Narrow Results By
Subject
- Agriculture 1
- Agriculture - Farms 2
- Arts 1
- Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores 1
- Buildings - Commercial - Restaurants 3
- Buildings - Commercial - Service Stations 1
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills 1
- Buildings - Religious - Monasteries 1
- Buildings - Religious - Mosques 1
- Businesses 1
- Cemeteries 2
- Ceremonies - Funerals 1
Family and political photograph album
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3654
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1914-1977
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 85 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 85 photographs, including both personal and work-related subjects such as the Winch family and homes, and Winch's political work and travels. Also included are some textual records relating to Winch's political work.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 85 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 85 photographs, including both personal and work-related subjects such as the Winch family and homes, and Winch's political work and travels. Also included are some textual records relating to Winch's political work.
- Names
- Winch, Harold Edward
- Winch, Linda Marian Hendy
- Winch, Grace
- Winch, Eileen
- Winch, Ernest "Ernie"
- Winch, Eric
- Co-operative Commonwealth Federation "CCF"
- New Democratic Party
- Douglas, Tommy
- MacInnis, Grace
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.11
- Date
- 1914-1977
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- A selection of photographs from scrapbook have been described at item level (BV013.12.36 to BV015.35.117)
Images
Documents
![Political photograph album, [193-], 1970-1977 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2013/2013_0012_0012_001.jpg?width=280)
Political photograph album
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3655
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [193-], 1970-1977
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 100 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 100 photographs, including primarily work-related subjects such as Winch's political work and travels.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 100 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 100 photographs, including primarily work-related subjects such as Winch's political work and travels.
- Names
- Winch, Harold Edward
- MacInnis, Grace
- Winch, Ernest "Ernie"
- Co-operative Commonwealth Federation "CCF"
- New Democratic Party
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.12
- Date
- [193-], 1970-1977
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
![Political photograph album, [193-], 1970-1977 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2013/2013_0012_0012_001.jpg)
Documents
Family photograph album
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3656
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1972-1979
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 60 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 60 photographs, including primarily personal subjects such as family vacations and events, as well as a few photographs relating to Winch's political travels.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 60 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 60 photographs, including primarily personal subjects such as family vacations and events, as well as a few photographs relating to Winch's political travels.
- Names
- Winch, Harold Edward
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.13
- Date
- 1972-1979
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Images
Documents
Personal and political photograph album
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3657
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1972-1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 100 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 100 photographs and ephemera, including both personal and work-related subjects such as cards from Harold and Jessie Winch's wedding, family vacations, newspaper clippings, and records relating to Winch's political career.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 100 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 100 photographs and ephemera, including both personal and work-related subjects such as cards from Harold and Jessie Winch's wedding, family vacations, newspaper clippings, and records relating to Winch's political career.
- Subjects
- Government - Federal Government
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.14
- Date
- 1972-1986
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph album
Images
Documents
Personal photograph album
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3658
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1983-1987
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 100 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 100 photographs relating to a family vacation to Tahiti, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (ca. 100 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album containing ca. 100 photographs relating to a family vacation to Tahiti, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji.
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.15
- Date
- 1983-1987
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Documents
Gift album from Israeli government
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3661
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1959
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (180 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album received from the Israeli government by Harold as a member of a Canadian Parliamentary delegation visiting Israel in 1959, containing ca. 180 photographs, newspaper clippings, stamps, brochures, and other ephemera relating to Israel and the delegates' visit. The album is …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold Edward Winch collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (180 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item is a photograph album received from the Israeli government by Harold as a member of a Canadian Parliamentary delegation visiting Israel in 1959, containing ca. 180 photographs, newspaper clippings, stamps, brochures, and other ephemera relating to Israel and the delegates' visit. The album is signed by the Speaker of the Knesset (the Israeli legislature).
- Subjects
- Government - Federal Government
- Names
- Winch, Harold Edward
- Accession Code
- BV013.12.18
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- 1959
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Documents
Parker Carousel Volume I
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4555
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1989-2004
- Collection/Fonds
- Keith Jamieson fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (4 photographs + textual records + ephemera)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of one of three scrapbooks titled, "Parker Carousel Volume 1- Saving and Restoring the C.W. Parker Carousel no. 119". The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, newsletters and original photographs documenting "The Friends of the Carousel" fundraising endeavours as we…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Keith Jamieson fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (4 photographs + textual records + ephemera)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of one of three scrapbooks titled, "Parker Carousel Volume 1- Saving and Restoring the C.W. Parker Carousel no. 119". The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, newsletters and original photographs documenting "The Friends of the Carousel" fundraising endeavours as well as the restoration and installation of the C.W. Parker carouselno. 119. The carousel was rescued from the PNE and re-installed at the Burnaby Village Museum.
