durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, March 31, 2022 | 10 As the Irish mark 100 years since the creation of the Irish Free State, a Pickering author with a story to tell has put it into a book. Richard R. Pyves answered five questions about his new book, "Sir John James Taylor De Facto Ruler of Ireland -- Assistant Under-Secretary of Ireland 1918-1920." What is the book about? "Sir John James Taylor -- De Facto Ruler of Ireland" chronicles the incredible story of (my) great-grand uncle, Sir John James Taylor, assistant undersecretary for Ireland, who was the de facto ruler of Ireland from 1918 to 1920. It is the story of a commoner, born in India, who joins the British Civil Service as a teenager in 1877 and rises through the civil service ranks while in Ireland to a position of influence during the AngloIrish War of Independence. Why did you decide to write it? I have a particular interest in historical non-fiction with a direct linkage to my family. My primary objective in writing "Sir John James Taylor- De Facto Ruler of Ireland" was to focus on the lives of the Taylor and Hynes families caught up in the grip of a rebellion and civil war in Ireland in the 1920s. Sir John's sister, Mary Hynes, nee Taylor, was my great- grandmother. In your opinion, what were your uncle's greatest accomplishments? Sir John over his 40 year career had many accomplishments including the administration of the "relief of distress" funds in the 1890s, for farmers affected by crop failures, his participation in the rebellion victims' committee to address compensation for civilians killed/wounded in the Easter Rebellion and his personal courage in working with the chief secretary and lord lieutenant of Ireland, in the maintenance of law and order, during the Anglo- Irish War of Independence under the threat of assassination by the Irish Republican Army Why is this a book worth picking up? For those of Irish descent and historians, the book provides a unique perspective by a civil servant in Dublin Castle of key turning points in Irish History including the Easter Rebellion, Anglo-Irish War of Independence and civil war leading to the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. What do you hope people will take away from this story? I hope that people will have a better understanding of the complexities and motivations of both sides of the conflicts in Ireland in the early 1920s. In the case of Sir John James Taylor, that readers will conclude that devotion to family and truth to oneself, was what counted in the end for Sir John. The book is available in Canada as both a paperback and kindle ebook at amazon.ca. LOCAL AUTHOR PENS BOOK ON IMPRESSIVE RELATIVE KRISTEN CALIS KCalis@durhamregion.com BOOKS SIR JOHN JAMES TAYLOR WAS THE DE FACTO RULER OF IRELAND FROM 1918 TO 1920 Pickering author Rick Pyves' latest book, "Sir John James Taylor De Facto Ruler of Ireland 1918-1920," chronicles the incredible story of his great-grand-uncle. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland When Lisa Keizer was looking for a way to gently repair hair and scalp damage caused by years of using relaxers, she headed to her kitchen and started experimenting with natural ingredients. The products she created were a hit with family and friends and soon she was the founder, CEO and "lead curly girl" at Up North Naturals. The Oshawa-based company has seen steady growth since it was founded in 2015. Keizer's first vendor show was at a church in Ajax in 2016. Fast forward to today and Up North Naturals products can be found on the shelves of salons, beauty supply stores and major retailers including about 200 Walmart Canada locations and more than 140 U.S. Target stores. Walmart Canada recently doubled the number of Up North Naturals products it carries, from four to eight -- a major victory for Keizer. "As the owner of a growing business and of course as a woman of colour .... I am SCREAMING - "YESSS!" With a fist pump!" she wrote on social media when Walmart highlighted Up North Naturals for Black History Month. The Up North Naturals line of products -- which includes things like styling lotion, smoothing gel, conditioner and hair butter -- is made using natural ingredients. "There's no junk," Keizer said. "It's all clean and natural, the ingredient lists are quite short." While the products are designed for curly hair, people with other hair types and textures use them too -- "a lot of our customers have bone- straight hair," said Keizer. Before becoming a business owner, Keizer spent 18 years working in the non-profit sector raising funds and says the two career paths are connected, because both are about helping people. "I made these products to help myself -- but also to help others," she said. What's next for Up North Naturals? Keizer's goals include raising more awareness of the brand, getting her products into all Walmart Canada stores and incorporating more education to help people care for their natural hair. Are you opening a new business in Durham? Tell us about it! We also want to know about business anniversaries, store closings, amazing local makers and small biz owners. Send your ideas to reporter Jillian Follert at jfollert@durhamregion.com LOCAL HAIR CARE BRAND SEES BIG GROWTH JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com BUSINESS UP NORTH NATURALS FOCUSES ON NATURAL PRODUCTS FOR CURLY HAIR, NOW STOCKED AT SMALL AND MAJOR RETAILERS UP NORTH NATURALS Website: upnorthnaturals.com Instagram: @upnorthnaturals Email: help@upnorthnaturals.com Facebook: facebook.com/ upnorthnaturals.ca Local resident Lisa Keizer founded Up North Naturals in 2015 with a goal of creating chemical-free hair-care products. It became the first Canadian, Black- owned hair company with products on the shelves of Walmart and Target. This spring Walmart Canada will begin carrying more of the brand's products. Up North Naturals photo