TRILEPIDEA Newsletter of the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network NO. 144 Vale John Sawyer B.Sc. (Hons) (Southampton) November 2015 1 November 1968 – 6 November 2015) Deadline for next issue: Tuesday 15 December 2015 Peter J. de Lange M.Sc. (Hons) Waik, Ph.D. Auck., FLS, Principal Science Advisor, Northern Terrestrial Ecosystems SUBMIT AN ARTICLE Unit, Science & Policy, Department of Conservation, TO THE NEWSLETTER Private Bag 68908, Newton, Auckland 1145, New Zealand Contributions are welcome (
[email protected]) to the newsletter at any time. The closing date for It was with considerable disbelief that I received the news articles for each issue is approximately the 15th of that John Sawyer had passed away unexpectedly, whilst each month. staying at the family home on the Island of Mull. John was Articles may be edited and always larger than life and, at least from my perspective, used in the newsletter and/ exceptionally fi t and healthy. When he was in New or on the website news page. Zealand, he liked his daily swim, loved his tramping and was always out and about. The Network will publish almost any article about So I put down the phone in stunned silence. How we deal with death is ultimately a plants and plant conservation personal aff air, in John’s case, though, I confess I felt nothing, meaning that for me the with a particular focus on the whole world suddenly stopped, I felt empty and all was silent. I have never felt that plant life of New Zealand and Oceania. way before. Please send news items I fi rst met John in 1993.