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Interview with Norman Dowad
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19638
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (wav) (61 min., 37 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (61 min., 37 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Eric Damer Interviewee: Norman Dowad Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: August 14, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:14:37 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Norman Dowad conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Eric Damer on August 14, 2023. 00:00:00 – 00:14:38 Norm shares biographical information about himself and background information on the Dowad family. Norm conveys information about his grandfather Samuel Dowad's immigration to Canada and his father Wilfred Dowad's military service and successes as a property developer. 00:14:39 – 00:17:26 Norm provides background information on his mother’s side of the family. 00:17:27 – 00:31:36 Norm talks about his childhood, growing up in the Deer Lake neighbourhood, his early education in Burnaby and sports that he played. 00:31:37 – 00:39:59 Norm talks about his educational experiences attending Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia and Osgoode Hall law school and information regarding his law career. 00:40:00 – 00:45:03 Norm reflects on his childhood growing up in Burnaby and on his experiences and relationships as a student and in his career as a lawyer. 00:45:04 – 01:01:37 Norm talks about his siblings and shares information about family property development projects as well as career and business successes. In closing he talks about research that he’s done through Archives Canada on his grandfather Sam Dowad and father Wilfred Dowad.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Norm Dowad was born in Burnaby, December 1948 to parents Wilfred “Wilf” (1925-2011) and Cherry Dowad. His father, Wilfred (1925-2011) was born in Winnipeg to parents Samuel “Sam” (Salim in Arabic) Esper Dowad (1895-1969) and Martha (Shaheen) Dowad (1894-1955). Sam and Martha Dowad were both born in a province of the Ottoman Empire which is now present day Lebanon. In 1912, while trying to immigrate to Canada, several of Sam’s relatives including his mother died tragically as steerage passengers on the ill fated Titanic. In 1913, at the age of 18 years, Sam immigrated to Canada to join other family members who'd already arrived here safely. As a new immigrant in Canada, Sam worked with other Labanese immigrants in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the United States. In December 1921, Sam's wife, Martha immigrated to Canada arriving by ship in St. John, New Brunswick. Sam and Martha established their home in Winnipeg where they began to start a family. Their first two children died in infancy and son Wilfred was born in 1925 and daughter Kathleen was born in 1926. While living in Winnipeg, Sam worked as a grocer and in the 1930’s he got work as a farmer in a nearby town. In 1943, Wilf joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCVNR) and served as a gunner on merchant ships during World War II. In 1945, while Wilf was away serving, his parents, Sam and Martha moved to Burnaby. After discharge in 1945, Wilf joined his parents in Burnaby, began working at Fraser Mills and commenced his studies in construction and drafting. In 1949, with his father’s help Wilf acquired a lot next door to his parents’ home and built his first apartment block. After Martha died in 1954, Sam moved to Kelowna where he bought an orchard. Sam remarried in 1957 to Naomi “Mamie” (David) Dowad (1899-1978) who was also from a Lebanese family. Sam and Mamie lived in Kelowna until the mid 1960s when they moved to White Rock. While living in Burnaby, Wilf met and married Cherry Piggott and the couple had six children; Norm, Bruce, Michael, Kathie, Phil and Tom. In 1955, Wilfred Dowad established "W. Dowad Ltd." and over the years he was successful in developing and subdividing land to build housing and commercial developments in Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver. Wilf was the first president of the Burnaby Winter club and was an active member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce holding office at the local, provincial and national level. In 1970, Wilf purchased 238 acres of land bordering the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh River and relocated there the following year. While living in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Wilf became actively engaged in local business and community affairs. Wilf was later remarried to Grethe Dowad and he died in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh in 2011.Wilf's six children are the sole owners of "W.Dowad Ltd." and his daughter, Kathie Smillie is the president and CEO. While growing up in Burnaby, Norm Dowad attended Schou Street School, Douglas Road School, Kensington School and graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School. Following graduation from high school, Norm attended Simon Fraser University for one year, travelled in Europe, attended University of British Columbia and obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall at York University. Norman has been practicing law for 49 years and has his own law practice that he operates out of Vancouver. 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
- Agriculture - Farms
- Education
