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![Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/2000/200400820005.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Betty Blair by Eric Damer October 17, 2012 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory297
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1939-1945
- Length
- 0:10:29
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair's memories of the war years, including her involvement in fundraising activities. She discusses her high school experience, her sister's influence in her life, taking the Central Park interurban line and playing field hock…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair's memories of the war years, including her involvement in fundraising activities. She discusses her high school experience, her sister's influence in her life, taking the Central Park interurban line and playing field hockey.
- Date Range
- 1939-1945
- Photo Info
- Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5.
- Length
- 0:10:29
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- October 17, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, October 17, 2012. Major theme discussed: life in Burnaby during the war years.
- Biographical Notes
- Betty Warburton (later Atkinson) (later Blair) was born in 1926 and grew up at three different locations on Frederick Avenue in Burnaby. She went to school in Burnaby; first at Kingsway West for two years, then Nelson Avenue and then Burnaby South High School where she completed senior matriculation. After graduation, Betty worked for a few years in Vancouver before marrying her first husband Don Atkinson and raising their children in Burnaby. Betty (Warburton) (Atkinson) Blair has participated in a range of activities from hiking and Girl Guides to volunteer arthritis care. By the nineteen-sixties she had began to learn pottery and take lessons at Mather House in Burnaby.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 0:59:03
- Interviewee Name
- Blair, Betty Warburton Atkinson
- 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
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
![Graduating class at Burnaby South High School; Betty Warburton is third from the right in the front row, [1942 or 1943]. Item no. BV004.82.5. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/2000/200400820005.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track two of recording of interview with Betty Blair
Track two of recording of interview with Betty Blair
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-003/MSS171-003_Track_2.mp3
Interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and Dr Violet Eagles 10-Jun-75 - Track 9
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory49
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1939-1945
- Length
- 0:10:53
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Dr Blythe Alfred Eagles and Dr Violet Evelyn (Dunbar) Eagles' memories of activities they were involved in during the war years, including Red Cross Garden Parties and how different this time was from the days of the Depression.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview pertains to Dr Blythe Alfred Eagles and Dr Violet Evelyn (Dunbar) Eagles' memories of activities they were involved in during the war years, including Red Cross Garden Parties and how different this time was from the days of the Depression.
- Date Range
- 1939-1945
- Photo Info
- Mrs. Dunbar, Dr. Blythe Eagles and Dr. Violet (Dunbar) Eagles, June 1967. Item no. 404-002
- Length
- 0:10:53
- Names
- Red Cross
- Subjects
- Wars - World War, 1939-1945
- Interviewer
- Bradbury, Dr. Bettina
- Interview Date
- 10-Jun-75
- Scope and Content
- Recording is a taped interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and his wife Dr Violet Eagles by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury (and Ross S. McLeod) June 10, 1975. Major themes discussed are: the Depression, the War Years and Burnaby Lake District. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
- Biographical Notes
- Blythe's paternal grandparents, Charles and Maude Eagles immigrated to New Westminster in 1887. Their son Jack married Amelia Jane Johnston, and Blythe Eagles was born in New Westminster in 1902. In 1918 Blythe enrolled at the University of British Columbia, and took a Physiology class with eight other top students - his future wife, Violet Dunbar was the lone woman in the class. Blythe graduated in 1922, winning the Governor General's Gold Medal as top student. He received his MA in 1924 and his PhD in 1926 from the University of Toronto. He then completed his post-doctoral study at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, England. In 1933 Dr. Eagles became head of the Department of Dairying (1936-1955), Chairman of the Division of Animal Science (1955-1967), and Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture (in 1949 until his retirement in 1967). In 1968 he received an Honourary Doctor of Science Award from UBC Blythe was also one of the first appointments to the Burnaby Town Planning Commission. Violet Evelyn Dunbar was born September 29, 1899 in Ontario, the eldest child of John and Mary (Tompson) Dunbar. Violet attained her BA in 1921 and MA in 1922 from the University of British Columbia. In 1922 she attended the Provincial Normal School and within six months had a teaching certificate and taught at Lord Hudson School in 1923. In September 1923 she was awarded a two-year scholarship to the University of Toronto, where she joined Blythe in the Bio-Chemistry Department. She received a second MA and a PhD in 1929. Her graduate studies entailed research in pure proteins and enzymes related to the commercial production of cheese. Through this work she was recognized as one of the leading enzyme chemists in the country, being a senior lab instructor of biochemistry. Violet was one of the founders of the Burnaby Council of Women and active member of the International Council of Women. Blythe and Violet Eagles purchased property at Deer Lake in 1929 and began construction of their home shortly before their marriage on June 25, 1930. The Drs. Blythe and Violet Eagles Estate is a unique expression of the talents and tastes of both the Eagles and Frank Ebenezer Buck (1875-1970) who was head of the Horticultural Department and the Campus Landscape Architect at U.B.C. and established the plan for the Eagles garden while Blythe selected many of the plantings. The Eagles themselves designed the house as a romantic cottage inspired by the British Arts and Crafts style. Violet was an enthusiastic amateur gardener, maintaining and continually developing the garden. The Eagles were active volunteers in the local community as well as at UBC. When Simon Fraser University opened in Burnaby, they became well-known for entertaining dignitaries and special guests of the university in their lavish garden. After Violet's death in 1993, the estate was sold to the City of Burnaby. The funds were used to establish a Chair in Agriculture at the University of British Columbia in their memory.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 1:24:01
