Roz (Rosalind Proverbs) Thorn was born in 1949 in the old Prince George hospital that was formerly an old army building.
Her father Rupert Proverbs was born and raised in Barbados where he grew up on a sugar plantation owned by his father. He immigrated to Canada in 1937 and joined the Canadian Scottish Regiment in 1939.
Her mother Margaret Cooke (Proverbs-Gracey) was born and raised in Leicester, England. Roz explained, "My mother was the second eldest of eight children, her family had a flour distribution business as well as a garage rental business; most houses didn't have garages at that point in time so they rented them.
"Mom trained as a legal secretary and worked for the town clerk of Leicester. When my grandfather passed away in 1943, she took over and ran the family businesses until the end of the war when her brother returned from active duty. My mother met my father in England in 1943 and immigrated to Canada; they were married in Vancouver in 1946."
Roz was schooled in Prince George and grew up on the banks of the Nechako River.
As a child she joined Brownies, moved on to the Girl Guides and then into the Wrenettes. At the age of 16, she got involved in sorority and established the first and only Beta Sigma Phi Teenage Chapter in Prince George with the assistance of senior sorority advisor Bea Wilson.
From early on, she had a driving work ethic beginning with a paper route at age ten, babysitting at age 12 and a part time job in the accounts office at Eaton's when she was 16.
After high school, she attended the College of New Caledonia, taking business courses and joined the Prince George and Northern BC Construction Association as a "Girl Friday." She was originally interviewed and hired by Henry Creuzot and Bob Borrie and mentored by Nora Strawbridge. She worked her way to the top of the organization and after 48 years in the industry, she retired in 2015 as the chief executive officer of the association.
Bob Thorn was born in Valemount in a room above his grandmother's general store in 1946. His grandparents of Swedish and British descent immigrated to Canada in 1914 and homesteaded in the Valemount area; at the age of five, his parents moved to Prince George.
After high school, he continued working at Overwaitea Foods and in 1970 was offered an apprenticeship, taking his technical training at BCIT. He achieved Red Seal certification in plumbing, pipefitting and sprinkler fitting. He worked throughout northern B.C. and Alberta in all sectors of the construction industry which included commercial, institutional, residential and industrial construction. He owned and operated North Capital Irrigation from 1991 to 2013.
Roz reflected back and said, "I met Bob in 1967 during my last year of high school and we got married in June of 1969. Bob was a builder and loved anything to do with construction - we did lots of landscaping, gardening and home improvements together.
"Travel was a passion for both of us. We made so many good memories and lasting friendships through all our travels and I am thankful that we had that time together. Sadly, Bob passed away in December 2013 at the age of 67, after losing an 18-month battle with cancer.
"He was a super star in supporting me through my career, always helping in the background and assisting me with preparations for work related events and travel. He always looked after things in my absence."
Through Bob's unending and dedicated support of Roz in her career, he got to know many of the directors and members of the associated construction industry boards. Roz said, "He was awarded the Chairman's Award by my colleagues for all his volunteer work and when he passed away, the association established a bursary in his name."
After 48 years with the Prince George Construction Association and nearly as much time with the B.C. Construction Association - North, Roz retired as their CEO in 2015.
She was successful in her climb to the top in a traditionally male dominated industry all the while earning the confidence and respect of the construction industry associations all over the province.
Many of her colleagues have testified that Roz had a tremendous work ethic and made a positive impact on the construction community in a variety of ways during her tenure. One of the quotes that I read about Roz when she received the 2008 B.C. Construction Association Distinguished Service Award which recognizes leadership and excellence said, "Roz is, without question, a class act."
Roz summed it all up and said, "I had a great career. My mantra was that we needed
one strong voice for the construction industry provincewide. We worked hard collaboratively and collectively through many years to achieve that voice that would benefit the association in discussions with government.
"One of my big thrusts has always been to have government recognize the need for expanding skilled trades training and other construction related training for the north, including having more up to date training facilities.
"I am proud to say that the PGCA has always been a strong community supporter; the list of projects we worked on and donated back to the community is long and impressive and included fundraising to support the many projects. It was a pleasure to watch the northern economy grow toward its potential and at the same time adapting, revising and bettering the services for our association members."
Roz served on numerous local, provincial and national committees and boards some of which include the United Way, Prince George Economic Development Commission, Provincial Apprenticeship Board, BCCA Employee Benefit Trust, Provincial Unity Panel, the College of New Caledonia, Prince George Progress Board, Initiatives Prince George, Northern Interior Mining Group/Resource Connector, and BC Liberals Prince George-Valemount Riding Association.
She remains involved with various boards, continues to volunteer and still finds time to work in her garden and to do some traveling.
Over the years, she has maintained and nourished her friendship with six of her school friends who all gather on an annual basis. Roz laughed and said, " You know - we spend a few minutes together and it's like just another day at high school!"
