Narrow Results By
Decade
- 2020s 55
- 2010s
- 2000s 166
- 1990s 240
- 1980s 210
- 1970s 573
- 1960s 289
- 1950s 289
- 1940s
- 1930s 215
- 1920s 344
- 1910s 140
- 1900s 67
- 1890s 27
- 1880s 11
- 1870s 6
- 1860s 6
- 1850s 4
- 1840s 2
- 1830s 2
- 1820s 2
- 1810s 3
- 1800s 3
- 1790s 3
- 1780s 3
- 1770s 3
- 1760s 3
- 1750s 3
- 1740s 3
- 1730s 3
- 1720s 3
- 1710s 3
- 1700s 3
- 1690s 3
- 1680s 3
- 1670s 2
- 1660s 2
- 1650s 2
- 1640s 2
- 1630s 2
- 1620s 2
- 1610s 2
- 1600s 2
- 1590s 1
- 1580s 1
- 1570s 1
- 1560s 1
- 1550s 1
- 1540s 1
- 1530s 1
- 1520s 2
- 1510s 1
- 1500s 1
- 1490s 1
- 1480s 1
![The Bird's Paradise, Vancouver, BC, [between 1930 and 1945] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/1985/1985_6012_0001_001.jpg?width=280)
The Bird's Paradise, Vancouver, BC
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3221
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1930 and 1945]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w postcard hand-tinted into col.
- Scope and Content
- Photographic postcard of an unidentified man in tweed suit smoking a pipe.There are birds resting on his head, on his pipe and hand, on his shoulder and his forearm. The birds on his hand have been coloured red, and the others are coloured yellow. A caption to the photograph reads: The Birds' Para…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w postcard hand-tinted into col.
- Material Details
- inscribed in the original negative, printed on recto, c. r. "The Birds' Paradise,/ Vancouver, B.C./ No. 2.", l.l. "[copyright c with circle]" printed on verso, t. "MADE IN CANADA BY THE GOWEN, SUTTON CO. LTD., VANCOUVER, B. C."
- Scope and Content
- Photographic postcard of an unidentified man in tweed suit smoking a pipe.There are birds resting on his head, on his pipe and hand, on his shoulder and his forearm. The birds on his hand have been coloured red, and the others are coloured yellow. A caption to the photograph reads: The Birds' Paradise / Vancouver, B.C. / No. 2.
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Accession Code
- BV985.6012.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [between 1930 and 1945]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 2024-02-27
- Photographer
- Gowen Sutton Company Limited
- Notes
- Title based on contents of postcard
Images
![The Bird's Paradise, Vancouver, BC, [between 1930 and 1945] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/1985/1985_6012_0001_001.jpg)
Interview with John Ferguson July 3, 1975 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory181
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1931-1940
- Length
- 0:08:41
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's description of the visibility of the Unemployed in the Vancouver Heights neighbourhood. He also describes the few items in his store that could be bought with script.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's description of the visibility of the Unemployed in the Vancouver Heights neighbourhood. He also describes the few items in his store that could be bought with script.
- Date Range
- 1931-1940
- Length
- 0:08:41
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- McLeod, Ross S.
- Interview Date
- July 3, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with John Ferguson by history student Ross S. McLeod, July 3, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression.
- Biographical Notes
- John Ferguson was born in Glasgow in 1900. He came to Canada with his family in 1910, and settled on Vancouver Island. In 1931 John Ferguson purchased the hardware store on the 3900 block of Hastings Street.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:32:21
- Interviewee Name
- Ferguson, John
- 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.
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with John Ferguson
Track two of interview with John Ferguson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-18/100-13-18_Track_2.mp3Interview with John Ferguson July 3, 1975 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory182
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1931-1940
- Length
- 0:07:44
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's opinion of Reeve William A. Pritchard and the municipal politics of the time. He also discusses the sentiment he felt among the Unemployed.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's opinion of Reeve William A. Pritchard and the municipal politics of the time. He also discusses the sentiment he felt among the Unemployed.
- Date Range
- 1931-1940
- Length
- 0:07:44
- Names
- Pritchard, William A.
- Subjects
- Organizations
- Interviewer
- McLeod, Ross S.
- Interview Date
- July 3, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with John Ferguson by history student Ross S. McLeod, July 3, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression.
- Biographical Notes
- John Ferguson was born in Glasgow in 1900. He came to Canada with his family in 1910, and settled on Vancouver Island. In 1931 John Ferguson purchased the hardware store on the 3900 block of Hastings Street.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:32:21
- Interviewee Name
- Ferguson, John
- 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.
