149 records – page 2 of 8.

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…
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
Documents
Audio Tracks

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

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
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Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory491
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1967-1972
Length
00:05:55
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how Eileen Kernaghan became involved with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and, as a representative of this club, a member of the Burnaby Arts Council in Canada’s Centennial Year 1967. She describes how the structure of the Arts Council changed, and its focus on t…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how Eileen Kernaghan became involved with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and, as a representative of this club, a member of the Burnaby Arts Council in Canada’s Centennial Year 1967. She describes how the structure of the Arts Council changed, and its focus on the newly acquired Art Centre buildings at Deer Lake
Date Range
1967-1972
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:05:55
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Burnaby Writers' Club
Burnaby Arts Centre
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 2

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory492
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1967-1972
Length
00:04:48
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how the Arts Council equipped the James Cowan Theatre, with a grand opening in 1971; hired staff, including Directors Byron Johnstad followed by LLoyd Barry, and Coordinators Phyllis Webb followed by Louise Holst; and developed programming and projects such as…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how the Arts Council equipped the James Cowan Theatre, with a grand opening in 1971; hired staff, including Directors Byron Johnstad followed by LLoyd Barry, and Coordinators Phyllis Webb followed by Louise Holst; and developed programming and projects such as the Sculpture Garden
Date Range
1967-1972
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:04:48
Names
Burnaby Arts Council
Burnaby Arts Centre
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track two of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory495
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1967-1990
Length
00:06:19
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s involvement with the Burnaby Writers’ Society, serving variously as newsletter editor, President and Treasurer. She describes the club’s diverse membership, its role, and how it functions
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Eileen Kernaghan’s involvement with the Burnaby Writers’ Society, serving variously as newsletter editor, President and Treasurer. She describes the club’s diverse membership, its role, and how it functions
Date Range
1967-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:06:19
Names
Burnaby Writers' Club
Subjects
Arts
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track five of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Kay Zimmerman by Rod Fowler [February] 1990 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory531
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1967-1990
Length
00:04:42
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Kay Zimmerman’s discussion about the pros and cons of volunteer organizations operating public services for the municipality, in particular the Parks and Recreation Commission taking control of Heritage Village, a volunteer initiated Centennial Project
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Kay Zimmerman’s discussion about the pros and cons of volunteer organizations operating public services for the municipality, in particular the Parks and Recreation Commission taking control of Heritage Village, a volunteer initiated Centennial Project
Date Range
1967-1990
Photo Info
Kay Zimmerman, [1973]. Item no. 231-021
Length
00:04:42
Subjects
Public Services - Municipal Services
Organizations - Historical Societies
Persons - Volunteers
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
[February] 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Kay Zimmerman, conducted by Rod Fowler. Kay Zimmerman was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Kay Zimmerman’s political activities in Burnaby and her description of her Lochdale neighbourhood in the 1960s. She provides an excellent overview of the municipal political groups and important political issues in Burnaby from 1960 to 1980. She tells the story about an early and successful political action that convinced her that an individual can make a difference. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Kathleen “Kay” Zimmerman, her husband Gordon and their young son Rick moved to Burnaby from Vancouver in 1960 to a house on Curtis Avenue near Duthie Street (a second son Bruce was born in Burnaby). Kay Zimmerman worked 12 years at Royal Columbian Hospital in the admitting office, then 4 years (1974-1979) as special assistant to Senator Ray Perrault, followed by work as a judge on the Citizenship Court before retiring. Gordon Zimmerman worked at the Shell Refinery. A member of the Liberal Party and political activist before arriving in Burnaby, Kay Zimmerman continued her involvement in national and local politics. She campaigned for Ray Perrault during the Trudeau years, and was a founder and active member of the Burnaby Voters Association (BVA). Her political activities encompassed 30 years that saw major changes in Burnaby, including the building of SFU, creation of Heritage Village, an awakening environmental sensibility, and a dramatic increase in population and development in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
10
Total Length
01:04:36
Interviewee Name
Zimmerman, Kay
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track five of interview with Kay Zimmerman

