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Interview with Diane Stiglish by Eric Damer December 4, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory412
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1943-1967
- Length
- 0:09:52
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Diane Stiglish's parents. Diane tells a story of her mother being suspected of a crime. She also mentions other mushroom growers in Burnaby and goes on to describe various activities undertaken by her parents (by sharing a number of photographs with the int…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Diane Stiglish's parents. Diane tells a story of her mother being suspected of a crime. She also mentions other mushroom growers in Burnaby and goes on to describe various activities undertaken by her parents (by sharing a number of photographs with the interviewer).
- Date Range
- 1943-1967
- Photo Info
- Diane Stiglish with her parents and older brother in New Westminster, 1955. Item no. 549-067.
- Length
- 0:09:52
- Subjects
- Agriculture - Farms
- Occupations - Farmers
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- December 4, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Diane Stiglish conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, December 4, 2012. Major theme discussed: mushroom farming.
- Biographical Notes
- F.J. "Jack" Stiglish (originally spelt Stiglich) and his wife bought a Burnaby home in 1943 at Keswick Street, just south of the Lougheed Highway, and took up mushroom farming. By the time their daughter Diane was born five years later in New Westminster, the F.J. Stiglish mushroom farm was an established business. Mushrooms grown at the F.J. Stiglish farm were sent off to Money’s Mushrooms to be packaged and retailed. Later, mushroom growers bought out Money’s to form the Fraser Valley Mushroom Growers Co-op and nominated Jack Stiglish as their first president. Jack then entered a float in the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) parade and set up a mushroom booth at the fair. In 1969 Jack Stiglish sold the mushroom farm and he and his wife moved next to their trailer court business just down the road. Diane’s brother Allan Stiglich (his family name returned to the original spelling) moved to Langley to open a large mushroom farm of his own which he established with the help of his father. Diane Stiglish began a career with BC Tel.
- Total Tracks
- 5
- Total Length
- 0:46:06
- Interviewee Name
- Stiglish, Diane
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Diane Stiglish
Track four of recording of interview with Diane Stiglish
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-026/MSS171-026_Track_4.mp3Lubbock photographs from album
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription64493
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1945-1988
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 130 photographs : b&w and col. ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm or smaller
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of the Lubbock family, including their riding stables and horses, family events, their pets, and landscape and travel photographs. These photographs were originally housed in a photographic album.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1945-1988
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Lubbock family subseries
- Physical Description
- 130 photographs : b&w and col. ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm or smaller
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 342-046
- Access Restriction
- In Archives only
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- BHS1994-02
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of the Lubbock family, including their riding stables and horses, family events, their pets, and landscape and travel photographs. These photographs were originally housed in a photographic album.
- Names
- Lubbock, Ainsly
- Lubbock, Beatrice "Bea"
- Lubbock, Elizabeth
- Lubbock, Gordon
- Lubbock, John
- Lubbock, John Barker
- Lubbock, Mina
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Geographic Access
- Grandview Highway
- Canada Way
- Burris Street
- Street Address
- 7803 Burris Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
![Aerial View of Chinese Market Gardens on Marine Drive, [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication) thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0040_0001_001.jpg?width=280)
Aerial View of Chinese Market Gardens on Marine Drive
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4296
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication)
- Collection/Fonds
- Herbert Yee Law family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph is an aerial view looking south over the Chinese Market Gardens along Marine Drive in the Big Bend area of Burnaby.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Herbert Yee Law family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph is an aerial view looking south over the Chinese Market Gardens along Marine Drive in the Big Bend area of Burnaby.
- Names
- Chinese Market Gardens
- Geographic Access
- Marine Drive
- Accession Code
- BV017.40.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication)
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Big Bend Area
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 11/19/2017
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph.
Images
![Aerial View of Chinese Market Gardens on Marine Drive, [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication) thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0040_0001_001.jpg)
![Planning Map of Chinese Market Gardens on Marine Drive, [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication) thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0040_0002_001.jpg?width=280)
Planning Map of Chinese Market Gardens on Marine Drive
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4297
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication)
- Collection/Fonds
- Herbert Yee Law family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col. ; 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Scanned copy of a survey plan of district lots 163, 162, 157, 158, and 165, near the Chinese Market Gardens along Marine Drive.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Herbert Yee Law family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col. ; 300 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Scanned copy of a survey plan of district lots 163, 162, 157, 158, and 165, near the Chinese Market Gardens along Marine Drive.
