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Interview with Kay Zimmerman by Rod Fowler [February] 1990 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory527

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1960-1970

Length: 00:05:10

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Kay Zimmerman’s description of the two established political parties in Burnaby in the 1960’s (NPA and BCA) and the founding of a new nonpartisan political group, the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). She talks about the issues of interest at that time, includ…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Kay Zimmerman’s description of the two established political parties in Burnaby in the 1960’s (NPA and BCA) and the founding of a new nonpartisan political group, the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). She talks about the issues of interest at that time, including development pressures, need to represent local community interests, the environment, and plans for a new university on Burnaby Mountain

Date Range: 1960-1970

Photo Info: Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021

Length: 00:05:10

Names: Lewarne, William A. "Bill"; Stusiak, Victor V. "Vic"; Burnaby Citizen's Association; Burnaby Voters Association; Simon Fraser University

Subjects: Elections; Organizations; Government - Local Government

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: [February] 1990

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with Kay Zimmerman, conducted by Rod Fowler. Kay Zimmerman was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Kay Zimmerman’s political activities in Burnaby and her description of her Lochdale neighbourhood in the 1960s. She provides an excellent overview of the municipal political groups and important political issues in Burnaby from 1960 to 1980. She tells the story about an early and successful political action that convinced her that an individual can make a difference. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.

Biographical Notes: Kathleen “Kay” Zimmerman, her husband Gordon and their young son Rick moved to Burnaby from Vancouver in 1960 to a house on Curtis Avenue near Duthie Street (a second son Bruce was born in Burnaby). Kay Zimmerman worked 12 years at Royal Columbian Hospital in the admitting office, then 4 years (1974-1979) as special assistant to Senator Ray Perrault, followed by work as a judge on the Citizenship Court before retiring. Gordon Zimmerman worked at the Shell Refinery. A member of the Liberal Party and political activist before arriving in Burnaby, Kay Zimmerman continued her involvement in national and local politics. She campaigned for Ray Perrault during the Trudeau years, and was a founder and active member of the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). Her political activities encompassed 30 years that saw major changes in Burnaby, including the building of SFU, creation of Heritage Village, an awakening environmental sensibility, and a dramatic increase in population and development in Burnaby.

Total Tracks: 10

Total Length: 01:04:36

Interviewee Name: Zimmerman, Kay

Interviewer Bio: Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.

Collection/Fonds: SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds

Series: Centennial Oral History project series

Transcript Available: Transcript available

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.

Images

Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021 thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Kay Zimmerman

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-018/MSS187-018_Track_1.mp3

Interview with Kay Zimmerman by Rod Fowler [February] 1990 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory528

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1960-1987

Length: 00:07:50

Summary: This portion of the interview continues Kay Zimmerman’s description of the BVA and the election of councillors and then mayors from the party, Dave Mercier 1979-1981 and Bill Lewarne 1981-1987. She talks about resistance to paying for the road to SFU as a “local improvement”, Heritage Village as a …

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview continues Kay Zimmerman’s description of the BVA and the election of councillors and then mayors from the party, Dave Mercier 1979-1981 and Bill Lewarne 1981-1987. She talks about resistance to paying for the road to SFU as a “local improvement”, Heritage Village as a Centennial Project, differing BVA support in north and south Burnaby, and Alan Emmott’s political career.

Date Range: 1960-1987

Photo Info: Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021

Length: 00:07:50

Names: Lewarne, William A. "Bill"; Emmott, Alan H; Mercier, David M "Dave"; Burnaby Voters Association; Simon Fraser University; Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Officials - Mayors and Reeves; Public Services - Municipal Services

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: [February] 1990

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with Kay Zimmerman, conducted by Rod Fowler. Kay Zimmerman was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Kay Zimmerman’s political activities in Burnaby and her description of her Lochdale neighbourhood in the 1960s. She provides an excellent overview of the municipal political groups and important political issues in Burnaby from 1960 to 1980. She tells the story about an early and successful political action that convinced her that an individual can make a difference. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.