Less detail

Interview with Eileen Kernaghan by Rod Fowler April 10, 1990 - Track 10

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory500
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1966-1990
Length
00:08:22
Summary
This portion of the interview is Eileen Kernaghan’s observations about the changes on Neville Street, the mix in ethnic and cultural groups, and the nature of multicultural activity in the arts community
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is Eileen Kernaghan’s observations about the changes on Neville Street, the mix in ethnic and cultural groups, and the nature of multicultural activity in the arts community
Date Range
1966-1990
Photo Info
Eileen Kernaghan standing in front of four poets at the Poetry Pocket Cafe in New Westminster, October 15, 1995. Item no. 535-0014
Length
00:08:22
Subjects
Arts
Historic Neighbourhood
Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Clinton-Glenwood Area
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
April 10, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Eileen Kernaghan, conducted by Rod Fowler. Eileen Kernaghan was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Eileen Kernaghan’s activities with the Burnaby Writers’ Society and the Burnaby Arts Council, describing the history of these organizations between 1967 and 1990. She describes the financial and other challenges facing the arts community, the various programs initiated by the Arts Council, and the development of the Burnaby Arts Centre facilities at Deer Lake. She also talks about her education, writing career, the Neville Street neighbourhood, and her and her husband’s bookstore business. Ghosts believed to inhabit some of the Arts Centre's heritage buildings are also a topic of conversation. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Eileen Kernaghan was born January 6, 1939, to William Alfred Monk (1910-2003) and Belinda Maude Monk (1908-1996), and grew up on a dairy farm near Grindrod in the North Okanagan. She attended a two room school in Grindrod, completed Junior and Senior High School in Enderby, and at age 17 in 1956, left home to attend UBC. She taught school in the North Okanagan area in the late 1950s, during which time she married her husband Patrick Kernaghan. They moved to Vancouver in 1961, Burnaby in 1963, and settled on Neville Street in the South Slope area in 1966 with their three children. Pat Kernaghan worked at Oakalla Prison as a correctional officer until his retirement in 1988. Eileen and Patrick Kernaghan owned and operated a bookstore on Neville Street from 1987 to 1999. They later moved to New Westminster. Eileen Kernaghan began her writing career at twelve years old with a story published in the Vancouver Sun. After her youngest child began school, with more free time, she started writing again and has become an award winning author of fantasy and science fiction novels. She helped found the Burnaby Writers’ Society in 1967, taught writing workshops, and wrote its popular Newsletter for many years. In 1971 the Society put together a small handbook for BC writers, a venture that was expanded and published by Douglas MacIntyre in 1975 as “The Upper Left-Hand Corner: a writer’s handbook for the Northwest”. The book became a Canadian best-seller. During this same period Eileen Kernaghan began her successful “Grey Isles” trilogy. In 1967 she joined the Burnaby Arts Council, worked as its Coordinator from 1973 to 1984, and was a determined advocate for municipal government support for the arts in Burnaby.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:26:27
Interviewee Name
Kernaghan, Eileen
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track ten of interview with Eileen Kernaghan

Less detail

Interview with Tony and Hazel Padula by Eric Damer November 27, 2012 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory376
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1988
Length
0:08:42
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of raising their children in Burnaby. Tony and Hazel discuss the sports activities that their children where involved in. They also mention their neighbours; included here is a tragic story of a neighbour loo…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of raising their children in Burnaby. Tony and Hazel discuss the sports activities that their children where involved in. They also mention their neighbours; included here is a tragic story of a neighbour loosing their life on the highway.
Date Range
1988
Photo Info
Hazel (Bongea) Padula standing on the steps of her home at High Lawn, [195-]. Item no. 549-052.
Length
0:08:42
Subjects
Geographic Features - Neighbourhoods
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
November 27, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 27, 2012. Major themes discussed are: neighbourhoods and family heritage.
Biographical Notes
Tony Padula’s family came to Vancouver from Italy in 1926, the year Tony was born. After graduating from school, Tony entered the shoe industry as a salesman. Hazel Bongea (later Padula) was born in 1931 in Saskatchewan and moved to Vancouver with her family when she was ten years old. After graduating from school, Hazel found work with Standard Oil in Vancouver. Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula married in 1951. By 1953 they had bought property in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Burnaby where they built a home and began a family. The Padulas moved away in 1959 but returned five years later to a new home in central Burnaby, where they lived for twenty-two years before moving again, this time to North Vancouver. After six years in North Vancouver, Tony and Hazel retired to New Westminster.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
1:09:21
Interviewee Name
Padula, Hazel Bongea
Padula, Tony
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track six of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula

Less detail

Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 9

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory449
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1965-1990
Length
00:09:43
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how Bill Lewarne got involved in politics and some of the people he worked with: Charles Walburn, Nora Code, Ray Weir, Richie Smith and Dugald Patterson
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about how Bill Lewarne got involved in politics and some of the people he worked with: Charles Walburn, Nora Code, Ray Weir, Richie Smith and Dugald Patterson
Date Range
1965-1990
Photo Info
Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
Length
00:09:43
Subjects
Elections
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
March 14, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
Total Tracks
14
Total Length
1:34:40
Interviewee Name
Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track nine of interview with Bill Lewarne

