There are very few times in my life that I have been “taken to lunch”. In the past number of years, my excuse for getting out of such proposals has been “I have to feed the dog”. Before that, I probably said I just didn't have the time. Almost without exception, these proposals to do lunch with someone were little more than annoyances. They were really just opportunities for each of us to chat, and to pay our own way.
The exceptions, as I say, were few and far between. The first time I was “taken to lunch” was by Alaister Macdonald, senior partner of Macdonald Affleck. He took me to the Rideau Club in Ottawa for my bon voyage party when I left the firm in 1976. It was, however, very much a dutiful thing he did, almost it seemed to me as a form of apology, since my departure was not entirely on the best of terms (though he had nothing to do with that).
The next time that I was astonished to get an invitation to lunch was as recently as 1998, when Elizabeth Swarbrick (a new young lawyer in Almonte) invited me to sit at the trough with her, just to chat and to get to know one another. We visited the Victoria Woollen Mill Café Gallery at 7 Mill Street. I recall the engagement as being very pleasant, leaving me feeling unusual and relaxed.
However, the event which surpassed all luncheon engagements to date is the one which took place on June 8, 1999 at the Superior Restaurant (my suggestion) on the invitation of two senior bureaucrats from TeraNet, the Toronto-based company which had combined with the Ontario government to automate the Province's entire land registration system. While I have always made a point of at least putting on a face that I reject any suggestion by the City bar that I am little more than a rural conveyancer, I must confess that I do of course harbour such feelings of inadequacy. So, imagine my surprise when Mr. Ian Jones of Teranet called me to say that his team of experts would be in the area to lead a seminar for the local bar, and would I care to be their guest for lunch. I had no idea why they would want to do that with me. Ian and his colleague, Deb McKinney, met me at my office at the appointed hour of 12:00 noon, or rather a bit before, so I gave them the customary rural practitioner's tour of the old office and related paraphernalia. We then sauntered over to the Superior Restaurant, had a lot of good chat about the business of TeraNet, a good lunch and then headed off to the lecture hall below JR's Family Restaurant. There were about fifty people in attendance, and during the seminar it became apparent that I was the only one connected to the latest version of the TeraView software which would permit electronic registration of documents in the system. A couple of times, some intransigent lawyers spoke out against the proposed changes, and I took the opportunity to speak in favour of the changes, having actually tested and used them, including TitlePLUS (insurance) and CakeWare (document assembly). This naturally endeared me to my hosts (though I swear my motives were transparent only). After the lecture, I was again asked to join the team (now larger) for dinner. I sat between Deb and Ian, and we again shared some good laughs. After dinner, I invited them and a couple others back to my house for drinks. Three of them (including Deb and Ian) accepted, but one (Al) abandoned us after but one snort. Deb, Ian and I then engaged in what was now far more serious discussion of TeraNet and all that it was doing, the people involved with it, the money, the future of it, etc., each point being punctuated by “the other half”. By 11:30, I was beginning to lose interest in such heady topics, so we graduated from the withdrawing room to the piano room, where, to my considerable surprise and delight, I was able to rip off a few good pieces for my guests, who were most appreciative. The evening finally ended towards midnight, and I can honestly say I hope I never get invited to lunch again, because the memory of that event is so dear to my heart.
The exceptions, as I say, were few and far between. The first time I was “taken to lunch” was by Alaister Macdonald, senior partner of Macdonald Affleck. He took me to the Rideau Club in Ottawa for my bon voyage party when I left the firm in 1976. It was, however, very much a dutiful thing he did, almost it seemed to me as a form of apology, since my departure was not entirely on the best of terms (though he had nothing to do with that).
The next time that I was astonished to get an invitation to lunch was as recently as 1998, when Elizabeth Swarbrick (a new young lawyer in Almonte) invited me to sit at the trough with her, just to chat and to get to know one another. We visited the Victoria Woollen Mill Café Gallery at 7 Mill Street. I recall the engagement as being very pleasant, leaving me feeling unusual and relaxed.
However, the event which surpassed all luncheon engagements to date is the one which took place on June 8, 1999 at the Superior Restaurant (my suggestion) on the invitation of two senior bureaucrats from TeraNet, the Toronto-based company which had combined with the Ontario government to automate the Province's entire land registration system. While I have always made a point of at least putting on a face that I reject any suggestion by the City bar that I am little more than a rural conveyancer, I must confess that I do of course harbour such feelings of inadequacy. So, imagine my surprise when Mr. Ian Jones of Teranet called me to say that his team of experts would be in the area to lead a seminar for the local bar, and would I care to be their guest for lunch. I had no idea why they would want to do that with me. Ian and his colleague, Deb McKinney, met me at my office at the appointed hour of 12:00 noon, or rather a bit before, so I gave them the customary rural practitioner's tour of the old office and related paraphernalia. We then sauntered over to the Superior Restaurant, had a lot of good chat about the business of TeraNet, a good lunch and then headed off to the lecture hall below JR's Family Restaurant. There were about fifty people in attendance, and during the seminar it became apparent that I was the only one connected to the latest version of the TeraView software which would permit electronic registration of documents in the system. A couple of times, some intransigent lawyers spoke out against the proposed changes, and I took the opportunity to speak in favour of the changes, having actually tested and used them, including TitlePLUS (insurance) and CakeWare (document assembly). This naturally endeared me to my hosts (though I swear my motives were transparent only). After the lecture, I was again asked to join the team (now larger) for dinner. I sat between Deb and Ian, and we again shared some good laughs. After dinner, I invited them and a couple others back to my house for drinks. Three of them (including Deb and Ian) accepted, but one (Al) abandoned us after but one snort. Deb, Ian and I then engaged in what was now far more serious discussion of TeraNet and all that it was doing, the people involved with it, the money, the future of it, etc., each point being punctuated by “the other half”. By 11:30, I was beginning to lose interest in such heady topics, so we graduated from the withdrawing room to the piano room, where, to my considerable surprise and delight, I was able to rip off a few good pieces for my guests, who were most appreciative. The evening finally ended towards midnight, and I can honestly say I hope I never get invited to lunch again, because the memory of that event is so dear to my heart.
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