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with John Ferguson
Track three of interview with John Ferguson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-18/100-13-18_Track_3.mp3
Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory353
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1931-1952
- Length
- 0:10:41
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of growing up in Burnaby. He discusses the activities that he and his friends would take part in, including soapbox racing and skating. Bob mentions school teachers from his elementary school years, training to be an Army Cadet …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of growing up in Burnaby. He discusses the activities that he and his friends would take part in, including soapbox racing and skating. Bob mentions school teachers from his elementary school years, training to be an Army Cadet during the war years and his career after high school.
- Date Range
- 1931-1952
- Photo Info
- Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
- Length
- 0:10:41
- Subjects
- Recreational Activities
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 5, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Robert "Bob" Lowe conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 5, 2012. Major theme discussed: the rise of the automobile and its effect on development in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Robert "Bob" Lowe has lived his entire life in Burnaby. During his childhood, Bob’s family lived at several addresses near Royal Oak and what is now Canada Way. He attended Douglas Road Elementary and South Burnaby High Schools. After graduating, Bob worked for a few years before enrolling in Normal School for a teaching certificate. He began teaching in Vancouver, married in 1952, and started a family. The Lowes moved to Government Road in 1961 and began a hobby farm, while Bob upgraded his formal education and became an administrator in the new college system.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:36:54
- Interviewee Name
- Lowe, Robert "Bob"
- Interview Location
- Interviewee's residence
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track one of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
Track one of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_1.mp3
Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory356
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1931-1955
- Length
- 0:06:55
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of what it was like in the nineteen-thirties and forties for working people in Burnaby. Bob also discusses the history of Burnaby Lake.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of what it was like in the nineteen-thirties and forties for working people in Burnaby. Bob also discusses the history of Burnaby Lake.
- Date Range
- 1931-1955
- Photo Info
- Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
- Length
- 0:06:55
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Lake
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 5, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Robert "Bob" Lowe conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 5, 2012. Major theme discussed: the rise of the automobile and its effect on development in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Robert "Bob" Lowe has lived his entire life in Burnaby. During his childhood, Bob’s family lived at several addresses near Royal Oak and what is now Canada Way. He attended Douglas Road Elementary and South Burnaby High Schools. After graduating, Bob worked for a few years before enrolling in Normal School for a teaching certificate. He began teaching in Vancouver, married in 1952, and started a family. The Lowes moved to Government Road in 1961 and began a hobby farm, while Bob upgraded his formal education and became an administrator in the new college system.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:36:54
- Interviewee Name
- Lowe, Robert "Bob"
- Interview Location
- Interviewee's residence
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
Track four of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_4.mp3Interview 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 Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon July 9, 1975 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory94
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1932-1943
- Length
- 0:07:55
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles and May Purdon's memories of the Burnaby government going into receivership. The Purdons discuss their neighbours' jobs and the employment situation at the time.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles and May Purdon's memories of the Burnaby government going into receivership. The Purdons discuss their neighbours' jobs and the employment situation at the time.
- Date Range
- 1932-1943
- Length
- 0:07:55
- Subjects
- Officials - Commissioners
- Geographic Access
- Edmonds Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- July 9, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon by SFU graduate student Bettina Bradbury July 9, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression and Canadian politics. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- May Eliza was born in London, England in 1907. She came out to Regina with her family when she was eleven. Charles A. Purdon was born February 28, 1904 in London, England. He came to Canada in 1925 from China where he had been working as an accountant for the previous three years. Charles first came to Vancouver and joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) but within a week he was sent to Regina. This is where he met May. May and Charles got married in 1926 and Charles began working as an accountant for the Saskatchewan Wheat Growers, then for the Canadian Wool Growers before being laid off. In October of 1930, Charles and May left Regina for Vancouver Island. Charles drove himself out and May rode the train with her children; twin boys and a daughter, only one year apart. They settled at May’s parent’s second house in Coombs. The Purdons arrived in Burnaby in December of 1932 and rented a house on Edmonds Street. Charles was unable to do road work and instead found work through the Liberal Party and also with the Municipal engineers indoors on a number of projects. In 1938 the Purdons were able to get into a reverted house built by Ernie Winch at Maple Avenue (then Jubilee) and Nelson Avenue that had nine bedrooms. They paid ten dollars a month to the municipality for use of this property. May Eliza Purdon died April 6, 1983 at the age of seventy-six.
- Total Length
- 1:40:03
- Interviewee Name
- Purdon, Charles A.
- Purdon, May Eliza
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- 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.
