Narrow Results By
Burnaby, Vancouver and the north shore
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85238
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1937 and 1938]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 film clip (5 min., 21 sec.) : digital, b&w, col., si.
- Scope and Content
- Item is a silent digitized film segment identified as Reel 6. The film segment opens with colour footage of people lawn bowling at Burnaby's Central Park. Dot Digney, Sid and Connie Swan can be seen bowling. This footage is followed with Andy Digney and Charles E. Jones at the Bird's of Paradise b…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1937 and 1938]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 film clip (5 min., 21 sec.) : digital, b&w, col., si.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 562-003-6
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- 2014-04
- Scope and Content
- Item is a silent digitized film segment identified as Reel 6. The film segment opens with colour footage of people lawn bowling at Burnaby's Central Park. Dot Digney, Sid and Connie Swan can be seen bowling. This footage is followed with Andy Digney and Charles E. Jones at the Bird's of Paradise bird sanctuary followed by footage of Stanley Park. The footage continues and interchanges between black and white and colour as the Digney's take a ferry ride to North Vancouver where they visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Fishermen's Cove. The reel closes with footage of skiers on Grouse Mountain and a fire at Pier D in 1938.
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Photographer
- Digney, Andy
- Creator
- Digney, Andy
- Notes
- Title based on contents of film
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Kingsway-Beresford Area
Images
Video
Burnaby, Vancouver and the north shore, [between 1937 and 1938]
Burnaby, Vancouver and the north shore, [between 1937 and 1938]
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Moving_Images/_Unrestricted/562-003-6.m4vGaliano Island, Oak Theatre and Calgary
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85241
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1939 and 1941]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 film clip (9 min., 51 sec.) : digital, col., si.
- Scope and Content
- Item is a silent digitized colour film segment identified as Reel 7. The film segment opens with footage of the shores of Galiano Island and soon switches to a game of table tennis and a boat ride up Burrard Inlet with Grannie Swan and company. The boat ride continues to the marina at Horseshoe Bay…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1939 and 1941]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 film clip (9 min., 51 sec.) : digital, col., si.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 562-003-7
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- 2014-04
- Scope and Content
- Item is a silent digitized colour film segment identified as Reel 7. The film segment opens with footage of the shores of Galiano Island and soon switches to a game of table tennis and a boat ride up Burrard Inlet with Grannie Swan and company. The boat ride continues to the marina at Horseshoe Bay where the family goes ashore. This footage is followed with a dark segment of footage of a paegant at the Oak Theatre in 1941 and the gardens of the Oak Theatre. The film has a break and continues with footage of the Digney family travels to the Calgary Breweries, Calgary Zoo, and the Calgary Stampede parade and fairgrounds, Alberta, closing with footage of the Rockies and Rogers Pass.
- Subjects
- Animals - Birds
- Events - Parades
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Photographer
- Digney, Andy
- Creator
- Digney, Andy
- Notes
- Title based on contents of film
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Kingsway-Beresford Area
Images
Video
Galiano Island, Oak Theatre and Calgary, [between 1939 and 1941]
Galiano Island, Oak Theatre and Calgary, [between 1939 and 1941]
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Moving_Images/_Unrestricted/562-003-7.m4vMy Story
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription9673
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 2016
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Film and Video collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (4 min., 21 sec.) : digital, 25 fps, col., sd., stereo
- Scope and Content
- This film chronicles that 2013 journey of Kehar Sing Aujla and his wife as they travelled to India on vacation. The visit included a trip to the town of Ledo in North-East India, where the Ledo Mine Rescue Centre is located. In the film, Aujla describes the trip and the work he oversaw at the Ledo …
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Film and Video collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (4 min., 21 sec.) : digital, 25 fps, col., sd., stereo
- Scope and Content
- This film chronicles that 2013 journey of Kehar Sing Aujla and his wife as they travelled to India on vacation. The visit included a trip to the town of Ledo in North-East India, where the Ledo Mine Rescue Centre is located. In the film, Aujla describes the trip and the work he oversaw at the Ledo Mine Rescue Centre when he was Superintendent of the Coal Mines Rescue Department in India. His visit with friends and trip to a local Sikh holy place is also included in the film.