- Subjects
- Recreational Devices - Carousels
- Names
- Lower Mainland Association of the Friends of the Vancouver Carousel
- Jamieson, Keith
- Jamieson, Pat
- Pacific National Exhibition (PNE)
- C.W. Parker no. 119 Carousel
- Accession Code
- BV015.41.1
- Date
- 1989-2004
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Arrangement
- Scrapbooks were arranged by Keith and Pat Jamieson before donation.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Images
Documents
![Parker Carousel Volume II, [1989-1993] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2015/2015_0041_0002_001.jpg?width=280)
Parker Carousel Volume II
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4556
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1989-1993]
- Collection/Fonds
- Keith Jamieson fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (169 photographs + textual records + ephemera)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of one of three scrapbooks and is titled, "Parker Carousel Volume II- Product Endorsements, Advertisements, Etc". The scrapbook includes a wide array of photographs documenting "The Friends of the Carousel" fundraising endeavours as well as a detailed account of the transport, restor…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Keith Jamieson fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 album (169 photographs + textual records + ephemera)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of one of three scrapbooks and is titled, "Parker Carousel Volume II- Product Endorsements, Advertisements, Etc". The scrapbook includes a wide array of photographs documenting "The Friends of the Carousel" fundraising endeavours as well as a detailed account of the transport, restoration, installation and ground breaking ceremony of the carousel prior to it's opening at the Burnaby Village Museum.
- Subjects
- Recreational Devices - Carousels
- Names
- Lower Mainland Association of the Friends of the Vancouver Carousel
- Jamieson, Keith
- Jamieson, Pat
- C.W. Parker no. 119 Carousel
- Accession Code
- BV015.41.2
- Date
- [1989-1993]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Arrangement
- Scrapbooks were arranged by Keith and Pat Jamieson before donation.
- Notes
- Transcribed title
Images
![Parker Carousel Volume II, [1989-1993] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2015/2015_0041_0002_001.jpg)
Documents
![Parker Carousel Volume III, [1989-1993] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2015/2015_0041_0003_001.jpg?width=280)
Parker Carousel Volume III
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4557
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1989-1993]
- Collection/Fonds
- Keith Jamieson fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 scrapbook (172 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of one of three scrapbooks and is titled, "Parker Carousel Volume III- The Story in Photographs Continues". The scrapbook is a photograph album providing a detailed account regarding the restoration (before and after) and reassembly of the Parker no. 119 carousel.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Keith Jamieson fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 scrapbook (172 photographs)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of one of three scrapbooks and is titled, "Parker Carousel Volume III- The Story in Photographs Continues". The scrapbook is a photograph album providing a detailed account regarding the restoration (before and after) and reassembly of the Parker no. 119 carousel.
- Subjects
- Recreational Devices - Carousels
- Names
- Lower Mainland Association of the Friends of the Vancouver Carousel
- Jamieson, Keith
- Jamieson, Pat
- C.W. Parker no. 119 Carousel
- Accession Code
- BV015.41.3
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [1989-1993]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Arrangement
- Scrapbooks were arranged by Keith and Pat Jamieson before donation.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Images
![Parker Carousel Volume III, [1989-1993] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2015/2015_0041_0003_001.jpg)
Documents
![The Way it was, [1988] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Textual_Records/2016/2016_0046_0050_002.jpg?width=280)
The Way it was
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4616
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1988]
- Collection/Fonds
- Waplington family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- Textual record : 65 p. + illustrations
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an unpublished manuscript handwritten and drawn by Frances L. Flemming (nee Waplington), titled "The Way it Was - a very personal account of my childhood 1913-1925" ,"The true and painful history of the Waplington family on which the story of "Lizzie Lau / Wallingford" is based."
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Waplington family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- Textual record : 65 p. + illustrations
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an unpublished manuscript handwritten and drawn by Frances L. Flemming (nee Waplington), titled "The Way it Was - a very personal account of my childhood 1913-1925" ,"The true and painful history of the Waplington family on which the story of "Lizzie Lau / Wallingford" is based."
- Other Title Information
- title continued..."a very personal account of my childhood / 1913-1925"
- Accession Code
- BV016.46.50
- Access Restriction
- Restricted access
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproductions subject to FIPPA
- Date
- [1988]
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Related Material
- See also Pioneer Tales pages 337-340
- Notes
- Transcribed title
- An excerpt (pages 52-59) of this manuscript regarding Frances Fleming Waplington's childhood memories of growing up in Burnaby has been made available as a pdf. Contact Burnaby Village Museum to view the Manuscript in it's entirety.
Images
![The Way it was, [1988] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Textual_Records/2016/2016_0046_0050_002.jpg)
Documents
![In and Out of a Cedar Shake Shack, [ca. 2000] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Textual_Records/2016/2016_0046_0051_002.jpg?width=280)
In and Out of a Cedar Shake Shack
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4617
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [ca. 2000]
- Collection/Fonds
- Waplington family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 manuscript : 200 pages
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a copy of an unpublished manuscript titled "In and Out of a Cedar Shake Shack The life of a little girl from World War I to Canada's Diamond Jubilee" written by Frances L. Fleming (nee Waplington).
