Photograph of Assistant Scout Master Jack Allen of the 1st New Westminster Boy Scout Troop and Scoutmaster William Mundy of the 2nd Deptford Troop in a row boat in the Fraser River near Sunbury. The 2nd Burnaby Boy Scout troop went on a hike on Easter weekend down the Fraser River from New Westmins…
Photograph of Assistant Scout Master Jack Allen of the 1st New Westminster Boy Scout Troop and Scoutmaster William Mundy of the 2nd Deptford Troop in a row boat in the Fraser River near Sunbury. The 2nd Burnaby Boy Scout troop went on a hike on Easter weekend down the Fraser River from New Westminster to Sunbury (North Delta). The troop was accompanied by Assistant Scout Master Jack Allen of the 1st New Westminster Troop and Scoutmaster William Mundy of the 2nd Deptford Troop, London, England.
Photograph of two boys scouts holding signaling flags from the 2nd Burnaby Boy Scout troop. One of the boy's faces is blocked by the sunlight. Photograph was taken during the 2nd Burnaby Boy Scout troop hike from New Westminster to Sunbury on Easter weekend.
Photograph of two boys scouts holding signaling flags from the 2nd Burnaby Boy Scout troop. One of the boy's faces is blocked by the sunlight. Photograph was taken during the 2nd Burnaby Boy Scout troop hike from New Westminster to Sunbury on Easter weekend.
Photograph of 5th Burnaby Brownies parade float. The float is decorated with a large toad stool, mountain and tree with uniformed Brownies seated beneath. The sides of the float are decorated with cutouts of 'sprites' and the words "5th Burnaby Brownies". The float won first prize in the North Burn…
Handwritten annotations below photograph in scrapbook read: "Float which won 1st prize in the N.B. Community Parade - 1950"
Scope and Content
Photograph of 5th Burnaby Brownies parade float. The float is decorated with a large toad stool, mountain and tree with uniformed Brownies seated beneath. The sides of the float are decorated with cutouts of 'sprites' and the words "5th Burnaby Brownies". The float won first prize in the North Burnaby Community Parade.
Photograph of 5th Burnaby Brownies parade float going down a street in North Burnaby. The float is decorated with a large toad stool, mountain and tree with uniformed Brownies seated beneath. The sides of the float are decorated with cutouts of 'sprites' and the words "5th Burnaby Brownies". The fl…
Handwritten annotations below photograph read: "Float in N.B.C.Day Parade - 1st place 1950"
Scope and Content
Photograph of 5th Burnaby Brownies parade float going down a street in North Burnaby. The float is decorated with a large toad stool, mountain and tree with uniformed Brownies seated beneath. The sides of the float are decorated with cutouts of 'sprites' and the words "5th Burnaby Brownies". The float won first prize in the North Burnaby Community Parade and is seen going by the side of an unidentified house.
Photograph of 5th Burnaby Brownies parade float going down a road next to an unidentified park. The float is decorated with greenery and a large toad stool with Brownies seated beneath.
Photograph of 5th Burnaby Brownies parade float going down a road next to an unidentified park. The float is decorated with greenery and a large toad stool with Brownies seated beneath.
Photograph of "5th Burnaby Guide Co." gathered for a group photograph outside. All guides are in uniform but unidentified. The number of the "5th Burnaby Guide Co." was changed to the "4th Vancouver" in 1951 and in 1956 it was changed to the "4th Burnaby".
Note in blue ink on verso of photograph reads: "NORTH BURNABY / 5TH COMPANY"
Scope and Content
Photograph of "5th Burnaby Guide Co." gathered for a group photograph outside. All guides are in uniform but unidentified. The number of the "5th Burnaby Guide Co." was changed to the "4th Vancouver" in 1951 and in 1956 it was changed to the "4th Burnaby".
Item is a photograph of Harold Winch holding letters congratulating him on his twenty-fifth anniversary of holding elected office, first as an MLA in BC and then as an MP in the federal government. Winch served in both positions as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and then…
Item is a photograph of Harold Winch holding letters congratulating him on his twenty-fifth anniversary of holding elected office, first as an MLA in BC and then as an MP in the federal government. Winch served in both positions as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and then the New Democratic Party (NDP) which succeeded it.
Photograph of the first company of the 42nd Burnaby Girl Guide Company. The guides are gathered together in a wooded clearing with trees behind them (could be Burnaby Mountain). Most guides are unidentified except for Captain Mrs. M. Kozak and Lieut. Mrs. I. Kaill.