Less detail

Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 11

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory451
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1965-1990
Length
00:08:20
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s early political career with Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and starting new political organization (BCA - Burnaby Citizens Association). He muses about how democracy works and the pros and cons of political life.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s early political career with Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and starting new political organization (BCA - Burnaby Citizens Association). He muses about how democracy works and the pros and cons of political life.
Date Range
1965-1990
Photo Info
Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
Length
00:08:20
Subjects
Elections
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
March 14, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
Total Tracks
14
Total Length
1:34:40
Interviewee Name
Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track eleven of interview with Bill Lewarne

Less detail

Interview with William A. Lewarne by Rod Fowler March 14, 1990 - Track 12

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory452
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1965-1987
Length
00:10:39
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s problems raising funds for his first political campaign without incurring favours, and the challenge of remaining nonpartisan in office
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Bill Lewarne’s problems raising funds for his first political campaign without incurring favours, and the challenge of remaining nonpartisan in office
Date Range
1965-1987
Photo Info
Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
Length
00:10:39
Subjects
Elections
Officials - Mayors and Reeves
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
March 14, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with former Mayor William “Bill” Lewarne, conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Lewarne was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Lewarne’s business and political careers, and memories of growing up in South Burnaby in the 1930s. Bill Lewarne talks about his parent’s origins, his family and community struggles during the Depression, the interurban, his education, war service, and joining his father's business. He describes the start, operation and expansion of the family ice cream business, and how business life compared to political life. The interview explores the role of politics in community affairs, his political activities, the history of the BVA, and his involvement in various community organizations. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track, expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
William Alfred “Bill” Lewarne was born in Burnaby in 1926 to Ethel Cecilia Leer (1899- ) and Alfred Lewarne (1893-1962). The family, Ethel, Alfred and their three children Patricia, Beverley and William, moved to a house on Nelson Avenue in Alta Vista in 1931. Ethel still lived in the family home in 1990. Bill Lewarne attended Nelson Avenue School and South Burnaby High School (1932-1944). His father Alfred worked at Colony Farms as a dairy inspector and then for the Port of Vancouver Dairy before being laid off early in the Depression. The family struggled until in 1936 Alfred started his own ice cream business. After graduation Bill was in the army for two years, taking a refrigeration course under the veteran’s training benefit, before joining his father’s business. Three generations of the family operated the successful company, expanding from wholesale, retail and distribution of ice cream products into refrigerated warehouses and the wholesale ice business, until the business was sold to its competitor Dairyland in 1989. Bill Lewarne entered politics in 1965, first with the Nonpartisan Association (NPA) and then as a founder of the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). He served as an alderman on Burnaby Council 1973-1975 and 1977-1981 and as Mayor 1981-1987. In 1979 he ran for provincial office for the Social Credit Party against Rosemary Brown but lost. Bill Lewarne married June Lawrence and they had three children Robert, Leslie and Janice. He was active in many organizations: Burnaby/Willingdon Liberal Association, Seton Villa, Irish Fusileers of Canada, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, and the Burnaby Hospital Foundation, and continued to be active on the Board of the BCA. Bill Lewarne died in 1995.
Total Tracks
14
Total Length
1:34:40
Interviewee Name
Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track twelve of interview with Bill Lewarne

