Narrow Results By
Decade
- 2020s 13
- 2010s 68
- 2000s 73
- 1990s 88
- 1980s 78
- 1970s 72
- 1960s
- 1950s 44
- 1940s 51
- 1930s 120
- 1920s 66
- 1910s 32
- 1900s 16
- 1890s 11
- 1880s 2
- 1870s 2
- 1860s 2
- 1850s 1
- 1840s 1
- 1830s 1
- 1820s 1
- 1810s 1
- 1800s 1
- 1790s 1
- 1780s 1
- 1770s 1
- 1760s 1
- 1750s 1
- 1740s 1
- 1730s 1
- 1720s 1
- 1710s 1
- 1700s 1
- 1690s 1
- 1680s 1
- 1670s 1
- 1660s 1
- 1650s 1
- 1640s 1
- 1630s 1
- 1620s 1
- 1610s 1
- 1600s 1
Subject
- Academic Disciplines 3
- Agriculture - Farms 1
- Animals - Poultry 1
- Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores 1
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories 1
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills 2
- Buildings - Religious - Mosques 1
- Buildings - Religious - Temples 1
- Buildings - Schools - Universities and Colleges 5
- Celebrations - Centennial 1
- Cemeteries 1
- Ceremonies - Funerals 1
Interview with Judy Hagen by Eric Damer November 7, 2012 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory336
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1948-1967
- Length
- 0:08:35
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of religions practiced in the neighbourhood, her father's politics and what she saw as the social consciousness of her Dover Street neighbourhood.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of religions practiced in the neighbourhood, her father's politics and what she saw as the social consciousness of her Dover Street neighbourhood.
- Date Range
- 1948-1967
- Photo Info
- Judith "Judy" Robins (later Hagen) posing in a dance costume, 1949. Item no. 549-036.
- Length
- 0:08:35
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track five of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
Track five of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-011/MSS171-011_Track_5.mp3Interview with David Skulski
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19606
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (80 min., 38 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (80 min., 38 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Murray "David" Skulski conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 00:00:00 – 00:22:22 David Skulski provides biographical information about himself. He talks about his childhood experiences growing up, at…
- 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) (80 min., 38 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (80 min., 38 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: David Skulski Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 6 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 80 min., 38 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
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Murray "David" Skulski conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 00:00:00 – 00:22:22 David Skulski provides biographical information about himself. He talks about his childhood experiences growing up, attending school in New Westminster and Burnaby and Hebrew school in Vancouver. David recalls his early experiences in music, instruments that he played and describes some of his Jewish family traditions. 00:22:23 – 00:49:57 David talks about his experiences studying music at university and following his passion as a musician and oboist. He recalls his experiences of working with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Orchestra, Vancouver Society for Early Music, the Burnaby Symphony Orchestra, other musical ensembles and venues where he’s performed. 00:49:58 – 01:00:00 David talks about living in Burnaby in the Deer Lake neighbourhood. David describes some his experiences playing traditional music from different countries. 01:01:01 – 01:14:15 David comments on the changes that he’s seen in Burnaby over the years, some of his favourite places, activities, cultural amenities and development on the Fraser River. David talks about the Jewish community in Burnaby, his involvement with the Peretz Centre and examples of Jewish cuisine. 01:14:16 – 01:20:38 David talks about Yiddish being his first language, his language studies in Lithuania, the roots of the language and provides some examples of speaking Yiddish.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Murray "David" Skulski was born in 1942 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and moved to British Columbia with his parents in 1948. Skulski and his family settled in New Westminster before moving to Burnaby in the late 1950's. Skulski took piano lessons at an early age and began playing obo while attending junior high school in New Westminster. In 1960 at the age of 17 years, Skulski began performing with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as solo English horn and is the youngest player to ever be employed with the VSO. In 1991, Skulski started playing with the Vancouver Folk Orchestra and was the conductor between 1997 and 2004. Skulski has been the principal oboe player in many orchestras. In 1968, Skulski founded the Hortulani Musicae; in 1970, he founded the Vancouver Society for Early Music and in 1983 he founded Harmonie, an ensemble concentrating in classical wind music. In 2003, Skulski became president of the Pertez Centre for Secular Jewish Culture. In 2005, Skulski became principal oboist of the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Burnaby Symphony Orchestra and between 2009 and 2019 he was the principal oboist for the Pilgrim Orchestra under Pilwon Suk. David has served as president of the Peretz Centre for Secular Jewish Culture and since 2022, he’s served on the board of the Vancouver Chamber Music Society. Skulski has taught summer courses in Renaissance music in Austria (1972-1979), has been a music resident at Simon Fraser University (1973-1976), has lectured on the history of musical instruments at SFU and UBC and in 2008 began teaching at the Pacific Coast School of Music, Richmond School of Music and Oakridge Music Studios. 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
- Foods
- Music
- Musical Instruments
- Occupations - Musicians
- Performances - Concerts
- Persons - Jewish Canadians
- Religions - Judaism
- Names
- Burnaby Symphony Orchestra
- Burnaby South High School
- Burquest
- Skulski, Murray "David"
- Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
- Vancouver Society for Early Music
- Peretz Centre
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake
- Deer Lake Park
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.10
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with David Skulski, [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
Interview with David Skulski, [1948-2023] (interview content), interviewed 6 Jul. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0010_003.mp3
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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
Track four of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-011/MSS171-011_Track_4.mp3Interview with Tom Mark by Eric Damer October 12, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory364
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1946-1965
- Length
- 0:08:24
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's memories of his activities outside of work. He discusses his garden and aviary filled with birds, he and his wife's volunteerism, and his memories of how the Fraser Valley flood of 1948 affected Burnaby.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's memories of his activities outside of work. He discusses his garden and aviary filled with birds, he and his wife's volunteerism, and his memories of how the Fraser Valley flood of 1948 affected Burnaby.
- Date Range
- 1946-1965
- Length
- 0:08:24
- Subjects
- Persons - Volunteers
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 12, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Thomas "Tom" Mark conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 12, 2012. Major theme discussed: being a volunteer.