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
Track four of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-19/100-13-19_Track_4.mp3Interview with Reidun Seim by Kathy Bossort January 13, 2016 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory651
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1932-1950
- Length
- 0:03:10
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about the location of the Seim property on Curtis Street in the 7300 block (originally 7100 block) at the base of Burnaby Mountain, and her memory of the drainage ditches full of running water from Burnaby Mountain on Curtis, Augusta and Un…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about the location of the Seim property on Curtis Street in the 7300 block (originally 7100 block) at the base of Burnaby Mountain, and her memory of the drainage ditches full of running water from Burnaby Mountain on Curtis, Augusta and Union Streets.
- Date Range
- 1932-1950
- Length
- 0:03:10
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Ditches
- Geographic Access
- Curtis Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 13, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 2:35:58
- Interviewee Name
- Seim, Reidun
- Interview Location
- Burnaby City Hall in the Law Library
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Reidun Seim
Track two of interview with Reidun Seim
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-017/MSS196-017_Track_2.mp3![Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/251/307-008.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Charles B. Brown May 21, 1975 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory33
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1933-1942
- Length
- 0:06:35
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's impressions of various Commissioners.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's impressions of various Commissioners.
- Date Range
- 1933-1942
- Photo Info
- Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008
- Length
- 0:06:35
- Subjects
- Officials - Commissioners
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- May 21, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles B. Brown by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury May 21, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression, the Commissioner and municipal politics in general. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Charles Boyer Brown was born on June 16, 1894 in the town of Ongar, Essex, England. He came to Canada as a young child with his parents Jean and Percy Brown. In 1903, the family settled in New Westminster and by 1911, Charles had joined the Burnaby municipal staff working as an office boy. The outbreak of World War One interrupted Charlie’s career as he immediately enlisted with the Royal Engineers and served from 1915 to 1918. While overseas he met and married Lillian Bernice Bryan and they returned to Canada together after the war and Charles resumed his position in municipal administration. For a short time, Charles was appointed as the Municipal Assessor, but in 1927 he became the Assistant Municipal Clerk. In 1933, Charles was made Municipal Clerk, a post he held until he retired in 1959. Charles has also been credited with playing a significant role in administering the city while it was under the rule of the provincial commission from 1932-1942. Recognized for his expertise in civic affairs, Charles was appointed by the provincial government to a committee formed to review and revise the Municipal Act. He was also a member of the BC Municipal Officers’ Association from its formation in 1936 and was made its chair in 1953. While these civic duties occupied much of his time, Charles still managed to participate as a volunteer on many sport and youth clubs in the city and served as the secretary for the Kingsway Rotary Club. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Burnaby, both paid and volunteer, Charles was presented with the Gold Key award in 1959, the same year he finally retired from municipal administration. During Charles’ lifetime, many changes took place in the Municipality that he loved. He saw Burnaby grow in population and progress and he could be proud of the significant part he played in that growth and development. Charles Brown died on August 11, 1981.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:58:01
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Charles B. "Charlie"
- Interview Location
- Walker Avenue
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Transcript Available
- None
- 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
![Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/251/307-008.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Charles B. Brown
Track seven of interview with Charles B. Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-06/100-13-06_Track_7.mp3
Interview with Merrill M. Gordon by Rod Fowler March 19, 1990 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory472
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1934-1942
- Length
- 00:04:58
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s parents’ unsuccessful first attempt to move to British Columbia in 1934 in the Depression, being turned back by the provincial police, and the successful second attempt by bus. The interview continues with description of the family’s difficult…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s parents’ unsuccessful first attempt to move to British Columbia in 1934 in the Depression, being turned back by the provincial police, and the successful second attempt by bus. The interview continues with description of the family’s difficulties, what Lochdale looked like in the 1930s, his father’s work at Kapoor sawmill in Barnet, and Merrill Gordon’s early education.
