Ian was born in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. He was enrolled as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1962. He came to Canada in 1968 and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1969.
Ian’s community interests are varied. He has been President of the Grande Prairie Pipes and Drums Association and a Bencher of the Alberta Law Society. He was a member and Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital Foundation and is a past Chair of the Independent Living Services Society and the Northern Alberta Appeal Board (Dependent Adults Act). Currently, he is Chair of the Grande Prairie Hospice Palliative Care Society. He is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the American Trial Lawyers Association.
Personally, Ian enjoys reading and collecting books, playing bagpipes, history, hunting and playing golf.