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Interview with Norman Dowad

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19638

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information …

1 document 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: 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Norman Dowad Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: August 14, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information about his grandfather Samuel Dowad's immigration to Canada and his father Wilfred Dowad's military service and successes as a property developer. 00:14:39 – 00:17:26 Norm provides background information on his mother’s side of the family. 00:17:27 – 00:31:36 Norm talks about his childhood, growing up in the Deer Lake neighbourhood, his early education in Burnaby and sports that he played. 00:31:37 – 00:39:59 Norm talks about his educational experiences attending Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and Osgoode Hall law school and information regarding his law career. 00:40:00 – 00:45:03 Norm reflects on his childhood growing up in Burnaby and on his experiences and relationships as a student and in his career as a lawyer. 00:45:04 – 01:01:37 Norm talks about his siblings and shares information about family property development projects as well as career and business successes. In closing he talks about research that he’s done through Archives Canada on his grandfather Sam Dowad and father Wilfred Dowad.

History: Interviewee biography: Norm Dowad was born in Burnaby, December 1948 to parents Wilfred “Wilf” (1925-2011) and Cherry Dowad. His father, Wilfred (1925-2011) was born in Winnipeg to parents Samuel “Sam” (Salim in Arabic) Esper Dowad (1895-1969) and Martha (Shaheen) Dowad (1894-1955). Sam and Martha Dowad were both born in a province of the Ottoman Empire which is now present day Lebanon. In 1912, while trying to immigrate to Canada, several of Sam’s relatives including his mother died tragically as steerage passengers on the ill fated Titanic. In 1913, at the age of 18 years, Sam immigrated to Canada to join other family members who'd already arrived here safely. As a new immigrant in Canada, Sam worked with other Labanese immigrants in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the United States. In December 1921, Sam's wife, Martha immigrated to Canada arriving by ship in St. John, New Brunswick. Sam and Martha established their home in Winnipeg where they began to start a family. Their first two children died in infancy and son Wilfred was born in 1925 and daughter Kathleen was born in 1926. While living in Winnipeg, Sam worked as a grocer and in the 1930’s he got work as a farmer in a nearby town. In 1943, Wilf joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCVNR) and served as a gunner on merchant ships during World War II. In 1945, while Wilf was away serving, his parents, Sam and Martha moved to Burnaby. After discharge in 1945, Wilf joined his parents in Burnaby, began working at Fraser Mills and commenced his studies in construction and drafting. In 1949, with his father’s help Wilf acquired a lot next door to his parents’ home and built his first apartment block. After Martha died in 1954, Sam moved to Kelowna where he bought an orchard. Sam remarried in 1957 to Naomi “Mamie” (David) Dowad (1899-1978) who was also from a Lebanese family. Sam and Mamie lived in Kelowna until the mid 1960s when they moved to White Rock. While living in Burnaby, Wilf met and married Cherry Piggott and the couple had six children; Norm, Bruce, Michael, Kathie, Phil and Tom. In 1955, Wilfred Dowad established "W. Dowad Ltd." and over the years he was successful in developing and subdividing land to build housing and commercial developments in Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver. Wilf was the first president of the Burnaby Winter club and was an active member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce holding office at the local, provincial and national level. In 1970, Wilf purchased 238 acres of land bordering the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh River and relocated there the following year. While living in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Wilf became actively engaged in local business and community affairs. Wilf was later remarried to Grethe Dowad and he died in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh in 2011.Wilf's six children are the sole owners of "W.Dowad Ltd." and his daughter, Kathie Smillie is the president and CEO. While growing up in Burnaby, Norm Dowad attended Schou Street School, Douglas Road School, Kensington School and graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School. Following graduation from high school, Norm attended Simon Fraser University for one year, travelled in Europe, attended University of British Columbia and obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University. Norman has been practicing law for 49 years and has his own law practice that he operates out of Vancouver. 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: Agriculture - Farms; Education; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Migration; Sports; Sports - Football; Wars - World War, 1939-1945