- Date Range
- 1934-1942
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263
- Length
- 00:04:58
- Names
- Kapoor Sawmill
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 19, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Merrill Gordon, conducted by Rod Fowler.Gordon Merrill was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Merrill Gordon’s childhood in the Depression, including his story about the family’s difficult trek to Burnaby from Alberta; his education, teachers and first volunteer activities at Grandview High School; his career at Fleck Brothers and the start of his own company Blaze Industries and later work in India; and his many volunteer activities in Burnaby. He describes how he started the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, the soccer club's subsequent growth and development, some of the people involved, and the founding of the youth soccer exchange. He also describes his work on the Parks Board and in the arts community, including the 1987 arts centre referendum, and involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society (1988- ), and mentions his work for other groups including the New Vista Society, library board, and Burnaby Mental Health Committee. He also talks about his political career with the Better Burnaby Committee and Burnaby Voters Association, resulting in his 1972 election to Burnaby’s 1973 council. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Merrill M. Gordon was born in Saskatchewan in 1929 to parents farming north of North Battleford. After a fifth year of crop failure the family of four left the farm in 1934 to join relatives living near the corner of Union and Sperling in Burnaby. With little resources the family adapted as well as possible in the Depression years, moving often in the East Vancouver/North Burnaby area in an attempt to better their situation. Merrill’s father obtained work at sawmills including Kapoor’s Sawmill at Barnet, walking to work over Burnaby Mountain. After attending numerous public schools, Merrill Gordon eventually spent three years at Templeton School and then completed his education at Grandview High School of Commerce, majoring in accounting and commercial law. He worked a few years at Canadian Industries Ltd., then joined Fleck Brothers. In 1965 Merrill Gordon and his wife started their own company Blaze Industries of Canada that manufactured wood burning fireplaces, selling the company to AB Electrolux in 1980. After a short retirement, Merrill Gordon went back to work in 1981 for a company manufacturing solar panels, one project taking him and his wife intermittently to India over a four year period. Merrill Gordon helped found the political group Better Burnaby Committee, later the Burnaby Voters Association, with Alan Emmott and Bill Lewarne, ran for Burnaby Municipal Council and served one year as councillor in 1973. Merrill Gordon is well known for his over 40 years of volunteer work in Burnaby, particularly as founder in 1956 and director of the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, one of the largest soccer clubs in BC. He was also the founder of Burnaby Youth Soccer and the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State. His other volunteer work includes library trustee, Parks Commissioner (1987-1992), Director of New Vista Home for Seniors, Chair of campaign raising funds for building Shadbolt Arts Centre, and Chair of the Burnaby Mental Health Committee. In 1988 Merrill Gordon, Betty Gordon, Dean Lamont and several others formed the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which advocated for the return of unused land to Burnaby from SFU and the subsequent creation of Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Merrill Gordon and Elizabeth Balfour (nee Leitch) (1926-2012) married in 1953 and had two children.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 1:31:44
- Interviewee Name
- Gordon, Merrill
- Interview Location
- unknown
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Merrill Gordon
Track one of interview with Merrill Gordon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-020/MSS187-020_Track_1.mp3
Interview with Merrill M. Gordon by Rod Fowler March 19, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory473
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1934-1942
- Length
- 00:06:11
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s parents’ background and farm in Saskatchewan, and how the family arrived in Burnaby in 1934 with 56 cents at the Adam’s Dairy Farm near Union and Sperling.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s parents’ background and farm in Saskatchewan, and how the family arrived in Burnaby in 1934 with 56 cents at the Adam’s Dairy Farm near Union and Sperling.
- Date Range
- 1934-1942
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263
- Length
- 00:06:11
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 19, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Merrill Gordon, conducted by Rod Fowler.Gordon Merrill was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Merrill Gordon’s childhood in the Depression, including his story about the family’s difficult trek to Burnaby from Alberta; his education, teachers and first volunteer activities at Grandview High School; his career at Fleck Brothers and the start of his own company Blaze Industries and later work in India; and his many volunteer activities in Burnaby. He describes how he started the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, the soccer club's subsequent growth and development, some of the people involved, and the founding of the youth soccer exchange. He also describes his work on the Parks Board and in the arts community, including the 1987 arts centre referendum, and involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society (1988- ), and mentions his work for other groups including the New Vista Society, library board, and Burnaby Mental Health Committee. He also talks about his political career with the Better Burnaby Committee and Burnaby Voters Association, resulting in his 1972 election to Burnaby’s 1973 council. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Merrill M. Gordon was born in Saskatchewan in 1929 to parents farming north of North Battleford. After a fifth year of crop failure the family of four left the farm in 1934 to join relatives living near the corner of Union and Sperling in Burnaby. With little resources the family adapted as well as possible in the Depression years, moving often in the East Vancouver/North Burnaby area in an attempt to better their situation. Merrill’s father obtained work at sawmills including Kapoor’s Sawmill at Barnet, walking to work over Burnaby Mountain. After attending numerous public schools, Merrill Gordon eventually spent three years at Templeton School and then completed his education at Grandview High School of Commerce, majoring in accounting and commercial law. He worked a few years at Canadian Industries Ltd., then joined Fleck Brothers. In 1965 Merrill Gordon and his wife started their own company Blaze Industries of Canada that manufactured wood burning fireplaces, selling the company to AB Electrolux in 1980. After a short retirement, Merrill Gordon went back to work in 1981 for a company manufacturing solar panels, one project taking him and his wife intermittently to India over a four year period. Merrill Gordon helped found the political group Better Burnaby Committee, later the Burnaby Voters Association, with Alan Emmott and Bill Lewarne, ran for Burnaby Municipal Council and served one year as councillor in 1973. Merrill Gordon is well known for his over 40 years of volunteer work in Burnaby, particularly as founder in 1956 and director of the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, one of the largest soccer clubs in BC. He was also the founder of Burnaby Youth Soccer and the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State. His other volunteer work includes library trustee, Parks Commissioner (1987-1992), Director of New Vista Home for Seniors, Chair of campaign raising funds for building Shadbolt Arts Centre, and Chair of the Burnaby Mental Health Committee. In 1988 Merrill Gordon, Betty Gordon, Dean Lamont and several others formed the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which advocated for the return of unused land to Burnaby from SFU and the subsequent creation of Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Merrill Gordon and Elizabeth Balfour (nee Leitch) (1926-2012) married in 1953 and had two children.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 1:31:44
- Interviewee Name
- Gordon, Merrill
- Interview Location
- unknown
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Merrill Gordon
Track two of interview with Merrill Gordon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-020/MSS187-020_Track_2.mp3Interview with Reidun Seim by Kathy Bossort January 13, 2016 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory652
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1934-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about her father’s chicken farm. She describes the farm buildings, other animals on the farm, and how her father operated the chicken farm, especially his approach to keeping the chickens disease free. She also talks about cutting down the …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about her father’s chicken farm. She describes the farm buildings, other animals on the farm, and how her father operated the chicken farm, especially his approach to keeping the chickens disease free. She also talks about cutting down the alder at the back of the property for the chicken run, and building rock walls and a driveway with rocks taken off the property. She also describes how the property was subdivided in the 1980s.
- Date Range
- 1934-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Subjects
- Occupations - Farmers
- Animals - Poultry
- Geographic Access
- Curtis Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 13, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 2:35:58
- Interviewee Name
- Seim, Reidun
- Interview Location
- Burnaby City Hall in the Law Library
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Reidun Seim
Track three of interview with Reidun Seim
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-017/MSS196-017_Track_3.mp3Interview with Georgia and Alex Chronakis
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20395
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Georgia Chronakis and her son Alex Chronakis conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher James Binks on November 8, 2023. 00:00:00 - 00:08:39 Georgia and her son share biographical details about Georgia and her husband Louis Chronak…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Material Details
- Interviewer: James Binks Interviewees: Alex Chronakis and Georgia Chronakis Location of Interview: Fraser Wilson Room, Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: November 8, 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 Georgia Chronakis and her son Alex Chronakis conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher James Binks on November 8, 2023. 00:00:00 - 00:08:39 Georgia and her son share biographical details about Georgia and her husband Louis Chronakis, including their Greek background, migration to Canada, marriage, children, Louis’ career as a mechanic and gas station owner and owning restaurants in White Rock and Burnaby. 00:08:40 - 00:13:59 Georgia and her son Alex recall the great memories of owning and operating their restaurant Mionas Taverna and share details of their family life in Burnaby and White Rock. 00:14:00 - 00:19:15 Alex and Georgia talk about Louis Chronakis' work experience and how he became involved in the restaurant business. They share their experiences of operating Minoas Taverna including their opening in 1986. 00:19:16 - 00:36:59 Alex and Georgia describe some of the foods that were on the menu of Minoas Taverna, the design of the restaurant, the Minoan history that it’s based on, memories of running the restaurant and why they decided to close. 00:37:00 – 00:41:52 Alex talks about his involvement with Greek festivals in Vancouver and Alex and Georgia reflect on their life in the future now that the restaurant has closed.
