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Interview with Ellen and Bill Schwartz

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19602

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1969-2023] (interview content), interviewed 15 May 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 52 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 53 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Ellen and Bill Schwartz conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 00:00-16:47 Bill and Ellen share where they were born, grew up and went to school as citizens of the United States and how they met in Pe…

1 image 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: 2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 52 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 53 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewees: Ellen and Bill Schwartz Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: May 15, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:08:52 Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph information: Bill and Ellen Schwartz.

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Ellen and Bill Schwartz conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 00:00-16:47 Bill and Ellen share where they were born, grew up and went to school as citizens of the United States and how they met in Pennsylvania the 1970s. Bill and Ellen explain how in the 1970s, they were discouraged about the current politics in the United States under the Nixon administration and how they were inspired by the “back to the land” ideals, rejecting materialism and wanting an alternative lifestyle. With these ideals in mind, they recall how in 1972 they and a few other friends decided to leave the United States, move to British Columbia with the goal of buying land in the Okanagan or Kootenay region and starting a new lifestyle for themselves. Bill and Ellen recollect how they purchased 20 acres of land in Galena Bay in the Kootenays and how they lived in the area off and on until the early 1980s. They describe how they cleared three acres of land, built a cabin, put in a garden, chicken coop and honey bees. With the challenges of the isolated location and no access to electricity they explain how they decided that they had to live elsewhere in order to make a living. Ellen talks about working as a special education teacher in Revelstoke and Slocan and how Bill obtained his teaching certificate while they lived in Nelson. Bill and Ellen describe themselves as environmentalists and of how they both became active Provincial environmentalists during the construction of the Revelstoke Dam. Bill talks about getting work with the “Energy Van” program talking about energy conservation, renewable energy and recycling. They explain how after their first child was born in 1980, they returned to Galena Bay for about a year and a half until Bill was offered a job with the Department of Energy Conservation which lead them to move to Vancouver. 16:48 – 22:46 Bill and Ellen describe their first few years of living in Vancouver and at University of British Columbia while Ellen completed her master’s degree in creative writing. During this time, they had their second child. They recall how in 1988 how they purchased a house in Burnaby, selecting to live in the Deer Lake neighbourhood. They talk about the benefits of the neighbourhood including; a French immersion school for their children, proximity to the trails around Deer Lake and having transit close by. 22:47 – 33:55 Bill and Ellen talk about their consulting business “Polestar Communications”. A Burnaby based communications consulting firm composed of three people, Ellen and Bill and colleague Richard Banner. They describe how their business got started and some of the projects that they’ve worked on including; BC Hydro’s Power Smart Program, financial literacy curriculum that was introduced in B.C. schools and reports for the Province of British Columbia. Ellen and Bill convey how Bill has been a very active member with the City of Burnaby Environment Committee, the Steering Committee to develop a sustainable environmental strategy for Burnaby, how he’s been awarded for his contributions in coaching youth sports and other areas in which they have both volunteered. 33:56 – 43:07 Ellen describes how she got started in writing educational resources about the environment and how since she completed grad school in 1984, she’s published nineteen books. Ellen conveys how her first book was published and sold to the Province of British Columbia as part of the B.C. educational curriculum on the environment. Ellen talks about some of the children’s books that she’s written and published with themes including; social justice, the labour movement and racism in sports. Ellen describes some of her books and the research that she’s done. 43:08 – 51:04 Ellen and Bill Schwartz reflect on what they like about living in Burnaby. They talk about the benefits of their neighbourhood including; performances at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival, the Burnaby Art Gallery and Deer Lake as well as having access to parks and community centres in Burnaby. 51:05-56:36 Bill and Ellen reflect on their involvement in the Jewish community, considering themselves non-secular Jews. Ellen talks about how they were involved with “Burquest” a Jewish Community Association and how they often observe some of the Jewish holidays including Hanukah and traditions including the Jewish coming of age ritual, bar mitzvah (masc.) and bat mistvah (fem.). Ellen mentions her involvement with the “Jone Betty Stuchner Oy Vey! Funniest Children’s book Award” where she acts a judge and her involvement with the Jewish Book festival and that she is a recipient of the Jewish Book award. 56:37 – 1:08:53 Bill and Ellen reflect on their 35 years living in Burnaby and how they’ve seen it change. They talk about the increased development and density in the city, how they are troubled by a lack of low income housing, the benefits and importance of public transportation and preservation of green space including Burnaby parks.

