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- Buildings - Religious - Churches 1
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Vancouver Heights Neighbourhood
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark741
- Repository
- Burnaby Heritage Planning
- Associated Dates
- 1905-1924
- Heritage Value
- On December 13, 1912, The British Columbian Weekly described the Vancouver Heights neighbourhood as follows: "The northern portion of the municipality in the vicinity of Boundary Road has during the past three years made tremendous strides towards settlement. At that time Mr. James Herd and Mr. Peters were the only residents of the district...Soon, however, the timber was removed, streets laid out and other conveniences such as water, light and transportation provided... The school population of the district has increased so rapidly that the school has been enlarged twice this year and is at the present time inadequate. About 200 children are attending now. There are three churches in the district and one mission...At present time there are two large blocks containing six stores..."
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
Images
In the Heart of Savagedom : reminiscences of life and adventure during a quarter of a Century of Pioneering and Missionary Labours in the wilds of East Equatorial Africa
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary262
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Author
- Watt, Rachel
- Edition
- 3rd ed.
- Publication Date
- 1920
- Call Number
- 266.76 WAT
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- HV971.169.13
- Call Number
- 266.76 WAT
- Edition
- 3rd ed.
- Author
- Watt, Rachel
- Place of Publication
- London
- Publisher
- Pickering & Inglis
- Publication Date
- 1920
- Physical Description
- 422 p. : ill. ; 19 cm.
- Inscription
- "Heritage Village S3 m" -- handwritten in pen on endpaper (front). "Grace S. Saritty / 1703 Davie Street Victoria B.C." -- handwritten in ink on endpaper (front). "1703 Davie Street Victoria B.C." -- stamped on endpaper (front). "1703 Davie Street Victoria B.C." -- stamped on flyleaf.
- Notes
- edited by Stuart Watt, d. 1914, (husband of author)
- Includes index.
Sixteenth Annual Report of the Women's Missionary Society W.D.
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary1589
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection
- Special Collection
- Material Type
- Book
- Accession Code
- BV985.3908.1
- Call Number
- 266.5271 PRE
- Place of Publication
- Toronto, Ont.
- Publisher
- Presbyterian Church in Canada.
- Publication Date
- 1929
- Physical Description
- 228 p. ; 21 cm.
- Inscription
- "NEC TAMEN CONSUMEBATUR" -- printed on cover and title page.
- Library Subject (LOC)
- Missions--Presbyterian Church in Canada
- Periodicals
- Notes
- "The world for Christ" -- title page.
- "Woman's Missionary Society, Motreal, organized 1864 / Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, organized 1876 / atlin Nurses' committee, 1893, organized as Women's Home Missionary Society, 1903 / Amalgamated as Women's Missionary society, 1914." -- cover and title page
- Includes complete list of the officers, editors and committee members for 1930-31.
- Includes index.
![St. Margaret's Anglican Mission, [1929] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Cartographic_Material/2003/2003_0083_0050_001.jpg?width=280)
St. Margaret's Anglican Mission
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription11928
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1929]
- Collection/Fonds
- Ronald G. Scobbie collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 plan : black ink and watercol. on paper ; 30.45 x 30.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of building insurance plan for St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church. Title of plan reads: "St. Margaret's Anglican Mission (note:"Church" has been crossed out and corrected with "Mission") / Lot 10, DL 132 / GP1 N.W.D." . Curtis Street is identified to the north and Sperling Av…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Ronald G. Scobbie collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 plan : black ink and watercol. on paper ; 30.45 x 30.5 cm
- Material Details
- Scale 1 inch = 40 feet
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of building insurance plan for St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church. Title of plan reads: "St. Margaret's Anglican Mission (note:"Church" has been crossed out and corrected with "Mission") / Lot 10, DL 132 / GP1 N.W.D." . Curtis Street is identified to the north and Sperling Ave. to the west.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Religious - Churches
- Geographic Access
- Sperling Avenue
- Curtis Street
- Accession Code
- BV003.83.50
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1929]
- Media Type
- Cartographic Material
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 15-Jan-2021
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Transcribed title
- Note in pencil on verso reads: "St. Margaret's Anglican Mission / Lot 10, DL 132 / 1" = 40' "
- Note in balck in on verso reads: "3704"
Images
![St. Margaret's Anglican Mission, [1929] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Cartographic_Material/2003/2003_0083_0050_001.jpg)
Ernest Winch fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription64651
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1898-1961
- Collection/Fonds
- Ernest Winch fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 15 cm of textual records and 31 photographs
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of photographs, political leaflets, postcards, publications, correspondence and a scrapbook documenting the political careers of Ernest and Harold Winch.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1898-1961
- Collection/Fonds
- Ernest Winch fonds
- Physical Description
- 15 cm of textual records and 31 photographs
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Accession Number
- 2010-06
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of photographs, political leaflets, postcards, publications, correspondence and a scrapbook documenting the political careers of Ernest and Harold Winch.
