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Interview with Charles B. Brown May 21, 1975 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory29
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1932
- Length
- 0:08:14
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's memories of working with Reeve William A. Pritchard.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's memories of working with Reeve William A. Pritchard.
- Date Range
- 1930-1932
- Photo Info
- Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008
- Length
- 0:08:14
- Names
- Pritchard, William A.
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- May 21, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles B. Brown by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury May 21, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression, the Commissioner and municipal politics in general. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Charles Boyer Brown was born on June 16, 1894 in the town of Ongar, Essex, England. He came to Canada as a young child with his parents Jean and Percy Brown. In 1903, the family settled in New Westminster and by 1911, Charles had joined the Burnaby municipal staff working as an office boy. The outbreak of World War One interrupted Charlie’s career as he immediately enlisted with the Royal Engineers and served from 1915 to 1918. While overseas he met and married Lillian Bernice Bryan and they returned to Canada together after the war and Charles resumed his position in municipal administration. For a short time, Charles was appointed as the Municipal Assessor, but in 1927 he became the Assistant Municipal Clerk. In 1933, Charles was made Municipal Clerk, a post he held until he retired in 1959. Charles has also been credited with playing a significant role in administering the city while it was under the rule of the provincial commission from 1932-1942. Recognized for his expertise in civic affairs, Charles was appointed by the provincial government to a committee formed to review and revise the Municipal Act. He was also a member of the BC Municipal Officers’ Association from its formation in 1936 and was made its chair in 1953. While these civic duties occupied much of his time, Charles still managed to participate as a volunteer on many sport and youth clubs in the city and served as the secretary for the Kingsway Rotary Club. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Burnaby, both paid and volunteer, Charles was presented with the Gold Key award in 1959, the same year he finally retired from municipal administration. During Charles’ lifetime, many changes took place in the Municipality that he loved. He saw Burnaby grow in population and progress and he could be proud of the significant part he played in that growth and development. Charles Brown died on August 11, 1981.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:58:01
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Charles B. "Charlie"
- Interview Location
- Walker Avenue
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Transcript Available
- None
- 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 three of interview with Charles B. Brown
Track three of interview with Charles B. Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-06/100-13-06_Track_3.mp3Interview with Kay Zimmerman by Rod Fowler [February] 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory528
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1960-1987
- Length
- 00:07:50
- Summary
- This portion of the interview continues Kay Zimmerman’s description of the BVA and the election of councillors and then mayors from the party, Dave Mercier 1979-1981 and Bill Lewarne 1981-1987. She talks about resistance to paying for the road to SFU as a “local improvement”, Heritage Village as a …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview continues Kay Zimmerman’s description of the BVA and the election of councillors and then mayors from the party, Dave Mercier 1979-1981 and Bill Lewarne 1981-1987. She talks about resistance to paying for the road to SFU as a “local improvement”, Heritage Village as a Centennial Project, differing BVA support in north and south Burnaby, and Alan Emmott’s political career.
- Date Range
- 1960-1987
- Photo Info
- Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021
- Length
- 00:07:50
- Names
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Emmott, Alan H
- Mercier, David M "Dave"
- Burnaby Voters Association
- Simon Fraser University
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- [February] 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Kay Zimmerman, conducted by Rod Fowler. Kay Zimmerman was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Kay Zimmerman’s political activities in Burnaby and her description of her Lochdale neighbourhood in the 1960s. She provides an excellent overview of the municipal political groups and important political issues in Burnaby from 1960 to 1980. She tells the story about an early and successful political action that convinced her that an individual can make a difference. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Kathleen “Kay” Zimmerman, her husband Gordon and their young son Rick moved to Burnaby from Vancouver in 1960 to a house on Curtis Avenue near Duthie Street (a second son Bruce was born in Burnaby). Kay Zimmerman worked 12 years at Royal Columbian Hospital in the admitting office, then 4 years (1974-1979) as special assistant to Senator Ray Perrault, followed by work as a judge on the Citizenship Court before retiring. Gordon Zimmerman worked at the Shell Refinery. A member of the Liberal Party and political activist before arriving in Burnaby, Kay Zimmerman continued her involvement in national and local politics. She campaigned for Ray Perrault during the Trudeau years, and was a founder and active member of the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). Her political activities encompassed 30 years that saw major changes in Burnaby, including the building of SFU, creation of Heritage Village, an awakening environmental sensibility, and a dramatic increase in population and development in Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 10
- Total Length
- 01:04:36
- Interviewee Name
- Zimmerman, Kay
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Kay Zimmerman
Track two of interview with Kay Zimmerman
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-018/MSS187-018_Track_2.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 12
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory452
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1965-1987
- Length
- 00:10:39
