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Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008 thumbnail
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Interview with Charles B. Brown May 21, 1975 - Track 8

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory34
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1928-1945
Length
0:06:03
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's experiences with tax sales and a description of how they functioned.
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's experiences with tax sales and a description of how they functioned.
Date Range
1928-1945
Photo Info
Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008
Length
0:06:03
Subjects
Government - Local Government
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
Series
Community Archives Collection series
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
Audio Tracks

Track eight of interview with Charles B. Brown

Track eight of interview with Charles B. Brown

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-06/100-13-06_Track_8.mp3
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Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021 thumbnail
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Interview with Kay Zimmerman by Rod Fowler [February] 1990 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory530
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1920-1990
Length
00:07:37
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Burnaby growing from “a dreamy little community” with little business to transact in council, to a municipality providing many more services and planning for and supporting industrial, commercial and residential growth. She talks about the first malls at Brent…
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Burnaby growing from “a dreamy little community” with little business to transact in council, to a municipality providing many more services and planning for and supporting industrial, commercial and residential growth. She talks about the first malls at Brentwood and Lougheed, the George Derby lands, and the return of Oakalla Prison lands to Burnaby.
Date Range
1920-1990
Photo Info
Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021
Length
00:07:37
Subjects
Government - Local Government
Taxes
Public Services
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
[February] 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Kay Zimmerman, conducted by Rod Fowler. Kay Zimmerman 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 Kay Zimmerman’s political activities in Burnaby and her description of her Lochdale neighbourhood in the 1960s. She provides an excellent overview of the municipal political groups and important political issues in Burnaby from 1960 to 1980. She tells the story about an early and successful political action that convinced her that an individual can make a difference. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Kathleen “Kay” Zimmerman, her husband Gordon and their young son Rick moved to Burnaby from Vancouver in 1960 to a house on Curtis Avenue near Duthie Street (a second son Bruce was born in Burnaby). Kay Zimmerman worked 12 years at Royal Columbian Hospital in the admitting office, then 4 years (1974-1979) as special assistant to Senator Ray Perrault, followed by work as a judge on the Citizenship Court before retiring. Gordon Zimmerman worked at the Shell Refinery. A member of the Liberal Party and political activist before arriving in Burnaby, Kay Zimmerman continued her involvement in national and local politics. She campaigned for Ray Perrault during the Trudeau years, and was a founder and active member of the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). Her political activities encompassed 30 years that saw major changes in Burnaby, including the building of SFU, creation of Heritage Village, an awakening environmental sensibility, and a dramatic increase in population and development in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
10
Total Length
01:04:36
Interviewee Name
Zimmerman, Kay
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track four of interview with Kay Zimmerman

Track four of interview with Kay Zimmerman

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-018/MSS187-018_Track_4.mp3
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Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail
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Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 8

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory448
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1930-1990
Length
00:06:53
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Burnaby going into receivership and as a stronghold for socialists. Bill Lewarne describes the contributions of Ernie and Harold Winch
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Burnaby going into receivership and as a stronghold for socialists. Bill Lewarne describes the contributions of Ernie and Harold Winch
Date Range
1930-1990
Photo Info
Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
Length
00:06:53
Names
Pritchard, William A.
Winch, Ernest "Ernie"
Winch, Harold
Subjects
Government
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
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track eight of interview with Bill Lewarne

Track eight of interview with Bill Lewarne

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_8.mp3
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Interview with Annie Boulanger by Rod Fowler April 9, 1990 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory488
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1925-1970
Length
00:07:42
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s family history, her parents’ origin, work and move to Burnaby, what the Napier Street area looked like in the 1950s and the Government Street neighbourhood in the 1960s, her education and teaching career, and her marriage. She explains why Go…
More detail
1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s family history, her parents’ origin, work and move to Burnaby, what the Napier Street area looked like in the 1950s and the Government Street neighbourhood in the 1960s, her education and teaching career, and her marriage. She explains why Government Street has a jog in it at Brighton.
Date Range
1925-1970
Length
00:07:42
Subjects
Occupations - Teachers
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Lozells (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Heights Area
Government Road Area
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 9, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Annie Boulanger, conducted by Rod Fowler. Annie Boulanger was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Annie Boulanger’s volunteer community work in Burnaby, including initiating the teaching of french and gymnastics at Seaforth School where her children attended, doing historical research and oral histories for Burnaby Heritage Village and the SFU Archives, becoming a long term member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club, being a member and President of Burnaby Arts Council, and member of the Parks Board's Centre for the Performing Arts Committee (1987). The interview focuses attention on the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1985 and 1990, and the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting the arts through a municipal arts policy. Annie Boulanger also talks about her parents’ history, their home on Napier Street and her later home on Government Road, her education and teaching career, and her arts journalism. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Annie Urbanovits Boulanger’s parents emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Louis in 1925 and Irene in 1930, where they married. Louis and Irene Boulanger moved to Vancouver where Louis worked in the Vancouver Shipyards during WWII and then for Nichols Chemical Company in Barnet for 15 years. While the Urbanovits family lived in Cloverdale, Louis commuted to Kask’s Camp in Barnet, until they moved to Burnaby in 1951 to an old farm purchased on Napier Street. Between 1951 and 1956 Annie completed her BA degree, majoring in chemistry and english with a minor in physical education, and obtained her teaching diploma at UBC. She taught for 4 years in various locations in BC before marrying and moving to Manitoba and Ottawa. She and her husband and five children (two more children to come later) returned to Burnaby in 1964 to a home on Government Street to be close to family. Annie Boulanger became involved in the community first through her children’s school, initiating and teaching french classes in Seaforth School in 1969, and supporting the development of gymnastics in school and as a municipal program. Her interest in Archives lead to doing oral histories for John Adams, curator of Heritage Village [Burnaby Heritage Village], and for SFU Archives. She became a long time member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club in the 1970s, taking a course in writing non-fiction from Chris Potter. In 1983 Annie Boulanger joined the Burnaby Arts Council, becoming President in 1985. She was involved in lobbying the municipality for better monetary support and facilities for the arts and for the creation of a Municipal Arts Policy. She has continued to promote the arts in Burnaby through her appointment to Burnaby’s Visual Arts Advisory Board in 1997, her arts journalism, writing regular book and theatre reviews for the local newspaper, and other activities. She was a member of the Burnaby Centennial Committee and was one of the editors of the book “Burnaby Centennial Anthology”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:41:53
Interviewee Name
Boulanger, Annie
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks

