Roger (Moth) Kendrick

A tribute by]ames Mann

I could not let Roger escape to Hong Kong without saying a few words about him. I rememb~r telling him that I was not really interested in moths, he was not worried by this b~t just said that with well over a thousand moths common to this country, they were very interesting.

I went roun·d to his house one evening to see the running of his mothtrap and that was the beginning of moths for me. He said it was a bad night but I was fascinated by the twenty or so different species that Roger could name and sex in an instant. I felt very humble in that I could not identify any of them. I have now been on several moth nights with him and have become influenced by his quiet and enthusiastic manner. I now run a simple mothtrap in my garden and I am able to name many of the common species.

The Branch has recently bought its own generator and has an enthusiastic moth following headed by Tony Prichard and Graham Bull. The development of this interest has been greatly influenced by Roger's willingness to freely pass his knowledge to others. We are yet to achieve his ability to give a very long scientific name to many of the very small micro-moths but we have a target to aim for.

Roger, we all wish you great success in your studies and you know that you will be very welcome when you return. Thankyou for all the work you have done for the Branch and all the help you have given to everyone who has come in contact with you.