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s problems raising funds for his first political campaign without incurring favours, and the challenge of remaining nonpartisan in office
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s problems raising funds for his first political campaign without incurring favours, and the challenge of remaining nonpartisan in office
- Date Range
- 1965-1987
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:10:39
- Subjects
- Elections
- Officials - Mayors and Reeves
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track twelve of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track twelve of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_12.mp3Interview with Don Brown by Rod Fowler February 26, 1990 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory507
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1947-1954
- Length
- 00:05:44
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the paving and widening of Kingsway in 1953, the development along main roads, and the end of the Interurban tram system
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the paving and widening of Kingsway in 1953, the development along main roads, and the end of the Interurban tram system
- Date Range
- 1947-1954
- Photo Info
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Don Brown, November 2, 1997. Item no. 535-0979
- Length
- 00:05:44
- Subjects
- Accidents - Automobile Accidents
- Transportation - Automobiles
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 26, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Don Brown, conducted by Rod Fowler. Don Brown was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Don Brown’s description of the changes in Burnaby’s built and natural landscapes and socioeconomic conditions, especially between 1947 and 1975, the strong impression made on him by those changes evident in the interview. He talks about his work and career as a police officer with the Burnaby Provincial Police and RCMP. The interview also details his involvement in Burnaby politics and volunteer community groups. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Donald Neil “Don” Brown was born in Birmingham, England May 4, 1919, and immigrated with his parents and siblings to Winnipeg in 1922. At the outbreak of WWII Don Brown left high school and enlisted in the 12th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, serving six years in the army. Before going overseas he married Helen Birch in 1939. In 1947 Don Brown joined the B.C. Provincial Police which was absorbed by the RCMP in 1950. He worked as a police officer in Burnaby from 1947 to 1954, and then was transferred to Ottawa (with a stop in Regina) for nine and a half years where he attended Carleton University to study forensics. In 1963 Don Brown was transferred back to Vancouver and bought and moved into a house on Watling Street in Burnaby where he still lived in 1990. Another transfer took him to Edmonton for five years, returning to Burnaby in 1975. Following retirement in 1980 with the rank of Supervisor and after 22 years in forensic laboratories, Don Brown started his own business as a private document examiner. Don Brown was active in Burnaby politics, serving as Alderman from 1979-1985. He was also involved in many community groups including the South Burnaby Men’s Club, which he helped found in 1952, as well as active in the Burnaby Historical Society, and served on the Burnaby School Board, Burnaby Centennial Committee, and the Community College for the Retired. Don and Helen Brown had six children: Donna, Don, Gina, Patricia, Christopher and Susan. Don Brown died May 16, 2009.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 01:35:07
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Donald N. "Don"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track six of interview with Don Brown
Track six of interview with Don Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-016/MSS187-016_Track%206.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory443
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:07:58
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the interurban tram service in Burnaby, how it was used, the interurban routes, reasons for closing the interurban and later building Skytrain, and attempts to purchase an old tram car for Heritage Village
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about the interurban tram service in Burnaby, how it was used, the interurban routes, reasons for closing the interurban and later building Skytrain, and attempts to purchase an old tram car for Heritage Village
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:07:58
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track three of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_3.mp3Interview with Ted Burnham by Eric Damer September 19, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory313
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1946-1986
- Length
- 0:10:42
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham's memories of the interurban tram. He mentions getting his driver's license and goes on to discuss more of his work history; in the computer industry, then in the medical industry.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham's memories of the interurban tram. He mentions getting his driver's license and goes on to discuss more of his work history; in the computer industry, then in the medical industry.
- Date Range
- 1946-1986
- Photo Info
- Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham, [195-]. Item no. 549-021.
- Length
- 0:10:42
- Subjects
- Transportation - Electric Railroads
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- September 19, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Edward Lewis "Ted" Burnham conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 19, 2012. Major theme discussed: the role of the municipal worker in the nineteen-fifties and nineteen-sixties.
- Biographical Notes
- E.L. "Ted" Burnham was born in 1930 and grew up in East Burnaby. He attended Armstrong Street and Edmonds Schools and then Trapp Technical High School before beginning work at a range of occupations in the late nineteen-forties. Ted studied business administration at the University of British Columbia and worked from 1953 to about 1958 for the municipality of Burnaby in the engineering and welfare departments, then briefly for Remington-Rand computers, and then at the Hannah Medical Clinic until 1973. After marrying in 1957, Ted and his wife moved from McKay Avenue to Kaymar Drive and raised two daughters. In the ninteen-seventies and later, Ted became involved in municipal politics, the Heritage Village, and in his own real estate and insurance business.