- History
- Ernest Edward (Ernie) Winch was born at Harlow, Essex, England on March 22, 1879. Ernest was one of seven children; Walter, Albert, Alfred, Horace, Ernest, Emma and Caroline (Carrie). In 1898, when he was 19 years old, Ernest immigrated to Canada with his friend Jack Holttum to work on a farm in Saskatchewan. Ernest’s brother Alfred followed soon after and together the Winch brothers worked in British Columbia, then in Australia. Unfortunately the country was at the height of a heavy drought and so Ernest returned to Harlow and followed in his father's footsteps, apprenticing as a bricklayer. In 1905 Ernest Winch met and married Australian born Linda Marian Hendy. While in England they had Harold, born June 18, 1907, and Eileen, born in 1908. Ernest sailed back to Canada alone in 1910, his young family following him months later. He quickly became a member of the Bricklayers and Masons International Union No. 1, Vancouver Branch. Ernest began studying socialism in 1910 and joined the Social-Democratic Party of Canada in 1911. The Burnaby local of the Social-Democratic Party nominated Ernest Winch as a candidate for School Trustee in 1914. He received seven votes. In 1915 he and his eldest son Harold left the rest of the family at their home in White Rock and went to Mission to establish a homestead. While living in the Dewdney area, he organized a small Social-Democratic group in Mission and became its Secretary. However, he did not stay long in Dewdney. In the summer of 1918, Ernest left the Social-Democratic Party to join the Socialist Party. Once back in Burnaby, now 38 years old and looking for a way to support his family, Ernest answered a call for new workers from the Longshoremen’s Union. He joined the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) Auxiliary and soon was elected its Secretary. By 1917, he was a part of the Vancouver Trades and Labour Council, serving as its President by 1918. In 1919, he joined the B.C. Loggers Union (later the Lumber-Workers Industrial Unit), serving as Secretary. Ernest endorsed both the Vancouver General Strike in 1918 and the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and was active in his support of the One Big Union (O.B.U). After two and a half years, Ernest left the ILA and rejoined the Longshoremen’s Union along with his former O.B.U. brother, William A. Pritchard. Soon after, a strike broke out and its unsuccessful end caused Winch to go back to bricklaying. By this time, the four youngest Winch children had been born: Charlie, Grace, Alan and Eric. Ernest re-founded the Socialist Party of Canada (British Columbia) in 1932 and, with it, joined the new Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. In the 1933 provincial election he, his son Harold Winch, and five others became the first CCF Members of Legislative Assembly. As a CCF MLA for Burnaby, Ernest became a resolute advocate for immediate reform, exposing abuses and inadequacies in BC's social welfare and correctional institutions (including Oakalla) and taking a special interest in the problems of the aged. One of his many notable contributions was the creation of the New Vista Society, first developed to ease the problem of overcrowding in mental hospitals at the time. Ernest Winch held his seat in the legislature continuously until his death on January 11, 1957. One of his legacies left to the people of Burnaby are the New Vista Society senior citizens homes. He also founded the New Westminster branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (S.P.C.A.). Ernest and Linda’s eldest son Harold Edward, an electrician by trade, married Dorothy Ada Hutchinson on May 11, 1929. At 26 years old, he was elected CCF MLA for Vancouver East (in 1933) and became provincial party leader by 1938, serving as leader of the Opposition from 1941 to 1953. When the CCF was defeated in the controversial election of 1953, which saw W.A.C. Bennet come to power, Harold abandoned provincial politics for the House of Commons, where he represented Vancouver East until his retirement in 1972.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Creator
- Winch, Ernest "Ernie"
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- MSS129, photo catalogue 514
Kay North subseries
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription76
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1913-[1958]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and photographs
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consists of photographs of Riverway Mission Sunday school classes and the Cropley/Rorison family, as well as a 1914 Deed of Land and 1913 Agreement of Sale of Land for the Cropley family.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1913-[1958]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Kay North subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and photographs
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Accession Number
- BHS1991-04
- BHS1991-38
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consists of photographs of Riverway Mission Sunday school classes and the Cropley/Rorison family, as well as a 1914 Deed of Land and 1913 Agreement of Sale of Land for the Cropley family.