Names: Dowad, Norman W. "Norm"; Dowad, Samuel Esper "Sam"; Dowad, Wilfred "Wilf"; Dowad, Naomi "Mamie" David; Dowad, Martha Elias Shaheen; Dowad, Kathleen "Kay"; Rideout, Dr. John Anthony; Burnaby Central Secondary School; Douglas Road School; W. Dowad Limited

Responsibility: Damer, Eric

Geographic Access: Buckingham Avenue; Deer Lake

Street Address: 5533 Buckingham Avenue

Accession Code: BV023.16.16

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Morley-Buckingham Area

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available

Documents

2023_0016_0016_003

Audio Tracks

Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0016_002.mp3

Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory516

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1900-1946

Length: 00:07:05

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, and her Oikawa grandparent’s immigration to BC and settlement on Lion and Don Islands at the mouth of the Fraser River. She describes how the family was moved to the internment camp “The Orchard” in New Denver,…

1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, and her Oikawa grandparent’s immigration to BC and settlement on Lion and Don Islands at the mouth of the Fraser River. She describes how the family was moved to the internment camp “The Orchard” in New Denver, but managed to find a place to live outside the camp where her grandmother grew a large garden from seeds brought in the seams of her clothing. She notes that the Lion Islands were named Oikawa-shima by the Japanese settlers.

Date Range: 1900-1946

Length: 00:07:05

Subjects: Wars - World War, 1939-1945; Persons - Japanese Canadians

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: February 27, 1990

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita 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 Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.

Biographical Notes: Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.

Total Tracks: 11

Total Length: 01:34:10

Interviewee Name: Miyashita, Toki

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 one of interview with Toki Miyashita

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_1.mp3

Colonel Thomas O. Townley

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription436

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-?] (date of original), copied 1979

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.2 x 20.1 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of Colonel Thomas O. Townley in dress uniform, taken in a photographic studio. He is leaning against a leather chair on which a helmet with a crest is resting. He is holding a staff with his left hand, and wearing leather gloves. Colonel Townley was a member of the the Duke of Connaught'…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.2 x 20.1 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of Colonel Thomas O. Townley in dress uniform, taken in a photographic studio. He is leaning against a leather chair on which a helmet with a crest is resting. He is holding a staff with his left hand, and wearing leather gloves. Colonel Townley was a member of the the Duke of Connaught's own Rifles, and became the mayor of Vancouver in 1901. In 1912, he built the Deerholme house designed by his architect son, Fred Laughton Townley.

Subjects: Officials - Mayors and Reeves; Clothing - Military Uniforms; Occupations - Military Personnel

Names: Townley, Thomas O

Accession Code: HV979.33.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-?] (date of original), copied 1979

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-09-12

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Colonel Thomas O. Townley, [190-?] (date of original), copied 1979 thumbnail

Girl in sailor suit

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1521

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [between 1900 and 1915]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 10 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified girl in a sailor suit and a cap (appears to be a uniform). She is holding a handkerchief in her right hand, and the painted backdrop is of a beach scenery. This photograph was taken in a photographic studio.

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 10 cm

Material Details: The photograph is mounted on a card cut into an oval shape.; embossed on the card mount, recto, [partially cut out] l.l. "…pbell", l.r. "300 MA…/ WINNI…"

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified girl in a sailor suit and a cap (appears to be a uniform). She is holding a handkerchief in her right hand, and the painted backdrop is of a beach scenery. This photograph was taken in a photographic studio.

Subjects: Clothing - Uniforms

Accession Code: BV985.5896.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [between 1900 and 1915]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2024-02-27

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Girl in sailor suit, [between 1900 and 1915] thumbnail

James Smith

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35453

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1907] (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of James Smith, chief engineer on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Empress of Japan. James was the husband of Agnes Smith (nee Taylor). The Smiths lived in one of the first houses built on Royal Oak Road.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1907] (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Pioneer Tales subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 204-311

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1988-03

Scope and Content: Photograph of James Smith, chief engineer on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Empress of Japan. James was the husband of Agnes Smith (nee Taylor). The Smiths lived in one of the first houses built on Royal Oak Road.

