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Interview with Shirley Cohn

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19597

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)

Scope and Content: File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on …

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: File

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (16 min., 57 sec.) (50 min., 36 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (50 min., 36 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Shirley Cohn Location of Interviews: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Dates: April 14, 2023 and September 6, 2023 Total Number of Tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 67 min., 33 sec. Digital master recording (wav) recording of second interview (50 min., 36 sec.) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: File consists of two recordings of oral history interviews with Shirley Cohn conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. The first interview was conducted on April 14, 2023 and the second interview was conducted on September 6, 2023. Summary of interview conducted on September 6, 2023: 0:00 – 16:09 Shirley Cohn shares background information about her parents who immigrated to Detroit from Hungary in the 1930’s. Shirley recalls what it was like for her parents being Jewish during World War II and how many of their relations were killed in the Holocaust. Shirley talks about her Jewish Hungarian heritage, what it was like growing up in Detroit, the Jewish community in Detroit and the Jewish holidays and traditions that her family celebrated. Shirley recalls her high school and University education and experiences, starting her career in social work and how she met her future husband, Theodore “Ted” Cohn. 16:10 – 18:27 Shirley shares the story about her father in law, Dr. Daniel E. Cohn who was Harry Houdini’s doctor at the time of his death in Detroit on Oct. 31, 1926. Shirley explains that she donated some of Dr. Daniel E. Cohn’s original documents pertaining to this event to the New York Public Library. 18:28 – 26:04 Shirley describes her experiences living and working in London Ontario while her husband was a professor at University of Western Ontario and Shirley worked as a social worker in family services. Shirley recalls experiences of anti-Semitism while living in London. Shirley talks about moving to Burnaby in 1977 after her husband took a job as a professor at Simon Fraser University. Shirley describes her experiences living in Burnaby, raising a family and working as a social worker at Burnaby General Hospital. 26:05 – 26:18 Shirley talks about her interests outside of work, her family’s involvement in the Burquest Jewish Community Association and being a member of Temple Shalom. Shirley conveys information about other Jewish synagogues in Greater Vancouver, describes Reform Judaism at Temple Shalom and some Jewish cultural practices that her family has been involved with. 26:19 – 33:12 Shirley describes her family’s experiences living in the Garden Village nieghbourhood in Burnaby, her involvement sharing Jewish cultural traditions at her children’s school and recalls her children’s experiences attending school in Burnaby. 33:13 – 40:46 Shirley conveys the career paths that her children took and talks about what she likes about living in Burnaby including; the walking and hiking trails, the cultural and art performances and her involvement in local politics. Shirley talks about her and her husband’s involvement in the SFU retirees association and the SFURA walking and hiking group. Shirley reflects on her husband’s academic career, experiences teaching at SFU and the role of the Hillel Jewish Students Association at the Simon Fraser University. Shirley talks about the difficulties of discussing political views about the State of Israel. Shirley describes some traditional Jewish foods, the roles that they play and a local bakery that carries Jewish bake goods. 40:47 – 50:36 Shirley describes her current daily life in Burnaby; working one day a week as a social worker, gardening, her involvement at Temple Shalom and the Jewish Community Centre and how she travels in Burnaby. Shirley recalls the changes that she’s encountered in Burnaby and in her career over the years, shares a story about her husband losing his thesis and describes what Burnaby was like while she was raising her family. Shirley shares what she thinks about the areas of development in Burnaby and conveys the importance of having parks and affordable housing. In closing, Shirley reflects on what is like to be a Jewish person living in Burnaby.

History: Interviewee biography: Shirley Tanner was born in Detroit in 1947. Her parents were both Jewish. Her mother fled Hungary as a refugee in 1939, while her father emigrated from there in 1934. Shirley attended public schools in Detroit, and then studied social work at the University of Michigan. After marriage, Shirley and Ted Cohn moved to Ontario where Ted had a faculty appointment at the University of Western Ontario in political science. Six years later they moved to Burnaby for Ted’s teaching position in political science at Simon Fraser University. While living in Burnaby, Shirley took care of a growing family while also practicing social work, mainly at Burnaby Hospital. The family enjoyed Burnaby’s libraries and parks. Shirley helped out at her children’s schools, became a Block Watch captain, and the family joined Burquest Jewish Community Association. The Cohns later became members of Temple Sholom Synagogue in Vancouver, while remaining in Burnaby. Beginning in 2009, Ted started an informal hiking group for retired Simon Fraser University staff. This group has been open to others, so now has a wide variety of members. Shirley has also helped lead hikes in the region. Interviewer biography: Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Education; Recreational Activities - Hiking; Organizations; Organizations - Societies and Clubs; Migration; Persons - Jewish Canadians; Religions - Judaism; Social Issues - Racism; Social Issues; Wars - World War, 1939-1945

Names: Cohn, Dr. Daniel E.; Cohn, Shirley; Cohn, Theodore H. "Ted"; Burquest; Hillel Jewish Students Association; Simon Fraser University; SFURA walking and hiking group; Simon Fraser University Retirees Association "SFURA"; Temple Shalom

Responsibility: Damer, Eric

Accession Code: BV023.16.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of file; Summary, recording and transcript of second interview available on Heritage Burnaby

Documents

2023_0016_0001_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Shirley Cohn, [1926-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0001_003.mp3

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19349

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Honourable Raj Chouhan Location of Interview: Residence of Honourable Raj Chouhan Interview Date: December 2, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (00:49:21) Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant and the organizations that he became involved with. Honourable Raj Chouhan recalls how he arrived in Burnaby with his family in 1973 and that his family worked in farming. Chouhan imparts his first hand experiences as a new immigrant working as a labourer in the farming industry and describes the unsafe and unfair working conditions that he and migrant workers faced. Chouhan conveys how this experience lead him to become an activist for better working conditions for migrant workers. This lead Chouhan and others to form the Canadian Farm Workers Union in 1980. Chouhan recollects his experiences flying from India to Canada with his wife, his first impressions after arriving in Vancouver and driving to Burnaby and what he brought with him. Chouhan explains his connections to Burnaby. Members of Chouhan's wife's family immgrated to Canada in 1957 and his wife and her three brothers joined them in 1970. Chouhan's father in law, Hardial Singh Grewal immigrated in 1957 and became president of the Sikh temple in New Westminster. Hardial Singh Grewal worked in a lumber mill in Vancouver and eventually bought a house in Burnaby. Chouhan married to his wife at the Sikh temple in New Westminster and lived in Burnaby for a period before moving to New Westminster where they could find more affordable housing. Chouhan shares that he first worked as a farm labourer in Abbotsford and then found a job in the sawmill which paid more. Chouhan describes the extreme racism and discrimination that he and other immigrants faced which lead to the formation of the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism under the leadership of Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma. Chouhan describes this organization that he was a part of and the Canadian Farm Workers Union that were both formed in Burnaby. Chouhan shares that he moved to Victoria in 1988 to serve on the Hospital Employee's Union and moved back to the mainland in 1993 and returned to Burnaby in 2001. Chouhan reflects on the history of South Asian immigration in Canada, how many of the migrants settled in the lower mainland including Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver establishing temples in Vancouver and New Westminster which became the centre for the South Asian community. He conveys how earlier occupations were limited to farming and millwork and how over time employment opportunities and education have broadened but there is still work to do. He imparts how second generation Canadians’ experiences differ from first generations providing examples of his own daughters’ and the occupations that they are working in. Chouhan provides his insights into the South Asian Canadian experience imparting “We make history every day and that history needs to be recorded and learned from.."... “People from different communities, different backgrounds who lived in Burnaby have contributed so much and South Asians are just like another community and participated in all aspects of social life, cultural, religious, economy. I'm so proud of our community, our forefathers who had that vision to fight for our rights. I'm inspired by people who struggled so much to gain basic rights, like the right to vote". Chouhan refers to these first immigrants as “Gadri Babbas” “revolutionary old people” who were also the main motivation that lead to India becoming a free country in 1947 and for fighting for basic rights here in Canada and how they made their contributions for future generations. Chouhan expresses what he imparts to students “Do not forget your past... if you remember your past then you are much more knowledgeable. Then we know what we need for the future. If we don't know the past, we don't know what the future is going to be like. To make a better future, you have to learn from the past and improve".

