Vancouver Island Historian, Lecturer and award-winning Author
Catherine Marie Gilbert
BC Stories
Catherine has a passion for uncovering the untold stories of the province’s past. She locates never-seen-before images to accompany her stories and gives fascinating and entertaining lectures about her work.
Lindsay Lewis said, “I had the pleasure of seeing of seeing Catherine’s presentation on the life of Walrus, aka David Garrick. She is highly gifted in presentation, placing his work in the greater context of the complex times in which we live, offering both perspective and inspiration for all of us. She is warm, engaging and highly knowledgeable. “
To see her list of lectures, visit BC History Talks.
Latest Book
Walrus: The Remarkable Life of Eco-Warrior David Garrick
I’m pleased to announce that my most recent book about environmental activist David (Walrus) Garrick, has been published by Ronsdale Press in Vancouver. His closest friend Captain Paul Watson commented:
“A truly awesome book, an excellent chronicling of the life of David Garrick. Well done to Catherine, her work with this book is deeply appreciated. I just finished reading it. The book made me very happy to see his life so professionally presented and yet it made me quite sad, hammering home the fact that he is not with us anymore.
David Garrick was my longest and closest friend, my comrade in ecological campaigns for over half a century, yet there are details of his life in this book “Walrus” that even I was unaware of until after reading Catherine Gilbert’s excellent chronicling of his extraordinary and exemplary life.“
Garrick spent many years working behind the scenes, and his story reveals his contributions to Greenpeace, SPEC, First Nation’s land use and protection of wildlife. Read the BC BookWorld review here: https://bcbooklook.com/shadow-warrior/
I am currently scheduling book events and talks for the summer and fall of 2026. Please see my schedule below for the month of October in Ontario and visit the Future Appearances page to view all scheduled dates.
about Catherine
Discover the woman behind the books and stories—Catherine Marie Gilbert, whose lifelong fascination with Vancouver Island and British Columbia history has taken her from remote coastal communities and historic landscapes to the archives, lecture halls and pages of her books.
Catherine’s articles and photographs have appeared in numerous publications such as the BC Historical Federation Journal, the Western Mariner Magazine, Compass Magazine, The Strathcona Collective and the Georgia Straight. She delights in meeting people, writing their profiles and accompanying tour participants as historical interpreter on trips by bus and boat to remote locations in British Columbia.
My tour schedule for Ontario:
| Date | Time | Location | Event |
| Saturday October 3 | 1 – 3pm | Octopus Books, 116 Third Ave, Ottawa ON K1S 2K1 | Meet author and signing |
| Monday October 5 | 9-10am | Toronto, Global TV | Guest on show |
| Thursday, October 8 | 7-8:30pm | Take Cover Books, 391 Water Street, Peterborough ON K9H 2H5 | A pictorial presentation about the life of David (Walrus) Garrick |
| Friday, October 16 | 3-4pm | Peterborough, Trent University, Trent School of Environment Seminar series (Location to be advised) | A pictorial presentation about the life of David (Walrus) Garrick |
| Saturday, October 17 | 12:30 – 3:30pm | Kawartha Lakes Library, 190 Kent Street West Lindsay, ON, K9V 2Y6 | Meet author and signing |
| Sunday, October 18 | 2PM | Readers’ Nook, 29 King St W, Cobourg, ON K9A 2M1 | A pictorial presentation about the life of David (Walrus) Garrick |