Subjects: Clothing - Uniforms

Names: Canadian Pacific Railway Company; Smith, James

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

James Smith, [1907] (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail

Robert Blackstock

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38545

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [190-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.5 x 13.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a young man wearing a uniform. The man is identified by a note on the back of the picture as Robert Harold Blackstock

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [190-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: New Westminster Public Library subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 8.5 x 13.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 459-005

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2003-19

Scope and Content: Photograph of a young man wearing a uniform. The man is identified by a note on the back of the picture as Robert Harold Blackstock

Subjects: Clothing - Uniforms

Names: Blackstock, Robert H.

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Partoon, C.F.

Notes: Title based on caption; Inscription on front of photo reads: "C.F. Partoon, Dundee"; Note on verso reads: "property of Mrs. Robert H. Blackstock, Ulster Avenue, Burnaby."

Images

William George Alcock

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1779

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [before 1922]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph William George Alcock in his British Columbia Electric Railway uniform with his hand in his breast pocket. He was an interurban tram conductor before 1922.

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph William George Alcock in his British Columbia Electric Railway uniform with his hand in his breast pocket. He was an interurban tram conductor before 1922.

Subjects: Clothing - Uniforms

Names: British Columbia Electric Railway Company

Accession Code: BV004.90.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Date: [before 1922]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 09-Jun-09

Scale: 100

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Notes on verso of photograph read: "Wm. G. Alcock", "15" and "15A"

Images

William George Alcock, [before 1922] thumbnail

Soldiers and nurse in front of a military tent

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3059

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1899 or 1900]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.0 x 10.0 cm mounted on cardboard 12.6 x 15.9 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a group of unidentified soliders and an unidentified nurse standing in front of a military tent. Three men are seated on a bench, and three other men are standing behind them. One of the standing men is wounded and holding himself on crutches. An number "15" is in front of the tent…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.0 x 10.0 cm mounted on cardboard 12.6 x 15.9 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a group of unidentified soliders and an unidentified nurse standing in front of a military tent. Three men are seated on a bench, and three other men are standing behind them. One of the standing men is wounded and holding himself on crutches. An number "15" is in front of the tent. According to the gift form signed by the donor, the photograph is thought to be taken in South Africa when when H. Niebergall was serving there.

Subjects: Occupations - Military Personnel; Occupations - Nurses; Structures - Tents

Accession Code: HV974.47.41

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1899 or 1900]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-04-25

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Soldiers and nurse in front of a military tent, [1899 or 1900] thumbnail

Costumed people

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription417

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [between 1900 and 1905]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 18.42 x 23.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a large gathering of people who are in costumes varying from a clown to a swedish maid to a beggar to a drunk. They are gathered to take a photograph in a room with high ceiling, hardwood floors, and electric lamps. The woman seated fourth from the left on the second row from the fron…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 18.42 x 23.5 cm

Material Details: Photograph is mounted on a card; the photograph itself and the card mount are both torn along the top edge

Scope and Content: Photograph of a large gathering of people who are in costumes varying from a clown to a swedish maid to a beggar to a drunk. They are gathered to take a photograph in a room with high ceiling, hardwood floors, and electric lamps. The woman seated fourth from the left on the second row from the front resembles the woman depicted in other photographs in this accession identified as Gloriana Bird, or Birdie.

