When my webmaster informed me it would be a good idea to add a little personal flavour to the new Anatech website, I have to admit I was a little stumped.
“A blog? Really?! Hmmm... is this thing supposed to about the business? Or can I have some fun with it?"
After some thought I decided that no, it didn’t need to be all business. If the mood came over me to pass on anything I may have absorbed over the 30 years that we’ve been going, then yes, I could possibly add some gems of wisdom. But for the most part, this will be more of an insight into what Lorna is all about when she's not being President of Anatech Inc.
Yes... 30 years. I think it’s quite fitting that this website is being launched during the year of such a milestone anniversary. Jim and I had always worked together. I met him when I started my first job at the Danish Bacon Company in Portsmouth, in the UK. We followed that with a stint at running a family hotel near Gatwick Airport (think Fawlty Towers and you’ll get the idea!) Then it was back to the coast and back to Portsmouth to run a retail dive store for a few years. We made a name for ourselves making custom wetsuits. In 1985, a couple of years after our arrival in Canada, Jim started this company. Two years into this new venture, he asked me to come on board. Jim never really was that great with the administration side of things, so I jumped in with both feet.
It's certainly been a roller coaster ride since that cold February day in 1987 when I stepped through the door. So many things have happened in that time; it’s been a lifetime of ups and downs.
And it’s been almost
three years since we lost him; Jim had been our visionary and our compass. I can’t say it's been an easy ride since he passed, but I know my daughter, Karen, and I have learned a lot in that time. Karen, my right hand and my rock, helps me run this company and I couldn’t do it without her. And now I’m thrilled to have my son Mark as part of the team. During the years that Jim was sick, my life did get caught up with way too many serious things; dealing with all the issues we faced sometimes seemed insurmountable at the time. You get good at compartmentalizing, so I didn't completely crack up, but I definitely discovered something. It came to me that to truly live life to the fullest, a person needs to commit to having fun. So I decided to make that commitment. If something interested me or sounded intriguing, I would jump in with both feet.... no holds barred. Yes. It’s what I do. And so far it's worked. 
I’ve promised myself that one day I will get back to my art – I should share my paintings with you too one day. But, that will probably have to wait until I retire. In the meantime, to explore the creative side of my nature, I have rediscovered a love of photography. I have shared some of my photos here with you in the slide show below.
Another love is Toastmasters. I joined this organization mostly to overcome one of my biggest fears, public speaking. It worked, and I now actually consider it fun to be telling some of my personal stories to a room full of people.
But the thing that is truly one of my biggest joys is singing in a choir – The Richmond Singers. I’m really looking forward to our next concert happening on February 14th, 2015. We are once again joining forces with the Vancouver Welsh Men's choir for “My Funny Valentine”, a compilation of wonderful love songs such as “Unforgettable”, “I Won’t Dance”, “Fever”, “La Vie en Rose”... and many more. It should be brilliant!
I’ll keep you posted!