- History
- Survey plan of district lots 163, 162, 157, 158, and 165, which is primarily the area farmed by Chinese and Chinese-Canadian market gardeners around Marine Drive between Royal Oak and Mandeville (present-day Nelson). Two Chinese/Chinese Canadian land owners can be seen on the map: N.G. Wah Sing (or Ng Wah Sing) and Yee Law (or Herbert Law).
- Geographic Access
- Marine Drive
- Accession Code
- BV017.40.2
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication)
- Media Type
- Cartographic Material
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Big Bend Area
- Scan Resolution
- 300
- Scan Date
- 11/19/2017
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Title based on contents of copy scan of map
- Herbert Yee Law was donor's father and this map may have originally been his copy of the city planning/engineering documents.
Images
![Planning Map of Chinese Market Gardens on Marine Drive, [between 1950 and 1959] (date of original), 2017 (date of duplication) thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2017/2017_0040_0002_001.jpg)
Interview with Maureen Olofson by Kathy Bossort October 14, 2015 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory570
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1942-1952
- Length
- 0:14:54
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s description of the operation and location of the Olofson’s mink ranch, the challenges of raising mink, and when the family gave up the farm in 1950/51. She describes how she and her sister Anita Lea used a bicycle to go to school.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s description of the operation and location of the Olofson’s mink ranch, the challenges of raising mink, and when the family gave up the farm in 1950/51. She describes how she and her sister Anita Lea used a bicycle to go to school.
- Date Range
- 1942-1952
- Length
- 0:14:54
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Westridge Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 14, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Maureen Olofson conducted by Kathy Bossort. Maureen Olofson was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Maureen Olofson’s memories of growing up on her parent’s Burnaby Mountain mink ranch between 1942 and 1950 and about the operation of the farm. She also talks about her parents’ history, her teaching career, and her thoughts about the beauty and value of Burnaby Mountain’s natural area.
- Biographical Notes
- Maureen Olofson was born 1938 in Glote, Harjedalen, Sweden, to Axel (1906-1998) and Kerstin Margareta (1906-1980). Axel and Kerstin Olofson, who had separately immigrated to Canada in 1928 and 1913 respectively, married in Canada and then returned to Sweden where Maureen was born. They moved to Burnaby in 1942 with their daughters Maureen and Anita Lea, and bought land and a mink ranch on Burnaby Mountain with their partners Gus Skofteby and Karin Ericksson (Kerstin’s sister). The GAK Fur Farm, located in the old Hastings Grove subdivision on 4th Avenue near Curtis Street, was one of the largest mink ranches in BC, an award winning operation with over 1200 mink animals. In 1950 the partners sold the land and the Olofson family moved to rented homes on Sperling Avenue. In 1952 Axel sold the last of his minks and opened a sporting goods store on Hastings Street. In 1954 the family moved to North Vancouver where Axel Olofson reestablished his sports business. Maureen attended Sperling Avenue School from Gr. 1 to Gr. 8 and Burnaby North High School to Gr. 11, completing school in North Vancouver, before going to UBC where she trained as a teacher. She returned to Burnaby in 1977 to teach, retiring in 1997. She is a volunteer with the Swedish Canadian Rest Home Association and the Dania Homes Society. Maureen continues to enjoy activities on Burnaby Mountain and works toward preserving the natural beauty of the mountain.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:19:04
- Interviewee Name
- Olofson, B. Maureen
- Interview Location
- Maureen Olofson's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Maureen Olofson
Track two of interview with Maureen Olofson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-004/MSS196-004_Track_2.mp3![John and Elizabeth Lubbock, [1955] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/316/342-009.jpg?width=280)
John and Elizabeth Lubbock
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37235
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1955]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w hand-tinted into col. ; 15.5 x 20.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of John Barker Lubbock driving in horse-drawn buggy with his wife Elizabeth Lubbock. A dalmatian dog has come to sniff the buggy, while it is stopped at the side of the road.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1955]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Lubbock family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w hand-tinted into col. ; 15.5 x 20.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 342-009
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1994-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of John Barker Lubbock driving in horse-drawn buggy with his wife Elizabeth Lubbock. A dalmatian dog has come to sniff the buggy, while it is stopped at the side of the road.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
![John and Elizabeth Lubbock, [1955] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/316/342-009.jpg)
![Decorated wagon, [195-] (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/204/204-726.jpg?width=280)
Decorated wagon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35867
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [195-] (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 (left, in white hat) Reeve Ran Beamish and (right) Ainsly Lubbock. The horses, Maggie and Jiggs, are pulling a 4-X Bakery delivery wagon decorated as a U.S. Mail stagecoach.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [195-] (date of original), copied 1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Pioneer Tales subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 204-726
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1988-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of (left, in white hat) Reeve Ran Beamish and (right) Ainsly Lubbock. The horses, Maggie and Jiggs, are pulling a 4-X Bakery delivery wagon decorated as a U.S. Mail stagecoach.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph.