- Biographical Notes
- Thomas "Tom" Mark was born in 1923 and grew up in New Westminster. In 1937 his family moved to Victoria, British Columbia where he finished his schooling and worked for a year in the shipyard before enlisting in the air force. He was stationed in England during the war, and in 1946 he bought a small house in East Burnaby for his English bride and himself. For three years Tom drove a heating fuel truck for Shell Oil and then became the agent for a Shell marine service station on the Fraser River, near the Patullo Bridge. His aviary garnered him the nickname “birdman of Burnaby.” His son attended St. Thomas Moore High School and then Simon Fraser University when it opened in 1965. In 1995 Tom Mark was awarded the Kushiro Cup for Outstanding Citizen of the Year for his volunteer work with the Burnaby Health Department.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:32:43
- Interviewee Name
- Mark, Thomas "Tom"
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Tom Mark
Track two of recording of interview with Tom Mark
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-018/MSS171-018_Track_2.mp3Interview with Tom Mark by Eric Damer October 12, 2012 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory365
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1946-1970
- Length
- 0:08:18
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's memories of his neighbourhood when he first arrived up until the nineteen-sixties, as well as his working life. He also discusses his son's secondary school education.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's memories of his neighbourhood when he first arrived up until the nineteen-sixties, as well as his working life. He also discusses his son's secondary school education.
- Date Range
- 1946-1970
- Length
- 0:08:18
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 12, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Thomas "Tom" Mark conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 12, 2012. Major theme discussed: being a volunteer.
- Biographical Notes
- Thomas "Tom" Mark was born in 1923 and grew up in New Westminster. In 1937 his family moved to Victoria, British Columbia where he finished his schooling and worked for a year in the shipyard before enlisting in the air force. He was stationed in England during the war, and in 1946 he bought a small house in East Burnaby for his English bride and himself. For three years Tom drove a heating fuel truck for Shell Oil and then became the agent for a Shell marine service station on the Fraser River, near the Patullo Bridge. His aviary garnered him the nickname “birdman of Burnaby.” His son attended St. Thomas Moore High School and then Simon Fraser University when it opened in 1965. In 1995 Tom Mark was awarded the Kushiro Cup for Outstanding Citizen of the Year for his volunteer work with the Burnaby Health Department.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:32:43
- Interviewee Name
- Mark, Thomas "Tom"
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track three of recording of interview with Tom Mark
Track three of recording of interview with Tom Mark
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-018/MSS171-018_Track_3.mp3Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19611
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (90 min., 21 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (90 min., 4 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Shushma Datt and her son, Sudhir Datta conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik. 00:00 – 12:47 Interview opens with introductions. Shushma Datt shares information about; where she’s lived in Burnaby sin…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (90 min., 21 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (90 min., 4 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewers: Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik Interviewees: Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta Location of Interview: Spice Radio, Norland Avenue, Burnaby Interview Date: January 20, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:30:21 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 Shushma Datt and her son, Sudhir Datta conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke and Anushay Malik. 00:00 – 12:47 Interview opens with introductions. Shushma Datt shares information about; where she’s lived in Burnaby since immigrating in 1972 and her arranged marriage which lead her to immigrate to Canada. Datt provides detailed information about her family background in Kenya and her parent’s decision to move their family from Kenya to India in the 1960s and then to England in the 1965. Datt describes her family’s experiences living in Kenya and India in the 1960s and provides some context on the political unrest that happened in Kenya which lead her family to leave. 12:48 - 28:07 Datt talks about her time living in England and shares information on her family life and her employment experiences. Datt conveys an experience from her childhood that inspired her to become a broadcaster and shares her experiences working for the BBC oversees service in England (1965-1972). Datt describes some of the articles that she's written for various publications and the people that she's interviewed. Datt highlights a particular experience about writing a critical review about the controversial design on Jimi Hendrix’s album “Axis: Bold as Love” that depicted Hindu religious iconography. 28:09 – 34:47 Datt and Datta provide further details about Datt's arranged marriage which lead her to immigrate to Canada in 1972 and to work as a broadcaster in Canada. Datt recalls her experiences working as a radio station operator for CHQM, a radio broadcaster for CJVB and starting her own South Asian radio station Rim Jhim in 1987. 34:48 – 40:01 Datt and Datta share information on where they’ve lived in Vancouver and Burnaby. Datt and Datta recall pivotal family life events that impacted their lives in 1974. 40:02 – 45:53 Datt recalls the travel trunks and contents that she and her family brought with them when they left Nairobi. Datt describes the letters that her parents wrote. Datt and Datta describe photos of their family and convey the impacts to their family after two of Datt’s brothers died at 24 years of age. 45:54 – 50:56 Interview continues chronologically from 1974, after Datt’s son, Sudhir Datta was born. Datt describes how she had to work hard to help pay her bills and support her family. Datta describes his childhood growing up as a South Asian child living and attending school in Burnaby (1979-1992). Datt and Datta recall Datt’s graduation ceremony and Datta’s Order of British Columbia awards ceremony. 50:57 – 58:03 Datt and Datta talk about food and cooking and where they’ve shopped for traditional food supplies. Datta explains her family lineage as Hindus who eat meat and how she’s been a vegetarian for over 30 years. Datt and Datta share stories about Datt’s mother Leela Datta. 58:04 – 1:05:38 Both Datt and Datta reflect on what’s it’s been like living as South Asians in Burnaby. Datt conveys the message that she got from her mom, Leela Datta "not to assimilate but to integrate". They both reflect on how the ethnic and cultural diversity of neighbourhoods has changed over time and Datt describes his experiences as a student in Burnaby. 1:05:39 – 1:16:51 Datt and Datta talk about the role of religion in their lives, describe the purpose of Radio Rim Jhim and reflect on how the South Asian community has grown in Metro Vancouver and the disparities created within. They both recall how their lives were threatened and impacted in 1984 following an interview that Datt did with Indira Ghandhi. Datt talks about the origins of her and her son’s surnames. 1:16:52 – 1:26:11 Datt and Datta talk about and reflect on their own experiences of racism and discrimination. Datt talks about Spice Radio’s annual campaign “Raise your hands against Racism”. Datt and Datta provide background on the radio stations Rim Jhim and Spice Radio including; how they got started, their unbiased approach to broadcast content and their experiences in the complex realm of broadcasting a multi-cultural radio station. 1:26:12 – 1:30:04 In closing, Datt and Datta convey what they think that younger generations of South Asian Canadians should understand about the South Asian Community in British Columbia.