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Waplington family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 manuscript : 200 pages
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a copy of an unpublished manuscript titled "In and Out of a Cedar Shake Shack The life of a little girl from World War I to Canada's Diamond Jubilee" written by Frances L. Fleming (nee Waplington).
- Other Title Information
- Title continues:... The life of a little girl from World War I to Canada's Diamond Jubilee
- Accession Code
- BV016.46.51
- Access Restriction
- Restricted access
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproductions subject to FIPPA
- Date
- [ca. 2000]
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Transcribed title
- Experts from this manuscript (pages 113-126) “Christmas Time” and “The Fire Brigade”. have been made available as a pdf. Contact Burnaby Village Museum to view the Manuscript in it's entirety.
Images
![In and Out of a Cedar Shake Shack, [ca. 2000] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Textual_Records/2016/2016_0046_0051_002.jpg)
Documents
![Indexed guide map of the City of Vancouver and suburbs, [1920] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Cartographic_Material/1975/1975_0061_0013_001.jpg?width=280)
Indexed guide map of the City of Vancouver and suburbs
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription8678
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1920]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Map collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 map + textual record : col. lithographic print on paper ; 51.5 x 71 cm folded to 21 x 10 cm
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a fold out map entitled "Indexed Guide Map of Vancouver and Suburbs" with index. Map includes concentric circles raditating out from Vancouver City Hall on corner of Hastings Street and Main Street; electric railways are indicated by heavy red lines in centres of streets. Includes …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Map collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 map + textual record : col. lithographic print on paper ; 51.5 x 71 cm folded to 21 x 10 cm
- Material Details
- Scale [1:47520]
- Index on 4 pages within cardstock cover with advertisements on verso
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a fold out map entitled "Indexed Guide Map of Vancouver and Suburbs" with index. Map includes concentric circles raditating out from Vancouver City Hall on corner of Hastings Street and Main Street; electric railways are indicated by heavy red lines in centres of streets. Includes old and new street names. Index includes a District Lot Index and Street Index.
- Publisher
- Vancouver Map and Blue Print Company
- Accession Code
- HV975.61.13
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1920]
- Media Type
- Cartographic Material
- Textual Record
- Publisher Series
- 6th edition revised June 1920
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 2023-11-10
- Notes
- Title based on contents of map
- Cover of booklet reads: "INDEXED / Guide Map / of the CITY of / VANCOUVER / and / SUBURBS / Compiled and Published by / The Vancouver Map & Blue Print Co. / ...."INTERNATIONAL / BOOK SHOP / Cor. Columbia and Hastings Sts._Vancouver, B.C.".
Documents
Zoomable Images
![Indexed guide map of the City of Vancouver and suburbs, [1920] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Cartographic_Material/1975/1975_0061_0013_002_seadragon/1975_0061_0013_002.jpg?w=280)
Indexed guide map of the city of Vancouver and Suburbs
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription8694
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1914
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Map collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 map + textual record : col. lithographic print on paper ; 55 x 78 cm on sheet 58.5 x 82 cm folded to 20 x 10 cm
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a map "Indexed Guide Map of the City of Vancouver and Suburbs compiled and published by The Vancouver Map and Blueprint Co. Ltd. Map shows district lots, blocks and boundaries between City of Vancouver, Point Grey, South Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and parts of Richmond, No…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Map collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 map + textual record : col. lithographic print on paper ; 55 x 78 cm on sheet 58.5 x 82 cm folded to 20 x 10 cm
- Material Details
- Scale not defined
- Map is folded into booklet form
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a map "Indexed Guide Map of the City of Vancouver and Suburbs compiled and published by The Vancouver Map and Blueprint Co. Ltd. Map shows district lots, blocks and boundaries between City of Vancouver, Point Grey, South Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and parts of Richmond, North Vancouver and West Vancouver. Concentric cirlces indicate the distance in miles from the intersection of Main Street and Hastings Street, Vancouver in intervals of 1/2 mile. Map is folded into booklet form and includes a four page index with cardstock cover. Index page 1 is titled "Hotels"; page 2 is titled "District Lot Index"; pages 3-8 "Street Index".
- Publisher
- Vancouver Map and Blueprint Company Limited
- Edition
- 5th Edition revised to June 1914
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Accession Code
- HV983.9.18
- Date
- 1914
- Media Type
- Cartographic Material
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 2023-08-17
- Notes
- Transcribed title from map and cover
- Sticker adhered to front cover of index of two lions "Service / "WE GIVE IT" / WESTERN SPECIALTY / LIMITED/ STATIONERS AND PRINTERS / VANCOUVER - B.C."
