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Biography- HEW - Bernie Simpson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3644
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1933-1995
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including notes on sources of information, correspondence, and financial reference material. Bernie Simpson was an NDP MLA in Vancouver-Fraserview (1990-1995) and a friend of Jessie Winch's.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including notes on sources of information, correspondence, and financial reference material. Bernie Simpson was an NDP MLA in Vancouver-Fraserview (1990-1995) and a friend of Jessie Winch's.
- Names
- Winch, Harold Edward
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.1
- Date
- 1933-1995
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
New biography - Boag Foundation
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3645
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1933, 1993-2002
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including sympathy cards, correspondence, and memorials from Winch's death, as well as correspondence relating to Ron and Florence Riley's remembrances of Winch.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including sympathy cards, correspondence, and memorials from Winch's death, as well as correspondence relating to Ron and Florence Riley's remembrances of Winch.
- Names
- Winch, Harold Edward
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.2
- Date
- 1933, 1993-2002
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
Harold Winch biography
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3646
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1934], 1982-1993
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including sympathy cards and correspondence from Winch's death, as well as newspaper clippings about Winch and his political career.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including sympathy cards and correspondence from Winch's death, as well as newspaper clippings about Winch and his political career.
- Names
- Winch, Harold Edward
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.3
- Date
- [1934], 1982-1993
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
Information for Harold Winch biography
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3647
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1935-2003
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records + 1 photograph : col.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including newspaper clippings, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) publicity material, and a photograph of the dedication of MacInnis Park in Vancouver, including Glen Clark, MLA.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 1 folder of textual records + 1 photograph : col.
- Scope and Content
- File consists of records relating to the development of a biography of Harold Winch, including newspaper clippings, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) publicity material, and a photograph of the dedication of MacInnis Park in Vancouver, including Glen Clark, MLA.
- Subjects
- Government - Provincial Government
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.4
- Date
- 1935-2003
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
History of Burnaby and vicinity
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary6890
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- Green, George, 1872-1955
- Publication Date
- 1947
- Call Number
- 971.133 GRE Copy 2 Ver. 1
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Digital Reference Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV017.17.1
- Call Number
- 971.133 GRE Copy 2 Ver. 1
- Author
- Green, George, 1872-1955
- Place of Publication
- [S.l.]
- Publisher
- [s.n.]
- Publication Date
- 1947
- Printer
- Shoemaker , McLean & Veitch
- Physical Description
- 233 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 23 cm.
- Inscription
- "Presented To my valued fried Rev. D. W. Scott. a former neighbor at Capitol Hill with best wishes of the author George Green Victoria March 1 1947" [handwritten in black ink on page opposing front pastedown] "BMMM-WU SIGNED 1st ED 50.00" [handwritten in pencil on page opposing front pastedown]
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Burnaby (B.C.)--History
- Burnaby (B.C.)
- Biography
- Name Access
- Green, George
- Notes
- Autographed by author
- "By George Green, pioneer resident of Burnaby, and an ex-Councillor. Charter Member of the British Columbia Historical Association, Vancouver Branch, and an Executive Member."
- Copy 2 of 2
Images
Digital Books
Harold E. Winch biographical records series
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3639
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1933-2003
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Series
- Physical Description
- 5 folders of textual records + 1 photograph
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of records relating to Harold Edward Winch and the process of writing his biography. Records include newspaper clippings, correspondence, cards, publications, and one photograph. Some correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other textual records deal with the potential biography sp…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Series
- Physical Description
- 5 folders of textual records + 1 photograph
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of records relating to Harold Edward Winch and the process of writing his biography. Records include newspaper clippings, correspondence, cards, publications, and one photograph. Some correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other textual records deal with the potential biography specifically, including agreements between Jessie Winch and the Boag Foundation and financial records. It is unclear whether the biography was ever written.
- Accession Code
- BV013.12
- Date
- 1933-2003
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of series
![Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020, [1900-2020] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 7, 2020 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0036_0004_001.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription12337
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1900-2020] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 7, 2020
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:43:19 min.)
- Scope and Content
- Recording consists of an interview with Josephine Chow (nee Hong) conducted by BVM researcher Denise Fong at the Burnaby Village Museum. Josephine describes her family history and recollects her childhood experiences in 1950s and 60s while growing with her family on their "Hop On" farm in Burnaby. …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Chinese Canadians in Burnaby subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:43:19 min.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Denise Fong Interviewee: Josephine Chow Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: February 7, 2020 Total Number of Tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 00:43:19
- Scope and Content
- Recording consists of an interview with Josephine Chow (nee Hong) conducted by BVM researcher Denise Fong at the Burnaby Village Museum. Josephine describes her family history and recollects her childhood experiences in 1950s and 60s while growing with her family on their "Hop On" farm in Burnaby. The farm is situated in the Big Bend area along Marine Drive and is still in operation today. 0:00-08:45 Josephine Chow provides some historical background on the history of “Hop On Farm” and her family in British Columbia. She tells of how her grandfather Gay Tim Hong and three partners pooled money together to purchase twelve acres on Marine Drive in 1951. Prior to this, most of them farmed on the ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation Reserve for 20-30 years. It all began when her great grandfather Sui Wing Hong, first came to Canada from China and slowly brought over her grandfather, father and other members of the family. Her grandfather, Gay Tim Hong went back and forth between Canada and China at least four times since he and her grandmother had four children including her father, who was born in 1931. Her father came to Canada at 10 years of age to live with his father. Josephine’s great grandfather came to Vancouver from Zhongshan county in Canton Province (also known as Guangdong). 8:46- 14:20 Josephine provides the names of her siblings from the eldest to the youngest; Pauline, Josephine (herself), Catherine, Noreen, Gary, Darlene and Marlene. She describes what life was like on the farm with her parents working from sunrise to sunset. The family farmed vegetable produce taking orders from local stores in the lower mainland. Often the children helped their parents with the orders starting at eight or nine years of age. Other workers on the farm travelled by bus from Vancouver’s Chinatown. She also tells of how her father was an animal lover and raised chickens, pigeons, geese, koy, goldfish and dogs. 14: 21 – 16:56 Josephine describes what Burnaby was like during the time that she grew up in the late 1950s. She explains that Burnaby was very quiet with nothing being open on Sundays. On the farm, she and her siblings would entertain themselves by playing games like soccer, baseball and kick ball or also by catching frogs, snails, caterpillars and ladybugs. There were neighbours living on Marine Drive and almost every house had someone who we went to the same elementary school. The neighbourhood children would often come to play with them on their farm. 16:56- 26:47 Josephine describes how when they were young there were farms all around them and how on Sunday drives with her father, they would go to feed horses or look at the cows. Josephine shares that her elder sister Pauline was the only one born in China and how when she first arrived that she lived on the ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations Reserve with their parents before they moved to Burnaby. Josephine recollects that most of her friends were farmer’s kids from the neighbourhood but while in school, she had more Caucasian friends. Josephine and her siblings attended Glenwood Elementary on Marine Drive and later Junior Secondary at McPherson Park (grades 8-10) and Burnaby South Senior Secondary (grades 11-12. ). She shares some of her experiences while attending school. She said that there were about a dozen Asians in school with her, mostly from farming families in the “Flats”. 26:48- 30:45 Josephine describes what life was like for her and her siblings after school. They often helped on the farm when they got home, usually taking care of orders for green onions. Her mother made dinner and did all of the cooking for family and workers on the farm as well as working in the fields. Her father did all of the grocery shopping in Vancouver’s Chinatown two or three times per week where he purchased meat and fish. She says that her grandfather, often travelled by bus every Saturday or Sunday to meet up with friends in Chinatown. Extracurricular activities for her and her siblings included volley ball and soccer as long as it didn’t interfere with their work schedule on the farm. 30:46- 37:03 Josephine describes what occurred while living at home, the food they ate, shopping and attending Chinese school. Her mother cooked only Chinese food, she didn’t know how to cook “Western food”. For school lunches, the kids made their own sandwiches. She tells of a Chinese language school arranged by Mrs. Joe [sic] who lived on Gilley Road and was Canadian born Chinese. Mrs. Joe [sic] also arranged an English class for farmer’s wives on Tuesday nights in which her mother attended. Josephine recollects learning Mandarin from Mrs. Joe [sic] a few days a week after her regular school. Chinese school took place at Riverway School on Meadow Avenue in Burnaby. Mrs. Joe also taught them a lot about Chinese culture including Kung Fu, Chinese Dance and Chinese brush painting. 37:04- 39:39 Josephine describes Medical Care for her and her family in the 1950s and 1960s. She tells of a female Chinese doctor in Vancouver, Dr. Madeline Chung. Dr. Chung was responsible for delivering a lot of Chinese babies including Josephine. The family also visited herbalists in Vancouver Chinatown. They would often buy herbs for colds etc. Josephine also tells of how her parents stayed in touch with family in China by writing letters. Her mother’s family, including her parents and siblings were still in China while most of her father’s family were here in Canada. 39:40- 43:19 – In closing, Josephine shares how life is much busier now and of how she misses the quietness of her days growing up. She briefly describes her life on the family farm now and how different it is from when her parents worked the farm. She explains how farming methods have changed and how they don’t have to work as hard as her parents did.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Josephine Chow (nee Hong) is the second eldest child of Chan Kow Hong and Sui Ha Hong. In 1925, Josephine's grandfather, Gay Tim Hong immigrated to Canada from Zhongshan county in Canton Province (also known as Guangdong). In 1952, her father, Chan Kow Hong joined his father, Gay Tim Hong and by 1953, he established "Hop On Farms" in the Big Bend area of Burnaby near Marine Drive. Josephine grew up on the farm with her parents and six siblings; Pauline, Catherine, Norine, Gary, Darlene and Marlene. In 1969, Josephine's elder sister Pauline and her husband Jack Chan took over the family farm and in 1972 their father and grandfather moved to Kamloops to open a restaurant. As an adult, Josephine worked in several different areas including owning and running her own Aesthetics business. Josephine eventually retired and returned to the farm to assist her siblings. The farm is still in operation. Interviewer biography: Denise Fong is a historical researcher at Burnaby Village Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology (BA) and Archaeology (MA), and is completing her doctoral degree at UBC in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her primary research interests are in Chinese Canadian history and critical heritage studies. She is the co-curator of BVM’s “Across the Pacific” exhibition, and the Museum of Vancouver’s “A Seat at the Table – Chinese Immigration and British Columbia”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Persons - Chinese Canadians
- Agriculture - Farms
- Education
- Buildings - Schools
- First Nations reserves - British Columbia
- Names
- Chow, Josephine
- Glenwood Elementary School
- McPherson Park Junior Secondary School
- ʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam)
- Responsibility
- Fong, Denise
- Geographic Access
- Byrne Road
- Accession Code
- BV020.6.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1900-2020] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 7, 2020
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Big Bend Area
- Related Material
- See also BV017.36*
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 12/3/2017
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Title based on contents of interview
- Photograph info: Gary Hong and Chan Kow Hong harvesting celery at Hop-On Farms [1969]. BV017.36.4
Images
![Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020, [1900-2020] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 7, 2020 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0036_0004_001.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020, [1900-2020] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 7, 2020
Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020, [1900-2020] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 7, 2020
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2020_0006_0001_001.mp3![Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020, [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0024_0027_001.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription12338
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:53:46 min.)
