VIVO Media Arts Centre Archive > Irene Seed

Irene Seed

Irene Isabel Seed, nee Powell, (1909-2004) was born in Vancouver, BC, the eldest of five sisters.  Her father worked as a foundry moulder. She graduated a nurse from Vancouver General Hospital in 1931. She met her husband Frank (1907-1963), a salesman, at a United Church Young People’s Church meeting. They married in 1934. By 1939, they had moved to a Vancouver Island mill town, Youbou, on Lake Cowichan, where they raised five children. Frank worked as a millwright for Industrial Timber Mills and Irene was active in the Women’s Auxiliary.

[Irene Seed - 1/3]

Description: Irene Seed discusses moving to Youbou, British Columbia and daily life with a child in a rural Vancouver Island community. She talks about seeking steady work during the Great Depression, her experiences as a nurse (including training, duties, and wages), and the wood industry to which her husband belonged. She touches upon racial segregation in the forestry industry, and the Women’s Auxiliary’s impact on the social life of women in the community.

More Information

Title: [Irene Seed – 1/3]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Seed, Irene

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

Date Created: [Unknown]

Type: Moving Image

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 Betacam videocassette

Format: video/mp4

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_331

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

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

[Irene Seed - 2/3]

Description: Irene Seed continues talking about her experiences in the Women’s Auxiliary, the activities of the Women’s Auxiliary, the Auxiliary’s relationship with the forestry industry and union, and the Auxiliary’s eventual dissolution. She also goes into safety issues in the mill, raising a child in Youbou, and her first day in Youbou.

More Information

Title: [Irene Seed – 2/3]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Seed, Irene

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

Date Created: [Unknown]

Type: Moving Image

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 Betacam videocassette

Format: video/mp4

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_332

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

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

[Irene Seed - 3/3]

Description: Irene Seed further discusses her experiences in Youbou, the Women’s Auxiliary, raising children, and her happiest memories. She also discusses her husband’s death from kidney disease, her widow’s pension, and the loggers in the community.

More Information

Title: [Irene Seed – 3/3]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Seed, Irene

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

Date Created: [Unknown]

Type: Moving Image

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 Betacam videocassette

Format: video/mp4

Language: English

Identifier: SD_WLHP_333

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: The VIVO Media Arts Centre. Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives. Sara Diamond fonds.

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