7 records – page 1 of 1.

Interview with Aili Topalian by Eric Damer October 11, 2012 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory419
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1920-1945
Length
0:10:12
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains mainly to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's parents. Aili tells the story of her parents meeting, getting married and eventually setting in Crabtown with their two children. She explains what it was like to live in Crabtown during the depression years; the homes were…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains mainly to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's parents. Aili tells the story of her parents meeting, getting married and eventually setting in Crabtown with their two children. She explains what it was like to live in Crabtown during the depression years; the homes were built on decks which were on top of pilings, that were sunk deep into the sand.
Date Range
1920-1945
Photo Info
Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) holding cat, next to her sister who has a rooster in her arms, [1937]. Item no. 337-003.
Length
0:10:12
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
October 11, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Aili (Rintanen) Topalian conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 11, 2012. Major theme discussed: growing up in Crabtown.
Biographical Notes
Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) came to British Columbia in 1936 from a homestead near Burnt Lake, Alberta. After a few months in Vancouver and then a Burnaby apartment, the Rintanens moved to a house on the Burrard Inlet. The family lived over the water, in a house built on a deck, secured to the top of pilings that were sunk deep into the sand. Aili's mother Aune Rintanen found work at a fish and chip shop in downtown Vancouver and her father Gus Rintanen worked in a nearby mill. Aili and her sister Trudi (later Tuomi), attended school in Burnaby. For nine years the Rintanens created a home for themselves in an area now called Crabtown, although no one living there called it that.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
0:39:00
Interviewee Name
Topalian, Aili Rintanen
Interview Location
Interviewee's residence
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 one of recording of interview with Aili Topalian

Less detail

Interview with Aili Topalian by Eric Damer October 11, 2012 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory420
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1920-1945
Length
0:07:49
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's collection of photographs. Aili describes each photograph and tells stories of her childhood along the waterfront at Burrard Inlet; the homes of Crabtown were built on decks which were on top of pilings, that were sunk deep into t…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Aili (Rintanen) Topalian's collection of photographs. Aili describes each photograph and tells stories of her childhood along the waterfront at Burrard Inlet; the homes of Crabtown were built on decks which were on top of pilings, that were sunk deep into the sand.
Date Range
1920-1945
Photo Info
Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) holding cat, next to her sister who has a rooster in her arms, [1937]. Item no. 337-003.
Length
0:07:49
Geographic Access
Burrard Inlet
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
October 11, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Aili (Rintanen) Topalian conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 11, 2012. Major theme discussed: growing up in Crabtown.
Biographical Notes
Aili Rintanen (later Topalian) came to British Columbia in 1936 from a homestead near Burnt Lake, Alberta. After a few months in Vancouver and then a Burnaby apartment, the Rintanens moved to a house on the Burrard Inlet. The family lived over the water, in a house built on a deck, secured to the top of pilings that were sunk deep into the sand. Aili's mother Aune Rintanen found work at a fish and chip shop in downtown Vancouver and her father Gus Rintanen worked in a nearby mill. Aili and her sister Trudi (later Tuomi), attended school in Burnaby. For nine years the Rintanens created a home for themselves in an area now called Crabtown, although no one living there called it that.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
0:39:00
Interviewee Name
Topalian, Aili Rintanen
Interview Location
Interviewee's residence
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 Aili Topalian

