I started working with the Wildlife Trust over 20 years ago, and met David not long after, as my specialism was in biological recording. David was a genuine figurehead in the recording community, universally respected and admired.  He always attended and regularly spoke at our annual conference and contributed annually to our annual review of biological recording in Sussex.  He made himself available on countless occasions to answer our questions about orchids, and shared his knowledge with many of my colleagues and our volunteers.

I last saw him last year, when he was able to attend the celebrations of 50 years of our Nature Reserve at Woods Mill.  Despite the tribulations of age his utter charm was completely intact and it is a very fond memory of him.

Obviously, his contribution to our knowledge of orchids in Sussex is huge.  Not only has he provided us with thousands of records, but also a deeper understanding of what species we find where and why.  I have learnt alot from him over the years, along with one of my now favourite idioms ' a curate's egg'.  He put this phrase into an article he wrote for us once, to describe the year of biological recording, and once we had found out what it meant, it became a bit of a catchphrase around the office.  Still used by a few of us many years later!  I always think fondly of him when I use it and invariably have to explain what it means.

I was also very interested in his non-botanical life and have a copy of his book on Sikkim.  I showed it to my God Daughter a few years ago, who inspired by his images, travelled there a few months later.

Your father was a really lovely gentleman, who I feel honoured to have enjoyed his company and heard some of his tales and learnt from his botanical passion.  His contribution over his lifetime to the conservation of the Sussex Landscape will always be remembered and his knowledge continues to be shared in his articles, books and biological records.

With deepest sympathy to his family


Henri


Henri Brocklebank

Director - Conservation Policy and Evidence

Sussex Wildlife Trust