Chef Albert McKewan Survived a Tragic Shipwreck
Before becoming a restaurateur, Albert McKewan (b. 1929) worked as a chef on boats and tankers- including one job that that ended …
Sprinter Barbara Howard on Life as an East Van P.E. Teacher
Barbara Howard (b. 1921) was the first black female athlete to represent Canada internationally. Today, at 94, she shares her East Van …
Olive Cairns: ‘They Did Dumb Things with Women in Those Days’
Olive Cairns (b. 1916) remembers her youth as a Nabob factory girl and her struggles to keep a job and run a …
Bertha Clark on 1960s Racism and Growing Up Around Celebrities
Bertha Clark (b. 1956), a descendant of the 1860 black pioneers, recounts her childhood, describing family life, episodes of racism and meeting …
Hartley Rollins–Schools, Jobs, and Standing up to East Van Bullies
Teacher Hartley Rollins (b. 1935) remembers being raised by a single mom, rough days at school in East Van, and the first …
Restaurateur Tevie Smith Introduced Pizza to Canada
Noted Vancouver restaurateur Tevie Smith (b. 1933) talks about bringing pizza to Canada in 1957, and shares his secret pizza topping technique. …
David Lee: ‘I Lived an Everyday Life, and it was Good’
David Lee (b. 1942) owned a body shop in East Van for 40 years. At age 10 he traveled from China to …
German Immigrant Helga Recounts Her Struggle to Start over in 1959
Helga (b. 1934), a German immigrant, came with her family to Canada in 1959. The first years of hardship almost drove them …
Bill Chyzyk: ‘East Vancouver Is About Intermingling’
Bill Chyzyk (b. 1950), a former machinist trained at BCIT, reminisces about the charm and diversity of his old East Vancouver neighbourhood. …
Beatrice Dinsmore Remembers Tough Times
Bea Dinsmore (b. 1916), former print shop owner and 48 years a widow, talks about the tough times of the 1940s and …