- History
- Interviewees biographies: Shushma Datt was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1946 and is the second eldest of six children. In the 1960s during the unrest in Kenya, her family moved to India. After about nine months of living in India, Datt's family decided to return to Kenya, leaving Datt and her brother to complete their education in India. While living in India, Datt studied at Delhi University and worked at the Indian newspaper. In 1965, Datt, her parents and five siblings decided to leave Kenya and immigrated to England. While living in England, Datt got work as a broadcaster with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) overseas service, producing her first program in 1969. During her time with the BBC, Datt has interviewed many influential artists including Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles as well as the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. In 1972, Datt immigrated to Canada and settled in Burnaby. In late 1973, Datt sponsored her mother who joined her in Burnaby. Datt joined the CJVB radio station in Vancouver working as the Punjabi and Hindi language broadcaster. Datt worked here until 1978 when she started her own radio station, Radio Rim Jhim. In 2005, Datt obtained her own AM radio band license for a multicultural radio station RJ1200 which was later rebranded "Spice Radio". In 2015, Datt launched Spice Radio's annual "Hands Against Racism" campaign which has won awards from the Government of British Columbia and the B.C. Association of Broadcasters. Datt has also been a producer for Omni TV and Shaw TV and was the first woman to obtain a broadcasting license from the Canadian Radio- Television Telecommunications Commission. In 1992, Shushma Datt was awarded the Order of British Columbia and is also the recipient of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. Datt has been listed by the Vancouver Sun newspaper as among the 100 "most influential Indo-Canadians" and has been recognized by the Royal British Columbia Museum as one of the 150 "most influential British Columbians". Sudhir Datta is the only child of Sushma Datt and was born in Burnaby. Datta graduated with a computer science degree from Capilano University in 1995. Datta is the Vice President of Media Broadcasting (founded in 1984) creating television and radio programming for Canada's South Asian Community and has been the General Manager and Program Director of Spice Radio since 2006. Datta is also the author of many articles highlighting the South Asian community in Vancouver. Interviewers biographies: 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”. Jane Lemke has worked in various museums in the Lower Mainland and has been the Curator at Burnaby Village Museum since 2019. Her educational background includes a Master of Arts degree in History and a Master of Museum Studies degree. Her research focus has been on trauma and memory and its role in shaping Canadian identity. She loves sharing memories and stories of Burnaby with the public. Jane sits on the Council of the BC Museums Association and is the Chair of the BC Museums Association Professional Development and Education Committee.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Migration
- Occupations - Broadcasters
- Occupations - Entrepreneurs
- Occupations - Journalists
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Radio Stations
- Religions
- Religions - Hinduism
- Religions - Sikhism
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Responsibility
- Malik, Anushay
- Lemke, Jane
- Accession Code
- BV023.1.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcript available upon request
Audio Tracks
Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta, [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
Interview with Shushma Datt and Sudhir Datta, [1946- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 20 Jan. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0001_0003_003.mp3
Interview with Judy Hagen by Eric Damer November 7, 2012 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory337
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1944-2012
- Length
- 0:12:18
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of taking dance lessons and being in Girl Guides. She tells a story of seeing the Second Narrows Bridge collapse in 1958.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of taking dance lessons and being in Girl Guides. She tells a story of seeing the Second Narrows Bridge collapse in 1958.
- Date Range
- 1944-2012
- Photo Info
- Judith "Judy" Robins (later Hagen) posing in a dance costume, 1949. Item no. 549-036.
- Length
- 0:12:18
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track six of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
Track six of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-011/MSS171-011_Track_6.mp3Interview with Barry Jones by Kathy Bossort December 9, 2015 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory664
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1944-1970
- Length
- 0:07:55
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Barry Jones’ talking about his parent's move to Burnaby in 1944, growing up on Georgia Street, his education at UBC and how he became a teacher. He also talks about his experience attending SFU in 1965/66 as a charter student in the Education Dept.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Barry Jones’ talking about his parent's move to Burnaby in 1944, growing up on Georgia Street, his education at UBC and how he became a teacher. He also talks about his experience attending SFU in 1965/66 as a charter student in the Education Dept.
- Date Range
- 1944-1970
- Length
- 0:07:55
- Subjects
- Education
- Occupations - Teachers
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- December 9, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Barry Jones conducted by Kathy Bossort. Barry Jones was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Barry Jones talking about his home and the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain, and about the negotiations that resulted in the agreement between Simon Fraser University and the City of Burnaby in 1995. He talks about the building of Burnaby Mountain Parkway and its link to the 1995 agreement, and about his experiences with Trans Mountain tank farm and pipeline. He also talks about his education and career as teacher, school board trustee and politician.
