The Capitol Hill Community Hall was designed by local architect Harold Cullerne (1890-1976). After Cullerne returned from service during the First World War, he joined J.H. Bowman in a partnership that lasted from 1919 to 1934. After Bowman retired in 1934, Cullerne practiced on his own, continuing to work on schools and institutional buildings, such as the Art Deco Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver. In 1944, Cullerne designed a community hall for Capitol Hill; the scheme was delayed, and redesigned before it was finally built after the end of the Second World War. A simple front gabled roof hall structure, this hall is a monument to community spirit, erected by community members on a volunteer basis, and used for community events for over half a century. The hall replaced two earlier structures, both destroyed by fire, that had served the same purpose.
Photograph of the exterior of the Burnaby Art Gallery and parking lot. This building was formerly the H. Ceperley family's Fairacres estate, built in 1911.
Photograph of the exterior of the Burnaby Art Gallery and parking lot. This building was formerly the H. Ceperley family's Fairacres estate, built in 1911.
9 paintings : colour print, 2 photographs : b&w, and 1 folder of textual records
Scope and Content
File consists of application for a driver's license, Kingsway Driving School report card, driver's examination receipt and a letter addressed to Hazel Simnett from the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. Also included is an immigration inspection card of Fred Simnett aboard the S.S. Lake Champlai…
9 paintings : colour print, 2 photographs : b&w, and 1 folder of textual records
Description Level
File
Record No.
MSS167-008
Accession Number
2013-22
Scope and Content
File consists of application for a driver's license, Kingsway Driving School report card, driver's examination receipt and a letter addressed to Hazel Simnett from the Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada. Also included is an immigration inspection card of Fred Simnett aboard the S.S. Lake Champlain from Liverpool and a letter from the Office of the Mayor addressed to Mary Ann Simnett for her ninetieth birthday. Also included is a photograph (see item 559-001). Also included are newsclippings regarding Robert Burnaby and the "Bygones of Burnaby" book, a programme of the Robert Burnaby Commemorative Dinner, a photocopy of "The Argus" (Burnaby South High School's newspaper) from 1938, a programme from Madys Pridmore Brown's Variety Programme, "The Buzzer" Volume 40 Issue 16 advertising Vancouver street cars, New Vista Society certificate addressed to Hazel Simnett, an envelope of Fenwick Lansdowne bird prints from 1957 and a print of the Royal Family found in a cardboard envelope postmarked 1972.
Photograph of two young women standing at the bottom of the steps at the Burnaby Municipal Hall. The women are are holding hands. A note on the back of the photograph identifies Lois Shaw (nee Gilbert) on the left with a co-worker, both of whom were employed by the municipality of Burnaby.
Photograph of two young women standing at the bottom of the steps at the Burnaby Municipal Hall. The women are are holding hands. A note on the back of the photograph identifies Lois Shaw (nee Gilbert) on the left with a co-worker, both of whom were employed by the municipality of Burnaby.
Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra interviewed by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks.
00:00:00 – 00:04:31
The interview opens with introductions and biographical details about Jag Nagra. The interviewer shares information about Jag Nagra…
Interviewer: James Binks
Interviewee: Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra
Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum
Interview Date: June 5, 2023
Total Number of tracks: 1
Total Length of all Tracks: 47:27
Scope and Content
Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra interviewed by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, James Binks.
00:00:00 – 00:04:31
The interview opens with introductions and biographical details about Jag Nagra. The interviewer shares information about Jag Nagra’s art career and the many art projects and commissions that Jag has worked on. Jag shares information about her parents, providing details about their immigration to British Columbia from Punjab and the places that Jag and her family have lived over the years.
00:04:32 – 00:12:38
Jag talks about what inspired her to become interested in art, her art education and how her artistic practice and expression have developed over time. Jag describes how she first started in graphic design, how she’s become more involved in public art and her experience working in design. Jag touches on her experiences of being a South Asian growing up and living in a predominantly white neighbourhood and provides information about her parents, Avatar Singh Nagra and Rajwant Kaur Nagra and their migration to Canada.
00:12:39 – 00:20:03
Jag talks about her inspiration in creating her work, her involvement with the revitalization of the Punjabi Market in Vancouver, the Punjabi Market Collective and other public art projects that she’s been involved with focusing on the South Asian community and LGBTQ+ issues.
00:20:04 – 00:41:09
Jag talks about her involvement with the Burnaby Village Museum’s exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”. The interviewer and Jag take a walk throughout the exhibit while Jag describes the art work that she created for the exhibit and her creative process. Jag reflects on her own experiences being involved in the exhibit.
00:41:10 – 00:47:27
Jag talks about her own experiences as a South Asian Queer artist reflecting on her experiences within the art community. In closing Jag reflects on the impacts of the exhibit that celebrates South Asian culture in Burnaby.
History
Interviewee biography:
Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra is a queer Panjabi Visual Artist passionate about community development, making art accessible and ending stigma against LGBTQ+ people within the South Asian community. Nagra has worked with clients such as the Vancouver Canucks, Tim Hortons and Microsoft and is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Punjabi Market Collective. She is featured in the internationally acclaimed, award wining LGBTQ documentary Emergence: Out of the Shadows. Her artworks are part of the Museum of Vancouver’s permanent collection and have been commissioned for the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit "Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby".
Interviewer biography:
James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
Photograph of Burnaby cartoonist Mark Turris standing in front of the exhibition of his work at the Place des Arts. His grandmother, Mrs. B. Turris, who's paintings are also in the show, is standing across from him. Mark Tunnis was known for his cartoon; "Father Dickens".