Documents
Zoomable Images
Letter to Mrs Fowler from Olave Baden-Powell
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription14279
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- Nov. 5, 1961
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Girl Guides fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 p. of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a one page typewritten letter dated November 5, 1961 to Mrs. Fowler from Olave Baden-Powell.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Girl Guides fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 p. of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a one page typewritten letter dated November 5, 1961 to Mrs. Fowler from Olave Baden-Powell.
- Accession Code
- BV015.35.347
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- Nov. 5, 1961
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- January 6, 2021
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Transcribed title
- Typewritten history is a part of scrapbook "Burnaby Girl Guides. -- [1914]-1969, predominant ca. 1920" (BV015.35.164)
Documents
Pilot's flying log book
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15039
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1939-1940
- Collection/Fonds
- Elmer Wilson Martin fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 book
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a Royal Canadian Air Force, Pilot's Flying Log Book belonging to Elmer Wilson Martin (Can. C522). Book contains entries between June 29 and December 23, 1939 and January 13 and July 31, 1940 and Sept. 1940. Pilot training took place at Camp Borden where training for pilots, navigat…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Elmer Wilson Martin fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 book
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a Royal Canadian Air Force, Pilot's Flying Log Book belonging to Elmer Wilson Martin (Can. C522). Book contains entries between June 29 and December 23, 1939 and January 13 and July 31, 1940 and Sept. 1940. Pilot training took place at Camp Borden where training for pilots, navigators, air gunners, air bombers and flight engineers for the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces. According to the log book, Elmer Martin was trained on various aircraft at this location. Canadian Forces Base Borden is located in Ontario.
- Accession Code
- BV019.37.10
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- 1939-1940
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- February 4, 2021
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Images
Documents
Japanese bath house (Ofuro) for Heritage Village
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription17075
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- Oct. 27 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Century Park Museum Association fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 p.
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a typewritten copy of a letter written by Heritage Village Museum curator, John Adams regarding the proposed Japanese Bath House or Ofuro at Heritage Village.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Century Park Museum Association fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 p.
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a typewritten copy of a letter written by Heritage Village Museum curator, John Adams regarding the proposed Japanese Bath House or Ofuro at Heritage Village.
- Names
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV011.50.18
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- Oct. 27 1976
- Media Type
- Textual Record
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Documents
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19348
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 56 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 57 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. The interview opens with introductions and how the content of the interview can be drawn on by Burnaby Village Museum for future …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 3 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 56 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 57 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Co Interviewer and technical support: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Dr. Sadhu Binning Location of Interview: Love farmhouse at Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: November 25, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 3 Total Length of all Tracks: (1:15:57) Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto three separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of an oral history interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. The interview opens with introductions and how the content of the interview can be drawn on by Burnaby Village Museum for future exhibits and for researchers to learn more about the history of the South Asian community in Burnaby. During the interview, Dr. Binning shares his ancestral background along with his relatives' and his own personal experiences as a South Asian immigrant living and working in British Columbia and Burnaby. Dr. Binning conveys that he’s a Burnaby resident who’s lived in Burnaby since 1973 and that his children were born here. Binning shares his ancestral heritage beginning with his uncle Dhana Singh who emigrated from Punjab to British Columbia in 1931 and began working in the forest industry. He explains how Dhana Singh and another partner owned, operated and worked in small sawmills in the vicinity of Kamloops, Williams Lake and also on Vancouver Island. Binning conveys that in the beginning Dhana Singh and many other South Asian immigrants were not legal residents until 1938. In 1938, about 350 South Asian immigrants (mainly Punjabi) gathered resources to hire a lawyer to obtain permanent residency. Binning mentions that one of the notable South Asians in the group who was also a close friend of his uncle, was Darshan Singh Sangha, a trade unionist who was a founding member of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) union and an active member of the Communist Party of Canada. Binning conveys how Darshan Singh Sangha returned to India in 1947 to be a part of the revolution, how he was very active in the communist movement in India. While in India, Darshan Singh Sangha, was known as Canadian and thereby adopted “Canadian” as his surname, becoming “Darshan