- Scope and Content
- Recording consists of an interview with Julie Lee conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong. Julie Lee shares information about her mother, Suey Ying Jung's (Laura's) experiences growing up as a Chinese Canadian on a farm in Burnaby during the 1920s and 1930s. She also shares some …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Chinese Canadians in Burnaby subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (00:53:46 min.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Denise Fong Interviewee: Julie Lee Location of Interview: Home of Julie and Cecil Lee Interview Date: February 6, 2020 Total Number of Tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 00:53:46
- Scope and Content
- Recording consists of an interview with Julie Lee conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong. Julie Lee shares information about her mother, Suey Ying Jung's (Laura's) experiences growing up as a Chinese Canadian on a farm in Burnaby during the 1920s and 1930s. She also shares some information about her father Puy Yuen Chan. 0:00- 01:47 Julie Lee provides background information on her families’ connection to Burnaby and conveys how her maternal grandparents farmed a five acre lot at Still Creek and Douglas Road. Her grandparents grew vegetable produce and operated a piggery at this location. Her mother, Suey Ying Jung (Laura) was the middle child between two older sisters, Maida and Annie and her two younger brothers Gordon and Harry. They were all born at home and educated at Edmonds Elementary School. 01:48- 11:47 Julie provides some background information about her mother, the friendships she made growing up, when she got married and places that she lived. She tells of her mother marrying in 1942 at age 30 years, moving to Fraser Mills and then onto Maillardville in 1958. There was easy access to the Interurban tram so her mother was able to have a social life with others in Vancouver’s Chinatown. She says that many of the only existing photographs of the family living on the farm at Still Creek and Douglas Road can be attributed to her mother’s friend Lil Mau [sic] who owned a camera. The farm was sold around 1949 when her grandparents moved to East Vancouver. While operating the farm, her grandparents only hired Chinese workers who spoke the same language and ate the same foods as them. Despite this, her grandparents made friends with the Collin’s family who assisted them in adjusting to the Canadian way of life. Julie tells that her mother’s sister Maida and brother in law lived with them at Fraser Mills. Her mother’s sister Maida had nine children so Julie’s mother helped her in raising them. 11:48 – 16:53 - Julie talks about racial prejudice towards the Chinese in Burnaby during the 1920s and 1930s. She says that for the most part, her mother’s family had a very insular life on the farm and mainly socialized only within the Chinese community. Julie tells of how she recently became aware of a memoir “The Way it Was”, written by Burnaby resident, Fannie Waplington. The memoir is held as part of the Burnaby Village Museum collection. In the memoir, Fannie Waplington tells of how she was forbidden from visiting Julie’s mother on their farm due to her ethnic background. Julie conveys that it seems like it was a missed friendship for both her mother and Fannie. 16:54 – 22:30 Julie describes what school life was like for her mother and what she may have done outside of school. Her mother attended Edmonds School in the 1920s up to Grade 7 or Grade 8. Julie explains that Asian girls were never offered the opportunity to pursue higher education while her mother’s brothers continued with their education attending Vancouver Technical School. Her mother continued to work on the farm until she was married cooking for workers and helping her mother. Outside of school, she may have helped with looking after nieces and nephews, played cards and mahjong. She says that her mother continued to play cards with her own children and was a skilled knitter into her 80s. 22:31 – 30: 53 Julie tells of what she knows about the Chinese workers on the farm and Fraser Mills and what they did on the weekends. She figures that many may have played card games to pass the time and at Fraser Mills gambling occurred. Fishing was a highlight for her father and she recalls him fishing sturgeon. Single workers may have gone into Vancouver on the weekends. Julie says that her parents had a hobby farm while living at Fraser Mills and that they grew enough garlic to sell in Chinatown. She thinks that before living at Fraser Mills, her mother must have went to Chinatown quite a bit, assisting with banking and enjoying a social life. Julie shares that her father, Puy Yuen Chan came to Canada from China at twelve years of age but working as a shingle packer, he never learned to speak English. She figures that her parents must have met at Fraser Mills while her mother was visiting her sister Maida. 30:54 – 37:33 Julie describes her mother as the cook, caregiver and the “one man show”. She says that her mother enjoyed cooking traditional Chinese recipes. Julie talks of her own cooking and gardening skills which she may have inherited from her parents including her large patch of garlic. 37:34- 40:23- Julie is asked as to whether her mother attended Chinese school and says that she had some Chinese schooling. She could read and write a little but didn’t attend a formal school as far as she knows. Julie shares some background information on her own husband Cecil, who grew up in East Vancouver. She shares that Cecil’s family went back to China from 1931 until 1939 when they returned to Queensborough. Cecil attended Chinese school in New Westminster. 40:24 – 42:19 Julie speaks briefly about what type of medical care her mother and her family had. She relates that all births took place at home and they accessed a Chinese herbalist in Chinatown. Hospitals were accessed in 1950s—1960s. The family did use Western doctors that were insured under the medical system. She recalls growing up and having to drink a particular herbal brew at least once a month to stay well. 42:20- 46:47 Julie describes how her parents stayed connected with their families in China. She says that her mother’s family didn’t stay in touch with relatives in China and that her uncles rejected anything to do with the past. On her father’s side they maintained a connection with cousins. She recalls that her father, Puy Yuen Chan supported some of his relatives back home in China and stayed in touch with some. Her mother, Laura travelled to China in 1991 and 1992 and connected with some relations on Julie’s father’s side. 46:48- 53:46 In this segment, Julie speaks of her mother’s character being very self-assured, independent and goal oriented. She feels that her mother valued being surrounded by her family and friends and felt very comfortable growing up in Burnaby and with the relationships that she had. She feels that her mother adapted to her roles being the last of four children on the farm and that she was very self-sufficient and determined.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Julie Lee (nee Chan) is the daughter of Suey Ying Jung (Laura) and Puy Yuen Chan. Her mother's family owned and operated a vegetable and piggery farm on Douglas Road near Still Creek in the early 1900s. Their farm was located in front of the Douglas Road interurban tram station. Her mother had two older sisters named Maida and Annie and two younger brothers Harry and Gordon. Her mother was born in 1912 and left the farm for Fraser Mills when she was married in 1942. Julie grew up with her parents and siblings on the Fraser Mills site during the 1940s and 1950s. Interviewer biography: Denise Fong is a historical researcher at Burnaby Village Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology (BA) and Archaeology (MA), and is completing her doctoral degree at UBC in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her primary research interests are in Chinese Canadian history and critical heritage studies. She is the co-curator of BVM’s “Across the Pacific” exhibition, and the Museum of Vancouver’s “A Seat at the Table – Chinese Immigration and British Columbia”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Names
- Lee, Julie Cho Chan
- Chan, Puy Yuen
- Jung, Suey Ying "Laura"
- Wong, Suey Fong "Maida" Jung
- Jung, Suey Cheung "Harry"
- Jung, Suey Yook "Gordon"
- Jung, Gee Shee
- Jung, Chung Chong
- Jong, Suey Kin "Annie" Jung
- Responsibility
- Fong, Denise
- Geographic Access
- Douglas Road
- Accession Code
- BV020.6.2
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Related Material
- See also BV018.16.1
- Scan Resolution
- 1000
- Scan Date
- 01-Oct-2017
- Scale
- 96
- Notes
- Title based on contents of interview
- Photograph info: Suey Ying (Laura) with produce baskets [between 1940 and 1942]. BV017.24.27
Images
![Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020, [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0024_0027_001.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020, [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
Interview with Julie Lee by Denise Fong February 6, 2020, [1920-1992] (interview content), interviewed Feb. 6, 2020
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2020_0006_0002_001.mp3Interview with John Gordon Davis November 21, 2002 - Tape 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription13082
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1940-1989] (interview content), November 21, 2002 (interview date), digitized in 2020
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Oral History collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 audio cassette (50 min., 53 sec)
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with (John) Gordon Davis conducted by Mabel F. Nichols with her husband Jack Nichols. Mabel is interviewing Gordon as part of a research project to provide background information to the Burnaby Village Museum who are accepting a donation of Gordon's wife Anne's World War I…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Oral History collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 audio cassette (50 min., 53 sec)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Mabel F. Nichols and husband Jack Nichols Interviewee: John Gordon Davis Location of Interview: New Westminster Interview Date: November 21, 2002 Total Number of tracks: 2 (side A & B of audio cassette) Total Length of all Tracks: 50 min., 53 sec.