Less detail

Interview with Merrill M. Gordon by Rod Fowler March 19, 1990 - Track 10

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory481
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1965-1990
Length
00:15:42
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s views about SFU and its relations with and contributions to Burnaby. He details the founding of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society with Dean Lamont and its work to have SFU transfer unused land to Burnaby to preserve as parkland
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Merrill Gordon’s views about SFU and its relations with and contributions to Burnaby. He details the founding of the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society with Dean Lamont and its work to have SFU transfer unused land to Burnaby to preserve as parkland
Date Range
1965-1990
Photo Info
Burnaby Alderman Merrill Gordon (second from right) following a candidates' meeting, 1973. Item no. 480-263
Length
00:15:42
Names
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Lamont, Dean
Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
March 19, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Merrill Gordon, conducted by Rod Fowler.Gordon Merrill was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Merrill Gordon’s childhood in the Depression, including his story about the family’s difficult trek to Burnaby from Alberta; his education, teachers and first volunteer activities at Grandview High School; his career at Fleck Brothers and the start of his own company Blaze Industries and later work in India; and his many volunteer activities in Burnaby. He describes how he started the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, the soccer club's subsequent growth and development, some of the people involved, and the founding of the youth soccer exchange. He also describes his work on the Parks Board and in the arts community, including the 1987 arts centre referendum, and involvement with the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society (1988- ), and mentions his work for other groups including the New Vista Society, library board, and Burnaby Mental Health Committee. He also talks about his political career with the Better Burnaby Committee and Burnaby Voters Association, resulting in his 1972 election to Burnaby’s 1973 council. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Merrill M. Gordon was born in Saskatchewan in 1929 to parents farming north of North Battleford. After a fifth year of crop failure the family of four left the farm in 1934 to join relatives living near the corner of Union and Sperling in Burnaby. With little resources the family adapted as well as possible in the Depression years, moving often in the East Vancouver/North Burnaby area in an attempt to better their situation. Merrill’s father obtained work at sawmills including Kapoor’s Sawmill at Barnet, walking to work over Burnaby Mountain. After attending numerous public schools, Merrill Gordon eventually spent three years at Templeton School and then completed his education at Grandview High School of Commerce, majoring in accounting and commercial law. He worked a few years at Canadian Industries Ltd., then joined Fleck Brothers. In 1965 Merrill Gordon and his wife started their own company Blaze Industries of Canada that manufactured wood burning fireplaces, selling the company to AB Electrolux in 1980. After a short retirement, Merrill Gordon went back to work in 1981 for a company manufacturing solar panels, one project taking him and his wife intermittently to India over a four year period. Merrill Gordon helped found the political group Better Burnaby Committee, later the Burnaby Voters Association, with Alan Emmott and Bill Lewarne, ran for Burnaby Municipal Council and served one year as councillor in 1973. Merrill Gordon is well known for his over 40 years of volunteer work in Burnaby, particularly as founder in 1956 and director of the Cliff Avenue United Football Club, one of the largest soccer clubs in BC. He was also the founder of Burnaby Youth Soccer and the first youth soccer exchange with Washington State. His other volunteer work includes library trustee, Parks Commissioner (1987-1992), Director of New Vista Home for Seniors, Chair of campaign raising funds for building Shadbolt Arts Centre, and Chair of the Burnaby Mental Health Committee. In 1988 Merrill Gordon, Betty Gordon, Dean Lamont and several others formed the Burnaby Mountain Preservation Society, which advocated for the return of unused land to Burnaby from SFU and the subsequent creation of Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. Merrill Gordon and Elizabeth Balfour (nee Leitch) (1926-2012) married in 1953 and had two children.
Total Tracks
11
Total Length
1:31:44
Interviewee Name
Gordon, Merrill
Interview Location
unknown
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track ten of interview with Merrill Gordon

Less detail

Interview with Tony and Hazel Padula by Eric Damer November 27, 2012 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory375
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1964-1988
Length
0:09:54
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of coming back to live at Deer Lake Place. Tony and Hazel discuss the building of their house and their children's childhood there, including the school system at that time.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula's memories of coming back to live at Deer Lake Place. Tony and Hazel discuss the building of their house and their children's childhood there, including the school system at that time.
Date Range
1964-1988
Photo Info
Hazel (Bongea) Padula standing on the steps of her home at High Lawn, [195-]. Item no. 549-052.
Length
0:09:54
Subjects
Buildings - Residences - Houses
Education
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
November 27, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 27, 2012. Major themes discussed are: neighbourhoods and family heritage.
Biographical Notes
Tony Padula’s family came to Vancouver from Italy in 1926, the year Tony was born. After graduating from school, Tony entered the shoe industry as a salesman. Hazel Bongea (later Padula) was born in 1931 in Saskatchewan and moved to Vancouver with her family when she was ten years old. After graduating from school, Hazel found work with Standard Oil in Vancouver. Tony Padula and Hazel (Bongea) Padula married in 1951. By 1953 they had bought property in the Brentwood neighbourhood of Burnaby where they built a home and began a family. The Padulas moved away in 1959 but returned five years later to a new home in central Burnaby, where they lived for twenty-two years before moving again, this time to North Vancouver. After six years in North Vancouver, Tony and Hazel retired to New Westminster.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
1:09:21
Interviewee Name
Padula, Hazel Bongea
Padula, Tony
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track five of recording of interview with Tony and Hazel Padula

