Growing up on a small family farm in the Ottawa Valley gave me plenty of opportunity to dream about travelling and seeing the world. Whether I was driving the tractor or working in the fields, my imagination would run wild with exotic and fascinating destinations. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I had my first experience to travel with a student tour group to Italy. Exploring the amazing sites in Rome, Sorento, Florence and Naples made me realize that there were many great adventures awaiting for me in the future. High school also gave me the opportunity to tour beautiful Nova Scotia on a Senior Band tour.

After high school, I attended Carleton University where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major in Geography and from Carleton, I moved on to Queen’s University where I completed my Bachelor of Education degree. I would be several years later that I would take the plunge and achieve a Master’s in Education.

I began my teacher career with the former Frontenac County Board of Education working with students with special needs. After a few years, I taught mainly junior grades in the elementary system. After 15 years in the classroom, I moved into the role of administration and was the Principal of Holsgrove, Collins Bay, Frontenac, and Odessa Public Schools. For the last 6 years of my career, I worked as the Supervising Principal of Human Resources for the Limestone District School Board.

Travel has always been an important part of my life with trips to England, the United States, Mexico and most of the Caribbean. Immediately after retirement I set out on a three-week tour of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and France. It was an amazing experience meeting so many wonderful people and seeing numerous historical and beautiful sites. One of the many that was etched in my mind is standing in front of the Vimy Memorial on a bright and sunny October morning. It was a mixture of emotions from pride to sadness to how fortunate we are as Canadians.

It has been approximately 8 years now since I began my new career as a Tour Director with Maple Leaf Tours. Over that time, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people and visiting so many interesting places. In the Fall of 2022, I was fortunate to lead the Maple Leaf Tour on the Rocky Mountaineer. Every moment of this tour was a Wow! Riding up the gondola in Banff and standing at the top of Sulphur Mountain can only showcase how small and insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things. I always say to clients that while there are so many wonderful places in the world, we only need to look in our own back door. Canada has so much to offer with majestic sites and rich history. It is yours to discover.

I always enjoy seeing familiar faces on the tours which I lead. My goal on each tour is to ensure that each person comes away with memories that will last a life time.