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with (John) Gordon Davis conducted by Mabel F. Nichols with her husband Jack Nichols. Mabel is interviewing Gordon as part of a research project to provide background information to the Burnaby Village Museum who are accepting a donation of Gordon's wife Anne's World War II nursing uniform. Gordon provides background information on his family history and describes his experiences while serving overseas during World War II (WWII) including his experiences as a radar operator and working at a military air squadron repair depot. Gordon also provides biographical information about his wife Anne Davis (nee Williams) and her experiences serving as a military nurse during WWII and their life in Burnaby. Interviewer, Mabel and Jack Nichols also provide anecdotal stories about their own life in Burnaby during the interview. Track 1 - Side A (30:34) 00:00 - 30:34 Interview opens with discussion between interviewer Mabel F. Nichols and Gordon Davis about his wife, Anne Davis' experience working in the nursing corps. Mr. Davis provides background information about working in mining between 1933 and 1940 before training in Ontario to become a radar operator during World War II. Gordon also describes his parents origins and how they moved to Burnaby in 1940 while Gordon headed off to Nova Scotia to serve with the RCAF. Gordon also shares information about his sister Anne Davis who married George L. Davis from Kirkland Lake and how they lived with Gordon's parents in the auto court in Burnaby. He tells of how George L. Davis worked for Dominion Bridge Co. and later as a meat cutter for Safeway near 6th Avenue and Kingsway in Burnaby. Mabel shares her own husband Jack's experiences growing up in Burnaby as the son of butcher, George Nichols, his career as a deisel mechanic and later in the GVRD Engineering Department. Gordon shares that his father, Gilbert died in 1957 and his mother Elizabeth died in 1968 and his older sister Ruth died in 1990. Gordon recollects his wedding day and honeymoon in North Wales in 1945 with his wife Anne. Track 2 - Side B (29:19) 00:00 - 14:37 Gordon continues with his recollections about his wedding and honeymoon in North Wales in 1945. The interviewers, Mabel and Jack discuss the geography of the area sharing their own experiences travelling in 1981 and try to get an idea of where Gordon and his wife were married. They agree that the place was Llandudno. He tells of signing up for another year of Military Service since his wife was still serving in the nursing corps. and describes working North of London at a Military facility to repair aircraft including mosquito bombers. 14:38 - 21: 53 Gordon shares information about working in the Middle East in 1943 while his wife Anne survived the bombing of the Dutch passenger ship, the Marnix that she was travelling on. Gordon tells of how Anne couldn't swim but had a life jacket on and was picked up by a life boat. Anne corresponded with Gordon to let him know that she was alright but had to be cryptic since all letters were censored. Gordon tells of how Anne then travelled to India. Interviewer, Mabel, speaks of her own brother Bill who was picked up in Gibralter and taken to England. 21:54 - 26:18 Gordon recollects first meeting his wife Anne in London and the bombing that occurred during WWII. He tells of how Anne trained as a midwife at the Royal College of Midwives in Yorkshire and how he attended Radio college in Ontario. 26:19- 29:19 Gordon speaks about his experience travelling east on the Queen Mary in World War II and how full the ship was. He says that they were 30 days at sea from May to June in 1942.
- History
- Interviewee biography: John Gordon Davis was born to Elizabeth Ann Vert (nee Eyres) and Gilbert Davis on September 13, 1913 in North Cobalt, Ontario. Gordon was the second youngest of six children. After graduating from high school he attended Radio College in Toronto. He spent two years prior to World War II working in radio on British ships. In 1940, after retiring, his parents moved to British Columbia. They purchased the Flowerland Auto Court in 1941 at 4212 Douglas Road, Burnaby. During this time, Gordon moved to Ontario and sought employment in radio range stations that were dealing with new technology throughout Europe. He joined the RCAF in 1941. While in London, in May of 1941, he met his future wife Anne Williams. In World War II, Anne served as a nurse in Queen Alexandra's Imperial Army Nursing Corps. In November 1943, Anne survived the bombing of the Dutch passenger ship, SS Marnix while it sailed in a convoy from England to the Mediterranean. Gordon did many tours throughout the Middle East, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, the Battle of the Bulge, Sarnia before he was known as “surplus to requirement”. Since Anne was still in the nursing corps, Gordon signed on for another year and was sent north of London to a Repair Squadron where he worked on operational repairs of Mosquito bombers which were manufactured in Canada. Anne and Gordon continued their correspondence and eventually married in North Wales on January 23, 1945. Gordon was shipped back to Canada in October of 1945 and moved in with his parents at their auto court on Douglas Road in Burnaby. Anne joined Gordon in Burnaby in April 1946 when her mission was completed. Anne packed up her things in a large trunk that she addressed to Gordon’s parents on Douglas Road. Gordon moved around British Columbia in his work for BC Electric and eventually retired with HB Contracting Ltd. in Surrey working on the BC pipeline between 1953 and 1954. In the late 1950s, Gordon and Anne purchased a home in Burnaby at 1508 6th Street (now 7591 6th Street) which they lived in until 1984. In 1985, Anne and Gordon sold their house in Burnaby and moved to Hyack House in New Westminster. Anne Davis died in 1989 at the age of 76 years. Gordon's father, Gilbert died in 1957 and his mother Elizabeth Ann Verta died in 1968. Interviewer biography: Mabel F. Nichols (nee Lawrence) was one of six children born in Hope [ca.1932] to Elmer E. Lawrence and Louise (nee Pennier). Elmer and Louise married in Yale B.C. in 1916. Mabel’s mother, Louise Pennier was part of the Sts'ailes Nation (Chehalis First Nation). Elmer and Louise had three sons and three daughters. Both of Mabel’s parents died in Langley in 1960. Mabel married Jack (John) Nichols [between 1959 and 1960]. They lived at 6004 Wilson Street, Burnaby in 1959; 4910 Willingdon Avenue [between 1960 and 1962] and 4662 Hazel Street [between 1963 and 1987] before moving to Surrey. Jack Nichols' parents, George and Alma Nichols owned and operated Nichols Family Meat Market at 4018 Kingsway (later renumbered 4500 Kingsway). The family lived behind the butcher shop.
- Names
- Davis, John Gordon "Gordon"
- Davis, Anne Williams
- Davis, Gilbert
- Nichols, Mabel F. Lawrence
- Nichols Family Meat Market
- Accession Code
- BV005.37.1
- Access Restriction
- Restricted access
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [1940-1989] (interview content), November 21, 2002 (interview date), digitized in 2020
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of sound recording
- Recording is closed due to poor sound quality
- See also: Anne Davis' (nee Williams) WWII nursing uniform- BV003.15.10 & BV03.15.11 & BV003.15.12
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19348
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 56 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 57 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. The interview opens with introductions and how the content of the interview can be drawn on by Burnaby Village Museum for future …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 56 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 57 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Co Interviewer and technical support: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Dr. Sadhu Binning Location of Interview: Love farmhouse at Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: November 25, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 3 Total Length of all Tracks: (1:15:57) Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto three separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. The interview opens with introductions and how the content of the interview can be drawn on by Burnaby Village Museum for future exhibits and for researchers to learn more about the history of the South Asian community in Burnaby. During the interview, Dr. Binning shares his ancestral background along with his relatives' and his own personal experiences as a South Asian immigrant living and working in British Columbia and Burnaby. Dr. Binning conveys that he’s a Burnaby resident who’s lived in Burnaby since 1973 and that his children were born here. Binning shares his ancestral heritage beginning with his uncle Dhana Singh who emigrated from Punjab to British Columbia in 1931 and began working in the forest industry. He explains how Dhana Singh and another partner owned, operated and worked in small sawmills in the vicinity of Kamloops, Williams Lake and also on Vancouver Island. Binning conveys that in the beginning Dhana Singh and many other South Asian immigrants were not legal residents until 1938. In 1938, about 350 South Asian immigrants (mainly Punjabi) gathered resources to hire a lawyer to obtain permanent residency. Binning mentions that one of the notable South Asians in the group who was also a close friend of his uncle, was Darshan Singh Sangha, a trade unionist who was a founding member of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) union and an active member of the Communist Party of Canada. Binning conveys how Darshan Singh Sangha returned to India in 1947 to be a part of the revolution, how he was very active in the communist movement in India. While in India, Darshan Singh Sangha, was known as Canadian and thereby adopted “Canadian” as his surname, becoming “Darshan Singh Canadian”. Binning further explains that his uncle Dhana Singh Sangha returned to India in 1951, married and came back to B.C. in 1957 bringing with him, his wife and children. In 1960, with the support of his uncle, Binning’s father, Jit Singh Binning immigrated to British Columbia and began working in sawmills in the lower mainland, Kamloops, Quesnel and on Vancouver Island. Binning clarifies that his uncle, Dhana Singh was able to immigrate to Canada with the support of his cousins from the Tarker Singh Bains family. Binning further describes Darshan Singh Sangha’s involvement with the Communist party and the IWA and how the majority of the members were from the forest industry. As an active and prominent member of the labour movement, Darshan Singh Sangha fought for the rights of South Asians and Chinese who working in the industry and facing racism, unfair wages and discriminatory practices. Binning describes how Darshan Singh Sangha wrote a book in English in 1943, titled “Rise of the New Asia”. Binning conveys how immigrants of Chinese and South Asian decent didn’t have the right to vote in British Columbia and how Darshan Singh Sangha was instrumental in obtaining the right to vote in British Columbia, although he was never given the credit. Binning describes his uncle Dhana Singh as a likeable guy with many friends, first living in Kamloops before moving to Vancouver. Binning imparts how the sport of wrestling is a popular Punjabi sport along with Punjabi kabaddi. He conveys that his uncle became involved in wrestling while working in sawmills. South Asian immigrants had to do physical labour working in sawmills, the work could be tough and could often lead to physical fights. A number of South Asian immigrants working in the mills already had experience as wrestlers from back home. Dhana Singh later left the lumber industry to work in the agriculture sector. Binning explains how immigration rules changed in the 1960s which lead to larger numbers of South Asians immigrating to Canada. Many of these new immigrants were educated and politically conscious. All of these new immigrants faced racism but being politically conscious from an independent India and with the ability to speak English they organized themselves to fight for their rights. Binning imagines the items that his uncle and his father may have brought with them in their suitcase when immigrating to Canada. Binning describes three items, including a rajai (a blanket with cotton inside that is sewn together), a bistra (small attaché case or trunk) and a piece of cloth to lie on. Binning further describes the roles in Indian society as caste divisions and that it was usually women’s work in making the rajais. Binning recollects the locations that his father and his family lived after coming to Vancouver. Binning explains that a few years after living together in Vancouver, he and his family moved to Burnaby in 1973 to be closer to his Dr. Binning’s wife, Jagdish Binning’s family. Dr. Binning and family lived in a house in Burnaby located on Irmin Street near Royal Oak between 1973 and 1987. While living at this house their children attended McPherson Park Junior High School and later Burnaby South Secondary School. Binning reflects on some of the racism that he and his family have faced while living in Burnaby which led him to write a poem that he published in 1994 titled “No More Watno Dur”. Binning explains the meaning of the title “Watan” meaning “country and everybody” “a country far way from the motherland”. Binning explains the origins of the magazine “Watan” that was started by a friend in 1973. The magazine got its roots in Vancouver in 1973 from an organization called the “Punjabi Literary Association”. Binning became the editor of the magazine in 1976 and his friend joined him as assistant editor in 1978. Binning continued to work as editor until 1983 or 1984 when he returned to school to complete