History: Interviewee biography: Honourable Raj Chouhan was born in the city of Ludhiana in the Province of Punjab in India and immigrated to Canada in 1973. After arriving in Canada, Raj's family settled in Burnaby. Raj grew up in Burnaby and attended schoool. Honourable Raj Chouhan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as the MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds in 2005 and was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2020. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on December 7, 2020. Honourable Chouhan is the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union and the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism and has served as a director of the Hospital Employees' Union, the Labour Relations Board of B.C. and the Arbitration Bureau of B.C. Honourable Chouhan has also served as the Vice President of B.C. Human Rights Defenders since 2003 and has taught courses in Human Rights, the B.C. Labour Code and Collective Bargaining since 1987. Interviewer biography: Kate Petrusa is the Assistant Curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In her role, she manages all aspects of the collection – including caring for physical artifacts and making their digital counterpart accessible. Before coming to Burnaby Village Museum in 2019, Kate has worked at several Museums around the Lower Mainland as a Curator and contractor since 2013.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Persons - South Asian Canadians; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Occupations - Agricultural Labourers; Migration; Organizations - Unions; Rights; Rights - Human Rights; Agriculture; Agriculture - Farms; Government - Provincial Government; Government

Names: Chouhan, Raj; British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism; Sharma, Dr. Hari Prakash; Grewal, Hardial Singh; Canadian Farmworkers Union; Hospital Employees Union; Khalsa Diwan Society

Responsibility: Petrusa, Kate

Accession Code: BV022.29.4

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

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

Documents

2022_0029_0004_003

Audio Tracks

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0004_002.mp3

Interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19608

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on …

1 image 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Rajdeep Interviewees: "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 8, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:02:03 min Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph credit: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on where they were born and grew up (in Burnaby), names of their parents and provide details on their family history. They describe how their grandparents and other relatives continued to live in Punjab after their father and mother immigrated to Canada in the 1970’s, recall the reasons their parents decided to immigrate and details of their lives before and after arriving in Canada. 00:05:27 – 00:06:46 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe some of their experiences travelling through Vancouver airport and compare their experiences with their mother’s own experiences. Gurvinder and Harvinder describe the layout of the airport and how customs and immigration has changed over time. 00:06:47 – 00:09:21 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide details about their mother, Parveen Sihra. They share information regarding her education in India and how she was unable to get work related to her degree in biology after immigrating to Canada. They convey how she worked in the Burnaby City Hall cafeteria in the 1990’s and how she worked part time in order to take care of her children. They share how their parents were proud Canadians participating in events inside and outside the South Asian community and were both fluent in English but often spoke Punjabi at home. 00:09:22 – 00:16:06 Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their childhood experiences growing up in Burnaby. They talk about the sports that they were involved with including hockey and Taekwondo, family vacations spent travelling to India and their experiences attending Marlborough Elementary School and Moscrop Secondary School.They describe how they first became interested in watching wrestling and trying it out on their own in their family home. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their own experiences of discrimination while growing up and playing sports. 00:16:07 – 00:27:37 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect and recall events that lead them to their dream of becoming professional wrestlers. They talk about pivotal events including attending their first live wresting event at GM Place with their father in 1996, beginning their training in Calgary in 2004, travelling across the country to participate in minor wrestling events, wrestling in Rogers Arena in 2017 and 2020 and getting their first call to join WWE. They talk about the support that they’ve had along the way to getting them where they are today and comment on why they want to be wrestlers in the WWE. 00:27:38 – 00:29:25 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide background information on their various wrestling personas and names in the world of professional wrestling including the Singh Brothers and the Bollywood Boyz. 00:29:26 – 00:38:43 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their experiences wrestling in India and the support and expectations of family members in becoming successful. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall and reflect on the experience of being fired from the WWE when cutbacks were made during the COVID pandemic. 00:38:44 – 00:42:53 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe what a day in their lives looks like now. They talk about how they’re still very passionate and focused on their wrestling careers and describe their experiences of having support and enthusiasm from fans and their parents. They talk about travelling across the country to particpate in different wrestling events. 00:42:54 – 00:47:18 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their training regimen including exercise and diet and describe areas in Burnaby where they like to train in gyms and the outdoors. 00:47:19 – 00:49:49 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about neighbourhoods in Burnaby including Metrotown and Deer Lake and how they’ve seen them change over the years. 00:49:50 – 00:54:27 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their highest and lowest points in their wrestling careers, highlighting specific events. They talk about the physical stamina it takes for wrestling and compare their sport with the sport of Kabaddi (a contact team sport between two teams originating in India). 00:54:28 – 00:59:01 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect on what toughness means to them, and what keeps them motivated to do what they do. 00:59:02 – 01:01:31 Gurvinder and Harvinder impart their words of wisdom to younger kids in chasing their passions and dreams and talk about their favourite Bollywood films and actors.

History: Interviewees' biographies: The Bollywood Boyz are a Canadian professional wrestling tag team composed of brothers Gurvinder "Gurv" Sihra (born in 1984) and Harvinder "Harv" Sihra (born in 1987). The pair are best known for their time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where Gurvinder and Harvinder performed under the ring names Sunil Singh and Samir Singh. They were both born and raised in Burnaby by their parents Harjeet and Parveen Sihra and attended Moscrop Secondary School. Gurvinder graduated from Douglas College where he studied criminology and has worked in loss prevention and has a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Harvinder attended Douglas College with studies in history and has worked as a model and an actor. Both Gurvinder and Harvinder Sihra are Sikhs. Interviewer biography: Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Education; Migration; Pandemics - COVID-19; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Religions - Sikhism; Social Issues; Social Issues - Discrimination; Social Issues - Racism; Sports; Sports - Martial Arts; Sports - Wrestling; Sports - Ice Hockey; Travel

Names: The Bollywood Boyz; Sihra, Guvinder "Gurv"; Sihra, Harvinder "Harv"; Sihra, Harjeet; Sihra, Parveen; World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"; Moscrop Secondary School; Marlborough Elementary School; Metrotown

Responsibility: Rajdeep

Geographic Access: Deer Lake Park

Accession Code: BV023.16.12

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Photographer: World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum

Images

Audio Tracks

Interview with

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0012_003.mp3

Interview with Rajinder and Raj Pandher

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19610

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1942- 2023] (interview content), interviewed Jan. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 4 sound recordings (wav) (186 min., 1 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (186 min., 2 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Rajinder and Raj Pandher conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa and Museum Registrar, James Binks. The interview was conducted on January 10, 2023 and January 24, 2023. 00:00 – 08:52 First part of interview…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 4 sound recordings (wav) (186 min., 1 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (186 min., 2 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewers: Kate Petrusa and James Binks Interviewees: Rajinder and Raj Pandher Location of Interview: Love farmhouse, Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: January 10, 2023 and January 24, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 4 Total Length of all Tracks: (3:06:01 min) Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto four 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 Rajinder and Raj Pandher conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa and Museum Registrar, James Binks. The interview was conducted on January 10, 2023 and January 24, 2023. 00:00 – 08:52 First part of interview begins on January 10. Rajinder Pander provides information on where he was born and where he grew up and shares details regarding his family and his childhood including; his elementary and high school education and experiences and his involvement and interest in the sport of field hockey. 08:53 – 23:24 Raj Pander provides information on where she was born and shares details regarding her family and education. Raj recalls details of her family life in India including her family farm, her father’s service in the Indian National Army and other ancestor’s involvement in the military. Rajinder assists with the details regarding Raj’s father’s military service and explains how he was highly decelerated for his heroic actions. Rajinder conveys further information in reference to the Sikh Empire. 23:25 – 35:53 Rajinder and Raj share information on their formal education. Raj explains how she learned English and talks about the other spoken languages that her family used while she was growing up. Rajinder and Raj recall how they first met which lead them to marry in 1971. Rajinder provides information about his older brothers who left India before him. He explains how his elder brother, Kirpal Singh Pandher immigrated to Canada in 1970 and provides details on his other brother who lived in Malaysia and England before coming to Canada in 1975. Rajinder conveys how after his brother, Kirpal Singh Pandher arrived in Canada, he lived in Campbell River and worked at the saw mill there. 35:54 – 1:01:38 Rajinder and Raj share their immigration stories including details of; what lead them to immigrate, their immigration route, what they brought with them and where they lived and worked. Rajinder and Raj tell of how they both faced discrimination in finding work that they were qualified for and describe some of the jobs that they worked at before obtaining their Real Estate licences. 1:01:39 – 1:13:09 Rajinder and Raj share information on where they’ve purchase traditional food supplies in Burnaby and Rajinder provides further details on his employment and recalls how they were able to purchase their first home in Burnaby. 1:13:10 - 1:19:33 Rajinder describes how he began writing for the Sikh newsletter “The Western Sikh Samachar”. Rajinder shares how he first started printing small pamphlets of Sikh Cultural history in 1975 and how he’s been volunteering with the National Democratic Party (NDP) since 1973. 1:19:34 - 1:38:24 Second part of interview continues on January 24, 2023. Rajinder provides further information about the Sikh newsletter “The Western Sikh Samachar”, provides an historical summary of the Sikh Empire and the Sikh religion and describes a book that’s he’s written about his culture and the village he lived in India. 1:38:25 - 1:52:24 Raj describes some of the traditional textiles that she’s created including a dury, embroidered cloth (pakha and pakhi) and clothing. Raj shares a story of a train derailment in India in which her father survived. 1:52:25 - 2:14:53 Raj Pandher talks about her father’s letters and diaries, Rajinder talks about receiving a Diamond Jubilee Medal for his community service and they both talk about their daughter Amanjit’s education and career accomplishments. Raj describes her involvement in the community council of her children’s school and both Raj and Rajinder describe their involvement in multicultural education and events that they were involved with in Burnaby and New Westminster. Interviewer lists Rajinder Pandher’s many volunteer awards and accomplishments. 2:14:54 - 2:39:53 Raj and Rajinder describe some of their family photographs as well as personal items from India including decorative arts and textiles. They talk about celebrating their 30 year wedding anniversary and the origin of their Sikh names. Rajinder describes a visit to Paldi in 1977 when the whole family was baptized at the Sikh temple and provides informaton about Hardial Singh Atwal, the first Sikh child born in Canada. Rajinder discusses what he thinks a cookhouse looked like, his friendship with former Mayor William J. Copeland and wages of South Asians working in sawmills. 2:39:54 - 3:06:01 Raj and Rajinder talk about food including where they’ve purchased traditional South Asian foods and what they grow in their home garden. Rajinder provides details about the Burnaby Multicultural Society, talks about South Asian work ethics and housing and shares some of the cultural and religious traditions of Sikhs and celebrations that take place in Vancouver and Burnaby.