- History
- Kay Rorison North was one of the twin daughters of Burnaby carpenter William Rorison and Alma Cropley Rorison. Kay and her twin Evelyn were nine month old when her parents moved them and her two older brothers, Bill and Hugh, to Burnaby in 1922. Her younger brother, John, was not yet born. Kay's grandmother, Matilda Louise Cropley, bought three acres of land on Marine Drive (then called River Road) in South Burnaby and William built two houses on the property: one for his family and, six years later, one for his wife's widowed mother. They built a barn and kept cows, goats and the occasional pig. Her father built wooden toys and board games for the children. Kay went to Riverway West School with thirty-one other children, with grades one to four taught together in the one-room school house. She also attended Sunday school at Riverway mission for eight years and taught it there for another fifteen. Kay and her husband Doug have two daughters.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Creator
- North, Kay Rorison
- Notes
- Title based on contents and creator of subseries
- PC269, MSS051
![The ferry, [1925] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/001/020-139.jpg?width=280)
The ferry
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34432
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1925]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.9 x 11.8 cm on page 17.5 x 26.2 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a ferry boat at the end of a wooden pier, near Mission. A caption accompanying the photograph reads: "the ferry."
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1925]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Peers family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.9 x 11.8 cm on page 17.5 x 26.2 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 020-139
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2007-04
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a ferry boat at the end of a wooden pier, near Mission. A caption accompanying the photograph reads: "the ferry."
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on caption accompanying photograph
Images
![The ferry, [1925] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/001/020-139.jpg)
Harold Edward Winch collection
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3638
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1914]-2003
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- approx. 23 cm of textual records + approx. 600 photographs (b&w + col.)
- Scope and Content
- Collection consists of records relating to Harold Edward Winch's family life and political career. It includes photographs of Winch's parents, family, and wife Jessie, as well as photographs, correspondence and other textual records from Harold's political work and experiences, a travel diary, gues…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- approx. 23 cm of textual records + approx. 600 photographs (b&w + col.)
- Scope and Content
- Collection consists of records relating to Harold Edward Winch's family life and political career. It includes photographs of Winch's parents, family, and wife Jessie, as well as photographs, correspondence and other textual records from Harold's political work and experiences, a travel diary, guest books, and certificates. The collection includes a number of Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and New Democratic Party newspapers. The collection also includes records relating to Winch's death, such as obituaries, memorials, articles, and a guest book. Finally, the collection includes a small number of records relating to Winch's father, Ernie Winch, and his own political career. The collection has been arranged into five series: 1) Harold E. Winch biographical records (1933-2003) 2) Harold E. Winch photographs series (1914-[ca. 1990]) 3) Harold E. Winch political photograph album and records series ([1937]-1993) 4) Harold E. Winch personal records series (1949-1993) 5) Harold E. Winch newspaper collection series (1936-1986)
- History
