This is a very brief note to express my deep
gratitude to all who contributed to this "Special
for Bob". Thank you for helping me keep my final
promise to him.
Kenneth Ruddle
Note on
behalf of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
There is no easy way of conveying the sense of
loss that one feels at an untimely death, and
Bob Johannes was an individual who touched the
lives of very many people. His passing leaves
a large gap.
The first that many of us knew about the event
was through an email drafted by Bob himself, transmitted
posthumously through his own email account. To
receive a posthumous message from someone you
respect, or love, is a shocking event. But it
was typical of Bob’s forthright, appropriate
touch that this distressing message itself conveyed
comfort.
He said: "I have had so much to be happy about
in my life – everything that counts has been
totally rewarding ... everything except some unidentified
malfunctioning biochemical pathways".
In this, as in everything, he was able to cut
to the heart of the matter, and to explain
just why things are as they are. And to show us
a way forward, even if he saw no way forward for
himself.
Bob was an inspiration to many people, as you
will see from tributes collected in this special
issue of the bulletin. His ideas, and his inspiration,
will live on.
Tim Adams
Director, SPC Marine Resources Division
