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St. Helen's Parish (Burnaby)
Corporate body · [1900s]-

St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish began with a small church and home for the priest, then later, in 1923, opened a school. Over the years, as the parish continued to grow, larger churches were required, with the present church being the third church for this parish. The school and rectory have also been replaced and upgraded.
From the beginning, St. Helen's Parish has been an active community participant in this area of Burnaby and continues to enjoy this participation not only here but in Metro Vancouver as well.
On August 11, 2012, St. Helen's Catholic Church and Parish celebrated its 100th anniversary.

Montgomery family
Family · 1894-

Samuel Clifford “Monty” Montgomery was born on July 24, 1894, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He studied Mechanical Engineering at McGill University in Montreal before serving in World War I. After the war, Monty came out west to Vancouver.
Marjorie Elizabeth Carpenter was born on May 5, 1900, in Montreal, Quebec. She studied to be a teacher before moving out west with her sister Mildred Carpenter, brother Harold Carpenter, and widowed mother Claire Carpenter in 1920. Marjorie trained to be a nurse from 1920 to 1923 when she moved to Hawaii with her sister and mother.
While living in separate countries, Monty and Marjorie courted through correspondence. On July 16, 1927, Monty and Marjorie were married in Hawaii. The couple had two daughters, Margery Kathleen “Kathleen” Montgomery (later Green) born in 1928 and Janet Montgomery (later Fernau) born in 1934.
Monty met Fred Cunningham when they were young men. Monty is believed to have helped in the design of the Fred and Edna Cunningham house built in 1923 at 3555 Douglas Road in Burnaby.
From 1926 to 1930, both Fred and Monty were working in Ocean Falls, British Columbia. Monty was working at a mill and Fred was an insurance agent. Marjorie (Carpenter) Montgomery was ill with tuberculosis during this time, so their only daughter at the time, Kathleen, was sent to live with Edna Cunningham in Burnaby from the spring of 1929 to the fall of 1930. Though the Montgomery family had settled in Rossland, British Columbia, they would make frequent trips to Vancouver to visit the Cunninghams.
Kathleen met Lewis Green in Vancouver and on September 16, 1950, they were married. Their wedding reception was held at the Cunningham’s house. They lived most of their married lives in Vancouver, and each month Kathleen would visit her ‘Aunty’ Edna Cunningham.
Janet would visit her ‘Aunty' Edna each week; later she moved permanently to the United Kingdom.
The Cunningham and Montgomery families have remained close friends over generations.

Murray family
Family · 18[-]-1925

Ellenor and John Murray moved from Newcastle on Tyne in the late 1800s to Olds, Alberta, where they homesteaded for many years. By 1904, Ellenor and John had five children; the two eldest were boys; then Mary (who would later became a nurse); and twins Beatrice “Bea” and Ellenor “Nellie.” The family of seven moved to Cloverdale, Langley, to live on a large acreage of farmland. The family raised cows, chickens, and pigs and filled their cellar with fruits and vegetables grown on their land. In 1907, John sold the large acreage and bought a real estate business with the profits.
By 1908, John had moved his family to Burnaby. Twins Nellie and Bea attended both West Burnaby School and its renovation, Kingsway West. John was Burnaby Councillor from 1914 through 1918 and from 1924 to 1925.
Nellie married her first husband B. Clarke when she was 19 and had Norma. Norma (Clarke) Angus also raised her children in North Burnaby: her son Daniel Angus and her daughter Ellenor (Angus) McClelland, mother to Tara (McClelland) MacRae.
Nellie’s second marriage was to Norman Wild. Later in life, her third marriage was to _____.

Hall family
Family · 1936-1950

From 1936 to 1937, Lawrence V. Hall built a house in Burnaby at 7144 Hastings Street with his son Earl S. Hall. The house was roughly 480 square feet with no indoor plumbing nor electricity when Lawrence married and brought his second wife and her son Hamish to live in the house in 1940. Hamish Hall attended Capitol Hill School and lived at the Hastings Street house until about 1950 when he left to work and support himself.