- Biographical Notes
- Barry Jones was born 1940 in Princeton, BC. His father moved the family to a home on Georgia Street in North Burnaby in 1944 where Barry grew up. He attended UBC majoring in mathematics and chemistry, and unable to find work in his field, taught two years in northern BC. He liked teaching and returned to school, enrolling in education at the newly opened Simon Fraser University in 1965. He taught one year at Moscrop Secondary School in Burnaby and finished his 25 year teaching career in Coquitlam. Barry served ten years as a Burnaby School board trustee, and then ten years as North Burnaby MLA (NDP) beginning in 1986, serving five years in Official Opposition and five years in government under then-premier Mike Harcourt. During his time in government, Barry Jones successfully lobbied for freedom of information legislation. He also played a role in resolving the dispute between SFU and Burnaby over control and ownership of land on Burnaby Mountain and in creating the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area in 1995. He continues to live on Burnaby Mountain in a home he bought in 1971.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:06:23
- Interviewee Name
- Jones, J. Barry
- Interview Location
- City of Burnaby City Hall law libary
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Barry Jones
Track one of interview with Barry Jones
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-015/MSS196-015_Track_1.mp3Interview with Alekxos Sarter by Kathy Bossort October 16, 2015 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory580
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1942-2015
- Length
- 0:13:21
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Alekxos Sarter’s overview of the history of the Trans Mountain tank farm site on Burnaby Mountain, the delineation of the first conservation area on the mountain in 1974, and the reasons for inclusion of the tank farm in the conservation area. She also talks a…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Alekxos Sarter’s overview of the history of the Trans Mountain tank farm site on Burnaby Mountain, the delineation of the first conservation area on the mountain in 1974, and the reasons for inclusion of the tank farm in the conservation area. She also talks about Suncor’s site and its inclusion in the conservation area.
- Date Range
- 1942-2015
- Length
- 0:13:21
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 16, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Alekxos Sarter conducted by Kathy Bossort. Alekxos Sarter was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the history of setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain from Alekxos Sarter’s perspective and experience as employee in the City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. The interview provides an excellent explanation of the history and function of kinds of park dedications used by the City of Burnaby; an overview of issues around including the Trans Mountain tank farm in the conservation area; and the background to the land use and ownership disagreement between the City of Burnaby and Simon Fraser University, its resolution, and the subsequent development of SFU’s UniverCity. Alekxos Sarter talks about Richard Bolton, Burnaby’s Acting-Commissioner who was responsible for dedicating the first park on Burnaby Mountain in 1942, and the creation of a park named after him in UniverCity.
- Biographical Notes
- Alekxos Sarter was born in Vancouver in 1961, to Daine and Kasandra Sarter. She grew up in North Vancouver and since 1994 has lived on a sailboat in False Creek. After attending UBC where she studied landscape architecture, she was hired by the City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services in 1986. Working first in parks design, Alekxos quickly moved into parks planning, her preferred career. As Research Officer she covers research, planning, public consultation, parks and facility inventory, parkland acquisition, among other duties.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 2:20:47
- Interviewee Name
- Sarter, Alekxos T.
- Interview Location
- City of Burnaby Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services meeting room
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with Alekxos Sarter
Track four of interview with Alekxos Sarter
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-005/MSS196-005_Track_4.mp3Interview with Reidun Seim by Kathy Bossort January 13, 2016 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory652
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1934-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about her father’s chicken farm. She describes the farm buildings, other animals on the farm, and how her father operated the chicken farm, especially his approach to keeping the chickens disease free. She also talks about cutting down the …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about her father’s chicken farm. She describes the farm buildings, other animals on the farm, and how her father operated the chicken farm, especially his approach to keeping the chickens disease free. She also talks about cutting down the alder at the back of the property for the chicken run, and building rock walls and a driveway with rocks taken off the property. She also describes how the property was subdivided in the 1980s.
- Date Range
- 1934-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Subjects
- Occupations - Farmers
- Animals - Poultry
- Geographic Access
- Curtis Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 13, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 2:35:58
- Interviewee Name
- Seim, Reidun
- Interview Location
- Burnaby City Hall in the Law Library
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Reidun Seim
Track three of interview with Reidun Seim
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-017/MSS196-017_Track_3.mp3Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19348
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 56 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 57 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. The interview opens with introductions and how the content of the interview can be drawn on by Burnaby Village Museum for future …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 56 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 57 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Co Interviewer and technical support: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Dr. Sadhu Binning Location of Interview: Love farmhouse at Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: November 25, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 3 Total Length of all Tracks: (1:15:57) Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto three separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. The interview opens with introductions and how the content of the interview can be drawn on by Burnaby Village Museum for future exhibits and for researchers to learn more about the history of the South Asian community in Burnaby. During the interview, Dr. Binning shares his ancestral background along with his relatives' and his own personal experiences as a South Asian immigrant living and working in British Columbia and Burnaby. Dr. Binning conveys that he’s a Burnaby resident who’s lived in Burnaby since 1973 and that his children were born here. Binning shares his ancestral heritage beginning with his uncle Dhana Singh who emigrated from Punjab to British Columbia in 1931 and began working in the forest industry. He explains how Dhana Singh and another partner owned, operated and worked in small sawmills in the vicinity of Kamloops, Williams Lake and also on Vancouver Island. Binning conveys that in the beginning Dhana Singh and many other South Asian immigrants were not legal residents until 1938. In 1938, about 350 South Asian immigrants (mainly Punjabi) gathered resources to hire a lawyer to obtain permanent residency. Binning mentions that one of the notable South Asians in the group who was also a close friend of his uncle, was Darshan Singh Sangha, a trade unionist who was a