Annette grew up in Cherryville, a remote community in the North Okanagan Valley. As today's amenities were not always available as she was growing up, the arrival of electricity, running water and indoor plumbing when she was 9 caused her great excitement!
Life was simple for Annette and her siblings, and hard work for her parents. Their education was basic – the 3 R's – and family was (and still is) very important. Music and singing were always present at her family and community functions.
Annette loves that the ARC choirs get together for the purpose of singing in community, as she believes it is a fundamentally good thing to do, for ourselves and for the world we inhabit. She cites several favourite songs, including ‘Wonderful World' by Louis Armstrong, ‘Fly Me to the Moon' by Sinatra and ‘Hallelujah' by Leonard Cohen.