Morrison, Elve oral history interview

Elve Morrison lived in New Westminster for all but 8 years when she lived on the border of Coquitlam and Burnaby. Both of her parents were Finnish immigrants. Her mother came to New Westminster unmarried with a friend from Finland. Her parents came from the same area in Finland and met in a Lutheran church in New Westminster. Her father worked at Fraser Mills, and eventually became the superintendent of the lumberyard. Her mom worked at Gilley Brothers. Morrison’s first husband worked the river boom at Fraser Mills, later Canadian Western Lumber, and eventually owned by Crown Zellerbach. When Morrison was in high school, it was common for schools to send their top students to find jobs. Morrison, being the top student, was offered two jobs along the New Westminster Waterfront. Her first offer was an accounting position with the Gilley Brothers. She rejected this position because she did not like the dress code. The second position that she was offered was with the Royal City Cannery. Morrison also turned down this position. Throughout the interview Morrison recounts the large companies that existed along the New Westminster waterfront, such as Brackman-Ker and Pacific Veneer. Morrison currently lives in a low-rise condominium on the New Westminster Quay.