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Category: People

The packinghouse crew of the Vernon Fruit Union, Oyama, 1920s

The packinghouse crew of the Vernon Fruit Union, Oyama, 1920s

The Vernon Fruit Union operated a packinghouse in Oyama from 1913 to 1974.
Vernon Fruit Union, Oyama, 1914

Vernon Fruit Union, Oyama, 1914

The Vernon Fruit Union packing crew and their families, 1914. Back Row: Winnie Brown, Mrs. Curfoot, Charlie Phillips, Alec Philips, Sam Tyndall Front Row: Floyd Whipple, Ted Fudge […]
Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1940s

Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1940s

The sorting line at the Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1940s.
Bernice Gunn, 2007

Bernice Gunn, 2007

Bernice Gunn demonstrates apple packing.
Packinghouse crew at Okanagan Centre, October, 1928

Packinghouse crew at Okanagan Centre, October, 1928

Left to right: Unknown, Malcolm Douglas, unknown, unknown, Ivy Fallow, J. W. Cole, Charlie Draper, unknown, Cliff Fallow, Alice Crowder, Sadie Rutt, Mrs. Rutt  
Winoka Cooperative Exchange staff, 1946

Winoka Cooperative Exchange staff, 1946

Winoka Cooperative Exchange staff, Okanagan Centre, October 10th, 1946. Ann Cook, Curly McDonald, Edie Gibbons, Helen Lidstone, Mrs. French, Joyce Buckley, Bryan Cooney, Minnie Dehnke, Norm Simpson, Hiroshi […]
Bernice Gunn, 1956

Bernice Gunn, 1956

Bernice Gunn packed at the Winoka Cooperative Exchange packinghouse in Okanagan Centre for thirty five years until its closure in 1974. Bernice mentored many of the younger belles, […]
Packing in the orchard

Packing in the orchard

Robert Allison packing apples in his orchard in Oyama, 1925.
Winnie Draper and Alice Draper, Winfield, 1937

Winnie Draper and Alice Draper, Winfield, 1937

“We used to get 3¢ a pack. Now they wouldn’t even put one apple in for 3¢. Well, in those days, they were the big apple boxes and […]
Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1931

Vernon Fruit Union packinghouse, Oyama, 1931

The first attempt to unionize packinghouse workers took place in the 1930s but was unsuccessful due to the surplus of available workers.
The packing line at the Vernon Fruit Union, Winfield, early 1940s

The packing line at the Vernon Fruit Union, Winfield, early 1940s

As each packer completed her pack she stamped her number on the end of the box. This formed the basis for payment.
The sorting line at the Vernon Fruit Union, Winfield, early 1940s

The sorting line at the Vernon Fruit Union, Winfield, early 1940s

The belles normally worked ten hours a day. Sorters were paid by the hour, earning less than $15 per week.
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