Subjects: Clothing - Costumes; Events - Parties

Accession Code: HV983.42.157

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [between 1900 and 1905]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-12-05

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Costumed people, [between 1900 and 1905] thumbnail

Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19350

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Anushay Malik Interviewee: Surjeet Kaur Parmar Language of Interview: Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi Location of Interview: home of Surjeet Kaur Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: December 6, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of tracks: (1:15:32) 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 Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and Canada, her personal experiences and her ancestors’ stories as South Asian immigrants, reflections on and personal experiences of racial discrimination as a South Asian immigrant, her places of residence, her employment background, her cultural practices and traditions including food, clothing and craft. The interview begins with introductions from interviewer Anushay Mailik. Surjeet Kaur Parmar imparts her own family’s migration story beginning with her very first elders that immigrated to Canada from India. A relative (unnamed) immigrated to Canada first and a few years later (around 1905) returned to India and brought back three cousins that included; Ginaya Singh (Ghania Singh Manhas) and Doman Singh . Mayo Singh (Ghania Singh’s younger brother) came in 1906 on his own to join them. Surjeet’s grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) also wanted to immigrate at this time, but he was too young and weak to manage such a long trip. Surjeet conveys that while living in British Columbia, Mayo and Ginaya Singh worked together at saw mills. With their knowledge and understanding of mill work they ended up owning and operating a mill in Paldi near Duncan on Vancouver Island. At this time, most of the men from Surjeet’s family region in Punjab were abroad and with no men living at home. Mayo Singh’s father (Bhulla Singh) looked after her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) and paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh Manhas) back in Punjab. When Mayo’s father died, Mayo Singh adopted her paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh) and brought him to Canada in 1926. Surjeet describes her ancestors’ immigration journey from India to Canada. They all travelled by ship and if someone ran out of money en route, they could work on the ship. Surjeet explains that both Mayo and Ginaya Singh are Surjeet’s grandfather’s first cousins and her father’s second cousins. Surjeet recollects her grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) saying “now that you’ve arrived there, take one cousin from each side with you”. Surjeet explains that the cousins were all from the same village in Punjab and her great grandfather wanted someone to go abroad, so he sent a few and had them bring more as the years went on. Surjeet says that she’s uncertain as to why they chose Canada rather than America but thinks that they did some form of research and determined that it was a good place to come to. Surjeet admits that she doesn’t know the name of her paternal grandfather or other elders since she never met them. Surjeet shares that it was a traditional practice to mark pots and pans with family names and imparts that she discovered her father’s name “Lashman Singh” written on the bottom of a glass. Surjeet expresses that she’s marked her own pots and pans with her name to identify which ones are hers when she gets together with family or does catering. Surjeet refers to a kohl bottle that she has and how she’d like to offer it to the museum. She explains how the kohl bottle is no longer in use but was used by her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) and daughter and her grandchildren. Surjeet describes a blanket that she made called a “phulkari”, now on display in a small museum in Coquitlam, a wedding shawl, that her daughter now owns and a silk sari with embroidery. Surjeet and Anushay discuss the possibility of donating the kohl bottle and the sari to the museum. Surjeet explains how the kohl is used and how her mother used to make kohl. She describes how you rub the kohl with your hands, put cardamom in it, one or two other ingredients and fill the kohl bottle up with water. Surjeet says that she used kohl as eyeliner when living in India. The interviewer asks Surjeet more about Ginaya Singh. Surjeet conveys that Ginaya Singh ended up leaving the mill on Vancouver Island and moved to Vancouver. After Ginaya Singh died from a heart attack (in 1953) his family moved from Vancouver to Burnaby. Surjeet recalls that following the death of Ginaya Singh’s youngest son, her family didn’t celebrate “Lohri” (a winter festival celebrating newborns and newly married people) for three years. She shares that she was very young at this time but remembers there being beautiful photographs of young children all dressed up and displayed in her family home. She expresses that dressing up for photos has changed over time and adds that suits didn’t really come into fashion until after the 1970s or 1980s. Surjeet conveys that her uncle named Kashmira Singh first worked at the mill in Paldi near Duncan then moved to Vancouver and opened up his own mill in North Vancouver. Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas arrived in 1953. Surjeet expresses that Kapoor Singh was educated and worked as a manager at the mill on Vancouver Island. Surjeet recollects meeting Mayo Singh, his wife and eldest son in 1952 when they travelled to India for a cousin’s wedding. Surjeet remembers that Mayo Singh’s family had a very large house in India. She describes the house as a very opulent two story house with indoor plumbing for a bathtub, a kitchen with a woodstove, coloured mirrors, bejeweled curtains, a motor room to park cars, a buffalo and more. Surjeet refers to Nand Singh, a younger brother of Mayo Singh, who travelled from India to San Franciso and spent a year wandering around before deciding to return to India. She describes him as living in Bombay with his wife Vishan Kaur and having a transport business. Nand had two kids that came to Canada. Surjeet recollects the tragic death of Ganda Singh (Ginaya Singh) who died of a heart attack on someone’s doorstep, they thought that he was drunk so didn’t open the door. Surjeet conveys that Mayo Singh’s wife, Mission Kaur (Saradani Bishan Kaur) died while visiting India (in 1952) and that some of Mayo’s sons were married in Canada and one in India. Surjeet expresses that it was hard for Mayo’s sons to have one of their parents die in India and one die in Canada (Mayo Singh died in B.C. in 1955). Surjeet describes the hospital that Mayo built in the village of Paldi. She mentions that there were festivals and functions that took place there, there were many nurses and doctors. She recalls there being a school where their land was. She recalls that if they got headaches they were treated with medicine and that it didn’t cost much, only a six pence. Surjeet talks about her arranged marriage to Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar. Surjeet explains that her father and brother immigrated to British Columbia first (1953) and after a few months they brought Surjeet and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas). She recollects that when she was in Grade 10 and around 17 years