large research project on the house including the family contacts and family history, property information, plans, photographs, artifacts, furnishings, stories etc. all organized in files for easy retrieval. A great deal of research and conservation was undertaken in order to make the interior of the house authentic to the time period as possible. One of the biggest projects was selecting and obtaining wall coverings since much of the original wallpaper was incomplete and poor condition. The conservator and registrar were lucky enough to locate a few samples of the original paper and engage the Bradbury and Bradbury Art Wallpaper Company of Benica, California to reproduce replica designs for free. The City of Burnaby now has its own series “Burnaby Village Papers” produced by this company which are titled “Burnaby Wall”; “Burnaby Border” and “Burnaby Ceiling”. All three of these wallpaper designs have been used in the Love farm house and are also commercially available through the Bradbury and Bradbury Art Wallpaper Company. In 1997, restoration of the kitchen was completed and opened to the public. After the completion of the dining room, main floor bedroom and parlour, the Love farmhouse exhibit opened on November 29, 1998 with an open invitation to the public and extended members of the Love family. Officials including the Mayor, Doug Drummond and Love family members were all present to cut the ribbon for the special event.
- Accession Code
- BV018.41; BV020.5
- Access Restriction
- Restricted access
- Date
- [1893-1970] (date of originals), copied 1988-1998, predominant 1988-2000
- Arrangement
- The majority of the records within series and subseries were arranged by a staff members of Burnaby Village Museum who worked on the historical research and restoration of the house. Other photographs documenting the move and further restoration work were added later and included in the arrangment by format and subject.
- Notes
- Title based on content of series
- Jesse Love farmhouse is described as an Artifact under BV988.33.1
- Some records within this collection have restricted access and are subject to FIPPA
- Accessions BV018.41 and BV020.5 form this fonds
Studies, reports, and conferences series
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription186
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1930-2010
- Collection/Fonds
- Planning Department fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of the various published and draft reports and studies produced by the Planning Department covering all facets of their operations. During the course of their research and reporting on all planning issues within the City, the Planning Department published or made available studies …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1930-2010
- Collection/Fonds
- Planning Department fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of the various published and draft reports and studies produced by the Planning Department covering all facets of their operations. During the course of their research and reporting on all planning issues within the City, the Planning Department published or made available studies that outlined the findings or proposals that arose from their work and this type of material was all grouped together within this series. These reports and studies ranged from topics such as Burnaby regional studies, transportation and apartment reports, and park and school site needs to Official Community Plans and development schemes related to residential, commercial, and industrial sites. Also found within this series were the records that were created dealing with conferences, workshops, and seminars attended or held by the Burnaby Planning Department staff.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Moving Images
![1912 Parker Carousel Restoration 1991 to 1994, [between 1991 and 1994] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2020_0012_0001_001.jpg?width=280)
1912 Parker Carousel Restoration 1991 to 1994
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription12334
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1991 and 1994]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) file (1 hr., 9 min., 44 sec.) : digital, 29 fps, col., sd., stereo
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of unedited film footage titled “1912 Parker Carousel / Restoration / 1991 to 1994" by Alex Matches. Film footage documents various stages of restoration of the carousel including, the carousel horses, the "doghouse" and Wurlitzer. There is some narration by the camera person but soun…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) file (1 hr., 9 min., 44 sec.) : digital, 29 fps, col., sd., stereo
- Material Details
- Segments are marked by date
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of unedited film footage titled “1912 Parker Carousel / Restoration / 1991 to 1994" by Alex Matches. Film footage documents various stages of restoration of the carousel including, the carousel horses, the "doghouse" and Wurlitzer. There is some narration by the camera person but sound quality is poor and segments contain ambient noise. The footage is divided into segments marked by dates, visible in the bottom right corner. Dates range between April 1991 and March 1993. Some of this unedited footage could have been used for the Burnaby Village Museum film "Labour of Love - The Saving of Number 119" (see BV020.4.28). 00:00 - 03:23: Apr. 20, 1991 : Volunteers and staff working on the restoration of carousel horses in the Texaco warehouse. They are busy scraping away old paint. Various horses are suspended on frames while some are laid on their sides on work benches. 03:24 - 06:15: Nov. 2 1991 : Volunteers and staff working on scraping and sanding away old layers of paint on carousel horses in the Texaco warehouse. Some horses are getting repairs. A little narrative coming from camera operator but mostly ambient sound. Pieces of the "doghouse" are also visible. 