It was a
somewhat older, less feisty, more comfortably confident Brian Peckford who
ascended the stage as guest speaker at the closing of NOIA’S 40thconference. But time had not altered his powers of communication or any of his
enormous capacity to be singular with his audience, to entertain them and,
concomitantly, to leave them feeling slightly less comfortable than when they
first sat down.
As an ‘old’
staffer of Premier Peckford, in the 1970s and 80s (full disclosure), I had
watched the performance many times, often jealously — the rapport quickly
established, the bond of trust unmistakable, all given an articulation that
found clarity only because it was as physical and emotional as it was verbal. Like
him or hate him — many did both, and some at the same time — he was a master
storyteller.