of age, her family made plans to travel to India to attend a family wedding. During this time, her father suggested that it would be a good opportunity to take Surjeet with them to find her a husband in India to marry. After meeting and marrying Nadeem Parmar in India, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England. Surjeet recollects that in order to immigrate to Canada, each family member had to pass a medical exam and how difficult it was. Her two sisters, mother and brother all had to take the test in Delhi. Surjeet recalls living in England with Nadeem. While living in England, Nadeem worked during the day and studied engineering at college in the evening. Surjeet expresses that she liked living in England and was sad to leave. While living there, they enjoyed a close knit Punjabi community and they all lived in the same area. Surjeet states later in her interview that living in Canada was different from living in England. In England, family and friends lived closer together whereas in Canada places were further apart. Surjeet says that while living in England she could walk to do her shopping. While living in England, after her children were a bit older, she worked as a seamstress in a shirt factory for a few years before coming to Canada. Surjeet imparts that her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) died of a heart attack in 1970 and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) died in 1998. Her father and her family first lived in North Vancouver and then her parents bought a house on Eton Street in Burnaby, near the Ocean. After her father died, her brother and mother bought a house and moved to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in Burnaby. In 1973, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children immigrated to Canada and moved in with her brother and mother. Surjeet includes that her paternal aunt (Koshali Kaur Manhas) and cousins also moved to Burnaby and that her aunt and some of her cousins were sponsored by her son who came earlier. Surjeet recalls that after arriving in Canada she got work sewing in a factory located on Water Street in Gastown. Surjeet recollects travelling to her job by bus. Surjeet shares that she brought saris and quilted blankets “rijai”, not household items, in her suitcase when she came to Canada from England. Surjeet explains that the “rijai” (quilted blankets) were made from cotton from her home village in India. The blankets were made by women and then brought back to her to quilt on her sewing machine. Surjeet recalls that when she returned to Canada (in 1973 with her husband and children) they first lived with her mother and brother on Capitol Hill in Burnaby before moving to a house on Fell Avenue and then to their current home in 1982. In 1981, she worked at “Canadian Window Covering” factory making window coverings. The factory was located in the Brentwood area of Burnaby. Surjeet recalls how the factory became unionized and of how she left the factory and found union work at the Labatt’s brewery (Winery and Distillery Workers Local 300). Surjeet describes the work that she did while working at Labatt’s brewery which was located next to the Royal Columbian Hospital in Burnaby. Around 1995, when the Labatt’s factory closed down in Burnaby, she got union work as a bottle sorter for BDL Brewers Distributor Limited, where bottles were gathered for distribution at Braid Station. Surjeet left this job in 2000. Surjeet talks about traditional foods like bindi, sabji, aam and karela and where she’s shopped to find traditional ingredients for South Asian cuisine. She recollects how at first she could only find traditional ingredients at stores in Gastown, Chinatown and on Main Street in Vancouver but now they are more readily available at major grocery stores. Surjeet expresses that traditional spices and dry goods have been hard to find, apart from stores like, Famous Foods and Patels when it was located on Commercial Drive. Surjeet talks about using ingredients such as green pea flour and Besan flour to make pakoras and kahdri. Surjeet states that many immigrants didn’t wear their traditional clothing until she came later. She expresses that many South Asian immigrants didn’t wear their clothes “because there were no rights, we had to try to become like them”. Surjeet conveys that even though some were able to purchase property (she provides an example of family members in Duncan who faced discrimination by the owner/seller of a piece of property they were purchasing) that they had very little rights and they were all living in fear. She expresses that she herself didn’t experience this but in the beginning when people settled here (in B.C.) that it was very difficult. Surjeet says that when she goes to the Gurdwara and to work, she wears a sari and conveys that while working at the factory, she was encouraged to wear a sari, it was accepted then. She brought printed saris to work and her co workers said that they’d wear them to parties. Surjeet reflects on her own experiences of racism and discrimination and expresses that her generation “has learned how to stand up in front, then they got scared of saying anything”. “The people who came here first were afraid because they were alone, they had to settle down here and make a home from scratch, but the ones who came after had everything already built and made”. She explains how they helped one another when they came (to British Columbia). She describes how the Gurdwara was located on 2nd Street and all of the ships went there (new immigrants?), people would gather, get water, help one another and there would be a place for all people. Surjeet shares a personal experience of helping members of her husband’s family to immigrate to Canada. She tells of the complications of some being left behind in India and that some came to Canada as refugees that she and her husband sponsored. Surjeet expresses their struggles with raising a family, working and trying to pay for their own house while also trying to assist and support family members. Surjeet describes in detail how her husband Nadeem went back to India after his mother died to help his father, sister and her family immigrate. She explains that the immigration process took about four years and his father had to apply as a refugee. Nadeem’s sister came with her children but had to return to India so Surjeet and her family had to look after Nadeem’s sister’s child/children. Surjeet expresses that during this time she continued to work at Canadian Window Coverings, working an afternoon shift and sometimes taking her son with her. She expresses that this as a very hectic time, working the whole day, making food for everyone, grocery shopping, looking after a her sister in law’s younger child at night and getting no rest. Surjeet describes the time when she was working and her children were attending the local school. She expresses the challenges of working long days and often arriving home after her children. She recollects a time when there was a snow storm and how she was worried about her children making it home and being alone while she was at work, there were no cell phones in those days but they had phone numbers of her brother and sister. Surjeet tells of how they tried to help the rest of the Nadeem’s family immigrate including his brother who was a soccer player in India. They were able to buy a house for the whole family to live but expresses after several months Nadeem’s brother decided to stay in India. Surjeet expresses the complications and frustrations of trying to bring all family members to Canada.