Biographical Notes: Kathleen “Kay” Zimmerman, her husband Gordon and their young son Rick moved to Burnaby from Vancouver in 1960 to a house on Curtis Avenue near Duthie Street (a second son Bruce was born in Burnaby). Kay Zimmerman worked 12 years at Royal Columbian Hospital in the admitting office, then 4 years (1974-1979) as special assistant to Senator Ray Perrault, followed by work as a judge on the Citizenship Court before retiring. Gordon Zimmerman worked at the Shell Refinery. A member of the Liberal Party and political activist before arriving in Burnaby, Kay Zimmerman continued her involvement in national and local politics. She campaigned for Ray Perrault during the Trudeau years, and was a founder and active member of the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). Her political activities encompassed 30 years that saw major changes in Burnaby, including the building of SFU, creation of Heritage Village, an awakening environmental sensibility, and a dramatic increase in population and development in Burnaby.

Total Tracks: 10

Total Length: 01:04:36

Interviewee Name: Zimmerman, Kay

Interviewer Bio: Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.

Collection/Fonds: SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds

Series: Centennial Oral History project series

Transcript Available: Transcript available

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.

Images

Audio Tracks

Track two of interview with Kay Zimmerman

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-018/MSS187-018_Track_2.mp3

Interview with Merrill M. Gordon by Rod Fowler March 19, 1990 - Track 10

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory481

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1965-1990

Length: 00:15:42

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s views about SFU and its relations with and contributions to Burnaby. He details the founding of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society with Dean Lamont and its work to have SFU transfer unused land to Burnaby to preserve as parkland

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s views about SFU and its relations with and contributions to Burnaby. He details the founding of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society with Dean Lamont and its work to have SFU transfer unused land to Burnaby to preserve as parkland

Date Range: 1965-1990

Photo Info: Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263

Length: 00:15:42

Names: Simon Fraser University; Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area; Lamont, Dean; Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: March 19, 1990

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with Merrill Gordon, conducted by Rod Fowler.Gordon Merrill was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Merrill Gordon’s childhood in the Depression, including his story about the family’s difficult trek to Burnaby from Alberta; his education, teachers and first volunteer activities at Grandview High School; his career at Fleck Brothers and the start of his own company Blaze Industries and later work in India; and his many volunteer activities in Burnaby. He describes how he started the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, the soccer club's subsequent growth and development, some of the people involved, and the founding of the youth soccer exchange. He also describes his work on the Parks Board and in the arts community, including the 1987 arts centre referendum, and involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society (1988- ), and mentions his work for other groups including the New Vista Society, library board, and Burnaby Mental Health Committee. He also talks about his political career with the Better Burnaby Committee and Burnaby Voters Association, resulting in his 1972 election to Burnaby’s 1973 council. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.

Biographical Notes: Merrill M. Gordon was born in Saskatchewan in 1929 to parents farming north of North Battleford. After a fifth year of crop failure the family of four left the farm in 1934 to join relatives living near the corner of Union and Sperling in Burnaby. With little resources the family adapted as well as possible in the Depression years, moving often in the East Vancouver/North Burnaby area in an attempt to better their situation. Merrill’s father obtained work at sawmills including Kapoor’s Sawmill at Barnet, walking to work over Burnaby Mountain. After attending numerous public schools, Merrill Gordon eventually spent three years at Templeton School and then completed his education at Grandview High School of Commerce, majoring in accounting and commercial law. He worked a few years at Canadian Industries Ltd., then joined Fleck Brothers. In 1965 Merrill Gordon and his wife started their own company Blaze Industries of Canada that manufactured wood burning fireplaces, selling the company to AB Electrolux in 1980. After a short retirement, Merrill Gordon went back to work in 1981 for a company manufacturing solar panels, one project taking him and his wife intermittently to India over a four year period. Merrill Gordon helped found the political group Better Burnaby Committee, later the Burnaby Voters Association, with Alan Emmott and Bill Lewarne, ran for Burnaby Municipal Council and served one year as councillor in 1973. Merrill Gordon is well known for his over 40 years of volunteer work in Burnaby, particularly as founder in 1956 and director of the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, one of the largest soccer clubs in BC. He was also the founder of Burnaby Youth Soccer and the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State. His other volunteer work includes library trustee, Parks Commissioner (1987-1992), Director of New Vista Home for Seniors, Chair of campaign raising funds for building Shadbolt Arts Centre, and Chair of the Burnaby Mental Health Committee. In 1988 Merrill Gordon, Betty Gordon, Dean Lamont and several others formed the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which advocated for the return of unused land to Burnaby from SFU and the subsequent creation of Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Merrill Gordon and Elizabeth Balfour (nee Leitch) (1926-2012) married in 1953 and had two children.

