4 records – page 1 of 1.

Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19604
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 6 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 7 sec.)
Scope and Content
Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 - 00:13:30 Interview opens with introductions. Samuel (Sam) and Angela Nalliah provide biographical details including their p…
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
2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 6 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 7 sec.)
Material Details
Interviewer: James Binks Interviewees: Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah Location of Interview: Nalliah family home Interview Date: May 29, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 68 min., 6 sec. Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph information: Ruth (Angela) Nalliah with husband Samuel Nalliah WARNING: Some of the content discussed in this interview (00:40:58 – 00:57:31) regarding the Tamil genocide may be upsetting to some people.
Scope and Content
Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 - 00:13:30 Interview opens with introductions. Samuel (Sam) and Angela Nalliah provide biographical details including their parentage, place of birth (Sri Lanka), spoken language and education. Sam Nalliah shares details on his education while living in Sri Lanka, his later education in Wales where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and his migration to Halifax in 1978 after obtaining a job at Dalhousie University as a systems analyst. Sam conveys how he decided to relocate from Halifax to Vancouver in 1986 and started his employment with BC Tel. Angela Nalliah shares details on her education and employment after immigrating to Canada from Sri Lanka in 1986. Angela conveys how she first lived in Ottawa, moved to Toronto in 1989 where she began working for TD bank and moved to Vancouver in 1999. 00:13:31 – 00:20:03 Sam Nalliah talks about how he and his wife Angela first met and married in 1999 and moved to Vancouver. Sam shares information on where his other family members immigrated to and why he decided to immigrate to Canada. Angela shares information on other members of her family who immigrated to Canada before her and how her uncle sponsored them all to come. 00:20:04 – 00:29:30 Sam provides further details regarding his family make up including; his first wife, his daughters (born in 1983 and 1985), his step daughter (born in 1991) and his youngest daughter (born in 2000). Sam tells how he worked as a Systems and Operations Manager at Shaughnessy Hospital and later at BC Hydro. Sam provides locations of homes that they lived in Burnaby and Vancouver. Sam and Angela describe what they liked about living in Burnaby, where their daughter attended school and where they did their shopping. 00:29:31 – 00:32:11 Angela talks about working for Prospera Credit Union from 2003 after TD bank downsized. Sam describes how they rented out their house in Vancouver and lived in a rental home in Burnaby that was owned by the City of Burnaby. Sam and Angela recollect the time period that they lived in Burnaby and Vancouver before deciding to move to Surrey in 2015. 00:32:12 – 00:35:59 Sam and Angela provide details regarding their daughter’s post-secondary education and careers. Angela talks about her social activities, volunteer work and involvement with the Thamil Cultural Society of British Columbia, the Women’s Network as well as the Westminster Bible Chapel Church in Burnaby and the Green Timbers Evangelical Covenant Church in Surrey. 00:36:00 – 00:40:57 Sam recalls hearing Prime Minster Pierre Elliott Trudeau speak about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms at Dalhousie University and the effect that his speech made on him. Sam talks about joining the National Democratic Party when Peter Julian was elected as a Member of Parliament for Burnaby. 00:40:58 – 00:57:31 (WARNING: Some of the content discussed in this portion of the interview may be upsetting to some people) Sam and Angela speak about their involvement with the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC). Angela describes the brutal violence that she witnessed while living in Sri Lanka during the Anti-Tamil state sponsored genocide in the 1980’s. Sam and Angela recollect and discuss their views and actions pertaining to the MV Sun Sea incident where a Thai cargo ship carrying Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to British Columbia were identified as terrorists by the Canadian Government and held in detention facilities. 00:57:32 – 01:08:07 Sam reflects on what he likes about Burnaby. Angela and Sam talk about Hindu temples attended by many Tamil and Sri Lankan people living in Burnaby and the lower mainland. Angela talks about the many cultural events and celebrations that are celebrated within the Tamil and Sri Lankan community including the Pongal Festival. Angela and Sam reflect on how grateful they are to be residents of Canada.
History
Interviewees biographies: Samuel (Sam) Nalliah was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1949. Sam immigrated to Halifax in 1977 after obtaining a position as a systems analyst at Dalhousie University. In 1986, Sam sponsored his parents to come to Canada. In 1986, after being introduced to the milder weather in Victoria, Sam decided to move to British Columbia. He moved to Burnaby in 1990 and began working for BC Tel in Burnaby. Following his job at BC Tel, Sam worked as a Systems and Operations Manager at Shaughnessy Hospital and later at BC Hydro. Ruth (Angela) Nalliah was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1964 and immigrated to Canada in 1986. As a Tamil living in Sri Lanka in the 1980’s Angela witnessed first hand the brutal violence during the Anti-Tamil state sponsored genocide. In 1986 Angela was relieved to be able to immigrate to Canada after being sponsored by her uncle. Angela first lived and worked in Ottawa and Toronto before marrying Samuel Nalliah in Ottawa in 1999 and the couple moved to Burnaby. Angela worked for TD bank in both Toronto and Vancouver until it downsized in 2003 and she began working for Prospero Credit Union. While living in Burnaby, Angela attended the Westminster Bible Chapel and after moving to Surrey she became a member of the Green Timbers Evangelical Covenant Church. Sam and Angela Nalliah have four daughters and since moving to British Columbia they’ve lived in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey. Both Sam and Angela are involved with the Tamil Cultural Association of British Columbia and the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) as well as participates in Sri Lankan and Tamil community cultural events. Interviewer biography: James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
Creator
Burnaby Village Museum
Subjects
Education
Events - Festivals
Government
Government - Federal Government
Migration
Occupations
Organizations - Political Parties
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Religions
Religions - Christianity
Religions - Hinduism
Rights
Rights - Human Rights
Social Issues
Social Issues - Racism
Social Issues - Discrimination
Names
Nalliah, Ruth "Angela"
Nalliah, Samuel "Sam"
Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC)
Westminster Bible Chapel
Thamil Cultural Society of British Columbia (TCSBC)
Responsibility
Binks, James
Accession Code
BV023.16.8
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023
Media Type
Sound Recording
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Transcription available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum
Images
Audio Tracks

Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah, 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah, 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0008_003.mp3
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Interview with Judy Hagen by Eric Damer November 7, 2012 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory335
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1947-1967
Length
0:09:23
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's thoughts on local Churches and on her involvement in Church groups.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's thoughts on local Churches and on her involvement in Church groups.
Date Range
1947-1967
Photo Info
Judith "Judy" Robins (later Hagen) posing in a dance costume, 1949. Item no. 549-036.
Length
0:09:23
Subjects
Religions
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
November 7, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 7, 2012. Major theme discussed: the neighbourhood of Dover Street.
Biographical Notes
Judy Robins (later Hagen) was born in 1941 and grew up in South Burnaby. Her paternal grandfather, a master stone mason from Devon, moved to Vancouver in 1912 to find work before bringing over the rest of the family. He bought three lots in Burnaby and in 1918 moved his family to a small house on Dover Street (formerly Paul Street). Judy’s father, Jack, married, bought one of his father’s lots and built a new home for his family. Judy attended school and church nearby, took dance and piano lessons and participated actively in Girl Guides. After high school, she attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) and then Simon Fraser University (SFU), worked for a few years and then married in 1967 before moving to Courtaney, British Columbia.
Total Tracks
7
Total Length
1:09:51
Interviewee Name
Hagen, Judith "Judy" Robins
Interview Location
Nanaimo Museum on Vancouver Island
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
Audio Tracks

