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Interview with Barry Jones by Kathy Bossort December 9, 2015 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory668
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1980-2015
- Length
- 0:13:13
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Barry Jones’ talking about the building of the Burnaby Mountain Parkway, and its link with the SFU/City agreement and development in the Philips/Curtis area. He talks about the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society and members Karen Morcke and Dean Lamont. He …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Barry Jones’ talking about the building of the Burnaby Mountain Parkway, and its link with the SFU/City agreement and development in the Philips/Curtis area. He talks about the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society and members Karen Morcke and Dean Lamont. He also talks about some of the key people involved in the negotiations between City and SFU, the ceremony at which the agreement was signed, and the plaque in the Pavilion area that commemorates the agreement.
- Date Range
- 1980-2015
- Length
- 0:13:13
- Names
- Simon Fraser University
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Burnaby Mountain Parkway
- Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society
- Morcke, Karen
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- December 9, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Barry Jones conducted by Kathy Bossort. Barry Jones was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Barry Jones talking about his home and the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain, and about the negotiations that resulted in the agreement between Simon Fraser University and the City of Burnaby in 1995. He talks about the building of Burnaby Mountain Parkway and its link to the 1995 agreement, and about his experiences with Trans Mountain tank farm and pipeline. He also talks about his education and career as teacher, school board trustee and politician.
- Biographical Notes
- Barry Jones was born 1940 in Princeton, BC. His father moved the family to a home on Georgia Street in North Burnaby in 1944 where Barry grew up. He attended UBC majoring in mathematics and chemistry, and unable to find work in his field, taught two years in northern BC. He liked teaching and returned to school, enrolling in education at the newly opened Simon Fraser University in 1965. He taught one year at Moscrop Secondary School in Burnaby and finished his 25 year teaching career in Coquitlam. Barry served ten years as a Burnaby School board trustee, and then ten years as North Burnaby MLA (NDP) beginning in 1986, serving five years in Official Opposition and five years in government under then-premier Mike Harcourt. During his time in government, Barry Jones successfully lobbied for freedom of information legislation. He also played a role in resolving the dispute between SFU and Burnaby over control and ownership of land on Burnaby Mountain and in creating the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area in 1995. He continues to live on Burnaby Mountain in a home he bought in 1971.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:06:23
- Interviewee Name
- Jones, J. Barry
- Interview Location
- City of Burnaby City Hall law libary
- 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 five of interview with Barry Jones
Track five of interview with Barry Jones
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-015/MSS196-015_Track_5.mp3Interview with Lee Rankin by Kathy Bossort December 2, 2015 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory647
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1973-2015
- Length
- 0:17:26
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Lee Rankin telling stories about various people, including Doug Drummond, the Barnet Rifle Range and Dr. Mauser, John Stubbs, and Jack Blaney. He also talks about the change in providing higher education from the full university experience to development of pa…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Lee Rankin telling stories about various people, including Doug Drummond, the Barnet Rifle Range and Dr. Mauser, John Stubbs, and Jack Blaney. He also talks about the change in providing higher education from the full university experience to development of part time and online courses and satellite campuses. He tells about presenting an idea to Jack Blaney for a satellite campus at Metrotown.
- Date Range
- 1973-2015
- Length
- 0:17:26
- Subjects
- Education
- Buildings - Schools - Universities and Colleges
- Transportation
- Recreational Activities
- 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 six of interview with Lee Rankin
Track six of interview with Lee Rankin
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-014/MSS196-014_Track_6.mp3![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg?width=280)
Interview 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
![Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/205/231-012.jpg)
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 Leonard Evenden and Allen Seager by Kathy Bossort November 18, 2015 - Track 5
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory625
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1965-2015
- Length
- 0:11:43
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Evenden and Dr. Seager’s description of proposed ideas for improving access to SFU’s campus on Burnaby Mountain, stories about weather related events on the mountain, and whether UniverCity will solve the problem of SFU’s isolation. Dr. Evenden mentions th…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Evenden and Dr. Seager’s description of proposed ideas for improving access to SFU’s campus on Burnaby Mountain, stories about weather related events on the mountain, and whether UniverCity will solve the problem of SFU’s isolation. Dr. Evenden mentions the ideas of Dennis Roberts and Peter Knowlden.