History: Interviewees biographies: Rajinder Pandher was born five years prior to the Partition of India in the Village of Jhamat, Ludhiana District, Punjab. Raj Pandher was born in 1948 in the Village of Chapar, Ludhiana District, Punjab. Rajinder played field hockey while living in India and is passionate about the sport. Both Rajinder and Raj Pahndher attended college in India and were married in India in 1971. Rajinder Pandher immigrated to Canada in 1972 and his wife, Raj Pandher joined him in 1973. After arriving in Canada, Rajinder Pandher started working at a sawmill in Campbell River but didn't like the work and moved to Vancouver to find better employment opportunties. In 1976, the couple moved to Burnaby and rented until they could buy a home a year later. They raised two children who attended Second Street Elementary School and Cariboo Hill Secondary School in Burnaby. Rajinder and Raj Pandher were both very involved with multicultural efforts at their childlren's schools including turban tying and sari demonstrations and Rajinder was a founding member of the Burnaby Multicultural Society. Interviewers biographies: Kate Petrusa is the Assistant Curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In her role, she manages all aspects of the collection – including caring for physical artifacts and making their digital counterpart accessible. Before coming to Burnaby Village Museum in 2019, Kate has worked at several Museums around the Lower Mainland as a Curator and contractor since 2013. James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Education; Housing; Employment; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Persons - Volunteers; Religions - Sikhism; Migration; Organizations; Organizations - Societies and Clubs; Social Issues - Racism; Social Issues; Celebrations; Sports - Field Hockey

Names: Pandher, Raj; Pandher, Rajinder; Copeland, William J.; Pandher, Harman; Pandher, Amanjit; Burnaby Multicultural Society; The Western Sikh Samachar

Responsibility: Petrusa, Kate; Binks, James

Accession Code: BV023.1.2

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1942- 2023] (interview content), interviewed Jan. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcripts available upon request

Audio Tracks

Interview with Rajinder and Raj Pandher, [1942- 2023] (interview content), interviewed Jan. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0001_0002_003.mp3

Interview with Shanaz Khan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20284

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1956-2023] (interview content), interviewed 24 Sep. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (65 min., 54 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (63 min., 54 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Shanaz Khan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum registrar Rajdeep on September 24, 2023. 00:00:00- 00:09:59 Shanaz Khan shares information about herself, her family and life in Fiji before she immigrated to Vancouver in 1972 and her fi…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (65 min., 54 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (63 min., 54 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Rajdeep Interviewee: Shanaz Khan Location of Interview: Love farmhouse at Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: September 24, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:05:54 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Shanaz Khan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum registrar Rajdeep on September 24, 2023. 00:00:00- 00:09:59 Shanaz Khan shares information about herself, her family and life in Fiji before she immigrated to Vancouver in 1972 and her first experiences after immigrating to Vancouver including where her family lived, her work as an accountant for major banks in Vancouver, training and working as a chef and living in Surrey and Vancouver. 00:10:00 - 00:14:59 Shanaz shares experiences in her career as an accountant working in Vancouver and Tumbler Ridge and her experiences of racism that she faced in her workplace. Shanaz talks about her life after retirement and her volunteer work. 00:015:00 - 00:22:53 Shanaz talks about her life in Burnaby for the last 19 years and what she likes about living here. Shanaz recollects locations of stores in Vancouver where her family shopped to find traditional foods and where her family lived after immigrating. Shanaz shares some of her favourite traditional foods. 00:22:54 - 00:37:41 Shanaz recollects some of her childhood experiences growing up in Fiji and her experiences of swimming in Fiji, Hawaii and in Vancouver. Shanaz talks about her fitness regime and places that she likes to exercise in Burnaby including trails and green spaces and reflects on the changes to Burnaby with increased development, the cost of housing and the crime rate. 00:37:42 - 00:52:41 Shanaz talks about the traditional clothing and western clothing that she’s worn and accessed while living in Burnaby and Vancouver. Shanaz describes some traditional Islamic religious practices including the nikah (marriage), funerals, prayers, Eid, Hajj and her own personal practices as well as locations of mosques and cemeteries available to Muslims in the lower mainland. 00:52:42 - 01:05:54 Shanaz talks about her parent’s religious and ancestral background, her religious upbringing and the demographics of Fiji.

History: Interviewee biography: Shanaz Khan was born and raised in Suva, Fiji in the 1950's. In the early 1970's, Shanaz immigrated to Vancouver with her parents and younger brother. Shanaz attended John Oliver High School and took one year of accounting courses at Langara College. Over the years Shanaz worked as an accountant in major banks and for a mining company in Tumbler Ridge. Shanaz also worked as a chef at various restaurants and bakeries after completing training at a Vancouver Culinary School. Shanaz has made her home in Burnaby for the past 19 years. Following her retirement, Shanaz has volunteered for different organizations including the YWCA. Interviewer biography: Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Buildings - Religious - Mosques; Cemeteries; Ceremonies - Funerals; Ceremonies - Weddings; Education; Housing; Migration; Occupations; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Religions - Islam; Religions - Christianity; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Sports - Swimming

Names: Khan, Shanaz

Responsibility: Rajdeep

Accession Code: BV023.16.18

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1956-2023] (interview content), interviewed 24 Sep. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available

Documents

2023_0016_0018_003

Audio Tracks

Interview with Shanaz Khan, [1956-2023] (interview content), interviewed 24 Sep. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0018_002.mp3

John Shaw

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription55541

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1941]

Collection/Fonds: John Shaw fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.5 x 4.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of John Shaw in his air force uniform in front of a pig farm. An empty hay wagon and pig pen full of pigs are both visible in the background.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1941]

Collection/Fonds: John Shaw fonds

Series: Military series

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.5 x 4.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 485-016

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: 2005-15; 2006-01; 2007-18

Scope and Content: Photograph of John Shaw in his air force uniform in front of a pig farm. An empty hay wagon and pig pen full of pigs are both visible in the background.

Subjects: Occupations - Military Personnel; Clothing - Military Uniforms; Agricultural Tools and Equipment; Agriculture - Farms; Animals - Pigs; Wars - World War, 1939-1945

Names: Shaw, John Horace "Jack"

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Note on verso reads: "On a farm near Gl[?]"

Images

booklet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact39857

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: BV999.17.32

3 images

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: BV999.17.32

Description: Table of War Gases - Booklet -- [1942]. Short informative booklet about war gases, how to recognize them, what to do when gassed and first aid treatment. The booklet was compiled by the Scientific Adviser on Chemical Warfare for the Office of the Director of Civil Air Raid Precautions in accordance with the Minister of Pensions and National Health. The pamphlet was printed by Edmond Cloutier "Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty" in 1942. The booklet measures 13cm x 21.5cm.

Object History: Item was referred to by Harry Charles Cutress who was a volunteer with the Burnaby Air Raid Precautions unit in South Burnaby during the 1940s.

Category: 08. Communication Artifacts

Classification: Documentary Artifacts - - Instructional Documents

Object Term: Book, Instruction

Measurements: 13cm x 21.5cm.

Country Made: Canada

Province Made: Ontario

Site/City Made: Ottawa

Publication Date: 1942

Subjects: Documentary Artifacts; Documentary Artifacts - Booklets; Wars; Wars - World War, 1939-1945; Emergency Measures - Civil Defence

Names: Cutress, Harry Charles; Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.)

Images

booklet

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact39858

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: BV999.17.33

3 images

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: BV999.17.33

Description: Air Raid Precautions for Animals - Booklet -- [1942]. Booklet 5, part of the Air Raid Precautions House Hold Series; 23 p.; stapled spine. The booklet provides information on what to expect if an air raid occurs and how to care for both urban and agricultural animals during an attack. The booklet was published by the authority of Hon. J.A. MacKenzie, Minister of Pensions and National Health in accordance with the Civil Air Raid Precautions. The booklet issued under the direction of Hon. R. J. Manion, Director of Civil Air Raid Precaustions and was printed in Ottawa by Edmond Cloutier "Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty" in 1942.

