This portion of the recording includes Alfred Bingham's essay entitled Stump Rangers, a listing of early settlers that includes addresses and short descriptions, essays on Confederation Park, land clearing and on Burnaby's first Council meeting.
This portion of the recording includes Alfred Bingham's essay entitled Stump Rangers, a listing of early settlers that includes addresses and short descriptions, essays on Confederation Park, land clearing and on Burnaby's first Council meeting.
Recording is of Alfred Bingham's writings, as read by Alfred Bingham. Major themes discussed are: Pioneers, early days in Burnaby and the Co-op Movement. To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
Alfred "Alf" Bingham was born in England in 1892 and moved to Canada in 1912. His first job in Canada was laying track for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) from Edmonton to McBride in 1912. His second was in Vancouver at the Rat Portage Mill on False Creek, working on the Resaw machine. He quit after one week due to poor working conditions.
After taking part in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike as a delegate of the Retail and Mailorder Union (A.F.L.) on the Winnipeg Trades and Labour Council, Alfred moved to Burnaby where he and fellow Burnaby residents Aungus McLean and Percy Little worked ten hour days to build a Shingle Mill on the edge of Burnaby Lake for Simpson & Giberson. George Green, carpenter and millwright (author of “The History of Burnaby”) also helped in the construction of the mill. Alfred built his own home from lumber cut from the mill in the Lochdale area on Sherlock Street between Curtis Street and Kitchener Street.
On April 10, 1920 Alfred married Mary Jane “Ada” Reynolds. Alfred and Ada often took in foster children during their marriage. Due to her nursing experience, Ada was often called upon to deliver babies in the Burnaby area.
Alfred and Ada Bingham were instrumental members of the Army of the Common Good, collecting vegetables and grains from growers in the area and even producing over 125 tons of vegetables from its own gardens to feed children and youth suffering from the lack of resources during the Depression years. The army was in operation for ten years and during that time the members organised the Credit Union movement of British Columbia and drew up the Credit Union act thorough the Vancouver Co-operative Council. They also started Co-Op stores and the Co-Op Wholesale Society.
Alfred was also Secretary of the Burnaby Housing committee and in 1946 he became the Secretary of the North Burnaby Labour Progressive Party (LPP).
Mary Jane “Ada” (Reynolds) Bingham died on August 9, 1969. Her husband Alfred died on April 29, 1979.
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 one of recording of Alfred Bingham's writings
Track one of recording of Alfred Bingham's writings
Collected by editorial for use in a January 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Juliet and Martin Mohlmann say they come down to Piper Pier at Burnaby Lake Regional Park to watch birds about twice a month. But they won't be able to use the pier in the late summer, as the GVRD, the Burnaby Rotary Club and Terasen will be spending $115,000 to rebuild it."
Collected by editorial for use in an April 2000 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Students on a field trip at Burnaby Mountain Park are canopied by blossoms. The delicate spring flowers are at their peak at the park's higher elevation."
Collected by editorial for use in a January 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata for 535-1746-1: "A lone early-morning jogger emerges from the fog that has shrouded Burnaby Lake park, as warm air descends upon the remnants of last week's snow storm, still laying in the fields."
Caption from metadata for 535-1746-2: "A dog walker is silhouetted agains the fog that shrouds Burnaby Lake Fields, as warmer air descends on the remnants of last week's snow storm."
File contains photographs of people with Burnaby rivers and creeks. Photographs depict BCIT river conservationist Mark Angelo posing in Deer Lake Brook by Burnaby Village Museum, and Lorna Johnson, Gordie Cook, and Jack McAfee enjoying Fraser Foreshore Park by the Fraser River.
File contains photographs of people with Burnaby rivers and creeks. Photographs depict BCIT river conservationist Mark Angelo posing in Deer Lake Brook by Burnaby Village Museum, and Lorna Johnson, Gordie Cook, and Jack McAfee enjoying Fraser Foreshore Park by the Fraser River.
