This portion of the interview pertains to W.H. "Harry" O'Brien's involvement with the formation of the Army of the Common Good Credit Union (now the South Burnaby Credit Union).
This portion of the interview pertains to W.H. "Harry" O'Brien's involvement with the formation of the Army of the Common Good Credit Union (now the South Burnaby Credit Union).
Date Range
[1932]-1936
Photo Info
Harry and Gertrude (Sutherland) O'Brien on their wedding day, October 12, 1940. Item no. 315-005
Recording is a taped interview with W.H. "Harry" O'Brien by SFU (Simon Fraser University) graduate student Bettina Bradbury. Major themes discussed are: the Army of the Common Good, the Union of the Unemployed and the Common Good Credit Union (now the South Burnaby Credit Union). To view "Narrow By" terms for each track expand this description and see "Notes".
Biographical Notes
W.H. “Harry” O’Brien was born in the coal mining town of Nanaimo, British Columbia on October 20, 1914. He came to Burnaby with his parents and five siblings in 1927. Harry’s mother, a school teacher, wanted her children to live closer to school in order to obtain a better education, so the O’Brien family settled at Inman Avenue, Burnaby. Harry's mother, Mary Anne Crossan, was Gilmore Avenue School's first teacher.
Harry left school in June of 1929. Harry’s father worked as the caretaker at Central Park around this time and Harry helped him to clear brush, plant trees and enforce the land clearing and wood cutting permit regulations held by men who were on script.
Although too young to vote by just over a week, Harry O'Brien worked as a scrutineer for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) during the 1935 Federal Election.
On October 12, 1940 Harry O'Brien married Gertrude Sutherland at St. John the Divine in Burnaby. The Sutherland family came to Burnaby from Winnipeg in 1933 and settled at Nelson Avenue.
Harry began his involvement with the Unemployment Organization in Burnaby by participating in an organised protest against the municipality for homeowner evictions brought on by unpaid taxes. The South Burnaby Union of the Unemployed organised in order to protest rules around receiving Relief. Harry became involved, eventually becoming one of the spearheads of the organization, taking over as secretary by 1936.
Harry was an original member of the Army of the Common Good, helping to produce over one hundred and twenty-five tons of vegetables from its own gardens to feed Burnaby citizens suffering from the lack of resources during the Depression years. The members of the Army of the Common Good who cut wood for consumption or worked in the gardens were given credit for their work through LU (Labour Units) which they could then use to buy groceries and that at the Army's Cooperative stores, one of which was at McKay Avenue, where Harry began working as Manager of Groceries in 1937. The Credit Union movement of British Columbia was also organized by Harry O'Brien and his fellow Army of the Common Good members.
W.H. "Harry" O'Brien died July 1, 1992.
Bettina Bradbury teaches history and women's studies at York University. She is the author of Wife to Widow. Lives, Laws and Politics in Nineteenth-century Montreal. (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, June 2011), 520p; Working Families. Age, Gender and Daily Survival in Industrializing Montreal. (Toronto: Canadian Social History Series, McClelland and Stewart, 1993); (Republished Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996) (3rd edition, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007). These interviews were undertaken after she completed her MA at Simon Fraser University in 1975 with the support of an LIP grant.
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.
Photograph of a farm hand and horse team inside a large stump, taken on William Brenchley's farm. The farm was located at the northeast corner of Kingsway and 10th Avenue.
Photograph of a farm hand and horse team inside a large stump, taken on William Brenchley's farm. The farm was located at the northeast corner of Kingsway and 10th Avenue.
1 photograph : sepia ; 9.8 x 13.5 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of a group of people next to a very large fallen tree. The photograph was taken just above Deer Lake Avenue and the home of Bernard Hill can be seen in the background. Identified in the picture are Mrs. Sprott (standing in front of tree to the left), directly in front of her, lying on th…
1 photograph : sepia ; 9.8 x 13.5 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-833
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of a group of people next to a very large fallen tree. The photograph was taken just above Deer Lake Avenue and the home of Bernard Hill can be seen in the background. Identified in the picture are Mrs. Sprott (standing in front of tree to the left), directly in front of her, lying on the ground is Bernard Hill. The woman standing farthest to the right (next to man holding child) is Marian Hill and next to her is Claude Hill holding his daughter Kitty. The man farthest to the right is Mr. Sprott. The rest are unidentified.
1 photograph : b&w ; 10.5 x 15 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of Louis Claude Hill standing by a ladder placed in a ditch. The ladder is leaning against a giant tree upturned by the roots. The ditch appears to be created from uprooting the tree. There is a pile of firewood visible to the right, and a barn to the left in the distance.
1 photograph : b&w ; 10.5 x 15 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-836
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of Louis Claude Hill standing by a ladder placed in a ditch. The ladder is leaning against a giant tree upturned by the roots. The ditch appears to be created from uprooting the tree. There is a pile of firewood visible to the right, and a barn to the left in the distance.
Photographs in this collection were taken and compiled by Norah Code, former editor of the "Burnaby Courier" newspaper during the course of her work for the newspaper. A note with the file indicates that the man in the tree may be Ms. Code's father but his name is not provided.
1 photograph : sepia ; 5 x 7.5 cm on page 11.5 x 14 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph taken looking north from the home of Claude Hill. This house, known as Brookfield, was in the Burnaby Lake area and was home to the Hill family until about 1906. The property is the current site of the Burnaby Village Museum. To the right can be seen a road which is most likely Douglas R…
1 photograph : sepia ; 5 x 7.5 cm on page 11.5 x 14 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-164
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph taken looking north from the home of Claude Hill. This house, known as Brookfield, was in the Burnaby Lake area and was home to the Hill family until about 1906. The property is the current site of the Burnaby Village Museum. To the right can be seen a road which is most likely Douglas Road (later Canada Way).