Object History: Item was referred to by Harry Cutress who was a volunteer with the Burnaby Air Raid Precautions in South Burnaby during the 1940s.

Category: 08. Communication Artifacts

Classification: Documentary Artifacts - - Instructional Documents

Object Term: Book, Instruction

Measurements: 11.5cm x 15.5cm.

Maker: Edmond Cloutier

Country Made: Canada

Province Made: Ontario

Site/City Made: Ottawa

Publication Date: 1942

Subjects: Documentary Artifacts; Documentary Artifacts - Booklets; Animals; Wars; Wars - World War, 1939-1945; Emergency Measures - Civil Defence

Names: Cutress, Harry Charles; Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.)

Images

armband

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact39844

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: BV999.17.19

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: BV999.17.19

Description: Armband. White canvas with "ARP" stamped in blue. ARP = Air Raid Precautions. WWII Civilian defence group.

Object History: The ARP armband belonged to Harry Cutress who was a volunteer with the Burnaby Air Raid Precautions. The Burnaby ARP wore armbands such as these.

Reference: See City of Burnaby Archives photograph 028-001 "Burnaby Air Raid Patrol"

Category: 03. Personal Artifacts

Classification: Clothing - - Clothing Accessories

Object Term: Insignia

Marks/Labels: "ARP" stamped in blue.

Subjects: Personal Symbols; Wars - World War, 1939-1945; Emergency Measures - Civil Defence

Names: Cutress, Harry Charles; Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.)

Historic Neighbourhood: Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Clinton-Glenwood Area

