I worked with Simon for over 30 years and he was a huge inspiration to me. His calm demeanour, logical and thorough way of working together with his great sense of humour meant working with him was a real pleasure. I never heard him raise his voice or saw him loose his temper, he was always able to work through problems with clarity and good reasoning. He was ready to help anyone in a crisis and I wish I had had the opportunity to collaborate with him more. We worked together on a couple of projects and I always looked forward to our meetings and conversations. And when he rose to the challenge of Head of School I was thrilled. That position summed Simon up, he really wanted to make a difference both for the people around him as well as for the environment. And I don’t know anyone else who could have walked the tight rope between fishermen and conservationists like Simon. He was so diplomatic and was always looking to see the other point of view. I really wish I had some of Simon’s qualities and he will always have a place in my memories. He was a keystone to the success of the Sea Mammal Research Unit and the world of cetaceans and fisheries owe him a great deal. May he rest in peace.