- Interviewee Name
- Eagles, Dr. Blythe
- Eagles, Dr. Violet
- 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
- 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 nine of interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and Dr Violet Eagles
Track nine of interview with Dr Blythe Eagles and Dr Violet Eagles
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/100-13-08/100-13-08_Track_9.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory516
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1900-1946
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, and her Oikawa grandparent’s immigration to BC and settlement on Lion and Don Islands at the mouth of the Fraser River. She describes how the family was moved to the internment camp “The Orchard” in New Denver,…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, and her Oikawa grandparent’s immigration to BC and settlement on Lion and Don Islands at the mouth of the Fraser River. She describes how the family was moved to the internment camp “The Orchard” in New Denver, but managed to find a place to live outside the camp where her grandmother grew a large garden from seeds brought in the seams of her clothing. She notes that the Lion Islands were named Oikawa-shima by the Japanese settlers.
- Date Range
- 1900-1946
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita 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 Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- 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
- 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.
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track one of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_1.mp3Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory522
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:13:56
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and dis…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and distrust in her family. She also talks about visiting Hiroshima on her trip to Japan in 1980
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:13:56
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita 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 Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- 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
- 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.
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track seven of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_7.mp3
Interview with William J. Copeland by Rod Fowler February 18, 1990 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory438
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1927-1990
- Length
- 00:06:37
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's childhood in Burnaby and Vancouver, his father's work as a miner, his war service, education, and his three children
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Bill Copeland's childhood in Burnaby and Vancouver, his father's work as a miner, his war service, education, and his three children
- Date Range
- 1927-1990
- 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
- 00:06:37
- 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
- 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 four of interview with William J. Copeland
Track four of interview with William J. Copeland
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-013/MSS187-013_Track_4.mp3Digney Family fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85415
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1936-19[61]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w + 1 film reel : col. ; 16mm + 7 optical discs (DVDs) + 1 portable drive
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of a reel of film (digitized into four segments) created by Andy Digney; a panorama photograph of the Digney Pee-Wee Bowling League from 1958 or 1959; and 18 film segments on DVD that were originally created by Andy Digney between 1934 and 1961 and digitized by his grandson Paul Dign…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1936-19[61]
- Collection/Fonds
- Digney Family fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w + 1 film reel : col. ; 16mm + 7 optical discs (DVDs) + 1 portable drive
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of a reel of film (digitized into four segments) created by Andy Digney; a panorama photograph of the Digney Pee-Wee Bowling League from 1958 or 1959; and 18 film segments on DVD that were originally created by Andy Digney between 1934 and 1961 and digitized by his grandson Paul Digney in 2012. The 16mm film is divided into the following segments: the Oak Theatre in 1936 (construction and opening); the Royal Visit (from the King and Queen) in 1939; Burnaby Sports and May Day events (ca. 1937); and the Labour parade (ca. 1935). The 18 film segments contain footage of the Digney family at their home in Brandon, Manitoba, and Burnaby; views of the Oak Theatre and Digney Speedway in operation; and their travels throughout British Columbia and abroad. The 18 film segments are described at the item level and titled: Andy's first film; Brandon, Manitoba; Burnaby and Digney recreational events; Trip to Kamloops; Burnaby; Burnaby, Vancouver and the north shore; Galiano Island, Oak Theatre and Calgary; Travels to Ontario, Quebec and England; Travels to England #2; Travels to England #3; Parades; Digney family in Burnaby; Paul Digney and family; Digney family and the Oak Theatre gardens; Digney family at Bonsor Avenue and family outings; Building and opening the Digney Speedway; Digney family travel the praries; and San Francisco Trip.