Singh Canadian”. Binning further explains that his uncle Dhana Singh Sangha returned to India in 1951, married and came back to B.C. in 1957 bringing with him, his wife and children. In 1960, with the support of his uncle, Binning’s father, Jit Singh Binning immigrated to British Columbia and began working in sawmills in the lower mainland, Kamloops, Quesnel and on Vancouver Island. Binning clarifies that his uncle, Dhana Singh was able to immigrate to Canada with the support of his cousins from the Tarker Singh Bains family. Binning further describes Darshan Singh Sangha’s involvement with the Communist party and the IWA and how the majority of the members were from the forest industry. As an active and prominent member of the labour movement, Darshan Singh Sangha fought for the rights of South Asians and Chinese who working in the industry and facing racism, unfair wages and discriminatory practices. Binning describes how Darshan Singh Sangha wrote a book in English in 1943, titled “Rise of the New Asia”. Binning conveys how immigrants of Chinese and South Asian decent didn’t have the right to vote in British Columbia and how Darshan Singh Sangha was instrumental in obtaining the right to vote in British Columbia, although he was never given the credit. Binning describes his uncle Dhana Singh as a likeable guy with many friends, first living in Kamloops before moving to Vancouver. Binning imparts how the sport of wrestling is a popular Punjabi sport along with Punjabi kabaddi. He conveys that his uncle became involved in wrestling while working in sawmills. South Asian immigrants had to do physical labour working in sawmills, the work could be tough and could often lead to physical fights. A number of South Asian immigrants working in the mills already had experience as wrestlers from back home. Dhana Singh later left the lumber industry to work in the agriculture sector. Binning explains how immigration rules changed in the 1960s which lead to larger numbers of South Asians immigrating to Canada. Many of these new immigrants were educated and politically conscious. All of these new immigrants faced racism but being politically conscious from an independent India and with the ability to speak English they organized themselves to fight for their rights. Binning imagines the items that his uncle and his father may have brought with them in their suitcase when immigrating to Canada. Binning describes three items, including a rajai (a blanket with cotton inside that is sewn together), a bistra (small attaché case or trunk) and a piece of cloth to lie on. Binning further describes the roles in Indian society as caste divisions and that it was usually women’s work in making the rajais. Binning recollects the locations that his father and his family lived after coming to Vancouver. Binning explains that a few years after living together in Vancouver, he and his family moved to Burnaby in 1973 to be closer to his Dr. Binning’s wife, Jagdish Binning’s family. Dr. Binning and family lived in a house in Burnaby located on Irmin Street near Royal Oak between 1973 and 1987. While living at this house their children attended McPherson Park Junior High School and later Burnaby South Secondary School. Binning reflects on some of the racism that he and his family have faced while living in Burnaby which led him to write a poem that he published in 1994 titled “No More Watno Dur”. Binning explains the meaning of the title “Watan” meaning “country and everybody” “a country far way from the motherland”. Binning explains the origins of the magazine “Watan” that was started by a friend in 1973. The magazine got its roots in Vancouver in 1973 from an organization called the “Punjabi Literary Association”. Binning became the editor of the magazine in 1976 and his friend joined him as assistant editor in 1978. Binning continued to work as editor until 1983 or 1984 when he returned to school to complete his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree. Binning describes the origins of the “Vancouver Sath” that was formed by a small group of South Asians around 1982. Binning was a founding member of the organization and held meetings and rehearsals at his house in Burnaby. Vancouver Sath first started out as an informal discussion forum by a group of politically conscious Punjabi writers and activists. Binning talks about issues and problems that Vancouver Sath addressed including; racism as well as domestic violence in the South Asian community. Binning explains how he and Sukhwant Hundal wrote articles on these issues and others that were happening in the South Asian community in Canada. Binning talks about how in 1983, the group was inspired to begin performing theatrical works after consulting with Gursharan Singh who was from a well known theatrical group from Punjab who were performing in Vancouver. In the beginning the Vancouver Sath’s plays were focused on the problems in Punjab but they soon decided to address social issues in their own South Asian community here in Canada. Binning summarizes and draws attention to, some of the plays that Vancouver Sath has written and performed including; “Picket Line”, about Punjabi women farmworkers’ rights; “Lattan de Bhoot”, about domestic abuse; “A Crop of Poison”; “Kihda Viah” (English translation- “Whose Marriage”) about arranged marriage and others about social issues in the South Asian community. The plays were performed in public schools and community centres in Vancouver and Richmond, Simon Fraser University and some were also performed in Toronto, Calgary and Williams Lake. Binning mentions some of the traditional foods that he likes to eat and where he and his family have shopped to find ingredients. He recalls how his mother, Gurmaje Kaur Binning did all of the cooking and was often cooking all day long. In the sixties, the Binning family address on 13th Avenue in Vancouver was also used as a postal address for many friends and family who’d recently immigrated. When these friends dropped by to pick up their mail, his mother often provided them with tea and food. After Binning and his wife, Jagdish moved to their own home in 1973, he shared in some of the shopping and cooking but his wife did the majority of the work due to his busy schedule. The interview closes with Binning providing an explanation of how “Watno Dur” magazine changed it’s name to “Watan” magazine. Binning reflects on how this came to be, when he made the decision to get an education in Canada and to stay here, not just as a “Canadian” but as a “Punjabi Canadian.
