What do you do for a living?
Retired but was a Chartered Accountant and a Charter Boat Skipper. Fishing is still my main hobby.
What areas of conchology particularly interest you?
British marine shells.
How did your interest in molluscs begin?
I married a conchologist and most of our holidays with our three children involved walking along isolated beaches and searching for sea shells.
When and how did you become a member of the Conchological Society?
So long ago that I cannot remem- ber. If I had to guess, 1990 when I was 35. I volunteered to examine the accounts and then found I had to join to do this.
In what ways have you been involved in the Society and its activities?
I agreed to be the Hon. Examiner (check the accounts) and am now the temporary(?) Hon. Treasurer, though my first year in the job is nearly finished!
Do you have a memorable “conchological moment”?
We were on holiday in Cornwall at Hayle many years ago and I found an unusual whelk type shell which I gave to Jan. It turned out to be a native of Tristan de Cunha and must have had a long journey by boat or on the tide! I have always wondered how it got here.
If you were marooned on a desert island and could take only one book with you what would it be and why?
The Making of Modern Britain by Andrew Marr. I am a third of the way through and find it very interesting. It also has 450 fairly soft and very absorbent pages which I could put to good use when I had read it a few times!
If your house was burning down what shell (or shell related item) would you rescue first?
I would save some of the shell books we have but breathe a sigh of relief at seeing the rest go.
Do you draw any particular inspiration from historical figures in natural history and why?
Charles Darwin. He was brave to sail off in a dodgy boat with few navigational aids into a pretty unknown world from which he might well not return. He was bright enough to think the unthinkable and stick to his views even though they were very unpopular in many quarters.
Where are your favourite locations for shell hunting?
Porthcurno in Cornwall and Shell Bay on Herm in the Channel Islands as they are both beautiful beaches and remind me of family holidays.
Can you give us a mollusc-related anecdote?
I am beginning to have trouble remembering my name so this is hard. I do remember taking a holiday with my father in law and the children in Prussia Cove in Cornwall many years ago. We collected many mussels and put them in the bath, having cleaned them. My father in law left a tap running slowly to purge them overnight. The following morning the estate manager came round as they were running out of water and thought we must have a leak! My father in law gave a nervous smile and said he suddenly had an urgent need to visit the bathroom!
Words of advice to a budding conchologist
It provides a lifetime of exercise and interest but it is much easier if you have a big house. Expect to meet many older and interesting, but quite unusual and by far away mostly friendly, people.