founding member of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) union and an active member of the Communist Party of Canada. Binning conveys how Darshan Singh Sangha returned to India in 1947 to be a part of the revolution, how he was very active in the communist movement in India. While in India, Darshan Singh Sangha, was known as Canadian and thereby adopted “Canadian” as his surname, becoming “Darshan Singh Canadian”. Binning further explains that his uncle Dhana Singh Sangha returned to India in 1951, married and came back to B.C. in 1957 bringing with him, his wife and children. In 1960, with the support of his uncle, Binning’s father, Jit Singh Binning immigrated to British Columbia and began working in sawmills in the lower mainland, Kamloops, Quesnel and on Vancouver Island. Binning clarifies that his uncle, Dhana Singh was able to immigrate to Canada with the support of his cousins from the Tarker Singh Bains family. Binning further describes Darshan Singh Sangha’s involvement with the Communist party and the IWA and how the majority of the members were from the forest industry. As an active and prominent member of the labour movement, Darshan Singh Sangha fought for the rights of South Asians and Chinese who working in the industry and facing racism, unfair wages and discriminatory practices. Binning describes how Darshan Singh Sangha wrote a book in English in 1943, titled “Rise of the New Asia”. Binning conveys how immigrants of Chinese and South Asian decent didn’t have the right to vote in British Columbia and how Darshan Singh Sangha was instrumental in obtaining the right to vote in British Columbia, although he was never given the credit. Binning describes his uncle Dhana Singh as a likeable guy with many friends, first living in Kamloops before moving to Vancouver. Binning imparts how the sport of wrestling is a popular Punjabi sport along with Punjabi kabaddi. He conveys that his uncle became involved in wrestling while working in sawmills. South Asian immigrants had to do physical labour working in sawmills, the work could be tough and could often lead to physical fights. A number of South Asian immigrants working in the mills already had experience as wrestlers from back home. Dhana Singh later left the lumber industry to work in the agriculture sector. Binning explains how immigration rules changed in the 1960s which lead to larger numbers of South Asians immigrating to Canada. Many of these new immigrants were educated and politically conscious. All of these new immigrants faced racism but being politically conscious from an independent India and with the ability to speak English they organized themselves to fight for their rights. Binning imagines the items that his uncle and his father may have brought with them in their suitcase when immigrating to Canada. Binning describes three items, including a rajai (a blanket with cotton inside that is sewn together), a bistra (small attaché case or trunk) and a piece of cloth to lie on. Binning further describes the roles in Indian society as caste divisions and that it was usually women’s work in making the rajais. Binning recollects the locations that his father and his family lived after coming to Vancouver. Binning explains that a few years after living together in Vancouver, he and his family moved to Burnaby in 1973 to be closer to his Dr. Binning’s wife, Jagdish Binning’s family. Dr. Binning and family lived in a house in Burnaby located on Irmin Street near Royal Oak between 1973 and 1987. While living at this house their children attended McPherson Park Junior High School and later Burnaby South Secondary School. Binning reflects on some of the racism that he and his family have faced while living in Burnaby which led him to write a poem that he published in 1994 titled “No More Watno Dur”. Binning explains the meaning of the title “Watan” meaning “country and everybody” “a country far way from the motherland”. Binning explains the origins of the magazine “Watan” that was started by a friend in 1973. The magazine got its roots in Vancouver in 1973 from an organization called the “Punjabi Literary Association”. Binning became the editor of the magazine in 1976 and his friend joined him as assistant editor in 1978. Binning continued to work as editor until 1983 or 1984 when he returned to school to complete his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree. Binning describes the origins of the “Vancouver Sath” that was formed by a small group of South Asians around 1982. Binning was a founding member of the organization and held meetings and rehearsals at his house in Burnaby. Vancouver Sath first started out as an informal discussion forum by a group of politically conscious Punjabi writers and activists. Binning talks about issues and problems that Vancouver Sath addressed including; racism as well as domestic violence in the South Asian community. Binning explains how he and Sukhwant Hundal wrote articles on these issues and others that were happening in the South Asian community in Canada. Binning talks about how in 1983, the group was inspired to begin performing theatrical works after consulting with Gursharan Singh who was from a well known theatrical group from Punjab who were performing in Vancouver. In the beginning the Vancouver Sath’s plays were focused on the problems in Punjab but they soon decided to address social issues in their own South Asian community here in Canada. Binning summarizes and draws attention to, some of the plays that Vancouver Sath has written and performed including; “Picket Line”, about Punjabi women farmworkers’ rights; “Lattan de Bhoot”, about domestic abuse; “A Crop of Poison”; “Kihda Viah” (English translation- “Whose Marriage”) about arranged marriage and others about social issues in the South Asian community. The plays were performed in public schools and community centres in Vancouver and Richmond, Simon Fraser University and some were also performed in Toronto, Calgary and Williams Lake. Binning mentions some of the traditional foods that he likes to eat and where he and his family have shopped to find ingredients. He recalls how his mother, Gurmaje Kaur Binning did all of the cooking and was often cooking all day long. In the sixties, the Binning family address on 13th Avenue in Vancouver was also used as a postal address for many friends and family who’d recently immigrated. When these friends dropped by to pick up their mail, his mother often provided them with tea and food. After Binning and his wife, Jagdish moved to their own home in 1973, he shared in some of the shopping and cooking but his wife did the majority of the work due to his busy schedule. The interview closes with Binning providing an explanation of how “Watno Dur” magazine changed it’s name to “Watan” magazine. Binning reflects on how this came to be, when he made the decision to get an education in Canada and to stay here, not just as a “Canadian” but as a “Punjabi Canadian.