- History
- Interviewees biographies: Georgia Giannias Chronakis was born in Selassia, Sparta, Greece in 1941 and when she was sixteen years of age she moved to Athens. In 1964 Georgia immigrated to Canada and lived in Montreal before moving to Vancouver a few years later. In 1966, while living in Vancouver, she met and married Ilias "Louis" Chronakis who was born in Crete, Greece. Soon after marrying, Georgia and Louis Chronakis bought a house located at 3823 Kingsway and welcomed their first child, Anna. Four years later, Georgia and Louis moved to White Rock but continued to own their house on Kingsway and rented it out. While living in White Rock, they had three more children named Virginia, Alex and Ellie. Louis was a trained mechanic working independently and for various companies including CP Air, BC Ferries and Esso before deciding to get into the restaurant business. He partnered with another businessman to open a Mr. Mike's franchise and later a cafe and Greek restaurant in White Rock. In 1986, Georgia, Louis and family moved back to Burnaby and moved into a house on Sandall Street and began converting their former home on Kingsway into a restaurant which they named Minoas Greek Taverna (Minoas Taverna). They opened the restaurant on May 1, 1986, just one day before Expo '86 was opened. In 2023, after 37 years of running their restaurant they sold their business but continued to own the land and building on Kingsway. Alex Chronakis is the son of Georgia and Louis Chronakis and was born in 1972. Alex has spent time working with his family running their restaurant and has been involved in the Greek Day Festival in Vancouver. 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
- Foods
- Occupations
- Occupations - Entrepreneurs
- Occupations - Mechanics
- Buildings - Commercial - Restaurants
- Buildings - Commercial - Service Stations
- Migration
- Persons - Greek Canadians
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Smith Avenue
- Street Address
- 3823 Kingsway
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.21
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Georgia and Alex Chronakis, [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
Interview with Georgia and Alex Chronakis, [1934-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Nov. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0021_002.mp3![Burnaby South High School class, Kay O'Cook (later Jackson) is in the middle row, third from the right, [1952]. Item no. 549-038. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-038.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Kay Jackson by Eric Damer October 16, 2012 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory346
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1935-1956
- Length
- 0:10:23
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Kay (O'Cook) Jackson's memories of growing up in Burnaby. She mentions her parents' Radio Repair Shop on Kingsway and talks about different activities she would take part in with her friends. Kay also speaks fondly of Burnaby South High School and of her fi…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Kay (O'Cook) Jackson's memories of growing up in Burnaby. She mentions her parents' Radio Repair Shop on Kingsway and talks about different activities she would take part in with her friends. Kay also speaks fondly of Burnaby South High School and of her first years in the work force.
- Date Range
- 1935-1956
- Photo Info
- Burnaby South High School class, Kay O'Cook (later Jackson) is in the middle row, third from the right, [1952]. Item no. 549-038.
- Length
- 0:10:23
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial - Stores
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 16, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Kay (O'Cook) Jackson conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 16, 2012. Major themes discussed are: growing up in Burnaby and volunteering at the Burnaby Hospital.
- Biographical Notes
- Fred O'Cook operated a radio repair shop on Kingsway near McKay Avenue in Burnaby. In 1935, his daughter, Kay O'Cook (later Jackson) was born. Kay attended Kingsway West Elementary School and then Burnaby South High School. After graduating, she worked at Sears for a few years; in Vancouver and then in Burnaby when the new Sears department store opened on Kingsway. Kay (O'Cook) Jackson met her husband, Michigan-born Don Jackson through mutual friends. After their marriage, Don Jackson emigrated to Canada, and he and Kay bought a new house in Cascade Heights near Burnaby Hospital where they raised their three daughters.
- Total Tracks
- 3
- Total Length
- 0:34:36
- Interviewee Name
- Jackson, Kay O'Cook
- Interview Location
- Interviewee's residence
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
![Burnaby South High School class, Kay O'Cook (later Jackson) is in the middle row, third from the right, [1952]. Item no. 549-038. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-038.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track one of recording of interview with Kay Jackson
Track one of recording of interview with Kay Jackson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-014/MSS171-014_Track_1.mp3
Interview with Merrill M. Gordon by Rod Fowler March 19, 1990 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory476
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1935-1956
- Length
- 00:04:56
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s marriage and move to Burnaby in 1953, and settling at the house near Cliff Avenue United Church in 1956. He talks about his first encounters with volunteering at Ratepayer meetings attended by his father, and in dance and drama activities at s…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s marriage and move to Burnaby in 1953, and settling at the house near Cliff Avenue United Church in 1956. He talks about his first encounters with volunteering at Ratepayer meetings attended by his father, and in dance and drama activities at school.
