Photograph of Burnaby's first May Queen, Ruth Bearn dressed in May Day costume during Burnaby's first May Day celebration. Ruth Bearn was from the 1st Burnaby Girl Guide Company.
Photograph of Burnaby's first May Queen, Ruth Bearn dressed in May Day costume during Burnaby's first May Day celebration. Ruth Bearn was from the 1st Burnaby Girl Guide Company.
History
Burnaby's first May Day celebration took place on Saturday May 23, 1925 in Central Park. The May Queen and her court were chosen by "lot" in Burnaby Muncipal Council chambers with candidates submitted from Burnaby's public and high schools. Names were placed in a silk hat and Burnaby Reeve Alexander K. McLean drew the successful candidates. Ruth Bearn from Riverway West School was chosen as queen and Agness Kilgour from North Burnaby High School was chosen as Princess Burnaby. Candidates chosen for the Queen's court included First Maid of honour, Jessie Gungeon (Kingsway West School); Second Maid of Honour, Margaret McCallum (Schou Street School) and Third Maid of Honour, Eileen Jacques (Armstrong Avenue School). Candidates chosen for the Princess Burnaby court included, First Maid of Honour, Nellie Mitchell (North Burnaby High School); Second Maid of Honour, Lucretia Adair (South Burnaby High School) and Third Maid of Honour, Louis Lister (South Burnaby High School).
Frank Harcourt (Riverway East School) was selected as Earl Marshal; Leo Rowley (Douglas Road School) was selected as First Page; Bertie Telford (Schou Street School) was selected as Second Page; Victor Bennett (Capitol Hill School) was selected as First Herald and James Clogg (Edmonds Street School) was selected as Second Herald.
Photograph is part of photograph album BV995.8.1, pasted to page 7
Inscription in white ink on page of album reads: "BURNABY'S FIRST MAYDAY / 1925 / PRINCESS BURNABY / THE FIRST MAY QUEEN / (RUTH BEARN 1ST BURNABY / COMPANY GIRL GUIDES)"
Photograph of the first prize float in the Pacific National Exhibition parade, along Hastings Street in Vancouver. The float reads: "Burnaby / BCs Garden of Eden." The Burnaby May Day Queen and her court are seated on the float and a large crowd of spectators can be seen lined up along the street t…
Photograph of the first prize float in the Pacific National Exhibition parade, along Hastings Street in Vancouver. The float reads: "Burnaby / BCs Garden of Eden." The Burnaby May Day Queen and her court are seated on the float and a large crowd of spectators can be seen lined up along the street to watch the parade.
1 photograph : b&w ; 4.7 x 11.5 cm on page 17.5 x 24.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a May Day parade on Edmonds Street. This photograph was taken during the first Burnaby May Day celebrations when a large group of Boy Scouts lead a parade of people and cars down Edmonds Street. None of the people are identified.
1 photograph : b&w ; 4.7 x 11.5 cm on page 17.5 x 24.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
020-025
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS2007-04
Scope and Content
Photograph of a May Day parade on Edmonds Street. This photograph was taken during the first Burnaby May Day celebrations when a large group of Boy Scouts lead a parade of people and cars down Edmonds Street. None of the people are identified.
Photograph of Ina (Stanley) Shankie standing next to her younger sister Joyce (Stanley) Warner. The girls are dressed for May Day celebrations. Ina Stanley is dressed as a May Princess, wearing a white cape and holding a basket of flowers and Joyce has decorated her doll carriage with crepe paper f…
Photograph of Ina (Stanley) Shankie standing next to her younger sister Joyce (Stanley) Warner. The girls are dressed for May Day celebrations. Ina Stanley is dressed as a May Princess, wearing a white cape and holding a basket of flowers and Joyce has decorated her doll carriage with crepe paper for the event. The event is taking place in Port Moody.
This portion of the interview is about Burnaby and New Westminster May Days and how geography and poor transportation affects municipal east-west and north-south connections
This portion of the interview is about Burnaby and New Westminster May Days and how geography and poor transportation affects municipal east-west and north-south connections
Date Range
1930-1990
Photo Info
Burnaby Alderman, Bill (William) Lewarne, [1973]. Item no. 231-012
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.
1 photograph : b&w ; 2.8 x 4.9 cm print on contact sheet 20.1 x 26.3 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Jack Nichols in costume for a May Day parade. He is standing on a vacant lot between Nelson Avenue and Royal Oak Avenue beside a wagon decorated with a picture of a lion.
1 photograph : b&w ; 2.8 x 4.9 cm print on contact sheet 20.1 x 26.3 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
370-752
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1999-03
Scope and Content
Photograph of Jack Nichols in costume for a May Day parade. He is standing on a vacant lot between Nelson Avenue and Royal Oak Avenue beside a wagon decorated with a picture of a lion.
Photograph of sisters Margaret and Flora McCallum standing in a field holding a basket of flowers between them. Margaret was picked to be a Maid of Honour to Burnaby's first May Queen and Flora was picked to be a flower girl to Burnaby's second May Queen the following year.
Photograph of sisters Margaret and Flora McCallum standing in a field holding a basket of flowers between them. Margaret was picked to be a Maid of Honour to Burnaby's first May Queen and Flora was picked to be a flower girl to Burnaby's second May Queen the following year.
Photograph of Margaret McCallum, Maid of Honour for the first Burnaby May Day standing in front of a large hedge with a basket of flowers at her feet and dressed for her roll as the May Queen’s Maid of Honour.
Photograph of Margaret McCallum, Maid of Honour for the first Burnaby May Day standing in front of a large hedge with a basket of flowers at her feet and dressed for her roll as the May Queen’s Maid of Honour.
Photograph of May Day activities in Central Park, May 18, 1929. Identified: (5th from right) Maurine Walker, flower girl. Winnifred Jeffery (daughter of Burnaby Constable George Jeffery) was crowned May Queen by outgoing queen, Sylvia Murley (later Sylvia Auvache).
Photograph of May Day activities in Central Park, May 18, 1929. Identified: (5th from right) Maurine Walker, flower girl. Winnifred Jeffery (daughter of Burnaby Constable George Jeffery) was crowned May Queen by outgoing queen, Sylvia Murley (later Sylvia Auvache).
Photograph of May Day activities in Robert Burnaby Park. Identified: (5th from left) Ellen "Nellie" Fetherstonhaugh (she later changed her first name to Leta and later became Leta Arden), 10 years old, flower girl.
Photograph of May Day activities in Robert Burnaby Park. Identified: (5th from left) Ellen "Nellie" Fetherstonhaugh (she later changed her first name to Leta and later became Leta Arden), 10 years old, flower girl.
1 photograph : b&w ; 20 x 24 cm, mounted on card 29.5 x 35 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Burnaby May Queen Margaret Henderson sitting on a platform on a stage with the out-going May Queen, Ruth Bearn. Two Burnaby officials are standing on the stage. The Queen's suite is sitting on the stage (Flora McCallum is sitting third from the left and has long culry hair) with the y…
1 photograph : b&w ; 20 x 24 cm, mounted on card 29.5 x 35 cm
Material Details
A ribbon (used for hanging) is attached to verso of card mount
Scope and Content
Photograph of Burnaby May Queen Margaret Henderson sitting on a platform on a stage with the out-going May Queen, Ruth Bearn. Two Burnaby officials are standing on the stage. The Queen's suite is sitting on the stage (Flora McCallum is sitting third from the left and has long culry hair) with the younger ones sitting on either side of the steps.