- Total Tracks
- 3
- Total Length
- 0:29:27
- Interviewee Name
- Burnham, Edward Lewis "Ted"
- 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 two of recording of interview with Ted Burnham
Track two of recording of interview with Ted Burnham
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-006/MSS171-006_Track_2.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory445
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Length
- 00:01:29
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about acquiring and maintaining streetcars for Burnaby Heritage Village
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about acquiring and maintaining streetcars for Burnaby Heritage Village
- Date Range
- 1970-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:01:29
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track five of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track five of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_5.mp3Interview with Charles B. Brown May 21, 1975 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory32
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1923-1938
- Length
- 0:06:27
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's comparisons between working for a Council versus working for a Commissionership.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's comparisons between working for a Council versus working for a Commissionership.
- Date Range
- 1923-1938
- Photo Info
- Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008
- Length
- 0:06:27
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- May 21, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles B. Brown by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury May 21, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression, the Commissioner and municipal politics in general. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Charles Boyer Brown was born on June 16, 1894 in the town of Ongar, Essex, England. He came to Canada as a young child with his parents Jean and Percy Brown. In 1903, the family settled in New Westminster and by 1911, Charles had joined the Burnaby municipal staff working as an office boy. The outbreak of World War One interrupted Charlie’s career as he immediately enlisted with the Royal Engineers and served from 1915 to 1918. While overseas he met and married Lillian Bernice Bryan and they returned to Canada together after the war and Charles resumed his position in municipal administration. For a short time, Charles was appointed as the Municipal Assessor, but in 1927 he became the Assistant Municipal Clerk. In 1933, Charles was made Municipal Clerk, a post he held until he retired in 1959. Charles has also been credited with playing a significant role in administering the city while it was under the rule of the provincial commission from 1932-1942. Recognized for his expertise in civic affairs, Charles was appointed by the provincial government to a committee formed to review and revise the Municipal Act. He was also a member of the BC Municipal Officers’ Association from its formation in 1936 and was made its chair in 1953. While these civic duties occupied much of his time, Charles still managed to participate as a volunteer on many sport and youth clubs in the city and served as the secretary for the Kingsway Rotary Club. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Burnaby, both paid and volunteer, Charles was presented with the Gold Key award in 1959, the same year he finally retired from municipal administration. During Charles’ lifetime, many changes took place in the Municipality that he loved. He saw Burnaby grow in population and progress and he could be proud of the significant part he played in that growth and development. Charles Brown died on August 11, 1981.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:58:01
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Charles B. "Charlie"
- Interview Location
- Walker Avenue
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Transcript Available
- None
- 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 six of interview with Charles B. Brown
Track six of interview with Charles B. Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-06/100-13-06_Track_6.mp3Alfred Bingham's writings - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory251
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1865-1919
- Length
- 0:10:18
- Summary
- This portion of the recording includes Alfred Bingham's essay entitled Stump Rangers, a listing of early settlers that includes addresses and short descriptions, essays on Confederation Park, land clearing and on Burnaby's first Council meeting.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording includes Alfred Bingham's essay entitled Stump Rangers, a listing of early settlers that includes addresses and short descriptions, essays on Confederation Park, land clearing and on Burnaby's first Council meeting.
- Date Range
- 1865-1919
- Photo Info
- Alfred Bingham, April 20, 1947. Item no. 010-066
- Length
- 0:10:18
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of Alfred Bingham's writings, as read by Alfred Bingham. Major themes discussed are: Pioneers, early days in Burnaby and the Co-op Movement. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Alfred "Alf" Bingham was born in England in 1892 and moved to Canada in 1912. His first job in Canada was laying track for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) from Edmonton to McBride in 1912. His second was in Vancouver at the Rat Portage Mill on False Creek, working on the Resaw machine. He quit after one week due to poor working conditions. After taking part in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike as a delegate of the Retail and Mailorder Union (A.F.L.) on the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council, Alfred moved to Burnaby where he and fellow Burnaby residents Aungus McLean and Percy Little worked ten hour days to build a Shingle Mill on the edge of Burnaby Lake for Simpson & Giberson. George Green, carpenter and millwright (author of “The History of Burnaby”) also helped in the construction of the mill. Alfred built his own home from lumber cut from the mill in the Lochdale area on Sherlock Street between Curtis Street and Kitchener Street. On April 10, 1920 Alfred married Mary Jane “Ada” Reynolds. Alfred and Ada often took in foster children during their marriage. Due to her nursing experience, Ada was often called upon to deliver babies in the Burnaby area. Alfred and Ada Bingham were instrumental members of the Army of the Common Good, collecting vegetables and grains from growers in the area and even producing over 125 tons of vegetables from its own gardens to feed children and youth suffering from the lack of resources during the Depression years. The army was in operation for ten years and during that time the members organised the Credit Union movement of British Columbia and drew up the Credit Union act thorough the Vancouver Co-operative Council. They also started Co-Op stores and the Co-Op Wholesale Society. Alfred was also Secretary of the Burnaby Housing committee and in 1946 he became the Secretary of the North Burnaby Labour Progressive Party (LPP). Mary Jane “Ada” (Reynolds) Bingham died on August 9, 1969. Her husband Alfred died on April 29, 1979.
