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Surrey Archives to showcase Surrey Leader

Explore Surrey in the 1960s through the Leader’s lens
84819cloverdalesurreyleaderbuilding
Surrey Leader Building

For more than 85 years, The Surrey Leader has been a leading voice in Surrey communities. Over its history, staff at The Leader have reported on thousands of stories, captured tens of thousands of photographs and created a treasured archive of Surrey’s past.

On Saturday, April 8, the Surrey Archives invites the public to view a selection of this history in a special presentation of the Surrey Leader Photograph Collection.

Archives staff will discuss photos that ran in the paper in the ’60s, showcasing major developments in Surrey, including the opening of the Port Mann Bridge in 1964 and Guildford Mall in 1966.

Noteworthy, local events from the time period will also be highlighted.

According to Archivist Chelsea Bailey, the presentation will resonate with both long-time residents and newcomers to the City of Surrey.

“We expect people will remember many of the headlines and related photos,” said Archivist Chelsea Bailey. “In 1992, the Surrey Leader donated nearly 100,000 negatives. This large and significant collection thoroughly documents the development of modern Surrey.”

The Surrey Leader Photograph Collection at the Surrey Archives contains nearly 95,000 photographic negatives from the newspaper, dating from 1963 to the late 1980s.

The Archives’ collection also includes hardcopies of each Surrey Leader edition from 1929 to 1984 as well as editions on microfilm up to the year 2004.

The presentation will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It’s open to people of all ages, and admission for all Surrey Archives programs in 2017 is sponsored by the Friends of the Surrey Museum and Archives Society.

Pre-registration is required. To secure your spot, call 604-502-6459.

The Surrey Archives is located at 17671–56 Avenue in the historic 1912 Municipal Hall. The Archives is open Tuesday—Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit: www.surrey.ca/heritage.ca.