Track four of recording of interview with Judy Hagen

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Interview with Shirley Cohn

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19597
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Description Level
File
Physical Description
2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)
Scope and Content
File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on …
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Series
Museum Oral Histories series
Subseries
Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
Description Level
File
Physical Description
2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)
Material Details
Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Shirley Cohn Location of Interviews: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Dates: April 14, 2023 and September 6, 2023 Total Number of Tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 67 min., 33 sec. Digital master recording (wav) recording of second interview (50 min., 36 sec.) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
Scope and Content
File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on September 6, 2023: 0:00 – 16:09 Shirley Cohn shares background information about her parents who immigrated to Detroit from Hungary in the 1930’s. Shirley recalls what it was like for her parents being Jewish during World War II and how many of their relations were killed in the Holocaust. Shirley talks about her Jewish Hungarian heritage, what it was like growing up in Detroit, the Jewish community in Detroit and the Jewish holidays and traditions that her family celebrated. Shirley recalls her high school and University education and experiences, starting her career in social work and how she met her future husband, Theodore “Ted” Cohn. 16:10 – 18:27 Shirley shares the story about her father in law, Dr. Daniel E. Cohn who was Harry Houdini’s doctor at the time of his death in Detroit on Oct. 31, 1926. Shirley explains that she donated some of Dr. Daniel E. Cohn’s original documents pertaining to this event to the New York Public Library. 18:28 – 26:04 Shirley describes her experiences living and working in London Ontario while her husband was a professor at University of Western Ontario and Shirley worked as a social worker in family services. Shirley recalls experiences of anti-Semitism while living in London. Shirley talks about moving to Burnaby in 1977 after her husband took a job as a professor at Simon Fraser University. Shirley describes her experiences living in Burnaby, raising a family and working as a social worker at Burnaby General Hospital. 26:05 – 26:18 Shirley talks about her interests outside of work, her family’s involvement in the Burquest Jewish Community Association and being a member of Temple Shalom. Shirley conveys information about other Jewish synagogues in Greater Vancouver, describes Reform Judaism at Temple Shalom and some Jewish cultural practices that her family has been involved with. 26:19 – 33:12 Shirley describes her family’s experiences living in the Garden Village nieghbourhood in Burnaby, her involvement sharing Jewish cultural traditions at her children’s school and recalls her children’s experiences attending school in Burnaby. 33:13 – 40:46 Shirley conveys the career paths that her children took and talks about what she likes about living in Burnaby including; the walking and hiking trails, the cultural and art performances and her involvement in local politics. Shirley talks about her and her husband’s involvement in the SFU retirees association and the SFURA walking and hiking group. Shirley reflects on her husband’s academic career, experiences teaching at SFU and the role of the Hillel Jewish Students Association at the Simon Fraser University. Shirley talks about the difficulties of discussing political views about the State of Israel. Shirley describes some traditional Jewish foods, the roles that they play and a local bakery that carries Jewish bake goods. 40:47 – 50:36 Shirley describes her current daily life in Burnaby; working one day a week as a social worker, gardening, her involvement at Temple Shalom and the Jewish Community Centre and how she travels in Burnaby. Shirley recalls the changes that she’s encountered in Burnaby and in her career over the years, shares a story about her husband losing his thesis and describes what Burnaby was like while she was raising her family. Shirley shares what she thinks about the areas of development in Burnaby and conveys the importance of having parks and affordable housing. In closing, Shirley reflects on what is like to be a Jewish person living in Burnaby.
History
Interviewee biography: Shirley Tanner was born in Detroit in 1947. Her parents were both Jewish. Her mother fled Hungary as a refugee in 1939, while her father emigrated from there in 1934. Shirley attended public schools in Detroit, and then studied social work at the University of Michigan. After marriage, Shirley and Ted Cohn moved to Ontario where Ted had a faculty appointment at the University of Western Ontario in political science. Six years later they moved to Burnaby for Ted’s teaching position in political science at Simon Fraser University. While living in Burnaby, Shirley took care of a growing family while also practicing social work, mainly at Burnaby Hospital. The family enjoyed Burnaby’s libraries and parks. Shirley helped out at her children’s schools, became a Block Watch captain, and the family joined Burquest Jewish Community Association. The Cohns later became members of Temple Sholom Synagogue in Vancouver, while remaining in Burnaby. Beginning in 2009, Ted started an informal hiking group for retired Simon Fraser University staff. This group has been open to others, so now has a wide variety of members. Shirley has also helped lead hikes in the region. 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
Education
Recreational Activities - Hiking
Organizations
Organizations - Societies and Clubs
Migration
Persons - Jewish Canadians
Religions - Judaism
Social Issues - Racism
Social Issues
Wars - World War, 1939-1945
Names
Cohn, Dr. Daniel E.
Cohn, Shirley
Cohn, Theodore H. "Ted"
Burquest
Hillel Jewish Students Association
Simon Fraser University
SFURA walking and hiking group
Simon Fraser University Retirees Association "SFURA"
Temple Shalom
Responsibility
Damer, Eric
Accession Code
BV023.16.1
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023
Media Type
Sound Recording
Notes
Title based on contents of file
Summary, recording and transcript of second interview available on Heritage Burnaby
Images
Documents
Audio Tracks

Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023

Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_003.mp3
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Burnaby Girl Guides