- Total Tracks
- 12
- Total Length
- 1:38:06
- Interviewee Name
- Bingham, Alfred "Alf"
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Transcript Available
- MSS142-001 contains transcripts for each of the short stories
- 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 one of recording of Alfred Bingham's writings
Track one of recording of Alfred Bingham's writings
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-20-2/100-13-20-2_Track_1.mp3Interview with Don Brown by Rod Fowler February 26, 1990 - Track 11
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory512
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1979-1990
- Length
- 00:09:05
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown’s service as Alderman (1979-1985), his support for Bill Copeland in 1987 and conflicts with Mayor Bill Lewarne, and some of the issues he dealt with such as illegal suites, density planning and highrises for Hastings
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown’s service as Alderman (1979-1985), his support for Bill Copeland in 1987 and conflicts with Mayor Bill Lewarne, and some of the issues he dealt with such as illegal suites, density planning and highrises for Hastings
- Date Range
- 1979-1990
- Photo Info
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Don Brown, November 2, 1997. Item no. 535-0979
- Length
- 00:09:05
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 26, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Don Brown, conducted by Rod Fowler. Don Brown was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Don Brown’s description of the changes in Burnaby’s built and natural landscapes and socioeconomic conditions, especially between 1947 and 1975, the strong impression made on him by those changes evident in the interview. He talks about his work and career as a police officer with the Burnaby Provincial Police and RCMP. The interview also details his involvement in Burnaby politics and volunteer community groups. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Donald Neil “Don” Brown was born in Birmingham, England May 4, 1919, and immigrated with his parents and siblings to Winnipeg in 1922. At the outbreak of WWII Don Brown left high school and enlisted in the 12th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers, serving six years in the army. Before going overseas he married Helen Birch in 1939. In 1947 Don Brown joined the B.C. Provincial Police which was absorbed by the RCMP in 1950. He worked as a police officer in Burnaby from 1947 to 1954, and then was transferred to Ottawa (with a stop in Regina) for nine and a half years where he attended Carleton University to study forensics. In 1963 Don Brown was transferred back to Vancouver and bought and moved into a house on Watling Street in Burnaby where he still lived in 1990. Another transfer took him to Edmonton for five years, returning to Burnaby in 1975. Following retirement in 1980 with the rank of Supervisor and after 22 years in forensic laboratories, Don Brown started his own business as a private document examiner. Don Brown was active in Burnaby politics, serving as Alderman from 1979-1985. He was also involved in many community groups including the South Burnaby Men’s Club, which he helped found in 1952, as well as active in the Burnaby Historical Society, and served on the Burnaby School Board, Burnaby Centennial Committee, and the Community College for the Retired. Don and Helen Brown had six children: Donna, Don, Gina, Patricia, Christopher and Susan. Don Brown died May 16, 2009.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 01:35:07
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Donald N. "Don"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track eleven of interview with Don Brown
Track eleven of interview with Don Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-016/MSS187-016_Track%2011.mp3Interview with Lee Rankin by Kathy Bossort December 2, 2015 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory643
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1963-2009
- Length
- 0:10:40
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Lee Rankin talking about why he chose a career in politics and what kept him interested being a Burnaby councillor for 22 years. He tells the story about the land swap that he helped engineer with the School Board that enabled the building of the new Burnaby S…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Lee Rankin talking about why he chose a career in politics and what kept him interested being a Burnaby councillor for 22 years. He tells the story about the land swap that he helped engineer with the School Board that enabled the building of the new Burnaby South Secondary School. He relates that this experience in the late 1980s would become key in finding a resolution for the City/SFU dispute. He talks about the positions held by the university and the City over land ownership and control on Burnaby Mountain. Rezoning for Discovery Park and the 1964 Simon Fraser Townsite Master Plan (1964) are discussed.
