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Summary: This portion of the interview pertains to W.H. "Harry" O'Brien's involvement with the formation of the Army of the Common Good Credit Union (now the South Burnaby Credit Union).

1 image 1 audio

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Summary: This portion of the interview pertains to W.H. "Harry" O'Brien's involvement with the formation of the Army of the Common Good Credit Union (now the South Burnaby Credit Union).

Date Range: [1932]-1936

Photo Info: Harry and Gertrude (Sutherland) O'Brien on their wedding day, October 12, 1940. Item no. 315-005

Length: 0:11:12

Names: Darling, Gordon; Phillips, Turnie

Subjects: Organizations

Interviewer: Bradbury, Dr. Bettina

Interview Date: July / August 1975

Scope and Content: Recording is a taped interview with W.H. "Harry" O'Brien by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury. Major themes discussed are: the Army of the Common Good, the Union of the Unemployed and the Common Good Credit Union (now the South Burnaby Credit Union). To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".

Biographical Notes: W.H. “Harry” O’Brien was born in the coal mining town of Nanaimo, British Columbia on October 20, 1914. He came to Burnaby with his parents and five siblings in 1927. Harry’s mother, a school teacher, wanted her children to live closer to school in order to obtain a better education, so the O’Brien family settled at Inman Avenue, Burnaby. Harry's mother, Mary Anne Crossan, was Gilmore Avenue School's first teacher. Harry left school in June of 1929. Harry’s father worked as the caretaker at Central Park around this time and Harry helped him to clear brush, plant trees and enforce the land clearing and wood cutting permit regulations held by men who were on script. Although too young to vote by just over a week, Harry O'Brien worked as a scrutineer for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) during the 1935 Federal Election. On October 12, 1940 Harry O'Brien married Gertrude Sutherland at St. John the Divine in Burnaby. The Sutherland family came to Burnaby from Winnipeg in 1933 and settled at Nelson Avenue. Harry began his involvement with the Unemployment Organization in Burnaby by participating in an organised protest against the municipality for homeowner evictions brought on by unpaid taxes. The South Burnaby Union of the Unemployed organised in order to protest rules around receiving Relief. Harry became involved, eventually becoming one of the spearheads of the organization, taking over as secretary by 1936. Harry was an original member of the Army of the Common Good, helping to produce over one hundred and twenty-five tons of vegetables from its own gardens to feed Burnaby citizens suffering from the lack of resources during the Depression years. The members of the Army of the Common Good who cut wood for consumption or worked in the gardens were given credit for their work through LU (Labour Units) which they could then use to buy groceries and that at the Army's Cooperative stores, one of which was at McKay Avenue, where Harry began working as Manager of Groceries in 1937. The Credit Union movement of British Columbia was also organized by Harry O'Brien and his fellow Army of the Common Good members. W.H. "Harry" O'Brien died July 1, 1992.

Total Tracks: 9

Total Length: 1:17:56

Interviewee Name: O'Brien, Harry

Interviewer Bio: Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Oral history subseries

Transcript Available: None

Media Type: Sound Recording

Web Notes: Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.

Images

Harry and Gertrude (Sutherland) O'Brien on their wedding day, October 12, 1940. Item no. 315-005 thumbnail

Audio Tracks

Track eight of interview with W.H.

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-25/100-13-25_Track_8.mp3

Locations in Vancouver and British Columbia

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58315

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [19--]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 album (61 photographs : b&w) ; 26.5 x 31.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photographic album of locations in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and other locations in British Columbia and Alberta. Photographs are reproductions of photographs taken between approximately 1880-1900, which were collected and pasted into the album.

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [19--]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Fraser Wilson subseries

Physical Description: 1 album (61 photographs : b&w) ; 26.5 x 31.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 492-001

Access Restriction: In Archives only

Reproduction Restriction: No reproduction permitted

Accession Number: BHS1988-06

Scope and Content: Photographic album of locations in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and other locations in British Columbia and Alberta. Photographs are reproductions of photographs taken between approximately 1880-1900, which were collected and pasted into the album.

Subjects: Geographic Features - Cities; Geographic Features - Mountains; Geographic Features - Parks

Names: Wilson, Fraser

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on content of item; Table of contents of pictures and page numbers pasted in the front cover of the album; 1 photograph loose in between pages 12-13 of the album; reproduction of a photograph from Vancouver City Archives.

Young people in a gymnasium

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58899

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1965

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.5 x 16.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of two young individuals in a gymnasium, skipping rope. One, whose shirt reads "Skip It," is turning the ropes while the other flips.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1965

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.5 x 16.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1356

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of two young individuals in a gymnasium, skipping rope. One, whose shirt reads "Skip It," is turning the ropes while the other flips.

