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.
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.
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.
Item consists of an invitation addressed to Robert Leonard Love and Mrs. (Margarett) Love for a dance held on July 28, 1945 at Royal Canadian Air Force Station Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
Item consists of an invitation addressed to Robert Leonard Love and Mrs. (Margarett) Love for a dance held on July 28, 1945 at Royal Canadian Air Force Station Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
Photograph of newlyweds Leida Doria "Lillian Doris" (Carman) Yanko and John Ivan Yanko in a conversation with Lillian's mother Eugenia "Jenny" (Haresomovych) (Carman) Nagy at their wedding reception.
Photograph of newlyweds Leida Doria "Lillian Doris" (Carman) Yanko and John Ivan Yanko in a conversation with Lillian's mother Eugenia "Jenny" (Haresomovych) (Carman) Nagy at their wedding reception.
130 photographs : b&w and col. ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm or smaller
Scope and Content
Photographs of the Lubbock family, including their riding stables and horses, family events, their pets, and landscape and travel photographs. These photographs were originally housed in a photographic album.
130 photographs : b&w and col. ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm or smaller
Description Level
File
Record No.
342-046
Access Restriction
In Archives only
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Accession Number
BHS1994-02
Scope and Content
Photographs of the Lubbock family, including their riding stables and horses, family events, their pets, and landscape and travel photographs. These photographs were originally housed in a photographic album.
Photograph of unidentified members of the 5th Burnaby Brownie Pack dressed in white bunny costumes. The Brownies are dressed in costume to perform "The Magic Forest" story at the Girl Guide Rally at the Hastings Auditorium. The group of girls are gathered together on the floor of the auditorium wit…
Photograph of unidentified members of the 5th Burnaby Brownie Pack dressed in white bunny costumes. The Brownies are dressed in costume to perform "The Magic Forest" story at the Girl Guide Rally at the Hastings Auditorium. The group of girls are gathered together on the floor of the auditorium with members of the audience in the bleachers behind them.
Label beneath photograph reads: "BROWNIES IN WHITE. BROWNIES' CONTRIBUTION TO THE GIRL / GUIDE RALLY SATURDAY NIGHT AT HASTINGS AUDITORIUM CONSISTED / OF A FANTASY STORY KNOWN TO ALL / THEIR MEMBERS."
Photograph is a part of original scrapbook "5th Brownie Pack" 1948-1965 Item BV015.35.156
Photograph of approximately forty people at a picnic of neighbours who lived on Pearl Avenue (formerly Earl Avenue). Back row (starting at left) are Bob McLeod and Henry Senft. To the right of Henry Senft and in the very back row is Don McKay. In front of him is his wife Evelyn McKay. Beside Ev…
Photograph of approximately forty people at a picnic of neighbours who lived on Pearl Avenue (formerly Earl Avenue). Back row (starting at left) are Bob McLeod and Henry Senft. To the right of Henry Senft and in the very back row is Don McKay. In front of him is his wife Evelyn McKay. Beside Evelyn McKay is Eileen Bellinger and beside her is Mr. Hyatt. Also in the back row, to the right, Effie Wallace and her husband Jim (standing right behind her) have been identified. The woman sitting down, second row from the front is "Grandma" Humphries. The woman sitting at the right end is Mrs. Hyatt and the lady two places to her left is Mrs. Bellinger. The children have been identified as (left to right): Virginia Wallace, Vivian McLeod, Marlene Scambler and Susan Wallace. The remainder are unknown.
Photograph of Robert Leonard Love and Margaret Iona Giles standing together in Stanley Park. Robert is dressed in his RCAF uniform and Margaret is wearing a plaid kilt. Both Robert and Margaret are holding golf clubs.
a portion of the surface layer of photographic print is torn away
Scope and Content
Photograph of Robert Leonard Love and Margaret Iona Giles standing together in Stanley Park. Robert is dressed in his RCAF uniform and Margaret is wearing a plaid kilt. Both Robert and Margaret are holding golf clubs.
Photograph of members of the Stanley family picnicing on a hillside. People are identified left to right; Mary (Stanley) Pearson, Ada Stanley, Wilma, Joyce (Stanley) Warner, Esther (Love) Stanley and Frank "Stan" Stanley.
Photograph of members of the Stanley family picnicing on a hillside. People are identified left to right; Mary (Stanley) Pearson, Ada Stanley, Wilma, Joyce (Stanley) Warner, Esther (Love) Stanley and Frank "Stan" Stanley.
Photograph of a man in a suit, overcoat, and a hat, and three women. One of the women is in a polka dot dress, another wearing an overcoat over her dress with a hat, and the third woman is in a plain black dress with white collars and cuffs. There is food laid out on a picnic cover on the lawn, and…
Photograph of a man in a suit, overcoat, and a hat, and three women. One of the women is in a polka dot dress, another wearing an overcoat over her dress with a hat, and the third woman is in a plain black dress with white collars and cuffs. There is food laid out on a picnic cover on the lawn, and a box of food resting on a chair in the centre. Note the large paper bag with the name "EDMUND FOOD CENTRE" printed on the front. The setting is in a park, with a tropical tree just behind the group.
Photograph of two unidentified men in suits and hats, and an unidentified woman in a polka dot dress at a picnic. There is a box of food resting on a lawn chair in the centre. The area appears to be a park with a tropical tree just behind the group.
Photograph of two unidentified men in suits and hats, and an unidentified woman in a polka dot dress at a picnic. There is a box of food resting on a lawn chair in the centre. The area appears to be a park with a tropical tree just behind the group.
Photograph of two people in row boat on Watch Lake. Man in foreground is smoking a pipe and woman in stern of boat is holding a fishing rod. Man and woman could be George and Rhoda Love. Shoreline and woman in boat are visible in the background.
Photograph of two people in row boat on Watch Lake. Man in foreground is smoking a pipe and woman in stern of boat is holding a fishing rod. Man and woman could be George and Rhoda Love. Shoreline and woman in boat are visible in the background.