- Harold Edward Winch (June 18, 1907-February 1, 1993) was born in Loughton, Essex, England to Ernest “Ernie” Edward Winch (March 22, 1879-January 11, 1957) and his wife Linda Marian (nee Hendy). Harold was the eldest of six children; the others were Eileen, Charlie, Grace, Alan, and Eric. Ernest moved to BC in 1909, followed by Linda, Harold, and Eileen in 1910. The remaining children were born in BC. Ernie, a brick mason, built the family a series of homes in the Lower Mainland as the family moved around for a number of years, living in Burnaby, White Rock, Mission, and Vancouver before finally settling back in Burnaby. Ernie Winch joined the Social Democratic Party of Canada in 1911 and became secretary of the party in 1913, and was heavily involved in trade unions and the labour and socialist movements. He helped re-establish the Socialist Party of Canada (BC) in 1932, which soon merged with the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). Ernie was a CCF MLA in Burnaby from 1933 until his death in 1957, following which his son-in-law Cedric Cox (husband of Eileen) won the seat in a byelection. Ernie was particularly interested in institutions, including jails, mental hospitals, and industrial schools, and founded the New Vista Society in 1943 to provide a live-in rehabilitation program to women with psychiatric problems. The organization later expanded to focus on low-cost housing for seniors, and an apartment complex was built for this purpose in Burnaby. Both Ernie and Harold were lifelong members of the New Vista Society board of trustees. Harold Winch trained as an electrician, but also followed his father into politics, serving as a CCF MLA in Vancouver East from 1933 to 1953 – Ernie and Harold were two of the first seven CCF MLAs. The Winches set a Guinness world record for the longest father-and-son parliamentary tenure. Like his father, Harold was also highly involved in the labour movement, and acted as a liaison between workers and government during the Depression, particularly during the relief camp strike in Vancouver in 1935 which precipitated the On to Ottawa trek. He was the leader of the BC CCF from 1938 to 1953, and Leader of the Opposition from 1941 to 1953. In 1953, Harold stepped down from provincial politics to enter the federal arena, and served as a CCF MP for Vancouver East from 1953 to 1961, when the CCF became the New Democratic Party (NDP); Harold continued to serve as an NDP MP from 1961 to 1972, when he retired for health reasons. In federal office, Harold remained dedicated to the working class and humanitarian causes, issuing reports on subject such as unemployment, veterans’ rights, low-cost housing for seniors, animal welfare, drug addiction, and mental health concerns. Harold earned honorary law degrees from both UBC (1973) and SFU (1974). He was involved in numerous humanitarian and other organizations and his roles included president and treasurer of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; co-founder of the Immigrant Services Society of Vancouver; director of the Boag Foundation; and lifelong member of the Association for Protection of Fur Bearing Animals. Harold married Dorothy Ada Hutchinson (December 1, 1907-October 24, 1974) on May 11, 1929. They had three children: Donald, Gerald ("Jerry"), and Shirley. Following Dorothy’s death, Harold married Jessie Margaret Mendels (nee Sweezey) (June 29, 1913-May 9, 2006) on May 19, 1981. Jessie grew up in Grand Forks, BC, and her family moved to Vancouver when she was in high school. Her first husband was George Edward Mendels (November 2, 1905-September 2, 1978). She had no children. Jessie served as a St. John’s ambulance driver during World War II. She was also active in the CCF and NDP parties in BC, having been Provincial Secretary for the CCF in the 1940s, a vice-president of the party in the 1950s, and Provincial Secretary for the NDP in the 1960s. Like Harold, she later served as a director of the Boag Foundation. Jessie traveled widely throughout her life. The collection contains a small number of Jessie’s photographs. Harold Winch died in White Rock, where he and Jessie had retired, on February 1, 1993.
