R.D. Lawrence, the son of an English father and a Spanish mother, was born at sea, aboard a British passenger ship sailing in Spanish territorial waters. His early years in Spain and his Spanish Civil War and World War II experiences are well-documented in his autobiography, "The Green Trees Beyond".

Paddler, author, environmentalist and raconteur, Max Finkelstein works as the Communications Officer for the Canadian Heritage Rivers System, Canada's national program for river conservation. When he is not speaking about, writing about, or otherwise promoting Canada's river heritage, Max can usually be found paddling on a river. He has paddled over 22,000 kilometres in North America, Europe, Africa and Australia.