Total Tracks: 11

Total Length: 1:31:44

Interviewee Name: Gordon, Merrill

Interview Location: unknown

Interviewer Bio: Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.

Collection/Fonds: SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds

Series: Centennial Oral History project series

Transcript Available: Transcript available

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.

Images

Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263 thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track ten of interview with Merrill Gordon

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-020/MSS187-020_Track_10.mp3

Interview with Sev Morin by Rod Fowler April 4, 1990 - Track 9

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory545

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1970-1990

Length: 00:04:50

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s appointment to SFU Senate and his views about the university, and his involvement in other organizations such as Rotary, the Variety Club and Telethon, Burnaby Hospital (with Bill Lewarne), the Restaurant Association, and Vancouver AM Tourism Assoc…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s appointment to SFU Senate and his views about the university, and his involvement in other organizations such as Rotary, the Variety Club and Telethon, Burnaby Hospital (with Bill Lewarne), the Restaurant Association, and Vancouver AM Tourism Association

Date Range: 1970-1990

Photo Info: Sev Morin (left) of Severin's in Burnaby (formerly the Gai Paree) hosting a gala New Year's celebration, 1979. Item no. 480-712

Length: 00:04:50

Names: Simon Fraser University

Subjects: Persons - Volunteers; Industries - Tourism; Events - Fundraising

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: April 4, 1990

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with Severin "Sev" Morin, conducted by Rod Fowler. Sev Morin was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Sev Morin’s banquet hall, restaurant and night club business on Kingsway, originally named the “Gai Paree Supper Club” (1947-1976) and later “Severin’s” (1976-1985) and “Diego’s” (1985-1994), its function as a Burnaby landmark, and the entertainment and political people he met through his business. He also describes his many volunteer activities in Burnaby, including member of the SFU Senate, Rotary Club, Variety Club and Telethon, fund raising for Burnaby Hospital, and tourism related groups, and his political work for the federal Liberal party. He talks about his parents’ origins, the lives of his brothers Rudy and Rene, and the family’s involvement in establishing the “Gai Paree”. He also shares his views about the business and cultural development of Burnaby. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.

Biographical Notes: Severin “Sev” Rene Morin was born September 21, 1927, in Bonneville, Alberta, to Rene Pierre Morin (1878-1963) and Anne Marie (nee Lachiver) Morin (1886-1956). Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Morin and their son Rene Francois (1905-1954) immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, from France in 1913, where Rene Pierre Morin worked for the C.N.R. and a second son Adolphe “Rudy” Ferdinand (1922-1969) was born, followed by their third son Severin. In 1943, after R.P. Morin retired, the family moved to Burnaby to a house on Sperling Avenue. Sometime earlier the two older Morin brothers found work in Trail at the smelter and developed musical careers. In 1946/47 the Morin family purchased property on Kingsway and built a banquet hall, the “Gai Paree Supper Club”. Sev and Rudy Morin managed the club and Rene F. Morin moved to Burnaby to join them with his band. The supper club, with its live music and dance floor, became a popular meeting place and wedding venue, eventually expanding into a restaurant and nightclub in the 1970s. The “Gai Paree” was renamed “Severin’s” in 1976 and “Diego’s” in 1985, closing finally in 1994. Sev Morin’s business life included three record stores which he owned with his friend Jack Cullen. Through these businesses Sev Morin was well known in the entertainment and hospitality industry. He and his restaurant also hosted political and social events that made the restaurant a community landmark. Sev Morin contributed many volunteer hours to community and charitable organizations, including an appointment to the SFU Senate, fundraising for the Burnaby Hospital, Director of the Variety Club and Rotary Club, and consultant for a variety of tourism related ventures. He also was active in the federal Liberal Party. Sev Morin and his wife Pauline married in 1950 and had three children. Sev Morin died at age 86 on March 28, 2014.