- Date Range
- 1965-2015
- Length
- 0:11:43
- Subjects
- Transportation
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- November 18, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager conducted by Kathy Bossort. Leonard Evenden and Allen Seager were two of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about aspects of Simon Fraser University’s history that is related to its site on Burnaby Mountain, as told by two retired SFU professors, Dr. Evenden of the Geography Department and Dr. Seager of the Department of History. The interview ranges over campus access and housing issues created by the isolated mountain site; the relationship of the university to the local community and the dispute over land ownership and control with the City of Burnaby; SFU’s environmental stewardship; the development of UniverCity; and the future of parkland in the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Dr. Leonard J. Evenden was born 1937 in Beijing, China, to parents and Salvation Army missionaries Leonard Evenden and Elsie Pearl March. Dr. Evenden attended McMaster University (B.A. 1960), University of Georgia (M.A. 1962) and University of Edinburgh (Ph.D. 1970). He was appointed to Simon Fraser University’s Department of Geography in 1966, shortly after SFU opened in the fall of 1965, and retired in 2002. Dr. Evenden’s research has focused on Canadian urban geography. He edited a collection of essays about Burnaby titled “Suburb of Happy Homes: Burnaby centennial themes” (1995), and directed “Voices of Burnaby”, an SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee oral history project (1992). Dr. Evenden is married with three children. Dr. Allen Seager was born 1953 in Montreal, Quebec, to parents C.F.B. Seager and Evelyn DeGex Chesam. Dr. Seager is a retired Simon Fraser University professor, being a member of SFU’s Department of History from 1981 to 2014, and has current links with SFU as an instructor for Continuing Studies. His research interests include history of Canada and Western Canada, and labour and working class history, particularly in the coal mining and railway industries. Dr. Seager moved to Burnaby and the Montecito area in 1981 where he continues to live and enjoy the hiking trails on Burnaby Mountain and the amenities at SFU. Dr. Seager is a member of the Burnaby North NDP, and has volunteered with Scouts Canada and the Burnaby Centennial Committee.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 1:11:28
- Interviewee Name
- Evenden, Leonard J.
- Seager, Allen
- Interview Location
- Clubhouse at Burnaby Mountain Golf Course Restaurant
- 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 five of interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager
Track five of interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-011/MSS196-011_Track_5.mp3Interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse by Kathy Bossort November 24, 2015 - Track 6
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory632
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1963-2015
- Length
- 0:16:58
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse talking about Simon Fraser University and problems created by its isolated site on Burnaby Mountain. They talk about the building of the Burnaby Mountain Parkway, and tell stories about the cooperative planning between City and S…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse talking about Simon Fraser University and problems created by its isolated site on Burnaby Mountain. They talk about the building of the Burnaby Mountain Parkway, and tell stories about the cooperative planning between City and SFU staff for UniverCity.
- Date Range
- 1963-2015
- Length
- 0:16:58
- Subjects
- Buildings - Schools - Universities and Colleges
- Transportation
- Public Services - Municipal Services
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Burnaby Mountain Parkway
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- November 24, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse conducted by Kathy Bossort. Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse were two of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the history of setting aside parkland by dedication on Burnaby Mountain, the 1974/76 delineation of the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain, and the dispute between Burnaby and Simon Fraser University over land ownership and control on Burnaby Mountain, as discussed by two retired participants in these events from the City of Burnaby’s Planning and Building Department, Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse. They also talk about their interaction with the public in developing policies, particularly for the 1974 report “The Public Meetings - Phase One”, and the importance of a strong policy base for long range planning and the patience needed to assemble land for large parks. They talk as well about their careers, their close working relationship in the department, and the cooperation between City and SFU staff in the development of UniverCity.