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Migration
- Sports
- Sports - Football
- Wars - World War, 1939-1945
- Names
- Dowad, Norman W. "Norm"
- Dowad, Samuel Esper "Sam"
- Dowad, Wilfred "Wilf"
- Dowad, Naomi "Mamie" David
- Dowad, Martha Elias Shaheen
- Dowad, Kathleen "Kay"
- Rideout, Dr. John Anthony
- Burnaby Central Secondary School
- Douglas Road School
- W. Dowad Limited
- Responsibility
- Damer, Eric
- Geographic Access
- Buckingham Avenue
- Deer Lake
- Street Address
- 5533 Buckingham Avenue
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.16
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
Interview with Norman Dowad, [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 14 Aug. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0016_002.mp3![Louis Claude Hill's Farm, Burnaby, BC, [1909] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/1973/1973_0040_0004_001.jpg?width=280)
Louis Claude Hill's Farm, Burnaby, BC
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3064
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1909]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.2 x 17.6 cm mounted on cardboard 22.7 x 27.4 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a farm with men, a horse and wagon, and children in a field. An annotation on the back of one of the photos reads, "The foreground farm property stood at the corner of Sperling Avenue (formerly known as the Pole Line Road) and Buckingham. The white house in the left centre was the …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.2 x 17.6 cm mounted on cardboard 22.7 x 27.4 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a farm with men, a horse and wagon, and children in a field. An annotation on the back of one of the photos reads, "The foreground farm property stood at the corner of Sperling Avenue (formerly known as the Pole Line Road) and Buckingham. The white house in the left centre was the residence of Miss Woodward, her mother and sister. It was the first post office at 'Burnaby Lake' and the site of the kindergarten school of Miss Harriet Woodward. It later became the United Church. / The open field in the distance above the horse's head and people in the field is the field in front of the 'Manor House' which was built by Mr. Bateman in the 1920's. To the right of and beyond the white house partly hidden by the trees can be seen some of the buildings associated with the Hill farm on Deer Lake Ave. which by the date (1909) of this photo had been sold. The distant tall trees (center) stand on the site of the Municipal Buildings (DesBirsays Woods)." An annotation on the back of the other photograph reads, "Formerly belonging to Malcom Nicolson / App. 1908." Annotations at the bottom front of the photograph read, "L. Claude Hill's Farm, Burnaby, BC."
- Subjects
- Agriculture - Crops
- Agricultural Tools and Equipment
- Animals - Horses
- Occupations - Farmers
- Agriculture - Farms
- Geographic Access
- Buckingham Avenue
- Sperling Avenue
- Accession Code
- HV973.40.4
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1909]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Morley-Buckingham Area
- Scan Resolution
- 600
- Scan Date
- 2023-05-09
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- 1 b&w duplicate photograph accompanying
- Text on first image "L Claude Hill's Farm, Burnaby B C", incorporated into the image at the bottom edge of the photograph. "app 1909" pencilled in following above on the bottom edge of the image "L. Claude / Hill / Broadview", pencilled on the matt below the image. "The foreground farm property stood at the / Corner of Sperling Ave. (formerly known as Pole Line Road) / and Buckingham. The white house in the left / centre was the residence of Miss Woodward, her mother / and sister. It was the first post ofice at "Burnaby Lake" / and the site of the kindergarten school of Miss / Harriet Woodward. It later became the United / Church. / The open field in the distance above / the horses head and people in the field is / the field in front of the "Manse House" which / was built by Mr. Bateman in the 1920's. To the / right of and beyond the white house partly hidden / by the trees can be seen some of the buildings / associated with the Hill farm on Deer Lake Ave. / which by the date (1909) of this photo had been / sold. The distant tall trees (center) stand on the site of / the Municipal Buildings (DesBirsays Woods)", hand written in blue ink on the reverse side of the matt. It is not indicated who wrote the note. "OR MASTER / 973.40.4", pencilled in the lower right corner of reverse side of matt. "W. T. COOKSLEY / NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C."printed with very little contrast on the gray mattboard, below the lower right corner of the photograph Text on second image. "L Claude Hill's Farm, Burnaby B C", incorporated into the image at the bottom edge of the photograph. "Claude surveying the haying", pencilled on the reverse side of the matt. "Formerly belonging to Malcolm Nicholson / app 1908", hand writen in blue ink on the reverse side of the matt. "H.V.973.40.4. OR. MASTER", hand printed on the bottom left corner of the reverse side of the matt. "W. T. COOKSLEY / NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C."printed with very little contrast on the gray mattboard, below the lower right corner of the photograph
Images
![Louis Claude Hill's Farm, Burnaby, BC, [1909] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/1973/1973_0040_0004_001.jpg)
