Gina Gardiner & Friends with Alistair Henry

Alastair Henry retired at 57, but disillusioned with the passivity of retirement, returned to the workforce two years later in search of greater personal fulfilment. This incredible, episodic journey in Canada’s far north with a small First Nations band resulted in unimaginable transformative growth for him at every level of his being. He documented his experiences in his autobiography, “Awakening in the Northwest Territories."   He then went to Dhaka, Bangladesh to volunteer for two years with a local NGO setting up micro credit programs for the abjectly poor. When he returned to Canada he met Candas Whitlock, and together they went to work with local NGOs in Jamaica and Guyana to share their skills and help change the lives of others less fortunate. They co-wrote "Go For It - Volunteering Adventures on Roads Less Travelled” to encourage other retirees to consider volunteering their time and skills. In between assignments, they backpacked Central America for four months, and a year later, S. E. Asia, and co-wrote Budget Backpacking for Boomers. In 2020 Alastair had a double lung transplant and in 2022 he published his historical romance novel “The Soldier and The Orphan” which includes coverage of a very sad chapter in Canada’s history – the Home Children program.