HONOURING OUR OWN
Wayne Braid OF THE SOCIETY OF NOTARIES PUBLIC OF BC
Australia’s Professor Zablud Honours a Remarkable Man game and knows everything about it, is called a “tragic.” In Wayne’s case, a “hockey tragic.” In one of his earlier incarnations, Wayne was a hockey referee.
The address of Peter Zablud to members and guests at the President’s Gala, BC Notaries’ Fall Conference
C
olleagues, and Friends:
James Bond was a figment of Ian Fleming’s imagination. Unlike Commander Bond, Wayne Braid, the man we are honouring this evening, is the real deal! I consider it a great privilege to have been invited to say a few words to Wayne and about him at this special event in this superb venue. Thank you most sincerely Pat Wright for the invitation and through you, Pat, thank you to The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia. Wayne: Our mutual friend Dr. Christophe Bernasconi, the Secretary-General of The Hague Conference, is presently on a mission Christophe to Asia. He specially Bernasconi asked me to give you his warmest greetings and to wish you and your family all the best for this new chapter in your life. Although our daily roles are quite different—BC Notaries focus on domestic matters while in Australia, our work is completely international in nature—we are all holders of a unique office of trust and fidelity. We are all part of the great common law notarial tradition originating in 1533 when the Ecclesiastical Licences Act was passed and the Archbishop of Canterbury took over the appointment of Notaries in England as well as “in [his] majesty’s realms abroad.”
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Wayne Braid (L) with Peter Zablud
Under Wayne’s stewardship, The Society has become an exemplar to societies of Notaries elsewhere in the common law world. Australian Notaries Public and BC Notaries are professional brothers and sisters. I am pleased to say that ours has become a very close relationship, a relationship that Wayne has been instrumental in forging since he and I first met over a decade ago when our own personal friendship began.
Despite Wayne’s impassioned entreaties to the contrary and much to his consternation, the new Hockey Hall of Fame was built in Toronto and not in Vancouver. Wayne desperately wanted it to be in Vancouver so the Canucks could at least see what the Stanley Cup looks like. It is widely acknowledged that Wayne Braid has been an inspired and inspiring leader of The Society these past 17 years. A great deal has to do with his leadership style and skills. Busy as he is, Wayne always finds the time to listen to and communicate with people. And he has that great ability to remember names and to make people feel important, no matter who they are and what their concerns may be. With the wholehearted support of the membership at large and that of successive Presidents and Boards of Governors, during his term of office Wayne has raised the standard and profile of The Society.
With the help of The Scrivener archives, I have delved into Wayne’s background and achievements. And very impressive they are indeed.
The status and function of BC Notaries are now more tightly woven into the fabric of the Province’s legal system than ever before.
Wayne has been a BC Notary since 1986. He commenced practice in Terrace that year and became the Secretary and CEO of the Society on 1 January 2001, a position he has held with great distinction ever since.
Under Wayne’s stewardship, The Society has become an exemplar to societies of Notaries elsewhere in the common law world. In those jurisdictions where Notaries are not organized into societies, and there are many of them, the Notariats could not do better than look to the BC Society as a paragon.
Wayne is a well-known hockey fanatic. In Australia, we have an expression for a mad-keen sports fan. There is no equivalent expression in Canada. Someone such as Wayne, who is completely besotted by a The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia
Israel’s General Moshe Dayan always said he was not an expert in anything other than in picking experts. Volume 26 Number 3 Fall 2017