- History
- Kehar Singh Aujla is originally from the Western part of India. He and his wife immigrated to Canada in 1996 to be closer to his son and his family in Burnaby. Aujla worked in the coal mining industry in India for 40 years starting in 1951. He passed his management exam in 1960, and spent 23 years working with a coal mine rescue organization. Since moving to Burnaby he has received recognition for his commitment to volunteer work, receiving eight awards between 2006 and 2016, including being selected as Burnaby's Citizen of the Year for 2011. His volunteering has included work with Volunteer Grandparents, Burnaby Citizen Support Services, Burnaby Village Museum, the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, BMO Marathon, Breast Cancer Association, and at the Sukh Sagar Gurdwara. His awards include the Gerontology Award from SFU, 2011 Citizen of the year from the City of Burnaby, Top 25 Immigrant of 2012 by Canadian Immigrants and Royal Bank of Canada, The Life Time Sewa Award by Sukh Sagar Sikh Temple of New Westminster, Best Community Service Award by Vaisakhi Gala of Surrey, Best Community Service Award by Age Care and News Leader, Sovereign Medal by Governor General of Canada, Above and Beyond Award by Fraser Health, Early Bird Award by Volunteer Resources of Burnaby General Hospital.
- Creator
- Aujla, Kehar Singh
- Other Title Information
- title supplied by film maker
- Names
- Aujla, Kehar Singh
- Accession Code
- BV016.37.4
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- 2016
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Notes
- Transcribed title
Images
Video
My Story, 2016
The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription15666
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 4 May 2021
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (62 min., 28 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Adrian Avendaño, Stewardship Program Manager with Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is presented in partnership with the Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby Public Library and Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is titled "The Lege…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (62 min., 28 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps
- Material Details
- Presenter: John Preissl
- Host: Adrian Avendano (Still Moon Arts Society)
- Date of Presentation: Tuesday, May 4, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Total Number of tracks: 1
- Total Length of all tracks: 62 min., 28 sec.
- Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
- Recording Note: Film was edited from it's original recorded version (77 min., 48 sec.) to edited version (62 min., 28 sec.) for public viewing on Heritage Burnaby.
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Adrian Avendaño, Stewardship Program Manager with Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is presented in partnership with the Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby Public Library and Still Moon Arts Society. The webinar is titled "The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby" and is presented by John Preissl, Freelance Photographer of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Leq’á:mel Nation ancestry. The Zoom webinar is the third in a series of six "Neighbourhood Speaker series" webinars exploring a range of topics shared by Indigenous speakers and knowledge keepers that were presented and made available to the public between April 27 and May 12, 2021. The live webinar was also made available on the Burnaby Village Museum's facebook page. Community members were invited to participate by bringing questions during the interactive online sessions. This webinar was made available in In partnership with Still Moon Arts Society. In this webinar, John Preissl shares his family’s long history from the first Chief Capilano in the late 1700's to the present day. Looking through the lens of his camera, John weaves together stories of the Legend of Deer Lake, resource gathering in the Burnaby Lake Watershed, and protection of the sacred salmon and eagle habitat on the shared homelands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. The presentation is supported with photographs that John has taken over the years documenting the diverse environment and wildlife habitats in Burnaby, the lower mainland and west coast including waterways and the fight to protect it. Following the presentation, John Preissl takes questions from the audience that are moderated by the host, Adrian Avendaño.
- History
- John Preissl is a Burnaby-based environmental, adventure, wildlife and Indigenous freelance photographer. He is a media expert with over two decades of media experience and consulting. John is of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Leq’á:mel Nation ancestry. His Great times-two Grandfather was the Great Chief Joe Capilano. John leads many First Nations Tours in Burnaby from Deer Lake, Burnaby Lake, Burnaby Mountain and pretty well all over Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh Nations Lands.
- Subjects
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Social life and customs
- Animals - Birds
- Animals - Fish
- Geographic Features - Lakes and Ponds
- Geographic Features - Ravines
- Names
- Preissl, John
- Tsleil-Waututh Nation
- Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation
- Avendaño, Adrian
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Accession Code
- BV021.17.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- 4 May 2021
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Lake Area
- Notes
- Title based on content of video recording The following links were shared at the end of the presentation:
- The Legend of Deer Lake: https://www.legendsofvancouver.net/deer-lake-burnaby-vancouver
- Saving the Salmon: the Brunette River Story, a short film about the preservation of Brunette River: https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumvideo4486
- Saving Burnaby Lake, a short film about the preservation of Burnaby Lake: https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumvideo4485
- Still Creek Streamkeepers: https://stillmoonarts.ca/stewardship/streamkeepers/
- John Preissl’s photography website: https://johnpreisslphotography.ca/
Images
Video
The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby, 4 May 2021
The Legend of Deer Lake and Indigenous histories of Burnaby, 4 May 2021
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2021_0017_0003_002.mp4Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription18877
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 22 Sep. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (91 min., 5 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke with presentations and discussions by Megan Innes, Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra and Denise Fong. The webinar is titled "Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (91 min., 5 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 29 fps
- Material Details
- Host: Jane Lemke
- Presenters: Meagan Innes; Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra; Denise Fong
- Date of Presentation: Tuesday, September 22, 2022. 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Total Number of tracks: 1
- Total Length of all tracks: 91 min., 5 sec.
- Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
- Original recording of 91 min., 5 sec.was edited to 79 min., 2 sec. for viewing on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Curator, Jane Lemke with presentations and discussions by Megan Innes, Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra and Denise Fong. The webinar is titled "Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum". The webinar is the fourth in a series of six webinars presented in partnership by Burnaby Village Museum and Burnaby Public Library. The live webinar was also made available on the Burnaby Village Museum's facebook page. Community members were invited to participate by bringing questions during the interactive online sessions. In this webinar speakers and host discuss what it takes to bring more diverse stories into the Burnaby Village Museum and explore the history of discriminatory practices and museological trends at the Burnaby Village Museum and other museums. Speakers highlight recent projects taking place at Burnaby Village Museum to ensure that other diverse stories of communities are being represented and told. Speakers each provide a ten minute presentation followed by discussions. The first speaker in the webinar is Meagan Innes. When talking about place, Meagan talks about her ancestral ties to certain places including the site where Burnaby Village Museum now stands and what it means to her Indigenous ancestors. Meagan shares stories from her grandfather John Cordocedo of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation and how her grandfather, her great grandfather and ancestors have lived, hunted, gathered and traveled on this land. Meagan talks about the work that she’s been involved with at the Burnaby Village Museum including the development of the Indigenous Learning House, the Matriarch’s Garden, the Indigenous History in Burnaby Resource Guide and development of Indigenous educational programing and projects. Meagan reflects on the collaboration and relationships that have developed during this work with Indigenous artists and Indigenous knowledge keepers. The second speaker in the webinar is Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra “Sharn”. Sharn's presentation is titled “From Orientalism and Colonialism to hope and future possibility”. Sharn speaks of her personal experience visiting the Burnaby Village Museum’s Chinese herbalist exhibit with her son and his school in 2019. Sharn expresses the racist impressions that she witnessed from the young students who visited the exhibit and her reaction re-visiting the exhibit in 2021 after the exhibit was revitalized. Sharn describes the much more positive aspects of the revitalized exhibit which transformed it from “Nostalgic Colonialism” to a place of meaningful belonging for racialized communities that includes faces and personal stories. Sharn looks forward to being a part of Burnaby’s next venture which looks at the history of Burnaby’s South Asian Canadian Community and shares some of her research while working on this project. The third speaker in the webinar is Denise Fong. Denise’s presentation is titled “Chinese Canadian History in Burnaby”. Denise provides some background regarding her work as a researcher working for the City of Burnaby. Denise takes us on a journey of her research in compiling non white experiences in Burnaby as well as uncovering personal stories from Burnaby families living and working in Burnaby. Denise points out discriminatory practices within Burnaby including the Chinese and Japanese Exclusion Bylaw in 1892 and the history of Chinese immigration to Canada including the Chinese Head Tax. Denise reflects on her own work, the work of students from UBC and volunteers from the Chinese Canadian History Advisory committee in building relationships with Chinese Canadian families within Burnaby to obtain stories and family records. Denise points out the various projects that these relationships and research have contributed to including; Heritage interpretive plaques installed at the Riverway Golf Course and in the Big Bend area of Burnaby, an award winning exhibit at Burnaby Village Museum “Across the Pacific”, new Chinese Canadian resources available on “Heritage Burnaby”, the revitalization of the Chinese Herbalist shop exhibit “Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee and Co.” at Burnaby Village Museum, the Chinese Market Garden at Burnaby Village Museum, the creation of a "Burnaby Farm Tour" map highlighting Chinese farms in the Big Bend area and a publication titled "Chinese Canadian History in Burnaby Resource Guide". Following the presentations, host Jane Lemke enters a conversation with Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra and Denise Fong. Jane intiates the conversations with questions regarding further work that is necessary for Burnaby Village Museum and other museums to move forward in readdressing the narratives beyond white colonial settler perspectives to include stories of marginalized and racialized people who are under represented and often forgotten.
- History
- Jane Lemke has worked in various museums in the Lower Mainland and has been the Curator at Burnaby Village Museum since 2019. Her educational background includes a Master of Arts degree in History and a Master of Museum Studies degree. Her research focus has been on trauma and memory and its role in shaping Canadian identity. She loves sharing memories and stories of Burnaby with the public. Jane sits on the Council of the BC Museums Association and is the Chair of the BC Museums Association Professional Development and Education Committee.
