Canadian journalism icon Lloyd Robertson waxed both genuine sincerity and jovial humor during the presentation of his book, The Kind of Life It’s Been, at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington on Monday night. A Q&A session followed a talk on his book, which details his life and career that spans six decades working in broadcasting.

The decision to write his story didn’t come easily or suddenly for Robertson.

“It took a while for me to get to it,” said the former anchor of the CTV National News. “I decided not to get at it until very late in the game, until I was almost ready to step away from the news.”

Robertson shifted tone at this point and managed to turn this hint of self-doubt at writing a book into what would be the first of many jokes at his own expense.

“And then there was the other thing that some of my friends kidded me about,” he continued. “They said ‘Lloyd, how are you ever going to manage to do an interesting book? Unlike several of your colleagues, you haven’t had a lot of scandal in your life … you don’t have any drunk driving charges.’”

Robertson also touched on some of the more personal, dramatic points in his story, including the mental health disorders his mother suffered. He has worked tirelessly over the years to help raise awareness and understanding about mental health.

“If we think that there’s a stigma against mental health these days, try 60 years ago,” he said. “My mother – I could not talk about her, I couldn’t bring my friends home. My friends might ask about her, but I would never respond, and they would just be left thinking, ‘Well I guess there’s something seriously wrong there.’”

Robertson described the process of writing a book as a “voyage of self discovery.” But writing the book also afforded him another significant realization about his chosen career path.

“Getting into broadcasting, for me, was a kind of escape valve from my home life,” he said. “It took me into the world of the imagination.”

The night wasn’t just all about Robertson, however. During the Q&A session that followed his talk, Robertson provided some rather uplifting optimism for budding journalism students who are concerned with the future of the industry.

“I do not agree with the gurus … who say ‘people don’t care where they get their news from nowadays,’” he said.

Robertson sees a critical weakness in the easy access to information via the Internet and social media.

“What flows with all that information that comes at us is flawed analysis, spotty interpretation, and … totally wrong material. So, people will, I think, continue to go back to the organizations they trust.”

Robertson’s talk also resonated for those in attendance who don’t have a background in media or journalism.

“It’s a tough game, according to the way he tells it,” said Vince Tierney. “I thought … they just went in there and read the news or whatever. But there’s competition, mistakes … you’ve got to know your history [and] geography.”

“He’s a charismatic type of individual,” said retired Toronto Star reporter Cal Millar. “He’s obviously got a lot of skill that he’s developed through the years.”

“Obviously he’s gone through the school of hard knocks as well, and he made himself the person he is.”