- A note with this photograph indicates that the old address of this property was 1 Arbor Lane
- Geographic Access
- Grandview Highway
- Canada Way
- Burris Street
- Street Address
- 7803 Burris Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
Images
![Decorated wagon, [195-] (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/204/204-726.jpg)
![Oakalla Clydesdale team, [1958] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-731.jpg?width=280)
Oakalla Clydesdale team
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38144
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1958] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.2 x 4.6 cm print on contact sheet 20.6 x 26.8 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Clydesdale horse team from Oakalla Prison Farm pulling a wagon inside the Pacific National Exhibition Agridome. A crowd is watching.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1958] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Burnaby Image Bank subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.2 x 4.6 cm print on contact sheet 20.6 x 26.8 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 370-731
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1999-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Clydesdale horse team from Oakalla Prison Farm pulling a wagon inside the Pacific National Exhibition Agridome. A crowd is watching.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w copy negative accompanying
- Negative has a pink cast
Images
![Oakalla Clydesdale team, [1958] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-731.jpg)
![Oakalla Clydesdale team, [1958] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-732.jpg?width=280)
Oakalla Clydesdale team
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38145
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1958] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.2 x 4.6 cm print on contact sheet 19.8 x 26.2 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Pete Connelly and the Clydesdale horse team from Oakalla Prison Farm (2nd team from right) with other teams inside the Pacific National Exhibition Agridome in Vancouver, BC.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1958] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Burnaby Image Bank subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.2 x 4.6 cm print on contact sheet 19.8 x 26.2 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 370-732
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1999-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Pete Connelly and the Clydesdale horse team from Oakalla Prison Farm (2nd team from right) with other teams inside the Pacific National Exhibition Agridome in Vancouver, BC.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w copy negative accompanying
- Negative has a pink cast
Images
![Oakalla Clydesdale team, [1958] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-732.jpg)
Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19349
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Honourable Raj Chouhan Location of Interview: Residence of Honourable Raj Chouhan Interview Date: December 2, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (00:49:21) Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant and the organizations that he became involved with. Honourable Raj Chouhan recalls how he arrived in Burnaby with his family in 1973 and that his family worked in farming. Chouhan imparts his first hand experiences as a new immigrant working as a labourer in the farming industry and describes the unsafe and unfair working conditions that he and migrant workers faced. Chouhan conveys how this experience lead him to become an activist for better working conditions for migrant workers. This lead Chouhan and others to form the Canadian Farm Workers Union in 1980. Chouhan recollects his experiences flying from India to Canada with his wife, his first impressions after arriving in Vancouver and driving to Burnaby and what he brought with him. Chouhan explains his connections to Burnaby. Members of Chouhan's wife's family immgrated to Canada in 1957 and his wife and her three brothers joined them in 1970. Chouhan's father in law, Hardial Singh Grewal immigrated in 1957 and became president of the Sikh temple in New Westminster. Hardial Singh Grewal worked in a lumber mill in Vancouver and eventually bought a house in Burnaby. Chouhan married to his wife at the Sikh temple in New Westminster and lived in Burnaby for a period before moving to New Westminster where they could find more affordable housing. Chouhan shares that he first worked as a farm labourer in Abbotsford and then found a job in the sawmill which paid more. Chouhan describes the extreme racism and discrimination that he and other immigrants faced which lead to the formation of the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism under the leadership of Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma. Chouhan describes this organization that he was a part of and the Canadian Farm