Search Results | Heritage Burnaby

Interview with Joanne Smith

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19601

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1986-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 May 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (24 min., 55 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (24 min., 55 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Joanne Smith conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 0:00 - 04:04 Joanne Smith provides a brief overview of her immigration story and how she and her husband Stanis came to emigrate from South Africa t…

1 image 1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (24 min., 55 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (24 min., 55 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Joanne Smith Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: May 11, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 24:55 Photograph information: Joanne and Stanis Smith cycling on the Salt Flats, Argentina Digital master recording (m4a) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Joanne Smith conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar and Researcher, Eric Damer. 0:00 - 04:04 Joanne Smith provides a brief overview of her immigration story and how she and her husband Stanis came to emigrate from South Africa to Canada in 1986. Joanne explains that they decided to leave South Africa during the Apartheid era and applied to several countries with Canada being their top choice. Joanne relates that they were accepted to Canada based on her professional skills as an occupational therapist. Joanne talks about what she liked about living in South Africa and how she especially loved walking in the game reserves. 04:05 - 11:44 Joanne provides background on her ancestors migration, her life in South Africa and details on her profession. Joanne imparts that her ancestors immigrated to South Africa from Latvia at the turn of the century to avoid conscription and for increased opportunities. Joanne provides a brief overview of her life in South Africa, places that she lived and her education. Joanne provides details and background regarding her practice as an occupational therapist. Joanne explains how she specializes in hand therapy but also works with animals and other varied treatments. 11:45 - 19:29 Joanne talks about her life in Burnaby. Joanne recollects how her family ended up living in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood and provides a brief overview of her community involvement including the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) and the Community Advisory Committee. Joanne shares some of her interests including; riding her tandem bicycle with her husband Stanis, thier love of opera and the symphony, attending concerts in Deer Lake Park and visiting Confederation with her grandchild. Joanne conveys that they like to support the local arts and that they commissioned a twig sculpture for their garden from local artist, Nickie Lewis. 19:30 - 24:55 Joanne shares that ten years after immigrating that they were able to bring family relations including Stanis' parents and brother. Joanne describes the benefits of having Stanis' parents residing with them and provides details on Stanis' parents community involvement in Burnaby. Joanne reflects on her association with her Jewish heritage. Joanne conveys that they aren’t religious but have maintained a few cultural aspects of their Jewish heritage including celebrating bat mitzvahs for both of their daughters and the importance of the Yiddish language. Joanne reflects on what she likes about living in Burnaby and how it’s changed over the 30 years that she’s lived here.

History: Interviewee biography: Joanne was born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1958 and also spent some time in Klerksdorp and Johannesburg. Her formal education led to a career in occupational therapy, specializing in hand therapy. Uncomfortable with the social and political climate of South Africa at the time, she and her husband Stanis left for Canada in 1986. They soon settled in North Burnaby, where Joanne had a long-time friend, to pursue their respective careers and raise a family. The Smiths brought Stanis’s parents to Burnaby about 1996 and together built a new home. Joanne has been involved in school and community activities, enjoys Burnaby’s parks, and supports local fine arts, particularly music and performing arts. 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: Persons - Jewish Canadians; Migration; Religions - Judaism; Geographic Features - Parks; Arts; Performances; Performances - Concerts; Sports - Cycling

Names: Smith, Joanne; Smith, Stanis

Responsibility: Damer, Eric

Geographic Access: Deer Lake Park; Confederation Park

Accession Code: BV023.16.5

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1986-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 May 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: Capitol Hill (Historic Neighbourhood)

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

Images

Interview with Joanne Smith, [1986-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 May 2023 thumbnail

Documents

2023_0016_0005_002

Audio Tracks

Interview with Joanne Smith, [1986-2023] (interview content), interviewed 11 May 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0005_003.mp3

Interview with Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19605

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1984-2023 (interview content), interviewed 5 Jun. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (47 min., 26 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (47 min., 27 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra interviewed by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 – 00:04:31 The interview opens with introductions and biographical details about Jag Nagra. The interviewer shares information about Jag Nagra…

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) (47 min., 26 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (47 min., 27 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: James Binks Interviewee: Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: June 5, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 47:27

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra interviewed by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. 00:00:00 – 00:04:31 The interview opens with introductions and biographical details about Jag Nagra. The interviewer shares information about Jag Nagra’s art career and the many art projects and commissions that Jag has worked on. Jag shares information about her parents, providing details about their immigration to British Columbia from Punjab and the places that Jag and her family have lived over the years. 00:04:32 – 00:12:38 Jag talks about what inspired her to become interested in art, her art education and how her artistic practice and expression have developed over time. Jag describes how she first started in graphic design, how she’s become more involved in public art and her experience working in design. Jag touches on her experiences of being a South Asian growing up and living in a predominantly white neighbourhood and provides information about her parents, Avatar Singh Nagra and Rajwant Kaur Nagra and their migration to Canada. 00:12:39 – 00:20:03 Jag talks about her inspiration in creating her work, her involvement with the revitalization of the Punjabi Market in Vancouver, the Punjabi Market Collective and other public art projects that she’s been involved with focusing on the South Asian community and LGBTQ+ issues. 00:20:04 – 00:41:09 Jag talks about her involvement with the Burnaby Village Museum’s exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”. The interviewer and Jag take a walk throughout the exhibit while Jag describes the art work that she created for the exhibit and her creative process. Jag reflects on her own experiences being involved in the exhibit. 00:41:10 – 00:47:27 Jag talks about her own experiences as a South Asian Queer artist reflecting on her experiences within the art community. In closing Jag reflects on the impacts of the exhibit that celebrates South Asian culture in Burnaby.

