Top Honours
The Alumni Award of Distinction
The HSC Alumni Award of Distinction Program celebrates the achievements of alumni in our community who have lived the aspirations of the Hillfield Strathallan College Vision and developed into global citizens who have in effect bettered the world around them.
A Global Volunteer
Lawyer Colin McNairn ’56 has dedicated himself to literacy and development
Photo by Jeff Kirk
WHILE SOME PEOPLE MAY ASPIRE TO EXCELLING IN JUST ONE FIELD, Colin McNairn has had
a life full of personal and professional accomplishments in various spheres. In addition to a distinguished career in law, he has devoted considerable time and energy to literacy and international development work, both at home and abroad. “I’ve always believed it’s good to change gears from time to time,” Colin says. “Instead of getting into a rut, I want to keep my mind open.” After completing graduate studies in law at Harvard University, Colin began his career as a law professor at the University of Toronto. From 1975 to 1999, he practised with Fraser Milner Casgrain (now Dentons Canada), a leading Canadian law firm. He subsequently served as chair of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, one of several provincial and federal bodies that have benefitted from his expertise. His involvement in international development work began early, when he was a summer volunteer with Crossroads International in Zimbabwe. Next he volunteered with CUSO (now Cuso International) as a tutor in law at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Colin McNairn ’56 For over four decades, Colin has been associated with CODE (Canadian Organization for Development through Education), an NGO that focuses on advancing literacy in regions of the world in greatest need. He has taken on a variety of short-term assignments, primarily in Africa, and has served CODE in numerous of capacities, including chair. Since 1994, he has been Honorary Life Counsel to CODE. In 1996 he received the Lewis Perinbam Award for International Development, which honours Canadian volunteers dedicated to improving people’s lives across the globe. In 2009, CODE named him the recipient of its Director’s Award for Literacy Promotion in recognition of his lifelong commitment to the cause. While he was practising law, one of his partners introduced him to Canadian diplomat Lionel Gelber. Colin facilitated setting up a foundation in the diplomat’s name that annually awards the prestigious Lionel Gelber Prize for the best book on international relations. Colin went on to serve as a director of the foundation for 10 years. Colin is himself a published author. His first works were standard texts, he notes. “These were practical legal tomes – I had to be very technical.” He revealed considerably more literary flair in two well-reviewed books on the English language aimed at general audiences: In a Manner of Speaking: Phrases, Expressions, and Proverbs and How We Misuse Them, published in 2015, and Sports Talk: How It Has Penetrated Our Everyday Language, which came out last year. To quote from the latter book, Colin swings for the fences. SPRING 2018 | 41