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Richard Bolton subseries
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription108
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1912 (date of original)-[1941]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and graphic material
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consist of material created by Richard Bolton, who worked for Burnaby from 1911-1951, in many capacities.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1912 (date of original)-[1941]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Richard Bolton subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and graphic material
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Accession Number
- BHS1991-03
- BHS1986-09
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consist of material created by Richard Bolton, who worked for Burnaby from 1911-1951, in many capacities.
- History
- Richard Bolton was born in Sunderland, England in the 1880s. He immigrated to Canada on May 26,1911. Later that year he was employed as an accountant by the Corporation of the District of Burnaby. He lived with his brother George in New Westminster before purchasing his own property on North Arm Road (now Marine Drive), building a bungalow that he moved into in the summer of 1916. During World War I, Richard was promoted to Municipal Treasurer, a position he held until he retired. In 1919, he received three months leave of absence to return to Sunderland to marry Mary Gertrude Hern, daughter of Captain and Mrs. John Hern. Richard and Mary had two daughters, Nancy (b.1920) and Mary (b. 1923), that they raised in their family home located at 859 Marine Drive in South Burnaby. Both daughters were born at home, assisted by the Victorian Order of Nurses and the local doctor. The V.O.N. were established in Burnaby in 1912 and Richard Bolton supported and helped the Order every opportunity he had until his death on November 16, 1962. During the heart of the Depression, the family home became the meeting place for friends and relatives who could not find employment. During this time, Richard had discussions with Ernie Winch and others about seniors housing in Burnaby. The first phase was constructed between 1949 and 1956. In 1938, Richard was appointed Justice of the Peace by the Provincial Government but never accepted any remuneration for his duties. During this time period, Burnaby was under commissionship and when Commissioner Hugh M. Fraser became ill, Richard assumed his duties. He filled the position as Acting Commissioner and treasurer, and converted back to treasurer when the Reeve and Councillors of the Corporation of the District of Burnaby were reinstated in 1943. In 1951, Richard retired as treasurer for the City but he continued to chair the Debt Retirement Board until it became redundant in the late 1950s. On June 24, 1959, Reeve Allan Emmott presented the Gold Key to Burnaby to Richard.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Creator
- Bolton, Richard
- Notes
- PC159, PC249, MSS153
- Title based on creator of subseries
Knight family subseries
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription64497
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1938-1982
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and photgraphs
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consists of newspaper clippings, manuals on health and training of talking birds, correspondence and photographs pertaining to "Bird Doctor" Virginia Knight and her husband Milton, the owners of Lakeview Aviaries in Burnaby.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1938-1982
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Knight family subseries
- Physical Description
- Textual records and photgraphs
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Accession Number
- BHS1992-53
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consists of newspaper clippings, manuals on health and training of talking birds, correspondence and photographs pertaining to "Bird Doctor" Virginia Knight and her husband Milton, the owners of Lakeview Aviaries in Burnaby.
- History
- Milton "Milt" Waller Knight was born in Canada circa 1904. His wife Virginia Harrington was born in Duluth, Minnesota circa 1905 and lived most of her life in Canada. Virginia was the first person in British Columbia to breed budgies when she began in 1932 and by 1939 she and her husband created the first crested budgie in the world. By 1942, Virginia was also housing two-hundred and fifty birds at the home of her mother, Mrs. N.M. Herington, which was located at 1775 West 13th Avenue in Burnaby. Milton and Virginia Knight moved into their own home during the war years but, as they could not get their large aviary moved, they were forced to sell their crested birds. When they started up in their birds again, they obtained some of their crested back. By 1948 they had created two types of crested: those with a miniature cockatiel crest and those with a crest like a crested canary. By 1950 they had created the crested in over twelve colours of budgie, including cobalt and yellow-wing greens. The Knights lived together at 3718 Sperling Avenue (later renumbered 5255 Sperling Avenue) and opened Lakeview Aviaries on their one acre property at Deer Lake where Virginia specialized in budgies (Budgerigars) and bred the first albino in Canada and the first crested variety in the world. She kept Java rice birds, button quail, red factor canaries, cockatiels, finches, love birds and twelve varieties of budgerigar. She was a member of the British Columbia Budgerigar and Foreign Bird Society. The facilities at Lakeview Aviaries included two heated aviary cages and three outdoor flight cages constructed by Milton. Lakeview housed the only "hospital" facilities in the city for cage birds, which featured an electrically heated, thermostatically controlled hospital cage. Virginia, known in the community as “the Bird Doctor” nursed many sick birds back to health free of charge for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or SPCA. The Knights often donated their trained birds to sick and injured children, for Virginia believed, “Budgies do wonders for the kiddies. They make them forget their troubles and of course a happy mental outlook is a definite aid to better physical health.” The couple’s personal pets included eight different types of parrot, three talking budgies, a dancing bare-eyes cockatoo, three talking cockatiel, and “Hoppy” her pet owl. By 1952, they had a toucan and a macaw as pets. In later years, they added two small dogs. By 1965, Milton had over 25 years of service as a truck driver at the Vancouver Service Department. He was also an avid collector of antique watches and clocks. He reconditioned the timepieces, systematically restoring them to their original condition. He was a member of the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors. Milt also treasured old music boxes and restored their large metal discs and rolls to “as new” condition. Milton Knight died March 7, 1966 at 62 years of age. Virginia Knight lived alone at 5755 Sperling Avenue after her husband’s death and continued her work at the Lakeview Aviary where she “doctored 700-800 [birds] a year free of charge (except medicine) and gave SPCA donations up to $1000 a year.” Virginia Knight passed away November 10, 1987 at 82 years of age.
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Photograph
- Creator
- Knight, Milton
- Knight, Virginia
- Notes
- MSS117, PC510
- Title based on contents and creator of subseries