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Dr. Sadhu Binning was born on May 10, 1947 to mother Gurmej Kaur and father Jeet Singh Binning. Due to lack of proper records management in India at the time of his birth, it is believed that he was actually born sometime in December of 1947. He grew up alongside two brothers and one sister in a village located in Kapurthala, Punjab. Dr. Binning attended secondary school in the nearby city of Phagwara, Punjab although he did not complete his education here. Throughout his childhood, he enjoyed reading both Punjabi and Hindi novels and learned how to read Urdu as well. Dr. Binning’s uncle, Dhana Singh immigrated to Canada in 1933 and returned to India in 1953. When Dhana Singh returned to Canada in 1957, he sponsored Dr. Binning’s father, Jeet Singh Binning to immigrate. Dhana Singh co-owned a few saw mills in British Columbia and also worked in the truck driving industry. Dr. Binning remembers that some people who had lived in Canada would visit their village and that they appeared to be strong and healthy and looked happy. He also noticed that they would eat meat, so whenever they would visit there would be meat available. In 1967, when he was nineteen and a half years old, Dr. Binning immigrated Canada to join his father. He recalls his father and uncle and a friend arriving at the airport to pick him up. During his first few days, Dr. Binning made the decision to remove his turban and beard upon receiving advice from his uncle. Dr. Binning first obtained work on a farm in Abbotsford, working alongside his mother. While working, Dr. Binning also attended English classes in Vancouver. Dr. Binning’s Uncle Dhana Singh worked in a Vancouver saw mill and tried to help find work for his nephew but was unsuccessful. Dr. Binning soon found work at a saw mill in Avola and worked there until the end of the summer until a friend helped find him work in a saw mill in North Vancouver. During his free time, he enjoyed camping with friends. In 1970, Dr. Binning left the saw mill after obtaining a job at the post office. The post office offered lower wages than working at the mill but Dr. Binning believed that he would become more educated working here. While working as a postman, Dr. Binning recalls facing a lot of discrimination and racism and was often referred to as a ‘Paki’ multiple times a day. In 1973, Dr. Binning married Jagish Sihota. Sadhu and Jagdish originated from nearby villages in India and met each other in Canada. Dr. Binning’s wife, Jagdish worked at the Royal Bank of Canada for thirty years until her retirement. While working, she also looked after the household and their son and daughter. Jagdish also handwrote a magazine, “Watno Dur’ (English translation: ‘away from homeland’) which was distributed in the community. In 1976, Dr. Binning became the editor of the magazine and the name was later changed to “Watan’ as they had accepted their new homeland of Canada. While working at the post office, Dr. Binning also attended night school starting in eighth grade. After receiving his high school diploma, he was accepted to Simon Fraser University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Anthropology and Sociology and in 1986 he obtained a Masters degree from Simon Fraser University. While attending university, Dr. Binning was very active within the community and wanted to work to improve society. He first thought that he would return to India to contribute and improve rights in his homeland but upon seeing the prevalence of the movements in Canada, he realized that work needed to be done here too. In 1983, Dr. Binning became a founding member and contributor to a theatrical collective known as “Vancouver Sath”. The theatrical group produced plays that represented societal issues and were invited to perform at multiple conferences throughout British Columbia and Canada. The group focused and acknowledged the many issues in Punjab and in Canada. One of the plays that the group produced focused on the exploitation of Punjabi women who worked on farms in Canada. Dr. Binning continued to be involved as an integral member of Vancouver Sath until 1995. Over the years, Dr. Binning has strongly lobbied for Punjabi language education and between 1988 and 2008 he worked as Punjabi instructor at the University of British Columbia. He first worked as a teaching assistant at UBC under Dr. Harjot Oberoi and due to low wages, he simultaneously worked at the Post Office. In 2019, Dr. Binning received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from UBC in recognition of his work. Since 1973, Dr. Binning has lived in Burnaby and has resided in the same home that he and his wife Jagdish purchased in 1987. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, watercolour painting, travelling abroad and going on road trips. 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
- Industries - Logging/lumber
- Industries - Forestry
- Foods
- Migration
- Organizations - Societies and Clubs
- Organizations - Unions
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Performances
- Performances - Dramatic Performances
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Names
- Binning, Dr. Sadhu
- Binning, Gurmaje Kaur
- Binning, Jit Singh
- Binning, Jagdish
- Sangha, Darshan Singh
- Canadian Farmworkers Union
- Hundal, Sukhwant
- Sangra, Harjinder
- Singh, Dhana
- Vancouver Sath
- Responsibility
- Petrusa, Kate
- Malik, Anushay
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning, [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning, [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0003_004.mp3![Harry Royle smiling, in a suit and tie, photographed by Chidwich Studio [193-]. Item no. BV005.20.20 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/2000/200500200020.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Harry Royle June 20, 1975 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory116
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1975
- Length
- 0:10:04
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Harry Royle's thoughts on the unions of today. He also talks about Reeve William A. Pritchard and the Capitol Hill neighbourhood at the time of the Depression.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Harry Royle's thoughts on the unions of today. He also talks about Reeve William A. Pritchard and the Capitol Hill neighbourhood at the time of the Depression.
- Date Range
- 1930-1975
- Photo Info
- Harry Royle smiling, in a suit and tie, photographed by Chidwich Studio [193-]. Item no. BV005.20.20
- Length
- 0:10:04
- Interviewer
- McLeod, Ross S.
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- June 20, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Harry Royle by Ross S. McLeod (and Bettina Bradbury) June 20, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression and the running of a grocery store. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Harry Royle was born in Gibraltar in 1898 to a Spanish mother and an English father (all of the Royle children except for one were born in Gibraltar). Harry's father served in the army for twenty-one years and because of that, the family moved regularly. While Harry was still a young baby, the Royle family moved to Ireland for six years, where he began his first years of schooling at the age of four. His dad retired from the army in 1907 and was sent to Canada with the BC Electric Company (the London General Army Buses Company). The rest of his family followed two years afterward in 1909 and settled in South Vancouver. Harry and his three brothers joined the army and were sent overseas as part of the second division. Luckily, they all returned home to Vancouver in 1919. Harry worked at the Hudson's Bay Company "counter jumping" before opening his own store in 1924 at 5527 Hastings Street and Ellesmere Avenue, a confectionery and general hangout for neighbourhood children."Harry's" was only twenty-five foot square and carried groceries obtained mainly from Kelly Douglas wholesalers. Most of Harry's customers worked at the mill at Barnet. Those that worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway were the few that still held jobs during the Depression. The store continued to serve the people of Capitol Hill throughout the Depression and war years, until Harry closed shop in 1945.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:01:43
- Interviewee Name
- Royle, Harry
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
![Harry Royle smiling, in a suit and tie, photographed by Chidwich Studio [193-]. Item no. BV005.20.20 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/2000/200500200020.jpg)
Interview with John Mallory June 24, 1975 - Track 12
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory129
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1975
- Length
- 0:08:55
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Mallory's resignation from the Socialist Party and his entry into the Communist Party, including comments on his friendship with Ernie Winch. He also discusses what he sees as the biggest problem in society today.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to John Mallory's resignation from the Socialist Party and his entry into the Communist Party, including comments on his friendship with Ernie Winch. He also discusses what he sees as the biggest problem in society today.