- Meagan Innes is from Xwmélts'tstn úxwumixw (Capilano Village). She is a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh First Nation Educator and a multidisciplinary Artist. Meagan completed her Masters of Education around examining connection to place, kinship and to spén´em (plant) s7ek_w’í7tel (siblings) pén´em (plant things). She is an emerging artist who is waking up her Ancestral skills and practicing the ways of her Ancestors. She is exploring reshaping pedagogy to embody traditional ways of knowing and being, more specifically Sḵwx̱wú7mesh traditional ways of learning, knowing and being. She had recently completed the First Nations Language Program at Simon Fraser University to become a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh langauge speaker which is the language of her Ancestors.
- Dr. Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra (Sharn) is Coordinator of the South Asian Studies Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, co-curator of exhibits at the Sikh Heritage Museum, located in the National Historic Site Gur Sikh Temple in Abbotsford, BC, and a sessional faculty in the Department of History at UFV. Sharn’s PhD looks at the affective experiences of racialized museum visitors through a critical race theory lens. She’s a passionate activist, building bridges between community and academia through museum work. She is a past member of the BC Museums Association, and currently a Director with the Pacific Canada Heritage Centre - Museum of Migration.
- Denise Fong is a historical researcher with the City of Burnaby and Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on Chinese Canadian identity and meaning making in heritage spaces. Since 2009, Denise has coordinated a number of historical research and public history projects, including SFU’s From C to C: Chinese Canadian Stories of Migration and UBC’s Chinese Canadian Stories: Uncommon Histories from a Common Past. She co-curated two award-winning Chinese Canadian exhibitions locally — Burnaby Village Museum’s Across the Pacific exhibition and the Chinese Canadian Museum of BC/Museum of Vancouver’s A Seat at the Table exhibition. She is a UBC Public Scholar and currently serves as the research director for UBC's Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Indigenous peoples
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Food
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - First contact with Europeans
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Social life and customs
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Art
- Indigenous peoples - British Columbia - Languages
- Indigenous peoples - Canada - , Treatment of
- Plants
- Persons - Chinese Canadians
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Buildings - Civic - Museums
- Social Issues - Racism
- Names
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Fong, Denise
- Innes, Meagan
- Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation
- Sandhra, Sharanjit Kaur "Sharn" Dr.
- Responsibility
- Lemke, Jane
- Accession Code
- BV022.27.4
- Date
- 22 Sep. 2022
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Images
Video
Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum, 22 Sep. 2022
Stepping over the barrier: Expanding Diversity at the Burnaby Village Museum, 22 Sep. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2022_0027_0004_002.mp4Digney Film 3 - Visit to Vancouver Zoo in Stanley Park
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription18881
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1967] (date of original), copied 2019
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (1 min., 15 sec.) : digital, 23 fps, col., si.
- Scope and Content
- Film footage of Joyce Digney, her mother, Dorothy Brookes and her young son Drew Digney visiting the Vancouver Zoo located in Stanley Park in Vancouver. Film clip documents them watching pelicans feeding and swimming in a pond and walking along the pathways within the park.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (1 min., 15 sec.) : digital, 23 fps, col., si.
- Scope and Content
- Film footage of Joyce Digney, her mother, Dorothy Brookes and her young son Drew Digney visiting the Vancouver Zoo located in Stanley Park in Vancouver. Film clip documents them watching pelicans feeding and swimming in a pond and walking along the pathways within the park.