06:16 - 08:20 : Dec. 28 1991 : Horses are in various stages of restoration and repair inside the Texaco warehouse. 08:21 - 09:40 : Dec. 28, 1991 : Volunteers are gathered in a lunch room taking a break. Views of carousel horses in another room of the warehouse which have been applied with a sealer. The Worlitzer is also visible during a stage of restoration. Camera pans outside the Texaco warehouse located at the base of Burnaby Mountain on Burrard Inlet. 09:42 - 11:03 : Mar. 31 1992 : Some horses have been sealed with a clear coating and others have been applied with a white undercoat primer. 11:04 - 17:36 : Apr. 11 1992 : Horses with primer undercoat, views of the Wurlitzer under restoration as well as panels of the "doghouse" 17:37 - 18:18 : May 30, 1992 : Wurlitzer and painted horses 18:19 - 21:53 : Jul. 25 1992 : Volunteers are working on painting carousel horses, various parts of carousel including the floor decks are also visible. 21:54 - 25:39 : Sept. 19 1992 : Volunteers are working on painting carousel horses and pieces of the "doghouse", mirrors are being inserted, decking is varnished. 25:40 - 30:39 : Oct. 10 1992 : Views of carousel horses with coats of primer, freshly painted horses, segments of the varnished deck, volunteers painting segments of the "doghouse" and finished horses. 30:41 - 41:30 : Nov. 14 1992 : Loading finished horses from warehouse into van to transport to museum. Photography shoot in warehouse of completed horses, mounting horses on poles at museum. Don Wrigley assisting. A view of the Carousel building at Burnaby Village Museum under construction. 41:32 - 47:27 : Nov. 20 1992 : Painted horses - details; parts of the carousel gears, poles etc 47:28 - 50:00 : Footage recorded from an exerpt from Red Robinson's Classic theatre where he narrates about the History and Saving of the Carousel. 50:02 - 1:03 : Mar. 15 1993 : Completed carousel inside the carousel building at Burnaby Village Museum, volunteers and staff are putting together the finishing touches for the opening day. Volunteers are gathering inside and seating themselves on horses around the carousel for the Volunteers Grand Opening. The carousel begins to move with some volunteers riding various horses while the Wurlitzer plays in the background. 1:04:10 - 1:09:44 : March 27 1993 - Carousel is officially opened. Includes interviews by curator Colin Stevens with Friends of Carousel president, Don Wrigley and Dave Zieffert, Restorator of the Wurlitzer and Gordie Ironside who helped work with the restoration. Gordie demonstrates how each carousel horse was built using a prototype that was built for educational purposes.
- Creator
- Matches, Alex
- Subjects
- Recreational Devices - Carousels
- Names
- Lower Mainland Association of the Friends of the Vancouver Carousel
- C.W. Parker no. 119 Carousel
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV020.12.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [between 1991 and 1994]
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Related Material
- BV020.4.28
- Notes
- Transcribed title taken from film footage
Images
![1912 Parker Carousel Restoration 1991 to 1994, [between 1991 and 1994] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2020_0012_0001_001.jpg)
Video
1912 Parker Carousel Restoration 1991 to 1994, [between 1991 and 1994]
1912 Parker Carousel Restoration 1991 to 1994, [between 1991 and 1994]
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2020_0012_0001_001.mp4Royal Bank exhibit series
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription17800
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1974-1999
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Series
- Physical Description
- 127 photographs + 4 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of records and photographs pertaining to the history, acquistion, restoration, opening and exhibit of the Royal Bank building that was relocated from it's original location at Britannia Beach to Heritage Village (Burnaby Village Museum) in 1976. Fonds is arranged into the following…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Royal Bank exhibit series
- Description Level
- Series
- Physical Description
- 127 photographs + 4 cm of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of records and photographs pertaining to the history, acquistion, restoration, opening and exhibit of the Royal Bank building that was relocated from it's original location at Britannia Beach to Heritage Village (Burnaby Village Museum) in 1976. Fonds is arranged into the following subseries: 1) Royal Bank history and restoration records subseries 2) Royal Bank building photographs subseries 3) Royal Bank exhibit photographs subseries
- History
- The Royal Bank Main Branch Vancouver opened a sub branch operation at Britannia Beach in 1923. The bank provided twice monthly banking service at Britannia Beach and Town site (later named Mt. Sheer) until a permanent branch was established. The new branch building was completed and opened for business on December 1, 1950. The building was designed by bank manager, Mr. Fred Schwab in a simple and traditional design. Since there was no railway and Britannia was only accessible by boat, accommodations for the employees was incorporated into the design. This consisted of two rooms located at the rear of the branch building. The building was furnished with artifacts from the Royal Bank’s central warehouse and soon after with fixtures from the Royal Bank in Nelson including desks and a partition around the manager’s office which was cut down to fit. The bank had two old “Royal Bank of Canada” signs, one hung over the main entrance and the other located over the gable facing Howe Sound. A memorial plaque mounted on the wall