- Biographical Notes
- Basil Luksun was born and educated in South Africa, immigrating to Canada and Burnaby in 1972 to escape the harmful effects of apartheid. He holds a BSc degree from the University of Cape Town and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Town Planning from the University of Witwatersrand. He joined the City of Burnaby’s Planning and Building Department in 1973, working his way up through the organization to Director of the department before retiring after 39 years in 2012. When he started work in the 1970s, the City of Burnaby was focusing on green space planning projects and he takes great pride in these projects as well as the city’s focus on long-term planning. Basil lived in the Capital Hill area from 1972 to 1990. He currently resides in Vancouver and has two sons, Warren and Derek. Jack Belhouse was born in 1946 in Vancouver and attended UBC, York University and SFU (1965-1972), majoring in urban geography. He began working in Burnaby’s planning department as a summer student in 1968, and was offered a full-time position when he graduated from university. He became Director of the Planning and Building Department before retiring after 38 years with the city in 2006. He and Basil Luksun worked closely together in long range planning in the department. Jack lives in Coquitlam with his wife Linda and has two children, Brad and Lori.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:58:23
- Interviewee Name
- Luksun, Basil
- Belhouse, Jack
- Interview Location
- Basil Luksun's home in Vancouver
- 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 six of interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse
Track six of interview with Basil Luksun and Jack Belhouse
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-012/MSS196-012_Track_6.mp3Interview with Ron Baker by Kathy Bossort November 27, 2015 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory638
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1963-1970
- Length
- 0:11:00
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker talking about Dr. Shrum’s attraction to the mountain top as site for university and his grand ideas for the university, including scholarships for an athletic program. He also talks about how original SFU faculty was more West Point Grey centered…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker talking about Dr. Shrum’s attraction to the mountain top as site for university and his grand ideas for the university, including scholarships for an athletic program. He also talks about how original SFU faculty was more West Point Grey centered and preferred to commute from the North shore, and how this changed for new faculty who settled in Burnaby and Coquitlam.
- Date Range
- 1963-1970
- Length
- 0:11:00
- Subjects
- Academic Disciplines
- Planning
- Transportation
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- November 27, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Dr. Ronald James Baker conducted by Kathy Bossort. Ron Baker was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the founding of Simon Fraser University from the perspective of SFU’s first faculty member and Director of Academic Planning, Ron Baker. Ron Baker talks about John B. Macdonald’s report on higher education in BC (1962) and how it lead to the provincial government’s decision to establish a new university and to put it in the Burnaby area. He tells stories about how the site on Burnaby Mountain was chosen; about the building of the campus; and about the challenges of planning the academic structure of the university. He also talks about the attraction of creating with little interference an institution trying out new ideas and tells stories about his working relationship with Gordon Shrum. He considers the problems created by building universities in out of the way places and the ideas such as UniverCity for dealing with SFU’s isolation.
- Biographical Notes
- Ron Baker was born in London, England, in 1924, and served in the Royal Air Force during WW2. He emigrated to Canada in 1947 and studied at UBC where he obtained a BA degree (1951) and MA degree (1953) in English Language and Literature. He served on the faculty of the UBC English Department beginning as a lecturer in 1951 and advanced to positions of Assistant Professor (1958-63) and Associate Professor (1963-65). He was a contributor to John B. Macdonald’s 1962 report “Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future”, and continued to make significant contributions to the establishment of the community college system in Canada throughout his career. In 1963 the newly established Simon Fraser University hired Ron as its first Director of Academic Planning, serving also as first head of SFU’s English Department. In 1969 Ron left SFU to become the first President of the University of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until 1978. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to higher education. Ron has contributed to many organizations, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, on Canada Council, and as President of Association of Atlantic Universities and the Association of Canadian University Teachers of English. In 1990 Ron Baker was asked by the government of BC to prepare a preliminary report on the establishment of the future UNBC in Prince George. Now retired Ron Baker lives in the Edmonds area of Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:33:46
- Interviewee Name
- Baker, Ronald J. "Ron"
- Interview Location
- Ron Baker'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 four of interview with Dr. Ron Baker
Track four of interview with Dr. Ron Baker
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-013/MSS196-013_Track_4.mp3Interview with Reidun Seim by Kathy Bossort January 13, 2016 - Track 12
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory661
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1963-2015
- Length
- 0:13:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about the building of Simon Fraser University and how it impacted the neighborhood on Curtis Street, including increase in property values, traffic volume and speeding, street congestion due to parking, and students renting local homes. She…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Reidun Seim talking about the building of Simon Fraser University and how it impacted the neighborhood on Curtis Street, including increase in property values, traffic volume and speeding, street congestion due to parking, and students renting local homes. She talks about how the building of the Burnaby Mountain Parkway helped alleviate the traffic problem. She also talks about how SFU has benefitted Burnaby.