History: Interviewee biography: Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra is a queer Panjabi Visual Artist passionate about community development, making art accessible and ending stigma against LGBTQ+ people within the South Asian community. Nagra has worked with clients such as the Vancouver Canucks, Tim Hortons and Microsoft and is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Punjabi Market Collective. She is featured in the internationally acclaimed, award wining LGBTQ documentary Emergence: Out of the Shadows. Her artworks are part of the Museum of Vancouver’s permanent collection and have been commissioned for the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit "Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby". 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: Migration; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Persons - LGBTQ+; Occupations - Artists; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Social Issues - Discrimination

Names: Nagra, Jagandeep "Jag"

Responsibility: Binks, James

Accession Code: BV023.16.9

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 1984-2023 (interview content), interviewed 5 Jun. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

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

Documents

2023_0016_0009_003

Audio Tracks

Interview with Jagandeep

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0009_002.mp3

Interview with Lama Tenzin Sherpa and Lama Sue Salter

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19637

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1977-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (65 min., 30 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (65 min., 9 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Lama Tenzin Sherpa and Lama Sue Salter conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 - 00:07:59 Interview opens with introductions. Lama Tenzin Sherpa provides biographical details about himself …

1 image 1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (wav) (65 min., 30 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (65 min., 9 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: James Binks Interviewees: Lama Tenzin Sherpa and Lama Sue (Suzanne Salter) Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 31, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:05:30 Sound recording (wav) was converted to mp3 format for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Lama Tenzin Sherpa and Lama Sue Salter conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks on July 31 2023. 00:00:00 - 00:07:59 Interview opens with introductions. Lama Tenzin Sherpa provides biographical details about himself and his family life in Nepal and explains how his father sent him to the Sonada Monastery in India to become a monk in 1989 and how he took a vow to become a monk in 1992. He recalls his early years of living at the monastery. 00:08:00 - 00:18:38 Lama Tenzin recalls how he came to be a monk at the Salugara Monastery and describes the teachings and skills that he learned there including making tormas and playing traditional musical instruments. Lama Tenzin describes his three year retreat in Kalimpong, India 2008-2012 and how he became Lama Tenzin. Lama Sue Salter assists Lama Tenzin in telling his story. 00:18:39 - 00:25:10 Lama Tenzin talks about returning to the Sonada Monastery after completing his three year retreat and coming to Canada in 2015 to begin his work as a Lama at the Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling centre (KKC) in Burnaby as well as the retreat centre on Salt Spring Island. 00:25:11 - 00:32:38 Lama Tenzin talks about learning English after arriving in Canada and finding his way around the city as a new immigrant. 00:32:59 - 00:43:13 Lama Susan Salter talks about meeting Lama Tenzin, her involvement with the Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling Centre and it’s history in Burnaby on Sidley Street since 1977. 00:43:14 - 00:53:52 Lama Tenzin and Lama Susan Salter describe daily and weekly practices at the Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling Centre in Burnaby, what a membership entails and types of educational programs offered at the centre. 00:53:53 - 00:59:23 Lama Tenzin and Lama Susan Salter talk about the location of their current centre in an apartment in Yale Town and retreat centre on Salt Spring Island and the challenges of finding affordable space for their centre. They reflect on the positive aspects of having their former centre location in Burnaby. 00:59:24 - 01:05:09 Lama Tenzin and Lama Susan Salter reflect on the future of the Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling (KKC) and Kunzang Dechen Osel Ling (KDOL) meditation retreat centre on Salt Spring Island.

History: Interviewees' biographies: Lama Tenzin Sherpa was born in Nepal in 1977. When he was around 11 years old his father sent him to the Sonada Monastery (also known as sthe Samdrub Dhargay Choling Monastery) in West Bengal to begin his training to become a Tibetan Buddhist monk. In 1989, the same year that Kalu Rinpoche died, Lama Tenzin became a monk. He continued to live at the monastery for 20 years. In 2012, Lama Tenzin completed his three year retreat and took up various responsibilities at the Salagura Stupa Kunchab Chodey. In 2015, Lama Tenzin was invited to Canada as a resident teacher at the Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Centre “Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling” (KKC) located at 4941 Sidley Street, Burnaby and the Niguma Meditation Centre's retreat centre Kunzang Dechen Osel Ling (KDOL) on Saltspring Island. Lama Sue Salter (Karma Lhamo) has been a student of Kalu Rinpoche since 1974. In 1980, she completed a three year retreat at the Palden Shangpa La Boulaye in France. She's served on the Board of Directors, as a retreat coordinator and a teacher in Tibetan at the Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling and Kunzang Dechen Osel Ling (KDOL). Lama Sue also worked for years as a registered nurse and registered social worker and retired in 2018. 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: Religions - Buddhism; Buildings - Religious - Monasteries; Migration; Persons - South Asian Canadians

Names: Sherpa, Lama Tenzin; Salter, Suzanne "Lama Sue"; Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling "KKC"; Rinpoche, Lama Kalu; Rinpoche, Lama Kyabje Kalu "Kalu Rinpoche"; Kunzang Dechen Osel Ling "KDOL"

Responsibility: Binks, James

Accession Code: BV023.16.15

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1977-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available

Images

Interview with Lama Tenzin Sherpa and Lama Sue Salter, [1977-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023 thumbnail

Documents

2023_0016_0015_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Lama Tenzin Sherpa and Lama Sue Salter, [1977-2023] (interview content), interviewed 31 Jul. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0015_002.mp3

