Speaker of the House of Assembly Stanley Lowe was at his genial best when he hosted the annual Speaker's Dinner at Fairmont Southamptont. Wined and dined to their hearts' content were serving and past Members of Parliament, dignitaries on the Precedence and Courtesy List and a host of Mr. Speaker's VIP colleagues and friends, writes Ira Philip.

Mr. Lowe's 40 years as an MP render him the longest serving member of the House, the last ten being its Speaker. Above, Governor Sir Richard Gozney and his wife Lady Gozney are seen with, from the left, Mrs. Louise Jackson, MP, and Justice Norma Wade Miller. Below, the Premier. Ewart Browne and wife Wanda are with former Premier Sir John Swan and Lady Swan and former Cabinet Minister Quinton Edness. Bottom, Speaker Lowe and Deputy Speaker, Dame Jennifer Smith, flank the guest speaker at the dinner, Dr. Alvin Curling.

He had the distinction of being the first black Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada. Dr. Curling was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 1985, when he amassed the highest total vote in Canadian history with 30,504 votes ¿ DCI photos