Images

Interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19346

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1600-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Oct. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (111 min., 51 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (111 min., 51 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. During the interview Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar discusses and provides in…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (111 min., 51 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (111 min., 51 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewers: Anushay Malik, Rajdeep Co Interviewer and technical support: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Nadeem Parmar Location of Interview: Residence of Nadeem Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: October 7, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:51:51 min 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 Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. During the interview Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar discusses and provides information on; his ancestral background, his education, his employment background, his experiences of racial discrimmination as a South Asian immigrant, saw mills established by South Asian relations in Paldi (Vancouver Island), in North Vancouver and Burnaby, family relations in the South Asian Canadian community and in regions in Punjab, the caste system, his literary works, locations of family homes in Burnaby, the architectural design of his house, personal stories and anecdotal information as a South Asian Canadian living and working in Canada. 00:00 – 01:45 The framework and purpose of the interview is explained to interviewee Nadeem Parmar by interviewers Rajdeep and Anushay Malik. The interviewers explain how the information from this interview can be drawn on for Burnaby Village Museum’s future exhibits and also how researchers will learn more about the history of the South Asian community in Burnaby through residents’ stories. Interview begins with Nadeem providing his full name "Kulwant Singh Parmar". He clarifies that his name was given to him by his grandfather who was a civil engineer and that his father also worked as a civil engineer. Nadeem expresses that he was born with a “silver spoon in his mouth” as a descendent of his maternal grandfather who was a successful landlord. Nadeem explains that when the Partition of India came into effect, (1947) he was 11 years old. He and his family left the partitioned side, his native village was located in Punjab and his forefathers were located in Rajasthan. 3:20 – 4:57 Nadeem explains further about his forefathers who came from Rajasthan. He shares information about his ancestor on his father’s side, named Vijay Singh who was friends with Emperor Jahangir. When fighting began against Jahangir he left the area to head to the middle of central India, then to the Punjab area with small states. As a clan, as a Parmar, he conveys there were about eleven or twelve villages with the same name. Interviewer, Anushay helps Nadeem to clarify the time period of this information. Nadeem refers to the time period being similar to the epic historical film “Moghal-e-Azam” and Anushay confirms the time period being the 1600s when they left Rajasthan. 4:58 – 10:59 Interviewer Anushay asks Nadeem to about his migration to Canada. Nadeem conveys that his first ancestor on his in-laws side of the family migrated around 1889. Further discussion ensues about reading Punjabi and how interviewer Rajdeep can read Punjabi and that she comes from the village of "Lakhpur" in Punjab. Rajdeep notes that “Lakhpur” is near "Phagwara". Nadeem clarifies that his village is "Panchat" and this family used to live in "Phagwara". and Nadeem and Rajdeep compare their familiarity and memories of the area. Nadeem conveys some of his comments in Punjabi and then changes to English. Nadeem recollects when the Japanese bombarded Shillong, he was around seven years old and attended missionary school. The only languages that were taught were English and Persian. Nadeem conveys that his mother had hopes of Nadeem becoming an army officer and moving up the ranks but Nadeem wasn’t interested. Nadeem attended college, graduated with a Bachelor of Science, BSC with Physics and Chemistry, followed by another Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and finally a degree in his favourite subject in the language of Urdu. He completed these degrees in Punjab in Doaba College, Jalandher. Nadeem recollects how he started teaching but wasn’t getting paid very well. When he was at college, with encouragement from his professor, Veer Pankalia [sic] he began writing poetry and short plays. His professor also introduced him to a famous poet of Punjab, Mila Ram Offa [sic] and he gave him the name of Nadeem. Nadeem explains the meaning of the name “Nadeem” “…the one who know about it, inside out…” even though we generally think of the meaning being “friend” it’s not just about friend. 11:00 -24:48 Nadeem provides background information on how he ended up marrying his future wife who was born in India and immigrated to Canada with her family. Nadeem explains how the marriage was arranged through family relations that were already established in Punjab over a century ago. One of his wife’s ancestors, head of the family called “baniye” (traders) immigrated to Canada in [1899]. This relation returned to Punjab where he had nephews, the youngest of the nephews was Nadeem’s father (Lashman Singh Manhas) in law’s father (Sher Singh Manhas). He expresses that his wife’s ancestor couldn’t bring Nadeem’s father in law’s father since he was only 12 or 13 years old but he brought three of the nephews back to Canada with him. The nephews were named, Pola Singh, Ginaya Singh and Doman Singh (also named Dolmans). He describes how the group left India but it took them two to three years before they arrived in Canada. The group travelled to Burma, Indonesia and Hong Kong before landing in San Francisco. From San Francisco they walked and worked on the rail line before entering Canada and arriving in Grand Forks. The men got work on the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and eventually made their way to the lower mainland. Nadeem conveys that the younger brother of Ginaya Singh, Maya Singh joined the others in Canada taking the same route, arriving in Bridal Falls where they were working at a saw mill and in CP rail construction. He describes Maya Singh as business minded and since he was too young to work in the mill, he began working as a cook and then began growing potatoes on land that he leased from a Dutch land owner. The local mill at Bridal Falls was facing bankruptcy and Maya Singh arranged to lease the mill, eventually buying it. From there the group moved their business to Strawberry Hill in Surrey and when the sale of logs declined, they moved over to Vancouver Island and established a sawmill with Doman Singh in the community of Paldi (originally known as Mayo Lumber) near Duncan. He explains further how the South Asian community helped each other like they did back home. He clarifies that his father in law’s father is the youngest cousin of Ginaya and Doman Singh and when he died, his father in law’s younger brother started Kashmir Lumber. Eventually his father in law (Lashman Singh Manhas) and the rest of the whole family including cousins and nephews were sponsored by their relations and immigrated to Canada. Nadeem explains how in 1959, his brother in law returned home to Punjab to get married, bringing his family with him. He tells of how during this time period, a marriage was arranged by his parents for him to marry his future wife. Nadeem recollects how this came to be. Nadeem and his wife Surjeet married in Punjab in December 1960, Nadeem was 24 years old and his wife was 18 years old. 24:49 – 39:42 Nadeem describes how he obtained his teaching degree from Ramgarhia College in Phagwara (located in the Kapurhtala district of Punjab) and after a disagreement with a teacher at home, he decided to go to England. He explains how he joined his brother who had moved to England and was working as a labourer. Nadeem tells of the difficulties he faced applying for a teaching job in England and how he had to go back to school to help with his English pronunciation. Nadeem explains that after taking this course, he got work teaching Grade two students which he felt was below his qualifications (he mentions that while living in Punjab, he was a Secondary School teacher) and the pay was very low. He discovered that his brother was making more money working as a labourer so Nadeem became discouraged and quit. When Nadeem couldn’t find work as a labourer, his brother advised him to shave off his beard. Nadeem conveys how difficult it was for him to shave off his beard and how once he was clean shaven he got work as a sweeper in a factory. He shares his experience of working in the factory and of how with his former education he got himself promoted to a more technical position. With encouragement from his employer, Nadeem enrolled in technical courses which lead to him obtaining an HNC Engineering Degree. He completed the course work in two years, obtaining skills in microwave communication becoming the senior test engineer at the factory. While working in this position, Nadeem shares how he suffered discrimination when he was passed over for a senior chief engineer position at the factory by a less educated and experienced employee. 39:43 – 53:38 Nadeem recollects how things changed for him in the 1970s. It began with his father in law (Lashman Singh Manhas) passing away in 1970 while he and his family were living on 18th Street in Burnaby. His father in law had been working at the saw mill, Kashmir Lumber Company in North Vancouver that was owned by his father in law’s younger brother (Kashmir Singh Manhas). The mill had burnt down and many of the workers lost everything. Nadeem confides that during this time, his wife was suffering from depression and wanted to be with her mother back in Canada now that her father had passed away. Nadeem emphasizes how his wife’s family (over 300 relatives) in Canada often get together every year on July 1st in Paldi near Duncan. In 1972, Nadeem arrived in Canada on his own to find work but was unsuccessful so he and his wife made plans to move to Uganda where he was offered a job. In 1973, when his visa didn’t come through for Uganda, Nadeem, his wife and two children decided to come to Canada. Nadeem describes that after several unsuccessful experiences to find skilled work in Canada, he eventually found work at Canadian National Telecommunications. During this time, Nadeem and his family lived with his father in law’s family at 5216 Pandora Street in Burnaby and in 1974, Nadeem purchased a house at 131 Fell Avenue in Burnaby. Nadeem provides further details of when the families lived at these different addresses and how in 1983 he had a house built on Woodsworth Street where he is still living now. He conveys some of the history of the lot where his current house resides including details on the lot subdivision, lot ownership and the cost of building his new house. Nadeem tells of how he designed his home with help from his son who was working as an apprentice with architect Arthur Erikson at the time. He describes the architectural interior as an open concept design, in an “L” shape in honour of his father “Lakhmir Singh”. Nadeem shares information on his mother’s name which was Jamna (prior to her marriage) and became Davinder Kaur after she was married. (Note: Jamna was her name before marriage. Traditionally after a woman is married, her husband’s family changes her first name because she is now considered a part of a new family). 53:39 – 58:56 Nadeem provides information on his career working as CNCP technician working with CPIC systems and how he was promoted to a new position. Nadeem inserts a quote from a Punjabi poem which he translates to English as “Somebody asked the blind people. What do you need? He said, do you need two eyes?, he said, what else do I need?”. Nadeem conveys how in 1986 his mother passed away so he went back home to the village of Lakhpur where his father and younger brother were living. His father and younger brother were on their own and in 1986 they decided to demolish the family home. He explains that there’s a college there now and that a library was built at this location in the name of his grandfather. 58:57 – 1:04:38 Nadeem shares how he suffered a heart attack in 1990 during the marriage ceremony of his son in Williams Lake. Nadeem talks about the complicated relations of the South Asian families and the saw mill owners in Paldi and comments on the problems with the caste system that provokes discrimination within the South Asian community. Nadeem refers to disputes that arose amongst mill owners and investors that included Kapoor Singh Siddoo, Mayo Singh, Gurdial Singh Teja and Ginaya Singh which caused problems amongst his family and also lead to Kapoor Singh selling his portion of the mill. Nadeem spells “Ginaya” Singh’s name and explains that this name is the nickname for “Krishna”. Nadeem provides his insight into the joint ownership of the saw mills located in Paldi and how the the joint ownership was dissolved in 1952. Nadeem clarifies that Ginaya Singh also left Paldi and that Ginaya Singh’s wife is his mother in law’s aunt and that he also moved to Burnaby. Nadeem explains the proper name spelling of mill owner “Mayo Singh” and that the correct spelling is actually “Mayan Singh” but he changed it to “Mayo” when it was mis-pronounced. Nadeem also comments on the problems that he encountered in 1970 on the pronunciation of his own name while living in England and at one point his employer referred to him as “Paul”. 1:04:39 – 1:18:50 Nadeem relays that when he emigrated from India and to Canada that he carried his personal possessions in a small suitcase made from cardboard since the weight limit on the airplane was just three pounds. He conveys that many of his relations have all suffered from heart problems including Ginaya Singh and his children. Nadeem shares that Ginaya Singh’s three sons all lived in Burnaby. Nadeem conveys that many South Asians lived in Burnaby and many worked at saw mills in North Vancouver and in the L&K sawmill near Pemberton. Nadeem explains further about the how the disagreements came to be between Mayo Singh and Kapoor Singh. He describes how each had a different business strategy in harvesting lumber and that there were feuds amongst the families. Nadeem provides further details on the root of the family feuds. Nadeem provides definitions for certain Punjabi terms that he’s using including “Mehta”(meaning lowest class of farmers, foreigner as well head as a title given to people of a clan living in the area) and ‘Panchat”, the name of his family village that was built and founded by five brothers and one nephew (Panj- meaning five and the sound “cht” meaning six). Nadeem explains that these terms were given to people from his own clan living in the area because it was small. Nadeem explains further about status that is based on money and the Punjabi terms “Parsu”, “Parsa” and “Pasaram” that are often used to describe a person. When you are poor the term “Parsu” is used and when you become rich the term “Pasaram” is used. Nadeem refers to Mayo Singh as a Pasaram as the second most successful millner in British Columbia, second to Frederick John Hart. Nadeem mentions that Ginaya Singh, elder brother to Mayo Singh helped provide the finances to start the mill and when there was a disagreement, Ginaya Singh left the mill business, moved his family to Burnaby and began working in insurance. Nadeem shares the sad story of Ginaya Singh’s sudden death (in 1953). Nadeem states that many of the people who left the mills at Paldi went to work at the Kapoor Mill in Burnaby and some relocated to the Interior of British Columbia. Nadeem mentions that his father in law (Lashman Singh Manhas) was able to purchase a house on 18th Street in along with other residences that he bought with his hard earned money working in the farms and mills, 16 hours per day, seven days a week. 1:18:51 – 1:32:04 Nadeem explains why he thinks that most South Asian people worked in the mills in the earlier days. Nadeem conveys that since Sikh men wore beards and turbans they encountered discrimination and were unable to get work in the business community. Nadeem shares his own personal experiences of wearing a turban and the discrimination he’s encountered while living in Scotland and Canada. Nadeem mentions that a defense committee was formed to protect the Gurdwaras and people’s homes from being vandalized due to racial discrimination. Nadeem describes some of the troubles that he’s encountered in his own neighbourhood when he had to call the police. Nadeem shares a personal experience just after 9/11 where he was the target of racial discrimination in the parking lot of Burnaby Lake. Nadeem emphasizes that he has experienced many incidents of racial discrimination, especially in the workplace and that this was not unusual for him. 1:32:05 – 1:36:19 Nadeem talks about his interest in writing and his many literary works including 12 novels that he’s written in Punjabi. Nadeem highlights a few books that he’s written including a book titled “Rape” and another one titled “Sponsorship” which conveys the complex nature of people immigrating to Canada. Nadeem mentions a particular book about AIDS, titled “Wide Net” that he’s been trying to get published. Nadeem speaks to the challenges and high costs of trying to get his works published. Nadeem provides a brief synopsis of his book “Wide Net”. Nadeem relays that this is a personal account of a gay couple that he knew where one of the partners died of AIDS and that the couple gave Nadeem permission to tell their tragic story. 1:36:20 – 1:51:51 Nadeem talks about his children and compares their experiences to his own as a South Asian immigrant. Nadeems talks about the accomplishments of his son, his daughter and grandchildren including their education and careers. Nadeem says that his children are well educated and well established in their careers. Nadeem’s children attended Capitol Hill Elementary School and North Burnaby High School in Burnaby. Nadeem shares specifics of his son’s career history. Nadeem expresses that he still considers Canada to be the best country for opportunities and that he prefers to live in Burnaby rather than Surrey and shares some personal anecdotes. Nadeem lists some local places that he’s shopped for South Asian groceries and spices rather than travelling to Surrey. He mentions shopping at Kelly Douglas, stores in Chinatown, small grocers on Capitol Hill, Patel’s on Commercial Drive and Main Street. As an aside Nadeem mentions that he worked as a security guard and the wages that he earned. Nadeem comments that he has been awarded various certificates and certifications from his education and career over the years, including a Bachelor of Science. The interviewers further express their interest in seeing the cardboard case that Nadeem brought with him when immigrating to Canada. In closing Nadeem states that his favourite food from back home was kheer (rice pudding).