his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree. Binning describes the origins of the “Vancouver Sath” that was formed by a small group of South Asians around 1982. Binning was a founding member of the organization and held meetings and rehearsals at his house in Burnaby. Vancouver Sath first started out as an informal discussion forum by a group of politically conscious Punjabi writers and activists. Binning talks about issues and problems that Vancouver Sath addressed including; racism as well as domestic violence in the South Asian community. Binning explains how he and Sukhwant Hundal wrote articles on these issues and others that were happening in the South Asian community in Canada. Binning talks about how in 1983, the group was inspired to begin performing theatrical works after consulting with Gursharan Singh who was from a well known theatrical group from Punjab who were performing in Vancouver. In the beginning the Vancouver Sath’s plays were focused on the problems in Punjab but they soon decided to address social issues in their own South Asian community here in Canada. Binning summarizes and draws attention to, some of the plays that Vancouver Sath has written and performed including; “Picket Line”, about Punjabi women farmworkers’ rights; “Lattan de Bhoot”, about domestic abuse; “A Crop of Poison”; “Kihda Viah” (English translation- “Whose Marriage”) about arranged marriage and others about social issues in the South Asian community. The plays were performed in public schools and community centres in Vancouver and Richmond, Simon Fraser University and some were also performed in Toronto, Calgary and Williams Lake. Binning mentions some of the traditional foods that he likes to eat and where he and his family have shopped to find ingredients. He recalls how his mother, Gurmaje Kaur Binning did all of the cooking and was often cooking all day long. In the sixties, the Binning family address on 13th Avenue in Vancouver was also used as a postal address for many friends and family who’d recently immigrated. When these friends dropped by to pick up their mail, his mother often provided them with tea and food. After Binning and his wife, Jagdish moved to their own home in 1973, he shared in some of the shopping and cooking but his wife did the majority of the work due to his busy schedule. The interview closes with Binning providing an explanation of how “Watno Dur” magazine changed it’s name to “Watan” magazine. Binning reflects on how this came to be, when he made the decision to get an education in Canada and to stay here, not just as a “Canadian” but as a “Punjabi Canadian.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Dr. Sadhu Binning was born on May 10, 1947 to mother Gurmej Kaur and father Jeet Singh Binning. Due to lack of proper records management in India at the time of his birth, it is believed that he was actually born sometime in December of 1947. He grew up alongside two brothers and one sister in a village located in Kapurthala, Punjab. Dr. Binning attended secondary school in the nearby city of Phagwara, Punjab although he did not complete his education here. Throughout his childhood, he enjoyed reading both Punjabi and Hindi novels and learned how to read Urdu as well. Dr. Binning’s uncle, Dhana Singh immigrated to Canada in 1933 and returned to India in 1953. When Dhana Singh returned to Canada in 1957, he sponsored Dr. Binning’s father, Jeet Singh Binning to immigrate. Dhana Singh co-owned a few saw mills in British Columbia and also worked in the truck driving industry. Dr. Binning remembers that some people who had lived in Canada would visit their village and that they appeared to be strong and healthy and looked happy. He also noticed that they would eat meat, so whenever they would visit there would be meat available. In 1967, when he was nineteen and a half years old, Dr. Binning immigrated Canada to join his father. He recalls his father and uncle and a friend arriving at the airport to pick him up. During his first few days, Dr. Binning made the decision to remove his turban and beard upon receiving advice from his uncle. Dr. Binning first obtained work on a farm in Abbotsford, working alongside his mother. While working, Dr. Binning also attended English classes in Vancouver. Dr. Binning’s Uncle Dhana Singh worked in a Vancouver saw mill and tried to help find work for his nephew but was unsuccessful. Dr. Binning soon found work at a saw mill in Avola and worked there until the end of the summer until a friend helped find him work in a saw mill in North Vancouver. During his free time, he enjoyed camping with friends. In 1970, Dr. Binning left the saw mill after obtaining a job at the post office. The post office offered lower wages than working at the mill but Dr. Binning believed that he would become more educated working here. While working as a postman, Dr. Binning recalls facing a lot of discrimination and racism and was often referred to as a ‘Paki’ multiple times a day. In 1973, Dr. Binning married Jagish Sihota. Sadhu and Jagdish originated from nearby villages in India and met each other in Canada. Dr. Binning’s wife, Jagdish worked at the Royal Bank of Canada for thirty years until her retirement. While working, she also looked after the household and their son and daughter. Jagdish also handwrote a magazine, “Watno Dur’ (English translation: ‘away from homeland’) which was distributed in the community. In 1976, Dr. Binning became the editor of the magazine and the name was later changed to “Watan’ as they had accepted their new homeland of Canada. While working at the post office, Dr. Binning also attended night school starting in eighth grade. After receiving his high school diploma, he was accepted to Simon Fraser University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Anthropology and Sociology and in 1986 he obtained a Masters degree from Simon Fraser University. While attending university, Dr. Binning was very active within the community and wanted to work to improve society. He first thought that he would return to India to contribute and improve rights in his homeland but upon seeing the prevalence of the movements in Canada, he realized that work needed to be done here too. In 1983, Dr. Binning became a founding member and contributor to a theatrical collective known as “Vancouver Sath”. The theatrical group produced plays that represented societal issues and were invited to perform at multiple conferences throughout British Columbia and Canada. The group focused and acknowledged the many issues in Punjab and in Canada. One of the plays that the group produced focused on the exploitation of Punjabi women who worked on farms in Canada. Dr. Binning continued to be involved as an integral member of Vancouver Sath until 1995. Over the years, Dr. Binning has strongly lobbied for Punjabi language education and between 1988 and 2008 he worked as Punjabi instructor at the University of British Columbia. He first worked as a teaching assistant at UBC under Dr. Harjot Oberoi and due to low wages, he simultaneously worked at the Post Office. In 2019, Dr. Binning received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from UBC in recognition of his work. Since 1973, Dr. Binning has lived in Burnaby and has resided in the same home that he and his wife Jagdish purchased in 1987. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, watercolour painting, travelling abroad and going on road trips. 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
- Industries - Logging/lumber
- Industries - Forestry
- Foods
- Migration
- Organizations - Societies and Clubs
- Organizations - Unions
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Performances
- Performances - Dramatic Performances
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Names
- Binning, Dr. Sadhu
- Binning, Gurmaje Kaur
- Binning, Jit Singh
- Binning, Jagdish
- Sangha, Darshan Singh
- Canadian Farmworkers Union
- Hundal, Sukhwant
- Sangra, Harjinder
- Singh, Dhana
- Vancouver Sath
- Responsibility
- Petrusa, Kate
- Malik, Anushay
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning, [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning, [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0003_004.mp3Interview 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![Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023 thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_001.JPG?width=280)
Interview with Shirley Cohn
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19597
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Shirley Cohn Location of Interviews: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Dates: April 14, 2023 and September 6, 2023 Total Number of Tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 67 min., 33 sec. Digital master recording (wav) recording of second interview (50 min., 36 sec.) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on September 6, 2023: 0:00 – 16:09 Shirley Cohn shares background information about her parents who immigrated to Detroit from Hungary in the 1930’s. Shirley recalls what it was like for her parents being Jewish during World War II and how many of their relations were killed in the Holocaust. Shirley talks about her Jewish Hungarian heritage, what it was like growing up in Detroit, the Jewish community in Detroit and the Jewish holidays and traditions that her family celebrated. Shirley recalls her high school and University education and experiences, starting her career in social work and how she met her future husband, Theodore “Ted” Cohn. 16:10 – 18:27 Shirley shares the story about her father in law, Dr. Daniel E. Cohn who was Harry Houdini’s doctor at the time of his death in Detroit on Oct. 31, 1926. Shirley explains that she donated some of Dr. Daniel E. Cohn’s original documents pertaining to this event to the New York Public Library. 18:28 – 26:04 Shirley describes her experiences living and working in London Ontario while her husband was a professor at University of Western Ontario and Shirley worked as a social worker in family services. Shirley recalls experiences of anti-Semitism while living in London. Shirley talks about moving to Burnaby in 1977 after her husband took a job as a professor at Simon Fraser University. Shirley describes her experiences living in Burnaby, raising a family and working as a social worker at Burnaby General Hospital. 26:05 – 26:18 Shirley talks about her interests outside of work, her family’s involvement in the Burquest Jewish Community Association and being a member of Temple Shalom. Shirley conveys information about other Jewish synagogues in Greater Vancouver, describes Reform Judaism at Temple Shalom and some Jewish cultural practices that her family has been involved with. 26:19 – 33:12 Shirley describes her family’s experiences living in the Garden Village nieghbourhood in Burnaby, her involvement sharing Jewish cultural traditions at her children’s school and recalls her children’s experiences attending school in Burnaby. 33:13 – 40:46 Shirley conveys the career paths that her children took and talks about what she likes about living in Burnaby including; the walking and hiking trails, the cultural and art performances and her involvement in local politics. Shirley talks about her and her husband’s involvement in the SFU retirees association and the SFURA walking and hiking group. Shirley reflects on her husband’s academic career, experiences teaching at SFU and the role of the Hillel Jewish Students Association at the Simon Fraser University. Shirley talks about the difficulties of discussing political views about the State of Israel. Shirley describes some traditional Jewish foods, the roles that they play and a local bakery that carries Jewish bake goods. 40:47 – 50:36 Shirley describes her current daily life in Burnaby; working one day a week as a social worker, gardening, her involvement at Temple Shalom and the Jewish Community Centre and how she travels in Burnaby. Shirley recalls the changes that she’s encountered in Burnaby and in her career over the years, shares a story about her husband losing his thesis and describes what Burnaby was like while she was raising her family. Shirley shares what she thinks about the areas of development in Burnaby and conveys the importance of having parks and affordable housing. In closing, Shirley reflects on what is like to be a Jewish person living in Burnaby.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Shirley Tanner was born in Detroit in 1947. Her parents were both Jewish. Her mother fled Hungary as a refugee in 1939, while her father emigrated from there in 1934. Shirley attended public schools in Detroit, and then studied social work at the University of Michigan. After marriage, Shirley and Ted Cohn moved to Ontario where Ted had a faculty appointment at the University of Western Ontario in political science. Six years later they moved to Burnaby for Ted’s teaching position in political science at Simon Fraser University. While living in Burnaby, Shirley took care of a growing family while also practicing social work, mainly at Burnaby Hospital. The family enjoyed Burnaby’s libraries and parks. Shirley helped out at her children’s schools, became a Block Watch captain, and the family joined Burquest Jewish Community Association. The Cohns later became members of Temple Sholom Synagogue in Vancouver, while remaining in Burnaby. Beginning in 2009, Ted started an informal hiking group for retired Simon Fraser University staff. This group has been open to others, so now has a wide variety of members. Shirley has also helped lead hikes in the region. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Recreational Activities - Hiking
- Organizations
- Organizations - Societies and Clubs
- Migration
- Persons - Jewish Canadians
- Religions - Judaism
- Social Issues - Racism
- Social Issues
- Wars - World War, 1939-1945
- Names
- Cohn, Dr. Daniel E.
