Rick was born in Smiths Falls Ontario. He worked for Nortel for 30 years, retiring in 2002. He belongs to the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation. His early years were spent in Wilton and Odessa Ontario. He lived for 32 years in Glenburnie Ontario and since 2019 in Napanee, Ontario. He has a Black Belt in Judo. In the 70's and early 80's he coached softball, winning two Intermediate and one Junior A Ontario Championship. He also coached at 3 Canadian Championships. Rick is in the Loyalist Township Sports Hall of Fame.
I Am Algonquin (2013), Algonquin Spring (2015), Algonquin Sunset (2017) were published by Dundurn Press. Crossfield Publishing of St Mary's Ontario is publishing the final novel of the series Algonquin Legacy that will come out sometime in 2021.The series takes place on both sides of the St Lawrence River Valley and the Great Lakes and to the Rocky Mountains during the years of 1320 to 1350's. It follows an Algonquin Native family unit as they fight to survive in the harsh climate of warfare, survival from the elements and the constant quest for food of this pre—contact era. His readers are introduced to the Algonquin, Anishinaabe, Lakota, Mi�kmaq, Mohawk, and Lak?�ta, languages as they are used in the vernacular in the four novels.
The books are read in Native Studies classes across Canada.
Rick is currently working on a novel called The Elk Whistle Warrior Society.