Less detail

Interview with Annie Boulanger by Rod Fowler April 9, 1990 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory488
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1925-1970
Length
00:07:42
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s family history, her parents’ origin, work and move to Burnaby, what the Napier Street area looked like in the 1950s and the Government Street neighbourhood in the 1960s, her education and teaching career, and her marriage. She explains why Go…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Annie Boulanger’s family history, her parents’ origin, work and move to Burnaby, what the Napier Street area looked like in the 1950s and the Government Street neighbourhood in the 1960s, her education and teaching career, and her marriage. She explains why Government Street has a jog in it at Brighton.
Date Range
1925-1970
Length
00:07:42
Subjects
Occupations - Teachers
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Lozells (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Heights Area
Government Road Area
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 9, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Annie Boulanger, conducted by Rod Fowler. Annie Boulanger 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 Annie Boulanger’s volunteer community work in Burnaby, including initiating the teaching of french and gymnastics at Seaforth School where her children attended, doing historical research and oral histories for Burnaby Heritage Village and the SFU Archives, becoming a long term member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club, being a member and President of Burnaby Arts Council, and member of the Parks Board's Centre for the Performing Arts Committee (1987). The interview focuses attention on the Arts Council’s financial difficulties between 1985 and 1990, and the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting the arts through a municipal arts policy. Annie Boulanger also talks about her parents’ history, their home on Napier Street and her later home on Government Road, her education and teaching career, and her arts journalism. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Annie Urbanovits Boulanger’s parents emigrated from Hungary to Toronto, Louis in 1925 and Irene in 1930, where they married. Louis and Irene Boulanger moved to Vancouver where Louis worked in the Vancouver Shipyards during WWII and then for Nichols Chemical Company in Barnet for 15 years. While the Urbanovits family lived in Cloverdale, Louis commuted to Kask’s Camp in Barnet, until they moved to Burnaby in 1951 to an old farm purchased on Napier Street. Between 1951 and 1956 Annie completed her BA degree, majoring in chemistry and english with a minor in physical education, and obtained her teaching diploma at UBC. She taught for 4 years in various locations in BC before marrying and moving to Manitoba and Ottawa. She and her husband and five children (two more children to come later) returned to Burnaby in 1964 to a home on Government Street to be close to family. Annie Boulanger became involved in the community first through her children’s school, initiating and teaching french classes in Seaforth School in 1969, and supporting the development of gymnastics in school and as a municipal program. Her interest in Archives lead to doing oral histories for John Adams, curator of Heritage Village [Burnaby Heritage Village], and for SFU Archives. She became a long time member of the Burnaby Writers’ Club in the 1970s, taking a course in writing non-fiction from Chris Potter. In 1983 Annie Boulanger joined the Burnaby Arts Council, becoming President in 1985. She was involved in lobbying the municipality for better monetary support and facilities for the arts and for the creation of a Municipal Arts Policy. She has continued to promote the arts in Burnaby through her appointment to Burnaby’s Visual Arts Advisory Board in 1997, her arts journalism, writing regular book and theatre reviews for the local newspaper, and other activities. She was a member of the Burnaby Centennial Committee and was one of the editors of the book “Burnaby Centennial Anthology”.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:41:53
Interviewee Name
Boulanger, Annie
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.
Audio Tracks

Track six of interview with Annie Boulanger

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Interview with Edward Apps by Rod Fowler February 22, 1990 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory456
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1918-1950
Length
00:05:30
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Ed Apps’ brief overview of the changes in Burnaby since he arrived in 1946, where he grew up in England, his war service, and the reasons that he and his wife Margaret immigrated to Canada from England
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Ed Apps’ brief overview of the changes in Burnaby since he arrived in 1946, where he grew up in England, his war service, and the reasons that he and his wife Margaret immigrated to Canada from England
Date Range
1918-1950
Length
00:05:30
Subjects
Migration
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Heights Area
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
February 22, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Edward Apps, conducted by Rod Fowler. Ed Apps 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 Ed Apps involvement in community groups, particularly his work in seniors organizations lobbying for seniors’ housing since his retirement, and views about the role of Rate Payer groups, unions and politics in the development of North and South Burnaby. He also talks about his origin in England, his war service, arrival with his wife Margaret in Burnaby in 1946, his work with the Burnaby School Board and for the local union, the location of some of the older schools, the history of his house, and briefly about his wife and children. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Edward Apps was born in 1918 in London, England, and grew up in Kent and Essex. In WWII he flew the third glider to land in Normandy on June 6th, 1944. He and his wife Margaret Hope (1915-1985) immigrated to British Columbia in 1946, joining his wife’s parents, who had immigrated earlier in 1939, in Burnaby Heights in North Burnaby. He worked for the Burnaby School Board as Foreman Painter, and served on CUPE Local 379 Executive, until his retirement in 1982. In 1948 Ed Apps bought his first lot, for $150.00, in the 4700 block on Georgia Street, building houses there and in the 4100 block before buying his present home, a ca.1900 farm building, in the same area in 1954. North Burnaby was “bush country and orchards” in the 1950s; his two sons played in the ravines; and the family used the tram system on Hastings and Boundary Road for transportation. Development of municipal services seemed slower in North than South Burnaby, and Ed Apps remembers the strong role Rate Payers groups had in creating local services and lobbying Municipal Council for provide services. After retirement Ed Apps became involved in several local and provincial seniors organizations, advocating for better housing, including serving on the Executives of the Network of Burnaby Seniors and the Council of Senior Citizens Organization, and was active in the provincial Seniors Research and Resource and CMHC Housing Committee. He also served on the Centennial Committee of Burnaby.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
0:56:50
Interviewee Name
Apps, Ed
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.
Audio Tracks
Less detail

