Editor’s Note: Colin Patrick MacDonald is a corporate lawyer, raised on Court Street, Antigonish, and a long time Calgary resident. He is a former political aide to Liberal don, Allan J. MacEachen, now deceased, and a former deputy prime minister in the Pierre Trudeau government. My late dad, said the ‘J’ in Allan J. stood for ‘Jesus’, which was the political clout MacEachen wielded. Colin P MacDonald is a former Executive Assistant to the MacEachen when he was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (between 1977 and 1982). Admitted to the Bars of Nova Scotia (1980) and Alberta (1984).
Colin P. MacDonald writes to The Notebook on Saturday’s article about premiers having been paperboys in their youth:
Writes MacDonald:
Your paper today brought back some memories…
Although I can’t claim to be a “modern day business leader”, I delivered the Cape Breton Post in Antigonish in the sixties – it was an afternoon route and the most memorable day was Friday November 22, 1963 the day President Kennedy was shot – after school I picked up my papers as usual that day at Pete Poirier’s canteen and Pete told me of the news – as an 11 year old almost 12 , it was hard to comprehend the consequences but the shock and sadness of the day exhibited by Pete and all of my customers and family I met that day is as clear as if yesterday.
BTW – my route took me up Hillcrest Street – the most prominent street in town at the time – a whose who of prominent citizens ! – my customers included Sandy Ross ( Credit Union) Dr. Emerson Dunphy, AJ Sears ( Eastern Auto) John L Macdonald and across the street his brother Alex J MacDonald (MacDonald Brothers grocer), AD Mcinnis (lawyer), Dr Tom Gorman, Clyde Nunn (CJFX) Colin H Chisholm, PD MacDonald ( Credit Union). – also a few customers on lower Main street and I think your house and your uncle’s -I also delivered the CB post to Bernie chisholm (Keltic).
Great memories of my first job.
And also had the “pleasure” (much later) of landing at the Trenton airport in a private plane owned by prominent Calgary oil magnate Alan Markin – we were taking him to see the ST FX campus for the first time (Justice Pat Sullivan also on that trip (Jack’s older brother) – Pat and I were on the Board of governors at the time and happy to say the trip was worthwhile for X – Markin made a $3M contribution to the subsequently????
Enjoying your NS election coverage (Hugh Wright and Heather Chiasson – old friends – Zach Churchill is in good hands)
cheers,
Colin P. MacDonald K.C
Calgary