Interview with Maninder Arora

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19351

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (67 min., 25 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (66 min., 45 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Maninder Arora conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Museum Registrar James Binks. 0:00 – 07:33 Interview opens with introductions. Maninder Arora shares her immigration story and how she came to emigrate from India to Canada…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (67 min., 25 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (66 min., 45 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewers: Anushay Malik Co interviewer: James Binks Interviewee: Maninder Arora Location of Interview: In Burnaby at the home of Maninder Arora Interview Date: December 7, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: (01:07:25) Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Maninder Arora conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Museum Registrar James Binks. 0:00 – 07:33 Interview opens with introductions. Maninder Arora shares her immigration story and how she came to emigrate from India to Canada at 16 years of age with her mother, her older sister (18 yrs) and her younger brother (11 yrs) in 1974. Maninder explains how her sister immigrated first after marrying a South Asian Canadian and subsequently was able to sponsor members of her family to immigrate about one year later. Arora describes what life was like for her and her family in the northern part of Punjab in India prior to immigration to Canada. Arora describes her family composition with her being the second youngest of eight children and how at the time of immigrating, four of her elder siblings (three sisters and one brother) stayed behind. 07:34 – 16:23 As a new immigrant to Canada at the age of 16 years of age, Maninder Arora recalls the many challenges that she faced. Maninder describes how she attended Vancouver Technical School and then worked at a restaurant on Friday nights and weekends. She recollects how she got her first job through the Sikh community from the Akali Singh Sikh Gurdwara on Fraser Street. Maninder recalls that during the first five months in Canada, Maninder, her mother, sister and brother lived with her elder sister, her husband and child before finding a place of their own. Arora recalls where her family shopped for traditional Indian spices and foods. 16:24 – 25:50 Maninder Arora describes the next home that her family moved to and how she and her brother attended David Thompson Secondary School. Maninder explains that she dropped out of school in Grade 12 to go to work full time to help her family repay the debt that they owed for their immigration expenses. Around 1981, her mother was able to purchase a house at Marine Drive and Ross Street and her mother got work at the same restaurant that Maninder was working. Maninder shares and reflects on a disturbing encounter of racism that she and her older sister faced while taking local transit. 25:51 – 34:17 Maninder Arora talks about her past work experience. Maninder describes how with the help of her sister, she began working as a nurses' aide at care homes and private hospitals. Maninder reflects on how she intended to get a job in a unionized care home where she can make a better living wage. Maninder describes some of the places that she worked before obtaining certification as a nurse’s aide from Kwantlen College. 34;18 – 51:15 Maninder Arora describes the events that led to her marrying her future husband in 1986 and how it wasn’t an easy decision for her. Maninder describes where she and her family lived after her marriage and how her hard work led her to obtaining full time employment as a nurses' aide in Richmond. 51:16 - 56:16 Maninder Arora tells of how she decided to move to Burnaby where her sister and extended family were living. Maninder recalls what lead to her decision to move from Surrey to Burnaby in 1992. 56:17 - 1:04:23 Maninder Arora shares some experiences of her life in Burnaby. Maninder further reflects on her decisions for moving to Burnaby including providing what she thought would be a safer environment and education for her children. Maninder conveys how racism is still very much prevalent in society and recounts a personal encounter that she experienced while shopping for shoes at Metrotown. 1:04:24 – 1:06:45 The interviewer asks Maninder Arora what she would like to see conveyed as a message for younger people in an upcoming exhibit at Burnaby Village Museum on South Asian history. Maninder conveys that she would like all Canadian citizens living in Burnaby to make the environment better by not littering, living peacefully together and not causing people grief or struggle for nothing, “Be kind to each other”. In closing Arora shares the transportation route she took when emigrating from India to Canada.

History: Interviewee biography: Maninder Arora was born in the northern part of Punjab, India. Her sister immigrated to Canada in 1974 after marrying a South Asian Canadian. In 1975, after her father died, her sister was able to bring her mother, her 11 year old brother and Maninder at 16 years of age. After arriving in British Columbia, they first lived with her sister and family before finding a place of their own. Maninder attended Vancouver Technical School and later David Thompson Secondary School and worked in a restaurant on weekends to help her family out. Maninder and her family were members of the Sikh community and attended Akali Singh Sikh Gurdwara on Fraser Street. Maninder left school in Grade 12 to work full time to help her family repay the debt that they owed for their immigration expenses. In the early 1980’s Maninder’s family moved to a house near Marine Drive and Ross Street that her mother was able to purchase. With the help of her sister, Maninder got work as a nurses’ aide at care homes and private hospitals which eventually led her to obtaining certification from Kwantlen College. Maninder married in 1986 and had two children while living in Richmond. Around 1992, she moved from Surrey to Burnaby to be closer to her sister and to provide as safer environment for her children. 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”. 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: Persons - South Asian Canadians; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Occupations; Occupations - Nurses; Migration

Names: Arora, Maninder

Responsibility: Malik, Anushay; Binks, James

Accession Code: BV022.29.6

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

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

Documents

2022_0029_0006_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Maninder Arora, [1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0006_003.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 Ellen and Bill Schwartz

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

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

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

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

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

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

1 image 1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

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

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

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

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

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

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

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

Responsibility: Damer, Eric

Accession Code: BV023.16.6

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

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

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Burnaby Lake Area

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

Images

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

Documents

2023_0016_0006_004

Audio Tracks

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

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

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

Interview with Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19603

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: 1967-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (93 min., 7 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (92 min., 57 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal, founders of Vancouver Sath conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. The interview is taking place at the Burnaby Village Museum's exhibit "Truths not Often Told: Being South Asian in…