Hand-written text in blue ink on back of photograph reads: "1959 1st 42nd Co / Capt Mrs M. Kozak / Lieut Mrs I Kaill".
Scope and Content
Photograph of the first company of the 42nd Burnaby Girl Guide Company. The guides are gathered together in a wooded clearing with trees behind them (could be Burnaby Mountain). Most guides are unidentified except for Captain Mrs. M. Kozak and Lieut. Mrs. I. Kaill.
Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Burnaby Village Museum Program Education Coordinator Ashley Jones and presented by Museum Interpreter and blacksmiths, Eric Damer ad Lorne Gray. The webinar is titled "50 Years of Blacksmithing at BVM". The webinar is the sixth in …
Date of Presentation: Tuesday, September 29, 2022. 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Total Number of tracks: 1
Total Length of all tracks: 94 min., 55 sec.
Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
Original recording of 94 min., 55 sec.was edited to 89 min., 21 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 Program Education Coordinator Ashley Jones and presented by Museum Interpreter and blacksmiths, Eric Damer ad Lorne Gray. The webinar is titled "50 Years of Blacksmithing at BVM". The webinar is the sixth 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.
The session opens with the host Ashley Jones, providing introductions. Following the introduction, the presentation begins with Eric Damer and Lorne Gray’s slide presentation titled “50 years of Blacksmithing at Burnaby Village Museum”. The presentation is an historical exploration of the blacksmith shop through images and commentary from these two long-standing museum blacksmiths.
Eric and Lorne's presentation is organized into themes beginning with “The Age of Nostalgia” where they discuss the implementation of the original Burnaby Village Museum blacksmithing shop and live exhibit with a working blacksmith when the museum opened in November 1971. They comment on the original design of the forge and other components implemented into the design of the blacksmith shop, stereotypes of blacksmiths and various items that were forged on site in the blacksmith shop. “The Age of Accuracy” looks at changes to the Burnaby Village Museum’s programming and exhibits in the 1980s which included focusing more on the history of Burnaby and upgrading some of the components in the blacksmith shop including blowers, tools, forge design and costuming. Eric and Lorne comment on the history of Burnaby blacksmith, Frank Wagner who operated as a blacksmith in Burnaby “Wagner & Son” on Kingsway. Frank was a trained machinist, farrier and an automotive blacksmith who patented and manufactured the “Wagner Triple Spring Bumper”. With this information, the Burnaby Village Museum changed the name of the blacksmith shop to reflect the history of Burnaby blacksmith Frank Wagner. In “The Age of Diversity” Eric and Lorne talk about a shift in the 1990s when the staffing of the blacksmith shop was diversified to include women and people from diverse cultural backgrounds. These changes as well as an increased interest in artistic blacksmithing also lead to updates in Burnaby Village Museum’s blacksmith training procedures and interpretation, increased course offerings in blacksmithing and a renovated blacksmith shop which included new forges and equipment as well as an improved viewing area. Eric and Lorne talk about specifics regarding blacksmithing techniques and equipment and improvements to make this exhibit more accessible.
Their presentation is followed by a short video highlighing Burnaby Village Museum interpreters who have worked as blacksmiths at Burnaby Village Museum. Each person shares their own perspectives on their experiences working as a blacksmith and interacting with the public.
In the last part of the webinar, Eric and Lorne answer questions from attendees and further reflect and comment on their own experiences working as blacksmiths, various tools and techniques used and blacksmithing course offerings at Burnaby Village Museum.
History
Host biography:
Ashley Jones is the Burnaby Village Museum Education Programmer, responsible for the development and administration of school and public programs at BVM. She has a Master of Arts degree in History and is passionate about creating hands-on programming that promotes historical and environmental literacy.
Presenters biography:
Eric Damer is a Burnaby Village Museum Interpreter, Museum Registrar, Researcher and Blacksmith. Eric pounded hot steel for the first time in 1977 in junior high. Fifteen years later, he joined Burnaby Village Museum where he has smithed for three decades. He also provides historical research for museum exhibits and special projects. Outside the museum, Eric is a social historian with a special interest in educational history.
Lorne Gray has a BA with a major in the History of Science and Technology. He took up blacksmithing as a hobby when he was promoted to middle management and had to start hitting things. He was hired by Burnaby Village Museum as a blacksmith to fill in during the Christmas season of 2001. He has attended several blacksmithing conferences and taken classes with both an artist blacksmith and a journeyman blacksmith. On the weekends, you’ll find him teaching many of the museum’s public blacksmithing courses. He also has a steam ticket that permits him to run the museum’s steam boiler and stationery steam engines.
