Donald Payne (1924 – 2018) was a prolific author for children and adults, and wrote for over sixty years.

Donald served in the Second World War as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, and after working in publishing became a full time writer in the 1950s. He has written works of history, adventure and travel, and (under the name Ian Cameron) penned an early history of the Royal Geographical Society, and the definitive Riders of the Storm: the Story of the RNLI.

In total, Donald’s books have sold over twenty-one million copies and been translated in seventeen languages, with numerous adapted for film and TV. Donald also wrote children’s books under the pseudonym James Vance Marshall, including the international bestseller Walkabout, and two volumes of Stories from the Billabong with Aboriginal artist Francis Firebrace.

 Donald spent the reminder of his life in Surrey.