- Date Range
- 1963-2015
- Length
- 0:13:53
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Curtis Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lochdale Area
- Westridge Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- January 13, 2016
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Reidun Seim conducted by Kathy Bossort. Reidun Seim was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Reidun Seim’s memories about her parent’s farm on Curtis Street, events in her childhood, and the people who lived in or visited her neighborhood. She takes us on a tour of her neighborhood in the 1940s, telling us stories about families who lived on Curtis Street on and east of 7300 block, including people who lived on Burnaby Mountain in the old Hastings Grove subdivision above the end of municipal water service at Philips Avenue. She describes changes to Curtis Street, particularly after it provided access to Simon Fraser University in 1965. She also talks about her teaching career, and about how she values the green space and conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
- Biographical Notes
- Reidun Seim was born in 1931 in Vancouver B.C. to Sjur and Martine Seim. Sjur and Martine Seim emigrated to Canada from Norway in 1930, and after settling in Vancouver, moved to an acre of land and a new home at the base of Burnaby Mountain in 1932. Sjur attended UBC to learn about poultry farming and began his own chicken and egg business in 1935. The farm animals and large garden also contributed to the family’s livelihood and self-sufficiency. The Curtis Street neighborhood was a lively place and extended well up Curtis Street on the west slope of Burnaby Mountain, where Reidun would babysit for families. Reidun attended Sperling Avenue Elementary School (Gr. 1-8), Burnaby North High School, and Vancouver Normal School for teacher training in 1950-1951. She began teaching primary grades in Port Coquitlam at James Park School. Most of her career was spent in North Delta, teaching at Kennedy and Annieville schools from 1954-1958, appointed Primary Consultant (1958-1960) and Primary Supervisor (1960-1985), before retiring in 1986. Reidun lived at home with her parents on Curtis Street, commuting to Delta, and continues to live in the original farmhouse.
- Total Tracks
- 14
- Total Length
- 2:35:58
- Interviewee Name
- Seim, Reidun
- Interview Location
- Burnaby City Hall in the Law Library
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track twelve of interview with Reidun Seim
Track twelve of interview with Reidun Seim
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-017/MSS196-017_Track_12.mp3Interview with Ron Baker by Kathy Bossort November 27, 2015 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory637
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1961-1965
- Length
- 0:13:39
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker describing how the site for SFU was chosen. He talks about the study of driving times in the Macdonald report that suggested that Burnaby provided best access for the maximum number of students, the alternate sites considered for the university i…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Dr. Ron Baker describing how the site for SFU was chosen. He talks about the study of driving times in the Macdonald report that suggested that Burnaby provided best access for the maximum number of students, the alternate sites considered for the university in New Westminster and Burnaby, and Reeve Alan Emmott’s role in choosing Burnaby Mountain. He also talks about the problem of isolation of SFU on Burnaby Mountain, and why out of the way places are often chosen for universities in BC.