Less detail

Interview with John and Julia Poole by Eric Damer November 24, 2012 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory384
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1964-2012
Length
0:09:20
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to popular culture. Julia (Kong) Poole discusses popular music of the time, including a popular local band. John discusses his involvement in Drag Racing. John and Julia discuss the difference between the generations (seeing interest in the wars being stronger…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to popular culture. Julia (Kong) Poole discusses popular music of the time, including a popular local band. John discusses his involvement in Drag Racing. John and Julia discuss the difference between the generations (seeing interest in the wars being stronger now than it was before). Julia mentions the Communist takeover in China.
Date Range
1964-2012
Photo Info
Julia Kong (later Poole) while at Burnaby North High School, [1968]. Item no. 549-058.
Length
0:09:20
Subjects
Political Theories
Sports - Automobile Racing
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
November 24, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with John Poole and Julia (Kong) Poole conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 24, 2012. Major themes discussed are: education and recreational activities of the ninteen-sixties.
Biographical Notes
Julia Kong's father moved his family to Capitol Hill in 1953 when Julia was two years old. Julia attended Capitol Hill Elementary and later Burnaby North High School, where she was active in student politics and as a cheerleader. Outside of school she participated in Girl Guides, was an active swimmer, and volunteered in various capacities. After graduation, Julia studied to become a teacher, which included a practicum at Capitol Hill Elementary, and then began a career in education. John Poole, whose father had transferred to the Burnaby RCMP in 1961 when John was ten, attended Burnaby North High School at the same time as Julia, but had earlier attended Schou Street and Lochdale Elementary Schools. John was active in baseball, soccer, and Boy Scouts, and took a keen interest in cars. After high school he opened a transmission shop in Abbotsford before settling into a career with the Vancouver Fire Department. John and Julia married at the Burnaby Village Museum church in 1980 and began their family roots with their first home on Capitol Hill. They later moved with their three children to Surrey where Julia continues to work for the Surrey School district and John is enjoying his retirement.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
1:03:16
Interviewee Name
Poole, Julia Kong
Poole, John
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track six of recording of interview with John and Julia Poole

Less detail

Interview with John and Julia Poole by Eric Damer November 24, 2012 - Track 7

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory385
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1964-2012
Length
0:09:23
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to John Poole and Julia (Kong) Poole's memories of Junior High and High School. Julia discusses her political life; protesting in Junior High and running for student president in High School. John and Julia discuss how different their experience of school was.…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to John Poole and Julia (Kong) Poole's memories of Junior High and High School. Julia discusses her political life; protesting in Junior High and running for student president in High School. John and Julia discuss how different their experience of school was. Julia mentions what school is like now from a teacher's perspective. She also talks about changes to the houses on Capitol Hill.
Date Range
1964-2012
Photo Info
Julia Kong (later Poole) while at Burnaby North High School, [1968]. Item no. 549-058.
Length
0:09:23
Subjects
Education
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
November 24, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with John Poole and Julia (Kong) Poole conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 24, 2012. Major themes discussed are: education and recreational activities of the ninteen-sixties.
Biographical Notes
Julia Kong's father moved his family to Capitol Hill in 1953 when Julia was two years old. Julia attended Capitol Hill Elementary and later Burnaby North High School, where she was active in student politics and as a cheerleader. Outside of school she participated in Girl Guides, was an active swimmer, and volunteered in various capacities. After graduation, Julia studied to become a teacher, which included a practicum at Capitol Hill Elementary, and then began a career in education. John Poole, whose father had transferred to the Burnaby RCMP in 1961 when John was ten, attended Burnaby North High School at the same time as Julia, but had earlier attended Schou Street and Lochdale Elementary Schools. John was active in baseball, soccer, and Boy Scouts, and took a keen interest in cars. After high school he opened a transmission shop in Abbotsford before settling into a career with the Vancouver Fire Department. John and Julia married at the Burnaby Village Museum church in 1980 and began their family roots with their first home on Capitol Hill. They later moved with their three children to Surrey where Julia continues to work for the Surrey School district and John is enjoying his retirement.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
1:03:16
Interviewee Name
Poole, Julia Kong
Poole, John
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track seven of recording of interview with John and Julia Poole