Interview with Elsie Ansdell by Eric Damer September 18, 2012 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory287
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1910-1946
Length
0:09:17
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to the Brown-Johns first settling in Burnaby. Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell discusses land clearing for the family home, each of her parents and her brothers.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to the Brown-Johns first settling in Burnaby. Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell discusses land clearing for the family home, each of her parents and her brothers.
Date Range
1910-1946
Photo Info
Elsie Brown-John (bottom, far right) with her class at Kitchener Street School, [1936]. Item no. 549-001.
Length
0:09:17
Names
Brown-John, Victor Joseph Charles
Brown-John, Winnifred Douglas
Subjects
Land Clearing
Geographic Access
Napier Street
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Willingdon Heights Area
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
September 18, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with early Burnaby resident Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 18, 2012. Major themes discussed are: settling in Burnaby and the early years of the Brown-John family.
Biographical Notes
Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell’s father, a trained carpenter and cabinet maker, Victor Brown-John came to Canada from Wales in 1910. He cleared three lots at Napier and Gilmore Streets and built a two-roomed house. In 1912, he was joined by his wife and two eldest sons, Victor and Archie. Twin boys, Frank and Roy, were born in 1914 in the Burnaby home and their fifth son, Clive, was born in 1915. From 1916 to 1919 Victor John-Brown left Burnaby to serve overseas. Elsie Brown-John (later Ansdell) was born in 1921. Her younger brother, Gwyn "Jerry" was born in 1923. In 1925 Victor Brown-John suffered a fatal accident while working as a longshoreman in Northern British Columbia. Elsie attended Kitchener Elementary and North Burnaby High School. She married during the Second World War and moved to South Burnaby to raise her family whilst continuing to work in various department stores both in Vancouver and Burnaby.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
33:02
Interviewee Name
Ansdell, Elsie Brown-John
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
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track one of recording of interview with Elsie Ansdell

Less detail

Interview with Elsie Ansdell by Eric Damer September 18, 2012 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory290
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1927-1938
Length
0:08:14
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell's early memories of recreational activities and daily life as a young person in Burnaby (activities include swimming, skating and going to the movies). She mentions Frank Walsh's Garage and discusses photographs of Brown-John Truc…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell's early memories of recreational activities and daily life as a young person in Burnaby (activities include swimming, skating and going to the movies). She mentions Frank Walsh's Garage and discusses photographs of Brown-John Trucking, "the blasting stump" and Burns Acreage.
Date Range
1927-1938
Photo Info
Elsie Brown-John (bottom, far right) with her class at Kitchener Street School, [1936]. Item no. 549-001.
Length
0:08:14
Subjects
Recreational Activities - Swimming
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
September 18, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with early Burnaby resident Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 18, 2012. Major themes discussed are: settling in Burnaby and the early years of the Brown-John family.
Biographical Notes
Elsie (Brown-John) Ansdell’s father, a trained carpenter and cabinet maker, Victor Brown-John came to Canada from Wales in 1910. He cleared three lots at Napier and Gilmore Streets and built a two-roomed house. In 1912, he was joined by his wife and two eldest sons, Victor and Archie. Twin boys, Frank and Roy, were born in 1914 in the Burnaby home and their fifth son, Clive, was born in 1915. From 1916 to 1919 Victor John-Brown left Burnaby to serve overseas. Elsie Brown-John (later Ansdell) was born in 1921. Her younger brother, Gwyn "Jerry" was born in 1923. In 1925 Victor Brown-John suffered a fatal accident while working as a longshoreman in Northern British Columbia. Elsie attended Kitchener Elementary and North Burnaby High School. She married during the Second World War and moved to South Burnaby to raise her family whilst continuing to work in various department stores both in Vancouver and Burnaby.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
33:02
Interviewee Name
Ansdell, Elsie Brown-John
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
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track four of recording of interview with Elsie Ansdell

Less detail

Interview with John Ferguson July 3, 1975 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory180
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1900-1939
Length
0:08:23
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's memories of first coming to Burnaby in 1931. He describes the neighbourhood of Vancouver Heights and the people that lived there. He also describes the types of goods he sold at his Vancouver Heights Hardware Store.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview pertains to John Ferguson's memories of first coming to Burnaby in 1931. He describes the neighbourhood of Vancouver Heights and the people that lived there. He also describes the types of goods he sold at his Vancouver Heights Hardware Store.
Date Range
1900-1939
Length
0:08:23
Subjects
Buildings - Commercial - Hardware Stores
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Interviewer
McLeod, Ross S.
Interview Date
July 3, 1975
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with John Ferguson by history student Ross S. McLeod, July 3, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression.
Biographical Notes
John Ferguson was born in Glasgow in 1900. He came to Canada with his family in 1910, and settled on Vancouver Island. In 1931 John Ferguson purchased the hardware store on the 3900 block of Hastings Street.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
0:32:21
Interviewee Name
Ferguson, John
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.
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with John Ferguson

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7 records – page 1 of 1.