Track six of interview with Annie Boulanger

Track six of interview with Annie Boulanger

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-022/MSS187-022_Track_6.mp3
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Interview with John Kirbyson by Kathy Bossort September 28, 2015 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory556
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1954-1978
Length
0:09:35
Summary
This portion of the interview is about John Kirbyson’s early life, his family’s move to Burnaby in 1969, his connection to the outdoors, and his experience as a student at SFU earning his bachelors degree in Physical Geography. He also talks about hiking on Burnaby Mountain and working for the City…
More detail
1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about John Kirbyson’s early life, his family’s move to Burnaby in 1969, his connection to the outdoors, and his experience as a student at SFU earning his bachelors degree in Physical Geography. He also talks about hiking on Burnaby Mountain and working for the City of Burnaby while going to school.
Date Range
1954-1978
Length
0:09:35
Names
Crampton, Colin
Simon Fraser University
City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
Subjects
Education
Occupations
Recreational Activities
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Historic Neighbourhood
Lozells (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Government Road Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
September 28, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with John Kirbyson conducted by Kathy Bossort. John Kirbyson was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about John Kirbyson’s education and career as parks planner for the City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, and the development of the 1999 Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area Management Plan. The interview explores how parks management balances environmental and recreational values and safety, and the importance of good guidelines and public input in the parks planning process. John Kirbyson also talks about recreational activities and various developments on Burnaby Mountain in the 1990s, such as the Kamui Mintara sculptures.
Biographical Notes
John Kirbyson was born in Vancouver in 1954, to Arnold and Winnifred Kirbyson. After several years spent in Winnipeg and Calgary, the Kirbyson family moved to Hunter Street in Burnaby in 1969 where John remembers living near the City’s nursery. John earned his BSc degree at SFU in Physical Geography (1973-1978) and then worked for the City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services between 1978 and 2005, where he moved from labourer to management positions. Supported by the City, he returned to SFU to earn his Masters degree in the School of Resource and Environment Management in 1991, his thesis being on restoration of Deer Lake. He was Manager of Parks Planning, Design and Development in the 1990s at the time that land on Burnaby Mountain was transferred from SFU to the City of Burnaby, and had the opportunity to direct the development of the first management plan for the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. From 2005 to 2010 John was Manager of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Dept. in Penticton, after which he has worked as an environmental consultant for Lees & Associates Landscape Architects and Planners. He is married to wife Linda and has three children: Linnaea, Jeremy and Colin.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:33:43
Interviewee Name
Kirbyson, John W.
Interview Location
John Kirbyson's son's home in Langley
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
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with John Kirbyson

Track one of interview with John Kirbyson

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-002/MSS196-002_Track_1.mp3
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Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory354
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1939-2012
Length
0:09:13
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of the development of property Burnaby. He discusses houses being built by his father, grandfather and himself; this includes the property that he and his wife bought in 1961. Bob also discusses the rise of the automobile.
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of the development of property Burnaby. He discusses houses being built by his father, grandfather and himself; this includes the property that he and his wife bought in 1961. Bob also discusses the rise of the automobile.
Date Range
1939-2012
Photo Info
Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
Length
0:09:13
Subjects
Agriculture - Farms
Transportation - Automobiles
Planning Study Area
Government Road Area
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
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Robert thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track two of recording of interview with Bob Lowe