History: Interviewee biography: Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar was born June 9, 1936, Chuck 138 in Lyalpur (India before 1947) to parents Lakhmir Singh Parmar and Davinder Kaur Jamana Parmar. Nadeem grew up in the village of Panchat in the northern region of Punjab, India. Nadeem married his wife Surjeet in Punjab in 1960. After marrying the couple immigrated to England where Nadeem was already working. While living in England, Nadeem and Surjeet had two children. After Surjeet's father died in Canada in 1972, Nadeem, Surjeet and their two children immgrated to Canada, joining Surjeet's family who were living in Burnaby. After Nadeem immigrated to Burnaby in 1973 he worked various jobs before working with CN/CP Telecommunications. Nadeem holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Teaching from Punjab University and a diploma from the London Board of Education (L.B.E.) and a P.Eng. from Lancaster. He has seven books published in Punjabi, three in Urdu and is published in eight anthologies. He is fluent in Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi. Interviewers' biographies: Anushay Malik is labor historian with a geographical focus on South Asia. Anushay studied at the University of London and was a research fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2014, Anushay moved back to her native Pakistan and joined Lahore University of Management Services as an Assistant Professor. In 2023, Anushay is a visiting scholar at Simon Fraser University and lives in Burnaby with her family. Anushay was a co-curator of the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”. Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores; Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills; Buildings - Industrial - Factories; Education; Employment; Industries - Logging/lumber; Migration; Occupations - Engineers; Occupations - Millworkers; Occupations - Teachers; Occupations - Writers; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism

Names: Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"; Kapoor Sawmills Limited; Siddoo, Kapoor Singh; Teja, Gurdial Singh; Parmar, Surjeet Kaur; Manhas, Ghania Singh; Singh, Mayo; Manhas, Kashmir Singh; Manhas, Sher Singh; Manhas, Budhan Kaur; Manhas, Lashman Singh

Responsibility: Malik, Anushay; Rajdeep

Geographic Access: Woodsworth Street

Accession Code: BV022.29.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1600-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Oct. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: Capitol Hill (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Douglas-Gilpin Area; Capitol Hill Area

Related Material: See also BV022.29.5 - Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate; Interview is conducted in English with various segments of discussion in Punjabi; Transcript of interview available upon request

Audio Tracks

Interview with Kalwant Singh

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0001_003.mp3

Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19604

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 6 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 7 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 - 00:13:30 Interview opens with introductions. Samuel (Sam) and Angela Nalliah provide biographical details including their p…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (68 min., 6 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (68 min., 7 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: James Binks Interviewees: Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah Location of Interview: Nalliah family home Interview Date: May 29, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 68 min., 6 sec. Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph information: Ruth (Angela) Nalliah with husband Samuel Nalliah WARNING: Some of the content discussed in this interview (00:40:58 – 00:57:31) regarding the Tamil genocide may be upsetting to some people.

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 - 00:13:30 Interview opens with introductions. Samuel (Sam) and Angela Nalliah provide biographical details including their parentage, place of birth (Sri Lanka), spoken language and education. Sam Nalliah shares details on his education while living in Sri Lanka, his later education in Wales where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and his migration to Halifax in 1978 after obtaining a job at Dalhousie University as a systems analyst. Sam conveys how he decided to relocate from Halifax to Vancouver in 1986 and started his employment with BC Tel. Angela Nalliah shares details on her education and employment after immigrating to Canada from Sri Lanka in 1986. Angela conveys how she first lived in Ottawa, moved to Toronto in 1989 where she began working for TD bank and moved to Vancouver in 1999. 00:13:31 – 00:20:03 Sam Nalliah talks about how he and his wife Angela first met and married in 1999 and moved to Vancouver. Sam shares information on where his other family members immigrated to and why he decided to immigrate to Canada. Angela shares information on other members of her family who immigrated to Canada before her and how her uncle sponsored them all to come. 00:20:04 – 00:29:30 Sam provides further details regarding his family make up including; his first wife, his daughters (born in 1983 and 1985), his step daughter (born in 1991) and his youngest daughter (born in 2000). Sam tells how he worked as a Systems and Operations Manager at Shaughnessy Hospital and later at BC Hydro. Sam provides locations of homes that they lived in Burnaby and Vancouver. Sam and Angela describe what they liked about living in Burnaby, where their daughter attended school and where they did their shopping. 00:29:31 – 00:32:11 Angela talks about working for Prospera Credit Union from 2003 after TD bank downsized. Sam describes how they rented out their house in Vancouver and lived in a rental home in Burnaby that was owned by the City of Burnaby. Sam and Angela recollect the time period that they lived in Burnaby and Vancouver before deciding to move to Surrey in 2015. 00:32:12 – 00:35:59 Sam and Angela provide details regarding their daughter’s post-secondary education and careers. Angela talks about her social activities, volunteer work and involvement with the Thamil Cultural Society of British Columbia, the Women’s Network as well as the Westminster Bible Chapel Church in Burnaby and the Green Timbers Evangelical Covenant Church in Surrey. 00:36:00 – 00:40:57 Sam recalls hearing Prime Minster Pierre Elliott Trudeau speak about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms at Dalhousie University and the effect that his speech made on him. Sam talks about joining the National Democratic Party when Peter Julian was elected as a Member of Parliament for Burnaby. 00:40:58 – 00:57:31 (WARNING: Some of the content discussed in this portion of the interview may be upsetting to some people) Sam and Angela speak about their involvement with the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC). Angela describes the brutal violence that she witnessed while living in Sri Lanka during the Anti-Tamil state sponsored genocide in the 1980’s. Sam and Angela recollect and discuss their views and actions pertaining to the MV Sun Sea incident where a Thai cargo ship carrying Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to British Columbia were identified as terrorists by the Canadian Government and held in detention facilities. 00:57:32 – 01:08:07 Sam reflects on what he likes about Burnaby. Angela and Sam talk about Hindu temples attended by many Tamil and Sri Lankan people living in Burnaby and the lower mainland. Angela talks about the many cultural events and celebrations that are celebrated within the Tamil and Sri Lankan community including the Pongal Festival. Angela and Sam reflect on how grateful they are to be residents of Canada.

History: Interviewees biographies: Samuel (Sam) Nalliah was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1949. Sam immigrated to Halifax in 1977 after obtaining a position as a systems analyst at Dalhousie University. In 1986, Sam sponsored his parents to come to Canada. In 1986, after being introduced to the milder weather in Victoria, Sam decided to move to British Columbia. He moved to Burnaby in 1990 and began working for BC Tel in Burnaby. Following his job at BC Tel, Sam worked as a Systems and Operations Manager at Shaughnessy Hospital and later at BC Hydro. Ruth (Angela) Nalliah was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1964 and immigrated to Canada in 1986. As a Tamil living in Sri Lanka in the 1980’s Angela witnessed first hand the brutal violence during the Anti-Tamil state sponsored genocide. In 1986 Angela was relieved to be able to immigrate to Canada after being sponsored by her uncle. Angela first lived and worked in Ottawa and Toronto before marrying Samuel Nalliah in Ottawa in 1999 and the couple moved to Burnaby. Angela worked for TD bank in both Toronto and Vancouver until it downsized in 2003 and she began working for Prospero Credit Union. While living in Burnaby, Angela attended the Westminster Bible Chapel and after moving to Surrey she became a member of the Green Timbers Evangelical Covenant Church. Sam and Angela Nalliah have four daughters and since moving to British Columbia they’ve lived in Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey. Both Sam and Angela are involved with the Tamil Cultural Association of British Columbia and the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) as well as participates in Sri Lankan and Tamil community cultural events. Interviewer biography: James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Education; Events - Festivals; Government; Government - Federal Government; Migration; Occupations; Organizations - Political Parties; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Religions; Religions - Christianity; Religions - Hinduism; Rights; Rights - Human Rights; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Social Issues - Discrimination

Names: Nalliah, Ruth "Angela"; Nalliah, Samuel "Sam"; Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC); Westminster Bible Chapel; Thamil Cultural Society of British Columbia (TCSBC)

Responsibility: Binks, James

Accession Code: BV023.16.8

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum

Images

Audio Tracks

Interview with Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah, 1949-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0008_003.mp3

From Fuki to Ofuro: Japanese Canadians in Burnaby

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription17535

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 7 Oct. 2021

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (84 min., 20 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar on the Burnaby Village Museum Facebook page on October 7, 2021. The webinar was hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Community Engagement Coordinator, Christina Froschauer and presented by Raymond Nakamura. The webinar is titled "From Fuki to O…

1 image 1 video

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Burnaby Neighbourhood Speaker Series series

Subseries: Neighbourhood Speaker Series - Fall 2021 subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 video recording (mp4) (84 min., 20 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps

Material Details: Presenter: Raymond Nakamura; Host: Christina Froschauer; Date of Presentation: October 7, 2021; Total Number of tracks: 1; Total Length of all tracks: 84 min., 20 sec.; Recording Device: Zoom video communication and Facebook platforms; Recording Note: Film was edited from it's original recorded version (97 min., 37 sec.) to edited version (84 min., 20 sec.) for public viewing on Heritage Burnaby.