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) (93 min., 7 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (92 min., 57 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: James Binks Interviewee: Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: May 29, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks:1:33:07 Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together into one track and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal, founders of Vancouver Sath conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks. The interview is taking place at the Burnaby Village Museum's exhibit "Truths not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby". The interview focuses on the history of "Vancouver Sath" as well as literary works created by Hundal and Binning and the Punjabi literary magazine "Watno Dur" and "Watan". 00:00 - 13:30 Interview opens with brief introductions and information on Sadhu Binning, Sukhwant Hundal and Vancouver Sath provided by the interviewer, James Binks. Interviewees Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal describe how they met and what they were focused on prior to the formation of the organization Vancouver Sath. Binning briefly describes how he became involved as a writer in the literary world and recalls how he published his first poem in an Indian literary magazine in 1972. Hundal describes how he immigrated to Canada from Punjab in 1975, the various industries that he worked in as a new immigrant and his interest in literature with a focus on social issues. Hundel describes how he developed a relationship with Sadhu Binning after his short story was published in "Watno Dur" literary magazine which in turn lead to his involvement with the Punjabi Literary Association and becoming co-editor of "Watnu Dur". 13:31 – 27:44 Hundal provides more background on his life as a South Asian immigrant, working in sawmills and completing a diploma in Power and Process Engineering and how he first became interested in literature while living in India. Binning and Hundal both share their insights into the formation of Vancouver Sath and provide details on their involvement with the Punjabi literary publication “Watnu Dur”. Binning describes how the inspiration for the formation of the Vancouver Sath organization came from India and that Binning, Hundal and some other members of the Punjabi Literary Association decided to form their own group where they could have more informal discussions around social, political and literary issues. 27:45 – 43:31 Binning describes how the political issues that were happening in Punjab between 1978 and 1983 influenced discussions in the South Asian community whereas prior to 1978 there was more focus on local issues that new immigrants were facing. Binning conveys how their work with Vancouver Sath endeavored to focus more on local issues and Hundal conveys how they made the decision to begin producing theatrical works rather than just written works to reach a wider audience. Hundal and Binning share names of the people that were involved with Vancouver Sath and describe some of the early plays that they performed. Binning describes the foundations of the organization where they worked together as a collective making decisions in producing and performing the works with Binning and Hundal taking on the responsibility for the written work. They talk about their first paid experience being invited to perform a few of their plays at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. 43:32 – 55:17 Hundal and Binning describe how they continued to support themselves financially since they weren’t making money from Vancouver Sath. Binning and Hundal provide further details on how their collective worked with the process of writing the plays and presenting and discussing details with the Vancouver Sath community before performing to an audience. Hundal talks about the transition that the magazine “Watno Dur” took in 1986 which lead to renaming it “Watan”. Hundal and Binning discuss how in 1992 and 1993 they decided to try to get more young people involved and began publishing a magazine in English called “Ankur”. They describe the content and list some of the authors who contributed to the magazine. 55:18 – 1:20:12 Hundal and Binning provide background details on the author of “Maluka”, Sadhu Singh Dhami and describe the details that lead them to translating the book into Punjabi, touring with the author and adapting the novel into a play which Vancouver Sath performed. Binning and Hundal describe and discuss other plays that Vancouver Sath performed including some plays that were recorded and broadcast over local radio stations. 1:20:13 – 1:32:57 Binning and Hundal reflect on what lead Vancouver Sath to discontinue theatrical performances in the mid 1990’s. Binning and Hundal state how they are both still very involved in publishing literary works but no longer perform theatrical works. Binning and Hundal describe some of their literary works and projects that they’ve been involved in and also reflect on and describe the current theatre scene in the South Asian community. Hundal conveys that even though they no longer call themselves “Vancouver Sath” they continue to enjoy working as a collective discussing literary works and ideas.

History: Interviewees' biographies: Dr. Sadhu Binning was born on May 10, 1947 to mother Gurmej Kaur and father Jeet Singh Binning. Due to lack of proper records management in India at the time of his birth, it is believed that he was actually born sometime in December of 1947. He grew up alongside two brothers and one sister in a village located in Kapurthala, Punjab. Dr. Binning attended secondary school in the nearby city of Phagwara, Punjab although he did not complete his education here. Throughout his childhood, he enjoyed reading both Punjabi and Hindi novels and learned how to read Urdu as well. Dr. Binning’s uncle, Dhana Singh immigrated to Canada in 1933 and returned to India in 1953. When Dhana Singh returned to Canada in 1957, he sponsored Dr. Binning’s father, Jeet Singh Binning to immigrate. Dhana Singh co-owned a few saw mills in British Columbia and also worked in the truck driving industry. Dr. Binning remembers that some people who had lived in Canada would visit their village and that they appeared to be strong and healthy and looked happy. He also noticed that they would eat meat, so whenever they would visit there would be meat available. In 1967, when he was nineteen and a half years old, Dr. Binning immigrated Canada to join his father. He recalls his father and uncle and a friend arriving at the airport to pick him up. During his first few days, Dr. Binning made the decision to remove his turban and beard upon receiving advice from his uncle. Dr. Binning first obtained work on a farm in Abbotsford, working alongside his mother. While working, Dr. Binning also attended English classes in Vancouver. Dr. Binning’s Uncle Dhana Singh worked in a Vancouver saw mill and tried to help find work for his nephew but was unsuccessful. Dr. Binning soon found work at a saw mill in Avola and worked there until the end of the summer until a friend helped find him work in a saw mill in North Vancouver. During his free time, he enjoyed camping with friends. In 1970, Dr. Binning left the saw mill after obtaining a job at the post office. The post office offered lower wages than working at the mill but Dr. Binning believed that he would become more educated working here. While working as a postman, Dr. Binning recalls facing a lot of discrimination and racism and was often referred to as a ‘Paki’ multiple times a day. In 1973, Dr. Binning married Jagish Sihota. Sadhu and Jagdish originated from nearby villages in India and met each other in Canada. Dr. Binning’s wife, Jagdish worked at the Royal Bank of Canada for thirty years until her retirement. While working, she also looked after the household and their son and daughter. Jagdish also handwrote a magazine, “Watno Dur" (English translation: ‘away from homeland’) which was distributed in the community. In 1976, Dr. Binning became the editor of the magazine and the name was later changed to “Watan’ as they had accepted their new homeland of Canada. While working at the post office, Dr. Binning also attended night school starting in eighth grade. After receiving his high school diploma, he was accepted to Simon Fraser University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Anthropology and Sociology and in 1986 he obtained a Masters degree from Simon Fraser University. While attending university, Dr. Binning was very active within the community and wanted to work to improve society. He first thought that he would return to India to contribute and improve rights in his homeland but upon seeing the prevalence of the movements in Canada, he realized that work needed to be done here too. In 1983, Dr. Binning became a founding member and contributor to a theatrical collective known as “Vancouver Sath”. The theatrical group produced plays that represented societal issues and were invited to perform at multiple conferences throughout British Columbia and Canada. The group focused and acknowledged the many issues in Punjab and in Canada. One of the plays that the group produced focused on the exploitation of Punjabi women who worked on farms in Canada. Dr. Binning continued to be involved as an integral member of Vancouver Sath until 1995. Over the years, Dr. Binning has strongly lobbied for Punjabi language education and between 1988 and 2008 he worked as Punjabi instructor at the University of British Columbia. He first worked as a teaching assistant at UBC under Dr. Harjot Oberoi and due to low wages, he simultaneously worked at the Post Office. In 2019, Dr. Binning received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from UBC in recognition of his work. Since 1973, Dr. Binning has lived in Burnaby and has resided in the same home that he and his wife purchased in 1987. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, watercolour painting, travelling abroad and going on road trips. Suhkwant Hundal is a founding member in the group known as Vancouver Sath and has spent a lot of time in Burnaby rehearsing and writing plays. Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal co-wrote the Vancouver Sath's first play, "Picket-Line" and many others. This play was staged in November 1984. He's authored and edited pieces for the various newsletters and magazines including "Watno Dur" and "Watan". Through the 1980's and early 1990's Hundal has been active in South Asian advocacy in Burnaby and the Lower Mainland. In his retirement years, Hundal has been a lecturer on Punjabi language at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Asian Studies. 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: Occupations - Writers; Organizations; Organizations - Unions; Migration; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Performances - Dramatic Performances; Social Issues; Social Issues - Discrimination; Social Issues - Racism

