Vet Lorna hangs up her scrubs
One of the best known faces to pet owners in Lochaber had a retirement party last Friday at the Lochaber Rural Trust.
Friends, colleagues, and clients, who have now become friends, were celebrating the 32-year career of Lorna Ungoed-Thomas.
Lorna has become a recognisable face in the community, and not just for her work with pets but also as a violinist and one of the founding members of the Lochaber Environmental Group.
Crown Vets practice manager Heather Turner gave a touching speech about Lorna’s career followed with a slideshow of pictures through the years.
She said: ‘We were very lucky when Lorna married a local man to come up to Lochaber almost 32 years ago. She is an extremely skilled surgeon and a really great teacher, and many students have been able to hone their neutering skills under her guidance.
‘We are so happy that Lorna is going to be able to enjoy her retirement, but she has been one of the linch pins of this team for so many years.
‘When work is done she is also full of fun, and with a job like this where you are dealing with life and death so often, there needs to be an element of fun.’
When she moved to Fort William in 1988, Lorna worked for the vet Chris Evans and moved to Crown Vets when they took over and expanded the practice.
After thanking her colleagues, Lorna said: ‘It has been an honour to work with all the clients, many of whom I now count as my friends, which is wonderful, despite the fact that I still know their dogs names better than theirs.’
An accomplished dog trainer as well, Lorna has won numerous awards for her Labradors at dog shows, including a gold medal at Crufts, and also had dogs make appearances in the television series Hamish Macbeth and Monarch of the Glen.
Now focusing on leisure activities, Lorna is hoping to spend a lot more time playing music, working in the garden and spending time with her own dogs.
‘I play the violin in orchestras so I want to do a lot more musically and do things that I maybe have not had as much time to do as I would have liked.
‘In the past we have had a few garden open days to raise funds for different causes. We have a big garden so I can now pull my weight instead of my husband doing most of the gardening. That will be nice in the summer, but also lots of dog walking.’