I was very lucky to get to know Hamish as his ‘buddy’ in the workplace as he settled in. I recall him joking about the ‘gentle start’ he’d had with only one printer breaking down during his first day. He was a really warm person with a friendly demeanour and enjoyed working with his colleagues. He messaged me after we’d had our first meeting to note that ‘everyone’s super supportive which makes the world of difference.’ Likewise, he was someone who was always, in his own words ‘glad to help’. I’m not surprised he made so many friends here and is missed so much. 

I particularly enjoyed chatting with him about books. We had a shared enjoyment of lovecraftian/cosmic horror. It was fun to joke about the idiosyncracies of the genre and get his take on various books. 

It really struck me how proud he was of his successes – his MA and first talk at a conference. Chatting about printing and the joys of laminating, helping set up displays for open days, or just having a giggle about some horror comedy, like Garth Marenghi (‘Greetings traveller…’), I’ll remember how funny he could be, his thoughtful plans for the future and overall a genuine interest in and fondness for those he met. I think this really came through in his enthusiasm for Open Days – he’d had previous at Bath Spa, working on those every few months, part time, so he joined in with ours seamlessly and assisted with the set up too. He was great with students and their parents, just as he was with his colleagues… If you spoke with him, you invariably left with a smile.