Career
While studying at Queen"s University in Kingston, Ontario, Charles was part of the student broadcast team on CFRC, the campus radio station. He went on to work for Reuters news service in London, England from 1955 until 1962 when he joined the staff of Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto. His career in journalism saw him become the paper"s bureau chief in British Hong Kong, Peking, China, and London, England.
He reported from numerous countries around the world, providing coverage of major events including the Vietnam War, the Nigerian Civil War, and the Arab–Israeli conflict. wrote Reporter in Red China (1966) and edited China Hands (1984), books based on experiences in the Far East.
The author of four books and several plays, in later years he served as Chairman of the Writers" Union of Canada. Following his death in 1997, his widow Noreen created the Charles Foundation whose work includes the funding of the Charles Prize, a $25,000 literary prize awarded annually since 2000 to the best Canadian work of literary non-fiction.
A major horse breeding and racing operation based in Oshawa, Ontario, Windfields Farm also ran a breeding farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland. In addition to breeding and racing horses, Charles played a significant role in North American Thoroughbred racing.
He served as chairman of the Jockey Club of Canada, was a Trustee of the Ontario Jockey Club, and both a Provincial and National Director of the Canadian Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.
Charles died from cancer in 1997 at age 62.