Joe Casey’s quick wit and indomitable spirit have enabled him to take risks in every job he ever undertook. Born in Annapolis County in1918 and still going strong, he will make you laugh your way through the many dramatic events if his active life. As a boy, he delivered his mother’s loaves of bread up and down the Victoria Beach Road and later in life he would break bread with the rich and famous. As a third-generation harbour pilot, he faced many dangers piloting munitions-laden ships through Digby Gap during the war and piloting ships of all kinds in the most severe weather.

Joe’s life story, filled with anecdotes and humour, mirrors the history of Nova Scotia in the twentieth century. It shows how that history shaped the man and how the man shaped history –as harbour pilot, fisherman, fish plant owner, lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy, hotel owner as well as member and Deputy Speaker of Nova Scotia Legislature.

Joe has pitted his storytelling skills against some of the best, including American actor James Cagney. On another occasion, a sailing trip down the East Coast, Joe’s spirit of competition led him to trade tales with Robert Ripley of Believe it or not fame. In this volume, his rich stories bring the past alive.

The author explains how his verbal skills, humor and dogged determination helped get things done in the stodgy Provincial Legislature. Premiers Gerald Regan and John Buchanan praised Joe for his ability to make friends on both sides of the aisle and they have written forewords for this book. You excursion through Joe’s life will make you laugh out loud at times, and, at others, will make you reflect on some of the fundamental issues of our times.

Joe Casey's profile page