- Cohn, Shirley
- Cohn, Theodore H. "Ted"
- Burquest
- Hillel Jewish Students Association
- Simon Fraser University
- SFURA walking and hiking group
- Simon Fraser University Retirees Association "SFURA"
- Temple Shalom
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
- Summary, recording and transcript of second interview available on Heritage Burnaby
Images
![Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023 thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_001.JPG)
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_003.mp3Interview with David Skulski
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19606
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (80 min., 38 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (80 min., 38 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Murray "David" Skulski conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 00:00:00 – 00:22:22 David Skulski provides biographical information about himself. He talks about his childhood experiences growing up, at…
- 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
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (80 min., 38 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (80 min., 38 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: David Skulski Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 6 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 80 min., 38 sec. Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Murray "David" Skulski conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 00:00:00 – 00:22:22 David Skulski provides biographical information about himself. He talks about his childhood experiences growing up, attending school in New Westminster and Burnaby and Hebrew school in Vancouver. David recalls his early experiences in music, instruments that he played and describes some of his Jewish family traditions. 00:22:23 – 00:49:57 David talks about his experiences studying music at university and following his passion as a musician and oboist. He recalls his experiences of working with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Orchestra, Vancouver Society for Early Music, the Burnaby Symphony Orchestra, other musical ensembles and venues where he’s performed. 00:49:58 – 01:00:00 David talks about living in Burnaby in the Deer Lake neighbourhood. David describes some his experiences playing traditional music from different countries. 01:01:01 – 01:14:15 David comments on the changes that he’s seen in Burnaby over the years, some of his favourite places, activities, cultural amenities and development on the Fraser River. David talks about the Jewish community in Burnaby, his involvement with the Peretz Centre and examples of Jewish cuisine. 01:14:16 – 01:20:38 David talks about Yiddish being his first language, his language studies in Lithuania, the roots of the language and provides some examples of speaking Yiddish.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Murray "David" Skulski was born in 1942 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and moved to British Columbia with his parents in 1948. Skulski and his family settled in New Westminster before moving to Burnaby in the late 1950's. Skulski took piano lessons at an early age and began playing obo while attending junior high school in New Westminster. In 1960 at the age of 17 years, Skulski began performing with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as solo English horn and is the youngest player to ever be employed with the VSO. In 1991, Skulski started playing with the Vancouver Folk Orchestra and was the conductor between 1997 and 2004. Skulski has been the principal oboe player in many orchestras. In 1968, Skulski founded the Hortulani Musicae; in 1970, he founded the Vancouver Society for Early Music and in 1983 he founded Harmonie, an ensemble concentrating in classical wind music. In 2003, Skulski became president of the Pertez Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. In 2005, Skulski became principal oboist of the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Burnaby Symphony Orchestra and between 2009 and 2019 he was the principal oboist for the Pilgrim Orchestra under Pilwon Suk. David has served as president of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture and since 2022, he’s served on the board of the Vancouver Chamber Music Society. Skulski has taught summer courses in Renaissance music in Austria (1972-1979), has been a music resident at Simon Fraser University (1973-1976), has lectured on the history of musical instruments at SFU and UBC and in 2008 began teaching at the Pacific Coast School of Music, Richmond School of Music and Oakridge Music Studios. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Foods
- Music
- Musical Instruments
- Occupations - Musicians
- Performances - Concerts
- Persons - Jewish Canadians
- Religions - Judaism
- Names
- Burnaby Symphony Orchestra
- Burnaby South High School
- Burquest
- Skulski, Murray "David"
- Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
- Vancouver Society for Early Music
- Peretz Centre
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake
- Deer Lake Park
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.10
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with David Skulski, [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
Interview with David Skulski, [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0010_003.mp3Interview with Norman Dowad
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19638
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Norman Dowad Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: August 14, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information about his grandfather Samuel Dowad's immigration to Canada and his father Wilfred Dowad's military service and successes as a property developer. 00:14:39 – 00:17:26 Norm provides background information on his mother’s side of the family. 00:17:27 – 00:31:36 Norm talks about his childhood, growing up in the Deer Lake neighbourhood, his early education in Burnaby and sports that he played. 00:31:37 – 00:39:59 Norm talks about his educational experiences attending Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and Osgoode Hall law school and information regarding his law career. 00:40:00 – 00:45:03 Norm reflects on his childhood growing up in Burnaby and on his experiences and relationships as a student and in his career as a lawyer. 00:45:04 – 01:01:37 Norm talks about his siblings and shares information about family property development projects as well as career and business successes. In closing he talks about research that he’s done through Archives Canada on his grandfather Sam Dowad and father Wilfred Dowad.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Norm Dowad was born in Burnaby, December 1948 to parents Wilfred “Wilf” (1925-2011) and Cherry Dowad. His father, Wilfred (1925-2011) was born in Winnipeg to parents Samuel “Sam” (Salim in Arabic) Esper Dowad (1895-1969) and Martha (Shaheen) Dowad (1894-1955). Sam and Martha Dowad were both born in a province of the Ottoman Empire which is now present day Lebanon. In 1912, while trying to immigrate to Canada, several of Sam’s relatives including his mother died tragically as steerage passengers on the ill fated Titanic. In 1913, at the age of 18 years, Sam immigrated to Canada to join other family members who'd already arrived here safely. As a new immigrant in Canada, Sam worked with other Labanese immigrants in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the United States. In December 1921, Sam's wife, Martha immigrated to Canada arriving by ship in St. John, New Brunswick. Sam and Martha established their home in Winnipeg where they began to start a family. Their first two children died in infancy and son Wilfred was born in 1925 and daughter Kathleen was born in 1926. While living in Winnipeg, Sam worked as a grocer and in the 1930’s he got work as a farmer in a nearby town. In 1943, Wilf joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCVNR) and served as a gunner on merchant ships during World War II. In 1945, while Wilf was away serving, his parents, Sam and Martha moved to Burnaby. After discharge in 1945, Wilf joined his parents in Burnaby, began working at Fraser Mills and commenced his studies in construction and drafting. In 1949, with his father’s help Wilf acquired a lot next door to his parents’ home and built his first apartment block. After Martha died in 1954, Sam moved to Kelowna where he bought an orchard. Sam remarried in 1957 to Naomi “Mamie” (David) Dowad (1899-1978) who was also from a Lebanese family. Sam and Mamie lived in Kelowna until the mid 1960s when they moved to White Rock. While living in Burnaby, Wilf met and married Cherry Piggott and the couple had six children; Norm, Bruce, Michael, Kathie, Phil and Tom. In 1955, Wilfred Dowad established "W. Dowad Ltd." and over the years he was successful in developing and subdividing land to build housing and commercial developments in Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver. Wilf was the first president of the Burnaby Winter club and was an active member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce holding office at the local, provincial and national level. In 1970, Wilf purchased 238 acres of land bordering the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh River and relocated there the following year. While living in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Wilf became actively engaged in local business and community affairs. Wilf was later remarried to Grethe Dowad and he died in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh in 2011.Wilf's six children are the sole owners of "W.Dowad Ltd." and his daughter, Kathie Smillie is the president and CEO. While growing up in Burnaby, Norm Dowad attended Schou Street School, Douglas Road School, Kensington School and graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School. Following graduation from high school, Norm attended Simon Fraser University for one year, travelled in Europe, attended University of British Columbia and obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University. Norman has been practicing law for 49 years and has his own law practice that he operates out of Vancouver. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Agriculture - Farms
- Education
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Migration
- Sports
- Sports - Football
- Wars - World War, 1939-1945
- Names
- Dowad, Norman W. "Norm"
- Dowad, Samuel Esper "Sam"
- Dowad, Wilfred "Wilf"
- Dowad, Naomi "Mamie" David
- Dowad, Martha Elias Shaheen
- Dowad, Kathleen "Kay"
- Rideout, Dr. John Anthony
- Burnaby Central Secondary School
- Douglas Road School
- W. Dowad Limited
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Geographic Access
- Buckingham Avenue
- Deer Lake
- Street Address
- 5533 Buckingham Avenue
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.16
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0016_002.mp3Interview with Richard Liu
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20283
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1936-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 Sep. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (153 min., 33 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (152 min., 59 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Richard Liu conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong on September 11, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:26:39 Richard Liu shares biographical information about himself and his family in China. He talks about his family being forced…
- 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