Less detail

Interview with Charmaine Bayntun by Eric Damer October 22, 2012 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory293
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1960-2012
Length
0:09:21
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun's memories of sewing and craft-making as a teen, as well as her student days at Sperling Avenue Elementary School. She compares school of that time to her working years as a teacher and principal.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun's memories of sewing and craft-making as a teen, as well as her student days at Sperling Avenue Elementary School. She compares school of that time to her working years as a teacher and principal.
Date Range
1960-2012
Photo Info
Charmaine Yanko (later Bayntun) nursing a goat from a bottle, [1969]. Item no. 549-015.
Length
0:09:21
Subjects
Education
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
October 22, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 22, 2012. Major themes discussed are: education and family heritage.
Biographical Notes
At the age of twenty, John Ivan Yanko met his future wife Leida Doria "Lillian Doris" Carman while visiting relatives in Burnaby. Lillian received a rail pass because of her dad’s employment with the CPR and at fourteen had gone to visit her Godmother in Burnaby. John Ivan Yanko and Lillian Doris (Carman) Yanko were married October 16, 1948 in Nelson, British Columbia and moved into the basement of John’s sister’s house on Union Street. Lillian began working at the downtown Woodward’s store as a cashier in 1948. In 1950, the young couple bought property at 7385 (later renumbered 7391) Broadway in Burnaby and began constructing a house as they could afford it. Knowing she’d be let go if she was pregnant, when Lillian was expecting her first child, Jenny sewed her several versions of the same outfit; they all used the same material, but each was a little bit larger than the last to accommodate her expanding girth. Rhonda, born in 1953 and Charmaine, born in 1955, grew up in the Broadway home. They attended school at Sperling Elementary, and later at Burnaby North high school. Lillian left her job to be a stay-at-home mom when Rhonda was born, but that changed in 1963 when John and Charmaine were in a car accident that left John temporarily unable to work. John Yanko later returned to work, establishing his own tile setting business and working until age eighty-two. John and Lillian lived out the rest of their married lives on the Broadway property. John Ivan Yanko passed away in 2010; his wife Lillian Doria Leida (Carman) Yanko passed away in 2011. Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun completed her schooling in Burnaby and became a teacher for twenty-two years, followed by ten years as a Burnaby elementary school principal.
Total Tracks
5
Total Length
0:47:24
Interviewee Name
Bayntun, Charmaine "Sherrie" Yanko
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track three of recording of interview with Charmaine Bayntun

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Interview with Charmaine Bayntun by Eric Damer October 22, 2012 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory295
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1960-2012
Length
0:10:32
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun's memories of being raised on a more traditionally rural diet and how that was different from her peers. She discusses popular culture and events of the nineteen-sixties and seventies, and concludes with present day changes to the …
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun's memories of being raised on a more traditionally rural diet and how that was different from her peers. She discusses popular culture and events of the nineteen-sixties and seventies, and concludes with present day changes to the neighbourhood.
Date Range
1960-2012
Photo Info
Charmaine Yanko (later Bayntun) nursing a goat from a bottle, [1969]. Item no. 549-015.
Length
0:10:32
Subjects
Protests and Demonstrations
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
October 22, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 22, 2012. Major themes discussed are: education and family heritage.
Biographical Notes
At the age of twenty, John Ivan Yanko met his future wife Leida Doria "Lillian Doris" Carman while visiting relatives in Burnaby. Lillian received a rail pass because of her dad’s employment with the CPR and at fourteen had gone to visit her Godmother in Burnaby. John Ivan Yanko and Lillian Doris (Carman) Yanko were married October 16, 1948 in Nelson, British Columbia and moved into the basement of John’s sister’s house on Union Street. Lillian began working at the downtown Woodward’s store as a cashier in 1948. In 1950, the young couple bought property at 7385 (later renumbered 7391) Broadway in Burnaby and began constructing a house as they could afford it. Knowing she’d be let go if she was pregnant, when Lillian was expecting her first child, Jenny sewed her several versions of the same outfit; they all used the same material, but each was a little bit larger than the last to accommodate her expanding girth. Rhonda, born in 1953 and Charmaine, born in 1955, grew up in the Broadway home. They attended school at Sperling Elementary, and later at Burnaby North high school. Lillian left her job to be a stay-at-home mom when Rhonda was born, but that changed in 1963 when John and Charmaine were in a car accident that left John temporarily unable to work. John Yanko later returned to work, establishing his own tile setting business and working until age eighty-two. John and Lillian lived out the rest of their married lives on the Broadway property. John Ivan Yanko passed away in 2010; his wife Lillian Doria Leida (Carman) Yanko passed away in 2011. Charmaine (Yanko) Bayntun completed her schooling in Burnaby and became a teacher for twenty-two years, followed by ten years as a Burnaby elementary school principal.
Total Tracks
5
Total Length
0:47:24
Interviewee Name
Bayntun, Charmaine "Sherrie" Yanko
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track five of recording of interview with Charmaine Bayntun

