R.D. Lawrence

One of the ways I have involved myself in the community is by volunteering on the R.D. Lawrence Place project. Ron's wife, Sharon, donated his manuscripts and other artifacts to the community, and this summer the Sir Sanford Fleming College Sustainable Building students erected a building to house them.

R.D. Lawrence was a man respected by naturalists, conservationists and story lovers around the world. According to his biography, Ron, the youngest of five children, was born in 1921 to a Spanish mother and a British father during a storm aboard ship in the Bay of Biscay. He fought in both the Spanish Civil War and World War II then studied biology at Cambridge University and journalism at London Polytechnical Institute. He moved to Canada in 1954 and was a science reporter for the Winnipeg Tribune and a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Telegram. R.D. Lawrence was a disciplined man and penned more than thirty books, both fiction and non-fiction. He was published in twenty-six countries and translated into fifteen languages. He moved to the Haliburton Highlands in 1984 and remained here until his death in 2003.

After reading a few of his books, what struck me most was his sense of gentleness and how he treated all living things - including himself - with such patience and compassion. I hadn't read anything like it before and was quite touched. In his book about making maple syrup, he had to learn a few lesson the hard way, but he didn't get upset or belittle himself, he just made the adjustments and carried on.

Sharon said he learned this saying from his English tutor when he was a child:
Good, better, best.
Never let it rest.
Until your good is better
And your better is best.

I found myself agreeing with Ron's philosophies, and thinking we would have enjoyed chatting and meandering along the trail together. It's interesting how neither of us had teachers to show us how to observe nature, but we each came to a similar conclusion in our own ways. In my first column, Magnificent Creatures, I wrote how I learned to "stop thinking" and "quiet myself." In The Study of Life: A Naturalist's View, Ron wrote: "when asked to explain my technique for observing nature in action, I begin by emphasizing the need to be fully, totally, at peace. Developing an inward calm is the most important, if at times difficult, "trick" of wilderness watching."

He went on to talk about achieving a "neutral attitude" even when one was "consumed with eagerness" or "fearing to be attacked." This intrigued me because it sounded like an article on meditation I had just finished editing: "When starting a meditation practice and thoughts enter the mind, allow them to passively flow by…"

I guess it shouldn't be surprising that those who spend time in nature and those who spend time in meditation have similar neutral attitudes – they both understand the importance of developing an inner calm. Perhaps that's also why people come to cottage country: sitting quietly at the end of the dock or strolling casually down the trail neutralizes their tension and allows them to relax and slip into tranquility. It's like we all have this inner need, this hardwiring, to restore ourselves and re-connect with our true nature by sitting in stillness.
R.D. Lawrence Place is dedicated to the life and memory of Ronald Douglas Lawrence, but it shouldn't be overlooked how much his wife Sharon was a part of his work. When pet cougars or Arctic wolves were sent to their sanctuary, Sharon was just as involved as Ron in caring for them. When people knocked on the door hoping to have a moment with Ron, Sharon graciously escorted them in and fed them. For this project, she has donated her inheritance, stood before council to get approval and funding, talked before strangers to raise more funds, inspired the Sir Sanford Fleming students, baked treats for our meetings, and publicized the project around the world.

It has been a privilege to have gotten to know R.D. Lawrence through his books and Sharon Lawrence through our meetings. On September 28th at 2 pm, and through the weekend, the public is invited to see what a stunningly gorgeous building this couple has inspired.