Photograph of a 1927 Buick with a cross sign on top of the windshield and "AMBULANCE" written at the bottom of the windshield and identified as the "third" ambulance (the Wagner family operated this ambulance service as well as Dexter Cabs).
inscribed in blue ballpoint pen, verso, t., stamped, u.l. "678"
Scope and Content
Photograph of a 1927 Buick with a cross sign on top of the windshield and "AMBULANCE" written at the bottom of the windshield and identified as the "third" ambulance (the Wagner family operated this ambulance service as well as Dexter Cabs).
Photograph of Ada Stanley, Mary Conquest Stanley and Mary Stanley. The group of three women are seated on a railing of a bridge or dock with body of water behind them.
Photograph of Ada Stanley, Mary Conquest Stanley and Mary Stanley. The group of three women are seated on a railing of a bridge or dock with body of water behind them.
Photograph of Adell Philips holding a white rabbit and standing outside in a yard beside one of her children (could be her daughter Judith Philips) who is also holding a white rabbit. There is a black and white cat sitting on the fence behind them and a corner of a house is visible in the backgroun…
Photograph of Adell Philips holding a white rabbit and standing outside in a yard beside one of her children (could be her daughter Judith Philips) who is also holding a white rabbit. There is a black and white cat sitting on the fence behind them and a corner of a house is visible in the background.
Photograph of three men standing together and holding a rug inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day, May 3, 1954. J. Waddington, Advertising Manager is identified standing in the centre of the group, the other two men are unidentified.
Photograph of three men standing together and holding a rug inside the Simpsons-Sears store on opening day, May 3, 1954. J. Waddington, Advertising Manager is identified standing in the centre of the group, the other two men are unidentified.
Item consists of a recording of part one in a series of three “Back to the Roots” podcasts about the history of Chinese-Canadian farming in Burnaby and the lower mainland. Part one is titled “A Family Farm”. The podcasts were created by students Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong from the Faculty of Land an…
Podcasts hosts: Rose Wu; Wei Yan Yeong
Persons from recorded extracts: Denise Fong; Josephine Chow
Music: prod. riddiman
Podcast Date: October 2020
Total Number of tracks: 1
Total Length of all tracks: 00:13:57 min
Photograph info: Store front of Way Sang Yuen Wat Kee & Co in Victoria, B.C., 1975. BV017.7.191
Scope and Content
Item consists of a recording of part one in a series of three “Back to the Roots” podcasts about the history of Chinese-Canadian farming in Burnaby and the lower mainland. Part one is titled “A Family Farm”. The podcasts were created by students Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia Faculty and while student interns at Burnaby Village Museum. In this series the students connect their knowledge of food systems to their shared Chinese heritage in order to discover how Chinese Canadian history is rooted in their local food systems.
00:00-02:21
The podcast opens with Wei Yan Yeong and Rose Wu introducing themselves and their topic- the Chinese Canadian experience in Burnaby and the people who have made important contributions to the city’s development. “A Family Farm” talks about Chinese-owned businesses which are family run.
“The family-oriented nature of Chinese-owned businesses also extend to many of the early (and current) Chinese-owned farms in the Burnaby Big Bend area. When Chinese men first began farming in BC in the 1860s, a lot of them worked as labourers because they weren’t allowed to own land. After World War II many of these farmers were allowed to purchase lots, thanks to the Veterans Land Grant. These grants allowed returning veterans to purchase small parcels of land with government loans. Eventually, these men would start families on the farm, and many Chinese-owned farms became family-operated businesses where every member, male, female, child, and extended relatives were enlisted to work the grounds. And it was hard work, often from dawn to dusk, 6-7 days a week.”
02:23 – 07:50
This portion includes excerpts from Oral History interview with Josephine Chow (nee Hong) of Hop On Farms in the Burnaby Big Bend area. The interview was conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong. Josephine recalls growing up on the family farm with her six siblings. She tells of how the family pulled together money to purchase twelve acres along Marine Drive in 1951, her family’s background, daily life on the farm , responsibilities on the farm for her and her siblings and of how her mother had to balance working on the farm and providing for a family of ten to twelve people.
07:51 – 08:10
In this portion, hosts comment and reflect on their own experiences. “While it’s likely that a lot of this was done out of necessity and not being able to afford additional paid labourers, having grown up in Chinese households ourselves, we can definitely understand the rationale for these family-operated businesses and how it connects back to the Chinese understanding of family and kinship.”
