The Scarlet Jacket

Memories of the poems and plays at the Crofton House Junior School...

2 minutes 4 seconds

By Jean Begg

In her first year in Canada, Jean taught in the town of Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island.  After she moved to Vancouver, she became quite involved with the Vancouver Aquarium and went on many marine expeditions.  At that time she was also an avid photographer, but these days her main focus is puppet shows.

Originally collected for Kerrisdale Collective Memory

The Stairs

A definitive moment in a school staircase.

2 minutes 09 seconds

by Paul Livingston

Paul lived in Kitsilano for the first 10 years of his life. He says this about growing up in Kits in the '60s: "Kits was a beautiful place to live until I was about five. Then, the hippies moved in. The neighborhood became very colourful and noisy. Mixed in with families like mine, were the free-spirted transients. These were exciting times for many. but for me—a conservatively-raised kid—they were turbulent, troublesome times. I went to Henry Hudson Elementary and I was having a rough time of it myself. "Shortly before he and his sister and their family moved to Burnaby, an incident happened that has stayed with him ever since. He visited his old school and brings us inside to re-live the moment with him.

Singing Habit

Anyplace, Anywhere...
2 minutes 32 seconds


By Felicidad Rulli
Felicidad  came to Vancouver for her son’s wedding in 2001, and fell in love with the scenery and the cheerful people she met. She liked it so much, she moved here the following year. Apart from singing she also teaches English to seniors, volunteers with community policing, and helps out every week at the Kerrisdale Senior’s centre coffee bar.  

Originally collected for Kerrisdale Collective Memory

Growing Up Urban

8 year old, Malcolm, loves painting and skateboarding in his Yaletown neighbourhood.

2 minutes 21 seconds

By Malcolm Craig

Malcolm is going into grade 4 and besides skateboarding and painting, he also loves hanging out with his brother, his cousin and friends.

Piecing Together History

An exciting discovery about Stanley Park.

2 minutes 40 seconds

By Doug Baker

Doug grew up all around Stanley park: first on the Capilano Reserve,  then North Vancouver and he now lives in Vancouver. He has been a carver for 31 years and he works for the Parks Board teaching Native wood carving. In particular Coal Harbour is a great place to teach since he can look out the window at his ancestral lands! Just 10 years ago he learned that his family originated from Stanley Park. Now that he knows about the old homestead he visits it more often!

Carnegie

Memories of the classic building at Main and Hastings in it's original use, as a library.
3 minutes 24 seconds


By Nancy Stubbs
Nancy worked in all three libraries in Vancouver: Carnegie, Robson and Burrard and Georgia and Homer. In her retirement she volunteers at the Museum of Anthropology and collects her family genealogy.

Alternative Life

Playing in the late 1980's

Sometimes a person has to follow their own path...

3 minutes 52 seconds

By Takeo Yamashiro

Takeo was born in Hiroshima, Japan and was the first professional musician with traditional musical training to enter Canada. He has served as a judge for the 1994 and 1995 Juno awards, performed on two solo albums and created more than 10 film scores that include 6 National Film Board productions such as "Obaachan's Garden." Takeo's community work earned him a Minister of Foreign Affairs Award in 2003. Since his retirement in 2004, although he practices his shakuhachi everyday and still teaches one on one, he is enjoying his no pressure life. 

Life is a Garden

The hijab as a conversation-starter.

2 minutes 22 seconds

by Zuzanita Zakaria
Zuzanita Zakaria is a Singapore-born documentary film producer and app developer.

She is a Muslim and wears the hijab as part of her faith. She loves how wearing the hijab can be a great instigator of conversations, especially in the West Side of Vancouver where she is a bit of a curiosity.

Class Distinctions

Farm life to a private school in the city
2 minutes 56 seconds

By Mary Holmes 
Even at a young age Mary was passionate about food security.  She has worked for numerous organizations, from artist advocacy to the UBC Aboriginal Garden, Mary's common thread has been to help improve peoples' lives.  She lives in the Commercial Drive area.

Enjoy Yourself!

"I love this place because the environment is very good."

1 minute 51 seconds

by Vasanti Maisuria


Vasanti came from Gujarat, India a year ago to be with her son and daughter-in-law and her grandchildren. She worked there in their family business repairing Honda scooters with her husband and sons. Here, she is enjoying her retirement traveling, being with friends at the Sunset and Moberly Community Centres and being surrounded by a loving family.

Lulu

A little bit of my wonderful life in Kits

2 minutes 35 seconds

by Linda Milburn

Linda has lived in a baby-blue heritage duplex in Kitsilano for almost 30 years. To her family and close friends, she's Lulu. To a few in the neighbourhood, she's "Two Dog Red."
Her front porch now faces into the alley but at one time, before Cornwall Street was developed, her porch looked out onto Kits Beach.

She takes us from her front porch, to her back garden and out for a walk by her favourite "haunts" with her two long-haired chihuahuas, Rudi and Lucy Mae.

S7apelek

A carver revisits the place by the Fraser River where his life found new meaning.

2 minutes 52 seconds

by Doug Baker

Doug is a Coast Salish and Northwest-style carver and carving instructor at various community centres in Vancouver. When he was 38, he was given the name S7apelek in a traditional naming ceremony, but he never asked what it meant. Several years later, he had a revelation while he sat by the Fraser River.
In this video, he takes us there to tell us the story.
Doug is member of the Squamish Nation and lives on the Musqueam Reserve in Vancouver.

SMILE

Playing for beauty and forgetting.

2 minutes 42 seconds

by David Rabinovich

David is a Russian-speaking Jewish emigré from Uzbekistan. The classically-trained violin soloist, concert meister and teacher from Tashkent came to Canada as a refugee with his family in 1992. Sometimes, he plays music in public places like Granville Island or in one of the skytrain stations to "bring the beauty of the violin to the people of Vancouver."

Vancouver Solidarity Era

Mass protests in Vancouver during the 1980's
2 minutes 34 seconds

By Henri Robideau
Henri is a photographer and has been teaching photography at Emily Carr University since the 80's.  He has lived at Fraser and 28th for 20 years, and before that on 3rd and Blenhiem for 17 years.  Henri was born in Connecticut and is of French, Irish and Mohawk roots. 
The series of photos (depicting the protests against the Social Credit Government ) in this video were exhibited at the National Centre of Photography in Paris, France in 1991.

Kaleidoscope Childhood

From baton to berry picking, growing up is FUN!
3 minutes 21 seconds

By Sital Dhillon
Sital was born and raised in Vancouver and has resided here for over 50 years. She has been working and volunteering with schools and community organizations, for almost 40 years. Since 1975, she has also been a Board member of the India Mahila Association.  Sital's volunteer efforts have been instrumental in implementing and presenting Race Relations workshops to groups of all ages, her mantra is Unity through Diversity!

Competitive by Nature

An athlete from the community of Kerrisdale shares a few accomplishments.
2 minutes 46 seconds

By Helen Stewart Hunt

Helen enjoys visits with her mother who is 101 years young and her younger sister Mary who is also an Olympic athlete. Helen stays fit by playing tennis. Her experience with sports has brought her lifelong friends and she has been married for 53 years.
Originally collected for Kerrisdale Collective Memory

Nature Lesson

Learning the ways of the salmon is a memorable time in grade four.
1 minute 26 seconds

By Jennifer Lim
Jennifer came to Vancouver from Korea via Germany. She speaks Korean, English  Mandarin and French. She recently visited her best friend in Iceland on a trip through Europe with her Dad. Jennifer is a girl of the world!