History: Interviewees' biographies: Ellen Schwartz was born in Washington, DC, (1950) but grew up in New Jersey. She attended the Universities of Chicago and Wisconsin before moving to a farm in Pennsylvania, where she met her future husband Bill Schwartz. Bill Schwartz grew up in and around Philadelphia (b. 1947), and attended Pennsylvania State University. After travelling, and discouraged with life in eastern America, he and Ellen decided that British Columbia held better prospects. Bill and Ellen quit their jobs in 1972 and moved to the Kootenay region where they adopted a “back to the land” lifestyle, a very new experience for both of them. After eight years of modest success, and occasional work in nearby towns, they opted to return to Vancouver where Bill had work and where they could raise a family more easily. They rented in Vancouver for a few years before moving to family housing at UBC, while Ellen studied creative writing. Bill founded a communications and writing company, and in 1988 they purchased a home in Burnaby. Ellen launched a new career as a writer, mainly for children young adults. Both were active in their careers, raising a family, and participating in local social and political activities. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Education; Environmental Issues; Environmental Issues - Environmental Protection; Geographic Features; Geographic Features - Parks; Housing; Occupations; Occupations - Entrepreneurs; Occupations - Writers; Persons - Volunteers; Persons - Jewish Canadians; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Religions; Religions - Judaism

Names: Schwartz, William "Bill"; Schwartz, Ellen; City of Burnaby; Polestar Communications; British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority

Responsibility: Damer, Eric

Accession Code: BV023.16.6

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1969-2023] (interview content), interviewed 15 May 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Burnaby Lake Area

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby

Images

Interview with Ellen and Bill Schwartz, [1969-2023] (interview content), interviewed 15 May 2023 thumbnail

Documents

2023_0016_0006_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Ellen and Bill Schwartz, [1969-2023] (interview content), interviewed 15 May 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0006_003.mp3

Daffodils at Kensington Park

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96417

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2004]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of City of Burnaby Parks employee Andrew O'Keeffe tending to a bed of daffodils in bloom at Kensington Park.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2004]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-2087

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of City of Burnaby Parks employee Andrew O'Keeffe tending to a bed of daffodils in bloom at Kensington Park.

Subjects: Occupations - Civic Workers; Plants - Flowers; Geographic Features - Gardens; Geographic Features - Parks

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a March 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Andrew O'Keeffe, of the Burnaby Parks and Recreation Department, tends to some of the 2500 daffodils in the gardens of Kensington Park, along Hastings St."

Geographic Access: Hastings Street; Kensington Park

Historic Neighbourhood: Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Parkcrest-Aubrey Area

Images

Daffodils at Kensington Park, [2004] thumbnail

Dover Street crosswalk lights

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription97008

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2000]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of the assistant director of traffic engineering at the City of Burnaby examining a piece of equipment installed in Dover Street as part of a pilot project for new crosswalk lights. A school crosswalk sign and passing vehicle are visible in the background.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2000]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-2540

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of the assistant director of traffic engineering at the City of Burnaby examining a piece of equipment installed in Dover Street as part of a pilot project for new crosswalk lights. A school crosswalk sign and passing vehicle are visible in the background.

Subjects: Geographic Features - Roads; Geographic Features - Sidewalks; Occupations - Civic Workers; Public Services - Public Works

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a July 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Burnaby's assistand director of traffic engineering examines the new crosswalk lights, installed as a pilot project, on Dover, between Royal Oak and Nelson."

Geographic Access: Dover Street; Nelson Avenue; Royal Oak Avenue

Historic Neighbourhood: Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Marlborough Area

Images

Dover Street crosswalk lights, [2000] 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

Burnaby creek conservationists

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96276

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 4 photographs (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of volunteer conservationists with the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers, Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, and Sapperton Fish & Game Club at work in the Lake City area by Eagle Creek and the Brunette River. Photographs depict Nick Kvenich, of the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers, in a creek; m…

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 4 photographs (tiff) : col.

