By Carolyn Sloan

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

With such a legacy of adventure, storytelling and public service, Joe Casey seems destined to become one of the great heroes of Nova Scotian folklore. Yet, the reality of his life requires little in the way of embellishment to render it as legend.

As Joe himself explains, the truth of what has happened is just as unbelievable to most folks as any tall tale. Maybe that’s why he has undertaken the task of writing it down.

Soon to be published, “The Life and Times of Joe Casey: From Fish to Politics” is a compilation of short stories that begins with Joe’s childhood in the fishing community of Victoria Beach and ends his experiences serving as MLA for Digby-Annapolis from 1970 to 1984, including a glimpse of what followed since his retirement from politics.

Now 90 years young, Joe is a born adventurer who has experienced life through many different professions.

He has been a commercial fisherman, the owner of three fish processing plants, a stevedore and a winchman on merchant ships, a signalman in the army, a ship pilot in the Second World War, a politician, a storyteller on board cruise ships, a motivational speaker, and more.

“I just thought it should be written down in black and white,” says Joe, explaining his motivation for chronicling his life. “It’s been so interesting. I’ve had so many different walks of life.

“Some of these stories had to be told.”

HUSBAND AND OPTIMIST

Joe sits in the front room of his family home in Victoria Beach, the place where his parents used to run a hotel years ago. Sitting across from him are neighbours Jim Fisher and Graham Wright, who helped research and collect the stories that are contained in his latest book.

“He’s a person who can do anything serious that life requires and have everyone around him laughing and helping because he just gets everyone in the spirit of things,” says Jim.

“Joe’s one of the most optimistic people,” adds Graham. “I think that’s what got him into all these different careers.”

Sitting to Joe’s side is his wife Vera, quietly listening as he retells his neighbours’ favourite stories. There is a beautiful gentleness and warmth about her, and at the same time, a sense of humour to match that of her husband’s. Vera, when asked to describe Joe, smiles and says, “Well, I’ve lived with him 66 years. That’s telling you something.”

There are many humourous stories which Joe recounts with great charm and humour, and the story of how the couple were brought together is no exception. Back when Joe was still a teenager and his parents were running the hotel, he was sent on an errand to see Vera’s father, a sheep producer in Port Wade.

“My mother said, ‘Bring me back a waitress and a lamb,” Joe recalls. “I returned back and here I had Vera and the lamb.”

In his book, Joe tells the story about buying the wedding ring. At the time, he had enlisted in the army, though he had been promised, and was granted, a transfer to the navy. He had little money for marriage, so he started a little business on the side to try and save for the wedding. In the book, he writes:

”I realized it was going to cost me some money for all this wedding activity and whatever goes with it, so I went to a jewelry store in Yarmouth. I went in and made the deal. I bought a wedding ring and an engagement ring for a total of $16. I thought that was a pretty good bargain. I guess the jeweler felt a little sorry for me. He threw in a $2 magnifying glass so that Vera could see the diamond in the ring. But we’ve been married for over 65 years. And the diamond has stood the test of time.”

SERVING IN THE WAR

Though he has had many roles and professions, Joe’s one and only ambition was to become a ship pilot. He was eight years old when he first took the wheel of a ship, and like his father and grandfather before him, it was where he knew he belonged.

His service in the war placed him at the helm, though it was often at grave danger. During the war, Joe and his father became the only two licensed Canadian pilots permitted to take munition ships in and out through the Digby Gap. It was a job that came with a tremendous burden.

Weaving through bridges and tight spaces, sometimes with hundreds of people watching, Joe would pilot the ships and their hazardous cargo in all forms of weather, knowing that even a scratch to the hull could mean the end.

Some of these ships were carrying more explosives than the Mount Blanc – the very ship involved in the Halifax explosion of 1917, which caused the deaths of 1900 people and injured 9000 more.

“Every order I gave had to be right,” says Joe. “I’ve been very, very scared, I’m telling you… [But] I hate to have somebody say I can’t do it.”

LIFE IN POLITICS

In politics, Joe was acknowledged as truly one-of-a-kind. Said to be a man without enemies or critics, he had a gift for making friends, even with those from the opposing party. While he ran and was elected as a Liberal, Joe describes himself as non-partisan, with his sole motivation being to benefit those he served.

In one of the forwards to his latest book, former premier John Buchanan writes:

”He was liked by all regardless of political affiliation. When debates in the legislature from time to time became superheated and out of control, Joe could rise to the occasion and calm everyone down with his well researched comments, homespun humour and common sense.”

A THANK YOU

Joe, Jim, and Graham would especially like to thank Joan Brown who played an instrumental role in helping him put together the manuscript. A teacher in Massechusettes and part-time local resident, Joan put in long hours editing the book, with careful concern for preserving Joe’s own voice.