Track two of recording of interview with Bob Lowe

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_2.mp3
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Interview with Annie Boulanger by Rod Fowler April 9, 1990 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory483
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1951-1980
Length
00:05:11
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s original move to Burnaby in 1951 with her parents and return in 1964 with her own family. She describes her first involvement in the community through french and gymnastics programs at her children’s school Seaforth and creation of Burnaby’s …
More detail
1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s original move to Burnaby in 1951 with her parents and return in 1964 with her own family. She describes her first involvement in the community through french and gymnastics programs at her children’s school Seaforth and creation of Burnaby’s first gymnastics club.
Date Range
1951-1980
Length
00:05:11
Names
Seaforth School
Subjects
Sports - Gymnastics
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 9, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Annie Boulanger, conducted by Rod Fowler. Annie Boulanger was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Annie Boulanger’s volunteer community work in Burnaby, including initiating the teaching of french and gymnastics at Seaforth School where her children attended, doing historical research and oral histories for Burnaby Heritage Village and the SFU Archives, becoming a long term member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club, being a member and President of Burnaby Arts Council, and member of the Parks Board's Centre for the Performing Arts Committee (1987). The interview focuses attention on the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1985 and 1990, and the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting the arts through a municipal arts policy. Annie Boulanger also talks about her parents’ history, their home on Napier Street and her later home on Government Road, her education and teaching career, and her arts journalism. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Annie Urbanovits Boulanger’s parents emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Louis in 1925 and Irene in 1930, where they married. Louis and Irene Boulanger moved to Vancouver where Louis worked in the Vancouver Shipyards during WWII and then for Nichols Chemical Company in Barnet for 15 years. While the Urbanovits family lived in Cloverdale, Louis commuted to Kask’s Camp in Barnet, until they moved to Burnaby in 1951 to an old farm purchased on Napier Street. Between 1951 and 1956 Annie completed her BA degree, majoring in chemistry and english with a minor in physical education, and obtained her teaching diploma at UBC. She taught for 4 years in various locations in BC before marrying and moving to Manitoba and Ottawa. She and her husband and five children (two more children to come later) returned to Burnaby in 1964 to a home on Government Street to be close to family. Annie Boulanger became involved in the community first through her children’s school, initiating and teaching french classes in Seaforth School in 1969, and supporting the development of gymnastics in school and as a municipal program. Her interest in Archives lead to doing oral histories for John Adams, curator of Heritage Village [Burnaby Heritage Village], and for SFU Archives. She became a long time member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club in the 1970s, taking a course in writing non-fiction from Chris Potter. In 1983 Annie Boulanger joined the Burnaby Arts Council, becoming President in 1985. She was involved in lobbying the municipality for better monetary support and facilities for the arts and for the creation of a Municipal Arts Policy. She has continued to promote the arts in Burnaby through her appointment to Burnaby’s Visual Arts Advisory Board in 1997, her arts journalism, writing regular book and theatre reviews for the local newspaper, and other activities. She was a member of the Burnaby Centennial Committee and was one of the editors of the book “Burnaby Centennial Anthology”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:41:53
Interviewee Name
Boulanger, Annie
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Annie Boulanger

Track one of interview with Annie Boulanger

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-022/MSS187-022_Track_1.mp3
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Interview with Barry Jones by Kathy Bossort December 9, 2015 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory664
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1944-1970
Length
0:07:55
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Barry Jones’ talking about his parent's move to Burnaby in 1944, growing up on Georgia Street, his education at UBC and how he became a teacher. He also talks about his experience attending SFU in 1965/66 as a charter student in the Education Dept.
More detail
1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Barry Jones’ talking about his parent's move to Burnaby in 1944, growing up on Georgia Street, his education at UBC and how he became a teacher. He also talks about his experience attending SFU in 1965/66 as a charter student in the Education Dept.
Date Range
1944-1970
Length
0:07:55
Names
Simon Fraser University
Moscrop Secondary School
Subjects
Education
Occupations - Teachers
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
December 9, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Barry Jones conducted by Kathy Bossort. Barry Jones was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Barry Jones talking about his home and the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain, and about the negotiations that resulted in the agreement between Simon Fraser University and the City of Burnaby in 1995. He talks about the building of Burnaby Mountain Parkway and its link to the 1995 agreement, and about his experiences with Trans Mountain tank farm and pipeline. He also talks about his education and career as teacher, school board trustee and politician.
Biographical Notes
Barry Jones was born 1940 in Princeton, BC. His father moved the family to a home on Georgia Street in North Burnaby in 1944 where Barry grew up. He attended UBC majoring in mathematics and chemistry, and unable to find work in his field, taught two years in northern BC. He liked teaching and returned to school, enrolling in education at the newly opened Simon Fraser University in 1965. He taught one year at Moscrop Secondary School in Burnaby and finished his 25 year teaching career in Coquitlam. Barry served ten years as a Burnaby School board trustee, and then ten years as North Burnaby MLA (NDP) beginning in 1986, serving five years in Official Opposition and five years in government under then-premier Mike Harcourt. During his time in government, Barry Jones successfully lobbied for freedom of information legislation. He also played a role in resolving the dispute between SFU and Burnaby over control and ownership of land on Burnaby Mountain and in creating the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area in 1995. He continues to live on Burnaby Mountain in a home he bought in 1971.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:06:23
Interviewee Name
Jones, J. Barry
Interview Location
City of Burnaby City Hall law libary
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
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Barry Jones