Workers Union that were both formed in Burnaby. Chouhan shares that he moved to Victoria in 1988 to serve on the Hospital Employee's Union and moved back to the mainland in 1993 and returned to Burnaby in 2001. Chouhan reflects on the history of South Asian immigration in Canada, how many of the migrants settled in the lower mainland including Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver establishing temples in Vancouver and New Westminster which became the centre for the South Asian community. He conveys how earlier occupations were limited to farming and millwork and how over time employment opportunities and education have broadened but there is still work to do. He imparts how second generation Canadians’ experiences differ from first generations providing examples of his own daughters’ and the occupations that they are working in. Chouhan provides his insights into the South Asian Canadian experience imparting “We make history every day and that history needs to be recorded and learned from.."... “People from different communities, different backgrounds who lived in Burnaby have contributed so much and South Asians are just like another community and participated in all aspects of social life, cultural, religious, economy. I'm so proud of our community, our forefathers who had that vision to fight for our rights. I'm inspired by people who struggled so much to gain basic rights, like the right to vote". Chouhan refers to these first immigrants as “Gadri Babbas” “revolutionary old people” who were also the main motivation that lead to India becoming a free country in 1947 and for fighting for basic rights here in Canada and how they made their contributions for future generations. Chouhan expresses what he imparts to students “Do not forget your past... if you remember your past then you are much more knowledgeable. Then we know what we need for the future. If we don't know the past, we don't know what the future is going to be like. To make a better future, you have to learn from the past and improve".
- History
- Interviewee biography: Honourable Raj Chouhan was born in the city of Ludhiana in the Province of Punjab in India and immigrated to Canada in 1973. After arriving in Canada, Raj's family settled in Burnaby. Raj grew up in Burnaby and attended schoool. Honourable Raj Chouhan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as the MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds in 2005 and was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2020. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on December 7, 2020. Honourable Chouhan is the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union and the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism and has served as a director of the Hospital Employees' Union, the Labour Relations Board of B.C. and the Arbitration Bureau of B.C. Honourable Chouhan has also served as the Vice President of B.C. Human Rights Defenders since 2003 and has taught courses in Human Rights, the B.C. Labour Code and Collective Bargaining since 1987. Interviewer biography: Kate Petrusa is the Assistant Curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In her role, she manages all aspects of the collection – including caring for physical artifacts and making their digital counterpart accessible. Before coming to Burnaby Village Museum in 2019, Kate has worked at several Museums around the Lower Mainland as a Curator and contractor since 2013.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Occupations - Agricultural Labourers
- Migration
- Organizations - Unions
- Rights
- Rights - Human Rights
- Agriculture
- Agriculture - Farms
- Government - Provincial Government
- Government
- Names
- Chouhan, Raj
- British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism
- Sharma, Dr. Hari Prakash
- Grewal, Hardial Singh
- Canadian Farmworkers Union
- Hospital Employees Union
- Khalsa Diwan Society
- Responsibility
- Petrusa, Kate
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.4
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022
Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0004_002.mp3Interview with Reidun Seim by Kathy Bossort January 13, 2016 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory652
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1934-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about her father’s chicken farm. She describes the farm buildings, other animals on the farm, and how her father operated the chicken farm, especially his approach to keeping the chickens disease free. She also talks about cutting down the …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about her father’s chicken farm. She describes the farm buildings, other animals on the farm, and how her father operated the chicken farm, especially his approach to keeping the chickens disease free. She also talks about cutting down the alder at the back of the property for the chicken run, and building rock walls and a driveway with rocks taken off the property. She also describes how the property was subdivided in the 1980s.