- Date Range
- 1961-1965
- Length
- 0:13:39
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- November 27, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Dr. Ronald James Baker conducted by Kathy Bossort. Ron Baker was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the founding of Simon Fraser University from the perspective of SFU’s first faculty member and Director of Academic Planning, Ron Baker. Ron Baker talks about John B. Macdonald’s report on higher education in BC (1962) and how it lead to the provincial government’s decision to establish a new university and to put it in the Burnaby area. He tells stories about how the site on Burnaby Mountain was chosen; about the building of the campus; and about the challenges of planning the academic structure of the university. He also talks about the attraction of creating with little interference an institution trying out new ideas and tells stories about his working relationship with Gordon Shrum. He considers the problems created by building universities in out of the way places and the ideas such as UniverCity for dealing with SFU’s isolation.
- Biographical Notes
- Ron Baker was born in London, England, in 1924, and served in the Royal Air Force during WW2. He emigrated to Canada in 1947 and studied at UBC where he obtained a BA degree (1951) and MA degree (1953) in English Language and Literature. He served on the faculty of the UBC English Department beginning as a lecturer in 1951 and advanced to positions of Assistant Professor (1958-63) and Associate Professor (1963-65). He was a contributor to John B. Macdonald’s 1962 report “Higher Education in British Columbia and a Plan for the Future”, and continued to make significant contributions to the establishment of the community college system in Canada throughout his career. In 1963 the newly established Simon Fraser University hired Ron as its first Director of Academic Planning, serving also as first head of SFU’s English Department. In 1969 Ron left SFU to become the first President of the University of Prince Edward Island, a position he held until 1978. In 1978 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to higher education. Ron has contributed to many organizations, including serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, on Canada Council, and as President of Association of Atlantic Universities and the Association of Canadian University Teachers of English. In 1990 Ron Baker was asked by the government of BC to prepare a preliminary report on the establishment of the future UNBC in Prince George. Now retired Ron Baker lives in the Edmonds area of Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 7
- Total Length
- 1:33:46
- Interviewee Name
- Baker, Ronald J. "Ron"
- Interview Location
- Ron Baker'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 three of interview with Dr. Ron Baker
Track three of interview with Dr. Ron Baker
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-013/MSS196-013_Track_3.mp3
Interview with Don Brown by Rod Fowler February 26, 1990 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory505
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1954-1963
- Length
- 00:05:41
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown’s memories of what familiar places were like in 1954 and how they had changed when he returned to Burnaby in 1963, particularly mentioning Kingsway, Grandview, and the Lake City industrial park on Burnaby Mountain
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown’s memories of what familiar places were like in 1954 and how they had changed when he returned to Burnaby in 1963, particularly mentioning Kingsway, Grandview, and the Lake City industrial park on Burnaby Mountain
- Date Range
- 1954-1963
- Photo Info
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Don Brown, November 2, 1997. Item no. 535-0979
- Length
- 00:05:41
- Subjects
- Buildings
- Buildings - Commercial - Drive-In Theatres
- Industries
- Transportation - Automobiles
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Lake City Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Maywood Area
- 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 four of interview with Don Brown
Track four of interview with Don Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-016/MSS187-016_Track%204.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.mp3![Dennis Brown (far left) with his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown (far right) and their five children, [1964]. Item no. 549-018. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-018.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Dennis Brown by Eric Damer September 18, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory309
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1947-1980
- Length
- 0:10:39
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Dennis Brown's memories of the time when he was taking correspondence and university courses while finishing the house off. He tells the story of the purchasing a car on a whim.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Dennis Brown's memories of the time when he was taking correspondence and university courses while finishing the house off. He tells the story of the purchasing a car on a whim.
- Date Range
- 1947-1980
- Photo Info
- Dennis Brown (far left) with his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown (far right) and their five children, [1964]. Item no. 549-018.
- Length
- 0:10:39
- Subjects
- Transportation - Automobiles
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- September 18, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Dennis Brown conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 18, 2012. Major theme discussed: life in Burnaby during the war years.