Stiglish family
Family · 1943-

F.J. "Jack" Stiglish (originally spelt Stiglich) and his wife bought a Burnaby home in 1943 at Keswick Street, just south of the Lougheed Highway, and took up mushroom farming. Jack decided to change the spelling of the family's surname when he went into business because people seemed to be having trouble discerning the 'ich' sound at the end of "Stiglich," so it became "Stiglish". By the time their daughter Diane was born five years later in New Westminster, the F.J. Stiglish mushroom farm was an established business. Mushrooms grown at the F.J. Stiglish farm were sent off to Money’s Mushrooms to be packaged and retailed. Later, mushroom growers bought out Money’s to form the Fraser Valley Mushroom Growers Co-op and nominated Jack as their first president. Jack then entered a float in the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) parade and set up a mushroom booth at the fair.
In 1969, Jack sold the mushroom farm and he and his wife moved next to their trailer court business just down the road. Jack's son Allan Stiglich (his family name returned to the original spelling) moved to Langley to open a large mushroom farm of his own, which he established with the help of his father. Diane began a career with BC Tel.

Brainerd family
Family · 1925-1983

Lawrence and Violet Brainerd came to Vancouver in 1925 or 1926. Lawrence purchased a small house on Harwood Street in North Burnaby for his wife and two children from her previous marriage. Roy Brainerd was born in 1928 at Royal Columbian Hospital. His sister Patricia Brainerd (later White) was born in 1931, also at Royal Columbian Hospital.
Lawrence rebuilt and renovated the house to fit his growing family, planting abundant vegetable gardens and building a chicken coop, and paid off his taxes by doing roadwork for the municipality.
Violet Brainerd supplemented her family's income by doing in-home nursing, as she'd been a nurse in France during the war.
Roy Brainerd started at Douglas Road School in 1934 and then attended Hugh M. Fraser High School. Roy left his high school at 15 to work for Snap-On Tools, working his way up from pushing a broom to becoming a branch manager. He retired in 1983 after 41 years of service. Together with his wife, Carol, Roy raised three daughters.

Corporate body · 1922-

The History and Heritage Committee was established in 1992 under Burnaby's Centennial Committee. When the Centennial Committee was disbanded on December 31, 1992, the History and Heritage Committee was made a part of the Burnaby Heritage Advisory Committee. It proceeded under its authority until 1995 when it was renamed The Community Heritage Commission (CHC) as a municipal heritage advisory committee by the Burnaby City Council under section 15 of the Heritage Conservation Act. The commission endeavours to provide comprehensive community heritage and history projects and programs to bring together the personal history of citizens and facilitate a wider understanding and appreciation of Burnaby's collective memory. Projects undertaken by Burnaby's Community Heritage Commission include: Burnaby Centennial Anthology: Stories of Early Burnaby; In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village; the Heritage Burnaby website (www.heritageburnaby.ca); Charting Change: An Interactive Atlas; and various oral history projects. These projects fall under the Community Heritage Commission's mandate to provide the citizens of Burnaby and the wider public with access to information about the city and its unique history through publications and online finding aids.

Tarrant family
Family · 1886-

Percy William Tarrant was born in England to George and Eliza (Jenkins) Tarrant on December 8, 1886. He first worked as a chauffeur, and later as a florist.
Caroline Mary Pierce was born in England to William Joseph and Caroline Anne Pierce in about 1894 and later became a nurse.
Percy and Caroline were married at St. John's Church at Central Park on June 26, 1913.
By 1916, the couple had purchased the property at 5250 Chesham Avenue in Burnaby. On the property were 12 greenhouses where Percy grew flowers for wholesale in Vancouver. Among the couples' children were Kay (later Kelly), Vera (later Dontaz), and Howard Tarrant.
Percy sold the property in 1948, retired and moved to Edgemont Boulevard in North Vancouver with Caroline. The new owners of the Chesham Avenue property operated the flower business for a few years before removing the greenhouses and selling the property out in separate lots in the early 1950s.
Percy died on December 22, 1964.
As of 1991, Kay (Tarrant) Kelly lives in Penticton, B.C. and Vera (Tarrant) Dontaz lives in Surrey, B.C.