- Date Range
- 1963-2009
- Length
- 0:10:40
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- December 2, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Lee Rankin conducted by Kathy Bossort. Lee Rankin was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Lee Rankin’s involvement in finding a resolution to the dispute between the City of Burnaby and Simon Fraser University over land ownership and control on Burnaby Mountain. He talks about the origin of the dispute, the positions taken by the two sides, the key people who brought about a resolution, and the main features of the agreement between the City, SFU and the province of BC. He talks about how the agreement met SFU’s goals, fostered trust between the City and university, and removed uncertainty from protecting parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Lee Rankin was born in 1953 in Vancouver. He attended SFU 1973-78, completing his BA degree in 1985. He earned his law degree at UBC in 1988, was called to the Bar in 1989, and practiced in immigration and refugee law. Lee has lived in Burnaby since 1976 and was a member of Burnaby Council for 22 years, from 1983-1999 and 2002-2008. His particular interests as a Councillor were in community planning, housing and environment. Among other duties and accomplishments as Councillor, Lee served as chair of the Simon Fraser Liaison Committee and was involved in the negotiations with the province and SFU that resulted in the university returning more than 800 acres of land to the City, which was dedicated as part of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. He has also served on the GVRD, volunteers as a coach for team sports in Burnaby, and has served on numerous community and business associations and committees. Lee is married to Ragini Venkat Rankin and has one son Henry.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:50:35
- Interviewee Name
- Rankin, Lee A.
- Interview Location
- Lee Rankin'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 Lee Rankin
Track two of interview with Lee Rankin
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-014/MSS196-014_Track_2.mp3Interview with Mayor Derek Corrigan by Kathy Bossort January 28, 2016 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory681
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1977-2015
- Length
- 0:06:12
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Mayor Corrigan talking about his political career, in particular what sparked his interest to run for municipal office for the first time in 1979. He talks about being involved in the protest against a proposed development in a forested park called “The Peanut…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Mayor Corrigan talking about his political career, in particular what sparked his interest to run for municipal office for the first time in 1979. He talks about being involved in the protest against a proposed development in a forested park called “The Peanut” [Simon Fraser Hills Park] in the Stoney Creek neighbourhood. He talks about the rebuilding of the Burnaby Citizens Association, and running for council several times before being elected in 1987.
- Date Range
- 1977-2015
- Length
- 0:06:12
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Stoney Creek
- Planning Study Area
- Lyndhurst Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 28, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Mayor Derek Corrigan conducted by Kathy Bossort. Derek Corrigan was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Mayor Corrigan talking about the history and value of protecting the environment and green space in Burnaby, and the different positions held by the City and SFU about land use and control on Burnaby Mountain between 1964 and 1995. He talks about the increasing awareness that a solution needed to be found that gave certainty to the protection of the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain. Mayor Corrigan also talks about what conservation means to him, the role that the Centennial Pavilion area plays on Burnaby Mountain, and the future for the urban forest on Burnaby Mountain. Other topics include his childhood, education, formative events in his life, and his career in politics.
- Biographical Notes
- Derek Corrigan was born and grew up in Vancouver. He attended a number of elementary schools in East Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Elementary School (Gr. 4-7) and Sir Charles Tupper High School. He attended UBC, majoring in philosophy and political science, and after travel in Europe, successfully applied to enter law school without completing his bachelors degree. He graduated in 1977, articled with Jim Lorimer in Burnaby and was called to the bar in 1978. In 1977 Derek Corrigan and his wife Kathy moved to Burnaby, first to the Stoney Creek neighborhood and then to a home on the South Slope where they raised their family of four children. Derek Corrigan first ran for Burnaby Council in 1979 with the Burnaby Citizens Association, and after three more tries was elected to council in 1987. He has served Burnaby for 28 years, first as a councillor and then as mayor since 2002. During his career he has served on many committees at the local, regional and national levels.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:31:24
- Interviewee Name
- Corrigan, Derek
- Interview Location
- Mayor’s office at Burnaby City Hall
- 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 Mayor Derek Corrigan
Track three of interview with Mayor Derek Corrigan
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-018/MSS196-018_Track_3.mp3Interview with Merrill M. Gordon by Rod Fowler March 19, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory478
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1956-1990
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s political career and his volunteer work with Cliff Avenue soccer, the Burnaby Mental Health Association, the library board, and the New Vista Society. He talks about his association with Alan Emmott and the founding of the Better Burnaby Commi…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s political career and his volunteer work with Cliff Avenue soccer, the Burnaby Mental Health Association, the library board, and the New Vista Society. He talks about his association with Alan Emmott and the founding of the Better Burnaby Committee (BBC), his election to Burnaby Council in 1972 with BVA, and his membership in and work for the federal NDP
