Fred Bodsworth

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Charles Frederick "Fred" Bodsworth (October 11, 1918 – September 15, 2012) was a Canadian writer, journalist and amateur naturalist.

 Born in Port Burwell, Ontario, Fred Bodsworth is arguably Port Burwell’s most famous son, garnering a reputation as a literary giant both in Canada and abroad.

Fred Bodsworth began his literary career as a stringer for area newspapers and in 1940 Fred Bodsworth began working as a journalist for the St. Thomas Times-Journal. From St. Thomas Fred Bodsworth graduated to The Toronto Daily Star where he was a writer and editor from 1943 to 1946. While with the Star, Fred Bodsworth made frequent submissions to Maclean’s Magazine. 1947, he moved to Maclean’s as a staff writer and soon rose to the position of editor.

A reported sighting of the extinct curlew in 1953 provided a turning point in his career. Bodsworth described the resulting novel as “a short story that got out of hand.” Others have described “The Last of the Curlews” as a classic of its genre. The success of this novel allowed him to devote his full energies to freelance writing and novels.

From 1964 to 1967, he was president of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. Fred Bodsworth received the Matt Cohen Prize in 2002 for his writing. 

He died at Scarborough General Hospital in Toronto.

Fred Bodsworth was predeceased by his wife Margaret Banner. 

The Port Burwell branch of the Elgin County Library was renamed in his honour in 2005.