I first met Rod in late 1976 on a familiarization visit to Ethiopia and Kenya after joining the Centre for Overseas Pest Research (COPR) in London. This was to prepare me for the position of African armyworm control scientist to be attached to the Desert Locust Control Organisation for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) in Nairobi, Kenya in early 1977. Armyworms are large caterpillars of a migratory moth, which can devastate cereals and grasslands in a broadly similar way to locusts. The HQ of DLCO-EA was in Addis Ababa and Rod had kindly invited me to stay at his 4th floor flat overlooking Addis. Phil Kercher, Senior UK locust survey officer, was also staying with Rod and was able to take me on field visits and to meet various officials when Rod was occupied. I was coming out essentially to conduct the same type of research and procedures against African armyworm as Rod had already done with locusts under the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations. He had developed quite sophisticated droplet spectrum and insecticide analysis facilities in his DLCO labs, which he demonstrated. He had an impressive number of publications on his locust work.
Rod went out of his way to help me learn the ropes. This was not restricted to formal familiarization. He and others also offered practical advice on local cultural and culinary matters. I was introduced to the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of Ethiopian food like injeera and wat, or simple beef fried in cotton seed oil. There was local beer and wine or stronger, variable quality drinks like tej , which I had enthusiastically sampled once too often, at the cost of some extended physiological discomfort!
I left Addis first but Rod, Phil Kercher and I all attended the 1976 East African Crop Protection Conference in Nairobi. I had undertaken to write a summary of proceedings for the Crop Protection Bulletin published periodically by COPR. Rod had many contacts in Kenya and again introduced me to numerous people he knew about current trends and events in the East African crop protection industry, as well as senior or active people from the local and national agricultural bodies, farmers and politicians. I returned to the UK feeling much better informed and connected. I took up my post in Nairobi in early 1977.
During the ensuing 5 years, Rod and I had become firm friends and we met up at various locations in East Africa (DLCO-EA Technical meetings, Crop protection, Armyworm and Locust control conferences in Eastern Africa between Ethiopia and Zambia). After my wife Diana joined me in Nairobi, we would entertain him at our home, or meet up at the United Kenya Club with him and others, depending on his schedule. When our twins (Sarah and Chris) were born in mid-1980, he passed through Nairobi with an appropriate gift to mark the occasion. This visit was un-announced but it was clearly something that he regarded as important and Diana and I always valued that surprise occasion. We saw Rod again in Nairobi once or twice before my tour came to an end and we returned to UK en famille in 1983.
After that, I was based in UK at the University of Greenwich and went overseas for shorter periods, working more on projects in South Asia and on less frequent projects in Africa. Rod and I met up occasionally in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and also at the FAO Desert Locust Committee meeting in Rome one year when I was asked to attend on behalf COPR and ODA. In the years up to very recent times, we have kept in touch, if only by exchange of Christmas cards with note or letter. I know that following Rod’s retirement, family holidays and stays at the property in Spain were a major part of life until relatively recent times and he sent some descriptions to me from time to time
I am grateful to have known Rod. He was a true friend and I will miss him. To the family:
My kindest thoughts are with you all at this time of loss but celebration of Rod’s life.
Rolf Maslen