- History
- Interviewee biography: 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 Jagdish purchased in 1987. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, watercolour painting, travelling abroad and going on road trips. Interviewer biography: 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”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Industries - Logging/lumber
- Industries - Forestry
- Foods
- Migration
- Organizations - Societies and Clubs
- Organizations - Unions
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Performances
- Performances - Dramatic Performances
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Names
- Binning, Dr. Sadhu
- Binning, Gurmaje Kaur
- Binning, Jit Singh
- Binning, Jagdish
- Sangha, Darshan Singh
- Canadian Farmworkers Union
- Hundal, Sukhwant
- Sangra, Harjinder
- Singh, Dhana
- Vancouver Sath
- Responsibility
- Petrusa, Kate
- Malik, Anushay
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning, [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
Interview with Dr. Sadhu Binning, [1931-2022] (interview content), interviewed 25 Nov. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0003_004.mp3Interview 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…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- 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
Audio Tracks
Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022
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.mp3Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19350
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Interviewee: Surjeet Kaur Parmar Language of Interview: Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi Location of Interview: home of Surjeet Kaur Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: December 6, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of tracks: (1:15:32) 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 Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and Canada, her personal experiences and her ancestors’ stories as South Asian immigrants, reflections on and personal experiences of racial discrimination as a South Asian immigrant, her places of residence, her employment background, her cultural practices and traditions including food, clothing and craft. The interview begins with introductions from interviewer Anushay Mailik. Surjeet Kaur Parmar imparts her own family’s migration story beginning with her very first elders that immigrated to Canada from India. A relative (unnamed) immigrated to Canada first and a few years later (around 1905) returned to India and brought back three cousins that included; Ginaya Singh (Ghania Singh Manhas) and Doman Singh . Mayo Singh (Ghania Singh’s younger brother) came in 1906 on his own to join them. Surjeet’s grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) also wanted to immigrate at this time, but he was too young and weak to manage such a long trip. Surjeet conveys that while living in British Columbia, Mayo and Ginaya Singh worked together at saw mills. With their knowledge and understanding of mill work they ended up owning and operating a mill in Paldi near Duncan on Vancouver Island. At this time, most of the men from Surjeet’s family region in Punjab were abroad and with no men living at home. Mayo Singh’s father (Bhulla Singh) looked after her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) and paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh Manhas) back in Punjab. When Mayo’s father died, Mayo Singh adopted her paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh) and brought him to Canada in 1926. Surjeet describes her ancestors’ immigration journey from India to Canada. They all travelled by ship and if someone ran out of money en route, they could work on the ship. Surjeet explains that both Mayo and Ginaya Singh are Surjeet’s grandfather’s first cousins and her father’s second cousins. Surjeet recollects her grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) saying “now that you’ve arrived there, take one cousin from each side with you”. Surjeet explains that the cousins were all from the same village in Punjab and her great grandfather wanted someone to go abroad, so he sent a few and had them bring more as the years went on. Surjeet says that she’s uncertain as to why they chose Canada rather than America but thinks that they did some form of research and determined that it was a good place to come to. Surjeet admits that she doesn’t know the name of her paternal grandfather or other elders since she never met them. Surjeet shares that it was a traditional practice to mark pots and pans with family names and imparts that she discovered her father’s name “Lashman Singh” written on the bottom of a glass. Surjeet expresses that she’s marked her own pots and pans with her name to identify which ones are hers when she gets together with family or does catering. Surjeet refers to a kohl bottle that she has and how she’d like to offer it to the museum. She explains how the kohl bottle is no longer in use but was used by her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) and daughter and her grandchildren. Surjeet describes a blanket that she made called a “phulkari”, now on display in a small museum in Coquitlam, a wedding shawl, that her daughter now owns and a silk sari with embroidery. Surjeet and Anushay discuss the possibility of donating the kohl bottle and the sari to the museum. Surjeet explains how the kohl is used and how her mother used to make kohl. She describes how you rub the kohl with your hands, put cardamom in it, one or two other ingredients and fill the kohl bottle up with water. Surjeet says that she used kohl as eyeliner when living in India. The interviewer asks Surjeet more about Ginaya Singh. Surjeet conveys that Ginaya Singh ended up leaving the mill on Vancouver Island and moved to Vancouver. After Ginaya Singh died from a heart attack (in 1953) his family moved from Vancouver to Burnaby. Surjeet recalls that following the death of Ginaya Singh’s youngest son, her family didn’t celebrate “Lohri” (a winter festival celebrating newborns and newly married people) for three years. She shares that she was very young at this time but remembers there being beautiful photographs of young children all dressed up and displayed in her family home. She expresses that dressing up for photos has changed over time and adds that suits didn’t really come into fashion until after the 1970s or 1980s. Surjeet conveys that her uncle named Kashmira Singh first worked at the mill in Paldi near Duncan then moved to Vancouver and opened up his own mill in North Vancouver. Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas arrived in 1953. Surjeet expresses that Kapoor Singh was educated and worked as a manager at the mill on Vancouver Island. Surjeet recollects meeting Mayo Singh, his wife and eldest son in 1952 when they travelled to India for a cousin’s wedding. Surjeet remembers that Mayo Singh’s family had a very large house in India. She describes the house as a very opulent two story house with indoor plumbing for a bathtub, a kitchen with a woodstove, coloured mirrors, bejeweled curtains, a motor room to park cars, a buffalo and more. Surjeet refers to Nand Singh, a younger brother of Mayo Singh, who travelled from India to San Franciso and spent a year wandering around before deciding to return to India. She describes him as living in Bombay with his wife Vishan Kaur and having a transport business. Nand had two kids that came to Canada. Surjeet recollects the tragic death of Ganda Singh (Ginaya Singh) who died of a heart attack on someone’s doorstep, they thought that he was drunk so didn’t open the door. Surjeet conveys that Mayo Singh’s wife, Mission Kaur (Saradani Bishan Kaur) died while visiting India (in 1952) and that some of Mayo’s sons were married in Canada and one in India. Surjeet expresses that it was hard for Mayo’s sons to have one of their parents die in India and one die in Canada (Mayo Singh died in B.C. in 1955). Surjeet describes the hospital that Mayo built in the village of Paldi. She mentions that there were festivals and functions that took place there, there were many nurses and doctors. She recalls there being a school where their land was. She recalls that if they got headaches they were treated with medicine and that it didn’t cost much, only a six pence. Surjeet talks about her arranged marriage to Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar. Surjeet explains that her father and brother immigrated to British Columbia first (1953) and after a few months they brought Surjeet and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas). She recollects that when she was in Grade 10 and around 17 years of age, her family made plans to travel to India to attend a family wedding. During this time, her father suggested that it would be a good opportunity to take Surjeet with them to find her a husband in India to marry. After meeting and marrying Nadeem Parmar in India, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England. Surjeet recollects that in order to immigrate to Canada, each family member had to pass a medical exam and how difficult it was. Her two sisters, mother and brother all had to take the test in Delhi. Surjeet recalls living in England with Nadeem. While living in England, Nadeem worked during the day and studied engineering at college in the evening. Surjeet expresses that she liked living in England and was sad to leave. While living there, they enjoyed a close knit Punjabi community and they all lived in the same area. Surjeet states later in her interview that living in Canada was different from living in England. In England, family and friends lived closer together whereas in Canada places were further apart. Surjeet says that while living in England she could walk to do her shopping. While living in England, after her children were a bit older, she worked as a seamstress in a shirt factory for a few years before coming to Canada. Surjeet imparts that her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) died of a heart attack in 1970 and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) died in 1998. Her father and her family first lived in North Vancouver and then her parents bought a house on Eton Street in Burnaby, near the Ocean. After her father died, her brother and mother bought a house and moved to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in Burnaby. In 1973, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children immigrated to Canada and moved in with her brother and mother. Surjeet includes that her paternal aunt (Koshali Kaur Manhas) and cousins also moved to Burnaby and that her aunt and some of her cousins were sponsored by her son who came earlier. Surjeet recalls that after arriving in Canada she got work sewing in a factory located on Water Street in Gastown. Surjeet recollects travelling to her job by bus. Surjeet shares that she brought saris and quilted blankets “rijai”, not household items, in her suitcase when she came to Canada from England. Surjeet explains that the “rijai” (quilted blankets) were made from cotton from her home village in India. The blankets were made by women and then brought back to her to quilt on her sewing machine. Surjeet recalls that when she returned to Canada (in 1973 with her husband and children) they first lived with her mother and brother on Capitol Hill in Burnaby before moving to a house on Fell Avenue and then to their current home in 1982. In 1981, she worked at “Canadian Window Covering” factory making window coverings. The factory was located in the Brentwood area of Burnaby. Surjeet recalls how the factory became unionized and of how she left the factory and found union work at the Labatt’s brewery (Winery and Distillery Workers Local 300). Surjeet describes the work that she did while working at Labatt’s brewery which was located next to the Royal Columbian Hospital in Burnaby. Around 1995, when the Labatt’s factory closed down in Burnaby, she got union work as a bottle sorter for BDL Brewers Distributor Limited, where bottles were gathered for distribution at Braid Station. Surjeet left this job in 2000. Surjeet talks about traditional foods like bindi, sabji, aam and karela and where she’s shopped to find traditional ingredients for South Asian cuisine. She recollects how at first she could only find traditional ingredients at stores in Gastown, Chinatown and on Main Street in Vancouver but now they are more readily available at major grocery stores. Surjeet expresses that traditional spices and dry goods have been hard to find, apart from stores like, Famous Foods and Patels when it was located on Commercial Drive. Surjeet talks about using ingredients such as green pea flour and Besan flour to make pakoras and kahdri. Surjeet states that many immigrants didn’t wear their traditional clothing until she came later. She expresses that many South Asian immigrants didn’t wear their clothes “because there were no rights, we had to try to become like them”. Surjeet conveys that even though some were able to purchase property (she provides an example of family members in Duncan who faced discrimination by the owner/seller of a piece