Yanko family
Family · 1902-2011

Annie D. Basiuk (later Yanko) was born on February 25, 1902, in Sheho, Saskatchewan (formerly Sheho, North West Territories). Daniel "Dan" Yanko was born in Kobyl'nya, Ukraine, in 1887, and immigrated to Canada in May or June of 1905. Dan married Annie D. Basiuk and they had 13 children together. Their son, John Ivan Yanko, was born on the family farm, near Kelliher, Saskatchewan, on June 27, 1923. In grade six, John was pulled out of school to help support the family.
Eugenia “Jenny” Haresomovych (later Carman) was born August 8, 1904, in Galecia, Austria. She came to Canada in 1928, when her parents sent her to live with the Austrian consular in Halifax. A year later, she was in The Pas with Albert Edward Carman, with whom she would have three children. Their daughter, Leida Doria "Lillian Doris" Carman, was born in The Pas, Manitoba, on March 24, 1929.
Jenny later re-married Joseph Nagy who was born in Hungary in October 3, 1900. Jenny, Joseph, and the children moved to Nelson, British Columbia, where Joseph worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
At the age of 20, John Ivan Yanko met his future wife, Lillian Doris, while visiting relatives in Burnaby. Lillian received a rail pass because of her dad’s employment with the CPR and, at 14, had gone to visit her godmother in Burnaby. John and Lillian Doris were married on October 16, 1948, in Nelson, British Columbia, and moved into the basement of John’s sister’s house on Union Street. Lillian began working at the downtown Woodward’s store as a cashier in 1948.
In 1950, the young couple bought property at 7385 (later renumbered 7391) Broadway in Burnaby and began constructing a house as they could afford it. Knowing she’d be let go if she was pregnant, when Lillian was expecting her first child, Jenny sewed her several versions of the same outfit; they all used the same material, but each was a little bit larger than the last to accommodate her expanding girth. Rhonda, born in 1953, and Charmaine, born in 1955, grew up in the Broadway home. They attended school at Sperling Elementary, and later at Burnaby North High School. Lillian left her job to be a stay-at-home mom when Rhonda was born, but that changed in 1963 when John and Charmaine were in a car accident that left John temporarily unable to work.
Joseph Nagy died on April 20, 1962; his wife Jenny passed away on August 14, 1985.
Dan died in 1976; his wife Annie died in 1997.
John later returned to work, establishing his own tile-setting business and working until age 82. John and Lillian lived out the rest of their married lives on the Broadway property.
John passed away in 2010; his wife Lillian Doris passed away in 2011.

Jackson family
Family · 1910-

James Francis Coho Jackson and his wife, Willena May (Campbell) Jackson, moved from Ontario to Vancouver, settling in West Vancouver in 1922.
They had four children together: Ruth Helen Jackson (later Thompson) born in 1910 in Lethbridge, Alberta; James F Jackson born in 1912, also born in Lethbridge; their second son John R Jackson born in 1921 in Kamloops; and their youngest daughter, Dorothy Jackson (later Maclaren), born in North Vancouver in 1925. After serving overseas, James Francis Coho Jackson worked as a Court Clerk in the City of Vancouver.
Ruth married Robert Alexander “Bert” Thompson and had Betty Anne Thompson (later Yuill) and Robert R. “Bob” Thompson. Ruth died in 2009 just shy of the age of 99.
Dorothy married John Philip “Phil” Maclaren and settled on the North Shore. Phil commuted to work in Burnaby at Lenkirk Electric (now Telus) from 1960 to 1975. They retired and later moved to Sydney, British Columbia, where they currently live. Dorothy and Philip Maclaren’s daughter Susan Maclaren lives in Vancouver with her husband Alan Boysen and commutes to British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby to teach Interior Design. Alan grew up in Burnaby and attended Burnaby North Secondary School.

McDonald, Gordon
Person

Gordon McDonald worked for the City of New Westminster. He was a steam and railway enthusiast.

Person · 1885-1951

Elizabeth "Bess" Cross Hart was born in Newfoundland in 1885. She came from Trinity Bay to visit her uncle Frederick "Fred" Hart just prior to the start of World War I and stayed on as a nanny to her cousins at the Hart House. While in Burnaby, she was the organist at the St. Albans Anglican Church.
Sidney Arthur Bird was born on July 30, 1886, in Stamford Lincolnshire, England. After apprenticing as a carpenter and carriage maker in England, Sidney arrived in Canada in 1910 at the age of 24 and settled in Burnaby near Edmonds and Kingsway. He and Elizabeth met at Saint Albans Church. Sidney served overseas during World War I with the first contingent Expeditionary Forces and returned in 1918.
Elizabeth and Sidney were married in Prince Rupert on June 28, 1920. Their daughter Mary Louise was born November 14, 1921. Their son Albert Walter was born March 1, 1923. They raised their family in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and ran Bird's Confectionery.
Elizabeth Cross Hart Bird died in July of 1951. Sidney died in September of 1975.
Albert married and had a family; his daughter Patricia (Bird) Tuchscherer and her husband Ray currently live in Langley, British Columbia.