Track one of interview with Barry Jones

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-015/MSS196-015_Track_1.mp3
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Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008 thumbnail
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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.
More detail
1 image 1 audio
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
Series
Community Archives Collection series
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
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
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Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014 thumbnail
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Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory496
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1950-1990
Length
00:11:24
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s writing career, beginning in elementary school, but becoming a focus in 1968. She talks about how the Burnaby Writers’ Club helped her, her contribution to the writing of the writer’s handbook, and her works published up to 1990
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s writing career, beginning in elementary school, but becoming a focus in 1968. She talks about how the Burnaby Writers’ Club helped her, her contribution to the writing of the writer’s handbook, and her works published up to 1990
Date Range
1950-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:11:24
Names
Burnaby Writers' Club
Subjects
Occupations - Writers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan 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 Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track six of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Track six of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-021/MSS187-021_Track%206.mp3
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Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014 thumbnail
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Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 7

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory497
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1939-1990
Length
00:09:08
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s childhood, her education and teaching career, her marriage to Pat Kernaghan and their move to Burnaby, his work at Oakalla Prison, the opening of their Neville Street bookstore, and changes in their neighbourhood
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s childhood, her education and teaching career, her marriage to Pat Kernaghan and their move to Burnaby, his work at Oakalla Prison, the opening of their Neville Street bookstore, and changes in their neighbourhood
Date Range
1939-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:09:08
Subjects
Education
Occupations - Teachers
Occupations - Entrepreneurs
Historic Neighbourhood
Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Clinton-Glenwood Area
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan 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 Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track seven of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Track seven of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-021/MSS187-021_Track%207.mp3
Less detail
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014 thumbnail
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Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 11

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory501
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1954-1990
Length
00:11:23
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s knowledge about William F. Wolsey’s “Temple of More Abundant Life”, which occupied the Art Centre’s heritage buildings Ceperley Mansion and Mather House from 1954 to the 1960s, and the stories of ghosts haunting these buildings, the Anderson…
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s knowledge about William F. Wolsey’s “Temple of More Abundant Life”, which occupied the Art Centre’s heritage buildings Ceperley Mansion and Mather House from 1954 to the 1960s, and the stories of ghosts haunting these buildings, the Anderson House, and the James Cowan Theatre.
Date Range
1954-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:11:23
Names
Burnaby Arts Centre
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan 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 Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track eleven of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Track eleven of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-023/MSS187-023_Track%2011.mp3
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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 …
More detail
1 image 1 audio
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
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Robert thumbnail
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
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Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory355
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1939-1972
Length
0:10:04
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of growing up in Burnaby. He discusses transportation in Burnaby, including the first cars in his family. Bob talks about recreational activities available to Burnaby residents in the late nineteen-thirties and early nineteen-fo…
More detail
1 image 1 audio
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 transportation in Burnaby, including the first cars in his family. Bob talks about recreational activities available to Burnaby residents in the late nineteen-thirties and early nineteen-forties, as well as changes that he has seen from his time growing up to the time of raising his own children.
Date Range
1939-1972
Photo Info
Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
Length
0:10:04
Subjects
Transportation - Buses
Transportation - Automobiles
Agriculture - Farms
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
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Robert thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track three of recording of interview with Bob Lowe