- Date Range
- 1935-1956
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263
- Length
- 00:04:56
- Subjects
- Persons - Volunteers
- Education
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 19, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Merrill Gordon, conducted by Rod Fowler.Gordon Merrill was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Merrill Gordon’s childhood in the Depression, including his story about the family’s difficult trek to Burnaby from Alberta; his education, teachers and first volunteer activities at Grandview High School; his career at Fleck Brothers and the start of his own company Blaze Industries and later work in India; and his many volunteer activities in Burnaby. He describes how he started the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, the soccer club's subsequent growth and development, some of the people involved, and the founding of the youth soccer exchange. He also describes his work on the Parks Board and in the arts community, including the 1987 arts centre referendum, and involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society (1988- ), and mentions his work for other groups including the New Vista Society, library board, and Burnaby Mental Health Committee. He also talks about his political career with the Better Burnaby Committee and Burnaby Voters Association, resulting in his 1972 election to Burnaby’s 1973 council. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Merrill M. Gordon was born in Saskatchewan in 1929 to parents farming north of North Battleford. After a fifth year of crop failure the family of four left the farm in 1934 to join relatives living near the corner of Union and Sperling in Burnaby. With little resources the family adapted as well as possible in the Depression years, moving often in the East Vancouver/North Burnaby area in an attempt to better their situation. Merrill’s father obtained work at sawmills including Kapoor’s Sawmill at Barnet, walking to work over Burnaby Mountain. After attending numerous public schools, Merrill Gordon eventually spent three years at Templeton School and then completed his education at Grandview High School of Commerce, majoring in accounting and commercial law. He worked a few years at Canadian Industries Ltd., then joined Fleck Brothers. In 1965 Merrill Gordon and his wife started their own company Blaze Industries of Canada that manufactured wood burning fireplaces, selling the company to AB Electrolux in 1980. After a short retirement, Merrill Gordon went back to work in 1981 for a company manufacturing solar panels, one project taking him and his wife intermittently to India over a four year period. Merrill Gordon helped found the political group Better Burnaby Committee, later the Burnaby Voters Association, with Alan Emmott and Bill Lewarne, ran for Burnaby Municipal Council and served one year as councillor in 1973. Merrill Gordon is well known for his over 40 years of volunteer work in Burnaby, particularly as founder in 1956 and director of the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, one of the largest soccer clubs in BC. He was also the founder of Burnaby Youth Soccer and the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State. His other volunteer work includes library trustee, Parks Commissioner (1987-1992), Director of New Vista Home for Seniors, Chair of campaign raising funds for building Shadbolt Arts Centre, and Chair of the Burnaby Mental Health Committee. In 1988 Merrill Gordon, Betty Gordon, Dean Lamont and several others formed the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which advocated for the return of unused land to Burnaby from SFU and the subsequent creation of Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Merrill Gordon and Elizabeth Balfour (nee Leitch) (1926-2012) married in 1953 and had two children.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 1:31:44
- Interviewee Name
- Gordon, Merrill
- Interview Location
- unknown
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track five of interview with Merrill Gordon
Track five of interview with Merrill Gordon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-020/MSS187-020_Track_5.mp3Interview with Allan Nixon by Rod Fowler February 21, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory465
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1936-1990
- Length
- 00:04:08
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the location of the North Burnaby Fire Department fire hall and the location of the six fire halls subsequently built for the combined north and south department. He also talks about Fred Blake, Lewis Auvache and Henry Chapman, early member…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the location of the North Burnaby Fire Department fire hall and the location of the six fire halls subsequently built for the combined north and south department. He also talks about Fred Blake, Lewis Auvache and Henry Chapman, early members of the department who were also interested in the department's history.
- Date Range
- 1936-1990
- Length
- 00:04:08
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 21, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Al Nixon, conducted by Rod Fowler. Al Nixon was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about the history and operations of the Burnaby Fire Department from its beginning in 1911 to 1990, and Al Nixon’s stories about the various ways photographs, records and artifacts about the department were collected and saved. The interview takes place while looking at photographs, but the information is clear nonetheless (His photographs have been deposited in the Burnaby Archives). Al Nixon also talks about his father's career as a firefighter, and about his Douglas grandparents and their home “The Gables” [Seven Gables] and neighbourhood in Burquitlam. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Al Nixon was born in New Westminster Feb. 8, 1936, the son of Provincial Fire Marshal Basil Nixon (1904-1975) and Agnes Douglas (1909-?). His mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1922 and lived in a large ca. 1900 home in Burquitlam at 9957 Sullivan Road called “Seven Gables” (recently demolished). His grandfather Thomas Douglas, a Coquitlam Councillor and Socialist, was murdered in 1934 in his North Road service station. Al Nixon began his career as a firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming Deputy Fire Chief Operations in 1987 and Fire Chief in 1991, before retiring in 1993. In the mid 1980's Al Nixon became interested in the department’s history after finding a photograph scrapbook at one of the firehalls. It was in very bad condition but he recognized its value and began a project to collect and save photographs, artifacts and stories about the Burnaby Fire Department, a 6 month project that turned into years. The photographs and information gathered by Al Nixon became part of Douglas Penn’s book “Follow that Fire: the history of the Burnaby Fire Department”.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:43:35
- Interviewee Name
- Nixon, Al
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Al Nixon
Track two of interview with Al Nixon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-014/MSS187-014_Track_2.mp3Interview with Allan Nixon by Rod Fowler February 21, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory470
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1936-1990
- Length
- 00:04:34
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the importance of good record keeping, using an example of an 1936 fire record used in a civic law suit. He expressed concerned about the lack of museum and archives facilities in Burnaby.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the importance of good record keeping, using an example of an 1936 fire record used in a civic law suit. He expressed concerned about the lack of museum and archives facilities in Burnaby.
