The public image that Dr Lotta Hitschmanova projected to millions of Canadians – through her famous TV and radio ads in the 60s and 70s – was that of a sincere, compassionate, caring, very serious human being.

As I have suggested elsewhere, she was our conscience, our national priest, rabbi and imam, all rolled into one. And yet.

She loved to laugh!

“You know some of the friends who really know me say that I have a very strong sense of humour, and you know I think I do.

“Because there is nothing I love more than to laugh. Laugh about myself, laugh about funny things that happen and some of my friends say that it is very strange to see all those tears coming down from my eyes and I just laugh with my whole body and I just enjoy it so much.

“And the funniest things that have happened to me, not too much overseas, because people take me very seriously and I come as a representative of Canada, but it’s in Canada that funny things happen to me.”

To read some of Lotta’s own humorous stories that she collected and retold, click here.

David Rain