Robert McCole Wilson of Lake Cowichan was an Australian-born schoolteacher who published a three-volume work called An Uncertain Thing: A History of Childhood in the Western World based on his extensive research library he accumulated on the subject. It took him ten years to write. He met his Canadian wife when she was in Australia before the 1956 Olympics as a representative of the Canadian Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. She was sent early to connect with the New South Wales physical education department

He was nicknamed "Smiley" by some of his students because in class he tended to be stern and seldom smiled. He died on September 22, 2015 at age 81. He was survived by his wife Doris, sons Rick (Jill, Allison and Lucas) in Manotick, Ontario, Greg (Sadie and Madeleine) temporarily in Canterbury, England and Jeff (Sarah, Alex and Theo) in Horning's Mills, Ontario. His only daughter Sylvia predeceased him in 2012 leaving children Zachary, Erin and Jared Cotton. His sister Margaret Rath and her family reside in Australia.

He was an avid collector of First Nations art.

[BCBW 2016]