History: Interviewee biography: Surjeet Kaur Parmar was born in Punjab, India in 1942 to parents Lashman Singh Manhas (1913-1970) and Budhan Kaur Manhas (1906-1998). Surjeet’s ancestors, Ghania Singh Manhas, Doman Singh and Mayo Singh immigrated to British Columbia in 1905 and 1906. The group got work in saw mills and soon began owning and operating their own saw mills, first in Chilliwack and Rosedale districts and later in 1920 on Vancouver Island near Duncan (Paldi) (known as the Mayo Lumber Company). In 1927, Surjeet’s paternal uncle, Kashmir Singh Manhas left Paldi, Punjab at the age of 18 years with Mayo Singh Manhas and after months of travel they arrived at Paldi on Vancouver Island. In 1953, Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas and her two brothers immigrated to Canada and soon after brought her and her mother, Budhan Kaur Manhas. After immigrating, her father began working at “Kashmir Lumber Company” in North Vancouver which was owned by his brother Kashmira Singh Manhas. Surjeet, her parents and two brothers first made their home in North Vancouver and the 1960s they moved to 3824 Eton Street in Burnaby. In 1959, Surjeet and her family returned to India for her brother’s wedding. During this time a marriage was arranged for Surjeet to marry Nadeem Parmar and they were married in 1960. Following their marriage, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England where they began raising their two children. While living in England, Surjeet worked as seamstress at a factory. In 1973, following the death of Surjeet’s father who died in 1970, Surjeet and Nadeem decided to immigrate to British Columbia. For the first few years, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children lived with her mother and brother in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Burnaby before purchasing their own home on Fell Avenue. While living in Burnaby Surjeet has worked as a seamstress for Canadian Window Covering, Labatt's Brewery and BDL Brewers Distributor Limited which she left in 2000. In 1982, Surjeet and her family moved into a new home that they had built on Woodsworth Street where they still live today. 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: Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills; Clothing; Crafts; Employment; Migration; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Occupations - Labourers; Occupations - Millworkers; Persons - South Asian Canadians