Scope and Content: Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar on the Burnaby Village Museum Facebook page on October 7, 2021. The webinar was hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Community Engagement Coordinator, Christina Froschauer and presented by Raymond Nakamura. The webinar is titled "From Fuki to Ofuro: Japanese Canadians in Burnaby". In this webinar, Raymond Nakamura shares his own Japanese family history (Yamashita and Nakamura families) in British Columbia; provides insight into the Fuki plant (also known as butterbur) which was used by Japanese Canadians as a special culinary plant; describes the customs behind the ofuro (Japanese bathhouse) at Burnaby Village Museum and shares some of his research on Japanese Canadians who lived in Burnaby prior to the internment of Japanese Canadians in World War II. The title slide of Raymond's presentation reads "Japanese Canadians in Pre-War Burnaby". Raymond's presentation is supported with his own illustrations along with historical photographs from personal and public archival collections including the Nikkei National Museum, The City of Burnaby Archives and the Burnaby Village Museum. Japanese families highlighted in Raymond's talk include the Nakamuras; Yamashitas; Yasuis; Kokuryos; Kojimas; Shimotakaharas; Kariatsumaris; Ibatas; Marie Karamoto family and Dr. Taihei Kuzuhara. Many historical references regarding Burnaby residents come from Burnaby publications; "In the Shadow by the Sea : recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village" and "Pioneer Tales of Burnaby". During breaks in the presentation, Christina and Raymond take questions from webinar participants on zoom as well as viewers from the live recording on Burnaby Village Museum's Facebook page. Resource links shared during presentation include: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre https://centre.nikkeiplace.org/res.../search-the-collection/ Landscapes of Injustic Archive https://loi.uvic.ca/archive/ Raymond's Brain https://www.raymondsbrain.com/ In the Shadow by the Sea : recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumlibrary5173

History: Raymond Nakamura was born and raised in Toronto, and has lived most of his adult life in Vancouver. Holding a PhD in Marine Sciences from University of Toronto, Raymond’s study specializing in the hydrodynamics of sand dollars. More recently, he has been recognized for his research work on Japanese Canadians, leading to fact and fiction writing, co-hosting podcasts and delivering creative presentations on the subject –one of which we are honoured to see today. Raymond has worked collaboratively with cultural centers across the Greater Vancouver Region, including Science World, the Vancouver Aquarium, the Nikkei National Museum, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery, to name a few.

Subjects: Persons - Japanese Canadians; Social Issues - Racism; Wars - World War, 1939-1945; Plants

Names: Shimotakahara, Hideko; Yasui, Harding; Yasui, Sukegoro; Kokuryo, Hideko; Karamoto, Marie; Nakamura, Raymond; Yamashita family; Kuzuhara, Dr. Taihei; Froschauer , Christina; Burnaby Village Museum; Kojima family

Accession Code: BV021.31.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 7 Oct. 2021

Media Type: Moving Images

Notes: Title based on contents of video recording

Images

Video

From Fuki to Ofuro: Japanese Canadians in Burnaby, 7 Oct. 2021

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2021_0031_0001_003.mp4

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

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

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1900-1946

Length: 00:07:05

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

1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

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

Date Range: 1900-1946

Length: 00:07:05

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

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: February 27, 1990

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

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

Total Tracks: 11

Total Length: 01:34:10

Interviewee Name: Miyashita, Toki

Interviewer Bio: Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.

Collection/Fonds: SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds

Series: Centennial Oral History project series

Transcript Available: Transcript available

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.

Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Toki Miyashita

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

Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 7

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory522

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1930-1990

Length: 00:13:56

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and dis…

1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and distrust in her family. She also talks about visiting Hiroshima on her trip to Japan in 1980

Date Range: 1930-1990

Length: 00:13:56

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

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: February 27, 1990

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

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

Total Tracks: 11

Total Length: 01:34:10

Interviewee Name: Miyashita, Toki

Interviewer Bio: Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.

Collection/Fonds: SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds

Series: Centennial Oral History project series

Transcript Available: Transcript available

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.

Audio Tracks

Track seven of interview with Toki Miyashita

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_7.mp3

At Vimy Ridge monument

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1841

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1945

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 10.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of uniformed soldiers scattered on a field around the Vimy Ridge monument in France. The soldier marked with an "X" is Frank Battersby (who has stopped to wait while "Tommy" lights his pipe).

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 10.5 cm

Material Details: Photograph has scalloped edges

Scope and Content: Photograph of uniformed soldiers scattered on a field around the Vimy Ridge monument in France. The soldier marked with an "X" is Frank Battersby (who has stopped to wait while "Tommy" lights his pipe).

Subjects: Monuments - War Memorials; Clothing - Military Uniforms; Occupations - Military Personnel; Wars - World War, 1914-1918; Wars - World War, 1939-1945

Names: Battersby, Frank

Accession Code: BV004.104.136

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Date: 1945

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 09-Jun-09

Scale: 100

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Note in black ink on verso of photograph reads: "stopped while Tommy lite [sic] his pipe"; Note in pencil on verso of photograph reads: "Vimy Ridge, France 1945 Frank Battersby is marked by 'X'. "

Images

Interview with William J. Copeland by Rod Fowler February 18, 1990 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory438

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1927-1990

Length: 00:06:37

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's childhood in Burnaby and Vancouver, his father's work as a miner, his war service, education, and his three children

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's childhood in Burnaby and Vancouver, his father's work as a miner, his war service, education, and his three children

Date Range: 1927-1990

Photo Info: Mayor Bill Copeland cutting the ribbon for the opening of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts accompanied by Jack and Doris Shadbolt and Councillors Doug Drummond and Derek Corrigan, 1995. Item no. 535-0067

Length: 00:06:37

Subjects: Wars - World War, 1939-1945; Education; Industries - Mining

Interviewer: Fowler, Rod

Interview Date: February 18, 1990

Scope and Content: Recording is of an interview with former Burnaby Mayor William J. Copeland conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Copeland 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 Copeland’s education, career and experience as a Burnaby firefighter from 1955 to 1987, and his work for the union International Association of Fire Fighters. He talks about his early family life in Burnaby and Vancouver, war service, training with the Federal Fire Service, the organizations he has belonged to, and the careers of his three children. He briefly talks about Burnaby politics and his unexpected election to Mayor of Burnaby. Major themes of the interview, described by track: Track 1: Organizations - Unions; Public Services - Fire Protection; International Association of Fire Fighters; Track 2: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 3: Elections; Track 4: family history and education; Track 5: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 6: Elections

Biographical Notes: William John (Bill) Copeland (1927-2002) was born in Vancouver May 19, 1927. As a young child he lived with his parents on Southwood Street in South Burnaby on a chicken ranch. Bill’s father was a miner and was often away from home. The family moved to Pioneer Mines at Bridge River for a few years and then moved back to Vancouver in 1941 when his father contracted silicosis. Bill served in the navy for about a year near the end of WWII, was in the Canadian Merchant Marine and worked as a pipe fitter, before beginning his career as a fire fighter. He trained with the Federal Fire Service and worked two years at the Wireless Station in Delta. In 1955 he started work as Fire Fighter No. 53 in Burnaby, retiring 33 years later in 1987. Most of his career was spent at the Control Station or Number 1 Firehall, first located at Wiilingdon and Hastings (now No.5 Station) and later on Sperling near Canada Way. Bill worked as a first aid instructor, eventually moving into the training office, and retired as assistant chief. In 1987, shortly after retiring, Bill was asked to run for Mayor for the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). Much to his surprise he won. He served with distinction for three terms (1987-1996). Bill, his wife Ruth, and their three children, Doug and Dan (both firefighters) and Emily (a teacher), lived in North Burnaby on Cliff Avenue, the family home for about 35 years. Bill was active in many organizations including the Cliff Avenue soccer organization, St. John Ambulance, Burnaby Red Cross, and CNIB, among others. He began representing firefighters locally in the International Association of Fire Fighters in the early 1960s, eventually becoming President of the provincial association and then Vice President of the 6th District representing Western Canada.

Total Tracks: 6

Total Length: 0:25:35

Interviewee Name: Copeland, William J

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

Series: Centennial Oral History project series

Transcript Available: Transcript available

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.

Images

Mayor Bill Copeland cutting the ribbon for the opening of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts accompanied by Jack and Doris Shadbolt and Councillors Doug Drummond and Derek Corrigan, 1995. Item no. 535-0067 thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track four of interview with William J. Copeland

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-013/MSS187-013_Track_4.mp3

Billy Bishop

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription55575

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [between 1941 and 1945]

Collection/Fonds: John Shaw fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 25 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of Billy Bishop, World War One pilot, standing next to a plane. The photograph has been autographed by Billy Bishop.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [between 1941 and 1945]

Collection/Fonds: John Shaw fonds

Series: Military series

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 21 x 25 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 485-050

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: 2005-15; 2006-01; 2007-18

Scope and Content: Photograph of Billy Bishop, World War One pilot, standing next to a plane. The photograph has been autographed by Billy Bishop.

