This Week in History: Hamilton Mack Laing, the ‘Motorcycle Naturalist’

If you live in the Comox Valley, you may have visited Mack Laing Nature Park. But how much do you know about Hamilton Mack Laing?

Laing was the son of Scottish-Irish immigrants, born in Ontario in 1883. His family moved to Manitoba, where he grew up, and he moved to Vancouver Island in 1922.

Sue Halwa, an archivist at the Royal BC Museum, says Laing was passionate about nature and the outdoors.

“He was a prolific hunter, author, illustrator, and artist. He wrote over 700 different articles for international magazines talking about what he loved — hunting, wildlife, birds, guns, camping, and motorbikes. He really reached out to an international audience.”

After Laing’s death in 1982, his collection of articles, around 50 boxes worth, were donated to the museum.

Veronica Cooper has more in This Week in History.

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