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Interview with W.H. O'Brien July / August 1975 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory19
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1932-1936
- Length
- 0:09:26
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to W.H. "Harry" O'Brien's decision to join the Army of the Common Good and its Cooperative (CG Co-op) as well as the South Burnaby Union of the Unemployed. Harry discusses his father's work as caretaker at Central Park and helping to deal with wood cutting per…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to W.H. "Harry" O'Brien's decision to join the Army of the Common Good and its Cooperative (CG Co-op) as well as the South Burnaby Union of the Unemployed. Harry discusses his father's work as caretaker at Central Park and helping to deal with wood cutting permits and land clearing by men who were on script.
- Date Range
- 1932-1936
- Photo Info
- Harry and Gertrude (Sutherland) O'Brien on their wedding day, October 12, 1940. Item no. 315-005
- Length
- 0:09:26
- Names
- Central Park
- Subjects
- Organizations
- Geographic Access
- Central Park
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- July / August 1975
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with W.H. "Harry" O'Brien by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury. Major themes discussed are: the Army of the Common Good, the Union of the Unemployed and the Common Good Credit Union (now the South Burnaby Credit Union). To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- W.H. “Harry” O’Brien was born in the coal mining town of Nanaimo, British Columbia on October 20, 1914. He came to Burnaby with his parents and five siblings in 1927. Harry’s mother, a school teacher, wanted her children to live closer to school in order to obtain a better education, so the O’Brien family settled at Inman Avenue, Burnaby. Harry's mother, Mary Anne Crossan, was Gilmore Avenue School's first teacher. Harry left school in June of 1929. Harry’s father worked as the caretaker at Central Park around this time and Harry helped him to clear brush, plant trees and enforce the land clearing and wood cutting permit regulations held by men who were on script. Although too young to vote by just over a week, Harry O'Brien worked as a scrutineer for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) during the 1935 Federal Election. On October 12, 1940 Harry O'Brien married Gertrude Sutherland at St. John the Divine in Burnaby. The Sutherland family came to Burnaby from Winnipeg in 1933 and settled at Nelson Avenue. Harry began his involvement with the Unemployment Organization in Burnaby by participating in an organised protest against the municipality for homeowner evictions brought on by unpaid taxes. The South Burnaby Union of the Unemployed organised in order to protest rules around receiving Relief. Harry became involved, eventually becoming one of the spearheads of the organization, taking over as secretary by 1936. Harry was an original member of the Army of the Common Good, helping to produce over one hundred and twenty-five tons of vegetables from its own gardens to feed Burnaby citizens suffering from the lack of resources during the Depression years. The members of the Army of the Common Good who cut wood for consumption or worked in the gardens were given credit for their work through LU (Labour Units) which they could then use to buy groceries and that at the Army's Cooperative stores, one of which was at McKay Avenue, where Harry began working as Manager of Groceries in 1937. The Credit Union movement of British Columbia was also organized by Harry O'Brien and his fellow Army of the Common Good members. W.H. "Harry" O'Brien died July 1, 1992.
- Total Tracks
- 9
- Total Length
- 1:17:56
- Interviewee Name
- O'Brien, Harry
- Interviewer Bio
- Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Oral history subseries
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interview was digitized in 2010 allowing it to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council and the BC History Digitization Program of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia. It was recognized by the Heritage Society of BC with an award in 2012.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with W.H.
Track two of interview with W.H.
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-25/100-13-25_Track_2.mp3
Survey and Subdivision plans in New Westminster District Group 1 – Burnaby
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription6971
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1904-1908
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Map collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 7 plans : blueprint ink on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard 76 cm x 101.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a large board of four New Westminster District Gp 1 -subdivision plans mounted on one side and three New Westminster District Gp 1 - subdivision plans mounted on the other side. Side A: 1. Blueprint "Plan / of Subdivision of / Lot 28A / in Subdivision of / Lot 97, Group 1 / Ne…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum Map collection
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 7 plans : blueprint ink on paper mounted on 2 sides of cardboard 76 cm x 101.5 cm
- Material Details
- Scales [between1:120 and 1:3960]
- Index number on edge of board reads: "3"
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a large board of four New Westminster District Gp 1 -subdivision plans mounted on one side and three New Westminster District Gp 1 - subdivision plans mounted on the other side. Side A: 1. Blueprint "Plan / of Subdivision of / Lot 28A / in Subdivision of / Lot 97, Group 1 / New Westminster District". The B.C.E.R. is identified running through the subdivision of XXVIIIA (Lot 28A). Plan is dated "Sept. 21st, 08" (Geographic location: Burnaby) 2. Blueprint "Measurements / of Discharge / in Ditches / Lots 155A, G.One" / "Scale, Twentieths. / 17/12/04" (Geographic location: Burnaby) 3. Blueprint "Plan / of Subdivision / of a portion of / Lot 95 / Group One / New Westminster District" B.C. Electric Railway runs through the top of the plan. The plan is dated May 23, 1906. (Geographic location: Burnaby) 4. Blueprint " Profile / on Water Surface / in / Holland Road Ditch / Woollard's Ditch / Dec. 3rd 1904 / Scales Hor. 200'=1" / Vert. 10'=1"" (Geographic location: Burnaby) Side B: 1. Blueprint " "Sunnyside Park" / plan of Subdivision / of / the East Half / of / Lot 39, GR.One, / New Westminster District / Scale 100'=1" (Geographic location: Burnaby) 2. Blueprint " "Sunnyside Park"/ plan of Subdivi..n / of / Lot 39, Gr.1. / New Westminster District" Index in upper left corner of plan shows location of Lot 39 in relation to Central Park and surrounding Lots. (Geographic location: Burnaby) 3. Blueprint "Plan / of Subdivision / of / Lot 163 and 165 / Group One / New Westminster District / Scale 5 chs=1 in." Streets within subdivision plan are identified as; North Arm Road, Ingram Street, Blair Street, Kennedy Street, Murray Street, Wiggins Road, Byrne Road, South Road along with North Arm Fraser River and B.C. Electric Railway. (Geographic location: Burnaby)
- Geographic Access
- Central Park
- Accession Code
- HV977.93.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- 1904-1908
- Media Type
- Cartographic Material
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Scan Resolution
- 300
- Scale
- 72
- Notes
- Title based on contents of file
- Scale is measured in chains and feet. (One chain equals 792 inches)
- The term "Lot" can also refer to a "District Lot”
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