Track three of recording of interview with Bob Lowe

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_3.mp3
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Robert thumbnail
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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.
More detail
1 image 1 audio
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
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Robert thumbnail
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.mp3
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Interview with Ron Baker by Kathy Bossort November 27, 2015 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory640
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1950-2015
Length
0:10:17
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker’s discussion about the choice of branding SFU the “engaged” university at the time of its 50th Anniversary, and the need for university Presidents to fund raise. He talks about the relationship between UBC and SFU, and the reasons for hostility t…
More detail
1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker’s discussion about the choice of branding SFU the “engaged” university at the time of its 50th Anniversary, and the need for university Presidents to fund raise. He talks about the relationship between UBC and SFU, and the reasons for hostility towards UBC in the 1950s, especially from interior BC communities.
Date Range
1950-2015
Length
0:10:17
Names
Simon Fraser University
University of British Columbia
Subjects
Education
Public Services
Events - Anniversaries
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
November 27, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Dr. Ronald James Baker conducted by Kathy Bossort. Ron Baker was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the founding of Simon Fraser University from the perspective of SFU’s first faculty member and Director of Academic Planning, Ron Baker. Ron Baker talks about John B. Macdonald’s report on higher education in BC (1962) and how it lead to the provincial government’s decision to establish a new university and to put it in the Burnaby area. He tells stories about how the site on Burnaby Mountain was chosen; about the building of the campus; and about the challenges of planning the academic structure of the university. He also talks about the attraction of creating with little interference an institution trying out new ideas and tells stories about his working relationship with Gordon Shrum. He considers the problems created by building universities in out of the way places and the ideas such as UniverCity for dealing with SFU’s isolation.
Biographical Notes
Ron Baker was born in London, England, in 1924, and served in the Royal Air Force during WW2. He emigrated to Canada in 1947 and studied at UBC where he obtained a BA degree (1951) and MA degree (1953) in English Language and Literature. He served on the faculty of the UBC English Department beginning as a lecturer in 1951 and advanced to positions of Assistant Professor (1958-63) and Associate Professor (1963-65). He was a contributor to John B. Macdonald’s 1962 report “Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future”, and continued to make significant contributions to the establishment of the community college system in Canada throughout his career. In 1963 the newly established Simon Fraser University hired Ron as its first Director of Academic Planning, serving also as first head of SFU’s English Department. In 1969 Ron left SFU to become the first President of the University of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until 1978. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to higher education. Ron has contributed to many organizations, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, on Canada Council, and as President of Association of Atlantic Universities and the Association of Canadian University Teachers of English. In 1990 Ron Baker was asked by the government of BC to prepare a preliminary report on the establishment of the future UNBC in Prince George. Now retired Ron Baker lives in the Edmonds area of Burnaby.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:33:46
Interviewee Name
Baker, Ronald J. "Ron"
Interview Location
Ron Baker's home in Burnaby
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
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track six of interview with Dr. Ron Baker

Track six of interview with Dr. Ron Baker

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-013/MSS196-013_Track_6.mp3
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William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
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Interview with William Pritchard and Norman Penner by Dr. Lawrence Fast July / August 1973 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory74
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
predominate 1919, 1973
Length
0:09:54
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to how the book "Winnipeg 1919", edited by Norman Penner, came into being. Both Norman Penner and labour activist William A. Pritchard answer questions posed by Dr. Lawrence Fast about the Winnipeg General Strike, the subsequent trial and the striker's account…
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to how the book "Winnipeg 1919", edited by Norman Penner, came into being. Both Norman Penner and labour activist William A. Pritchard answer questions posed by Dr. Lawrence Fast about the Winnipeg General Strike, the subsequent trial and the striker's account written while in jail.
Date Range
predominate 1919, 1973
Photo Info
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016
Length
0:09:54
Subjects
Protests and Demonstrations
Interviewer
Fast, Dr. Lawrence
Interview Date
July / August 1973
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with William Pritchard and writer Norman Penner by Dr. Lawrence Fast. Norman Penner is the editor of the book "Winnipeg 1919" about the strike from the striker's perspective. William Pritchard wrote the speech that was included in the book. Major theme discussed is: The Winnipeg General Strike. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
William "Bill" Arthur Pritchard was born on April 3, 1888 in Salford, England, the son of a miner and factory worker. In May 1911, Bill moved to British Columbia and within a week of arriving became an active member of the Socialist Party of Canada. From 1914 to 1917, he served as editor of the Western Clarion – the SPC newspaper. He became such a well-known socialist figure that when he travelled to Winnipeg to participate in the General Strike in 1919, he was one of only seven people arrested and imprisoned for his participation in the event despite the fact that he was in no way directly involved in its planning nor development. In 1922, Bill and his family settled in North Burnaby in the Capitol Hill District. Almost immediately after his arrival, Bill began to advocate for change and a planned development scheme for the municipality. Pritchard ran successfully for the position of Reeve and held the post until the end of 1932. One of Reeve Pritchard’s highest priorities while in office was to attempt to provide work for as many unemployed as possible all the while trying to elicit more support from the provincial and federal governments. Bill was a strong advocate of the belief that relief work should be focused on projects that would see a comprehensive development scheme for Burnaby – including planned sewers, roads and water supply. Despite Bill's best efforts, however, Burnaby was forced into receivership and at the end of 1932, a Provincial Commission stepped in to take over the governance of the city. Reeve Pritchard, having done all he could as a champion of the unemployed, stepped down as Reeve but left behind an undeniable legacy of courage and determination. He was rewarded for his enormous contributions to the city in 1975 when he was chosen to be made a Freeman of Burnaby. William Pritchard died on October 23, 1981. Norman Penner was born in Winnipeg in 1921 to Rose and Jacob Penner and brother to Roland, Ruth and Walter. Their father Jacob was a leading member of the Communist Party and popular Winnipeg Alderman. Norman graduated from high school in 1937 but did not begin university until much later, preferring to begin his adult life from 1938 to 1941 as a full-time officer of the Winnipeg branch of the Communist Party of Canada. From 1941 to 1946 he served with the Canadian Army which included two-and-a-half years of overseas combat duty. On his return to Canada in 1947 he again returned to his duties as a full-time officer with the communist Labour-Progressive Party (formed in 1941 after the Canadian Communist Party was officially banned). After the abortive Hungarian revolution in 1956, Norman Penner resigned from the party and instead worked as a self-employed manufacturer’s sales representative until 1971. In 1964 he decided to go back to school part time and graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto in 1969. He took an MA in 1971 and a PhD in 1975 from the same institution. Penner was hired as a lecturer at York University's Glendon College in 1972 and soon became a professor, continuing to teach until 1995. He wrote extensively on the Canadian left. Penner edited and introduced "Winnipeg 1919: The Strikers' Own History of the Winnipeg General Strike" in 1973, published "The Canadian Left: A Critical Analysis" in 1977 and contributed three chapters to as well as editing "Keeping Canada Together Means Changing Our Thinking" in 1978. He published "Canadian Communism: The Stalin Years and Beyond" in 1988 and "From Protest to Power: Social Democracy in Canada 1900 to Present" in 1992 as well as numerous articles, reviews and book chapters. Norman Penner was married to Norma Lipes for sixty-seven years. The couple had four children: Steve (Mary Ellen Marus); Joyce (Herman Parsons); Gary (Marlene Kadar); and Bob (Shaena Lambert). Norman Penner died April 16, 2009 at the age of eighty-eight.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
0:30:47
Interviewee Name
Pritchard, William A.
Penner, Norman
Fast, Dr. Lawrence
Interview Location
Library of Vancouver City College, Langara Campus
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Oral history subseries
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