- Date Range
- 1956-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Names
- Emmott, Alan H
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 19, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Merrill Gordon, conducted by Rod Fowler.Gordon Merrill was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Merrill Gordon’s childhood in the Depression, including his story about the family’s difficult trek to Burnaby from Alberta; his education, teachers and first volunteer activities at Grandview High School; his career at Fleck Brothers and the start of his own company Blaze Industries and later work in India; and his many volunteer activities in Burnaby. He describes how he started the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, the soccer club's subsequent growth and development, some of the people involved, and the founding of the youth soccer exchange. He also describes his work on the Parks Board and in the arts community, including the 1987 arts centre referendum, and involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society (1988- ), and mentions his work for other groups including the New Vista Society, library board, and Burnaby Mental Health Committee. He also talks about his political career with the Better Burnaby Committee and Burnaby Voters Association, resulting in his 1972 election to Burnaby’s 1973 council. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Merrill M. Gordon was born in Saskatchewan in 1929 to parents farming north of North Battleford. After a fifth year of crop failure the family of four left the farm in 1934 to join relatives living near the corner of Union and Sperling in Burnaby. With little resources the family adapted as well as possible in the Depression years, moving often in the East Vancouver/North Burnaby area in an attempt to better their situation. Merrill’s father obtained work at sawmills including Kapoor’s Sawmill at Barnet, walking to work over Burnaby Mountain. After attending numerous public schools, Merrill Gordon eventually spent three years at Templeton School and then completed his education at Grandview High School of Commerce, majoring in accounting and commercial law. He worked a few years at Canadian Industries Ltd., then joined Fleck Brothers. In 1965 Merrill Gordon and his wife started their own company Blaze Industries of Canada that manufactured wood burning fireplaces, selling the company to AB Electrolux in 1980. After a short retirement, Merrill Gordon went back to work in 1981 for a company manufacturing solar panels, one project taking him and his wife intermittently to India over a four year period. Merrill Gordon helped found the political group Better Burnaby Committee, later the Burnaby Voters Association, with Alan Emmott and Bill Lewarne, ran for Burnaby Municipal Council and served one year as councillor in 1973. Merrill Gordon is well known for his over 40 years of volunteer work in Burnaby, particularly as founder in 1956 and director of the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, one of the largest soccer clubs in BC. He was also the founder of Burnaby Youth Soccer and the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State. His other volunteer work includes library trustee, Parks Commissioner (1987-1992), Director of New Vista Home for Seniors, Chair of campaign raising funds for building Shadbolt Arts Centre, and Chair of the Burnaby Mental Health Committee. In 1988 Merrill Gordon, Betty Gordon, Dean Lamont and several others formed the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which advocated for the return of unused land to Burnaby from SFU and the subsequent creation of Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Merrill Gordon and Elizabeth Balfour (nee Leitch) (1926-2012) married in 1953 and had two children.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 1:31:44
- Interviewee Name
- Gordon, Merrill
- Interview Location
- unknown
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Merrill Gordon
Track seven of interview with Merrill Gordon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-020/MSS187-020_Track_7.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 10
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory450
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Burnaby and New Westminster May Days and how geography and poor transportation affects municipal east-west and north-south connections
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Burnaby and New Westminster May Days and how geography and poor transportation affects municipal east-west and north-south connections
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Subjects
- Events - May Day
- Transportation
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track ten of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track ten of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_10.mp3Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory447
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1937-1990
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s discussion of the attitudes, energy and time commitment required for operating a seasonal business and needed for politics. He mentions the Nelson Avenue family home, still lived in by his mother
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s discussion of the attitudes, energy and time commitment required for operating a seasonal business and needed for politics. He mentions the Nelson Avenue family home, still lived in by his mother
- Date Range
- 1937-1990
- Photo Info
- Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
- Length
- 00:05:53
- Geographic Access
- Nelson Avenue
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- March 14, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 1:34:40
- Interviewee Name
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Bill Lewarne
Track seven of interview with Bill Lewarne
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-019/MSS187-019_Track_7.mp3Interview with Bill Gruenthal
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19636
