For those of us who knew Colin he will be remembered as a warm, witty and loveable character who was never short of a puzzle, a joke or a bawdy Limerick.
He was old school as far as engineering went, happy to sketch an idea ‘if words failed’ and engineer inventive, if sometimes ambitious solutions, to whatever problem was thrown at him. The ‘Colly Special’ entered FM vocabulary describing a bold, if oftentimes unusual, design exercise by Colin, such as tandem pumping or the Spillarrest, that helped define the companys solution orientated reputation. He relished the challenge, and dared to think unconventionally.
As with all great innovators, never did he ever take criticism to heart or hold a grudge. In fact, in all the time working with Colin, one would never once hear him utter a bad word or derogatory comment about anyone even on those occasions when he would be forgiven for doing so. An admirable quality that so often is lacking in this difficult business environment.
It would be fair to say Colin enjoyed the simple things in life. If he has found his heaven then it’s undoubtedly sitting on a stool, stewing over a crossword, sipping a pint. But only after six o’clock!
Toodle pip, Colin.