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Interview with Dennis Brown by Eric Damer September 18, 2012 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory310
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1960-2012
Length
0:08:58
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Dennis Brown's memories of recreational activities he and his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown and their children participated in. He discusses the changes that he's seen in Burnaby, mainly as density increases.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Dennis Brown's memories of recreational activities he and his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown and their children participated in. He discusses the changes that he's seen in Burnaby, mainly as density increases.
Date Range
1960-2012
Photo Info
Dennis Brown (far left) with his wife Cice (Chandler) Brown (far right) and their five children, [1964]. Item no. 549-018.
Length
0:08:58
Subjects
Recreational Activities
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
September 18, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Dennis Brown conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, September 18, 2012. Major theme discussed: life in Burnaby during the war years.
Biographical Notes
Dennis Brown’s family moved from North Vancouver to South Burnaby, near Central Park, in 1941. Dennis finished his high school in Burnaby and enlisted in the air force, completing basic training. He returned to Burnaby looking for work and found employment stoking the boiler of a cargo ship. He and a friend spent the next year sailing around the world. When Dennis returned to Burnaby, he found work at a local shingle mill, married Cice Chandler and began work on a new home at Willingdon and Imperial. He and Cice had two children in 1948 and 1950, and three more in the later nineteen-fifties. By this time, Dennis had retrained as an accountant and worked in several large businesses in Vancouver. In their later years, both Dennis and Cice were active in the restoration of the Parker Carousel and Interurban 1223 (now on display at the Burnaby Village Museum) and both were honoured independently with “Citizen of the Year” awards. Cice (Chandler) Brown was, additionally, Honourary Reeve of the Burnaby Village Museum.
Total Tracks
5
Total Length
0:43:57
Interviewee Name
Brown, Dennis
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track five of recording of interview with Dennis Brown

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Interview with Ingeborg Raymer by Eric Damer November 21, 2012 - Track 3

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory396
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1960-2012
Length
0:08:03
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains mainly to Ingeborg ((Weigler) (Haacke) Raymer's memories of music and art. She describes her children first learning to play the piano and her own career as an art teacher and artist. She begins to tell the story of forming the Burnaby Artist's Guild.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains mainly to Ingeborg ((Weigler) (Haacke) Raymer's memories of music and art. She describes her children first learning to play the piano and her own career as an art teacher and artist. She begins to tell the story of forming the Burnaby Artist's Guild.
Date Range
1960-2012
Photo Info
Ingeborg (Weigler) (Haacke) Raymer in an evening gown, [196-]. Item no. 549-061.
Length
0:08:03
Subjects
Musical Instruments - Pianos
Occupations - Teachers
Arts - Drawings
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
November 21, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Ingeborg (Weigler) (Haacke) Raymer conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 21, 2012. Major theme discussed: rise of fine arts in Burnaby.
Biographical Notes
Born in 1922 in Dresden and trained as a pianist, Ingeborg (Weigler) Haacke came to Vancouver in 1952 with her husband, eldest daughter, and son. Ingeborg found work in Burnaby but her husband did not wish to stay. By 1953 they were divorced, with Ingeborg keeping the children in Burnaby. In 1955 Ingeborg (Weigler) Haacke married her second husband Roy Raymer. The first auto court in British Columbia, the Oasis, was originally owned and operated by Roy Raymer's parents. Roy was responsible for running the Oasis gas station and he and Ingeborg also built an attached drive-in restaurant on the property. During this time, Ingeborg and Roy had two sons together. After the auto court was sold in 1964, Ingeborg followed Roy on a job to Banff where she began sketching and painting. Over the course of her art career, Ingeborg has studied at Douglas College, Emily Carr College of Art, and Capilano College, earned an Associate of Arts Degree and an honorary Degree from the Accademia Internazionale Greci Marino. Ingeborg also founded the Burnaby Artists' Guild in 1970 of which she is an honorary Lifetime Member. She currently teaches private art classes out of her studio.
Total Tracks
5
Total Length
0:44:18
Interviewee Name
Raymer, Ingeborg Weigler Haacke
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track three of recording of interview with Ingeborg Raymer