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (153 min., 33 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (152 min., 59 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Denise Fong Interviewee: Richard Liu Location of Interview: Love farmhouse at Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: September 11, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 3 Total Length of all Tracks: 02:33:33 Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto three separate audio tracks, edited and merged together into one track and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Richard Liu conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong on September 11, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:26:39 Richard Liu shares biographical information about himself and his family in China. He talks about his family being forced out by the communist regime in the early ‘50s and their experiences immigrating to Hong Kong, Europe and Canada. 00:26:40 - 00:32:59 Richard talks about his parents’ experiences living in Toronto, Victoria and Burnaby and shares some of his father’s business accomplishments including establishing the first direct flight to Beijing in 1987 and the first sister city between China and Canada. 00:33:00 – 01:13:59 Richard talks about living in Burnaby and his educational experiences at Thomas More Collegiate. He recalls his experience of travelling to North Korea in 1988 and being a student at Peking University in Beijing during the student-led demonstrations in Tiananmen Square and the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. 01:14:00 – 01:26:16 Richard talks about his education and reflects on how his experiences in Beijing influenced his education and career choices including working in the Prime Minister’s office on trade missions to China and talks about the importance of leaning French. 01:26:17 – 01:48:35 Richard shares his memories and experiences of; being on the Canadian Paralympic Committee during the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games in China, supporting Rick Hansen during his visit to China for the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour and working with Team Canada in China for the 2022 Olympic Games. 01:48:36 – 01:52:22 Richard talks about his life in Burnaby after moving back from China in 2014 and the changes he’s noticed since being away. Richard talks about his involvement with St. John Ambulance, his role as the Honorary Brigade Division President and his role as Heritage Commissioner for the City of Burnaby. 02:14:32 – 02:29:27 Richard talks about his investiture to the Order of Saint John in 2023 and reflects on the accomplishments of his great uncle Dr. Shin-Shu Liu (China’s first Ambassador to Canada). 02:29:28 – 02:32:59 In closing Richard imparts some words of wisdom for future generations.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Richard N. Liu was born in 1970 in Toronto and raised in British Columbia. Richard's family has distinguished Canada-China ties for three generations. His Great-Uncle, Dr. Liu Shih-shun, was China's first Ambassador to Canada in 1942 and his father, Dr. Liu Dun-ren, built relations in education, culture and tourism for three decades including establishing the first Twin Sister City between Canada and China with Victoria and Suzhou in 1980. Richard's maternal great-grandfather, Dr. Wu Han-chi (1872-1913) played an active role in uprisings that shaped the future of modern China, was an elected member of the lower house of the first formal parliament in 1913 and was assassinated on political grounds. Dr. Wu's daughter, Dr. Wu Chi-mei served Dr. Sun Yat-sen, was elected as a Guangzhou City Councillor and visited Vancouver in 1929 and 1932. After graduating from St. Thomas More Collegiate in Vancouver, Richard Liu moved to China to begin his studies at Peking University but in 1989, following the Tiananmen Square protest and massacre, he was evacuated from China and returned to Canada. While back in Canada, Liu completed a BA in East Asian Studies from the University of British Columbia and in 1993, he returned to China to continue his Chinese studies at Peking University and continued to live in China for twenty years. In 2008, Richard worked as Team Canada’s Attaché for the Paralympic Summer Games that took place in Beijing. In 2014, Liu returned to Canada and made his home in Burnaby with his wife and two children. In 2022, Liu returned to Beijing to serve as Mission Staff member for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics. Richard has also played a leading role with the Terry Fox Run, Special Olympics and Rick Hansen's visit to Beijing in 2011. Liu’s areas of expertize include; public relations, diplomacy, major events organization and education. Liu works as an advisor in East Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia and is a MA Candidate at Peking University. Richard founded the Canadian Alumni Network that connects over 16,000 alumni in China who’ve attended Canada's post-secondary institutions. Liu has been a commissioner with the City of Burnaby’s Heritage Commission (2018-2023) and sits on various boards advising companies and organizations on a variety of sectors pertaining to Asia. In 2019, Liu was appointed the Honorary Brigade Division President for St. John Ambulance and was among 13 UBC Alumni to be recognized and awarded the 2018-2019 UBC Alumni Builder Award “For his service, dedication, and contribution to UBC and its alumni community. For his long record of service fostering connections with alumni and students in Beijing and Asia as well as dedication to mentoring students in the Faculty of Arts.” On June 24 2023, Richard was formally invested into the Order of St. John, one of five national orders in the Canadian Honours System. Interviewer biography: Denise Fong is a historical researcher at Burnaby Village Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology (BA) and Archaeology (MA), and is completing her doctoral degree at UBC in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her primary research interests are in Chinese Canadian history and critical heritage studies. She is the co-curator of BVM’s “Across the Pacific” exhibition, and the Museum of Vancouver’s “A Seat at the Table – Chinese Immigration and British Columbia”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Persons - Chinese Canadians
- Migration
- Officials
- Education
- Protests and Demonstrations
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Sports
- Travel
- Religions - Christianity
- Names
- Canadian Paralympic Committee
- Chak, Dr. Po Tin
- Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC
- Liu, Richard N.
- Liu, Dr. Dun-ren
- Liu, Dr. Shih-Shun
- Gigli, Beniamino
- Hansen, Richard Marvin "Rick"
- Olympic Games
- Paralympic Games
- Peking University
- St. John Ambulance
- St. Thomas More Collegiate
- Tiananmen Square
- University of British Columbia
- Responsibility
- Fong, Denise
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.17
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1936-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 Sep. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Richard Liu, [1936-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 Sep. 2023
Interview with Richard Liu, [1936-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 Sep. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0017_004.mp3Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20285
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recordings (wav) (121min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (121 min., 13 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong on September 25, 2023. The interview is divided into four sections: early life of Harry Toy, the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser M…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recordings (wav) (121min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (121 min., 13 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Denise Fong Interviewees: Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy Location of Interview: Residence of Harry Toy Interview Date: September 25, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 02:01:13 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong on September 25, 2023. The interview is divided into four sections: early life of Harry Toy, the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser Merchants’ Association and Harry's daughters, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy's memories of growing up in Burnaby. 00:00:00 – 00:23:53 Harry Toy shares biographical information about himself and his ancestors. Harry provides information about his migration to Canada and his life in Manitoba, attending school, working at the family restaurant and teaching high school. 00:23:53 – 00:41:16 Harry talks about moving his family to Burnaby and his experiences owning and operating the Canada Way Food Market. 00:41:17 – 00:54:19 Harry talks about his involvement with the Fraser Merchants Association (FMA) and provides some history about the organization. 00:54:20 – 1:22:44 Harry talks about running the Canada Way Food Market and the alterations that he made to the store over the years. Harry and his daughters comment as they look through photographs of Harry and his store and the Fraser Merchants Association. 1:22:45 – 2:01:14 Beverley and Christina talk about their early childhood in Manitoba and growing up in Burnaby. They recall what it was like growing up and working in the family owned store.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Harry Wee Koon Toy was born in February 9, 1936 in Taikong, Toisan county, Guangdong, China. Harry's father William Toy came to Canada in the early 1920s when he was ten years old. Harry arrived in Vancouver, Canada on September 9, 1950. After staying in Vancouver for one night, he joined his father in Neepawa, Manitoba where the family operated a cafe business (Royal Cafe). Harry grew up in Neepawa and graduated from the University of Manitoba and teacher's college. He became a high school teacher and worked at schools in Minnedosa and Gladstone, Manitoba teaching various subjects including, science, business, geography, history and physical education. Harry and his wife, had three daughters, Melinda, Beverley and Christina who were all born in Neepawa. When the family decided to move to the west coast, Harry was introduced to the grocery store business through an uncle who was a store operator. Around 1970, Harry purchased a grocery store at 4694 Canada Way in Burnaby which he named "Canada Way Food Market" and Harry and his daughters made their home at the back of the store. Harry owned and operated the store for approximately 40 years between 1970 and 2010. Around 1986, Harry purchased the butcher shop next door (4692 Canada Way) which was no longer in operation, expanding his store and adding a second storey to use a residence. Harry's children helped him operate the store throughout their childhood. In the early 1970s, corner stores were threatened by the spread of small chain-operated convenience stories from Eastern Canada to Vancouver. Formed in April 1972, the Fraser Merchants’ Association was established to protect the rights of corner store operators. With no paid legal help, the association was incorporated in Victoria, BC for the cost of 56 cents. The benefits of being a member of the association included warehouse and group purchasing, common advertising and other advantages of being part of an association. Founded by Gary Lee Ling and five others, Fraser Merchants’ Association’s first member was Graham Grocery. By 1978, the association represented over 200 corner stores in the Lower Mainland (Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Coquitlam, and New Westminster) and Fraser Valley. The association remained active into the 1980s and 1990s. Harry has served as President of the Fraser Merchants' Association from 1992 to present. Interviewer biography: Denise Fong is a historical researcher at Burnaby Village Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology (BA) and Archaeology (MA), and is completing her doctoral degree at UBC in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her primary research interests are in Chinese Canadian history and critical heritage studies. She is the co-curator of BVM’s “Across the Pacific” exhibition, and the Museum of Vancouver’s “A Seat at the Table – Chinese Immigration and British Columbia”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Migration
- Occupations - Teachers
- Occupations - Grocers
- Organizations
- Organizations - Business Associations
- Persons - Chinese Canadians