- Biographical Notes
- Dennis Brown’s family moved from North Vancouver to South Burnaby, near Central Park, in 1941. Dennis finished his high school in Burnaby and enlisted in the air force, completing basic training. He returned to Burnaby looking for work and found employment stoking the boiler of a cargo ship. He and a friend spent the next year sailing around the world. When Dennis returned to Burnaby, he found work at a local shingle mill, married Cice Chandler and began work on a new home at Willingdon and Imperial. He and Cice had two children in 1948 and 1950, and three more in the later nineteen-fifties. By this time, Dennis had retrained as an accountant and worked in several large businesses in Vancouver. In their later years, both Dennis and Cice were active in the restoration of the Parker Carousel and Interurban 1223 (now on display at the Burnaby Village Museum) and both were honoured independently with “Citizen of the Year” awards. Cice (Chandler) Brown was, additionally, Honourary Reeve of the Burnaby Village Museum.
- Total Tracks
- 5
- Total Length
- 0:43:57
- Interviewee Name
- Brown, Dennis
- 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
![Dennis Brown (far left) with his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown (far right) and their five children, [1964]. Item no. 549-018. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-018.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Dennis Brown
Track four of recording of interview with Dennis Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-005/MSS171-005_Track_4.mp3
Interview 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.mp3
Interview with Don Brown by Rod Fowler February 26, 1990 - Track 8
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory509
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1947-1990
- Length
- 00:11:47
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown identifying old businesses and stores on Kingsway, and talking about the operation of the interurban, the lack of cars after the war, and the two vehicles used by the Burnaby police in 1948. He talks about the expansion of Burnaby in the 1950‘s and t…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Don Brown identifying old businesses and stores on Kingsway, and talking about the operation of the interurban, the lack of cars after the war, and the two vehicles used by the Burnaby police in 1948. He talks about the expansion of Burnaby in the 1950‘s and the attempts to preserve heritage buildings and trees, historic records, and green space
- Date Range
- 1947-1990
- Photo Info
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Don Brown, November 2, 1997. Item no. 535-0979
- Length
- 00:11:47
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Marlborough Area
- Maywood Area
- 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 eight of interview with Don Brown
Track eight of interview with Don Brown
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-016/MSS187-016_Track%208.mp3
Interview 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 Maureen Olofson by Kathy Bossort October 14, 2015 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory570
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1942-1952
- Length
- 0:14:54
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s description of the operation and location of the Olofson’s mink ranch, the challenges of raising mink, and when the family gave up the farm in 1950/51. She describes how she and her sister Anita Lea used a bicycle to go to school.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Maureen Olofson’s description of the operation and location of the Olofson’s mink ranch, the challenges of raising mink, and when the family gave up the farm in 1950/51. She describes how she and her sister Anita Lea used a bicycle to go to school.
- Date Range
- 1942-1952
- Length
- 0:14:54
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lochdale (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Westridge Area
- Interviewer
- Bossort, Kathy
- Interview Date
- October 14, 2015
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Maureen Olofson conducted by Kathy Bossort. Maureen Olofson was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Maureen Olofson’s memories of growing up on her parent’s Burnaby Mountain mink ranch between 1942 and 1950 and about the operation of the farm. She also talks about her parents’ history, her teaching career, and her thoughts about the beauty and value of Burnaby Mountain’s natural area.
