Friday, April 23, 2010
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A man of dignity, wisdom, friendship & humour
I first knew Jaff as a figure of awesome seniority and authority, when I joined CSE (then known as CBNRC) straight out of Western. Years later, he became a colleague, then a friend. He showed up one day at Treasury Board, I was called to the DepSec's office and Jaff's first words were, "Hello, you're working for me now." I spent the next six months at ACOA, watching Jaff advising Ministers and Deputy Ministers on how to navigate the shoals and politics of the Maritime Provinces that he knew and loved so well. Heather and I enjoyed many social occasions in the company of Jaff and Arlene, especially their legendary May Day parties. After one such, Jaff wanted to show off his marksmanship, hauled out his .22 varmint rifle and took aim at a pesky squirrel. Unfortunately, the weapon was resting on part of the window frame, so when he pulled the trigger, the double-glazing shattered, to his chagrin and curses. Not only did the squirrel scamper off unscathed, but Jaff's Scottish heritage faced the cost of a new window! And more recently, I was called to the swimming dock after one of the daily skinny dips Jaff so enjoyed, even on days no other mortal would consider swimming weather. The swimming ladder had suddenly parted from the dock, so I found a stepladder and lowered it into the water so that Jaff could clamber slowly up and out. Arlene and Heather hauled and steadied him, while I was face down on the dock, holding the ladder. As he knelt panting on the dock, I knew what I would face if I turned my head, but Jaff nonetheless warned "Keep your eyes averted, young man, or you will be in the water too!"
