Alastair emigrated to Canada from England by himself when he was 19. He was a typical yuppie - family, house in the suburbs, and a big job in the corporate sector - and following London Life's Freedom 55 plan - he retired at 57 and went to live in the country.
A year later, disillusioned with the passivity of retirement, he shed his material possessions and went to live with a small First Nations band in a remote fly-in location in the N.W.T.
Cultural differences and a challenging environment ignited in him fresh perspectives, inspired a new way of being, and fuelled his soul searching. The experience changed the direction of his life and he wrote about it in his memoir: "Awakening in the Northwest Territories", which was to become the first book in the Boomers’ Adventures series.
Two years later he left the north and, motivated and passionate about helping others, went to Bangladesh as an International Development volunteer, and then on to similar placements in Nigeria, Jamaica, and Guyana. With his new partner, Candas Whitlock, they co-wrote "Go For It – Volunteering Adventures on Roads Less Travelled"
In between volunteering assignments, they backpacked Central America and Southeast Asia and co-wrote "Budget Backpacking for Boomers".
In 2016, they went to Alert Bay, B.C. on a four-month volunteer placement with the Namgis First Nation people. The experience was so profound that they felt compelled to write about it in their final memoir: "Tides of Change".
From 2016 to 2019 Candas and Alastair were storytellers and entertainers. They created audio/visual shows based on their books and travelled extensively throughout S. W. Ontario presenting their shows to audiences in retirement residences, community centres etc.
In 2020, Alastair had a double lung transplant and with it a new lease on life. He was able to finish writing his historical fiction novel: The Soldier and The Orphan, which he started in 2016 and published it in August 2022. He also narrated it to create an audio-book which is available on Audible.
Alastair and Candas live in London, Ontario, and have five children and seven grandchildren between them.