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (74 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (74 min., 37 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Bill Gruenthal conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:27:01 Bill Gruenthal provides details on his family background, his early life experiences, how he got into the insurance business,…
- 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) (74 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (74 min., 37 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Bill Gruenthal Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 31, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Bill Gruenthal conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:27:01 Bill Gruenthal provides details on his family background, his early life experiences, how he got into the insurance business, his knowledge and interest in Judaism, places that he and his wife lived before moving to Burnaby, family life in Burnaby and his political involvement in running for the Burnaby school board. 00:27:02 – 00:42:50 Bill Gruenthal talks about the Burquest Jewish Community Association, it’s background and his involvement, experiences of discrimination in his career, a brief history of the Jewish people and some cultural traditions. 00:42:51 – 00:56:04 Bill Gruenthal mentions some of the charities that he supports including Burnaby Hospital, his volunteer work within the community and community organizations including the Nikkei Place Foundation and shares more details on his insurance career. 00:56:05 – 01:14:37 Bill Gruenthal shares information about his Burnaby neighbourhood and Jewish funeral customs and provides his impressions of new development at Brentwood, Burnaby Council and other development projects in Burnaby.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Bill Gruenthal was born in the British Mandate of Palestine, now Israel, in 1935 after his parents had fled Germany in advance of the then worsening political situation. Bill’s father died in 1942; some years later his mother remarried to an Irish-born senior civil servant in that government. He had a difficult and somewhat dangerous job. Soon after marriage, the family, including Bill’s older brother, Martin, immigrated to Canada in January 1947 on the strength of his step-father’s British Passport. They traveled via New York, where Bill’s uncle and his family resided and who put up the family. Later that month, the parents travelled by CP rail from Montreal to Vancouver, followed by Bill and his brother in March 1947 who travelled from New York to White Rock on an American railroad. While passing through the Fraser Valley Bill’s parents took an interest in Silverdale, a small hamlet west of Mission where the four eventually settled. Bill finished High School in Mission and soon joined the insurance industry. Bill connected with the Jewish Community in Vancouver where he met his soon-to-be wife. Upon marriage they were transferred to Calgary; after five years suffering its cold weather they were transferred back to Vancouver. They settled in Burnaby in 1966 as an affordable neighbourhood with easy access to his office downtown Vancouver. Outside work, Bill helped raise his family of three daughters who all graduated Burnaby High School (Alpha). They joined Temple Sholom in Vancouver, and he volunteered and still volunteers for a number of non-profits, including The Jewish Museum and Archives and Nikkei Place Foundation (Burnaby). He was an early long-term supporter and a past president of Burquest Jewish Community Association, mostly involving persons from Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities area (hence the name). He ran for political office in Burnaby in 1976 but was not elected. He delivers food in Burnaby for the Food Bank and is a donor to many worthy causes including Burnaby General Hospital. 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
- Migration
- Persons - Jewish Canadians
- Transportation
- Transportation - Rail
- Religions - Judaism
- Cemeteries
- Organizations
- Elections
- Names
- Gruenthal, Bill
- Gruenthal, Noemi Yadlow
- O'Connor, Herta Ingrid Gruenthal
- O'Connor, John
- Burquest
- Jacobson, Max Alec
- Temple Shalom
- Brentwood Shopping Centre
- Brentwood Park School
- Alpha Secondary School
- Burnaby School Board
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.14
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Planning Study Area
- Brentwood Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Bill Gruenthal, [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023
Interview with Bill Gruenthal, [1950-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0014_003.mp3Interview with Bob Lowe 2005 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4498
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 2005
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:05:45 min)
- Scope and Content
- Track 6: This portion of the recording pertains to Bob’s feelings about Burnaby as a place to live, and continues the subject of change. Bob talks of his property in Burnaby, which he purchased as acreage. He compares the Burnaby of his childhood to that of pioneers such as Tommy Irvine, describing…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Growing Up in Burnaby subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:05:45 min)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Bob Lowe Date of interview: May 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 6 Total length of all Tracks: 0:43:36
- Scope and Content
- Track 6: This portion of the recording pertains to Bob’s feelings about Burnaby as a place to live, and continues the subject of change. Bob talks of his property in Burnaby, which he purchased as acreage. He compares the Burnaby of his childhood to that of pioneers such as Tommy Irvine, describing himself as a relative newcomer. He speaks of the preservation of the Deer Lake and Burnaby Lake areas. Bob describes his disorientation in the more newly densified parts of Burnaby, and observes that traffic has increased on Burnaby streets. Bob recalls that he mostly travelled on foot or by bike. He notes that the Neville Transport Company operated the school bus he used as well as the only North-South bus route in Burnaby at that time. He mentions Pacific Stage Lines as a later operator through Burnaby.