Names: Vancouver Sath; Binning, Dr. Sadhu; Hundal, Sukhwant; Dhami, Sadhu Singh; Pritam, Amrita; Rampuri, Gurcharan; Tut, Mukhan; Thobani, Sunera; Hoss Mushroom Farm; Deol, Jeevan; Dulai, Phinder; Dhillon, Sital; Bhangoo, Bhavna; Rai, Gurmail; Punjabi Lekhak Manch; Di Awaz, Samay; Johal, Balinder; Sara, Amanpal; United Farm Workers Union; Canadian Farmworkers Union

Responsibility: Binks, James

Accession Code: BV023.16.7

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: 1967-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcription available on request

Audio Tracks

Interview with Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal, 1967-2023 (interview content), interviewed 29 May 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0007_003.mp3

Interview with Jenny Siormanolakis

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19635

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1960-2023] (interview content), interviewed 26 Jul. 2023

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (87 min.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (86 min., 51 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Jenny (Eugenia) Siormanolakis conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks on July 26 2023. 00:00-12:02 Interview opens with introductions. Jenny Siormanolakis shares details about her parents Eugene and Europe Siormanola…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Many Voices Project Interviews subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 2 sound recordings (wav) (87 min.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (86 min., 51 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewer: James Binks Interviewee: Jenny (Eugenia) Siormanolakis Location of Interview: Prado Cafe, 4321 Still Creek Dr., Burnaby Interview Date: July 26, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:26:60 Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Ambient sound from cafe in background of interview

Scope and Content: Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Jenny (Eugenia) Siormanolakis conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks on July 26 2023. 00:00-12:02 Interview opens with introductions. Jenny Siormanolakis shares details about her parents Eugene and Europe Siormanolakis who were both born in Greece and immigrated to Vancouver. Jenny provides details about the history of Romana Pizza restaurant including; the restaurant partners, the various locations, her father’s work ethics of running the restaurant and the staff who worked there. Jenny provides details about her father's life, his ancestral background and family relations which lead him to immigrate to Vancouver. Jenny shares childhood memories of helping out in her parents’ restaurant and later working there. 12:03 – 26:41 Jenny describes various food dishes that have been on the menu of Romana Pizza and Steak House and Romana Pizza, how they've evolved over time, how her father learned to cook traditional Greek food and develop his own recipes and where he sourced his restaurant food supplies. Jenny conveys how they used social media to advertise the restaurant, describes the election pizza poll that Romana Pizza held during the federal and provincial elections and a baby poll that was held at the restaurant to guess the weight of her and her sister’s babies. 26:42 – 31:47 Jenny talks about her marriage and recollects how she got married in a civil ceremony at Romana Pizza. Jenny talks about her family life while her family was running the restaurant, their decision to sell the restaurant and describes the last days of running the restaurant. 31:48 – 46:33 Jenny conveys the background story of her business “Granpa J’s”. Jenny describes how her uncle Jimmy Voulides, created his own seasoning salt product and after he died in 2003, Jenny and her sister Nora purchased the business. Jenny describes how they developed their business, created new products, their struggles and how they became successful. Jenny describes how their products have been developed from family recipes and recalls how the actor Ryan Reynold’s helped their products become even more successful overnight. 46:34 – 55:38 Jenny talks about different community festivals and events that she’s been involved with including; Greek Day on Broadway (Vancouver) and the Hats Off Day event in North Burnaby. Jenny shares the background history of Greek Day in Vancouver and information about other Greek community events. Jenny talks about the importance of bringing the community together and the importance of knowing the history of your ancestors and where they came from. 55:39 - 1:04:35 Jenny talks about her involvement with the Greek community newspaper “Gnome” and provides details about; the former creator and editor Kostas Karatsikis, the newspaper's content, it's importance in the Greek community and the distribution. Jenny describes some of the articles that she’s written for the Gnome newspaper. 1:04:36 - 1:14:12 Jenny describes some pivotal moments that occurred over the years at Romana Pizza including; placing second in the Vancouver Sun newspaper contest for Best Pizza (1986) and having members of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team frequent their restaurant. Jenny conveys how the restaurant benefited from having a website and using social media as a marketing tools. 1:14:13 - 1:22:42 Jenny talks about her involvement with Kolanki Group West, Euro Find foods and her passion for Greek food and other European foods. Jenny describes some traditional Greek recipes, family recipes, talks about marketing Grandpa J's products and reflects on the menu of Romana Pizza. 1:22:43 - 1:26:51 Jenny reflects on the role of the Greek community, how food plays a roll, the future of the Greek community in Vancouver and Burnaby and the importance of engaging the younger generation. In closing Jenny provides a quote from an article that she wrote “Forgive the mistakes of the past, let it go and realize that we are all equals...”.