- Date Range
- 1934-1990
- Length
- 0:15:30
- Subjects
- Occupations - Farmers
- Animals - Poultry
- Geographic Access
- Curtis Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 13, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 2:35:58
- Interviewee Name
- Seim, Reidun
- Interview Location
- Burnaby City Hall in the Law Library
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Reidun Seim
Track three of interview with Reidun Seim
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-017/MSS196-017_Track_3.mp3![Chicken houses at Oakalla, [195-] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-717.jpg?width=280)
Chicken houses at Oakalla
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38130
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [195-] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.0 x 4.3 cm print on contact sheet 19.8 x 26.2 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of chicken houses at Oakalla Prison Farm.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [195-] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Burnaby Image Bank subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.0 x 4.3 cm print on contact sheet 19.8 x 26.2 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 370-717
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1999-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of chicken houses at Oakalla Prison Farm.
- Subjects
- Animals - Poultry
- Agriculture - Farms
- Names
- Oakalla Prison Farm
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w copy negative accompanying
- Negative has a pink cast
- Geographic Access
- Oakmount Crescent
- Street Address
- 5220 Oakmount Crescent
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Oakalla Area
Images
![Chicken houses at Oakalla, [195-] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-717.jpg)
Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory355
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1939-1972
- Length
- 0:10:04
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of growing up in Burnaby. He discusses transportation in Burnaby, including the first cars in his family. Bob talks about recreational activities available to Burnaby residents in the late nineteen-thirties and early nineteen-fo…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of growing up in Burnaby. He discusses transportation in Burnaby, including the first cars in his family. Bob talks about recreational activities available to Burnaby residents in the late nineteen-thirties and early nineteen-forties, as well as changes that he has seen from his time growing up to the time of raising his own children.
- Date Range
- 1939-1972
- Photo Info
- Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
- Length
- 0:10:04
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 5, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Robert "Bob" Lowe conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 5, 2012. Major theme discussed: the rise of the automobile and its effect on development in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Robert "Bob" Lowe has lived his entire life in Burnaby. During his childhood, Bob’s family lived at several addresses near Royal Oak and what is now Canada Way. He attended Douglas Road Elementary and South Burnaby High Schools. After graduating, Bob worked for a few years before enrolling in Normal School for a teaching certificate. He began teaching in Vancouver, married in 1952, and started a family. The Lowes moved to Government Road in 1961 and began a hobby farm, while Bob upgraded his formal education and became an administrator in the new college system.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:36:54
- Interviewee Name
- Lowe, Robert "Bob"
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
Track three of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_3.mp3
Knight family photographs
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription64501
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1948-1971
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 49 photographs (35 prints : b&w and col. and 14 negatives : b&w)
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of "the Bird Doctor" Virginia Knight and her husband Milton and their properties, avaries, and pets. File also includes the couple's travel photographs, photograph's of Milton's antique clock and watch collection, and images of Lakeview Aviaries in Burnaby.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1948-1971
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Knight family subseries
- Physical Description
- 49 photographs (35 prints : b&w and col. and 14 negatives : b&w)
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 510-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- BHS1992-53
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of "the Bird Doctor" Virginia Knight and her husband Milton and their properties, avaries, and pets. File also includes the couple's travel photographs, photograph's of Milton's antique clock and watch collection, and images of Lakeview Aviaries in Burnaby.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photographs
- Stamp on verso of 510-001 reads: "Woodward's Advertising Photography"
- Note on verso of 510-003 reads: "Taken at San Juan Capistrano. The minute you enter the place these pigeons light all over you and they sell you small bags of wheat to feed them." Other notes and date stamp on verso.
- Note on verso of 510-010 reads: "Virgie + Sheila Joan (Easton) Mulliner / New Year's Eve / 1970-71"
- 510-008, 510-009, 510-011, 510-012: Date stamp on verso reads "Jan 12, 1962"
- Note on verso of 510-022 reads: "My little Saw-Whet Owl who was one of my patients. Fully recovered and hand tame."
- 510-024 is five small photographs glued to a black paper album page
- Handwritten notes on recto of 510-032, describing the clocks in the photograph.
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake
- Street Address
- 5255 Sperling Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Lake Area
Images
Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory354
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1939-2012
- Length
- 0:09:13
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of the development of property Burnaby. He discusses houses being built by his father, grandfather and himself; this includes the property that he and his wife bought in 1961. Bob also discusses the rise of the automobile.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of the development of property Burnaby. He discusses houses being built by his father, grandfather and himself; this includes the property that he and his wife bought in 1961. Bob also discusses the rise of the automobile.