Description Level: File

Record No.: 535-1959

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of volunteer conservationists with the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers, Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, and Sapperton Fish & Game Club at work in the Lake City area by Eagle Creek and the Brunette River. Photographs depict Nick Kvenich, of the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers, in a creek; members of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers observing a storm drain; and Elmer Rudolf feeding fish at a Sapperton Fish & Game Club hatchery.

Subjects: Geographic Features - Creeks; Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds; Geographic Features - Ravines; Geographic Features - Streams

Names: Sapperton Fish & Game Club

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a March 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata for 535-1959-1: "Nick Kvenich is one of the founding members of the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers, which is looking to preserve the habitat of the creek that runs down from Squint Lake into a ravine below the Lake City industrial area."; Caption from metadata for 535-1959-2: "Joan Carne (r) and Louise Towell, of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, examine a storm drain in an industrial area above the creek. The habitat faces constant pressure from businesses and homeowners who pour solvents, soaps and substances into the drains without thought to the consequences."; Caption from metadata for 535-1959-3: "Nick Kvenich, one of the founding members of the Eagle Creek Streamkeepers, climbs through a fallen tree that is blocking a trail that runs alongside the creek, in a ravine below the Lake City industrial area. Although the tree will eventually be cleared by the GVRD, Kvenich says he prefers if such obstacles be left alone, as they would discourage people who might abuse the habitat."; Caption from metadata for 535-1959-4: "Elmer Rudolf feeds a new batch of coho fry at the Sapperton Fish & Game Club's hatchery, near the Brunette River. The fry are normally fed by a timed conveyor belt, but that is supplemented by hand feedings to give the weaker fish a chance."

Geographic Access: Brunette River; Eagle Creek

Planning Study Area: Lake City Area

Images

Burnaby creek conservationists, [2002] thumbnail

Burnaby rivers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription97440

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 4 photographs (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of people with Burnaby rivers and creeks. Photographs depict BCIT river conservationist Mark Angelo posing in Deer Lake Brook by Burnaby Village Museum, and Lorna Johnson, Gordie Cook, and Jack McAfee enjoying Fraser Foreshore Park by the Fraser River.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 4 photographs (tiff) : col.

Description Level: File

Record No.: 535-2800

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of people with Burnaby rivers and creeks. Photographs depict BCIT river conservationist Mark Angelo posing in Deer Lake Brook by Burnaby Village Museum, and Lorna Johnson, Gordie Cook, and Jack McAfee enjoying Fraser Foreshore Park by the Fraser River.

Subjects: Geographic Features - Creeks; Geographic Features - Rivers; Geographic Features - Parks

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a September 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata for 535-2800-1 and 535-2800-2: "Mark Angelo, of BCIT, who's made it his mission to save and preserve Burnaby's rivers and creeks, says he's particularly proud of Deer Lake Brook, as it babbles through Burnaby Village Museum, on its way to Burnaby Lake."; Caption from metadata for 535-2800-3: "Lorna Johnson hits a tennis ball out into the Fraser River at Fraser Foreshore Park, to her dog, Keiko."; Caption from metadata for 535-2800-4: "Gordie Cook and Jack McAfee shoot the breeze and enjoy the sunshine along the Fraser River, at Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby."

Geographic Access: Deer Lake Brook; Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park; Fraser River

Historic Neighbourhood: Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood); Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Morley-Buckingham Area; Big Bend Area

Images

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96572

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2001]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 2 photographs (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: File contains members of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers during their work to protect the waterways and salmon in the area. Photographs depict Bob Fuller checking a waterflow measuring gauge and Joan Carne standing in the overflow channel at the salmon rearing ponds below Marine Drive.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2001]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 2 photographs (tiff) : col.

Description Level: File

Record No.: 535-2194

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: File contains members of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers during their work to protect the waterways and salmon in the area. Photographs depict Bob Fuller checking a waterflow measuring gauge and Joan Carne standing in the overflow channel at the salmon rearing ponds below Marine Drive.

Subjects: Persons - Volunteers; Geographic Features - Creeks; Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds; Geographic Features - Streams

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a March 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata for 535-2194-1: "Bob Fuller, of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, checks the guage that measures the flow of water which is released from the holding pond below Marine Drive to the salmon spawning beds downstream."; Caption from metadata for 535-2194-2: "Joan Carne of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers stands in the overflow channel at the salmon rearing ponds below Marine Drive. Although last week's chemical spill into Byrne Creek didn't reach the ponds, Carne says it's a constant battle to educate people to take care of the area's creeks and streams."