Names: Parmar, Surjeet Kaur; Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"; Manhas, Ghania Singh; Singh, Mayo; Manhas, Kashmir Singh; Manhas, Sher Singh; Manhas, Budhan Kaur; Manhas, Lashman Singh

Accession Code: BV022.29.5

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

Related Material: See also BV022.29.1 - interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription of interview translated to English from Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi to English created by Rajdeep; Transciption available on Heritage Burnaby; Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate

Documents

2022_0029_0005_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0005_003.mp3

Jean Dyson and Birdie in Lake Winnipeg

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription299

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [between 1905 and 1907]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia postcard ; 7.5 x 8.6 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of two women in bathing suits, standing in a large body of water at a point where the water is up to their knees. Their bathing suits appear like sailor shirts with skirts and stockings, with caps over their heads. The inscription identifies the girl on the left as Jean Dyson, and the g…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia postcard ; 7.5 x 8.6 cm

Material Details: inscribed in pencil, verso, t. "

Scope and Content: Photograph of two women in bathing suits, standing in a large body of water at a point where the water is up to their knees. Their bathing suits appear like sailor shirts with skirts and stockings, with caps over their heads. The inscription identifies the girl on the left as Jean Dyson, and the girl on the right is identified as Gloriana Bird (or Birdie). They are at a beach in Winnipeg. The inscription dates the photograph circa 1906 or 1907. However, other prints of the same image are dated circa 1905. Annotations on the back of the postcard read: "Taken 1906 or 1907 [erased and corrected dates. Previously written 1905 or 1906]" and "Jean & Birdie / in Lake Wpeg."

Subjects: Clothing; Sports - Swimming; Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds; Documentary Artifacts - Postcards

Names: Bird, Gloriana "Birdie"; Drynan, Jean Dyson

Accession Code: HV983.42.39

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [between 1905 and 1907]

Media Type: Photograph

Related Material: For other prints of this image, see HV983.42.38 - .41

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-09-26

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Jean Dyson and Birdie in Lake Winnipeg, [between 1905 and 1907] thumbnail

Thomas Farrington

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35233

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1907 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of Thomas Farrington repairing shoes in a Vancouver Fairview district shop, later operated by Bert Price.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1907 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Pioneer Tales subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 204-090

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1988-03

Scope and Content: Photograph of Thomas Farrington repairing shoes in a Vancouver Fairview district shop, later operated by Bert Price.