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Interview with Hazel Simnett by Eric Damer October 27, 2012 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory402
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
2012
Length
0:08:48
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Hazel Simnett's memories of political as well as social events. Hazel discusses Tommy Douglas and the redrawing of electoral districts. She also tells a story of the Astoria Hotel's neon lights. Leslie Rossa lends her support to the interview.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Hazel Simnett's memories of political as well as social events. Hazel discusses Tommy Douglas and the redrawing of electoral districts. She also tells a story of the Astoria Hotel's neon lights. Leslie Rossa lends her support to the interview.
Date Range
2012
Photo Info
Hazel Simnett standing in a garden, with a small dog in her arms [194-]. Item no. 549-063.
Length
0:08:48
Names
Douglas, Tommy
Subjects
Elections
Interviewer
Damer, Eric
Interview Date
October 27, 2012
Scope and Content
Recording is an interview with Hazel Simnett conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 27, 2012. Leslie Rossa lends her support to the interview. Major theme discussed: political activism in Burnaby.
Biographical Notes
Hazel Simnett was born in Burnaby in 1922 and grew up looking up to her father Frederick Simnett who was very involved in labour and unions. A politically active citizen, Hazel Simnett has supported the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the New Democratic Party (NDP). She once ran as a New Democratic Party candidate for Burnaby City Council. In 2006, Hazel Simnett won the Burnaby Local Hero Award for her volunteer work at the New Vista Society where she served as chair for a number of years. She also served as a member of the Burnaby Historical Society and established the Hazel Simnett Endowment with the Burnaby Public Library to bring a collection of books on Canadian history and social issues.
Total Tracks
4
Total Length
0:36:12
Interviewee Name
Simnett, Hazel
Interview Location
Burnaby Village Museum
Interviewer Bio
Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track four of recording of interview with Hazel Simnett

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Interview with William J. Copeland by Rod Fowler February 18, 1990 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory435
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1960-1990
Length
00:03:16
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's involvement in the International Association of Fire Fighters union.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's involvement in the International Association of Fire Fighters union.
Date Range
1960-1990
Photo Info
Mayor Bill Copeland cutting the ribbon for the opening of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts accompanied by Jack and Doris Shadbolt and Councillors Doug Drummond and Derek Corrigan, 1995. Item no. 535-0067
Length
00:03:16
Subjects
Public Services - Fire Protection
Organizations - Unions
Interviewer
Fowler, Rod
Interview Date
February 18, 1990
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with former Burnaby Mayor William J. Copeland conducted by Rod Fowler. Bill Copeland was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Bill Copeland’s education, career and experience as a Burnaby firefighter from 1955 to 1987, and his work for the union International Association of Fire Fighters. He talks about his early family life in Burnaby and Vancouver, war service, training with the Federal Fire Service, the organizations he has belonged to, and the careers of his three children. He briefly talks about Burnaby politics and his unexpected election to Mayor of Burnaby. Major themes of the interview, described by track: Track 1: Organizations - Unions; Public Services - Fire Protection; International Association of Fire Fighters; Track 2: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 3: Elections; Track 4: family history and education; Track 5: Public Services - Fire Protection; Track 6: Elections
Biographical Notes
William John (Bill) Copeland (1927-2002) was born in Vancouver May 19, 1927. As a young child he lived with his parents on Southwood Street in South Burnaby on a chicken ranch. Bill’s father was a miner and was often away from home. The family moved to Pioneer Mines at Bridge River for a few years and then moved back to Vancouver in 1941 when his father contracted silicosis. Bill served in the navy for about a year near the end of WWII, was in the Canadian Merchant Marine and worked as a pipe fitter, before beginning his career as a fire fighter. He trained with the Federal Fire Service and worked two years at the Wireless Station in Delta. In 1955 he started work as Fire Fighter No. 53 in Burnaby, retiring 33 years later in 1987. Most of his career was spent at the Control Station or Number 1 Firehall, first located at Wiilingdon and Hastings (now No.5 Station) and later on Sperling near Canada Way. Bill worked as a first aid instructor, eventually moving into the training office, and retired as assistant chief. In 1987, shortly after retiring, Bill was asked to run for Mayor for the Burnaby Citizens Association (BCA). Much to his surprise he won. He served with distinction for three terms (1987-1996). Bill, his wife Ruth, and their three children, Doug and Dan (both firefighters) and Emily (a teacher), lived in North Burnaby on Cliff Avenue, the family home for about 35 years. Bill was active in many organizations including the Cliff Avenue soccer organization, St. John Ambulance, Burnaby Red Cross, and CNIB, among others. He began representing firefighters locally in the International Association of Fire Fighters in the early 1960s, eventually becoming President of the provincial association and then Vice President of the 6th District representing Western Canada.
Total Tracks
6
Total Length
0:25:35
Interviewee Name
Copeland, William J
Interviewer Bio
Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and business computerization in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
Collection/Fonds
SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
Series
Centennial Oral History project series
Transcript Available
Transcript available
Media Type
Sound Recording
Web Notes
Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks

Track one of interview with William J. Copeland

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149 records – page 2 of 8.