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Sylvia Burgin
SYLVIA Emily Limbert Burgin who has died aged 81, devoted her life to teaching and was always a keen representative of any community where she lived.
When she retired from teaching in her late 50s, she was not content to rest and started what was to be virtually a second career, which included much voluntary work.
She was also well travelled both during her teaching career and in retirement, in Australia, New Zealand and Europe and the Lake District, but especially making several visits to visit a cousin in Canada who was one of her few relatives.
Miss Burgin was born in Castleford. The only child of Harold and Emily Burgin, her father was away when she was a child serving in the Palestine Police Force. She was 16 when he returned to England and the family moved to Leeds.
She was educated at Breadlabane School, a private school in Castleford, and at Castleford Grammar School before going to Avery Hill Teacher Training College in London from where she qualified in 1951.
She returned to Yorkshire to teach primary school children firstly in Cottingley, Leeds then at Quarry Mount. She then became head of Wykebeck School and finally spent 16 years at Dorset School, a large primary on the Gipton Estate in Leeds from where she retired as headmistress.
As she still wanted to be active, she worked as a receptionist at a doctors’ surgery and also did some supply teaching.
Her voluntary work included helping at the shop at Cookridge Hospital, Leeds, near where she then lived, and she was also on the Leeds Primary Care Trust.
In 2007, she moved to Sherburn-in-Elmet to be nearer friends. She was a founder member of the local University of the Third Age, attended St Mary’s Parish Church in South Milford where she was in the Mother’s Union. She was also a member of Garforth Ladies’ Luncheon Club and was on the patients’ forum at the local doctors’ surgery.
She never married.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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