On the other side of my desk, the Women's Editor, Shirley Ellis, and her colleagues, were very kind and patient.
I grew to appreciate the amount of organization and planning they displayed to cover weekly social events, and especially, the 'major’ event, the Lieutenant-Governor's Garden Party (double-page coverage, 3-column photos, extensive copy and I.D. names and cutlines), held annually in late June.
The Sports Editor was the legendary Ace Foley, who covered local and provincial sports for more than half a century. Always chomping on the stub of a cigar; always in a hurry!
One of the 'Mail-Star' Editors, Ken Foran, offered me excellent reporter advice.
Some 35 years later, we would serve on a Parish planning committee at St. Ignatius! He was then -- and is today -- a religious scholar, and could be counted upon to quietly steer us in the right direction.
Of course, we featured skilled Columnists.
One who wrote on Political Affairs on the 'Op-Ed' Page, became a good friend.
Basil Deakin's writing style was unique and legendary in the shop: he wrote extremely long sentences, which were well researched and explained his ideas well, but you sometimes had to refer back to the beginning of the sentence to recall the subject!
He was what we called 'from the old-school,' very British, complete with accent and pencil moustache, had worked on London's Fleet Street (which at one time published 10+ dailies), but could discuss complex world events extensively, over lunch, in terms even I could understand.
Our editorial cartoonist was none other than the legendary Bob Chambers.
He would appear in the newsroom every morning with a little glint in his eye, and we would witness the clever, hilarious results a few hours later in the newspaper.
I learned some 'tricks-of-the-trade' and fun things, too:
-- I made a deal with the Office Boy to show me the plastic plates of next week's comics in advance.
You know, Dear Reader, how much I love the comics. Before he brought them up to the Composing Room, he would show me 'Peanuts' and 'B.C.,' my favourites at the time.
-- My desk-mate, Gordon Murray showed me a trick I've long employed. He used to go home for lunch at 11:45 each morning, and would bring his 'bull-dog edition' (not yet available on the street) of the newspaper to his Mom. He carried it (casually) under his arm, having folded it ... so that the mast-head appeared on the outside!
The best way to fold a newspaper!
Clever. Good P-R.
By this time, I began going 'on assignment' in the city, which was always interesting.
A few of these spring to mind:
-- I got to interview the Director of a rather unique film, to be shown at the Canadian Pavilion at 'expo 67' in Montréal. Those of us of an age who visited this building will recall the film, which was shot simultateously by eight cameras and displayed in 360° to make us feel in the middle of the action.
-- I covered the graduation ceremonies at St. Patrick's High School, and learned the 'big lesson' about reporting on a speech, or any topic. The background material had all been prepared before I left, so I returned following the afternoon ceremony, wrote the event story from my notes (Then and now, surprise, surprise, I write what I hear.), submitted it at 6 p.m. and went home.
The next morning (gasp!), the Editor handed me my raw copy (It hadn't been sent up to the Printing Department yet.), with a (quiet, but firm) directive to follow the 'suggestions' and rewrite the story. I had included all the pertinent information, but ... I had buried the most important message way down in the third paragraph!
Rule: 'The main message has to lead.'
-- I went out to the Halifax International Airport to meet members of the British team in the recent "Wheelchair Games" on a stopover from Trinidad.
In my first 'scrum' -- although we didn't call it that then -- we met, or rather, listened to, Sir Ludwig Guttman, a distinguished orthopedic surgeon and the organizer of the 'Stoke Mandaville Games,' the first games for disabled athletes. This event, of course, has grown to become the Paralympics, the next edition to be held this summer in Rio.
I was also assigned a regular 'column' on 'Rainbow Haven Camp,' a community project for 'underprivileged children' supported by the Herald company.
Each day, I composed a couple of short paragraphs to introduce a list of young donors (with photo) who had brought in their contributions from sales at lemonade stands, etc.
During each two-week run, a photographer and I would visit the camp and report on the activities being enjoyed children.
The best part came when each session concluded with an 'Evening Concert' -- which I usually got to cover -- featuring lots of talented youngsters, supported by members of the Halifax Musicians Union.
Staff were often invited to take part in some of the skits, which would turn out to be hilarious!
As usual, I have left the best till the last:
That summer, the Boy Scouts organizination were considering co-ed campouts and jamborees.
The reaction was swift, and sometimes blunt. All that tradition, you know, blah-blah-blah!
I researched both sides of the discussion / brou-ha-ha and wrote a story, which appeared -- wait for it -- on Page One, with my byline!
(God bless you, Editor Bill McCall.)
The fun didn't stop there: the next day, the editorial cartoon by Bob Chambers depicted a Boy Scout holding a rope, tied in a love knot, which he was presenting to his young lady friend.
Caption: 'That rumble you hear is Lord Baden Powell rolling over in his grave.'
And there, as the background / title, was a cut out of my lead story as it had appeared!
The cartoon was later be featured in the first annual book compilation of Chambers cartoons.
I couldn't have asked for better than that!
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