Max was one of the most important influences on my career. He it was who
organised the funding from Nature Conservancy which supported the work on the
Atlas of the British Flora which employed me from 1954-64. He then had the
visionary idea of transferring the botanical data to Monks Wood soon after it opened
as the core of the Biological Records Centre and I was lucky to be invited to see it
through it's first 15 years. Happily it still flourishes 40 years later as a tribute to that
vision.
Finally, after I had retired from RSNC he persuaded me to join Nick Riddiford in
directing an Earthwatch project in Mallorca. This resulted in my sending my daughter
to work on a project with Nick at home on Fair Isle. She fell in love with Fair Isle and
an islander. I grumble slightly about Max when I have to travel 700 miles twice a year
to see my grand-children - but I am heartened that they are being brought up in such
a wonderful environment surrounded by birds and enjoying a strong community life.
I remember many one-sided conversations with Max where he would be throwing
lots of ideas at me. Many of them were far fetched and impossible but there was
also the occasional gem which I accepted gratefully and pursued avidly.