Collected by editorial for use in a September 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata for 535-2800-1 and 535-2800-2: "Mark Angelo, of BCIT, who's made it his mission to save and preserve Burnaby's rivers and creeks, says he's particularly proud of Deer Lake Brook, as it babbles through Burnaby Village Museum, on its way to Burnaby Lake."
Caption from metadata for 535-2800-3: "Lorna Johnson hits a tennis ball out into the Fraser River at Fraser Foreshore Park, to her dog, Keiko."
Caption from metadata for 535-2800-4: "Gordie Cook and Jack McAfee shoot the breeze and enjoy the sunshine along the Fraser River, at Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby."
Collected by editorial for use in a January 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Carlos Almengor isn't about to let a few inches of snow keep him from getting in a few kicks at the soccer ball in Burnaby's Central Park. He's originally from Panama, and he says the biggest challenge is getting hit foot under the ball after it has sunk into the snow."
Photograph of a staff member at the Central Park Pitch & Putt, standing on the tree-lined course. He carries the flags and a bucket of parts to install the flags in the course's holes.
Photograph of a staff member at the Central Park Pitch & Putt, standing on the tree-lined course. He carries the flags and a bucket of parts to install the flags in the course's holes.
Collected by editorial for use in a February 2001 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Mark Beatty, the greenskeeper at the Central Park pitch & putt, heads out to install the pin flags in preparation for the course's opening on Wednesday, a week earlier than usual."
Collected by editorial for use in a March 2005 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Gordie Frondall fills in a new drainage culvert on the 12th hole at the Central Park Pitch 'n Putt in preparation for the new season. The course officially opened on Friday."
File contains photographs of Burnaby Parks Department employee Dave Walters on a riding lawn mower. He is cutting the grass on the course at the Central Park Pitch & Putt.
File contains photographs of Burnaby Parks Department employee Dave Walters on a riding lawn mower. He is cutting the grass on the course at the Central Park Pitch & Putt.
Collected by editorial for use in a February 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Dave Walters, of the Burnaby Parks Department, keeps a close eye on the cut as he prepares the greens at the Central Park Pitch 'n Putt for a new season. He says the greens wintered well, and they should be in good shape for the course's official opening on Friday."
Collected by editorial for use in a March 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Mark Beatty, of the Burnaby Parks Department, gets the greens at the Central Park Pitch and Putt course ready in time for their official opening, on Friday. While the Kensington course has already been open for a couple of weeks, Beatty says the greens at Central Park take longer to dry out and firm up."
Photograph of two people dressed in winter clothing in Central Park. They are walking down a snow-covered path by the pond; it is snowing and the trees and ground are covered in snow. Many ducks are visible in the pond.
Photograph of two people dressed in winter clothing in Central Park. They are walking down a snow-covered path by the pond; it is snowing and the trees and ground are covered in snow. Many ducks are visible in the pond.
Collected by editorial for use in a February 2002 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Cheyeun Lai gets in a little flying time with his radio-controlled electric plane at Burnaby Lake Fields. Lai says his hobby is an extension of his lifelong passion for flying, which started when he was a licensed pilot in Hong Kong."
Photograph of Jeff Arnett, a groundskeeper for the City of Burnaby's golf courses, clearing a large pile of branches and debris from the Central Park Pitch & Putt following a windstorm.
Photograph of Jeff Arnett, a groundskeeper for the City of Burnaby's golf courses, clearing a large pile of branches and debris from the Central Park Pitch & Putt following a windstorm.
Collected by editorial for use in a February 2006 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Jeff Arnett, a groundskeeper for Burnaby's golf courses, loads up some of the branches and deadfall blown onto the Central Park Pitch & Putt by windstorms over the weekend, as crews begin preparation of the course for reopening for the season. Arnett says the greens survived the wet winter weather in good shape."
Collected by editorial for use in a March 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Andrew O'Keeffe, of the Burnaby Parks and Recreation Department, tends to some of the 2500 daffodils in the gardens of Kensington Park, along Hastings St."