I was so very sad to have heard the news of Gavin’s death.  Ever since I first met Gavin at a rabies conference in Zambia in 1992, he has been an important and influential part of my life – an excellent scientist, a supportive mentor and colleague, and a very kind and generous friend. 

Gavin was a fantastic scientist – clear-thinking, incisive and always rigorous in his approach.  He had great integrity and was always forthright in his views, never hesitating to challenge dogma or sloppy thinking. He had a clear sense of what mattered and would often challenge us to demonstrate why our work was important.  This didn’t always make him friends – scientists are quite defensive about their research topics – but, of course, he was right that we should be able to do this.  I remember his faintly veiled derision when I suggested I might work on something that he perceived to be a rather trivial disease problem.  I never did take forward that line of research!

I am sure that Gavin was quite often frustrated by the hurdles and bureaucracies he faced in his work, but I really admired the way he seemed to accept these challenges without resentment and with characteristic wry amusement.  He seemed entertained by life’s quirks and eccentricities, and while I learned a lot from him about what to take seriously, I also learned a lot about what not to take too seriously!  

He has always been an important guiding hand through my professional life and I am undoubtedly a much better scientist for having worked with him.  I know this is also true for very many others.  Although Gavin and I had fewer professional interactions in recent years, I would still run ideas past him and was really pleased if these passed the ‘Gavin test’ – I would know then that I was on the right track. 

The times I spent with you all in Pretoria are some of the happiest of my life. You were all so generous when I came ‘knocking on the door’ as a rather hapless PhD student setting out rather unexpectedly on a career in research.  The warmth, friendship and hospitality with which you invited me into your home and family will always stay with me.  Thank you!

I have great memories of lovely trips to parks and lakes, running with the dogs through the streets of Pretoria, fantastic meals and braais around the pool  – and, strange though it might seem, the great excitement of spending time in a shopping mall!  A spell of frivolous shopping was the perfect counterpoint to rather austere months of African village life.  And I remember so clearly your kindness and concern when I was hospitalised with pneumonia.  But above all, I remember so much warmth and fun when I came to stay – it was lovely to see you all growing up, and to see how very proud Gavin was of all your achievements. 

I have a lasting memory from the time when Gavin visited us in the Serengeti with Arthur King. It had been a great trip, and I learned a lot about buffalo, warthogs and ticks, although quite often had to restrain Gavin from wandering off into the bush to peer down promising-looking warthog burrows!  On the final day, after heavy rain, I was driving Gavin and Arthur to the airstrip to catch a flight out of Serengeti and on to some important meeting – I think somewhere in Mali.  As we neared the airstrip, I could see the plane was taxiing out, earlier than the scheduled departure time.  It would have been disastrous if he had missed the flight, so I yelled at Gavin to get out of the LandRover and run over to the airstrip to stop the plane.  He duly obliged, but only then did I see that sitting in the long grass were three buffalo between him and the airstrip.  My heart was in my mouth as I saw the buffalo stand up as Gavin ran towards them – how could I have been such an idiot?  Fortunately, they were in a benign mood and left Gavin well alone.  He managed to reach the airstrip waving his arms wildly to stop the plane, which turned back to the hangar to allow him to get on board.  I think he made it safely to the meeting in Mali.  It took me a long time to recover my equilibrium!

Gavin was always slightly concerned that the extraordinary experiences and privileges that I had enjoyed in the Serengeti had come too early in my career and would be too much, too soon.  This made a deep impression on me, helping me to appreciate the opportunities that I have had, and the importance of doing as much as I can with all that I have been given.  His wise words stay with me and will continue to inspire me through the rest of my life.