of property they were purchasing) that they had very little rights and they were all living in fear. She expresses that she herself didn’t experience this but in the beginning when people settled here (in B.C.) that it was very difficult. Surjeet says that when she goes to the Gurdwara and to work, she wears a sari and conveys that while working at the factory, she was encouraged to wear a sari, it was accepted then. She brought printed saris to work and her co workers said that they’d wear them to parties. Surjeet reflects on her own experiences of racism and discrimination and expresses that her generation “has learned how to stand up in front, then they got scared of saying anything”. “The people who came here first were afraid because they were alone, they had to settle down here and make a home from scratch, but the ones who came after had everything already built and made”. She explains how they helped one another when they came (to British Columbia). She describes how the Gurdwara was located on 2nd Street and all of the ships went there (new immigrants?), people would gather, get water, help one another and there would be a place for all people. Surjeet shares a personal experience of helping members of her husband’s family to immigrate to Canada. She tells of the complications of some being left behind in India and that some came to Canada as refugees that she and her husband sponsored. Surjeet expresses their struggles with raising a family, working and trying to pay for their own house while also trying to assist and support family members. Surjeet describes in detail how her husband Nadeem went back to India after his mother died to help his father, sister and her family immigrate. She explains that the immigration process took about four years and his father had to apply as a refugee. Nadeem’s sister came with her children but had to return to India so Surjeet and her family had to look after Nadeem’s sister’s child/children. Surjeet expresses that during this time she continued to work at Canadian Window Coverings, working an afternoon shift and sometimes taking her son with her. She expresses that this as a very hectic time, working the whole day, making food for everyone, grocery shopping, looking after a her sister in law’s younger child at night and getting no rest. Surjeet describes the time when she was working and her children were attending the local school. She expresses the challenges of working long days and often arriving home after her children. She recollects a time when there was a snow storm and how she was worried about her children making it home and being alone while she was at work, there were no cell phones in those days but they had phone numbers of her brother and sister. Surjeet tells of how they tried to help the rest of the Nadeem’s family immigrate including his brother who was a soccer player in India. They were able to buy a house for the whole family to live but expresses after several months Nadeem’s brother decided to stay in India. Surjeet expresses the complications and frustrations of trying to bring all family members to Canada.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Surjeet Kaur Parmar was born in Punjab, India in 1942 to parents Lashman Singh Manhas (1913-1970) and Budhan Kaur Manhas (1906-1998). Surjeet’s ancestors, Ghania Singh Manhas, Doman Singh and Mayo Singh immigrated to British Columbia in 1905 and 1906. The group got work in saw mills and soon began owning and operating their own saw mills, first in Chilliwack and Rosedale districts and later in 1920 on Vancouver Island near Duncan (Paldi) (known as the Mayo Lumber Company). In 1927, Surjeet’s paternal uncle, Kashmir Singh Manhas left Paldi, Punjab at the age of 18 years with Mayo Singh Manhas and after months of travel they arrived at Paldi on Vancouver Island. In 1953, Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas and her two brothers immigrated to Canada and soon after brought her and her mother, Budhan Kaur Manhas. After immigrating, her father began working at “Kashmir Lumber Company” in North Vancouver which was owned by his brother Kashmira Singh Manhas. Surjeet, her parents and two brothers first made their home in North Vancouver and the 1960s they moved to 3824 Eton Street in Burnaby. In 1959, Surjeet and her family returned to India for her brother’s wedding. During this time a marriage was arranged for Surjeet to marry Nadeem Parmar and they were married in 1960. Following their marriage, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England where they began raising their two children. While living in England, Surjeet worked as seamstress at a factory. In 1973, following the death of Surjeet’s father who died in 1970, Surjeet and Nadeem decided to immigrate to British Columbia. For the first few years, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children lived with her mother and brother in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Burnaby before purchasing their own home on Fell Avenue. While living in Burnaby Surjeet has worked as a seamstress for Canadian Window Covering, Labatt's Brewery and BDL Brewers Distributor Limited which she left in 2000. In 1982, Surjeet and her family moved into a new home that they had built on Woodsworth Street where they still live today. Interviewer biography: 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”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills
- Clothing
- Crafts
- Employment
- Migration
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Occupations - Labourers
- Occupations - Millworkers
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Names
- Parmar, Surjeet Kaur
- Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"
- Manhas, Ghania Singh
- Singh, Mayo
- Manhas, Kashmir Singh
- Manhas, Sher Singh
- Manhas, Budhan Kaur
- Manhas, Lashman Singh
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.5
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Related Material
- See also BV022.29.1 - interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription of interview translated to English from Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi to English created by Rajdeep
- Transciption available on Heritage Burnaby
- Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0005_003.mp3Interview 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…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- 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
Audio Tracks
Interview with Maninder Arora, [1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022
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