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archival descriptions
Collection · 1962-1995

This collection consists of posters and notices created primarily by University of Victoria Students' Society (Alma Mater Society) clubs and University of Victoria academic departments for the purposes of advertising meetings, events and courses, and to raise awareness about social, political and university issues.

CA UVICARCH AR425 · Collection · 1996 - 1998

The Lesbian and Bisexual Women in English Canada audio history collection consists of audio histories conducted for the 2001 University of Victoria Department of History doctoral dissertation The Spreading Depths: Lesbian and Bisexual Women in English Canada, 1910-1965. The Spreading Depths is the basis for Cameron Duder’s subsequent monograph Awfully Devoted Women: Lesbian Lives in Canada, 1900-65, published in 2010 by UBC Press.

The collection consists of 12 interviews (21 recordings in total as some were in multiple parts) conducted by Duder from 1996 to 1998. 27 women were interviewed for the dissertation research, and Duder also drew on interviews recorded in the 1980s for the Lesbians Making History Project. 12 of the women interviewed by Duder consented to their interviews being housed in the University of Victoria Archives. 10 of the 12 women requested to be identified by pseudonym.

Duder's dissertation, The Spreading Depths, examines lesbian and bisexual women’s formation of subjectivity in pre-1965 English Canada, a time when the terms and identities “lesbian” and “bisexual” were not widely discussed in society. Duder considers the existing historical information about the lives of women in same-sex relationships, in English Canada, before the social, political and sexual liberation movements of the 1960s. The interviews conducted by Duder provide information on what had been a neglected group in previous research on lesbian and bisexual women: the interview subjects are lesbians and bisexual women from lower-middle class and working class families. Duder argues that discourses on 19th and 20th century history of sexuality have reflected the documentation of the politically active and socially privileged, namely activist persons or organizations and women from upper middle class families whose histories were documented in public archives. Duder argues for a class-specific lesbian subjectivity in the decades before 1965, a subjectivity which does not always adhere to the forms of the “romantic friendship” and the “butch-femme relationship” which have dominated the discourse.

Duder adds a Canadian perspective to the large literature on the transition in women’s relationships from the romantic friendship to the modern lesbian. The Spreading Depths reveals that before the Second World War, women in same-sex relationships were influenced by the language of sexology. Their relationships were also much more explicitly sexual than were those of earlier generations of lesbians. Duder suggests, however, that we should not assume great expansion in the discussion of sexuality, because well into the 1950s and 1960s Canadians lacked information about sexual desire and sexual practice. The interview testimonies complicate the picture we have of women in the mid-twentieth century being much more sexually aware than women of previous generations.

The interviews reveal that lesbians and bisexual women shared heterosexual women’s longing for intimate relationships, their joy at finding a partner, and their pleasure in coming to an awareness of sexuality, but they also reveal that same-sex relationships held the same risks of infidelity, domestic violence, and alcohol abuse as existed for heterosexual women. Relationships with family were also mixed. Duder posits that because of the lack of public discussion around women’s sexual subjectivity, and therefore a lack of terminology that could be used to define and reject women living outside the heterosexual norm, women in same-sex relationships during the period under study may have had somewhat better relationships with their families than lesbians after 1965. Finally, The Spreading Depths discusses the Canadian lesbian community of the 1950s and the 1960s and contrasts the social world of lower-middle-class lesbians with the public bar culture of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The interview testimonies reveal the views held by these women towards the bar scene and the women who regularly socialized in the bars. The interviewees describe alternative ways they found to socialize with one another so as to avoid exposure.

Initially, the project intended to include heterosexual women as a part of its analysis of women in English Canada. Duder sought interviewees through advertisements in regular media and lesbian and feminist media, and consequently the text of these advertisements differed: for regular media, women 55 and older, who lived in British Columbia or Ontario for a minimum of 5 years between 1910 and 1955, were sought to speak about personal relationships and social life, all types of friendships, romantic relationships, courting and marriage; advertisements in lesbian and feminist media sought lesbian/gay and bisexual women 55 and older, who lived in British Columbia or Ontario for a minimum of 5 years between 1910 and 1955, willing to speak about personal relationships and social life, and the lives of lesbian and bisexual women. The dissertation was later narrowed to consider lesbian and bisexual women only.