- Date Range
- 1930-1975
- Length
- 0:08:55
- Names
- Winch, Ernest "Ernie"
- Subjects
- Organizations
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- June 24, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with John Mallory by Simon Fraser University (SFU) masters student Bettina Bradbury June 24, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression and the Unemployment movement. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- John Audrey Mallory was born in Carman, Manitoba on January 10, 1903 to John and Bertha Nina (Rodgers) Mallory. The Mallory family moved to Deep Creek, British Columbia for a time before arriving in New Westminster. John Audrey Mallory married Janet Ellis Morice on November 15, 1924. John Mallory helped to build a mill at Powell River where he played baseball before he moved to Burnaby in the late 1920s. He built a house at 11th Avenue and 13th Street. He later moved to 1851 4th Street, working a few months out of the year as a construction foreman. He also worked renovating various mills. Towards the end of the thirties, he had established his own heating and plumbing business. John Mallory was very active in the labour movement, beginning with the Independent Labour Party which was renamed the Independent Labour Party Socialists, then the Socialist Party of Canada. He joined the Workers' Unity League (WUL) and their affiliates the Unemployed Workers Association at this time as well. Together with fellow organizers, John fixed up the Edmonds Hall and held fundraising parties for the Unemployment movement. Seen by others as an agitator, John organized countless strike movements, protests and demonstrations in his capacity as an organizer for the Workers' Unity League. John left the Socialist Party of Canada due to what he saw as their intolerance with other parts of the working class movement to join the Communist Party of Canada. He was later expelled from the Communist Party for "Trotskist leanings." Bertha Nina (Rodgers) Mallory died May 20, 1964 at the age of eighty-two. Her husband John Mallory died April 1, 1966 at the age of ninety-four. John Audrey Mallory died July 7, 1981 at the age of seventy-eight.
- Total Tracks
- 13
- Total Length
- 1:56:06
- Interviewee Name
- Mallory, John
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Audio Tracks
Track twelve of interview with John Mallory
Track twelve of interview with John Mallory
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-11/100-13-11_Track_12.mp3Interview with Tom Mark by Eric Damer October 12, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory366
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1995
- Length
- 0:05:40
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's experiences as a care giver for his wife as well as a volunteer at the Burnaby Health Department. He mentions being awarded Burnaby's Kushiro Cup Citizen of the Year Award in 1995. Tom finishes his interview with a childhood story involv…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Thomas "Tom" Mark's experiences as a care giver for his wife as well as a volunteer at the Burnaby Health Department. He mentions being awarded Burnaby's Kushiro Cup Citizen of the Year Award in 1995. Tom finishes his interview with a childhood story involving his uncle's roadster.
- Date Range
- 1930-1995
- Length
- 0:05:40
- Subjects
- Persons - Volunteers
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 12, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Thomas "Tom" Mark conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 12, 2012. Major theme discussed: being a volunteer.
- Biographical Notes
- Thomas "Tom" Mark was born in 1923 and grew up in New Westminster. In 1937 his family moved to Victoria, British Columbia where he finished his schooling and worked for a year in the shipyard before enlisting in the air force. He was stationed in England during the war, and in 1946 he bought a small house in East Burnaby for his English bride and himself. For three years Tom drove a heating fuel truck for Shell Oil and then became the agent for a Shell marine service station on the Fraser River, near the Patullo Bridge. His aviary garnered him the nickname “birdman of Burnaby.” His son attended St. Thomas Moore High School and then Simon Fraser University when it opened in 1965. In 1995 Tom Mark was awarded the Kushiro Cup for Outstanding Citizen of the Year for his volunteer work with the Burnaby Health Department.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:32:43
- Interviewee Name
- Mark, Thomas "Tom"
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Tom Mark
Track four of recording of interview with Tom Mark
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-018/MSS171-018_Track_4.mp3Interview with Reidun Seim by Kathy Bossort January 13, 2016 - Track 10
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory659
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1960
- Length
- 0:10:06
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about changes on Curtis Street beginning in the 1950s. She tells about a surveyor for the Trans Mountain pipeline coming on to the Seim farm. She tells stories about the fish seller and milk delivery on Curtis Street.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about changes on Curtis Street beginning in the 1950s. She tells about a surveyor for the Trans Mountain pipeline coming on to the Seim farm. She tells stories about the fish seller and milk delivery on Curtis Street.
- Date Range
- 1930-1960
- Length
- 0:10:06
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Neighbourhoods
- Geographic Access
- Curtis Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Westridge Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 13, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 2:35:58
- Interviewee Name
- Seim, Reidun
- Interview Location
- Burnaby City Hall in the Law Library
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track ten of interview with Reidun Seim
Track ten of interview with Reidun Seim
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-017/MSS196-017_Track_10.mp3Interview with Reidun Seim by Kathy Bossort January 13, 2016 - Track 14
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory663
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1960
- Length
- 0:16:10
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about how the people living in the Curtis Street neighbourhood needed to be self-sufficient, and about how her mother walked to a store on Howard and Hastings Streets. She talks about the local taxi, bus and trolley services, describing in …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about how the people living in the Curtis Street neighbourhood needed to be self-sufficient, and about how her mother walked to a store on Howard and Hastings Streets. She talks about the local taxi, bus and trolley services, describing in detail the Toonerville Trolley. She also talks about going to the new Burnaby North High School in Grade nine. She also talks about how Parker and Curtis Streets were eventually joined.
- Date Range
- 1930-1960
- Length
- 0:16:10
- Geographic Access
- Curtis Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 13, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 2:35:58
- Interviewee Name
- Seim, Reidun
- Interview Location
- Burnaby City Hall in the Law Library
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track fourteen of interview with Reidun Seim
Track fourteen of interview with Reidun Seim
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-017/MSS196-017_Track_14.mp3![Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023 thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_001.JPG?width=280)
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
![Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023 thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_001.JPG)
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.mp3Interview with Leonard Evenden and Allen Seager by Kathy Bossort November 18, 2015 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory621
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1925-2015
- Length
- 0:12:50
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Evenden and Dr. Seager’s description of their early years at Simon Fraser University. They talk about the challenges to commuting up and down Burnaby Mountain and the solutions people used, particularly hitchhiking. Dr. Seager talks about living in Monteci…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Evenden and Dr. Seager’s description of their early years at Simon Fraser University. They talk about the challenges to commuting up and down Burnaby Mountain and the solutions people used, particularly hitchhiking. Dr. Seager talks about living in Montecito in the 1980s. Dr. Evenden talks about the early use of Burnaby Mountain and its undeveloped state when the site for SFU was proposed in 1963.