Total Tracks: 10

Total Length: 00:56:44

Interviewee Name: Morin, Severin "Sev"

Interviewer Bio: Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.

Collection/Fonds: SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds

Series: Centennial Oral History project series

Transcript Available: Transcript available

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.

Images

Sev Morin (left) of Severin's in Burnaby (formerly the Gai Paree) hosting a gala New Year's celebration, 1979. Item no. 480-712 thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track nine of interview with Sev Morin

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-021/MSS187-021_Track%209.mp3

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.

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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

Series: Community Archives Collection series

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

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.

1 image 1 audio

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

Series: Burna-Boom Oral History Project series

Transcript Available: None

Media Type: Sound Recording

Images

Audio Tracks

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.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.

1 image 1 audio

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

Subjects: Organizations - Girls' Societies and Clubs; Structures - Bridges

Interviewer: Damer, Eric

Interview Date: November 7, 2012

Scope and Content: Recording is an interview with Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 7, 2012. Major theme discussed: the neighbourhood of Dover Street.

Biographical Notes: Judy Robins (later Hagen) was born in 1941 and grew up in South Burnaby. Her paternal grandfather, a master stone mason from Devon, moved to Vancouver in 1912 to find work before bringing over the rest of the family. He bought three lots in Burnaby and in 1918 moved his family to a small house on Dover Street (formerly Paul Street). Judy’s father, Jack, married, bought one of his father’s lots and built a new home for his family. Judy attended school and church nearby, took dance and piano lessons and participated actively in Girl Guides. After high school, she attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) and then Simon Fraser University (SFU), worked for a few years and then married in 1967 before moving to Courtaney, British Columbia.

Total Tracks: 7

Total Length: 1:09:51

Interviewee Name: Hagen, Judith "Judy" Robins

Interview Location: Nanaimo Museum on Vancouver Island

Interviewer Bio: Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.

Collection/Fonds: Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds

Series: Burna-Boom Oral History Project series

Transcript Available: None

Media Type: Sound Recording

Images

Audio Tracks

Track 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.mp3

Interview with Judy Hagen by Eric Damer November 7, 2012 - Track 7

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory338

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1950-2012

Length: 0:10:20

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of the nineteen-sixties. She tells a work-related story about her father, Jack Robins. Judy also discusses what she sees as the differences between her generation and the more recent generations.

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen's memories of the nineteen-sixties. She tells a work-related story about her father, Jack Robins. Judy also discusses what she sees as the differences between her generation and the more recent generations.

Date Range: 1950-2012

Photo Info: Judith "Judy" Robins (later Hagen) posing in a dance costume, 1949. Item no. 549-036.

Length: 0:10:20

Interviewer: Damer, Eric

Interview Date: November 7, 2012

Scope and Content: Recording is an interview with Judith "Judy" (Robins) Hagen conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 7, 2012. Major theme discussed: the neighbourhood of Dover Street.

Biographical Notes: Judy Robins (later Hagen) was born in 1941 and grew up in South Burnaby. Her paternal grandfather, a master stone mason from Devon, moved to Vancouver in 1912 to find work before bringing over the rest of the family. He bought three lots in Burnaby and in 1918 moved his family to a small house on Dover Street (formerly Paul Street). Judy’s father, Jack, married, bought one of his father’s lots and built a new home for his family. Judy attended school and church nearby, took dance and piano lessons and participated actively in Girl Guides. After high school, she attended the University of British Columbia (UBC) and then Simon Fraser University (SFU), worked for a few years and then married in 1967 before moving to Courtaney, British Columbia.

Total Tracks: 7

Total Length: 1:09:51

Interviewee Name: Hagen, Judith "Judy" Robins

Interview Location: Nanaimo Museum on Vancouver Island

Interviewer Bio: Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.