Geographic Access: Marine Drive; Byrne Creek

Planning Study Area: Stride Hill Area

Images

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, [2001] thumbnail

Interview with John Templeton, Alan James and Christine Leston by Kathy Bossort October 26, 2015 - Track 9

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory595

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1995-2015

Length: 0:12:28

Summary: This portion of the interview is about the Stoney Creek Environment Committee members’ discussion of how the history of the forest and natural area on Burnaby Mountain forms part of our appreciation for the mountain. They talk about the impact of the conservation area on adjacent urban areas such a…

1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about the Stoney Creek Environment Committee members’ discussion of how the history of the forest and natural area on Burnaby Mountain forms part of our appreciation for the mountain. They talk about the impact of the conservation area on adjacent urban areas such as the neighbourhood of Forest Grove, and the future of the urban forest on Burnaby Mountain.

Date Range: 1995-2015

Length: 0:12:28

Names: Stoney Creek Environment Committee; Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area

Subjects: Geographic Features - Streams; Geographic Features - Forests; Geographic Features - Parks

Geographic Access: Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area; Stoney Creek

Interviewer: Bossort, Kathy

Interview Date: October 26, 2015

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with John Templeton, Alan James & Christine Leston, members of the Stoney Creek Environment Committee, conducted by Kathy Bossort. The three members of SCEC were among 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the history and work of the stream keeper group Stoney Creek Environment Committee (SCEC) and the Stoney Creek Environmental Working Group, and about SCEC’s founder Jennifer Atkinson. The interview is made richer by the complementary views of the three interviewees, John Templeton (SCEC Chair), Alan James (Member-at-Large - Education), and Christine Leston (Treasurer).

Biographical Notes: The Stoney Creek Environment Committee is a streamkeeper group and registered non-profit society dedicated to protecting and restoring viable salmon-bearing streams within the Stoney Creek Watershed. (Stoney Creek originates on Burnaby Mountain and is part of the Brunette watershed which empties into the Fraser River.) The volunteer group, formed in 1995, was guided by the tireless efforts of Jennifer Atchison (1938-2010) after whom the Jennifer Atchison Environmental Centre in North Burnaby is named. The volunteer members of SCEC monitor water quality, generate inventories and reports on the biophysical assets and health of the watershed, provide educational opportunities, enhance stream and stream bank habitat, and speak on behalf of the Stoney Creek watershed. One of its key events is The Great Salmon Send-Off, the release of young salmon into Stoney Creek in May, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2015. The Stoney Creek Environmental Working Group (1999-present), managed by the City of Burnaby, undertakes to coordinate the actions of all stakeholders in the Stoney Creek watershed. It is comprised of representatives from community groups, such as SCEC, governmental and institutional agencies, and industries who are committed to sustaining and improving the quality of the Stoney Creek watershed’s water, wildlife and environment. John Templeton, currently SCEC Chair, joined SCEC in 2004. He was born in Coleraine ,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in 1957, and after immigrating to Canada, came to live in Burnaby in 1992, first in Forest Grove (1992-2014) and then in Forest Hills. He works as a millwright. Alan James,Member-at-large - Education, joined SCEC in 2003 He was born in 1939 in Berkeley, California, and came to live in Burnaby in about 2000. He is a retired geophycisist and computer consultant. Christine Leston joined SCEC in 1997, serving first as Secretary and then as Treasurer. She was born in 1943 in Cheshire, England, and came to live in Burnaby in 1974, first in Greentree Village, then Simon Fraser Village (1974-2004) and now the Edmonds area. She is a retired technical writer.

Total Tracks: 9

Total Length: 2:08:27

Interviewee Name: Templeton, John R.; James, Alan C.; Leston, Christine

Interview Location: Jennifer Atchison Environmental Centre, 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

Series: Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Track nine of interview with John Templeton, Alan James & Christine Leston

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-006/MSS196-006_Track_9.mp3

Trans Canada Trail

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96814

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2000]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : b&w

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified person and their dog on the Trans Canada Trail in North Burnaby, overlooking the Burrard Inlet. Industrial ports and plants on the North Shore and the North Shore mountains are visible on the other side of the Inlet.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2000]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : b&w

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-2372

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified person and their dog on the Trans Canada Trail in North Burnaby, overlooking the Burrard Inlet. Industrial ports and plants on the North Shore and the North Shore mountains are visible on the other side of the Inlet.