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores
- Names
- Toy, Christina
- Toy, Harry Wee Koon "Harry"
- Babey, Beverley
- Canada Way Food Market
- Fraser Merchants' Association
- Responsibility
- Fong, Denise
- Geographic Access
- Canada Way
- Street Address
- 4694 Canada Way
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.19
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Related Material
- See also: BV023.25 - Harry Toy fonds
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy, [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy, [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0019_002.mp3Interview with Lizette Pappas
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20334
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 7 Nov. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (137 min., 12 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (137 min., 12 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Lizette Pappas conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher James Binks on November 7, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:41:04 Lizette provides details on her family background in Greece, recalls her early childhood in Naxos, her families’ migrati…
- 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
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (137 min., 12 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (137 min., 12 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: James Binks Interviewees: Lizette Pappas Location of Interview: Fraser Wilson Room, Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: November 7, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 3 Total Length of all Tracks: 02:17:12 Digital master recordings (wav) were converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Lizette Pappas conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher James Binks on November 7, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:41:04 Lizette provides details on her family background in Greece, recalls her early childhood in Naxos, her families’ migration to Canada and their experiences as new immigrants living in Penticton. Lizette shares information about her husband including his Greek origins, his migration story, and how they met as well as information about their careers and raising their family in Burnaby. 41:05 – 01:10:52 Lizette talks about living in Penticton and helping out in the family restaurant business. Lizette describes some of the challenges that they faced and describes some of the foods that they served and reflects on what it means to be a Greek immigrant in British Columbia. 01:10:53– 01:36:32 Lizette talks about her life in Burnaby, her involvement with the Ladies Philoptochos Society, a back to your roots group, the Hellenic Community, the importance of sharing Greek culture, traditions and food with the younger generation and her experiences celebrating Greek culture while attending university. 01:36:33 – 01:54:39 Lizette talks more about her families’ life in Penticton as Greek immigrants, their experiences and accomplishments, her experiences visiting Greece after immigrating to Canada and her husbands’ experiences living in Greece. 01:54:40 – 02:03:59 Lizette reflects on the impacts of COVID in the restaurant industry, community building and urban development in Burnaby and makes comparisons to communities in Greece. 02:04:00 – 02:17:14 Talks about the origin of her name, shares the story of how her name evolved over time after she immigrated to Canada and shares examples of some of the traditional family names that have been passed down through generations.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Lizette Pappas was born in Apeiranthos on the island of Naxos in Greece in 1948 to parents Florio Vassilakakis and Paraskevi Vassilakis. In 1956, Lizette immigrated to Canada with her parents and her two older brothers. With the help of Lizette’s uncle, her family settled in Penticton and in 1958, Lizette’s younger sister was born. Lizette’s birth name was Elisa Vassilakakis but when she immigrated to Canada she was given the first name “Alice” on her immigration documents. Soon after, when she was enrolled in elementary school, her aunt suggested that she use the name “Lizette” instead of “Alice” and Lizette became the first name she’s continued to use since. While living in Penticton, Lizette’s parents first worked doing manual labour in the fruit industry before buying their own restaurant in 1968. Lizette obtained her teaching degree from the University of British Columbia. In 1972, Lizette met her future husband Basile Pappas and they were married in 1975. After marrying, Lizette and her husband settled in the Brentwood area of Burnaby and began raising their two children. Lizette, her husband and children moved back to Penticton in late 1979 to join her family running two restaurants and a nightclub. After a number of years, Lizette, her husband and two children returned to their home in the Brentwood area of Burnaby. Lizette has worked as a teacher with the Vancouver School Board and has been involved with various organizations including “Back to our Roots” and “Philoptochos Ladies Society”. Interviewer biography: James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Religions
- Organizations - Women's Societies and Clubs
- Persons - Greek Canadians
- Migration
- Buildings - Commercial - Restaurants
- Names
- Pappas, Elisa Alice "Lizette" Vassilakakis
- Vassilakakis, Florio
- Vassilakis, Paraskevi
- Love, John Agapitos
- Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society
- Hellenic Community of Vancouver
- Responsibility
- Binks, James
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.20
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 7 Nov. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcript available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Lizette Pappas, [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 7 Nov. 2023
Interview with Lizette Pappas, [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 7 Nov. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0020_004.mp3Walker family fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription78708
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1948-1957 (date of originals); 2013
- Collection/Fonds
- Walker family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 38 photographs (7 jpeg : col., 300 dpi ; 7 jpeg : col., 96 dpi ; 10 jpeg : b&w, 300 dpi ; 12 jpeg : b&w, 96 dpi). 1 drawing (jpeg) : col., 300 dpi ; 2 maps (jpeg) : col. ; 96 dpi ; 397.67 KB of textual records.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of 41 jpegs of original photographs (some include annotation), maps, and newspaper clippings pertaining to Scotty Walker, his family and the Inter-City Driving Range that he created.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1948-1957 (date of originals); 2013
- Collection/Fonds
- Walker family fonds
- Physical Description
- 38 photographs (7 jpeg : col., 300 dpi ; 7 jpeg : col., 96 dpi ; 10 jpeg : b&w, 300 dpi ; 12 jpeg : b&w, 96 dpi). 1 drawing (jpeg) : col., 300 dpi ; 2 maps (jpeg) : col. ; 96 dpi ; 397.67 KB of textual records.
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- 2013-15
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of 41 jpegs of original photographs (some include annotation), maps, and newspaper clippings pertaining to Scotty Walker, his family and the Inter-City Driving Range that he created.
- History
- Scotty Walker purchased the property at 974 12th Avenue in 1948 under the Veteran’s Land Act (VLA) grant from the government. He was in the Air Force during the Second World War. Previous to the purchase he ran a trucking business in New Westminster and lived at 1421 Nanaimo Street. The family consisted of Scotty, his wife Elizabeth, and three children, Alex, Barbara, and James. The land was overgrown with trees, scrub bushes, and a general swampy area. Scotty had the plan to build a Golf Driving Range, but it would take a lot of work. He owned three acres and leased three acres from the Lady of Mercy Church. Then they started working the land. The trees and scrub bush had to be removed and it was all done by hand. As the weather warmed and the swamp dried somewhat, Scotty got the idea to do selective burning. After many times doing this in small sections, the wind changed and the fire was headed for some houses on Tenth Avenue. The fire departments from New Westminster and Burnaby showed up and he was severely punished. It created other problems too. The land was swampy and when it dried, it was a peat bog, so the fire would burn down and turn up all over the place. That winter when the rains came, the land flooded and froze. The kids in the neighbourhood took advantage of the open spaces and brought out their skates. They had a great time. Some pigs were purchased with the idea that they could help dig up the roots and could be butchered later. Well they cleared the roots, but the kids all said they would not eat the pigs. The pigs were sold as they had become like pets. The land was then bulldozed into a berm on the 12th Street side of the land and a fence was built on top of the hill. The Walkers still had to clear the roots and branches that accumulated on the berm. The big problem was snakes. There were pits of water snakes that had been moved with the bulldozing. The family is not sure what happened with the snakes but eventually they moved. The area that would have been to the left of the property was still a swamp, so maybe they went there. The Walkers built drainage ditches through the land and let it drain to the natural slope toward Eighth Street. Construction on the Golf Range started and the grass was seeded. The “Inter-City Golf Range” opened on June 16, 1951. It had been a long hard road for the whole family but it worked out quite well. There was no automatic machine picking up balls, it was all done by hand and washed in a washing machine. Eventually they got Shag Bags that helped some but it was a huge job. The Golf Range ran for a few years and then Burnaby had a very sunny summer and the sun was in the patrons' eyes. So Scotty decided to move the buildings to the 12th Avenue part of the land. The club house and coffee shop was moved. The family took the building apart board by board and reconstructed it at the other end of the land. This worked well. All this had been accomplished on a shoestring budget as there was no big money behind anything. The Walkers cut the grass with gas hand mowers, washed the balls with the washing machine, and worked very long hours. Then the Catholic Church decided not to renew the lease. The family had worked so hard and now Scotty’s dream was dashed. It was a devastating time. Eventually the property was sold to the Christian Brothers and the buildings to Gus Brown in Richmond. The church bought the land for $25,000, in 1957. The end of the dream was very hard on everyone. Eventually life went on. It is sad that Scotty was just so far ahead of his time. He was a small man about 5’6" and about 140 pounds but had dreams as big as anyone and worked like three men to accomplish his dream. The cleared land was eventually developed into Saint Thomas Moore School. Biography provided by B. Kromm
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Creator
- Walker family
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- Photo catalogue 557
Murdock and Lillian McMurray interview November 17, 1975 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory244
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1906-1975
- Length
- 0:09:00
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of riding the tram as a young man and briefly, of working for Ed Brown. Murdock mentions Reeve Byrne and the development of first water system in Burnaby. He also discusses Gilley Brother's Logging Company practices near his fath…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of riding the tram as a young man and briefly, of working for Ed Brown. Murdock mentions Reeve Byrne and the development of first water system in Burnaby. He also discusses Gilley Brother's Logging Company practices near his father's ranch of six acres, which grew mostly strawberries to sell in Vancouver.