- Date Range
- 1925-2015
- Length
- 0:12:50
- Names
- Simon Fraser University
- Subjects
- Education
- Transportation
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Sperling-Broadway Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- November 18, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager conducted by Kathy Bossort. Leonard Evenden and Allen Seager were two of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about aspects of Simon Fraser University’s history that is related to its site on Burnaby Mountain, as told by two retired SFU professors, Dr. Evenden of the Geography Department and Dr. Seager of the Department of History. The interview ranges over campus access and housing issues created by the isolated mountain site; the relationship of the university to the local community and the dispute over land ownership and control with the City of Burnaby; SFU’s environmental stewardship; the development of UniverCity; and the future of parkland in the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Dr. Leonard J. Evenden was born 1937 in Beijing, China, to parents and Salvation Army missionaries Leonard Evenden and Elsie Pearl March. Dr. Evenden attended McMaster University (B.A. 1960), University of Georgia (M.A. 1962) and University of Edinburgh (Ph.D. 1970). He was appointed to Simon Fraser University’s Department of Geography in 1966, shortly after SFU opened in the fall of 1965, and retired in 2002. Dr. Evenden’s research has focused on Canadian urban geography. He edited a collection of essays about Burnaby titled “Suburb of Happy Homes: Burnaby centennial themes” (1995), and directed “Voices of Burnaby”, an SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee oral history project (1992). Dr. Evenden is married with three children. Dr. Allen Seager was born 1953 in Montreal, Quebec, to parents C.F.B. Seager and Evelyn DeGex Chesam. Dr. Seager is a retired Simon Fraser University professor, being a member of SFU’s Department of History from 1981 to 2014, and has current links with SFU as an instructor for Continuing Studies. His research interests include history of Canada and Western Canada, and labour and working class history, particularly in the coal mining and railway industries. Dr. Seager moved to Burnaby and the Montecito area in 1981 where he continues to live and enjoy the hiking trails on Burnaby Mountain and the amenities at SFU. Dr. Seager is a member of the Burnaby North NDP, and has volunteered with Scouts Canada and the Burnaby Centennial Committee.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 1:11:28
- Interviewee Name
- Evenden, Leonard J.
- Seager, Allen
- Interview Location
- Clubhouse at Burnaby Mountain Golf Course Restaurant
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager
Track one of interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-011/MSS196-011_Track_1.mp3
Interview with Judy Hagen by Eric Damer November 7, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory333
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1918-2012
- Length
- 0:09:44
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's grandfather Sam Robins who also lived in the family home. Judy mentions a number of her neighbours, discusses her aunt and uncles, and tells a short story involving Kingsway West School.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's grandfather Sam Robins who also lived in the family home. Judy mentions a number of her neighbours, discusses her aunt and uncles, and tells a short story involving Kingsway West School.
- Date Range
- 1918-2012
- Photo Info
- Judith "Judy" Robins (later Hagen) posing in a dance costume, 1949. Item no. 549-036.
- Length
- 0:09:44
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
Track two of recording of interview with Judy Hagen
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-011/MSS171-011_Track_2.mp3Interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse by Kathy Bossort November 24, 2015 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory628
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1913-2015
- Length
- 0:19:24
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse talking about the history of setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain beginning in 1942 with By-Law 1772; the kinds of park dedications used by the City and shift in nature of dedications to accommodate long range park planning…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse talking about the history of setting aside parkland on Burnaby Mountain beginning in 1942 with By-Law 1772; the kinds of park dedications used by the City and shift in nature of dedications to accommodate long range park planning; and looking at the big picture policy and programs for land assembly for major open spaces and linkages.
- Date Range
- 1913-2015
- Length
- 0:19:24
- Subjects
- Geographic Features - Parks
- Planning
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- November 24, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse conducted by Kathy Bossort. Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse were two of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the history of setting aside parkland by dedication on Burnaby Mountain, the 1974/76 delineation of the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain, and the dispute between Burnaby and Simon Fraser University over land ownership and control on Burnaby Mountain, as discussed by two retired participants in these events from the City of Burnaby’s Planning and Building Department, Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse. They also talk about their interaction with the public in developing policies, particularly for the 1974 report “The Public Meetings - Phase One”, and the importance of a strong policy base for long range planning and the patience needed to assemble land for large parks. They talk as well about their careers, their close working relationship in the department, and the cooperation between City and SFU staff in the development of UniverCity.
- Biographical Notes
- Basil Luksun was born and educated in South Africa, immigrating to Canada and Burnaby in 1972 to escape the harmful effects of apartheid. He holds a BSc degree from the University of Cape Town and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Town Planning from the University of Witwatersrand. He joined the City of Burnaby’s Planning and Building Department in 1973, working his way up through the organization to Director of the department before retiring after 39 years in 2012. When he started work in the 1970s, the City of Burnaby was focusing on green space planning projects and he takes great pride in these projects as well as the city’s focus on long-term planning. Basil lived in the Capital Hill area from 1972 to 1990. He currently resides in Vancouver and has two sons, Warren and Derek. Jack Belhouse was born in 1946 in Vancouver and attended UBC, York University and SFU (1965-1972), majoring in urban geography. He began working in Burnaby’s planning department as a summer student in 1968, and was offered a full-time position when he graduated from university. He became Director of the Planning and Building Department before retiring after 38 years with the city in 2006. He and Basil Luksun worked closely together in long range planning in the department. Jack lives in Coquitlam with his wife Linda and has two children, Brad and Lori.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:58:23
- Interviewee Name
- Luksun, Basil
- Belhouse, Jack
- Interview Location
- Basil Luksun's home in Vancouver
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse
Track two of interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-012/MSS196-012_Track_2.mp3