VIVO Media Arts Centre Archive > Bertha Soderholm

Bertha Soderholm

Berta Soderholm was born Bertta Peramaki in Finland in 1918. Bertha emigrated to Canada with her parents in 1928. They first settled in Alberta where her father worked as a farm labourer. In 1928, the moved to Webster’s Corners, British Columbia. Soderholm married fisher Uuno Soderholm in Vancouver. She raised her children and worked at Berryland Canning, where plums, peaches, pears and apples grown in Maple Ridge were processed. She was active in both the union and the Finnish community. Soderholm passed away in 2009 at Maple Ridge Seniors Village.

Audio Interview [1979]

Description

Soderholm discusses the Finnish-Canadian community in the Maple Ridge area during the Depression; the cooperative movement; women’s organizations in the community; work and organizing at Berryland including the fight for seniority benefits, year-round work, and wildcat strikes; women in the war industry; conditions in the fish canneries; the long history of progressive organizing at Webster’s Corners; The Women’s Defense League work around political prisoners in the 1930’s; the Finnish War relief effort; the unions establishment of Old Age Pension, Unemployment Insurance, Workmen’s Compensation Family Allowance, and Medicaire in the 1940’s.

Transcription

Full transcription: Soderholm, Bertha
Edited by Subject: Soderholm, Bertha (edited)

 

More Information

Title: [Bertha Soderholm – 1/2]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Soderholm, Bertha

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: OBJ_662_sideA_01

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: Simon Fraser University Archives. Sara Diamond fonds

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.

More Information

Title: [Bertha Soderholm – 2/2]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Soderholm, Bertha

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: OBJ_662_sideB_01

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: Simon Fraser University Archives. Sara Diamond fonds

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.