LaFavor family
Family · 1903-2011

Orville Glen LaFavor was born in Willow City, North Dakota, on May 31, 1903, to Harvey M. LaFavor. On April 20, 1924, Orville married Cathryn Arlou "Kate" Lewis. In that same year, Orville and Kate moved to Barnet Village to join Harvey and his wife. Orville and Kate had five children who were all born in Barnet: Lewis in September 1925, Irene in December 1927, Clyde Martin in July 1930, Florence Alice in March 1933 and Cathryn Bernice on April 24, 1934. Orville worked as a trimmer for the Barnet Lumber Company. He and his family lived at Number 10 on the Barnet property. In 1924, he began working at the mills and retired in 1960. During the war, he made blackout blinds and worked as a warden or home guard in Vancouver. Kate LaFavor stayed at home to look after the five children. All of the children went to Barnet School until grade five, when they had to bus up to Capitol Hill in North Burnaby. Once evictions began in Barnet in 1953, Orville bought the house from the municipality and moved it to Port Coquitlam.
Orville's brother, Vern Victor LaFavor, married Irene Winnifred "Winnie" Warner on August 6, 1928. Clyde and Lou LaFavor also worked in the mill. Fred Marshall and his brother Roy Marshall lived and worked at the mill and were uncles to the LaFavor children.
Harvey, the grandfather of the children, worked as a millwright and had a section in the village for gardening, which he tended to regularly. He had horses that worked with him at the mill and later on the construction of Barnet Road, allowing him to make money during the Depression. During a strike for higher wages at the Barnet Sawmill, Harvey was badly beaten.
Murray Glen "Bud" LaFavor was born on December 13, 1944, in New Westminster. He had four sisters: Irene, Catherine, Carol, and Rene. He worked as a volunteer fireman for 25 years and was employed by the District of 100 Mile House. He died in 2009.
Lewis LaFavor, son of Orville and Kate, joined the navy and survied World War II.
Catherine Bernice (LaFavor) Nelson, daughter of Orville and Kate, died July 7, 2011, in Nelson, British Columbia.

McLean, George H.F.
Person · 1925-2015

George Henry Foster McLean was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in 1925 and lived with his family at their home located at the corner of Nelson and Burrard Streets in Vancouver. In 1942, at the age of 16, George enlisted with the Royal Navy at the HMCS Discovery located off Stanley Park. By the end of the war, he had been awarded numerous medals and awards, including the Italian Star, North African Star and the France/Germany Star and Malta Star.

After the war, George returned to Canada, settling in Burnaby with his wife Edna. Together, the couple raised five children while George maintained a life of public service, becoming the Director of the Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1946, continuing his involvement until 1957. Following this, he was elected to Burnaby Municipal Council, serving as an alderman for 18 years, as Burnaby Parks Commissioner for 14 years, and as Burnaby Planning Commissioner for eight years. He also served on several civic committees including the Lower Mainland Planning Board, the Greater Vancouver Regional District Planning Committee, and the Greater Vancouver Regional District Water and Sewer Board. In his role as parks commissioner, he fostered the expansion of the Burnaby Parks system as well as the Burnaby Parkland Acquisition Program. George also found time for coaching sports such as minor hockey and softball and was an active member in community organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion, the Rotary Club, and the Burnaby Hospital Society.

In 1987, George retired from municipal politics and was honoured in 1989 by the Burnaby Municipal Council, when he was bestowed the title of Freeman for the Municipality. George continued his commitment to public service and became an active participant in the Memory Project, sponsored by Veteran Affairs of Canada, to help bring history home to schoolchildren, sharing his wartime experiences with younger generations. He also participated in a project entitled From the Heart: The Freeman Legacy, which was a collaboration between the City of Burnaby and Simon Fraser University. A feature film was produced as one element of the larger multimedia project and was broadcast nationally in 2007. In 2010, the Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission extended permanent recognition to Freeman George H.F. McLean by changing the name of Inman Green Park to George McLean Park in his honour.

In his private life, George took pride in spending time with his family and was a successful businessman. George was also an active member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 83, The Burnaby Kingsway Rotary Club, and the Burnaby Hospital Society, and enjoyed working in his organic garden in his free time.

George H.F. McLean died on May 7, 2015.