08:11 – 09:06
In this portion, Rose and Wei provide information on the roots of the Chinese character for family “jia” in mandarin or “gah” in Cantonese. They explain that the term family is composed of two parts: the upper element is like a roof, symbolizing shelter, and the bottom part represents a pig which symbolizes food, whereby the Chinese character for family represents that of a farm.
They provide a quote from the writings of Francois de Martin-Donos “In ancient China, the farm is an enterprise, a shelter that insures one food and work. The farm is a place to rely on, but in return, needs to be maintained, including a set of responsibilities. In other words, “family” is the insurance of a stable life.”
09:07 – 10:27
In this portion, the hosts speak about how traditional Chinese thought is heavily influenced by the teachings of Confucius and Confucius philosophy. They explain how Confucius emphasized five sets of human relationships that form the basis for society: ruler and minister, husband and wife, parents and child, sibling and sibling, friend and friend. Of these five, three are familial relationships also known as Filial piety – the respect and care for one’s familial superiors (such as parents, elders, and ancestors). They speak of how this is one of Confucianism’s main teachings and in this respect caring for family members is seen as a moral obligation. In China housing arrangements are in the form of siheyuan”s — a type of residence that featured a courtyard surrounded on all four sides with buildings. These traditionally housed one large extended family if they were wealthy enough.
10:28 – 13:08
In this portion, hosts provide further information on Josephine Chow’s family experience working and living on the “Hop On” family farm through the decades. An excerpt from the interview with Josephine Chow conducted by Denise Fong is included. In this excerpt, Josephine reflects on her past experiences on the farm and her present day experiences of her siblings running the farm.
13:09 -13:56
Final summary, credits and acknowledgements.
History
Podcast hosts, Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong are University of British Columbia students in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and student interns at Burnaby Village Museum.
See also Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong February 7, 2020 - BV020.6.1
Compilation of Research Resources used by authors Rose Wu and Wei Yan Yeong include:
Why is family important in China?
https://medium.com/@francois_dmd/why-is-family-so-important-in-china-1617b13a67
Burnaby Village Museum - Interview with Josephine Chow by Denise Fong Feb. 7, 2020. BV020.6.1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/permalink/museumsoundrecording12337
Covered Roots: The History of Vancouver's Chinese Farms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4WHS2Uf3JU
Burnaby Village Museum Shares Chinese-Canadian Farming History This Summer https://westcoastfood.ca/burnaby-village-museum-shares-chinese-canadian-farming-history-this-summer/
Chinese Market Gardeners in the City of Burnaby BC Continue to Practice Urban Agriculture https://cityfarmer.info/chinese-market-gardeners-in-the-city-of-burnaby-bc-continue-to-practice-urban-agriculture/
Chinese Market Gardening in BC https://www.bcfoodhistory.ca/chinese-market-gardening-bc/
Photograph of the May Queen, Ruth Bearn (right) in her crown of flowers, and Miss Burnaby, Miss Agnes Kilgour (left), sitting on chairs on a stage at the First May Day celebration in Burnaby in 1925.
Photograph of the May Queen, Ruth Bearn (right) in her crown of flowers, and Miss Burnaby, Miss Agnes Kilgour (left), sitting on chairs on a stage at the First May Day celebration in Burnaby in 1925.
1 photograph : sepia ; 15 x 10 cm in oval window mat 14 x 9 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph portrait of Agnes Smith. Agnes was Flossie Parons' (nee Smith) only sister who died in 1936. Agnes is wearing a white off the shoulder gown, pearl neckace and is holding a floral bouquet.
1 photograph : sepia ; 15 x 10 cm in oval window mat 14 x 9 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph portrait of Agnes Smith. Agnes was Flossie Parons' (nee Smith) only sister who died in 1936. Agnes is wearing a white off the shoulder gown, pearl neckace and is holding a floral bouquet.
History
Flossie Maude Parsons (nee Smith) was born to George Henry Smith, a farm labourer, and Harriet Ann Savage on February 13, 1896 in Ealing, England. She immigrated to Canada with some of her family members in the early 1920s. They lived in Winnipeg for a few years as an older brother had settled there in 1912. She married Herbert Russell Parsons on June 23, 1928. They first lived in Vancouver and finally bought a home at 7091 Jubilee Avenue, South Burnaby in the early 1930s. In 1943, Flossie was certified in Home Nursing. Herbert Parsons was active during the Second World War as a volunteer for Civil Defence in Burnaby and worked as a salesman for Woodwards. The couple had no children. Herbert passed away on May 23rd, 1957 (age 84) and Flossie passed away on April 6, 1996 (age 100).