- History
- Andy Digney was born in London, England, on July 27, 1886. His given names were Andrew Charles. In 1905, he immigrated with his elder brother to Raymore, Saskatchewan, and worked on a farm. In 1914, he met and married Alice Swan and in 1920 they had their one and only child, Ernest ('Dig'). The young family lived in Beatty, Saskatchewan, where they ran a small general store with a pool hall over the top. Andy sold the store and they moved to Carberry, Manitoba, where Andy worked selling lightning rods and hanging wallpaper. At this time, he met and formed a partnership with someone who owned a hand cranked move projector and in the evenings, he and his wife traveled to church halls in neighbouring towns, showing movies. Eventually, Digney purchased his own movie projector and opened a small theatre in Carberry. He worked odd jobs during the daytime and projected movies in his small theatre at night. Eventually he made enough money to move to Brandon, Manitoba, where he purchased a restaurant, which he turned into a theatre with living quarters above. Andy called the theatre 'The Oak' since the mighty oak was strong and stood forever. After starting the first Oak Theatre in Brandon, Manitoba, when talking pictures came along, Andy Digney, his wife Alice and son Ernest ('Dig') moved to Burnaby in 1935 and chose the site of their new theatre and home at the corner of Kingsway and Marlborough. The Oak Theatre - which opened on August 4, 1937 - was hailed as an artistic masterpiece for its ultra modern white stucco exterior, floodlights and pink-and-green neon marquee. The interior featured a mirrored ceiling, fireplace, and aquarium and had a colour scheme of orchid, royal blue, silver and black. Andy was a very involved member of the Burnaby community, becoming the founding president of the Lion's club and the chairman of the committee raising money for war bonds during World War II. In 1944, Andy suffered a severe heart attack, forcing him to retire, so in 1945, he sold the theatre to Odeon Theatres of Canada who continued to operate at this location until 1968 when competition forced its closure and demolition. Andy and his family relocated to a home on Bonsor Avenue on 3/4 acres where he spent much of his time cultivating a lovely garden. In about 1946, Andy was approached by the B.C. Midget Auto Racing Association [original name retained for historical accuracy], who were looking for a good location to race the smaller racing cars popular at the time. Andy was interested and purchased 10 acres of property located near the corner of Irmin Street and MacPherson Avenue and built a race track. The Digney Speedway opened on July 8, 1948, with stands that had capacity of holding 4500 people. In 1949, when the popularity of this kind of racing declined, Digney started racing roadsters. However, he struggled to find local drivers, and it was expensive to bring in drivers from elsewhere. In 1951, Digney found a winner: jalopy racing. Local men would buy 1930s cars and strip them down, remove the glass, and weld the doors shut. By early 1952 over 40 cars were showing up for jalopy races. By the early 1950s, the Speedway was well established, with coverage in the sports pages and on radio. Andy's son Dig worked at the race track but moved away with his wife in 1951 to work in Seattle. Dig and his wife Joyce, along with their two young sons, Paul and Bruce, returned to Burnaby in 1953, moving into a 550-square-foot apartment located above the Digney Speedway restrooms. In 1954, Simpson Sears built a large store on Kingsway and their parking lot came up to the back garden of the family home on Bonsor Avenue. Andy thought of building small stores on his property but in the end decided to build a bowling alley, clearing out his beautiful garden. The Digney Bowl opened on August 19, 1955, and Andy, Alice, Dig, and Joyce all worked at both the Speedway and the bowling alley. In 1956, Andy decided to finally retire and sold the bowling alley and home to his son Dig, which he paid for over time. Dig and his family moved into the house on Bonsor Avenue and ran the bowling alley until their son Bruce took over in 1980. Andy Digney died in 1964 while travelling with his wife in England. Alice died on June 3, 1982, and Dig died on November 27, 2009.
- Media Type
- Moving Images
- Photographer
- Digney, Andy
- Creator
- Digney family
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- Photo/MI catalogue 562