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4592
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1914]-1969, predominant ca. 1920 (date of original), copied 2016
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Girl Guides fonds
Description Level
File
Physical Description
1 scrapbook (textual records + 2 digital files : (pdfs) + 102 photographs : (tiffs))
Scope and Content
File consists of images and selected contents from a scrapbook with 38 double sided pages containing mostly photographs with some newspaper clippings, written material and emphemera including a page of badges and ribbons which reads "Enrolment & Membership Card of / Joan Bailey 1926 / 1st Burnaby" …
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Girl Guides fonds
Series
Burnaby Girl Guides scrapbooks and photographs series
Description Level
File
Physical Description
1 scrapbook (textual records + 2 digital files : (pdfs) + 102 photographs : (tiffs))
Scope and Content
File consists of images and selected contents from a scrapbook with 38 double sided pages containing mostly photographs with some newspaper clippings, written material and emphemera including a page of badges and ribbons which reads "Enrolment & Membership Card of / Joan Bailey 1926 / 1st Burnaby" and an embroidered alphabet of the Morse Code. The third page of the scrapbook includes a four page chronology titled "History of Guiding - Burnaby / 1913 - 1960" compiled by Mrs. Dolly Weber, Mrs. J. Heaps, Miss Eileen Periton, Mrs. J. Albertson and D. Fowler. The scrapbook also includes an original letter and post-script from Lady Olave Baden-Powell to Mrs. Fowler dated November 5, 1961; a typewritten copy of: "TSOONA" / PROVINCIAL GUIDE CAMPSITE - ROSEDALE B.C." and a three page typewritten copy of "THE CAMPFIRE / Volume 1, No. 4 _ November 1935 _ Vancouver, B.C.". Many of the events documented in photographs [between 1914 and 1969] are identified on each page and read as the following: "Burnaby Brownies - Guides & Rangers" / "Early 1920" (1 photograph); "Ambulance / Display / 1st. Co."; "Girl Guide Rally - New Westminster and / Burnaby - June 16, 1923" (5 photographs); "Girl Guide Rally - New Westminster and / Burnaby - June 16, 1923" (5 photographs); "Burnaby Guides and / Brownies / June 17, 1923" (5 photographs); "April 1923" (1 photograph); "June 1923 / 2nd Burnaby Company" (1 photograph); "Burnaby May Day / 26.5.28"(2 photographs); "Sechelt 1929_ 2nd "B" Company" (2 photographs); "Leaders and Seconds / 2nd Burnaby / Grouse Mountain" (1 photograph); "Sechelt 1929 / Commandant Mrs. Peal" (1 photograph); "2nd Company / June 1930" (1 photograph); "1932 / 2nd Company at Rally / Municipal Hall Grounds" (1 photograph) ; "First Burnaby Folk Dancing team / Winners of the E.F.D. cup 1940--41-42" (1 photograph); "1st Burnaby Company / winners of Bessborough Shield / 1942 / Captain L. Crane" (1 photograph); "May 6th 1935 / Dedication of flag at Central Park" (1 photograph); "May Day Celebration / Burnaby B.C. May 6th 1935 / Stride Studios Photos" (1 photograph); "Mrs. Don Wilks / Mrs. Georgie / Runcie / Publicity Photo re- / Brownie / Training / 1958-60" (1 photograph); "Kathleen Anderson / about 1958-60?" (1 photograph); "1957 / Burnaby Camp Site / at / Wilson Creek" (1 photograph); "Work Party (1958)" (1 photograph); "Burnaby Camp Site / Spring 1958 / Cabins & Staff Houses / Dining Shelter / Cabins" (3 photographs); "Can. Girl Guide Assoc. - Provincial Leaders Conference / April 14-15/61 Civic Centre, Prince George, BC" (1 photograph) ; "June 8th, 1958 / Opening / Ceremonies / Burnaby Site / Wilson Creek / Camp Site" (4 photographs); 2 unidentified photographs [ca.1915] of a large group of Girl Guides gathered on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds (photo credit- Leonard Frank); 1 unidentified photograph of a group of Girl Guides gathered for a group portrait [ca.1914]; "Girl Guide Camp / Granthams / Landing / July 1923" (4 photographs); 4 unidentified photographs of girl guides gathered on the ship "Lady Evelyn" [ca. 1920]; "Burnaby Girl Guides" 1918; "First Burnaby Girl Guides 1920" (2 photographs on page); "2nd Co. 1923" (1 photograph) "1st Burnaby Co." [1923] (1 photograph); "Gypsy Scene - Concert / Mar 17, 1923 / Unveiling / War / Memorial / Edmonds / 1923" (3 photographs on page); "Faith Jacobson / 1961" (2 photographs); "Eve MacLean / 1961" (1 photograph); "Beverley Simkin of Montreal and Judy Robins / of the S.R.S. Royal Oak taken on the day they / sailed from Montreal for the Ranger Camp at / "Our Chalet" in Adelboden, Switzerland, May 1962" (1 photograph) and "Religion & Life Emblem / Diane Peters 11th Bby. Co. / Rev. G.W. Luetkehodeter / 1961" (2 photographs on one page).
Subjects
Organizations - Girls' Societies and Clubs
Events - May Day
Names
Girl Guides of Canada
Accession Code
BV015.35.164
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[1914]-1969, predominant ca. 1920 (date of original), copied 2016
Media Type
Photograph
Textual Record
Historic Neighbourhood
Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Edmonds Area
Maywood Area
Notes
Transcribed title
Digital images were created of the scrapbook prior to selective retention of original records that were removed for conservation purposes
Some textual records that were selected for retention have been described at file level under BV015.35.164: "Tsoona" Provincial Guide Campsite - Rosedale B.C." and Burnaby Girl Guides newsletter, "The Campfire" (November 1935)
Photographs that were retained from scrapbook have been described at item level (BV015.35.221 to BV015.35.284)
Some textual records and ephemera that were selected for retention have been described at item level (BV015.35.320, BV015.35.321, and BV015.35.334 to BV015.35.348).
Images
Documents
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