Forty years ago, 1984, Brendan and I were in our second term at college. Together with Barry, who sadly died about three years ago, we were the old boys on the course. I connected with Brendan straight away. We were both from Irish backgrounds, we’d come of age in the 70’s in north London, and we shared interests … in nature of course, but also in motorbikes … he’d had a Bonneville, I had a Norton … and in music … we joked together at the wedding last year about the lack of any Frank Zappa on the disco playlist.

We’d enrolled on a 4 year Environmental Studies course at Hatfield Poly. Returning to college as ‘mature’ students we took the course pretty seriously and there were long discussions about the issues of the day. Sad to say, looking back 40 years, those issues have only got worse. But we were passionate to work for change and that remained a hallmark of Brendan’s life.

We also spent time hanging out together … and I remember nights, usually at Brendan’s, where the three of us would be setting the world to rights until the glimmer of dawn took us outside to appreciate the birdsong. Barry in particular was a keen birder and we learned a lot from him. I have to appreciate Kate at this point, who patiently put up with us, especially after Michael was born.

It was a good course and we had fun on field trips to the Italian Alps, to the Netherlands and to various places around Britain. Brendan was liked and respected by all of our fellow students and by the lecturers too. Friendly, intelligent, articulate and good fun. He had the gift of the gab. I recall one awful joke with the punchline ‘tulips from hamster jam’ .. you might have heard it?  I’ve tried to tell it a couple of times and got groans; but everyone laughed when Brendan told it. And of course he got a first.

Later we visited each other, he and the family coming to Sheffield and to help celebrate my 40th birthday weekend, up on the Derbyshire moors. And we visited in Lincoln and in Norfolk. After moving to the north of Scotland I haven’t seen much of Brendan in recent years. However an occasional long call or email would bring us up to date and he was so happy to tell me about Nik some years ago. I visited them in Norwich about this time last year, met Nik and saw how well they complemented each other. And we were so pleased to get to the wedding in September, such a joyous occasion.

At the wedding Brendan said he reckoned he had a couple of years left, so I'm doubly saddened that his time with Nik has been cut so short. I've been reminded of him in recent days … watching the channel 4 series about the miner’s strike … we collected for the miners at Hatfield; little things like spreading marmite on my toast in the morning; a tasty guitar lick; hearing the robin sing at dawn.

Thank you Brendan for being an important influence in my life, an inspiration in what you achieved for nature, a lovely man and a good mate.

MD Feb 2024

Two pieces he would have liked …

Snowy White  How Was It for You

Frank Zappa Frank Zappa Black Napkins