- Date Range
- 1939-2012
- Photo Info
- Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
- Length
- 0:09:13
- Planning Study Area
- Government Road Area
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 5, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Robert "Bob" Lowe conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 5, 2012. Major theme discussed: the rise of the automobile and its effect on development in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Robert "Bob" Lowe has lived his entire life in Burnaby. During his childhood, Bob’s family lived at several addresses near Royal Oak and what is now Canada Way. He attended Douglas Road Elementary and South Burnaby High Schools. After graduating, Bob worked for a few years before enrolling in Normal School for a teaching certificate. He began teaching in Vancouver, married in 1952, and started a family. The Lowes moved to Government Road in 1961 and began a hobby farm, while Bob upgraded his formal education and became an administrator in the new college system.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:36:54
- Interviewee Name
- Lowe, Robert "Bob"
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
Track two of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_2.mp3![Money's Mushrooms parade float, [1957] (date of original), digitally copied 2013 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/550/552-003.jpg?width=280)
Money's Mushrooms parade float
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription77189
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1957] (date of original), digitally copied 2013
- Collection/Fonds
- Stiglish family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w copy-print ; 9 x 9 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Money's Mushrooms parade float that FJ "Jack" Stiglish created for the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) parade. Helen Stiglish is believed to have created the mushroom drawings for the float.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1957] (date of original), digitally copied 2013
- Collection/Fonds
- Stiglish family fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w copy-print ; 9 x 9 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 552-003
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2013-07
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Money's Mushrooms parade float that FJ "Jack" Stiglish created for the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) parade. Helen Stiglish is believed to have created the mushroom drawings for the float.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note in blue ink on verso of photograph reads: "Father created the float for the PNE parade with mother's help. My mother probably drew the mushrooms as she was very artistic. There was also a booth at the PNE that / about 1957 / float on an old red Studebaker"
- Original spelling of surname was "Stiglich"
- Geographic Access
- Keswick Avenue
- Street Address
- 3782 Keswick Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burquitlam (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Cameron Area
Images
![Money's Mushrooms parade float, [1957] (date of original), digitally copied 2013 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/550/552-003.jpg)
Seaforth School Class
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37341
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1950
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.7 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of twenty-seven students and their teacher seated and standing in rows in front of the school building. A black dog is sitting in the front, facing the rows of children. A label on the back of the photograph states that the students are from Seaforth School. Identified in the photograp…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1950
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Seaforth School subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.7 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 355-005
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1997-14
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of twenty-seven students and their teacher seated and standing in rows in front of the school building. A black dog is sitting in the front, facing the rows of children. A label on the back of the photograph states that the students are from Seaforth School. Identified in the photograph are: Mrs. Mary Johnson (nee MacDonald) teacher, in the far back. Back row (l to r): Sandra ?, Shirley Colden, Marcia Noel, Eldon Clarke, Billy Beaton, David Park, Graeme Smith, Calvert Broomfield, Leigh Tucker and Lillian Savage. Middle row (l to r): Sharon Milne, Gail Simpson, Thelma Mornes, Joan Dachiuk, Barbara Smith, Betty Hadfield, Judy Haddon, Wilma Heather, Merle Beaton and Sammy Savage. Front row (l to r): Dennis Dachiuk, Jerry Hadfield, Mike Lawrence, David MacPhail, Sydney Clarke, Joe Haddon and Jerry Green.
- Subjects
- Animals - Dogs
- Occupations - Teachers
- Names
- Seaforth School
- Johnson, Mary MacDonald
- Colden, Shirley
- Noel, Marcia
- Clarke, Eldon
- Beaton, Billy
- Park, David
- Smith, Graeme
- Broomfield, Calvert
- Tucker, Leigh
- Savage, Lillian
- Anderson, Gail
- Sampson, Gail
- Mornes, Thelma
- Dachiuk, Joan
- Smith, Barbara
- Hadfield, Betty
- Haddon, Judy
- Heather, Wilma
- Beaton, Merle
- Savage, Sammy
- Dachiuk, Dennis
- Hadfield, Jerry
- Lawrence, Mike
- MacPhail, David
- Clarke, Sydney
- Haddon, Joe
- Green, Jerry
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on label on verso of photograph
- Photographer identified as "Layton"
- Geographic Access
- Government Road
- Deer Lake Avenue
- Street Address
- 7881 Government Road
- 6501 Deer Lake Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lozells (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Government Road Area
Images
Murdock and Lillian McMurray interview November 17, 1975 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory247
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1904-1975
- Length
- 0:09:26
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of his first team of horses. Lillian (Wray) McMurray and her husband discuss their son Bob McMurray's volunteerism and professional activities.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Murdock McMurray's memories of his first team of horses. Lillian (Wray) McMurray and her husband discuss their son Bob McMurray's volunteerism and professional activities.