Interviewees were offered use of pseudonyms, given the option of an audio recording of the interview or written notation only, and for those selecting the audio recording, the choices of destruction, preservation of the recording in an archives, or preservation of a transcript. Regarding access restrictions, participants choosing preservation of the recordings could select: no restriction, access with written consent, access after death of the participant, closure until a specified date, or other specifically stated restrictions.

The interviews were preceded by an informal meeting where Duder and the interviewee discussed the research and interview proposal. The guiding interview questions were organized into the following categories and general subjects (summarized from Appendix B of The Spreading Depths). Not all questions were asked of all interviewees:
Biographical background – of the interviewee and immediate family members, including birthplaces, nationalities, places lived, education and occupations;
Childhood – enjoyed or not enjoyed; feelings towards parents and siblings; family strictures; church attendance; playmates and racial characteristics of neighbourhood; school experiences; adolescence; reading habits; clothing worn; drinking and smoking habits; and special friendships;
Socializing and sexual knowledge – extent and location of socializing; types of socializing; friends and acquaintances; frequenting of clubs or bars; any secretiveness concerning activities and location; extent and source of knowledge of human anatomy, sex, pregnancy, masturbation, and same sex relations; awareness of and interaction with homosexual women or men;
Personal sexuality – sexual preference; words used to describe preference; early physical and emotional attractions; feelings associated with attraction; extent of intimate relationships; perceptions of mixed race relationships.

Additional questions were available to guide further discussion of relationships and sexuality. The following is a sample from these questions (excerpted Appendix B of The Spreading Depths). Questions may not have been required depending on the course of interview:

  • How would you describe the way you felt about sex in those relationships?
  • Were there any occasions where one of you wanted to do something different and the other refused? How did you feel about that?
  • Did you know from the beginning what you would like and dislike or was that something you learned about yourself over time?
  • Is there anything else that you would like to tell me about your sexual relationships?
CA UVICARCH AR447 · Collection · 2000 - 2008

Collection consists of video history interviews with park pioneers, as well as some events, created by EKOS Communications in partnership with the Elders Council for Parks of British Columbia commemorate the 100th anniversary of BC Parks in 2011.

The Elders Council is an independent society, whose members are retired parks system employees and conservation advocates who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to parks and protected areas in BC. These interviews served as source material for the documentary BC Parks: Celebrating 100 Years of Recreation and Protection.

EKOS Communications first launched in 2005 as ekostv.com with the goal of creating Canada's first independent new media channel. ekostv was re-envisioned in 2007 as EKOS Communications, Inc. which providing environmental education and communication services. Clients included Parks Canada, BC Parks, Natural Resources Canada, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Metro Vancouver, and Union of BC Municipalities. EKOS Communications’ services included project management, video production, audio production, web design and development, community animation, group process and facilitation, research and writing, communications strategy, communications consultation, environmental education, curriculum design, development and evaluation.

In December 2010, EKOS Communications Inc. dissolved and was re-formed as EKOS Communications under the sole proprietorship of creator, president and executive producer Rick Searle. As of April 2011, other chief officers of EKOS Communications included Creative Director/Writer Starr Munro, Editor/Shooter Richard Fulop, and Webmaster Prarie Blake. EKOS Communications’ stated mission is “to assist with the rapid advancement of ecological literacy and sustainability through environmental education and communication;” “Combining video, audio, animation, and print with new media innovations, EKOS Communications connects people more deeply with each other to work together for the betterment of the planet.”

Standard questions were used in most of the interviews and included dates of employment/association with BC Parks, parks worked in, greatest challenges, accomplishments and regrets, lessons learned, hopes for provincial park system today and mentors.