History: Interviewee biography: Eugenia "Jenny" Siormanolakis is the daughter of Eugene and Europe Siormanolakis. Jenny’s father, Eugene Siormanolakis immigrated to Canada from Greece in the late 1960’s and her mother Europe Siormanolakis immigrated in 1973. In April 1973, her father and five partners opened the restaurant “Romana Pizza and Steak House” (later renamed "Romana Pizza") located at 4660 Hastings Street in the Burnaby Heights neighbourhood. Jenny and her sister Eleanora Iliakis spent much of their childhood in the family owned restaurant and also worked at the restaurant as they become older. Jenny’s parents continued to own and operate the restaurant until 2014 when they decided to retire from the business. In 2004, an opportunity arose for Jenny and her sister Eleanora to buy their recently deceased uncle’s business Grandpa J’s Seasoning Inc. They launched their business of “Grandpa J’s” seasoning first selling to local restaurants and eventually adapted their product line to include other Greek seasoning products which they developed from their own recipes. They expanded their clientele to include retail outlets and in 2020, they got a boost to their sales when actor Ryan Reynolds promoted their seasoing product "Vancity Grind" on Instagram. Since launching their business they have been featured in many culinary and business publications and were nominated in 2022 as finalists for Product of the Year by BC Food and Beverage. Jenny is extremely passionate about food, her Greek heritage and is an advocate for food security for children and seniors and mental health. 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: Buildings - Commercial - Restaurants; Businesses; Elections; Foods; Migration; Occupations - Entrepreneurs; Persons - Greek Canadians

Names: Gnome Publications; Iliakis, Eleonara Siormanolakis; Karatsikis, Kostas "George"; Siormanolakis, Eugenia "Jenny"; Nikolaidis, "Eleni"; Nikolaidis, Stelios; Romana Pizza; Siormanolakis, Eugene; Siormanolakis, Europe; Voulides, Demetrios "Jimmy"

Responsibility: Binks, James

Geographic Access: Hastings Street

Street Address: 4660 Hastings Street

Accession Code: BV023.16.13

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1960-2023] (interview content), interviewed 26 Jul. 2023

Media Type: Sound Recording

Historic Neighbourhood: Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Burnaby Heights Area

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

Documents

2023_0016_0013_004

Audio Tracks

Interview with Jenny Siormanolakis, [1960-2023] (interview content), interviewed 26 Jul. 2023

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0013_003.mp3

Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19347

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (m4a) (118 min., 39 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (115 min., 20 sec.)

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill and their daughter, Prem Kaur Gill conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep. The interview is conducted in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. The three members of the Gill family share the…

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 (m4a) (118 min., 39 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (115 min., 20 sec.)

Material Details: Interviewers: Anushay Malik, Rajdeep Interviewees: Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill Location of Interview: Gill family residence on Warwick Avenue in Burnaby Interview Date: November 11, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (1:58:39) Digital master recording (m4a) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby

Scope and Content: Item consists of an oral history interview with Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill and their daughter, Prem Kaur Gill conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep. The interview is conducted in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. The three members of the Gill family share their ancestral background, their personal experiences immigrating to Canada, living in Burnaby and working in British Columbia as South Asian immigrants. 00:00 – 27:34 Santokh “Gurmail” Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill share their migration stories and experiences living and working in British Columbia as South Asian immigrants and their eldest child, Prem Kaur Gill shares her own experiences as a child of South Asian immigrants and growing up in British Columbia as a South Asian Canadian. Gurmail Singh Gill was born in the District of Jalandhar and Mohinder Kaur Gill was born in Hoshiapur of the Indian state of Punjab. Gurmail describes how he moved from India to England with his family in 1957, immigrated to Canada from England in 1966, married his wife Mohinder in England in 1968 and brought his family (parents and two siblings) to Canada from England in 1970 and other relatives including his wife’s family in the 1970s and 1980s. Mohinder and Gurmail Gill recollect their arranged marriage in England in 1968, their immigration process and explain how they arrived in Burnaby residing with a cousin at 4649 Georgia Street until they were able to purchase their own home after a few years. Gurmail shares names and connections to the relatives that came to British Columbia before him. Gurmail and Mohinder tell how they lived in the basement of the house and rented out the upper floor to save money. The couple recall what they brought with them when they immigrated to Canada and Mohinder Kaur Gill tells of how before leaving India, she and her mother made a special rajai for her to take with her. Mohinder describes the process of making a rajai (a quilted blanket that was made by hand). Gurmail and Mohinder Gill talk about the challenges that they’ve experienced as new immigrants including not being fluent in English, the cold weather and not having very many family or friends nearby to provide support. They attended the Gurdwara on Ross Street or Akali Singh Sikh Society Gurdwara on Skeena in Vancouver. They explain how there was limited access to grocery stores that supplied Punjabi and Indian spices and other cooking supplies. They talk about how they used a food mill and mortar and pestle to grind their own spices and flour and how Mohinder often made traditional sweets like barfi and laddo and pakoras using pea flour when they couldn’t get Besan flour. 27:35 – 36:11 Gurmail provides more details on his family’s immigration story, including names of relatives, how his six siblings and parents all immigrated to British Columbia in 1970 and how in the early 1970s and mid 1980’s Gurmail and his family sponsored approximately 70 friends and relations from India (including Mohinder’s family) to immigrate to Canada. When Mohinder’s family arrived they lived with them in their house until they were able to purchase property next door and build their own home. Children in the families all attended elementary and high school in Burnaby which now amounts to three generations. 36:12 – 59:28 Gurmail and Mohinder Gill talk about their experiences of racial discrimination. Gurmail recalls members of the South Asian community, Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma, Harinder Mahil and Charan Gill starting the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism. Gurmail tells of how he got involved contributing some of his union dues as a member of CAIMAW (Canadian Association of Industrial Mechanical and Allied Workers Union- Local 15) and as a friend of Charan Gill and Raj Chouhan of the Canadian Farm Workers Union. Gurmail Gill explains how he was a founding member of CAIMAW and treasurer until the union merged with the Canadian Auto Workers Union (in 1991). Mohinder and Gurmail tell of how people from the South Asian community were discouraged from wearing Punjabi dresses or head coverings for fear of being yelled at with racial slurs and how it was often scary to go outside. Many from their community often avoided attending the Akali Singh Gurdwara since a head covering was required and people were afraid of being a target. Gurmail provides details about his work with A1 Steel, how different unions were formed pertaining to various skillsets and jobs per company and how he became a member of CAIMAW Local 15 (foundry workers). Mohinder recollects her experiences as a mother, the daily tasks involved and friends that she made who’d also emigrated from Punjab. Mohinder describes how she designed and sewed many Punjabi dresses using her electric sewing machine and how she learned English by attending adult classes at a church on Commercial Drive. Mohinder and her mother attended the classes for two hours per day for six years at a cost of twelve dollars for ten weeks. Once Mohinder could speak a little English, she started working and was able to practice more. 59:29 – 1:06:08 Mohinder, Gurmail and Prem talk about some of their favourite traditional foods including corn roti and spinach curry and how they grow many of their own vegetables including peppers, eggplant, saag (spinach), onions, garlic, cilantro, zucchini, squash and fenugreek. Mohinder reflects on how access to Punjabi clothing and fabric stores in Vancouver has changed and that ready made food is now more available. Traditional foods were previously made from scratch with women gathering together and cooking for hours and now it’s gotten easier but more expensive and less of a community feel. 1:06:09- 1:55:20 Mohinder and Gurmail Gill discuss and share their perspectives and experiences on raising a family in the past versus today. Gurmail imparts that all of his siblings became educated and secured professional careers while he continued to work in the trades. Prem Kaur Gill shares her own experiences growing up and attending school in Burnaby. Gurmail and Mohinder Gill recall the type of suitcase that they brought with them when they immigrated and how they recently they got rid of it. Gurmail and the group reflect and discuss the confusion with racial identity terms that have been used in this country. They comment that South Asians were referred to as “Hindu” and “East Indian” and Indigenous peoples were referred to as “Indian” and the controversy and racism behind some of these terms. The group discusses the impact of the caste system and other discriminatory experiences and compare their experiences of living in England to living in Canada. Prem comments on how it’s just recently that South Asian customs, celebrations and practices have been recognized and celebrated here in Canada, like Diwali and yoga. They comment on how much of the language, culture and customs have been retained in Surrey where many can still communicate in Punjabi and don’t need to be fluent in English. The group discusses how many South Asians immigrants first lived and worked in Vancouver but with rising property prices many moved to Surrey expanding and establishing a much larger South Asian community with resources. The group discusses and compares the differing travel routes that many of them and their relatives took when immigrating and travelling between India and Canada. The group talks about Rajdeep’s ancestral village in India which is near the Gill village of Firozpur. Gurmail explains the origins and details behind his family name that was changed from “Shergill” to “Gill” and the name “Santokh” from his maternal side.

History: Interviewees' biographies: Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill was born in the District of Jalandhar in Punjab, India. Gurmail moved to England with his family in 1957 and immigrated to British Columbia in 1966. Gurmail married his wife, Mohinder Kaur Gill in England in 1968 and she immigrated to British Columbia from England soon after. Gurmail first lived with a cousin in Burnaby before purchasing a home of his own in Burnaby where he raised his family. Gurmail worked in the steel industry and was a member and treasurer of the CAIMAW before the union merged with the Canadian Auto Workers Union. Mohinder Kaur Gill was born in the Hoshiapur in Punjab, India. She married her husband Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill in England in 1968 and immigrated to Burnaby, British Columbia to join her husband. Mohinder and Gurmail Gill have four children, all born in Burnaby. Prem Kaur Gill was born in Burnaby in 1969 and is the eldest child of Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill. Prem grew up and attended school in Burnaby. 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: Clothing; Foods; Indigenous peoples; Buildings - Religious - Temples; Food Processing Tools and Equipment; Persons - South Asian Canadians; Social Issues; Social Issues - Racism; Migration; Occupations; Organizations - Unions

Names: Gill, Prem Kaur; Gill, Mohinder Kaur; Gill, Santokh "Gurmail" Singh

Responsibility: Rajdeep; Malik, Anushay

Accession Code: BV022.29.2

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022

Media Type: Sound Recording

Notes: Title based on contents of item; Transcript available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum; Indian Family System Reference notes: Baba = informal way to say grandfather; old man Bibi = informal way to say grandmother; old woman Dada= paternal grandfather Dadi= paternal grandmother Dadke= paternal family members; paternal side (Various spellings might exist for the following terms) Thaiyya= father’s elder brother (uncle) Thaiyyi= father’s elder brother’s wife (aunt) Chacha= father’s younger brother (uncle) Chachi= father’s younger brother’s wife (aunt) Bua= father’s sister (older or younger) (aunt) Phuphar= father’s sister’s husband (uncle) Nana= maternal grandfather Nani= maternal grandmother Nanke/nanka= maternal family members; maternal side Mama= mom’s brother (older or younger) (uncle) Mami= mom’s brother’s wife (aunt) Maasi= mom’s sister (older or younger) (aunt) Maasard= mom’s sister’s husband (uncle)

Audio Tracks

Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0002_002.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 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

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4370

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:12 min)