- Responsibility
- Winch, Harold Edward
- Accession Code
- BV013.12
- Date
- [1914]-2003
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Arrangement
- Records within fonds have been arranged by subject and format.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19350
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Interviewee: Surjeet Kaur Parmar Language of Interview: Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi Location of Interview: home of Surjeet Kaur Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: December 6, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of tracks: (1:15:32) Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and Canada, her personal experiences and her ancestors’ stories as South Asian immigrants, reflections on and personal experiences of racial discrimination as a South Asian immigrant, her places of residence, her employment background, her cultural practices and traditions including food, clothing and craft. The interview begins with introductions from interviewer Anushay Mailik. Surjeet Kaur Parmar imparts her own family’s migration story beginning with her very first elders that immigrated to Canada from India. A relative (unnamed) immigrated to Canada first and a few years later (around 1905) returned to India and brought back three cousins that included; Ginaya Singh (Ghania Singh Manhas) and Doman Singh . Mayo Singh (Ghania Singh’s younger brother) came in 1906 on his own to join them. Surjeet’s grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) also wanted to immigrate at this time, but he was too young and weak to manage such a long trip. Surjeet conveys that while living in British Columbia, Mayo and Ginaya Singh worked together at saw mills. With their knowledge and understanding of mill work they ended up owning and operating a mill in Paldi near Duncan on Vancouver Island. At this time, most of the men from Surjeet’s family region in Punjab were abroad and with no men living at home. Mayo Singh’s father (Bhulla Singh) looked after her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) and paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh Manhas) back in Punjab. When Mayo’s father died, Mayo Singh adopted her paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh) and brought him to Canada in 1926. Surjeet describes her ancestors’ immigration journey from India to Canada. They all travelled by ship and if someone ran out of money en route, they could work on the ship. Surjeet explains that both Mayo and Ginaya Singh are Surjeet’s grandfather’s first cousins and her father’s second cousins. Surjeet recollects her grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) saying “now that you’ve arrived there, take one cousin from each side with you”. Surjeet explains that the cousins were all from the same village in Punjab and her great grandfather wanted someone to go abroad, so he sent a few and had them bring more as the years went on. Surjeet says that she’s uncertain as to why they chose Canada rather than America but thinks that they did some form of research and determined that it was a good place to come to. Surjeet admits that she doesn’t know the name of her paternal grandfather or other elders since she never met them. Surjeet shares that it was a traditional practice to mark pots and pans with family names and imparts that she discovered her father’s name “Lashman Singh” written on the bottom of a glass. Surjeet expresses that she’s marked her own pots and pans with her name to identify which ones are hers when she gets together with family or does catering. Surjeet refers to a kohl bottle that she has and how she’d like to offer it to the museum. She explains how the kohl bottle is no longer in use but was used by her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) and daughter and her grandchildren. Surjeet describes a blanket that she made called a “phulkari”, now on display in a small museum in Coquitlam, a wedding shawl, that her daughter now owns and a silk sari with embroidery. Surjeet and Anushay discuss the possibility of donating the kohl bottle and the sari to the museum. Surjeet explains how the kohl is used and how her mother used to make kohl. She describes how you rub the kohl with your hands, put cardamom in it, one or two other ingredients and fill the kohl bottle up with water. Surjeet says that she used kohl as eyeliner when living in India. The interviewer asks Surjeet more about Ginaya Singh. Surjeet conveys that Ginaya Singh ended up leaving the mill on Vancouver Island and moved to Vancouver. After Ginaya Singh died from a heart attack (in 1953) his family moved from Vancouver to Burnaby. Surjeet recalls that following the death of Ginaya Singh’s youngest son, her family didn’t celebrate “Lohri” (a winter festival celebrating newborns and newly married people) for three years. She shares that she was very young at this time but remembers there being beautiful photographs of young children all dressed up and displayed in her family home. She expresses that dressing up for photos has changed over time and adds that suits didn’t really come into fashion until after the 1970s or 1980s. Surjeet conveys that her uncle named Kashmira Singh first worked at the mill in Paldi near Duncan then moved to Vancouver and opened up his own mill in North Vancouver. Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas arrived in 1953. Surjeet expresses that Kapoor Singh was educated and worked as a manager at the mill on Vancouver Island. Surjeet recollects meeting Mayo Singh, his wife and eldest son in 1952 when they travelled to India for a cousin’s wedding. Surjeet remembers that Mayo Singh’s family had a very large house in India. She describes the house as a very opulent two story house with indoor plumbing for a bathtub, a kitchen with a woodstove, coloured mirrors, bejeweled curtains, a motor room to park cars, a buffalo and more. Surjeet refers to Nand Singh, a younger brother of Mayo Singh, who travelled from India to San Franciso and spent a year wandering around before deciding to return to India. She describes him as living in Bombay with his wife Vishan Kaur and having a transport business. Nand had two kids that came to Canada. Surjeet recollects the tragic death of Ganda Singh (Ginaya Singh) who died of a heart attack on someone’s doorstep, they thought that he was drunk so didn’t open the door. Surjeet conveys that Mayo Singh’s wife, Mission Kaur (Saradani Bishan Kaur) died while visiting India (in 1952) and that some of Mayo’s sons were married in Canada and one in India. Surjeet expresses that it was hard for Mayo’s sons to have one of their parents die in India and one die in Canada (Mayo Singh died in B.C. in 1955). Surjeet describes the hospital that Mayo built in the village of Paldi. She mentions that there were festivals and functions that took place there, there were many nurses and doctors. She recalls there being a school where their land was. She recalls that if they got headaches they were treated with medicine and that it didn’t cost much, only a six pence. Surjeet talks about her arranged marriage to Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar. Surjeet explains that her father and brother immigrated to British Columbia first (1953) and after a few months they brought Surjeet and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas). She recollects that when she was in Grade 10 and around 17 years of age, her family made plans to travel to India to attend a family wedding. During this time, her father suggested that it would be a good opportunity to take Surjeet with them to find her a husband in India to marry. After meeting and marrying Nadeem Parmar in India, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England. Surjeet recollects that in order to immigrate to Canada, each family member had to pass a medical exam and how difficult it was. Her two sisters, mother and brother all had to take the test in Delhi. Surjeet recalls living in England with Nadeem. While living in England, Nadeem worked during the day and studied engineering at college in the evening. Surjeet expresses that she liked living in England and was sad to leave. While living there, they enjoyed a close knit Punjabi community and they all lived in the same area. Surjeet states later in her interview that living in Canada was different from living in England. In England, family and friends lived closer together whereas in Canada places were further apart. Surjeet says that while living in England she could walk to do her shopping. While living in England, after her children were a bit older, she worked as a seamstress in a shirt factory for a few years before coming to Canada. Surjeet imparts that her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) died of a heart attack in 1970 and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) died in 1998. Her father and her family first lived in North Vancouver and then her parents bought a house on Eton Street in Burnaby, near the Ocean. After her father died, her brother and mother bought a house and moved to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in Burnaby. In 1973, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children immigrated to Canada and moved in with her brother and mother. Surjeet includes that her paternal aunt (Koshali Kaur Manhas) and cousins also moved to Burnaby and that her aunt and some of her cousins were sponsored by her son who came earlier. Surjeet recalls that after arriving in Canada she got work sewing in a factory located on Water Street in Gastown. Surjeet recollects travelling to her job by bus. Surjeet shares that she brought saris and quilted blankets “rijai”, not household items, in her suitcase when she came to Canada from England. Surjeet explains that the “rijai” (quilted blankets) were made from cotton from her home village in India. The blankets were made by women and then brought back to her to quilt on her sewing machine. Surjeet recalls that when she returned to Canada (in 1973 with her husband and children) they first lived with her mother and brother on Capitol Hill in Burnaby before moving to a house on Fell Avenue and then to their current home in 1982. In 1981, she worked at “Canadian Window Covering” factory making window coverings. The factory was located in the Brentwood area of Burnaby. Surjeet recalls how the factory became unionized and of how she left the factory and found union work at the Labatt’s brewery (Winery and Distillery Workers Local 300). Surjeet describes the work that she did while working at Labatt’s brewery which was located next to the Royal Columbian Hospital in Burnaby. Around 1995, when the Labatt’s factory closed down in Burnaby, she got union work as a bottle sorter for BDL Brewers Distributor Limited, where bottles were gathered for distribution at Braid Station. Surjeet left this job in 2000. Surjeet talks about traditional foods like bindi, sabji, aam and karela and where she’s shopped to find traditional ingredients for South Asian cuisine. She recollects how at first she could only find traditional ingredients at stores in Gastown, Chinatown and on Main Street in Vancouver but now they are more readily available at major grocery stores. Surjeet expresses that traditional spices and dry goods have been hard to find, apart from stores like, Famous Foods and Patels when it was located on Commercial Drive. Surjeet talks about using ingredients such as green pea flour and Besan flour to make pakoras and kahdri. Surjeet states that many immigrants didn’t wear their traditional clothing until she came later. She expresses that many South Asian immigrants didn’t wear their clothes “because there were no rights, we had to try to become like them”. Surjeet conveys that even though some were able to purchase property (she provides an example of family members in Duncan who faced discrimination by the owner/seller of a piece of property they were purchasing) that they had very little rights and they were all living in fear. She expresses that she herself didn’t experience this but in the beginning when people settled here (in B.C.) that it was very difficult. Surjeet says that when she goes to the Gurdwara and to work, she wears a sari and conveys that while working at the factory, she was encouraged to wear a sari, it was accepted then. She brought printed saris to work and her co workers said that they’d wear them to parties. Surjeet reflects on her own experiences of racism and discrimination