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial - Stores; Clothing

Names: Farrington, Thomas

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Thomas Farrington, 1907 (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail

Woman with a bicycle

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription979

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 14.0x 9.8 cm mounted on cardboard 18.3 x 13.0 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph studio portrait of an unidentified woman with a bicycle. She is wearing a straw hat with a ribbon around the crown and a flat brim perched on top of her head. Her dress is of a dark color and embroidered. The woman is posed inside a photography studio with a painted backdrop of floral …

2 images

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 14.0x 9.8 cm mounted on cardboard 18.3 x 13.0 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph studio portrait of an unidentified woman with a bicycle. She is wearing a straw hat with a ribbon around the crown and a flat brim perched on top of her head. Her dress is of a dark color and embroidered. The woman is posed inside a photography studio with a painted backdrop of floral arrangements.

Subjects: Transportation - Bicycles; Clothing

Accession Code: HV974.130.54

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-05-09

Scale: 100

Photographer: Welford

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Printed on the bottom front of the card: "Welford, successor to / Martel & Welford / Photo. / Winnipeg."

Images

Women in bathing suits

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription301

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1905]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 5.7 x 10.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of two young women in bathing suits, standing in a large body of water at a point where the water is up to their knees. Their bathing suits appear like sailor shirts with skirts and stockings, with caps over their heads. They are at a beach at Lake Winnipeg.

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 5.7 x 10.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of two young women in bathing suits, standing in a large body of water at a point where the water is up to their knees. Their bathing suits appear like sailor shirts with skirts and stockings, with caps over their heads. They are at a beach at Lake Winnipeg.

Subjects: Clothing; Sports - Swimming; Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds

Names: Bird, Gloriana "Birdie"; Drynan, Jean Dyson

Accession Code: HV983.42.41

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1905]

Media Type: Photograph

Related Material: For other prints of this image, see HV983.42.38 - .41

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-09-26

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; The photograph is a reversed image of photographs HV983.42.38 - .40

Images

Women in bathing suits

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription975

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 10.0 x 12.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of five women dressed in wet bathing suits. They have their arms over each others' shoulders and have a leg raised as in a chorus line. An older lady, in a long dark skirt and light coloured waist with leg-o-mutton sleeves holding a dark coloured parasol is standing on the right side of…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 10.0 x 12.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of five women dressed in wet bathing suits. They have their arms over each others' shoulders and have a leg raised as in a chorus line. An older lady, in a long dark skirt and light coloured waist with leg-o-mutton sleeves holding a dark coloured parasol is standing on the right side of the photograph. According to a 1974 catalogue record, the small girl who is on the left side of the chorus line with her leg raised is Catherine Rees. The girl is wearing a ribbon in her hair, and dress-like bathing suit, and has bare feet. The women are all wearing dark coloured stockings and have on what look like loose-fitting dresses which fasten down the front and come to just below the knee. Four of them are wearing bandanas on their heads. The Sears, Roebuck 1908 catalogue p. 1112 shows bathing suits and bathing or dust caps similar to those worn by the women in the photograph. The location of the photograph is unidentified.

Subjects: Clothing; Sports - Swimming

Names: Rees, Catherine "Cathy"

Accession Code: HV974.93.2

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-05-09

Scale: 100

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Women in bathing suits, [190-] thumbnail

Young woman with horse

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1045

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [between 1900 and 1910]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified young woman in riding apparel and accroutement, including gloves and a hat is standing beside a horse.

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified young woman in riding apparel and accroutement, including gloves and a hat is standing beside a horse.

Subjects: Animals - Horses; Clothing

Accession Code: HV973.110.59

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [between 1900 and 1910]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 800

Scan Date: 2023-05-30

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

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