Reay D.G. Clarke was born at Edderton, near Tain. After the Second World War, during which he saw active service in the Atlantic Convoys and the East, he returned to Sutherland to run the family farm. Throughout his long career he was actively involved in land use debates in the area, firmly believing that development should not diminish the Highland's limited supply of good farming land. He died in 2017.
James Hunter is Emeritus Professor of History at UHI and the author of a number of acclaimed books on Highland history, including The Making of the Crofting Community and Set Adrift upon the World (a Saltire Award-winner in 2016).