and expresses that her generation “has learned how to stand up in front, then they got scared of saying anything”. “The people who came here first were afraid because they were alone, they had to settle down here and make a home from scratch, but the ones who came after had everything already built and made”. She explains how they helped one another when they came (to British Columbia). She describes how the Gurdwara was located on 2nd Street and all of the ships went there (new immigrants?), people would gather, get water, help one another and there would be a place for all people. Surjeet shares a personal experience of helping members of her husband’s family to immigrate to Canada. She tells of the complications of some being left behind in India and that some came to Canada as refugees that she and her husband sponsored. Surjeet expresses their struggles with raising a family, working and trying to pay for their own house while also trying to assist and support family members. Surjeet describes in detail how her husband Nadeem went back to India after his mother died to help his father, sister and her family immigrate. She explains that the immigration process took about four years and his father had to apply as a refugee. Nadeem’s sister came with her children but had to return to India so Surjeet and her family had to look after Nadeem’s sister’s child/children. Surjeet expresses that during this time she continued to work at Canadian Window Coverings, working an afternoon shift and sometimes taking her son with her. She expresses that this as a very hectic time, working the whole day, making food for everyone, grocery shopping, looking after a her sister in law’s younger child at night and getting no rest. Surjeet describes the time when she was working and her children were attending the local school. She expresses the challenges of working long days and often arriving home after her children. She recollects a time when there was a snow storm and how she was worried about her children making it home and being alone while she was at work, there were no cell phones in those days but they had phone numbers of her brother and sister. Surjeet tells of how they tried to help the rest of the Nadeem’s family immigrate including his brother who was a soccer player in India. They were able to buy a house for the whole family to live but expresses after several months Nadeem’s brother decided to stay in India. Surjeet expresses the complications and frustrations of trying to bring all family members to Canada.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Surjeet Kaur Parmar was born in Punjab, India in 1942 to parents Lashman Singh Manhas (1913-1970) and Budhan Kaur Manhas (1906-1998). Surjeet’s ancestors, Ghania Singh Manhas, Doman Singh and Mayo Singh immigrated to British Columbia in 1905 and 1906. The group got work in saw mills and soon began owning and operating their own saw mills, first in Chilliwack and Rosedale districts and later in 1920 on Vancouver Island near Duncan (Paldi) (known as the Mayo Lumber Company). In 1927, Surjeet’s paternal uncle, Kashmir Singh Manhas left Paldi, Punjab at the age of 18 years with Mayo Singh Manhas and after months of travel they arrived at Paldi on Vancouver Island. In 1953, Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas and her two brothers immigrated to Canada and soon after brought her and her mother, Budhan Kaur Manhas. After immigrating, her father began working at “Kashmir Lumber Company” in North Vancouver which was owned by his brother Kashmira Singh Manhas. Surjeet, her parents and two brothers first made their home in North Vancouver and the 1960s they moved to 3824 Eton Street in Burnaby. In 1959, Surjeet and her family returned to India for her brother’s wedding. During this time a marriage was arranged for Surjeet to marry Nadeem Parmar and they were married in 1960. Following their marriage, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England where they began raising their two children. While living in England, Surjeet worked as seamstress at a factory. In 1973, following the death of Surjeet’s father who died in 1970, Surjeet and Nadeem decided to immigrate to British Columbia. For the first few years, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children lived with her mother and brother in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Burnaby before purchasing their own home on Fell Avenue. While living in Burnaby Surjeet has worked as a seamstress for Canadian Window Covering, Labatt's Brewery and BDL Brewers Distributor Limited which she left in 2000. In 1982, Surjeet and her family moved into a new home that they had built on Woodsworth Street where they still live today. Interviewer biography: Anushay Malik is labor historian with a geographical focus on South Asia. Anushay studied at the University of London and was a research fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2014, Anushay moved back to her native Pakistan and joined Lahore University of Management Services as an Assistant Professor. In 2023, Anushay is a visiting scholar at Simon Fraser University and lives in Burnaby with her family. Anushay was a co-curator of the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills
- Clothing
- Crafts
- Employment
- Migration
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Occupations - Labourers
- Occupations - Millworkers
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Names
- Parmar, Surjeet Kaur
- Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"
- Manhas, Ghania Singh
- Singh, Mayo
- Manhas, Kashmir Singh
- Manhas, Sher Singh
- Manhas, Budhan Kaur
- Manhas, Lashman Singh
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.5
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Related Material
- See also BV022.29.1 - interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription of interview translated to English from Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi to English created by Rajdeep
- Transciption available on Heritage Burnaby
- Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0005_003.mp3Letter re Special Survey of District Lots 9, 55, 106 and 107
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription11144