Track one of interview with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-02-1/100-13-02-1_Track_1.mp3
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William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
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Interview with William Pritchard and Norman Penner by Dr. Lawrence Fast July / August 1973 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory76
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1919-1974
Length
0:09:29
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to the transcript of the trial as well as the trial itself. William A. Pritchard answers questions posed to him by Dr. Lawrence Fast. Norman Penner also discuses the similarity of this event to Watergate in the United States.
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to the transcript of the trial as well as the trial itself. William A. Pritchard answers questions posed to him by Dr. Lawrence Fast. Norman Penner also discuses the similarity of this event to Watergate in the United States.
Date Range
1919-1974
Photo Info
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016
Length
0:09:29
Interviewer
Fast, Dr. Lawrence
Interview Date
July / August 1973
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with William Pritchard and writer Norman Penner by Dr. Lawrence Fast. Norman Penner is the editor of the book "Winnipeg 1919" about the strike from the striker's perspective. William Pritchard wrote the speech that was included in the book. Major theme discussed is: The Winnipeg General Strike. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
William "Bill" Arthur Pritchard was born on April 3, 1888 in Salford, England, the son of a miner and factory worker. In May 1911, Bill moved to British Columbia and within a week of arriving became an active member of the Socialist Party of Canada. From 1914 to 1917, he served as editor of the Western Clarion – the SPC newspaper. He became such a well-known socialist figure that when he travelled to Winnipeg to participate in the General Strike in 1919, he was one of only seven people arrested and imprisoned for his participation in the event despite the fact that he was in no way directly involved in its planning nor development. In 1922, Bill and his family settled in North Burnaby in the Capitol Hill District. Almost immediately after his arrival, Bill began to advocate for change and a planned development scheme for the municipality. Pritchard ran successfully for the position of Reeve and held the post until the end of 1932. One of Reeve Pritchard’s highest priorities while in office was to attempt to provide work for as many unemployed as possible all the while trying to elicit more support from the provincial and federal governments. Bill was a strong advocate of the belief that relief work should be focused on projects that would see a comprehensive development scheme for Burnaby – including planned sewers, roads and water supply. Despite Bill's best efforts, however, Burnaby was forced into receivership and at the end of 1932, a Provincial Commission stepped in to take over the governance of the city. Reeve Pritchard, having done all he could as a champion of the unemployed, stepped down as Reeve but left behind an undeniable legacy of courage and determination. He was rewarded for his enormous contributions to the city in 1975 when he was chosen to be made a Freeman of Burnaby. William Pritchard died on October 23, 1981. Norman Penner was born in Winnipeg in 1921 to Rose and Jacob Penner and brother to Roland, Ruth and Walter. Their father Jacob was a leading member of the Communist Party and popular Winnipeg Alderman. Norman graduated from high school in 1937 but did not begin university until much later, preferring to begin his adult life from 1938 to 1941 as a full-time officer of the Winnipeg branch of the Communist Party of Canada. From 1941 to 1946 he served with the Canadian Army which included two-and-a-half years of overseas combat duty. On his return to Canada in 1947 he again returned to his duties as a full-time officer with the communist Labour-Progressive Party (formed in 1941 after the Canadian Communist Party was officially banned). After the abortive Hungarian revolution in 1956, Norman Penner resigned from the party and instead worked as a self-employed manufacturer’s sales representative until 1971. In 1964 he decided to go back to school part time and graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto in 1969. He took an MA in 1971 and a PhD in 1975 from the same institution. Penner was hired as a lecturer at York University's Glendon College in 1972 and soon became a professor, continuing to teach until 1995. He wrote extensively on the Canadian left. Penner edited and introduced "Winnipeg 1919: The Strikers' Own History of the Winnipeg General Strike" in 1973, published "The Canadian Left: A Critical Analysis" in 1977 and contributed three chapters to as well as editing "Keeping Canada Together Means Changing Our Thinking" in 1978. He published "Canadian Communism: The Stalin Years and Beyond" in 1988 and "From Protest to Power: Social Democracy in Canada 1900 to Present" in 1992 as well as numerous articles, reviews and book chapters. Norman Penner was married to Norma Lipes for sixty-seven years. The couple had four children: Steve (Mary Ellen Marus); Joyce (Herman Parsons); Gary (Marlene Kadar); and Bob (Shaena Lambert). Norman Penner died April 16, 2009 at the age of eighty-eight.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
0:30:47
Interviewee Name
Pritchard, William A.
Penner, Norman
Fast, Dr. Lawrence
Interview Location
Library of Vancouver City College, Langara Campus
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Oral history subseries
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track three of interview with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