- Date Range
- 1906-1975
- Photo Info
- Emerson Doran (left) and Murdoch McMurray, 1917. Item no. 229-004
- Length
- 0:09:00
- Subjects
- Agriculture - Fruit and Berries
- Geographic Access
- Imperial Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Kingsway-Beresford Area
- Interviewer
- McGeachie, Doreen “Pixie”
- Interview Date
- November 17, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Murdock McMurray and his wife Lillian (Wray) McMurray conducted by Pixie McGeachie on November 17, 1975. Major themes discussed are: Burnaby's development, the Wray Shoe store and Murdock McMurray's cordwood delivery business.
- Biographical Notes
- Murdock McMurray was born in Vancouver in 1892 to Wilhelmina May and Robert William McMurray. Other children in the family included older siblings John “Jack” and Margaret Lillian, younger siblings Minnie May born May 4, 1895 and Hampton born June 8, 1902. Murdock’s father Robert worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) but retired shortly after moving his family to Burnaby in 1906. He bought six acres of land of what had been previously the Gilley Ranch, the base of operations for Gilley Bros. Ltd. at 2519 Windsor Street (later renumbered and renamed to the 6400 block Imperial Street). Murdock McMurray quit school early to apprentice as a printer. By sixteen he had left the trade and gone into partnership with his older brother Jack. With a team of horses, harness and a wagon, the brothers helped to macadamize roads, haul building supplies for new homes, deliver cord wood for heating, clear land and excavate basements. When Jack McMurray set off to serve overseas during World War I as a driver in the engineer corps, Murdock bought his team of horses and continued working, mainly in the Deer Lake district. In 1916 Murdoch McMurray partnered with Emerson Doran, nephew of the owner of Doran's Mill to buy Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard. As everything was geared towards the war effort, Murdock and Emerson soon ran out of work and had to sell the business. Murdock sold off his horses and equipment and went to work at the ship yard on Pitt River. By 1919 Jack McMurray had returned home from overseas and was working as a fireman at the Shull Lumber and Shingle Mill on the Fraser River. In 1921, he and Murdock teamed up with Emerson Doran and repurchased the Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard which they ran together until 1947. Murdock McMurray married Lillian Wray on September 17, 1925. Lillian was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wray, who came to settle in the Jubilee area of Burnaby in 1919. The family lived on Dow Road and Edward Wray operated Jubilee Shoe Store and Post Office. He was known throughout the district as "Wray - The Shoe Man." Mrs. Wray died in 1957 at the age of eight-six and Edward Wray died January 14, 1967 at age of ninety-three. Murdock and Lillian lived at Inverness Street (now Arcola) and raised three children together, Bob, Jack and Bessie. Murdock McMurray died in New Westminster on April 28, 1985 at the age of ninety-two. Lillian Ethel (Wray) McMurray died in Burnaby on February 28, 1986 at the age of eighty-seven.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 0:58:55
- Interviewee Name
- McMurray, Lillian Wray
- McMurray, Murdoch
- Interviewer Bio
- Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie was a resident of Burnaby for over sixty years. Pixie married John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie and raised their children Kathi (Dunlop) and David McGeachie in the house the couple built themselves in 1947. Pixie served as the editor for the Burnaby Examiner newspaper and wrote a column entitled "Burnaby History" for The News. In 1974 she authored her first book titled "Bygones of Burnaby" which was one of the first to develop anecdotal stories about pioneer life in Burnaby. She authored "Burnaby - A Proud Century" in 1992 and in 2002 she wrote a biography of the city's namesake in the book "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's letters from Colonial B.C." She also contributed many hours of volunteering; helping to establish Burnaby's first museum Heritage Village in 1971, serving as President of the Burnaby Historical Society from 1991-1993. She served a six year term on Burnaby's Heritage Commission leading the charge to preserve many historic sites throughout the city, and during her twenty years as the Community Archives volunteer archivist for the historical society, she succeeded in gathering thousands of rare and valuable historic photographs and documents which now forms the core of the photograph collection on the Heritage Burnaby website (as these items were donated by the Society to the City Archives in 2007). The City of Burnaby awarded Pixie McGeachie the Kushiro Cup as Citizen of the year in 2002. In 2006 she received a Heritage BC project award for leading the Friends of Interurban 1223 project, and in 2008 Heritage BC recognised her again by presenting her with the Ruby Nobb Award. John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie died October 12, 1981 at the age of sixty-seven. Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie died August 14, 2010 at the age of eighty-nine. On 24 September, 2011, the City of Burnaby dedicated the reading at the City Archives in honour of Pixie and formally named it the Pixie McGeachie Reading Room in recognition of her years of service to the community.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray
Track two of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-010/MSS137-010_Track_2.mp3
Murdock and Lillian McMurray interview November 17, 1975 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory245
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1904-1975
- Length
- 0:09:45
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's opinion of shopping at a store in the present day. He mentions George Green's book "History of Burnaby", the Royal Oak Hotel and the development of Alta Vista. As well, Murdock mentions his father Robert William McMurray. Lillian (Wray) M…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's opinion of shopping at a store in the present day. He mentions George Green's book "History of Burnaby", the Royal Oak Hotel and the development of Alta Vista. As well, Murdock mentions his father Robert William McMurray. Lillian (Wray) McMurray is heard helping her husband with these descriptions.
- Date Range
- 1904-1975
- Photo Info
- Emerson Doran (left) and Murdoch McMurray, 1917. Item no. 229-004
- Length
- 0:09:45
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- McGeachie, Doreen “Pixie”
- Interview Date
- November 17, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Murdock McMurray and his wife Lillian (Wray) McMurray conducted by Pixie McGeachie on November 17, 1975. Major themes discussed are: Burnaby's development, the Wray Shoe store and Murdock McMurray's cordwood delivery business.
- Biographical Notes
- Murdock McMurray was born in Vancouver in 1892 to Wilhelmina May and Robert William McMurray. Other children in the family included older siblings John “Jack” and Margaret Lillian, younger siblings Minnie May born May 4, 1895 and Hampton born June 8, 1902. Murdock’s father Robert worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) but retired shortly after moving his family to Burnaby in 1906. He bought six acres of land of what had been previously the Gilley Ranch, the base of operations for Gilley Bros. Ltd. at 2519 Windsor Street (later renumbered and renamed to the 6400 block Imperial Street). Murdock McMurray quit school early to apprentice as a printer. By sixteen he had left the trade and gone into partnership with his older brother Jack. With a team of horses, harness and a wagon, the brothers helped to macadamize roads, haul building supplies for new homes, deliver cord wood for heating, clear land and excavate basements. When Jack McMurray set off to serve overseas during World War I as a driver in the engineer corps, Murdock bought his team of horses and continued working, mainly in the Deer Lake district. In 1916 Murdoch McMurray partnered with Emerson Doran, nephew of the owner of Doran's Mill to buy Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard. As everything was geared towards the war effort, Murdock and Emerson soon ran out of work and had to sell the business. Murdock sold off his horses and equipment and went to work at the ship yard on Pitt River. By 1919 Jack McMurray had returned home from overseas and was working as a fireman at the Shull Lumber and Shingle Mill on the Fraser River. In 1921, he and Murdock teamed up with Emerson Doran and repurchased the Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard which they ran together until 1947. Murdock McMurray married Lillian Wray on September 17, 1925. Lillian was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wray, who came to settle in the Jubilee area of Burnaby in 1919. The family lived on Dow Road and Edward Wray operated Jubilee Shoe Store and Post Office. He was known throughout the district as "Wray - The Shoe Man." Mrs. Wray died in 1957 at the age of eight-six and Edward Wray died January 14, 1967 at age of ninety-three. Murdock and Lillian lived at Inverness Street (now Arcola) and raised three children together, Bob, Jack and Bessie. Murdock McMurray died in New Westminster on April 28, 1985 at the age of ninety-two. Lillian Ethel (Wray) McMurray died in Burnaby on February 28, 1986 at the age of eighty-seven.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 0:58:55
- Interviewee Name
- McMurray, Lillian Wray
- McMurray, Murdoch
- Interviewer Bio
- Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie was a resident of Burnaby for over sixty years. Pixie married John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie and raised their children Kathi (Dunlop) and David McGeachie in the house the couple built themselves in 1947. Pixie served as the editor for the Burnaby Examiner newspaper and wrote a column entitled "Burnaby History" for The News. In 1974 she authored her first book titled "Bygones of Burnaby" which was one of the first to develop anecdotal stories about pioneer life in Burnaby. She authored "Burnaby - A Proud Century" in 1992 and in 2002 she wrote a biography of the city's namesake in the book "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's letters from Colonial B.C." She also contributed many hours of volunteering; helping to establish Burnaby's first museum Heritage Village in 1971, serving as President of the Burnaby Historical Society from 1991-1993. She served a six year term on Burnaby's Heritage Commission leading the charge to preserve many historic sites throughout the city, and during her twenty years as the Community Archives volunteer archivist for the historical society, she succeeded in gathering thousands of rare and valuable historic photographs and documents which now forms the core of the photograph collection on the Heritage Burnaby website (as these items were donated by the Society to the City Archives in 2007). The City of Burnaby awarded Pixie McGeachie the Kushiro Cup as Citizen of the year in 2002. In 2006 she received a Heritage BC project award for leading the Friends of Interurban 1223 project, and in 2008 Heritage BC recognised her again by presenting her with the Ruby Nobb Award. John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie died October 12, 1981 at the age of sixty-seven. Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie died August 14, 2010 at the age of eighty-nine. On 24 September, 2011, the City of Burnaby dedicated the reading at the City Archives in honour of Pixie and formally named it the Pixie McGeachie Reading Room in recognition of her years of service to the community.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray
Track three of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-010/MSS137-010_Track_3.mp3