RIP Margaret Sheard, you will remain in my heart forever!

By Chris Elliott….

On Monday 15^th August 2022 after Margaret’s sister and I visited her; we received a phone call from the hospital to say that Margaret had passed away after bravely battling cancer and latterly brain tumours and we would like to advise people who would like to attend, that she will be buried at Green Hill Cemetery, Girne on Friday 19^th August 2022 at 10.30 am.

Having lived with Margaret for around 12 years I would like to look back and share some of our happy times and adventures together. as they are so important to us and mean much to many people we were involved with.

It was during 2008 when I rented a bungalow in Ozankoy so I could move my sick wife Joyce who was in hospital into a more suitable property. I managed to bring her home after the New Year holiday in 2009 having just learned she also was suffering from cancer but within a week I had to have her returned to the hospital as she was very ill and she sadly passed away.

So I was now on my own and spending much of my time with Terry Carter the founder of the 112 Search and Rescue volunteers.

Now Margaret Sheard was living next to me in the bungalow she owned and we would often talk at the garden wall and she would bake me cakes and invite me in for dinner occasionally. Then I learned that the property I was renting had been put up for sale and Margaret said I could stay with her until I had made new arrangements.

Now, this is where our journey of discovery and adventure together started as I introduced her to a lifestyle she had not had in the years when she lived on her own in Northern Cyprus.

I think it really started one day when we went to Green Hills Park in Yesiltepe and enjoyed our time in the swimming pool or practicing Tai Chi under the shade of the trees and I wrote a little article about it and sent it with photos to the Cyprus Star newspaper and they published it. Now I was bitten by a new experience and after meeting the owner of the newspaper, I started writing regular articles mainly about ex-pat life and the activities of charities.

Time moves on and I met Ali Yaliman a past neighbour and friend of Margaret who was starting as editor to relaunch the republishing of the Cyprus Observer newspaper and soon I was contributing articles to this newspaper and after Ali asked for help, Margaret started to write a few articles and also reviewed the PageMaker’s design work prior to publication of the newspaper every week.

At this time I was keen to start a website to share our news and reviews to a greater audience via the internet and so CyprusScene was born on 27^th July 2012 and very soon this became our shared hobby. As this website started to grow very soon we were publishing lots of news and reviews and even being asked by some TRNC government offices for help and Margaret for a while checked the English language press releases for the TRNC Public Information Office before they were published.

We have had many requests from readers seeking help or news of people and Derek Chilvers who had served with the Suffolk Regiment in Cyprus during the Cyprus Emergency period made contact with Margaret which resulted in articles from him and then many others about their military experiences in Cyprus. She even managed to arrange with the UN for a private visit of ex-servicemen to the Waynes Keep Military Cemetery and Nicosia Airport in the UN Green Line area,  

News reporting was never my job in life but it had me bitten and I approached a contact in a local advertising company and said if they can have a CyprusScene newspaper printed and funded by advertising they receive and publish, we will provide our news and reviews articles and Margaret was again invited to work with the newspaper PageMaker who was designing the CyprusScene newspaper which sent a few shock waves around when it appeared in local markets and shops in October 2017

Sadly the company who was arranging the page making and publishing of the newspaper wanted to change arrangements between us so we parted company but not to be beaten, I discovered we could design and create a newspaper online and Margaret was quick to become PageMaker and Editor and was creating every week an e-newspaper from 2^nd December 2017 that was shared by a newsletter and through social media pages around the world.

Both Margaret and I had spent time in hospital and carrying for each other and then Margaret was diagnosed with lung cancer so I took over the newspaper publishing as well as caring for her but sadly our journey together has come to an end but she has left me with her spirit and drive to keep our news and reviews flowing as long as I have breath left in my body.

Thank you Margaret darling; you will be with me forever as our CyprusScene adventure continues in promoting our adopted homeland, The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.