Scope and Content: Track 1: This portion of the recording pertains to Janet White’s school years and the activities and sports she participated in, formally and informally. She lived near 6th and Edmonds St., and then in the Cascades area, by Nithsdale St., and attended Schou Elementary. She attended many schools as …

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:12 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 1: This portion of the recording pertains to Janet White’s school years and the activities and sports she participated in, formally and informally. She lived near 6th and Edmonds St., and then in the Cascades area, by Nithsdale St., and attended Schou Elementary. She attended many schools as soon as they were built, attending Gilmore Avenue, then Cascade Heights, Alpha Junior High, Moscrop Secondary, and finally Burnaby Central Secondary. Play was unstructured, with the Cascades bush and the tunnel parallel to and going under Smith Avenue being favourite places to play.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Buildings - Schools; Sports; Recreational Activities

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet; Schou Street School; Gilmore Avenue School; Cascade Heights Elementary School; Alpha Secondary School; Moscrop Secondary School; Burnaby Central Secondary School

Geographic Access: 6th Street; Edmonds Street

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Planning Study Area: Cascade-Schou Area

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 1, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_001.mp3

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4468

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:04:14 min)

Scope and Content: Track 2: This portion of the recording pertains to childhood responsibilities, chores, and early jobs, and the growth of Burnaby as experienced by a child. Janet describes her chores, and her first jobs at the PNE, Sears, and Super Value. She discusses how she used her allowance and employment inco…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:04:14 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 2: This portion of the recording pertains to childhood responsibilities, chores, and early jobs, and the growth of Burnaby as experienced by a child. Janet describes her chores, and her first jobs at the PNE, Sears, and Super Value. She discusses how she used her allowance and employment incomes.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial; Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores; Buildings - Commercial - Stores

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 2, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_002.mp3

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4469

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:37 min)

Scope and Content: Track 3: This portion of the recording pertains to household living arrangements, toys and games, and organized youth activities. Janet describes attending a new United Church, involvement in Canadian Girls in Training, Job’s Daughters, and Girl Guides.

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:37 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 3: This portion of the recording pertains to household living arrangements, toys and games, and organized youth activities. Janet describes attending a new United Church, involvement in Canadian Girls in Training, Job’s Daughters, and Girl Guides.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Organizations - Girls' Societies and Clubs

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 3, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_003.mp3

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4470

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:02:40 min)

Scope and Content: Track 4: This portion of the recording pertains to school activities and sports, and lunch hour recreation. Janet describes her group of friends, and the streaming of students into vocational or academic studies.

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:02:40 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 4: This portion of the recording pertains to school activities and sports, and lunch hour recreation. Janet describes her group of friends, and the streaming of students into vocational or academic studies.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Education; Sports

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 4, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_004.mp3

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4471

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:39 min)

Scope and Content: Track 5: This portion of the recording pertains to restrictions on children and youth of the time, and where children played. Janet describes her curfews, and the where she wasn’t supposed to play. She describes sneaking into the Cascades Drive-In with friends. As a teenager, she went to Hazel’s Ca…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:39 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 5: This portion of the recording pertains to restrictions on children and youth of the time, and where children played. Janet describes her curfews, and the where she wasn’t supposed to play. She describes sneaking into the Cascades Drive-In with friends. As a teenager, she went to Hazel’s Café on Sunset where high school students and “drop-outs” mixed. Janet remarks on the lack of racial diversity in the part of Burnaby she lived in at that time.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial - Drive-in Theatres

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 5, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_005.mp3

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4472

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:04:13 min)

Scope and Content: Track 6: This portion of the recording pertains to Janet’s best and worst memories of her youth. Janet’s best memory is of the freedom of children of the time. She describes sleepovers as a teenager, and the arrival of the first television on the block, noting that outdoor play declined when childr…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:04:13 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 6: This portion of the recording pertains to Janet’s best and worst memories of her youth. Janet’s best memory is of the freedom of children of the time. She describes sleepovers as a teenager, and the arrival of the first television on the block, noting that outdoor play declined when children stayed in to watch television. Janet’s worst memory is of the murder of a classmate’s siblings by their parents.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 6, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_006.mp3

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 7

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4473

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:25 min)

Scope and Content: Track 7: This portion of the recording pertains to changes in Burnaby since Janet’s childhood, and her continuing connection to the community and its values. She also describes her family’s shopping routines from the 1940s and 1950s, which centred on the Super Value at Canada Way and Smith St., and…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:25 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 7: This portion of the recording pertains to changes in Burnaby since Janet’s childhood, and her continuing connection to the community and its values. She also describes her family’s shopping routines from the 1940s and 1950s, which centred on the Super Value at Canada Way and Smith St., and the Hudson’s Bay store downtown. When Woodward’s and Sears opened, the family also shopped there occasionally.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Buildings - Commercial - Stores; Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet

Geographic Access: Canada Way; Smith Avenue

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 7, [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_007.mp3

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 8

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4474

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:06:28 min)

Scope and Content: Track 8: This portion of the recording pertains to socializing in Janet’s later teen years. She talks about dances at Lochdale Community Hall and Capitol Hill Community Hall, and informal gatherings in homes. She describes the attitudes and practices related to drinking and smoking at that time. Ja…

1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: Growing Up in Burnaby subseries

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:06:28 min)

Material Details: Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34

Scope and Content: Track 8: This portion of the recording pertains to socializing in Janet’s later teen years. She talks about dances at Lochdale Community Hall and Capitol Hill Community Hall, and informal gatherings in homes. She describes the attitudes and practices related to drinking and smoking at that time. Janet also talks about the transportation options for young people, her parents’ occupations, and her memories of the Fraser River flood.

History: Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.

Creator: Burnaby Village Museum

Subjects: Natural Phenomena - Floods

Names: Gooden, Tom; White, Janet; Lochdale Community Hall; Capitol Hill Community Hall

Accession Code: BV017.45.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Date: [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

Media Type: Sound Recording

Audio Tracks

Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 8, [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_008.mp3

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