Track three of interview with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-02-1/100-13-02-1_Track_3.mp3
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William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
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Open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner July / August 1973 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory83
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1919-1973
Length
0:07:14
Summary
This portion of the meeting pertains to Pritchard's thoughts on whether socialism is stronger now or then. The two men discuss the One Big Union (OBU) movement.
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the meeting pertains to Pritchard's thoughts on whether socialism is stronger now or then. The two men discuss the One Big Union (OBU) movement.
Date Range
1919-1973
Photo Info
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016
Length
0:07:14
Subjects
Political Theories
Organizations - Unions
Interview Date
July / August 1973
Scope and Content
Recording is of a open meeting with William Pritchard and writer Norman Penner. Norman Penner is the editor of the book "Winnipeg 1919" about the strike from the striker's perspective. William Pritchard wrote the speech that was included in the book. Audience members were invited to ask Pritchard questions. Major theme discussed is: The Winnipeg General Strike. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
William "Bill" Arthur Pritchard was born on April 3, 1888 in Salford, England, the son of a miner and factory worker. In May 1911, Bill moved to British Columbia and within a week of arriving became an active member of the Socialist Party of Canada. From 1914 to 1917, he served as editor of the Western Clarion – the SPC newspaper. He became such a well-known socialist figure that when he travelled to Winnipeg to participate in the General Strike in 1919, he was one of only seven people arrested and imprisoned for his participation in the event despite the fact that he was in no way directly involved in its planning nor development. In 1922, Bill and his family settled in North Burnaby in the Capitol Hill District. Almost immediately after his arrival, Bill began to advocate for change and a planned development scheme for the municipality. Pritchard ran successfully for the position of Reeve and held the post until the end of 1932. One of Reeve Pritchard’s highest priorities while in office was to attempt to provide work for as many unemployed as possible all the while trying to elicit more support from the provincial and federal governments. Bill was a strong advocate of the belief that relief work should be focused on projects that would see a comprehensive development scheme for Burnaby – including planned sewers, roads and water supply. Despite Bill's best efforts, however, Burnaby was forced into receivership and at the end of 1932, a Provincial Commission stepped in to take over the governance of the city. Reeve Pritchard, having done all he could as a champion of the unemployed, stepped down as Reeve but left behind an undeniable legacy of courage and determination. He was rewarded for his enormous contributions to the city in 1975 when he was chosen to be made a Freeman of Burnaby. William Pritchard died on October 23, 1981. Norman Penner was born in Winnipeg in 1921 to Rose and Jacob Penner and brother to Roland, Ruth and Walter. Their father Jacob was a leading member of the Communist Party and popular Winnipeg Alderman. Norman graduated from high school in 1937 but did not begin university until much later, preferring to begin his adult life from 1938 to 1941 as a full-time officer of the Winnipeg branch of the Communist Party of Canada. From 1941 to 1946 he served with the Canadian Army which included two-and-a-half years of overseas combat duty. On his return to Canada in 1947 he again returned to his duties as a full-time officer with the communist Labour-Progressive Party (formed in 1941 after the Canadian Communist Party was officially banned). After the abortive Hungarian revolution in 1956, Norman Penner resigned from the party and instead worked as a self-employed manufacturer’s sales representative until 1971. In 1964 he decided to go back to school part time and graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto in 1969. He took an MA in 1971 and a PhD in 1975 from the same institution. Penner was hired as a lecturer at York University's Glendon College in 1972 and soon became a professor, continuing to teach until 1995. He wrote extensively on the Canadian left. Penner edited and introduced "Winnipeg 1919: The Strikers' Own History of the Winnipeg General Strike" in 1973, published "The Canadian Left: A Critical Analysis" in 1977 and contributed three chapters to as well as editing "Keeping Canada Together Means Changing Our Thinking" in 1978. He published "Canadian Communism: The Stalin Years and Beyond" in 1988 and "From Protest to Power: Social Democracy in Canada 1900 to Present" in 1992 as well as numerous articles, reviews and book chapters. Norman Penner was married to Norma Lipes for sixty-seven years. The couple had four children: Steve (Mary Ellen Marus); Joyce (Herman Parsons); Gary (Marlene Kadar); and Bob (Shaena Lambert). Norman Penner died April 16, 2009 at the age of eighty-eight.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:03:00
Interviewee Name
Pritchard, William A.
Penner, Norman
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Oral history subseries
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track six of open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