- Date Range
- 1936-1990
- Length
- 00:04:34
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 21, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Al Nixon, conducted by Rod Fowler. Al Nixon was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about the history and operations of the Burnaby Fire Department from its beginning in 1911 to 1990, and Al Nixon’s stories about the various ways photographs, records and artifacts about the department were collected and saved. The interview takes place while looking at photographs, but the information is clear nonetheless (His photographs have been deposited in the Burnaby Archives). Al Nixon also talks about his father's career as a firefighter, and about his Douglas grandparents and their home “The Gables” [Seven Gables] and neighbourhood in Burquitlam. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Al Nixon was born in New Westminster Feb. 8, 1936, the son of Provincial Fire Marshal Basil Nixon (1904-1975) and Agnes Douglas (1909-?). His mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1922 and lived in a large ca. 1900 home in Burquitlam at 9957 Sullivan Road called “Seven Gables” (recently demolished). His grandfather Thomas Douglas, a Coquitlam Councillor and Socialist, was murdered in 1934 in his North Road service station. Al Nixon began his career as a firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming Deputy Fire Chief Operations in 1987 and Fire Chief in 1991, before retiring in 1993. In the mid 1980's Al Nixon became interested in the department’s history after finding a photograph scrapbook at one of the firehalls. It was in very bad condition but he recognized its value and began a project to collect and save photographs, artifacts and stories about the Burnaby Fire Department, a 6 month project that turned into years. The photographs and information gathered by Al Nixon became part of Douglas Penn’s book “Follow that Fire: the history of the Burnaby Fire Department”.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:43:35
- Interviewee Name
- Nixon, Al
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Al Nixon
Track seven of interview with Al Nixon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-014/MSS187-014_Track_7.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.mp3![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg?width=280)
Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory447
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1937-1990
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s discussion of the attitudes, energy and time commitment required for operating a seasonal business and needed for politics. He mentions the Nelson Avenue family home, still lived in by his mother
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s discussion of the attitudes, energy and time commitment required for operating a seasonal business and needed for politics. He mentions the Nelson Avenue family home, still lived in by his mother
- Date Range
- 1937-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Geographic Access
- Nelson Avenue
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track seven of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_7.mp3Interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon July 9, 1975 - Track 8
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory98
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1938-1945
- Length
- 0:09:23
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles and May Purdon's memories of the Jubilee neighbourhood in comparison to their previous neighbourhood of Edmonds.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles and May Purdon's memories of the Jubilee neighbourhood in comparison to their previous neighbourhood of Edmonds.
- Date Range
- 1938-1945
- Length
- 0:09:23
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Neighbourhoods
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- July 9, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon by SFU graduate student Bettina Bradbury July 9, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression and Canadian politics. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- May Eliza was born in London, England in 1907. She came out to Regina with her family when she was eleven. Charles A. Purdon was born February 28, 1904 in London, England. He came to Canada in 1925 from China where he had been working as an accountant for the previous three years. Charles first came to Vancouver and joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) but within a week he was sent to Regina. This is where he met May. May and Charles got married in 1926 and Charles began working as an accountant for the Saskatchewan Wheat Growers, then for the Canadian Wool Growers before being laid off. In October of 1930, Charles and May left Regina for Vancouver Island. Charles drove himself out and May rode the train with her children; twin boys and a daughter, only one year apart. They settled at May’s parent’s second house in Coombs. The Purdons arrived in Burnaby in December of 1932 and rented a house on Edmonds Street. Charles was unable to do road work and instead found work through the Liberal Party and also with the Municipal engineers indoors on a number of projects. In 1938 the Purdons were able to get into a reverted house built by Ernie Winch at Maple Avenue (then Jubilee) and Nelson Avenue that had nine bedrooms. They paid ten dollars a month to the municipality for use of this property. May Eliza Purdon died April 6, 1983 at the age of seventy-six.
- Total Length
- 1:40:03
- Interviewee Name
- Purdon, Charles A.
- Purdon, May Eliza
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- 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.
Audio Tracks
Track eight of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
Track eight of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-19/100-13-19_Track_8.mp3