So many memories. Here are some pictures I dug out of a much younger Bernie on South Georgia in 1992. We were there to satellite tag elephant seals.

 

Intrepid.

 

“I’ve got him lads”

 

Untangling reindeer

 

At Jason Hut, South Georgia

 

Fieldwork with Bernie was always fun and sometimes exciting. There was the time we got rescued by the Seahouses Lifeboat during a winter trip to the Farnes when the weather turned and we had engine trouble. Then there was the time we nearly got rescued by the Coastguard helicopter from Stornoway (it was running but didn’t actually take off we were told) when we were late crossing from the Monachs to Balranald on North Uist after abandoning a field trip due to a building storm. These were particularly memorable moments amongst many, many less eventful trips, mostly around the British Isles.

It’s approaching 20 years since I left SMRU and Scotland behind to move to New Zealand, but we always had a yarn at Marine Mammal, Biologging, or other conferences since then. I remember Bernie for his warmth, kindness, humour and irreverence. His mind worked in mysterious ways and he could be quite infuriating at times, but he was fun to work with and there was always a laugh to be had. He had one uncanny and unique skill, his ability to ‘McConnell’ things – to bend the unbendable, tear the untearable, render the operable permanently inoperable. Developing satellite tags for marine mammals and a few other critters is extremely challenging, but we did achieve considerable success. Making these tags and other equipment scientist-proof was a further stretch, but Bernie always rose to the challenge, often in new and interesting ways.

Bernie, you will be missed and may every day be a perfect day for messing about in boats.