- Creator
- Digney, Ernest Frank "Dig"
- Subjects
- Exhibitions - Zoos
- Animals
- Animals - Birds
- Names
- Digney, Joyce
- Digney, Drew
- Geographic Access
- Vancouver
- Accession Code
- BV019.18.5.4
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1967] (date of original), copied 2019
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Planning Study Area
- Maywood Area
- Photographer
- Digney, Ernest Frank "Dig"
- Notes
- Title based on contents of film segment
- Film segment originates from digitized version of original 8 mm film (See BV019.18.5)
Images
Video
Digney Film 3 - Visit to Vancouver Zoo in Stanley Park, [1967] (date of original), copied 2019
Digney Film 3 - Visit to Vancouver Zoo in Stanley Park, [1967] (date of original), copied 2019
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2019_0018_0005_004.mp4Interview with Kanwal Singh Neel
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19607
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1973-2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 video recording (mp4) (50 min., 32 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 30 fps
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Kanwal Singh Neel conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. The interview was conducted and recorded on the Zoom platform. 00:00 – 00:06:47 Kanwal shares some of the mentors that influenced him in his life, education and …
- 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 video recording (mp4) (50 min., 32 sec.) : digital, col., sd., stereo ; 30 fps
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Rajdeep Interviewee: Kanwal Singh Neel Interview Date: July 5, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 50 min., 32 sec. Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Kanwal Singh Neel conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. The interview was conducted and recorded on the Zoom platform. 00:00 – 00:06:47 Kanwal shares some of the mentors that influenced him in his life, education and career, how his three-year grandson has been an inspiration and how important it is to educate yourself in different ways. 00:06:48 - 00:19:02 Kanwal talks about the diversity in the schools that he’s encountered over the years as a student and as an educator and shares his experiences getting hired as an educator on public television and being known as "the math guy". 00:19:03 - 00:46:39 Kanwal talks about the “Friends of Simon” tutoring out-reach program and his involvement. 00:26:40 - 00:30:24 Kanwal shares his experiences officiating the Canada Summer Games, the Harry Jerome Track Classic, the Commonwealth Games and other world class sporting events. 00:30:25 - 00:38:58 Kanwal describes a typical day while working at Simon Fraser University as Associate Director of Professional Programs, as a sports official and his involvement with Friends of Simon. Kanwal speaks about the importance of finding a balance between staying connected, finding your purpose and carrying on the passions that you enjoy. Kanwal talks about some of his favourite places in Burnaby including Simon Fraser University, Burnaby Mountain, Deer Lake and Central Park. 00:38:59 - 00:43:31 Kanwal talks about the changes that he’s seen in the lower mainland over his life time including; diminishing agricultural land, the fishing industry, public transportation, housing and retail infrastructure and homelessness. 00:43:32 - 00:50:32 Kanwal talks about his involvement with the Punjabi Cultural Association, the introduction of Punjabi language courses in public schools and his involvement in a Bhangra event. Kanwal imparts a final message to youth of today emphasizing the importance of, building relationships, giving back to your community, learning through education and being respectful of your own journey and others.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Kanwal Singh Neel was born in Mombasa, Kenya in 1953 and immigrated with his family to Canada in 1969. For the first few weeks after immigrating the family stayed at the Sikh Temple on Second Avenue before moving into a house which they rented. Kanwal attended Kitsilano Secondary School and later transferred to Steveston High School when his family moved to Richmond. In 1972, Kanwal and friends formed a bhangra group "Punjab Cultural Association" and in 1974 they performed at the World Exposition in Spokane, Washington. The group performed at various venues including the Pacific National Exhibition and other cities in the Province. In 1973, Kanwal was an officiate during the Canada Summer Games at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. Kanwal obtained a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from University of British Columbia in computer science and mathematics and got his first teaching job in 1977. In 1978, he was an officiate of the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta. Over the next ten years he devoted himself to becoming an educator and during this time he became more involved with the B.C. Math Teachers Association. Kanwal and his wife Nancy married in 1982 and have two daughters. In the early 1990's, Kanwal joined Simon Fraser University as a faculty associate to work, train and mentor student teachers. Kanwal became President of the B.C. Math Teachers Association and travelled throughout the province to help solve issues being faced by students. In 1993, he co-hosted a TV show "Math Shop" on The Knowledge Network and he later co-authored a textbook series titled "Math Makes Sense". Kanwal continued to advance his knowledge in the field of mathematics obtaining a Doctorate from Simon Fraser University in 2008. Kanwal developed his doctoral work in Haida Gwaii, studying the mathematics that the Haida peoples used in day to day life, applying the applications and integrating the mathematics concepts with their cultural knowledge. Kanwal also worked with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation and the Stó:lō Nation in helping to develop resources for them. Kanwal has been recognized with various awards and honours including being awarded an honorary doctorate by Kwantlen Polytechnic University and in 2017 as an inductee in the Sports Wall of Fame in Richmond for his outstanding contribution to amateur sport as an International Athletics Official. Since retirement, Kanwal continues to be involved in a project at Simon Fraser University "Friends of Simon" where university students go out and mentor and tutor immigrant and refugee children from South Asia and Africa and other countries. Interviewer biography: Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Education
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Sports
- Events - Competitions
- Housing
- Performances
- Names
- Neel, Kanwal Singh
- Simon Fraser University
- Friends of Simon
- Canada Summer Games
- Swangard Stadium
- Punjabi Cultural Association
- Responsibility
- Rajdeep
- Geographic Access
- Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
- Central Park
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.11
- Date
- [1973-2023] (interview content), interviewed 5 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item