This year marks a major milestone in her broadcasting career. CITY-TV anchor Anne Mroczkowski is celebrating her 20th anniversary as the co-host of CityNews at Six with Gord Martineau.
The pair is the longest-serving team in Canadian television news. But the Gemini Award winner isn't letting it go to her head. In fact, on the road, the blonde broadcaster doesn't drive a flashy, in-your-face sports car. She prefers a conservative, safe ride — a 2005 Volvo V50 station wagon.
"It's a bit of a boring car. I say boring in italics. Well, that's what my friends tell me. But it's a reliable car.
"To draw an analogy, I see it like a librarian — you know, very predictable and practical. But when you need to, the hair comes down and the glasses come off and the button gets unbuttoned. Because when you need a lot of power, it absolutely is a fast car," says Mroczkowski, who joined the CITY-TV family as a news writer in 1978.
When she escapes the city for the snow-belt, Anne Mroczkowski says her Volvo V50 can slice through the snow like a hot knife through butter. (Ashley Hutcheson for The Globe and Mail)
"I don't consider myself those things. For me, cars are not an extension of who I am or my personality or my libido or my character. They are truly functional things.
"I like a good-looking car, but I'm not in love with cars the way some people are. I'm not enchanted or entranced by cars. I appreciate the beauty and design of certain cars. I don't think a Volvo qualifies in that regard. For me, it's really about getting from point A to B."
The Volvo V50 topped her list for two reasons. "I wanted a car that had a low profile to the ground because at the time I had an elderly, big, arthritic dog and I wanted to have him comfortably get into the car without straining too much. … I also have a country getaway in Thornbury, [Ont.], which is in the snow belt, and I needed a car which could slice through snow like a hot knife through butter.
"Even though it's not a very big car, it's an extremely powerful car and it really works beautifully in the snow.
"The notion of a car that works well in Canadian winters is very important to me. I like the fact that it's a very safe car," says Mroczkowski, who is actively involved in philanthropic works involving literacy, breast cancer awareness, palliative care, poverty and homelessness.
Mroczkowski recently had a setback with her Volvo. "I got a flat tire the other day. I hit a snow bank and I thought, that's just a little bit of snow. But within minutes I was down to my rims. And I didn't know what to do!
"It was a Saturday night, slightly snowing and I was some distance from my house. … I was driving very slowly. All the gas stations, none of them are garages any more — they just dispense gas, cookies and coffee.
"I was just so lucky. There was this little garage open and I rolled in. They all went, 'Oh look at you!' He [the mechanic] got my spare out and was able to get it on quickly and I zoomed off again.
"I wasn't even aware that I had a spare! I guess you can tell I'm not all that car savvy," she laughs.
The Volvo V50 is Mroczkowski's second vehicle from the Swedish auto maker. "When I split with my ex, we had the larger Volvo [V70] and I always found that a lot of car. For my needs, I like having something that's smaller, easy on the gas, that I can park easily. It seems like less of a carbon footprint actually."
Mroczkowski landed her licence later in life. "I didn't learn how to drive until I really needed to — when I became too well known to take the TTC [Toronto public transit]. It was just too uncomfortable for me to be on the TTC any more.
"I was taught to drive by my cameraman and floor director. At the time, I was in my early 30s. My floor director was a young twentysomething person. So I learned to drive in his dad's big old boat — a huge Cadillac with wings.
"He taught me how to drive and then I would practise with my cameraman [using the CITY-TV mobile] when we would have a half-hour or so," she confesses.
With her licence came the freedom of the open road. "I love to drive. I love to get behind the wheel and go. That's a big surprise for me.
"My family didn't have a car when I was growing up. I lived downtown; you always used public transit. It wasn't something I grew up around. But once I got my own car, the sense of exhilaration, independence and being able to go whenever you wanted to was just a revelation to me.
"I really do like this car, but I don't know if I would get another one. I'm ready for another model now that my pup isn't with me any more. Maybe I'll try something else, but I don't know what.
"People are always telling me what I should be driving. I should be driving something sexier and zippier with more personality. I want something that gets me to where I'm going, quickly when I need to."
What she really wants is a "baby-blue vintage roadster/convertible Jaguar. I don't even know if something like that exists. But something curvy, sleek-looking with a vintage vibe that is beautifully maintained and incredibly gorgeous after all these years.
"But that's totally a fantasy."
