ie

| Pp ia ee a

by Betty Barton

Margaret (Dodd) Sinjur is an
actress, a gardener, a musician,
and until recently the finance de-
partment supervisor for the City of
Terrace. After 19 years with the
City, Margaret retired last Friday.
"I’m looking forward to having
more time for gardening, playing
the organ and helping Joe
(Margaret’s husband, Joe Sinjur)
with his business. I’ve enjoyed the

_ personal contact with the public in

the city office. I like people. The
staff was wonderful. If I had it to
do over again, 1 would certainly
take the same job."

Margaret and her family arrived
in Terrace in 1967 from Holburg
on Vancouver Island, via

‘Vancouver, and before that, Eng-

land. Her first husband John Dodd
was an electrician. They emigrated
from England after receiving a
letter from a friend telling them
that electricians earned good
money in Canada and they ought
to try it. That same day, John had
his medical done and made appli-
cation to emigrate. ,

Shortly after, they arrived in
Canada with their first child,
Frances. The other three, Frazer,
Simon and Alison were born in

 Holburg. After 10 years in Hol-

burg, they were ready for a change
and John applied to School District

- #88 to enquire about any main-

tenance positions available. Ted
Wells, then secretary-treasurer,
replied by return mail and they
moved immediately. "We were
much more spontancous then,”
Margaret laughs.

Margaret describes their journey,
"We drove from Vancouver in a
small station wagon with six ham-
sters, six goldfish, one cat, and
four children, through torrential

rains and mud. The road was still
unpaved between Smithers and
Cedarvale. Still, it was an adven-
ture, it grew on us, and I can’t
imagine living anywhere else
now."

Margaret aptly describes herself
as "an optimist, happy and out-
going". Her husband Joe described
her as “happy and yappy" when he
proposed to her! Margaret and Joe

were married in 1987 at the Catho-

lic Church. Margaret, born and
raised Anglican, found it interest-
ing, "We had to produce our bap-
tism certificates and also death
certificates (of our respective
spouses) before we could get
martied." John Dodd died in 1983
of cancer. The best man at
Margaret and Joe’s wedding was a
fellow Yugoslavian for whom Joe
had been best man 25 years
before. .

Margaret and Joe travelled to
Yugoslavia in 1985. Margaret

~ remembers it as "the quietest three

weeks in my life! I couldn’t speak
to anyone.” Margaret is now
attempting to learn Slovanian for
the next time she and Joe visit
Yugoslavia. She says it’s the most
difficult role she’s ever played.
Margaret Sinjur is a well-known
and long-time actor with Terrace
Little Theatre. Molly Natiress
talked her into taking a part in a

a .

Who is... i we
Margaret Sinjur?

pantomime she was directing in

- 1968. Since then, Margaret has

‘been seen.on the Terrace stage in
numerous plays, including her
favourite "Good Night, Mrs.
Puffin" in which she played Mrs.
Puffin. In a 20’s revue, she played
the back end of a camel. Edna
Cooper made it. "It’s a beautiful
thing", attests Margaret. She
thoroughly enjoyed her role as

Miss Go-to-bed in a naughty -

comedy about British members of
parliament. |

: Most recently, Margaret audi-
tioned for two different parts in
"Talking With", directed by Ter-
race Little Theatre’s Karla Hennig.
The play will be showcased at the
Skeena Zone Drama Festival
beginning April 19, then pesformed
again at the Terrace Little Theatre
in May.

Margaret, born in South Wales,
explains that her interest in theatre
began in Grade 1 in Birmingham,
England. where drama is en-
couraged in the schools. She was
the eldest of four girls. Her interest
in drama continued through her
growing years. She was also active
in Little Theatre in Holburg.

Margaret, now 57, says,
"Growing old is great — as long
as you've got lots of love in your
life, have leamed to accept people
for what they are and mellowed in
your attitudes, and you have your
health. What I have now is all

bonus." Margaret remembers fond-
ly family times in Terrace camp-
ing, fishing, being a Snowy Ow! in
guiding and a band parent, getting
up at four and five o’clock in the

_ Morning to take the boys to hockey
practise. Margaret’s philosophy:
"One never has everything in
order, 80 why not do it now!"