- Biographical Notes
- Maureen Olofson was born 1938 in Glote, Harjedalen, Sweden, to Axel (1906-1998) and Kerstin Margareta (1906-1980). Axel and Kerstin Olofson, who had separately immigrated to Canada in 1928 and 1913 respectively, married in Canada and then returned to Sweden where Maureen was born. They moved to Burnaby in 1942 with their daughters Maureen and Anita Lea, and bought land and a mink ranch on Burnaby Mountain with their partners Gus Skofteby and Karin Ericksson (Kerstin’s sister). The GAK Fur Farm, located in the old Hastings Grove subdivision on 4th Avenue near Curtis Street, was one of the largest mink ranches in BC, an award winning operation with over 1200 mink animals. In 1950 the partners sold the land and the Olofson family moved to rented homes on Sperling Avenue. In 1952 Axel sold the last of his minks and opened a sporting goods store on Hastings Street. In 1954 the family moved to North Vancouver where Axel Olofson reestablished his sports business. Maureen attended Sperling Avenue School from Gr. 1 to Gr. 8 and Burnaby North High School to Gr. 11, completing school in North Vancouver, before going to UBC where she trained as a teacher. She returned to Burnaby in 1977 to teach, retiring in 1997. She is a volunteer with the Swedish Canadian Rest Home Association and the Dania Homes Society. Maureen continues to enjoy activities on Burnaby Mountain and works toward preserving the natural beauty of the mountain.
- Total Tracks
- 8
- Total Length
- 1:19:04
- Interviewee Name
- Olofson, B. Maureen
- Interview Location
- Maureen Olofson's home in Burnaby
- Interviewer Bio
- Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Maureen Olofson
Track two of interview with Maureen Olofson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS196-004/MSS196-004_Track_2.mp3
Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory354
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1939-2012
- Length
- 0:09:13
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of the development of property Burnaby. He discusses houses being built by his father, grandfather and himself; this includes the property that he and his wife bought in 1961. Bob also discusses the rise of the automobile.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of the development of property Burnaby. He discusses houses being built by his father, grandfather and himself; this includes the property that he and his wife bought in 1961. Bob also discusses the rise of the automobile.
- Date Range
- 1939-2012
- Photo Info
- Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
- Length
- 0:09:13
- Planning Study Area
- Government Road Area
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 5, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Robert "Bob" Lowe conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 5, 2012. Major theme discussed: the rise of the automobile and its effect on development in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Robert "Bob" Lowe has lived his entire life in Burnaby. During his childhood, Bob’s family lived at several addresses near Royal Oak and what is now Canada Way. He attended Douglas Road Elementary and South Burnaby High Schools. After graduating, Bob worked for a few years before enrolling in Normal School for a teaching certificate. He began teaching in Vancouver, married in 1952, and started a family. The Lowes moved to Government Road in 1961 and began a hobby farm, while Bob upgraded his formal education and became an administrator in the new college system.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:36:54
- Interviewee Name
- Lowe, Robert "Bob"
- Interview Location
- Interviewee's residence
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
Track two of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_2.mp3
Interview with Robert Lowe by Eric Damer November 5, 2012 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory355
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1939-1972
- Length
- 0:10:04
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of growing up in Burnaby. He discusses transportation in Burnaby, including the first cars in his family. Bob talks about recreational activities available to Burnaby residents in the late nineteen-thirties and early nineteen-fo…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Robert "Bob" Lowe's memories of growing up in Burnaby. He discusses transportation in Burnaby, including the first cars in his family. Bob talks about recreational activities available to Burnaby residents in the late nineteen-thirties and early nineteen-forties, as well as changes that he has seen from his time growing up to the time of raising his own children.
- Date Range
- 1939-1972
- Photo Info
- Robert "Bob" Lowe (at center) and friends riding soap box race cars, [1939]. Item no. 549-041.
- Length
- 0:10:04
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 5, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Robert "Bob" Lowe conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 5, 2012. Major theme discussed: the rise of the automobile and its effect on development in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Robert "Bob" Lowe has lived his entire life in Burnaby. During his childhood, Bob’s family lived at several addresses near Royal Oak and what is now Canada Way. He attended Douglas Road Elementary and South Burnaby High Schools. After graduating, Bob worked for a few years before enrolling in Normal School for a teaching certificate. He began teaching in Vancouver, married in 1952, and started a family. The Lowes moved to Government Road in 1961 and began a hobby farm, while Bob upgraded his formal education and became an administrator in the new college system.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:36:54
- Interviewee Name
- Lowe, Robert "Bob"
- Interview Location
- Interviewee's residence
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
Track three of recording of interview with Bob Lowe
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-016/MSS171-016_Track_3.mp3
Interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and Dr Violet Eagles 10-Jun-75 - Track 3
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory43
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930
- Length
- 0:08:34
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Dr Blythe Alfred Eagles and Dr Violet Evelyn (Dunbar) Eagles' memories of how things were in their neighbourhood when they first came to Burnaby. Blythe mentions the people that worked on their home, namely Ernest and Harold Winch.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Dr Blythe Alfred Eagles and Dr Violet Evelyn (Dunbar) Eagles' memories of how things were in their neighbourhood when they first came to Burnaby. Blythe mentions the people that worked on their home, namely Ernest and Harold Winch.
