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Interview with Norman Dowad

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19638
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
Scope and Content
Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information …
More detail
1 document 1 audio
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Series
Museum Oral Histories series
Subseries
Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
Material Details
Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Norman Dowad Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: August 14, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
Scope and Content
Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information about his grandfather Samuel Dowad's immigration to Canada and his father Wilfred Dowad's military service and successes as a property developer. 00:14:39 – 00:17:26 Norm provides background information on his mother’s side of the family. 00:17:27 – 00:31:36 Norm talks about his childhood, growing up in the Deer Lake neighbourhood, his early education in Burnaby and sports that he played. 00:31:37 – 00:39:59 Norm talks about his educational experiences attending Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and Osgoode Hall law school and information regarding his law career. 00:40:00 – 00:45:03 Norm reflects on his childhood growing up in Burnaby and on his experiences and relationships as a student and in his career as a lawyer. 00:45:04 – 01:01:37 Norm talks about his siblings and shares information about family property development projects as well as career and business successes. In closing he talks about research that he’s done through Archives Canada on his grandfather Sam Dowad and father Wilfred Dowad.
History
Interviewee biography: Norm Dowad was born in Burnaby, December 1948 to parents Wilfred “Wilf” (1925-2011) and Cherry Dowad. His father, Wilfred (1925-2011) was born in Winnipeg to parents Samuel “Sam” (Salim in Arabic) Esper Dowad (1895-1969) and Martha (Shaheen) Dowad (1894-1955). Sam and Martha Dowad were both born in a province of the Ottoman Empire which is now present day Lebanon. In 1912, while trying to immigrate to Canada, several of Sam’s relatives including his mother died tragically as steerage passengers on the ill fated Titanic. In 1913, at the age of 18 years, Sam immigrated to Canada to join other family members who'd already arrived here safely. As a new immigrant in Canada, Sam worked with other Labanese immigrants in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the United States. In December 1921, Sam's wife, Martha immigrated to Canada arriving by ship in St. John, New Brunswick. Sam and Martha established their home in Winnipeg where they began to start a family. Their first two children died in infancy and son Wilfred was born in 1925 and daughter Kathleen was born in 1926. While living in Winnipeg, Sam worked as a grocer and in the 1930’s he got work as a farmer in a nearby town. In 1943, Wilf joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCVNR) and served as a gunner on merchant ships during World War II. In 1945, while Wilf was away serving, his parents, Sam and Martha moved to Burnaby. After discharge in 1945, Wilf joined his parents in Burnaby, began working at Fraser Mills and commenced his studies in construction and drafting. In 1949, with his father’s help Wilf acquired a lot next door to his parents’ home and built his first apartment block. After Martha died in 1954, Sam moved to Kelowna where he bought an orchard. Sam remarried in 1957 to Naomi “Mamie” (David) Dowad (1899-1978) who was also from a Lebanese family. Sam and Mamie lived in Kelowna until the mid 1960s when they moved to White Rock. While living in Burnaby, Wilf met and married Cherry Piggott and the couple had six children; Norm, Bruce, Michael, Kathie, Phil and Tom. In 1955, Wilfred Dowad established "W. Dowad Ltd." and over the years he was successful in developing and subdividing land to build housing and commercial developments in Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver. Wilf was the first president of the Burnaby Winter club and was an active member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce holding office at the local, provincial and national level. In 1970, Wilf purchased 238 acres of land bordering the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh River and relocated there the following year. While living in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Wilf became actively engaged in local business and community affairs. Wilf was later remarried to Grethe Dowad and he died in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh in 2011.Wilf's six children are the sole owners of "W.Dowad Ltd." and his daughter, Kathie Smillie is the president and CEO. While growing up in Burnaby, Norm Dowad attended Schou Street School, Douglas Road School, Kensington School and graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School. Following graduation from high school, Norm attended Simon Fraser University for one year, travelled in Europe, attended University of British Columbia and obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University. Norman has been practicing law for 49 years and has his own law practice that he operates out of Vancouver. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.
Creator
Burnaby Village Museum
Subjects
Agriculture - Farms
Education
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Migration
Sports
Sports - Football
Wars - World War, 1939-1945
Names
Dowad, Norman W. "Norm"
Dowad, Samuel Esper "Sam"
Dowad, Wilfred "Wilf"
Dowad, Naomi "Mamie" David
Dowad, Martha Elias Shaheen
Dowad, Kathleen "Kay"
Rideout, Dr. John Anthony
Burnaby Central Secondary School
Douglas Road School
W. Dowad Limited
Responsibility
Damer, Eric
Geographic Access
Buckingham Avenue
Deer Lake
Street Address
5533 Buckingham Avenue
Accession Code
BV023.16.16
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
Media Type
Sound Recording
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Morley-Buckingham Area
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Transcription available
Documents
2023_0016_0016_003 pdf thumbnail