Subjects: Persons - Adolescents; Sports

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Note on verso reads: "page 5 Burnaby Today"

Images

Young people in a gymnasium, ca.1965 thumbnail

Boy Scouts - Darryl Chan; Robin Hickman and Adrian Chow

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58900

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1965

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 16 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of two Boy Scouts and a Scout leader. The leader is explaining something and gesturing; eggs and an egg carton are in front of the two Boy Scouts. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1965

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 18 x 16 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1357

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of two Boy Scouts and a Scout leader. The leader is explaining something and gesturing; eggs and an egg carton are in front of the two Boy Scouts. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.

Subjects: Organizations - Boys' Societies and Clubs

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Note on recto reads: "Darryl Chow / Robin Hickman / Adrian Chow"

Images

Boy Scouts - Darryl Chan; Robin Hickman and Adrian Chow, ca.1965 thumbnail

Trail through the woods of Stoney Creek School

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58924

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1980

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a paved trail through the woods by Stoney Creek Community School. A parking lot with cars is visible at the end of the trail.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1980

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 25.5 x 20.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1375

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of a paved trail through the woods by Stoney Creek Community School. A parking lot with cars is visible at the end of the trail.

Subjects: Buildings - Schools; Geographic Features - Parks; Geographic Features - Trails

Names: Stoney Creek Elementary School

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: King, Basil

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Note on recto reads: "Trail thru woods & Stoney Creek School"; Note on verso reads: "PMT 100% / page 1 / Burnaby Today"; Photographer's stamp on verso

Street Address: 2740 Beaverbrook Crescent

Historic Neighbourhood: Burquitlam (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Lyndhurst Area

Images

Trail through the woods of Stoney Creek School, ca.1980 thumbnail

Boy fishing on a lake

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59003

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 25.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a boy laying on a dock next to a lake; his fishing rod is propped up by a stick. A beach and playground are visible in the background.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 25.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1412

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of a boy laying on a dock next to a lake; his fishing rod is propped up by a stick. A beach and playground are visible in the background.

Subjects: Persons - Children; Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds; Geographic Features - Beaches; Recreational Activities - Fishing

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Hodge, Craig

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Photographer's stamp on verso; Note on verso reads: "PMT 76% / page A-4 / Burnaby Today"

Images

Boy fishing on a lake, ca.1983 thumbnail

Adults and children at Deer Lake Park

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59007

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of adults and children having a picnic on the beach at Deer Lake Park.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1416

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of adults and children having a picnic on the beach at Deer Lake Park.

Subjects: Recreational Activities - Picnics; Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds; Geographic Features - Beaches; Persons - Children

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: King, Basil

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Photographer's stamp on verso; Note on verso reads: "PMT 120% / page 10 / Burnaby / Today"

Geographic Access: Deer Lake Park

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Douglas-Gilpin Area

Images

Adults and children at Deer Lake Park, ca.1983 thumbnail

Two boys running in the lake

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59011

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of two boys running through the water on the shore of Deer Lake.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1420

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of two boys running through the water on the shore of Deer Lake.

Subjects: Persons - Children; Geographic Features - Beaches; Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: King, Basil

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Photographer's stamp on verso; Note on verso reads: "page A-5 / Burnaby / Today / PMT 100%"

Geographic Access: Deer Lake Park

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Douglas-Gilpin Area

Images

Two boys running in the lake, ca.1983 thumbnail

T.J. Smith (Age 6) playing T-ball

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59015

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 23.5 x 20.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a child in a helmet attempting to hit a T-ball.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 23.5 x 20.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1423

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of a child in a helmet attempting to hit a T-ball.

Subjects: Persons - Children; Sports

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Hodge, Craig

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Note on recto reads: "T. J. Smith age 6. (Strike One!!)"; Photographer's stamp on verso; Note on verso reads: "Burnaby Today / A-10 / 106%"

Images

T.J. Smith (Age 6) playing T-ball, ca.1983 thumbnail

Canadian Tire Store

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59023

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 14.5 x 25 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of the exterior of a Canadian Tire, in a plaza with other businesses, and a parking lot.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 14.5 x 25 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1429

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of the exterior of a Canadian Tire, in a plaza with other businesses, and a parking lot.

Subjects: Geographic Features - Automobile Parking Lots; Buildings - Commercial - Stores

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Hodge, Craig

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Photographer's stamp on verso

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