Margaret and Joe left last week-
end for Las Vegas and a driving
holiday through Nevada. The pre-
vious Tuesday evening, the city
and her fellow employees pre-
sented her with a CD player as a
going-away present. CUPE gave
her a gift certificate for the CD of
the soundtrack of Miss Saigon.
Margaret was thrilled and touched.
Margaret and Joe will be back in
Terrace at the end of February.

She still feels, "It’s the friend-
liness of Terrace that makes it

_ideal."

Margaret Sinjur and Joe: Can't imagine living anywhere else.

Harriett Fiaagesund photo

Finance department veteran retires

by Harriett Fjasgesund

Long time friends and co-
workers of Margaret (Dodd)
Sinjur gathered together recently
at the Northern Motor Inn for a
farewell retirement dinner given
in Margaret’s honour. Margaret
is retiring after 19 years with the
city’s finance department. Al-
though she may have blushed a
time or two, Margaret’s sense of
humour came to her rescue when
the dinner proved to be a com-
bination Roast and This Is Your
Life, Margaret.

Born in South Wales,
Margaret emigrated to Canada
in 1957. .Ten years later, Mar-
garet and her growing family
moved to Terrace, where she
worked for the Bank of Nova
Scotia on the electronic banking
machine. When the city installed
a bank machine, Margaret left
the Bank of Nova Scotia and
moved over to the city’s finance
department in 1971.

Among Margaret’s many
achievements is the status of
holding the post of city treasurer
for the shortest length of time.
When city treasurer Ralph Dun-
bar left the position in 1978,
four days elapsed before Keith
Norman was able to fill the va-
cant position. Because a city (or
district) cannot legally function
without a treasurer at all times,
Margaret was ‘‘deputized”’ for

eS

District.

"dit - ;
TERRACE CITY OF TERRACE ~
REGIONAL DISTRICT OF KITIMAT-STIKINE

The City of Terrace requires three volunteer members
of sit on the Terrace Advisory Parks and Recreation
Commission. Three additional positions are also
available for representatives living In Thombhill and
Electoral Area “C” of the Kitimat-Stlkine Regional

The Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission
serves to advise Terrace City Council on matters
relating to parks and recreation services. If you are in-
terested, please forward a letter expressing your In-

terest to:
Mr. S. Scott, ,
Superintendent of Parks & Recreation,
3215 Eby Street,

Terrace, B.C., V8G 2X8
Letters should be received by February 15, 1991.

those four days because she held
the most seniority in the finance
department.

Although famous for misplac-
ing her keys (and sometimes her
glasses), Margaret is a wealth of
information, The byword
among friends and colleagues is,
“If you want to know some-
thing, go ask Margaret, .she has
an incredible memory.”

Alderman Ruth Hallock com-
mented that not only is Margaret
a wonderful to her co-workers,
but that she really is a lady,
something few women ever ac-
tually achieve.

Margaret has many varied in-
terests, including opera music,

—

Ge el he 16 & Hehe

Whatever sou wear
We clean with care.

50% off

the cleaning of any
RED garment

(not including suedes and leathers)

From February & - 16, 1991

Richards
@leaners

8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. — Monday to Friday
6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Saturday
KIDDIE CORNER FROM THE POST OFFICE

635-5119

theatre, gardening, playing the
organ, and her four children and
husband Joe. Margaret has a
possion for growing flowers,
while Joe, also an avid gardener,
grows vegetables.

Margaret says she’s got too
much to do to ever get bored
with her retirement. ‘‘Retire-
ment is the end of one part of
your life and the beginning of
another.’’

Her presence will be sorely
missed at the city offices, but —
Margaret has promised to pop in
every now and then to see how
things are going. She plans on
returning to help out at property
tax collection time this summer.

~

ot i

» Only drive-ihru in town
» Bast, most rellable and cleanest service
» Drop off polnt at Thorhiil Pubilc Market