Subjects: Geographic Features - Inlets; Geographic Features - Mountains; Geographic Features - Trails

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in an April 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "The Trans Canada Trail is popular with dog walkers, offering spectacular vistas of Burrard Inlet and the North Shore Mountains."

Geographic Access: Burrard Inlet

Historic Neighbourhood: Capitol Hill (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Capitol Hill Area

Images

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…

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: 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

2022_0029_0004_003

Audio Tracks

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.mp3

Burnaby Lake Sports Complex observation tower

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription97607

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 2 photographs (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of Tom Sadler, an employee with the City of Burnaby Parks and Recreation Department, at the new and under-construction observation tower at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex. Photographs depict Sadler looking over the fields of the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex from the tower,…

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 2 photographs (tiff) : col.

Description Level: File

Record No.: 535-2923

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of Tom Sadler, an employee with the City of Burnaby Parks and Recreation Department, at the new and under-construction observation tower at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex. Photographs depict Sadler looking over the fields of the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex from the tower, and inside the tower, demonstrating the tower's sliding windows.

Subjects: Buildings - Recreational - Sports; Geographic Features - Athletic Fields; Occupations - Civic Workers

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a January 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata for 535-2923-1: "Tom Sadler, of Burnaby's Parks and Rec Department, gets a spotter's-eye view of the playing fields at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex from the roof of the new viewing tower that is nearing completion. He says the rooftop area will be particularly useful for spotters working football games. The tower looks out over fields one and three."; Caption from metadata for 535-2923-2: "Tom Sadler, of Burnaby's Parks and Rec Department, demonstrates how the sliding windows in the new observation tower at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex can open to give an unobstructed view to the playing fields below. The windows had to be specially imported from Germany, and allows a tv camera to be set up inside the tower, safe from the elements, and still shoot the whole field."

Geographic Access: Kensington Avenue; Burnaby Lake Sports Complex

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Ardingley-Sprott Area

Images

Burnaby Lake Sports Complex observation tower, [2002] thumbnail

Central Park Pitch & Putt employee

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription95814

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2001]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of a staff member at the Central Park Pitch & Putt, standing on the tree-lined course. He carries the flags and a bucket of parts to install the flags in the course's holes.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2001]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-1638

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of a staff member at the Central Park Pitch & Putt, standing on the tree-lined course. He carries the flags and a bucket of parts to install the flags in the course's holes.

Subjects: Recreational Activities - Golf; Geographic Features - Parks; Occupations - Civic Workers

Names: Central Park Pitch 'n Putt

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a February 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Mark Beatty, the greenskeeper at the Central Park pitch & putt, heads out to install the pin flags in preparation for the course's opening on Wednesday, a week earlier than usual."

Geographic Access: Central Park; Imperial Street

Street Address: 3883 Imperial Street

Historic Neighbourhood: Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Maywood Area

Images

Central Park Pitch & Putt employee, [2001] thumbnail

Central Park Pitch & Putt maintenance

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96541

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2005]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of City employee Gordie Frondall filling in a drainage culvert at the 12th hole at the Central Park Pitch & Putt.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2005]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-2163

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of City employee Gordie Frondall filling in a drainage culvert at the 12th hole at the Central Park Pitch & Putt.

Subjects: Occupations - Civic Workers; Geographic Features - Parks; Recreational Activities - Golf

Names: Central Park Pitch 'n Putt

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a March 2005 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Gordie Frondall fills in a new drainage culvert on the 12th hole at the Central Park Pitch 'n Putt in preparation for the new season. The course officially opened on Friday."

Geographic Access: Central Park; Imperial Street

Street Address: 3883 Imperial Street

Historic Neighbourhood: Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Maywood Area

Images

Central Park Pitch & Putt maintenance, [2005] thumbnail

Central Park Pitch & Putt preparation

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96035

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2004]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 2 photographs (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of Burnaby Parks Department employee Dave Walters on a riding lawn mower. He is cutting the grass on the course at the Central Park Pitch & Putt.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2004]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 2 photographs (tiff) : col.