Bennett family
Family · [1930s-1980s]

The Bennett family lived in the Stride Avenue subdivision of Burnaby, an area historically known as Edmonds, at 7183 Edmonds Street. The Bennett family bought the house in the [1930s] from its original owners, the Gray family, who built the house in 1912. The members of the Bennett family were active within the Edmonds Baptist Church, which was located on 7135 Walker Street. Marion Bennett, who worked as a clerk, taught at the Edmonds Baptist Church Sunday School. She was also the secretary and treasurer for the Fireside Club from 1940-[1987]. Mildred Bennett was active within the Belle Dean Mission Circle, also referred to as the Young Women's Auxiliary. William Bennett, who worked as a butcher, was also involved within the church community. Wilfred Bennett was a mechanic and Gertrude Bennett, married to Bill Bennett, was the organist at Edmonds Baptist Church, a position that she began in 1939.

Mulligan, Warren
Person · [1921-]

Warren Mulligan, son of Julia Mulligan and brother of Maurice Mulligan, was born in Semans, Saskatchewan, in [1921] and moved to Langley, British Columbia, in 1934. During his youth, he attended Langley High School and was a member of the first Tuxis group at the United Church in Langley. He was also an Assistant Scoutmaster of the Milner Troop under Reverend Daniel Donaldson. During World War II, he spent seven years serving in the Royal Canadian Navy and retired in 1947. In 1949, Warren married Mary Beulah Bush, who was also from Langley. They had two sons. Warren joined the B.C. Jail Service in 1949 as a guard at Oakalla Prison Farm, later becoming the Chief Custodial Officer for the Young Offenders' Unit. He also had experience in the Westgate Area. In 1955, he was named Deputy Warden of the Prince George Provincial Jail. He was appointed as Warden of the Prince George Provincial Jail in 1956. During his time at the P.G. Jail, Warren was involved in administration and professional program training. In 1963, he was appointed as Warden of Oakalla Prison Farm, a position he served in until 1974. During his time within the B.C. Provincial Jail Service, Warren was credited with innovations in the provincial penal system, particularly in relation to prisoners' group therapy and relations between prison staff and inmates.

Burnaby Outdoor Club
Corporate body · 1991-

The Burnaby Outdoor Club was formed in 1991 for the purpose of promoting the care and enjoyment of the outdoor environment through hiking, cycling, and skiing, supplemented by a variety of other sports and activities. The Club holds numerous sport and social events throughout the year and the monthly newsletter provides an overview of these events.

Simnett, Hazel
Person · 1922-

Hazel Simnett was born in Burnaby in 1922 to Frederick and Mary Ann Simnett and grew up looking up to her father who was very involved in labour and unions. A politically active citizen, Hazel Simnett has supported the Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the New Democratic Party (NDP). She once ran as a New Democratic Party candidate for Burnaby City Council.

Hazel attended Kingsway West Public School and Burnaby South High School in Burnaby.

During the 1970s, Hazel was President of the Century Park Museum Association, which governs Burnaby Heritage Museum and published the work "Bygones of Burnaby".

Hazel worked on the campaign team of Joan Sawicki from 1990 to 1991, which led Sawicki to be elected as Burnaby-Willingdon riding's MLA.

Hazel volunteered her time to be a member of the Burnaby Advisory Planning Commission from 1993 to 1996.

In 2006, Hazel won the Burnaby Local Hero Award for her volunteer work at the New Vista Society where she served as chair for a number of years. She also served as a member of the Burnaby Historical Society and established the Hazel Simnett Endowment with the Burnaby Public Library to bring a collection of books on Canadian history and social issues.

Burnaby NewsLeader
Corporate body · 1989-2015

The Burnaby NewsLeader was established in 1989 and published on Wednesday and Friday. It was awarded Newspaper of the Year by Suburban Newspapers of America in 2009. Burnaby NewsLeader ceased publications in 2015.

Mcfarlane family
Family · [1910-]

John Albert "Mac" Mcfarlane came to the Vancouver area from Ontario and lived in Vancouver from 1910 to about 1915. After leaving for a short time, he returned to Vancouver and remained there for the rest of his life. Mac Mcfarlane had a daughter, Ruth (later Bromley).

Burnaby Gem and Mineral Club
Corporate body · 1963-1986

The Burnaby Gem and Mineral Club was formed in Burnaby in 1963 and became a chartered member club of the Lapidary Rock and Mineral Society of British Columbia on June 15, 1965. Meetings were held at Bonsor Hall on the third Tuesday of every month.
The club became a registered federation member of the Gem and Mineral Federation of Canada in 1978. From 1978 to 1985, Marguerite “Mary” Skinner was the recording secretary. Mary and her husband John Skinner were members for 21 years, and during that time, John organized all of the “big shows” with the help and support of fellow members.
On December 15, 1985, the general membership of the Burnaby Gem and Mineral Club voted to close the club. They had a final dinner meeting on February 18, 1986, at the Copper Kettle on Kingsway.