Interviewers included Rick Searle. Interviewees: Bob Ahrens, Victor Bopp, Bert Brink, Luc Campeau, Ric Careless, Jim Delikatny, Yorke Edwards, Ken Farquharson, Milt Goddard, Don Gough, Herb Green, Gordon MacDonald, Ed Mankelow, Ian McTaggart-Cowan, Tom Moore, Denis O’Gorman, David Stirling, Bob Williams and John Woodworth.

Elders Council for Parks in British Columbia
CA UVICARCH AR001 · Collection · 1925-1980

The collection consists of material compiled by Elsie Allan concerning theatre in Victoria and other locations in B.C. and in England. The collection includes notebooks of annotated scripts, scripts of plays, announcements and notices of meetings of the Victoria Theatre Guild, programmes of amateur and professional performances in Victoria, New York, and England, and programmes of the British Columbia, Dominion, Kelowna, and Vancouver Island Drama Festivals.

CA UVICARCH AR151 · Collection · 1928-2000, predominant 1962-1996

The collection consists of rare and difficult to obtain limited distribution documents relating to specific case studies, most of which have been printed and distributed by governments and industrial agencies. They generally contain environmental data, and may have interpretive sections. Some documents contain copies of government permits and associated correspondence. The collection is arranged in five primary research subjects: Pulp and Paper Mills, Toxicolocy, Victoria Sewage, Coast and Island Mines, and Regional Collections. Each subject is divided into case studies. Within each case study, documents are arranged in alphabetical order by author.

CA UVICARCH AR368 · Collection · 1925-2001 , predominant 1970-2000

The collection consists of theatre programs and UVic theatre production files arranged in the following series: Phoenix Theatre files, 1964-2001; Canadian and International Theatre programs, 1931-2002; Festival programs, 1925-2003; Season programs, 1952-2003; Publications, 1948-1991; Production revue notes, production lists and Curricula Vitae, 1962-2000; Pheonix Theatre production sweatshirts, 1988-1993.

CA UVICARCH AR091 · Collection · [Photocopied 1995]

The collection consists of Treaty and protocol documents, and correspondence for the Minister's use. The correspondence Martin selected for inclusion in these volumes was limited to letters containing significant argument for and against the Columbia River Treaty.

CA UVICARCH AR118 · Collection · Photocopied in 2001

The collection consists of the following files: Smiths research essay, Big sky, big mystery, 2001; Gordon Head Special W/T Station reunion planning, 2001; Research correspondence, 2001; National Archives copies of Department of National Defense documents, 1942-45; National Archives copy of Notes on the history of the Operational Intelligence Centre in Canada, n.d.; National Archives copies of photographs of Gordon Head Special W/T Station, the D/F Hut, and the Y Station.

CA UVICARCH AR017 · Collection · [Photocopied 1997]

The collection consists of a complete set of decisions, 1976-1979, listed in date order; and a complete set of proceedings, 1976-1979, filed in alphabetical order by name of complainant. Many cases concern discrimination on the basis of sex, age and ethnic origin.

Healey Willan collection
CA UVICARCH AR194 · Collection · 1937-1981

The collection primarily consists of memorabilia and newspaper clippings, collected by Willan's son, Patrick Willan. Files include correspondence and minutes of the Healey Willan Centennial Celebration Committee, 1978-1980; programmes, 1936-1980; clippings, 1936?-1965; programmes and clippings of Willan's opera, Deirdre; obituaries and memorials, 1968; Church of St. Mary Magdalene, 1979-1980; Willan Centenary, 1980; articles on Willan, 1980-1981; memorabilia, 1968-1979; and photographs of Willan with family and musicians.

CA UVICARCH AR339 · Collection · 1857-1954, predominant 1885

The collection consists of a scrapbook of newspaper clippings on the Riel Rebellion, including several maps and political cartoons. Also included are three loose clippings regarding Helen's father,1857; Fish Creek casualties, 1935; and an obituary of her youngest brother, 1954. Most clippings are undated, and the source not noted. The clippings are pasted into a copy of Canada Under the National Policy. The volume is inscribed, "Helen Christie, April 4th 1875."