Description Level: File

Record No.: 535-1784

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: File contains photographs of Burnaby Parks Department employee Dave Walters on a riding lawn mower. He is cutting the grass on the course at the Central Park Pitch & Putt.

Subjects: Recreational Activities - Golf; Geographic Features - Parks; Occupations - Civic Workers

Names: Central Park Pitch 'n Putt

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a February 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Dave Walters, of the Burnaby Parks Department, keeps a close eye on the cut as he prepares the greens at the Central Park Pitch 'n Putt for a new season. He says the greens wintered well, and they should be in good shape for the course's official opening on Friday."

Geographic Access: Central Park; Imperial Street

Street Address: 3883 Imperial Street

Historic Neighbourhood: Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Maywood Area

Images

Central Park Pitch & Putt preparation, [2004] thumbnail

Central Park Pitch & Putt preparations

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96308

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of City of Burnaby Parks Department employee Mark Beatty preparing the greens at the Central Park Pitch & Putt on a sunny day.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-1991

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of City of Burnaby Parks Department employee Mark Beatty preparing the greens at the Central Park Pitch & Putt on a sunny day.

Subjects: Recreational Activities - Golf; Geographic Features - Parks; Occupations - Civic Workers

Names: Central Park Pitch 'n Putt

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a March 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Mark Beatty, of the Burnaby Parks Department, gets the greens at the Central Park Pitch and Putt course ready in time for their official opening, on Friday. While the Kensington course has already been open for a couple of weeks, Beatty says the greens at Central Park take longer to dry out and firm up."

Geographic Access: Central Park; Imperial Street

Street Address: 3883 Imperial Street

Historic Neighbourhood: Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Maywood Area

Images

Central Park Pitch & Putt preparations, [2002] thumbnail

City of Burnaby parking pay station

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96387

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2004]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of Kevin Lusignan, traffic technician for parking in the City of Burnaby, and Dennis Wong, from Precise ParkLink. They are standing on Ledger Avenue next to one of the new parking pay stations that would replace parking meters.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2004]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-2057

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of Kevin Lusignan, traffic technician for parking in the City of Burnaby, and Dennis Wong, from Precise ParkLink. They are standing on Ledger Avenue next to one of the new parking pay stations that would replace parking meters.

Subjects: Occupations - Civic Workers; Geographic Features - Automobile Parking Lots; Public Services - Municipal Services

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a March 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Kevin Lusignan, the traffic technician for parking in the City of Burnaby, checks out one of the new pay stations that will be installed along Ledger Ave., instead of parking meters. With him is Dennis Wong, of Precise ParkLink, the company supplying the pay stations."

Geographic Access: Ledger Avenue

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Ardingley-Sprott Area

Images

City of Burnaby parking pay station, [2004] thumbnail

Clearing the Central Park Pitch & Putt

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96214

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2006]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of Jeff Arnett, a groundskeeper for the City of Burnaby's golf courses, clearing a large pile of branches and debris from the Central Park Pitch & Putt following a windstorm.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2006]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-1906

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of Jeff Arnett, a groundskeeper for the City of Burnaby's golf courses, clearing a large pile of branches and debris from the Central Park Pitch & Putt following a windstorm.

Subjects: Geographic Features - Parks; Occupations - Civic Workers

Names: Central Park Pitch 'n Putt

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a February 2006 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Jeff Arnett, a groundskeeper for Burnaby's golf courses, loads up some of the branches and deadfall blown onto the Central Park Pitch & Putt by windstorms over the weekend, as crews begin preparation of the course for reopening for the season. Arnett says the greens survived the wet winter weather in good shape."

Geographic Access: Central Park; Imperial Street

Street Address: 3883 Imperial Street

Historic Neighbourhood: Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Maywood Area

Images

Clearing the Central Park Pitch & Putt, [2006] thumbnail

Gaglardi Way motor vehicle accident

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription97602

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of an overturned truck trailer after a motor vehicle accident at the Gaglardi Way on-ramp to Highway 1. A firefighter is approaching the trailer with a set of pliers and a traffic jam is visible on the highway in the background.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-2918

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of an overturned truck trailer after a motor vehicle accident at the Gaglardi Way on-ramp to Highway 1. A firefighter is approaching the trailer with a set of pliers and a traffic jam is visible on the highway in the background.