2023_0016_0016_003

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Audio Tracks

Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023

Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0016_002.mp3
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Mrs. Cowan and daughter, February 24, 1923 thumbnail
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Mrs. Cowan and daughter

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription165
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
February 24, 1923
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 7.1 x 10.3 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a woman and a girl standing by a chickenwire fence, looking at the geese and chicks. Vegetable gardens and a log building can be seen as well. According to the note in the accession file, the woman is Mrs. Sylvia Cowan, the second wife of Mr. James Cowan since they were married in 1…
More detail
1 image
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 7.1 x 10.3 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a woman and a girl standing by a chickenwire fence, looking at the geese and chicks. Vegetable gardens and a log building can be seen as well. According to the note in the accession file, the woman is Mrs. Sylvia Cowan, the second wife of Mr. James Cowan since they were married in 1922, and the girl is one of Mr. Cowan's two daughters from his first marriage. The property depicted in the photograph was at 2930 Gilpin Street (later renumbered 5926 Gilpin Street), where Mr. Cowan purchased two acres of land to build a home in 1919. After settling in Burnaby in 1923 at that property, Mr. Cowan became active in serving the community, eventually earning the honour of having a memorial hall named after him, which later changed to the James Cowan Theatre. An annotation on the back of the photo reads: "2930 Gilpin in 1923/24 / 2 acres, vegetable gardens, chickens, a cow, geese / more info in files / Cowan Property." Stamped on the back of the photo: "0110."
Subjects
Animals - Fowl
Agriculture - Farms
Names
Cowan, Sylvia
Geographic Access
Gilpin Street
Street Address
5926 Gilpin Street
Accession Code
BV985.31.6
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
February 24, 1923
Media Type
Photograph
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Scan Resolution
600
Scan Date
2023-12-19
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Mrs. Cowan and daughter, February 24, 1923 thumbnail
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Phillips Dairy Farm, [192-] (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail
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Phillips Dairy Farm

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35657
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[192-] (date of original), copied 1986
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
Scope and Content
Photograph of dairy cows on the Phillips farm leased by the family. The farm covered 500 acres at the foot of Byrne Road near Mandeville in the Big Bend area of South Burnaby.
More detail
1 image
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[192-] (date of original), copied 1986
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Pioneer Tales subseries
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
Description Level
Item
Record No.
204-515
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1988-03
Scope and Content
Photograph of dairy cows on the Phillips farm leased by the family. The farm covered 500 acres at the foot of Byrne Road near Mandeville in the Big Bend area of South Burnaby.
Subjects
Animals - Cows
Agriculture - Farms
Names
J.E. Phillips Victory Dairy
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Pioneer Tales describes the amount of land leased as 100 acres
Geographic Access
Byrne Road
Street Address
5670 Byrne Road
Historic Neighbourhood
Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Big Bend Area
Images
Phillips Dairy Farm, [192-] (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail
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