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- December 1927
- Collection/Fonds
- Ronald G. Scobbie collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 p. of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a letter dated 13th December 1927 with letterhead "McQuarrie, Whiteside & Duncan / Barristers & Solicitors", "New Westminster Office / Westminster Trust Building / Mission City Office / Catherwood Building / New Westminster, B.C.."; addressee "Messrs. Burnett & McGugan, Surveyors /…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Ronald G. Scobbie collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 p. of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a letter dated 13th December 1927 with letterhead "McQuarrie, Whiteside & Duncan / Barristers & Solicitors", "New Westminster Office / Westminster Trust Building / Mission City Office / Catherwood Building / New Westminster, B.C.."; addressee "Messrs. Burnett & McGugan, Surveyors / 30 McKenzie Street, CITY" "ATTENTION MR. BURNETT."; "Re: Special Survey of District Lots 9, 55, 106 and 107. Group 1, New Westminster District, District of Coquitlam".
- Accession Code
- BV003.83.23
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- December 1927
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
![Planking a Canadian Pacific Railway bridge, [1925] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/001/020-138.jpg?width=280)
Planking a Canadian Pacific Railway bridge
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34431
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1925]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 12.1 cm on page 17.5 x 26.2 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a group of workmen working on a Canadian Pacific Railway bridge in Mission. This photograph appears to have been taken by Arthur Peers, who travelled through the Fraser River Valley and worked on the construction of the Trans-Provincial Highway during the later 1920s, so these may be…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1925]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Peers family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 12.1 cm on page 17.5 x 26.2 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 020-138
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2007-04
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a group of workmen working on a Canadian Pacific Railway bridge in Mission. This photograph appears to have been taken by Arthur Peers, who travelled through the Fraser River Valley and worked on the construction of the Trans-Provincial Highway during the later 1920s, so these may be members of a work crew taking a break alongside the road.
- Subjects
- Construction - Bridge Construction
- Structures - Bridges
- Transportation - Rail
- Occupations - Labourers
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Peers, Arthur Francis "Mike"
- Notes
- Title based on caption accompanying photograph
Images
![Planking a Canadian Pacific Railway bridge, [1925] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/001/020-138.jpg)
Stave River Powerhouse
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34441
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1929
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.5 x 10.4 cm on page 17.5 x 26.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Stave River Powerhouse in Mission, BC.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1929
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Peers family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.5 x 10.4 cm on page 17.5 x 26.3 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 020-148
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2007-04
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Stave River Powerhouse in Mission, BC.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Powerhouses
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on caption accompanying photograph
Images
Stave River Powerhouse
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34442
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1929
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 12 cm on page 17.5 x 26.3 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Stave River Powerhouse in Mission, BC.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1929
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Peers family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 12 cm on page 17.5 x 26.3 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 020-149
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2007-04
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Stave River Powerhouse in Mission, BC.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Powerhouses
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on caption accompanying photograph
Images
Visit of Burnaby Municipal Council
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription36400
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 23, 1925
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 19 x 23.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Burnaby Municipal Council and officials visit to Stave Falls in MIssion, BC. The Municipal Council and officials are wearing three piece suits, and are seated and standing in three rows outside on the grass. The side of a building (with lace curtains in its windows) is in the back…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 23, 1925
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Photographs subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : sepia ; 19 x 23.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 260-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1991-23
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Burnaby Municipal Council and officials visit to Stave Falls in MIssion, BC. The Municipal Council and officials are wearing three piece suits, and are seated and standing in three rows outside on the grass. The side of a building (with lace curtains in its windows) is in the background.
- Subjects
- Officials - Alderman and Councillors
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Continuation of title"..AND OFFICIALS TO STAVE FALLS, JULY 23rd 1925"
Images