Collection/Fonds: Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds

Series: Burna-Boom Oral History Project series

Transcript Available: None

Media Type: Sound Recording

Images

Audio Tracks

Track seven of recording of interview with Judy Hagen

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-011/MSS171-011_Track_7.mp3

Interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19608

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on …

1 image 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Rajdeep Interviewees: "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 8, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:02:03 min Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph credit: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on where they were born and grew up (in Burnaby), names of their parents and provide details on their family history. They describe how their grandparents and other relatives continued to live in Punjab after their father and mother immigrated to Canada in the 1970’s, recall the reasons their parents decided to immigrate and details of their lives before and after arriving in Canada. 00:05:27 – 00:06:46 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe some of their experiences travelling through Vancouver airport and compare their experiences with their mother’s own experiences. Gurvinder and Harvinder describe the layout of the airport and how customs and immigration has changed over time. 00:06:47 – 00:09:21 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide details about their mother, Parveen Sihra. They share information regarding her education in India and how she was unable to get work related to her degree in biology after immigrating to Canada. They convey how she worked in the Burnaby City Hall cafeteria in the 1990’s and how she worked part time in order to take care of her children. They share how their parents were proud Canadians participating in events inside and outside the South Asian community and were both fluent in English but often spoke Punjabi at home. 00:09:22 – 00:16:06 Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their childhood experiences growing up in Burnaby. They talk about the sports that they were involved with including hockey and Taekwondo, family vacations spent travelling to India and their experiences attending Marlborough Elementary School and Moscrop Secondary School.They describe how they first became interested in watching wrestling and trying it out on their own in their family home. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their own experiences of discrimination while growing up and playing sports. 00:16:07 – 00:27:37 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect and recall events that lead them to their dream of becoming professional wrestlers. They talk about pivotal events including attending their first live wresting event at GM Place with their father in 1996, beginning their training in Calgary in 2004, travelling across the country to participate in minor wrestling events, wrestling in Rogers Arena in 2017 and 2020 and getting their first call to join WWE. They talk about the support that they’ve had along the way to getting them where they are today and comment on why they want to be wrestlers in the WWE. 00:27:38 – 00:29:25 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide background information on their various wrestling personas and names in the world of professional wrestling including the Singh Brothers and the Bollywood Boyz. 00:29:26 – 00:38:43 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their experiences wrestling in India and the support and expectations of family members in becoming successful. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall and reflect on the experience of being fired from the WWE when cutbacks were made during the COVID pandemic. 00:38:44 – 00:42:53 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe what a day in their lives looks like now. They talk about how they’re still very passionate and focused on their wrestling careers and describe their experiences of having support and enthusiasm from fans and their parents. They talk about travelling across the country to particpate in different wrestling events. 00:42:54 – 00:47:18 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their training regimen including exercise and diet and describe areas in Burnaby where they like to train in gyms and the outdoors. 00:47:19 – 00:49:49 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about neighbourhoods in Burnaby including Metrotown and Deer Lake and how they’ve seen them change over the years. 00:49:50 – 00:54:27 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their highest and lowest points in their wrestling careers, highlighting specific events. They talk about the physical stamina it takes for wrestling and compare their sport with the sport of Kabaddi (a contact team sport between two teams originating in India). 00:54:28 – 00:59:01 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect on what toughness means to them, and what keeps them motivated to do what they do. 00:59:02 – 01:01:31 Gurvinder and Harvinder impart their words of wisdom to younger kids in chasing their passions and dreams and talk about their favourite Bollywood films and actors.

History: Interviewees' biographies: The Bollywood Boyz are a Canadian professional wrestling tag team composed of brothers Gurvinder "Gurv" Sihra (born in 1984) and Harvinder "Harv" Sihra (born in 1987). The pair are best known for their time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where Gurvinder and Harvinder performed under the ring names Sunil Singh and Samir Singh. They were both born and raised in Burnaby by their parents Harjeet and Parveen Sihra and attended Moscrop Secondary School. Gurvinder graduated from Douglas College where he studied criminology and has worked in loss prevention and has a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Harvinder attended Douglas College with studies in history and has worked as a model and an actor. Both Gurvinder and Harvinder Sihra are Sikhs. Interviewer biography: Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.