Photograph of Burnaby cartoonist Mark Turris standing in front of the exhibition of his work at the Place des Arts. His grandmother, Mrs. B. Turris, who's paintings are also in the show, is standing across from him. Mark Tunnis was known for his cartoon; "Father Dickens".
Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: CARTOONS ON SHOW... Burnaby cartoonist Mark Turris opened an exhibition of his work at Place des Arts in Coquitlam this week, accompanied by his grandmother, Mrs. B. Turris who also has paintings in the show. The Turris "Father Dickens" cartoon is now syndicated in several publications."
Photograph of a Ford triple combination fire truck stationed outside the former Fire hall no. 1 on Carleton Avenue near Eton Street. Firefighters Albert Killer, Gordon Monk and Wendell Walyer (not in uniform) are standing at the truck, looking towards the camera.
Photograph of a Ford triple combination fire truck stationed outside the former Fire hall no. 1 on Carleton Avenue near Eton Street. Firefighters Albert Killer, Gordon Monk and Wendell Walyer (not in uniform) are standing at the truck, looking towards the camera.
Typed sticker on verso of photograph reads: "Truck bay in former pump house. 290 N. Carleton/ 1942 FORD Triple combina-tion. (L) A. Killer/ G. Monk W. Walyer"
Address sticker on verso of photograph reads: "MR & MRS F BLAKE 4165 PANDORA ST BURNABY BC V5C 2B2"
Photograph of Firefighters Harry Anderson, Leo Fraser, Fred Blake and Henry Chapman lying down on their beds in the dormitory at No. 1 Burnaby Fire Hall at Carleton Avenue and Eton Street. This photograph was taken by Fred Blake using a box camera with a five minute exposure (so that he was able to…
Photograph of Firefighters Harry Anderson, Leo Fraser, Fred Blake and Henry Chapman lying down on their beds in the dormitory at No. 1 Burnaby Fire Hall at Carleton Avenue and Eton Street. This photograph was taken by Fred Blake using a box camera with a five minute exposure (so that he was able to run and put himself into the shot before the shutter closed).
Quote from letter of Aug. 15, 2002 from Fred Blake (letter in accession file): "With reference to the enclosed picture where I am stretched out on the bed. All my early pictures were taken with a box camera that I still have. With the slow film and poor room lighting I knew it would have to be a five minute time exposure. There was no automatic timer on the box camera. You had to press the shutter button to open the lens and again to close it. With this length of exposure I knew that if I moved quickly I could be in the picture. I had the others propped up and opened the lens and ran across and took my place on the bed. When I fell back I realized that I had forgotten a back rest for myself. I stayed that way for five minutes as I didn't want to take a chance of spoiling the picture. When the time was up I ran across the room and closed the lens. I was pleased that the picture tuned out alright, but a little disappointed about me."
Handwritten note on verso of photograph reads: "I had to hang on to FRASER so that I wouldn't fall off the bed. / 658X / 1940 No.1 HALL 290 N. CARLETON / HARRY ANDERSON LEO FRASER FRED BLAKE HENRY CHAPMAN / L TO R"
This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the importance of good record keeping, using an example of an 1936 fire record used in a civic law suit. He expressed concerned about the lack of museum and archives facilities in Burnaby.
This portion of the interview is about Al Nixon describing the importance of good record keeping, using an example of an 1936 fire record used in a civic law suit. He expressed concerned about the lack of museum and archives facilities in Burnaby.
Recording is of an interview with Al Nixon, conducted by Rod Fowler. Al Nixon 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 the history and operations of the Burnaby Fire Department from its beginning in 1911 to 1990, and Al Nixon’s stories about the various ways photographs, records and artifacts about the department were collected and saved. The interview takes place while looking at photographs, but the information is clear nonetheless (His photographs have been deposited in the Burnaby Archives). Al Nixon also talks about his father's career as a firefighter, and about his Douglas grandparents and their home “The Gables” [Seven Gables] and neighbourhood in Burquitlam. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
Biographical Notes
Al Nixon was born in New Westminster Feb. 8, 1936, the son of Provincial Fire Marshal Basil Nixon (1904-1975) and Agnes Douglas (1909-?). His mother’s family immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1922 and lived in a large ca. 1900 home in Burquitlam at 9957 Sullivan Road called “Seven Gables” (recently demolished). His grandfather Thomas Douglas, a Coquitlam Councillor and Socialist, was murdered in 1934 in his North Road service station. Al Nixon began his career as a firefighter with the Burnaby Fire Department in 1957, eventually becoming Deputy Fire Chief Operations in 1987 and Fire Chief in 1991, before retiring in 1993. In the mid 1980's Al Nixon became interested in the department’s history after finding a photograph scrapbook at one of the firehalls. It was in very bad condition but he recognized its value and began a project to collect and save photographs, artifacts and stories about the Burnaby Fire Department, a 6 month project that turned into years. The photographs and information gathered by Al Nixon became part of Douglas Penn’s book “Follow that Fire: the history of the Burnaby Fire Department”.
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.
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.
Photograph of a Burnaby municipal engineer crouched down on a bridge over a creek, pointing towards the area where the municipality planned to divert the creek (400 feet away). A newspaper clipping attached to the back of the photograph identifies the engineer as Ernie Olson, but there is some ques…
Photograph of a Burnaby municipal engineer crouched down on a bridge over a creek, pointing towards the area where the municipality planned to divert the creek (400 feet away). A newspaper clipping attached to the back of the photograph identifies the engineer as Ernie Olson, but there is some question as to its accuracy.
Note on recto of photograph reads: "This Creek will be diverted 400 ft this way"
Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: "Burnaby municipal engineer Ernie Olson points to area where creek would be diverted, 400 feet from present site.