It was expected. Nonetheless, the news of Joseph Ganado’s demise struck me like a bolt from the blue. My mind then raced through the many lovely memories I have of him.

To me these memories are testament to the great privilege it is to have been taught by him and to have had the honour of working with a jurist and a gentleman of that calibre.

Ganado’s method was as thorough as can be. His lectures, delivered in his typical cordial and light manner, were an invaluable source of information, research and depth of legal thought.

As a legal practitioner he probed and strove not to leave any stone unturned. He was tireless. The assiduous worker that he was, he dedicated all he had for as long as it would take to get a job done in line with his very high standards.

Even in his ripe years, that was the only way he knew how to go about his work and I look back with admiration at his stamina and perseverance when I, more than three decades younger, struggled to keep up with him in burning the midnight oil.

His commitment to his work was unwavering and he made himself available any time, any day, anywhere. I often went to Profs, as he was aimiably known by all and sundry, with what I thought were mind-boggling legal problems.

Many a time I cringed at the clarity and the simplicity of his solutions.

Ganado’s resourceful legal mind was crowned with his outstanding personality. When relaxed he would entertain with his story-telling. With that well-known smile of his, he was firm, yet, warm and gentle. Never derogatory.

Even in difficult and stressful times he was driven by reason, composure, dignity and humility. He once told me that his late mother, whom he adored, used to tell him that we must always be kind to each other and kind, indeed, he was.

So now Profs is no longer but his memory lives on. Interacting with him was one learning experience after the other.

The gratitude I owe to him, no words can express.