- Date Range
- 1930
- Photo Info
- Mrs. Dunbar, Dr. Blythe Eagles and Dr. Violet (Dunbar) Eagles, June 1967. Item no. 404-002
- Length
- 0:08:34
- Subjects
- Transportation - Automobiles
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- 10-Jun-75
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and his wife Dr Violet Eagles by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury (and Ross S. McLeod) June 10, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression, the War Years and Burnaby Lake District. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Blythe's paternal grandparents, Charles and Maude Eagles immigrated to New Westminster in 1887. Their son Jack married Amelia Jane Johnston, and Blythe Eagles was born in New Westminster in 1902. In 1918 Blythe enrolled at the University of British Columbia, and took a Physiology class with eight other top students - his future wife, Violet Dunbar was the lone woman in the class. Blythe graduated in 1922, winning the Governor General's Gold Medal as top student. He received his MA in 1924 and his PhD in 1926 from the University of Toronto. He then completed his post-doctoral study at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, England. In 1933 Dr. Eagles became head of the Department of Dairying (1936-1955), Chairman of the Division of Animal Science (1955-1967), and Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture (in 1949 until his retirement in 1967). In 1968 he received an Honourary Doctor of Science Award from UBC Blythe was also one of the first appointments to the Burnaby Town Planning Commission. Violet Evelyn Dunbar was born September 29, 1899 in Ontario, the eldest child of John and Mary (Tompson) Dunbar. Violet attained her BA in 1921 and MA in 1922 from the University of British Columbia. In 1922 she attended the Provincial Normal School and within six months had a teaching certificate and taught at Lord Hudson School in 1923. In September 1923 she was awarded a two-year scholarship to the University of Toronto, where she joined Blythe in the Bio-Chemistry Department. She received a second MA and a PhD in 1929. Her graduate studies entailed research in pure proteins and enzymes related to the commercial production of cheese. Through this work she was recognized as one of the leading enzyme chemists in the country, being a senior lab instructor of biochemistry. Violet was one of the founders of the Burnaby Council of Women and active member of the International Council of Women. Blythe and Violet Eagles purchased property at Deer Lake in 1929 and began construction of their home shortly before their marriage on June 25, 1930. The Drs. Blythe and Violet Eagles Estate is a unique expression of the talents and tastes of both the Eagles and Frank Ebenezer Buck (1875-1970) who was head of the Horticultural Department and the Campus Landscape Architect at U.B.C. and established the plan for the Eagles garden while Blythe selected many of the plantings. The Eagles themselves designed the house as a romantic cottage inspired by the British Arts and Crafts style. Violet was an enthusiastic amateur gardener, maintaining and continually developing the garden. The Eagles were active volunteers in the local community as well as at UBC. When Simon Fraser University opened in Burnaby, they became well-known for entertaining dignitaries and special guests of the university in their lavish garden. After Violet's death in 1993, the estate was sold to the City of Burnaby. The funds were used to establish a Chair in Agriculture at the University of British Columbia in their memory.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 1:24:01
- Interviewee Name
- Eagles, Dr. Blythe
- Eagles, Dr. Violet
- 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.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track three of interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and Dr Violet Eagles
Track three of interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and Dr Violet Eagles
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-08/100-13-08_Track_3.mp3
Interview 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.mp3
Interview 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.mp3