Island life gave Liam a strong sense of community and an understanding of the importance of allowing people, particularly in remoter communities, the chance to take decisions that affect their own lives.
This experience informed his political outlook from an early age.
Representing Orkney in the junior inter county clashes against Caithness and arch rivals Shetland remains one of Liam's proudest achievements!
As well as developing many enduring friendships, university life helped further inform his early political thinking and a commitment to liberalism. There was also time, of course, for football and Liam went on to captain the Edinburgh University first team and play for Scottish Universities in the UK finals.
His interest in sport has also led him to play a leading role in charity work to support victims of sports injuries and their families.
After a couple of years learning the ropes in Westminster, Liam applied for an internship in the European Commission in Brussels and worked with Nordic countries, which were then preparing to join the European Union.
He stayed on to work as a public affairs consultant for a number of years, enabling him to play an active part in the Brussels and Luxembourg Liberal Democrats and also continue his 'international' footballing career with local club Royal Brussels British! More importantly, it was in Brussels that Liam met his wife Tamsin and they returned to London in 1998 before starting a family.
Liam was invited to work as Special Adviser to his friend and political mentor Jim Wallace, then Deputy First Minister. This gave Liam a taste of the cut-and-thrust of cross-party working, and involvement in high level decision-making in key policy areas including rural affairs, fisheries, enterprise and education.
After Jim Wallace's decision to step down as an MSP, Liam decided to put his name forward for selection and was delighted to receive the support of the Orkney Liberal Democrats. Liam was elected as Liberal Democrat MSP for Orkney in 2007 and moved back to Orkney with his family - Tamsin and their two sons Calum and Tom, who entered Burray Primary School.
In recent years he has enjoyed representing the Scottish Parliament as part of a number of overseas delegations, and has particularly welcomed the opportunity to visit Malawi on a few occasions.
As well as helping advise members of the National Assembly, Liam has worked hard to develop the close ties that exist between communities in Orkney and Malawi, notably a twinning arrangement between Minga School near Lilongwe and Liam's old school in Sanday.
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