inside the bank was one of 1,495 erected in memory of employees of the Royal Bank who died during World War I. The plaque was dedicated to Goldwin William Harron, who worked as a teller at the Royal Bank and was killed in action on July 5, 1916. Goldwin William Harron was born in Kitchener, Ontario in 1897 and later moved to Venn Saskatchewan and enlisted from the Venn Branch of the Royal Bank in October 1915. He first served with the 53rd Battalion and later joined the 28th Battalion. Fred Schwab served as bank manager between December 1, 1950 to August 1956 and Ken Moir served as bank manager from August 1956 until March 1958. When copper prices dropped in 1958, the Howe Sound Mining Co. closed down the mine and many miners and their families left the area. In 1964, Anaconda Mines purchased the Howe Sound Mining Co. and later reopened the mine. After 1958, the Britannia Beach branch continued to be operated as a sub-branch of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh branch serving Britannia Beach and vicinity until 1974. In 1975, the Royal Bank building was donated to Heritage Village by Anaconda Britannia Mines. On April 24, 1976, the building was transported by barge up Howe Sound to North Vancouver and then up the Fraser River to New Westminster where it was then loaded onto a truck and transported to the Heritage Village site. The building and much of the labour was donated along with $15,000 from the Royal Bank of Canada. The bank safe, oak panelling and some of it’s original furnishings came with the building and were incorporated into the building and the Heritage Village Museum collection. A new building foundation and basement were constructed for the Royal Bank building before it was placed at the south end of Hill Street inside Heritage Village. The basement interior finishing, including wiring and plumbing was undertaken and completed by the Burnaby Centennial Lions Club as a service club charitable project. The Lions Club raised funds for the project and in turn were also granted the use of the completed basement space as a meeting room which they referred to as the “Lion’s Den”. The Royal Bank building and exhibit officially opened on the site of Heritage Village Museum May 23, 1977. The ribbon cutting was done by former bank managers Fred Schwab and Ken Moir. Speakers at the opening ceremony included; Royal Bank representative, M.D. Pollock, President of the Century Park Museum Association, Ted Burnham with closing remarks by Burnaby Mayor, Tom Constable. During the opening ceremony, a presentation of keys for the “Lions Den” was made by Burnaby Centennial Lion’s Club President, Erchil Nordby to Century Park Museum Association President, Ted Burnham and Controller of Anaconda Britannia Mines, Anaconda Canada Ltd. J. MacDonald delivered a speech regarding the donation of the bank building.
- Accession Code
- BV020.5
- BV022.1
- Date
- 1974-1999
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Architectural Drawing
- Related Material
- Century Park Museum Associaton fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Arrangement
- The majority of the records were created and managed by Heritage Village Museum staff. Records follow the arrangement maintained by both Heritage Village Museum staff (1974-1989) and later, Burnaby Village Museum staff (1990-2020).
- Notes
- Title based on contents of series
- Further accruals are expected
- Some records within this collection are subject to FIPPA
Operation Mink Farm
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription72207
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- April 24, 1955
- Collection/Fonds
- Planning Department fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 film reel ( 6 min., 8 sec.) : col. , si. ; 16 mm
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a silent motion picture civil defense film entitled, "Operation Mink Farm" produced by the Corporation of the District of Burnaby. The film footage was shot in Burnaby, B.C. on April 24th, 1955. A resolution was passed in February 1955 by the Corporation of the District of Burnaby …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- April 24, 1955
- Collection/Fonds
- Planning Department fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 film reel ( 6 min., 8 sec.) : col. , si. ; 16 mm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 566-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2009-08
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a silent motion picture civil defense film entitled, "Operation Mink Farm" produced by the Corporation of the District of Burnaby. The film footage was shot in Burnaby, B.C. on April 24th, 1955. A resolution was passed in February 1955 by the Corporation of the District of Burnaby to create a Civil Defense Board comprised of council members and appointees, whereby the Reeve would act as the chair of the board. Several municipal employees and council members went through Civil Defense training in preparation for an attack or catastrophe. The first portion of the film takes place at the old City Hall (the stone building) with uniformed Air Raid Precaution (A.R.P.) members performing civil defense exercises in the case of a nuclear war and how to care for and rescue injured civilians. Volunteers pose as the injured as they are cared for and transported on stretchers. In the second portion of the film, the local fire department and civil defense members endeavor to get a fire under control with water hoses. The film takes place at a former mink farm in North Burnaby as referred to in the title.
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Photographer
- Scott, A.F.
- Notes
- Transcribed title
Images
Video
Operation Mink Farm, April 24, 1955
Operation Mink Farm, April 24, 1955
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Moving_Images/_Unrestricted/566-001.m4v