Randal moved to Fernie in the 1990’s and, with his wife Lisa, raised his family in the Kootenays. Randal is the publisher of Oolichan Books, prior to which he was a museum curator and consultant, working throughout western Canada with museums in human and natural history. He spent much of his life in public service with 15 years as a member of Fernie City Council including six as Mayor and six as a Director on the Region District of East Kootenay. During this time he helped oversee one of the most dynamic periods in Fernie’s history and was an advocate for issues such as affordable housing, tourism and responsible resource development and the integrity of the ecosystems in which we reside. Volunteering has always been central to Randal’s life and he has served almost two decades with the Fernie Rotary Club. Locally he served as the founding chair of Fernie Tourism, was liason to the Fernie Chamber of Commerce, helped establish the Fernie Community Fund and served on the board of Wapiti Music Festival among others. On a provincial level he was Vice President of the BC Museums Association, Treasurer of the Association of Book Publishers of BC and served on numerous provincial task forces. Randal is Elk Valley Conservation Coordinator for Wildsight.