Keith began life on the edge of the Lake District of the northern UK near the Scottish border. His sense of adventure and curiosity for the outdoors found him wandering the dales and climbing the fells rain, shine freeze or thaw. He was a very keen Boy Scout and often went off on weekend excursions. He attended the Eskdale Outward Bound Mountain School where he was awarded a gold medal, the youngest ever recipient of that award.
After completing his degree Keith “Flew the Coop” and emigrated to the Wild Canadian North. He landed in Montreal and was offered a teaching job in a well-established English High School. Still escaping the confines of walls and institutions he launched into a hobby of car racing. First at St Eugene and then to the newly opened race track at Mont Tremblant. But, the wide spaces and outdoors began to lure him once again.
He obtained a teaching job in the Laurentians and from then on it was sailing, skiing, hiking, biking, tennis, every spare moment. All the outdoor activities were outside his door. Here he was to spend the next fifty years of his life.
His teaching career continued. He married and he and his wife Margaret raised cattle, and chickens, grew their own vegetables and built their own home on the shores of Lac Brule. They also raised two boys. He was promoted to principal of an Elementary and High School in the region and later on Department Head at the Laurentian Regional High School in Lachute.
Keith became a fixture of knowledge and expertise in the community surrounding the lake where he lived. He continued to enjoy outdoor sports, participating in the Canadian Ski Marathon a number of times. He also began building and restoring boats and making custom furniture. He served as President of the Lake Association and was a member of the Club Lac Brûlé executive for many years. He was also actively involved in later years with the Nature Conservancy to protect and preserve the land in and around the area where he lived
He had always been a passionate sailor. After retiring from teaching, adventure kicked in one hundred percent. He logged many hundreds of hours on Lake Ontario, The Gulf of St Lawrence and up and down the east coast of North America. His Canon SLR never far from reach his photographs became a storybook of his travels.
Always in tune with nature he began photographing wildflowers and in 2010 he wrote a book on the evolution from Spring to Fall of Laurentian Wildflowers. Illustrated by his photos it was a sellout edition. In 2013 he was asked by the community to write about the history of Lac Brule and in 2014 published another book Preserve and Protect – the stewardship of Lac Brûlé. Another success
Now new projects in writing are about to come to fruition. A book of Children’s stories and a re-issuing of the Wildflower Book as a Field Guide, are in the works. Keith will begin his lecture tours and book launches this autumn. In the meantime you can always find him either in his workshop or out wandering the fields of the Rouge River Valley where he now resides.