- History
- Recording of an interview with Bob Lowe recording by Tom Gooden in 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1930s and 40s.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Lake
- Deer Lake
- Accession Code
- BV017.45.6
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 2005
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Tiltle based on cotents of item
Audio Tracks
Interview with Bob Lowe 2005 - Track 6, 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 2005
Interview with Bob Lowe 2005 - Track 6, 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 2005
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0006_006.mp3Interview 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.mp3Interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon July 9, 1975 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory94
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1932-1943
- Length
- 0:07:55
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles and May Purdon's memories of the Burnaby government going into receivership. The Purdons discuss their neighbours' jobs and the employment situation at the time.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles and May Purdon's memories of the Burnaby government going into receivership. The Purdons discuss their neighbours' jobs and the employment situation at the time.
- Date Range
- 1932-1943
- Length
- 0:07:55
- Subjects
- Officials - Commissioners
- Geographic Access
- Edmonds Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- July 9, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon by SFU graduate student Bettina Bradbury July 9, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression and Canadian politics. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- May Eliza was born in London, England in 1907. She came out to Regina with her family when she was eleven. Charles A. Purdon was born February 28, 1904 in London, England. He came to Canada in 1925 from China where he had been working as an accountant for the previous three years. Charles first came to Vancouver and joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) but within a week he was sent to Regina. This is where he met May. May and Charles got married in 1926 and Charles began working as an accountant for the Saskatchewan Wheat Growers, then for the Canadian Wool Growers before being laid off. In October of 1930, Charles and May left Regina for Vancouver Island. Charles drove himself out and May rode the train with her children; twin boys and a daughter, only one year apart. They settled at May’s parent’s second house in Coombs. The Purdons arrived in Burnaby in December of 1932 and rented a house on Edmonds Street. Charles was unable to do road work and instead found work through the Liberal Party and also with the Municipal engineers indoors on a number of projects. In 1938 the Purdons were able to get into a reverted house built by Ernie Winch at Maple Avenue (then Jubilee) and Nelson Avenue that had nine bedrooms. They paid ten dollars a month to the municipality for use of this property. May Eliza Purdon died April 6, 1983 at the age of seventy-six.
- Total Length
- 1:40:03
- Interviewee Name
- Purdon, Charles A.
- Purdon, May Eliza
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Audio Tracks
Track four of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
Track four of interview with Charles A. Purdon and May E. Purdon
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-19/100-13-19_Track_4.mp3Interview with Charles B. Brown May 21, 1975 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory33
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1933-1942
- Length
- 0:06:35
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's impressions of various Commissioners.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Charles Boyer Brown's impressions of various Commissioners.
- Date Range
- 1933-1942
- Photo Info
- Charles Boyer Brown, by photographer Nicholas Rossmo [1950]. Item no. 307-008
- Length
- 0:06:35
- Subjects
- Officials - Commissioners
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- May 21, 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Charles B. Brown by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury May 21, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression, the Commissioner and municipal politics in general. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Charles Boyer Brown was born on June 16, 1894 in the town of Ongar, Essex, England. He came to Canada as a young child with his parents Jean and Percy Brown. In 1903, the family settled in New Westminster and by 1911, Charles had joined the Burnaby municipal staff working as an office boy. The outbreak of World War One interrupted Charlie’s career as he immediately enlisted with the Royal Engineers and served from 1915 to 1918. While overseas he met and married Lillian Bernice Bryan and they returned to Canada together after the war and Charles resumed his position in municipal administration. For a short time, Charles was appointed as the Municipal Assessor, but in 1927 he became the Assistant Municipal Clerk. In 1933, Charles was made Municipal Clerk, a post he held until he retired in 1959. Charles has also been credited with playing a significant role in administering the city while it was under the rule of the provincial commission from 1932-1942. Recognized for his expertise in civic affairs, Charles was appointed by the provincial government to a committee formed to review and revise the Municipal Act. He was also a member of the BC Municipal Officers’ Association from its formation in 1936 and was made its chair in 1953. While these civic duties occupied much of his time, Charles still managed to participate as a volunteer on many sport and youth clubs in the city and served as the secretary for the Kingsway Rotary Club. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Burnaby, both paid and volunteer, Charles was presented with the Gold Key award in 1959, the same year he finally retired from municipal administration. During Charles’ lifetime, many changes took place in the Municipality that he loved. He saw Burnaby grow in population and progress and he could be proud of the significant part he played in that growth and development. Charles Brown died on August 11, 1981.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 0:58:01
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Charles B. "Charlie"
- Interview Location
- Walker Avenue
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Transcript Available
- None
- 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 seven of interview with Charles B. Brown
Track seven of interview with Charles B. Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-06/100-13-06_Track_7.mp3