Longtime Citizen reporter Bernice Trick retired on Friday after 31 years with the paper.
Trick started with the paper in 1980 as a coming events and court reporter. During her career with the paper, Trick has covered city news, health, police, community events and the school district.
"I will miss writing for my community the most," she said. "I will miss helping people that need help, and I will miss getting the message out about events in the community whether it's fundraising or Daffodil Day. I will miss that more than anything."
Over the years Trick has reported on some of the city's most important and historical moments.
"I've had some fantastic stories, just absolutely unbelievable stories," she said. "I covered the city beat when Discovery Place went down in flames and up from the ashes rose the Civic Centre, CN Centre, the Aquatic Centre and the [Two Rivers] Art Gallery. And the emergence of UNBC and, oh, the problems we had with University Way. There were slides that just kept coming down."
Trick grew up in Snowden, Sask. where she was the only student in her class to graduate from Grade 12.
She earned a teaching degree from the University of Saskatchewan's Teachers' College in Saskatoon. Trick taught elementary school for one year in Saskatchewan and five years in Prince George she was hired by the Citizen in 1980.
Since then, she's worked with eight publishers and innumerable city, news and managing editors.
Trick had started a newspaper called The Little Dipper in Mackenzie before moving to Prince George with her husband John. The couple have two children, Patricia and Michael, who are now in their mid-forties.
Although Trick is retiring from her full-time position, she has no plans of putting her pen out to pasture. She is planning to work part-time as a freelancer, doing special sections and advertising copy for the Citizen.
"It's been a treat working with Bernice," Citizen managing editor Sylvie Paillard said. "As a new resident of Prince George, her historical perspective on so many varied topics has been invaluable to me. And her easy way of bringing the newsroom together will be missed by all."
