by Edith Cody-Rice
It’s a little late in the season but for those of you who are book lovers or friends or partners of book lovers, I thought I would review a few of my recent reads in the next few days. If you have favourite reads of this year, please put them in the comments along with a synopsis or why you liked it so others can get ideas for seasonal gifts.
First up: Peter Mansbridge’s memoir “Off the Record”. Peter, as most of you will know, was the long time anchor of the nightly CBC National News. John Doyle of the Globe began calling “Pastor Mansbridge”, an ironic tribute to his authoritative presence and his longevity in the role.
This was a really enjoyable read. It was unusual in form for a memoir but Peter says he was asked to do it so he put together a series of vignettes of his personal life and career during the more than 40 years he spent at the CBC. Each story is just a few pages long, perfect for bedtime reading just as you are getting ready to turn out the light.
Peter was raised in Ottawa and went to Lisgar Collegiate (Peter Jennings was the boyfriend of the English teacher he idolized). It really is true that Peter was discovered in the airport in Churchill Manitoba. Having dropped out of school and tried his hand at a number of jobs, including enrolling in the air force (he was not successful there), he was broke and in a bus station in Winnipeg on his way to see a girlfriend further out west when he saw an ad for a baggage handler for an small airline servicing Churchill. He got the job and decamped to the north. One day the regular flight announcer was absent and Peter was asked to announce a flight. He did so. A passenger who turned out to be a CBC Northern Service executive, walked up to him and hired him on the spot for the station in Churchill broadcasting across the north. As an American TV executive said later, he had “It”. What “It” is is not clearly defined but certainly the central aspect of it and the attraction for that CBC executive was that deep resonant voice. The rest, as they say, is history.
His stories range from the amusing and self deprecating to the serious and thoughtful. He clearly loved his career and was good at it, rising quickly through the journalistic ranks of the CBC, from Churchill to Winnipeg to Toronto. One charming story that will amuse our local readers is his tale of speeding along highway 7 on his way to his cottage in the Gatineau. At Carleton Place, a police officer pulled him over and asked for his papers. Peter meekly handed them over and the officer exclaimed “Peter Mansbridge”. “God, I love this job” Peter says he thought. Here he was, a national anchor, recognized in small town Ontario. It might save him a ticket. The officer continued “We were in Sea Scouts together in 1962”. Ah – Peter chatted politely with the officer as they reminisced. Then the officer said “So what are you doing now Peter?” and gave him a ticket.
And then there is the time he was mistaken by CNN for the Polish President at Jean-Paul II’s funeral.
Great tales amusingly told. I was quite captivated.
Published by Simon and Shuster
368 pages