Subjects: Accidents - Automobile Accidents; Geographic Features - Roads; Occupations - Fire Fighters

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in a January 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Traffic on the eastbound 401 is snarled as Burnaby firefighters clean up liquid amonia spilled when a truck trailer overturned at the Gagliardi on-ramp Thursday morning."

Geographic Access: Gaglardi Way

Planning Study Area: Burnaby Lake Area

Images

Gaglardi Way motor vehicle accident, [2002] thumbnail

Interview with Mary Lumby by Kathy Bossort January 8, 2016 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory671

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1965-2003

Length: 0:12:46

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Mary Lumby talking about her career as a teacher in Burnaby at Douglas Road, Suncrest and Stride schools, and her move to the Parkcrest neighborhood in Burnaby in 1977 and in 1983 to Forest Hills. She talks about visiting Burnaby Mountain Park and the Owl & Oa…

1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Mary Lumby talking about her career as a teacher in Burnaby at Douglas Road, Suncrest and Stride schools, and her move to the Parkcrest neighborhood in Burnaby in 1977 and in 1983 to Forest Hills. She talks about visiting Burnaby Mountain Park and the Owl & Oarsman restaurant, and the history of the development of Forest Hills in the 1980s.

Date Range: 1965-2003

Length: 0:12:46

Names: Douglas Road School; Suncrest School; Stride Avenue School; Burnaby Mountain Park

Subjects: Education; Occupations - Teachers; Geographic Features - Neighbourhoods

Geographic Access: Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area; Forest Grove Drive

Planning Study Area: Parkcrest-Aubrey Area; Lake City Area

Interviewer: Bossort, Kathy

Interview Date: January 8, 2016

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with Mary Lumby conducted by Kathy Bossort. Mary Lumby was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Mary Lumby’s experience living in Forest Hills, raising her children there, and her involvement in community groups and advocating for improved community services in the Forest Hills and Forest Grove neighbourhoods, and her later move to UniverCity. She talks about the history of the Forest Hills subdivision and what she liked about living there, its links with Forest Grove, and challenges facing both communities as a result of their isolation. Her description of living in UniverCity provides an interesting comparison in how community is created. Mary Lumby also talks about her teaching career, her volunteer activities especially related to the environment, the relationship Trans Mountain tank farm had with adjacent neighbourhoods when she lived in Forest Hills, and what the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area means to her.

Biographical Notes: Mary Lumby was born in Vancouver B.C. She moved to Burnaby and the Parkcrest area in 1977, and then to the new Forest Hills subdivision. Later she moved into another developing community, UniverCity, at the top of Burnaby Mountain and adjacent to the Simon Fraser University campus. Mary has been an active community member, volunteer and community advocate. She has been particularly interested in environmental issues, as a teacher, volunteer coordinator for civic events, and citizen representative on Burnaby’s Environment Committee. She continues to be active in community affairs and enjoys living on Burnaby Mountain.

Total Tracks: 7

Total Length: 1:31:47

Interviewee Name: Lumby, Mary M.

Interview Location: Mary Lumby'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

Series: Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Mary Lumby

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-016/MSS196-016_Track_1.mp3

Jazz duo in Deer Lake rhododendron garden

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96719

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Scope and Content: Photograph of Michael and Don Fraser, a father-son jazz duo, posing with their musical instruments in the rhododendron garden at Deer Lake Park.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [2002]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph (tiff) : col.

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 535-2324

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: 2018-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of Michael and Don Fraser, a father-son jazz duo, posing with their musical instruments in the rhododendron garden at Deer Lake Park.

Subjects: Occupations - Musicians; Persons - Families; Geographic Features - Gardens

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Bartel, Mario

Notes: Title based on caption; Collected by editorial for use in an April 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader; Caption from metadata: "Micheal and Don Fraser are framed by some of the early bloomers at Deer Lake Park's rhododendron gardens. But the father-son jazz duo hope to be surrounded by flowers when they play at Burnaby's Rhododendron Festival, on May 5."

Geographic Access: Deer Lake; Deer Lake Park

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Douglas-Gilpin Area

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