Meet our Staff: Anthony Lau (Burnaby)

It has been eight short years since I became a member of the Dowco Company. In this period of time, I learned a lot of modeling, connecting and detailing techniques not only from all experienced staff, but also from newly graduated detailers.

Flash back 40 years - I graduated from high school in Hong Kong, where I was born and raised. I wanted to be an architectural designer. At that time, entering a technical school was a highly competitive affair and I was not admitted so I worked a few years as a book-keeper and record-keeper in a wool knitting factory.

In 1971 while on vacation, I visited Vancouver and fell in love immediately with the city. It was not as crowded as Hong Kong. The living environment was very good and the air was much fresher. In 1973 I became a landed immigrant. As a new immigrant, it was difficult to find a book-keeping job. After several unsuccessful tries, I applied to VVI for a one year drafting course. One year later, I landed a job as a mechanical draftsman in an Engineering Consultant firm. In that company, I was moved around to different departments and learned mechanical, electrical, civil, structural and even mapping drafting skills

During the mid eighties, before EXPO86, Vancouver’s economy was bad and I was unfortunately laid off in 1985. I went back to VVI and took the Computer Aided Drafting Course. This did not help much to find a job because Computer Aided Drafting did not become popular until the mid nineties. After a year, I still couldn’t find a job so decided to go on my own and become a residential house designer. In the late nineties after numerous house designs, the Vancouver housing market took a down turn. I had to again to look for work. I applied at different Consulting firms and the persons would always ask me “Do you know detailing? If so you can start right now.” I was stuck. This was the only discipline that I had never investigated fully. So I went back to VCC and took the detailing course. After graduating, I found a job with Dowco.

For the past years, I have taken night courses at BCIT, Vancouver School Board and VCC and earned different certificates and diplomas.

My free times are mostly occupied by gardening during summer months and reading in the winter. I also like to cycle and the Pacific Spirit Park is my favourite place for cycling.

Catherine and I have been married for 30 years and have two children. Linus, my son, graduated from University of Ottawa and now is working in there. My daughter, Tracy, graduated from UBC with double degrees for math and computers. She is now studying for a master degree.

Thanks to Mr. Dobbie for supporting Tracy when she joined the Math Camp during high school, a rare opportunity for her to acquire higher skills in mathematics.