Page 10A me Father's Day Special | GA ‘Come on down to|} AME Chicken Time’ VA) and treat GOOD OLD DAD | B nee a ey Se PS. - don't forget to add our “freshly” made salads, fries & jo-jo's for a complete meal that is sure to please DAD on his Speical Day! ‘Remember, anytime is Chicken Time’ Phone ahead for fast service 365-5304 2816 Columbia Ave., Castlegar Celgar, Westar & Cominco meal tickets accepted! eS ae BAS KS ROSS FAT IRURIR'S DAY — Sunday Brunch. Junelé 10a.m.-2 p.m. | featuring: Hip of Beef, : Roast Chicken, Russian specialties (featuring Borscht) plus salad bar & desserts Adults 10% Seniors *9* Children under 12 °5® GST included asanoman HOTELS & INNS 1944 Columbia Avenue Castlegar, B.C. 365-8444 ea PRO FILE : : : = : | A Salute to Senior ‘Citizens stories by Brendan Halper Mens Wear Sale Buy one item at regular price receive a second item of equal value or y less af 1/2 price! Sale ends Sat. June 15 Robinson's sis ee eres Robinson's prices include the 7% GS'T. anor | Jantzen a rfe Entire stock shorts ‘Ferianive 20% 15% he : off off Ma ct a 100% Cotton | Beefy T's T-shirts (sets) $7°* 1. Wallets Rep. 45 = Fleece Warm- 8 * Tie bars B PocketSquare p ‘WEDNESDAY, June 12,1991 July 2-8 is Seniors Week, a time to show recognition and appreciation towards the elder members of our community. Character, charisma, charm, wit, history, knowledge, heritage, the seniors of Castlegar have it all. The following are just a few examples of the colorful and diverse seniors in our community. ¢ Marjorie West « orn in Nelson, 1903, and raised in Castlegar, Marjorie West has been a pioneer for 87 years. “My Father came to Castlegar from England when he was only 19 years old,” said Marjorie. “He had worked on a farm on the prairies for a while but decided it wasn’t for him. So, he came to B.C. and became a railroad man, I guess it was a tough way to make a living, but he stuck with it,’’ she added. “The first school was up where the Fields store is now. When I was four I had to go to school just so there would be enough students to make up a class,” she said. The school had eight students. Marjorie grew up to become a school teacher and after teaching for two years, married Ralph West and - the young couple bought one of Castlegar’s first Englishman,” said Marjorie. ‘We started the business during the depression. Those certainly were awfully hard times. It was really tough going for a while.” Marjorie has always had a:weakness for the won- derful scenery of the Castlegar area. “It used to be even more beautiful before:the dams. The Kootenay river was a green color; the Columbia was a bright blue and where they met you could see a line. You can’t see it any more.” “I’ve seen many, many changes take place but it was always going ahead.” “Ralph instigated getting us our first water system, the first fire brigade, the airport and even the golf course. I guess a lot of people don’t even remember those kinds of things.” Marjorie is also a very proficient artist who likes to We ha vean | assortment of | Colognes and After |. Shaves Perfect Gift ie fore ‘Father's Day COIN SETS ‘new.and used coins — “available”: j the Heart of D stores, work with oils, pastels and watercolors. ate ‘We bought the store from a Mr. Farmer, he was an Gastlogar Sun File Photo = ° Nick Zaytsoff ¢ alkative and friendly 92 year old Castlegar resident and pioneer Nick [ Zaytsoff can still recall the Castlegar of some 80 years ago and has defi- i nitely seen some changes. Mr. Zaytsoff was the very first person to cross the Brilliant bridge shortly after its construction in 1910. Nick was only eleven years old when he was asked to carry a message across the bridge, hence becoming the first person to use it. He moved to the Castlegar -area from Saskatchewan where his parents farmed and has lived in the area for 80 years. ‘Reflecting on years past Nick recalls that, “Castlegar only had one store, one hotel and the Canadian Pacific Railway Station. I can remember going to the Store with my mother to get eggs, we were living in Pass Creek in those days,” said Zaytsoff. “There were no schools in the area and I was making fence posts when I was 14 years old. I went into the bush and skidded logs with my oldest brother.” - : SUN STAFF PHOTO / Brondan Halper ¢ John Charters e orn in 191€ in Vancouver B.C., John Charters moved to Castlegar in 1947 B after receiving an education at.U.B.C. and becoming decorated for gallantry # in action while serving with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada during the Second World War. ‘ John worked as a high school teacher and administrator for 32 years and since retirement has been a part-time volunteer. teacher. He has been a ‘newspaper columnist for over 20 years, has had two books pub- lished ‘and quite a number'of magazine and newspaper articles, including pieces in “Beautiful British Columbia” and the “Vancouver Province”. “Tt was small,” said John, referring to Castlegar of the late forties. “The population must have been about 2,500. The overall cooperation and sense of community that was here in the early days seems to have diminished.” ! oh “Nobody in this town ever locked their doors back then,” he said. “There was no need to. This area was mainly farming, lumber, and transport, but then the dam was _ built in the late fifties or early sixties and the town surged ahead.””, °:'.., John said that during the first ten years he lived here, the railway station was the center of town. “It gave us a real sense of community when éveryone would meet at the station to see who was coming in. The fifties were really a time of change and urbanization. When I think of the old way of life, I miss it greatly. These‘days we i: ‘SUN STAFF PHOTO/ Brendan Halper have a greatly increased bureaucracy and a small population; you need a permit just to blow your nose.” Mr. Charters initiated the Castlegar Heritage Society and has received many awards including Rotary District 508 Significant Project Award in 1983, Castlegar Citizen of the Year for 1985 and Canadian National Parks Centennial Short Story Award in 1985. He received the British Columbia Heritage Society Project Award in 1987; a Certificate of Merit Celebration from the Government of Canada and the Castlegar & District Heritage Society Certificate of Appreciation in 1988. He was bestowed with a Certificate of Honor from the U.B.C. Brock House Society for out- standing voluntary community services in 1989. ; The Castlegar & District Heritage Society awarded Charters in 1990 with a Life Membership Award.