Subjects: Occupations - Military Personnel; Clothing - Military Uniforms; Transportation - Air; Wars - World War, 1914-1918; Wars - World War, 1939-1945

Names: Bishop, Air Marshal William A. "Billy"

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Royal Canadian Air Force

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Signature on recto; Photographer's stamp on verso; Note on verso reads: "Billy Bishop - First World War Pilot - This Picture Belonged to John Hoarce Shaw"

Images

Billy Bishop, [between 1941 and 1945] thumbnail

Interview with Harman Pandher

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19609

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1968- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jan. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (105 min., 23 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (101 min., 39 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Harman Pandher conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. 00:00 - 37:38 Interview opens with Harman Pandher sharing information on his oldest living relative, Kirpal Singh Pandher who immigrated to Canada arou…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (105 min., 23 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (101 min., 39 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Harman Pandher Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: January 5, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks:1:45:23 min Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 format for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Harman Pandher conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. 00:00 - 37:38 Interview opens with Harman Pandher sharing information on his oldest living relative, Kirpal Singh Pandher who immigrated to Canada around 1968. The interview continues with Harman Pandher providing details about his childhood in Burnaby while occasionally sharing photographs with the interviewer. He provides detailed descriptions of the homes and neighbourhoods while living on Second Street and 15th Avenue and shares his experiences as a South Asian Sikh attending Second Street elementary school, Cariboo Hill Secondary School and Kahlsa School. Pandher recalls some of his family and childhood experiences including, family events and gatherings; participation in school clubs and sports; playing basketball, ball hockey and street hockey with his Punjabi friends and other Burnaby kids; racism that he faced as a Sikh wearing a turban and delivering newspapers for the Vancouver Sun. 37:39 – 52:54 Pandher talks about family and cultural celebrations and traditions within the Sikh community including Vaisakhi, Diwali and celebrations of the birth of Guru Ravidas and Guru Nanak. Pandher conveys that while he was growing up many of these events took place in Vancouver but now they are also celebrated in Burnaby. He recalls events that took place in school while growing up in Burnaby including; his sister wearing a Sari to a fashion show; a visit to a Sikh temple; celebrating the birthday of Guru Nanak and outreach to teachers to learn about South Asian culture, games, food and traditions. Pandher also shares his experiences working as a student teacher at Capital Hill Elementary in North Burnaby where he took his class on a tour of the Sikh temple in 2001 and reflects on learning that it is his responsibility to be proactive in educating the public in his own culture while also learning about other communities. 52:55 - 1:19:56 Pandher shares personal experiences of racism and his experiences as a teacher and author. He recalls and reflects on a traumatic experience where he was physically assaulted while shopping at Lougheed Mall and recollects his father carrying around his field hockey stick in his car to defend himself. Pandher reflects on the lack of representation of racialized people like himself within the school curriculum while he was growing up which lead him to become a teacher and an author of children’s literature. Pander provides detailed information on his education and training in becoming a teacher, his love of poetry and literature and how he became an author. Pandher describes some of the works of poetry and literature that he’s written about the Sikh religion, history and culture, growing up as a Sikh Canadian and a non-fiction work about the history of Paldi titled "Welcome to Paldi: A Place for Everyone". Pandher also talks about beginning to record some of his own family stories from relatives. 1:19:57 - 1:29:58 Pandher talks about raising his own family in Burnaby, living as an extended family with his parents, his son’s education and Pandher's experience on the Burnaby School Board (2011-2018) . Pandher shares locations of residences that he and his family have lived before living at their current home on 17th Avenue. Pandher explains that since he was a teacher in Surrey, his son attended Khalsa School as well as public elementary and high school in Surrey but did his extracurricular activities in Burnaby where the family lived. 1:29:56 – 1:41:39 In closing, Harman Pandher reflects and shares what he hopes for younger generations of South Asian Canadians and future generations. Pandher articulates “be who you are, stay true to who you are, maintain your family’s traditions, learn their stories, learn their story and how they got to Burnaby”. He conveys that even though there’s more work to be done eliminating racism completely he sees the importance in volunteering, teaching others about yourself and making an effort to learn all parts of Burnaby and other cultures represented here. Pandher speaks about his concerns of youths falling victim to a lifestyle of drugs and gangs and how it’s important to remove the stigma around mental health issues.

History: Interviewee biography: Harman Pandher was born in Vancouver in 1976 to parents, Rajinder and Raj Pandher who immigrated to Canada in 1973. A few weeks later after Harman was born, the family moved to Burnaby. While living in Burnaby, Harman Pandher and his sister attended Second Street Elementary School and Cariboo Hill Secondary School. Pandher obtained a master's degree in education from the University of British Columbia and has worked as an elementary school teacher for over 20 years. Pandher has been recognized for his efforts in building bridges across communities as the recipient of the 2021 B.C. Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Award. Pandher has served on the Board of the Burnaby Multicultural Society and is co-founder of two noon-profit organizations; “Through SONG” (Seeking Oneness for the Next Generation) “About bringing youth together form diverse backgrounds and using their talent in the community for good causes” and "SACH" (South Asian Community Hub) providing one-stop services for those impacted by alchohol and substance use and mental health issues. Harman Pandher is also the author of two children's books titled, "Gurpreet Goes to Gurdwara: Understanding the Sikh Place of Worship" and "Once Upon the Golden Temple: A Journey to Sri Harmandir Sahib". Interviewer biography: Kate Petrusa is the Assistant Curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In her role, she manages all aspects of the collection – including caring for physical artifacts and making their digital counterpart accessible. Before coming to Burnaby Village Museum in 2019, Kate has worked at several Museums around the Lower Mainland as a Curator and contractor since 2013.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Education; Occupations - Teachers; Occupations - Writers; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Religions; Religions - Sikhism; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Sports - Basketball; Sports

Names: Pandher, Harman; Second Street School; Cariboo Hill Secondary School

Responsibility: Petrusa, Kate

Geographic Access: 2nd Street; 15th Avenue

Accession Code: BV023.1.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1968- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jan. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: East Burnaby (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Second Street Area

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcript available upon request

Audio Tracks

Interview with Harman Pandher, [1968- 2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jan. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0001_0001_003.mp3

lapel pin with card

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumartifact22065

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: HV976.73.2

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Accession Code: HV976.73.2

Description: Lapel pin and card. Pin is round, gold-plated sterling silver. Wide white enamel border has gold "WOMENS WAR WORK" in upper part, "C.R.C.S." at bottom, and thin gold inner and outer borders. Centre of pin is pebbled gold ground with red enamelled cross, gold border. Reverse of pin has locking pin back, and raised lettering "STERLING", 'S' in oval beside it. Back is tarnished, gold-coloured. Front has some soiling and wear.

Object History: Donation on behalf of South Burnaby United Church Women. Likely from their thrift shop.

Category: 08. Communication Artifacts

Classification: Personal Symbols

Object Term: Insignia

Marks/Labels: "WOMENS WAR WORK / C.R.C.S.", in raised letters in white border or pin. "STERLING" with a sideways "S" in an oval, in raised letters on the back of the pin.

Measurements: Dia: 1.8 cm

Subjects: Adornment; Adornment - Lapel Pins; Occupations - War Worker; Organizations; Wars; Wars - World War, 1939-1945

Names: Canadian Red Cross

Images

Interview with Betty Blair by Eric Damer October 17, 2012 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory297

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date Range: 1939-1945

Length: 0:10:29

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair's memories of the war years, including her involvement in fundraising activities. She discusses her high school experience, her sister's influence in her life, taking the Central Park interurban line and playing field hock…

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the recording pertains to Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair's memories of the war years, including her involvement in fundraising activities. She discusses her high school experience, her sister's influence in her life, taking the Central Park interurban line and playing field hockey.

Date Range: 1939-1945

Photo Info: Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5.

Length: 0:10:29

Subjects: Wars - World War, 1939-1945; Sports - Field Hockey

Interviewer: Damer, Eric

Interview Date: October 17, 2012

Scope and Content: Recording is an interview with Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 17, 2012. Major theme discussed: life in Burnaby during the war years.

Biographical Notes: Betty Warburton (later Atkinson) (later Blair) was born in 1926 and grew up at three different locations on Frederick Avenue in Burnaby. She went to school in Burnaby; first at Kingsway West for two years, then Nelson Avenue and then Burnaby South High School where she completed senior matriculation. After graduation, Betty worked for a few years in Vancouver before marrying her first husband Don Atkinson and raising their children in Burnaby. Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair has participated in a range of activities from hiking and Girl Guides to volunteer arthritis care. By the nineteen-sixties she had began to learn pottery and take lessons at Mather House in Burnaby.

Total Tracks: 6

Total Length: 0:59:03

Interviewee Name: Blair, Betty Warburton Atkinson

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

Series: Burna-Boom Oral History Project series

Transcript Available: None

Media Type: Sound Recording

Images

Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5. thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track two of recording of interview with Betty Blair

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-003/MSS171-003_Track_2.mp3

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