- Date Range
- 1904-1975
- Photo Info
- Emerson Doran (left) and Murdoch McMurray, 1917. Item no. 229-004
- Length
- 0:09:26
- Names
- McMurray, Bob
- Subjects
- Transportation - Sleighs
- Animals - Horses
- Interviewer
- McGeachie, Doreen “Pixie”
- Interview Date
- November 17, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Murdock McMurray and his wife Lillian (Wray) McMurray conducted by Pixie McGeachie on November 17, 1975. Major themes discussed are: Burnaby's development, the Wray Shoe store and Murdock McMurray's cordwood delivery business.
- Biographical Notes
- Murdock McMurray was born in Vancouver in 1892 to Wilhelmina May and Robert William McMurray. Other children in the family included older siblings John “Jack” and Margaret Lillian, younger siblings Minnie May born May 4, 1895 and Hampton born June 8, 1902. Murdock’s father Robert worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) but retired shortly after moving his family to Burnaby in 1906. He bought six acres of land of what had been previously the Gilley Ranch, the base of operations for Gilley Bros. Ltd. at 2519 Windsor Street (later renumbered and renamed to the 6400 block Imperial Street). Murdock McMurray quit school early to apprentice as a printer. By sixteen he had left the trade and gone into partnership with his older brother Jack. With a team of horses, harness and a wagon, the brothers helped to macadamize roads, haul building supplies for new homes, deliver cord wood for heating, clear land and excavate basements. When Jack McMurray set off to serve overseas during World War I as a driver in the engineer corps, Murdock bought his team of horses and continued working, mainly in the Deer Lake district. In 1916 Murdoch McMurray partnered with Emerson Doran, nephew of the owner of Doran's Mill to buy Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard. As everything was geared towards the war effort, Murdock and Emerson soon ran out of work and had to sell the business. Murdock sold off his horses and equipment and went to work at the ship yard on Pitt River. By 1919 Jack McMurray had returned home from overseas and was working as a fireman at the Shull Lumber and Shingle Mill on the Fraser River. In 1921, he and Murdock teamed up with Emerson Doran and repurchased the Edmonds Coal and Wood fuel yard which they ran together until 1947. Murdock McMurray married Lillian Wray on September 17, 1925. Lillian was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wray, who came to settle in the Jubilee area of Burnaby in 1919. The family lived on Dow Road and Edward Wray operated Jubilee Shoe Store and Post Office. He was known throughout the district as "Wray - The Shoe Man." Mrs. Wray died in 1957 at the age of eight-six and Edward Wray died January 14, 1967 at age of ninety-three. Murdock and Lillian lived at Inverness Street (now Arcola) and raised three children together, Bob, Jack and Bessie. Murdock McMurray died in New Westminster on April 28, 1985 at the age of ninety-two. Lillian Ethel (Wray) McMurray died in Burnaby on February 28, 1986 at the age of eighty-seven.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 0:58:55
- Interviewee Name
- McMurray, Lillian Wray
- McMurray, Murdoch
- Interviewer Bio
- Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie was a resident of Burnaby for over sixty years. Pixie married John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie and raised their children Kathi (Dunlop) and David McGeachie in the house the couple built themselves in 1947. Pixie served as the editor for the Burnaby Examiner newspaper and wrote a column entitled "Burnaby History" for The News. In 1974 she authored her first book titled "Bygones of Burnaby" which was one of the first to develop anecdotal stories about pioneer life in Burnaby. She authored "Burnaby - A Proud Century" in 1992 and in 2002 she wrote a biography of the city's namesake in the book "Land of Promise: Robert Burnaby's letters from Colonial B.C." She also contributed many hours of volunteering; helping to establish Burnaby's first museum Heritage Village in 1971, serving as President of the Burnaby Historical Society from 1991-1993. She served a six year term on Burnaby's Heritage Commission leading the charge to preserve many historic sites throughout the city, and during her twenty years as the Community Archives volunteer archivist for the historical society, she succeeded in gathering thousands of rare and valuable historic photographs and documents which now forms the core of the photograph collection on the Heritage Burnaby website (as these items were donated by the Society to the City Archives in 2007). The City of Burnaby awarded Pixie McGeachie the Kushiro Cup as Citizen of the year in 2002. In 2006 she received a Heritage BC project award for leading the Friends of Interurban 1223 project, and in 2008 Heritage BC recognised her again by presenting her with the Ruby Nobb Award. John Aloysius "Jack" McGeachie died October 12, 1981 at the age of sixty-seven. Doreen "Pixie" (Johnson) McGeachie died August 14, 2010 at the age of eighty-nine. On 24 September, 2011, the City of Burnaby dedicated the reading at the City Archives in honour of Pixie and formally named it the Pixie McGeachie Reading Room in recognition of her years of service to the community.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track five of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray
Track five of recording of interview with Lillian and Murdock McMurray
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS137-010/MSS137-010_Track_5.mp3![Dominion Day parade float, [between 1950 and 1954] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-407.jpg?width=280)
Dominion Day parade float
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37819
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1950 and 1954] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.8 x 2.6 cm print on contact sheet 20.3 x 26.4 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a children's parade float shaped like a boat for Dominion Day celebrations at Confederation Park. A dog is lying on the grass in the foreground.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1950 and 1954] (date of original), copied 1991
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Burnaby Image Bank subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 3.8 x 2.6 cm print on contact sheet 20.3 x 26.4 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 370-407
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1999-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a children's parade float shaped like a boat for Dominion Day celebrations at Confederation Park. A dog is lying on the grass in the foreground.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w copy negative accompanying
- Negative has a pink cast
- Geographic Access
- Confederation Park
- Willingdon Avenue
- Street Address
- 250 Willingdon Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Capitol Hill (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Capitol Hill Area
Images
![Dominion Day parade float, [between 1950 and 1954] (date of original), copied 1991 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/370/370-407.jpg)
![Digney family in Burnaby, [between 1939 and 1959] thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_Archives_Moving_Images/_Unrestricted/562-003-12.jpg?width=280)
Digney family in Burnaby
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85249
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1939 and 1959]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 film clip (5 min., 17sec.) : digital, col., si.
- Scope and Content
- Item is a digitized film colour segment identified as Reel 12. The film is a compilation of Digney family events. The film opens with children Paul and Bruce Digney running around the Digney family yard at their home on Bonsor Avenue with Andy and Ernest (Dig) Digney looking on. This is followed by…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1939 and 1959]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 film clip (5 min., 17sec.) : digital, col., si.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 562-003-12
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- 2014-04
- Scope and Content
- Item is a digitized film colour segment identified as Reel 12. The film is a compilation of Digney family events. The film opens with children Paul and Bruce Digney running around the Digney family yard at their home on Bonsor Avenue with Andy and Ernest (Dig) Digney looking on. This is followed by interspersed footage of the family's pet dog Nero and puppies along with some brief glimpses of the Royal visit (King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) and cavilicade in 1939 along Kingsway. The film then switches to footage of Digney family Christmas festivities, a cat playing with a fish in a bowl and summer time at Pelican Lake in the 1940s and ends with a dog playing with a ball.
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Photographer
- Digney, Andy
- Creator
- Digney, Andy
- Notes
- Title based on contents of film
- Geographic Access
- Bonsor Avenue
- Kingsway
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
Images
![Digney family in Burnaby, [between 1939 and 1959] thumbnail](/media/Hpo/_Data/_Archives_Moving_Images/_Unrestricted/562-003-12.jpg)
Video
Digney family in Burnaby, [between 1939 and 1959]
Digney family in Burnaby, [between 1939 and 1959]
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Moving_Images/_Unrestricted/562-003-12.m4v