Shearer family
Family · [1910-1997]

James Dykes (Jim) Shearer, his wife Katherine (Dormer), and their daughter, Katie, immigrated to Canada in 1910. Their son, James Francis Shearer, was born on April 11, 1913, and died Aril 24, 1997, in London, England. Their house at 5573 Buckingham Avenue was commissioned by Katherine's father, Francis Joseph Dormer, who published newspapers in South Africa. The couple later divorced and returned to the U.K. around the end of the decade.

Yip, Gail
Person · [1949]
Pride, A.H. "Harry"
Person · 1925-

Harry Pride was born in 1925 in Chilliwack, British Columbia (B.C.), and moved to Lulu Island (now Richmond, B.C.) in 1927, where he lived until he graduated high school in 1943.
After graduation, Harry signed up for the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he earned the rank of Pilot Officer. Harry then enrolled in flight training with the Aero Club of B.C. Since then, he has received the national COPA Flying Award and local John Grealis Award for his contributions to teaching flight safety to other pilots and for introducing over 200 young people to flying through free flights. He has taken former Mayor Doug Drummond and many staff members of the city of Burnaby up for flights to view and photograph Burnaby from the air. The resulting photographs have been used by the Planning and Parks Departments to view projects. For this service, he was awarded a special Centennial Plaque by the City of Burnaby.
In 1945, Harry enrolled at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and later graduated with Bachelor of Physical Education, Bachelor of Education, and postgraduate degree in Counseling and School Administration. During his university years, he married Doreen Bell and had four children: Ken, Kathleen, Sharon, and Susan. In 1954, Doreen and Harry bought their first new house in Burnaby and their children all attended Cascades Elementary, Moscrop Junior Secondary, and Burnaby Central Senior Secondary School.
In September of 1951, Harry was hired by the Burnaby School Board and was assigned to teach and do counseling at Alpha Junior High School in North Burnaby where he taught until 1956, when he was reassigned to teach and do counseling at Burnaby South Senior Secondary School. In 1960, Burnaby established its first summer school at Burnaby South and appointed Harry to be the first Summer School Principal. The next year, he was appointed Vice-Principal of the new Cariboo Hill Junior High School where he also taught and did counseling. His following assignments were as Vice-Principal at Edmonds Elementary-Junior Secondary High, Kensington Junior High, and Burnaby Central Senior High School. Throughout, he continued to be extensively involved in coaching. Harry retired in 1983.
By 1945, Harry was also involved in coaching and judging at the local district, Vancouver and Provincial and Relay track meets, preparing him to be one of the official timers during the British Empire Games in Vancouver in 1954 and an official timer for the Miracle Mile. Since then Harry has been an organizer and judge at the Burnaby-New Westminster, Burnaby Junior High, and B.C. Provincial Track Meets, retiring as the head pole vault judge at the age of 84. For this service he was awarded the Lifetime Membership in the B.C. High School Track Association award.
During Harry’s now 61 years of volunteer service for the City of Burnaby, he has served on the Burnaby Parks Commission, a post that included being on the 1972 Burnaby Summer Games Board and the Parks Commission Chair. At a Parks Commission meeting regarding Barnet Marine Park, Harry volunteered to spearhead the Barnet History Project which culminated in the publication of the book "In the Shadow by the Sea: Recollections of Burnaby's Barnet Village." This book took first prize in the B.C. Heritage competition the following year. Harry also produced "Life with the Moores of Hart House: Pioneer Days on Burnaby’s Deer Lake." Harry has served on the Burnaby Heritage Advisory Committee, the Burnaby Advisory Planning Commission, the Heritage Village Museum Board, the Burnaby Village Museum Association Board of Directors, and the Community Heritage Commission. As Chair of the History and Heritage Committee of Burnaby’s 1992 Centennial Committee, he was instrumental in publishing the Burnaby Centennial Anthology.
In 1993 Harry was presented the Burnaby Rotary Club Paul Harris Award, as well as the City of Burnaby's Kushiro Cup for Outstanding Citizen of the Year. In 2010 he produced the book “A Life with Wings: Growing Up with Aviation in Richmond, B.C.”
As of 2012, Harry remained a member of the Community Heritage Commission and was working on a committee to record the history of Burnaby Schools.