Track six of open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-02-2/100-13-02-2_Track_6.mp3
Less detail
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
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Open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner July / August 1973 - Track 7

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory84
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1919-1975
Length
0:10:47
Summary
This portion of the meeting pertains to the legacy of the Winnipeg General Strike.
More detail
1 image 1 audio
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the meeting pertains to the legacy of the Winnipeg General Strike.
Date Range
1919-1975
Photo Info
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016
Length
0:10:47
Subjects
Protests and Demonstrations
Interview Date
July / August 1973
Scope and Content
Recording is of a open meeting with William Pritchard and writer Norman Penner. Norman Penner is the editor of the book "Winnipeg 1919" about the strike from the striker's perspective. William Pritchard wrote the speech that was included in the book. Audience members were invited to ask Pritchard questions. Major theme discussed is: The Winnipeg General Strike. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
William "Bill" Arthur Pritchard was born on April 3, 1888 in Salford, England, the son of a miner and factory worker. In May 1911, Bill moved to British Columbia and within a week of arriving became an active member of the Socialist Party of Canada. From 1914 to 1917, he served as editor of the Western Clarion – the SPC newspaper. He became such a well-known socialist figure that when he travelled to Winnipeg to participate in the General Strike in 1919, he was one of only seven people arrested and imprisoned for his participation in the event despite the fact that he was in no way directly involved in its planning nor development. In 1922, Bill and his family settled in North Burnaby in the Capitol Hill District. Almost immediately after his arrival, Bill began to advocate for change and a planned development scheme for the municipality. Pritchard ran successfully for the position of Reeve and held the post until the end of 1932. One of Reeve Pritchard’s highest priorities while in office was to attempt to provide work for as many unemployed as possible all the while trying to elicit more support from the provincial and federal governments. Bill was a strong advocate of the belief that relief work should be focused on projects that would see a comprehensive development scheme for Burnaby – including planned sewers, roads and water supply. Despite Bill's best efforts, however, Burnaby was forced into receivership and at the end of 1932, a Provincial Commission stepped in to take over the governance of the city. Reeve Pritchard, having done all he could as a champion of the unemployed, stepped down as Reeve but left behind an undeniable legacy of courage and determination. He was rewarded for his enormous contributions to the city in 1975 when he was chosen to be made a Freeman of Burnaby. William Pritchard died on October 23, 1981. Norman Penner was born in Winnipeg in 1921 to Rose and Jacob Penner and brother to Roland, Ruth and Walter. Their father Jacob was a leading member of the Communist Party and popular Winnipeg Alderman. Norman graduated from high school in 1937 but did not begin university until much later, preferring to begin his adult life from 1938 to 1941 as a full-time officer of the Winnipeg branch of the Communist Party of Canada. From 1941 to 1946 he served with the Canadian Army which included two-and-a-half years of overseas combat duty. On his return to Canada in 1947 he again returned to his duties as a full-time officer with the communist Labour-Progressive Party (formed in 1941 after the Canadian Communist Party was officially banned). After the abortive Hungarian revolution in 1956, Norman Penner resigned from the party and instead worked as a self-employed manufacturer’s sales representative until 1971. In 1964 he decided to go back to school part time and graduated with a BA from the University of Toronto in 1969. He took an MA in 1971 and a PhD in 1975 from the same institution. Penner was hired as a lecturer at York University's Glendon College in 1972 and soon became a professor, continuing to teach until 1995. He wrote extensively on the Canadian left. Penner edited and introduced "Winnipeg 1919: The Strikers' Own History of the Winnipeg General Strike" in 1973, published "The Canadian Left: A Critical Analysis" in 1977 and contributed three chapters to as well as editing "Keeping Canada Together Means Changing Our Thinking" in 1978. He published "Canadian Communism: The Stalin Years and Beyond" in 1988 and "From Protest to Power: Social Democracy in Canada 1900 to Present" in 1992 as well as numerous articles, reviews and book chapters. Norman Penner was married to Norma Lipes for sixty-seven years. The couple had four children: Steve (Mary Ellen Marus); Joyce (Herman Parsons); Gary (Marlene Kadar); and Bob (Shaena Lambert). Norman Penner died April 16, 2009 at the age of eighty-eight.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:03:00
Interviewee Name
Pritchard, William A.
Penner, Norman
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Oral history subseries
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
William A. Pritchard, Burnaby Reeve 1930-1932 and council member 1928-1930. Item no. 459-016 thumbnail
Audio Tracks

Track seven of open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

Track seven of open meeting with William Pritchard and Norman Penner

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-02-2/100-13-02-2_Track_7.mp3
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