He was born and spent his early years in Seychelles, but actually grew up in Scotland.  He was always interested in natural history and especially in astronomy – in fact, when he was young, he wanted to be an astronaut! At Glasgow University he studied the natural sciences; and his very first job was Countryside Ranger at Culzean Country Park in Scotland.  But, by the time he was in his early 20s he had a craving for greater adventure.  What better place to find it than Seychelles, the place of his birth!

He applied for and was offered the post of Warden at Aride Island, but the previous warden had not yet finished his contract.  So, at the age of 24 John travelled to Seychelles anyway and took a temporary job at the National Youth Service at Port Launay.  There he taught biology and physics and served as football coach.  Katy Beaver, also at NYS, remembers always seeing John dressed in athletic shorts with a whistle around his neck, and was at first surprised to learn that his primary interest was conservation and not athletics.  At NYS, John met his future wife Thérèse.

Around the same time, he was contacted by Dr Maxime Ferrari who, as Minister of Agriculture, was responsible for Aldabra Atoll.  Dr Ferrari asked John if he wouldn’t rather work at Aldabra than Aride.  He leapt at the chance, and was soon off to Aldabra for the first of two postings on that remote atoll.  After almost two years at Aldabra, he spent the next two years in Scotland, but then returned to Seychelles for another year at Aldabra. 

In those early days, the Aldabra warden was responsible for virtually all the research and monitoring that occurred at Aldabra.  John did a magnificent job with the turtles.  He was one of the most enthusiastic Aldabra Wardens we’ve had, and the data he collected was crucial in enabling comparison between recent and historic trends in the turtle population. 
  
But, John himself recalled that his job at Aldabra also involved more practical matters – such as resolving marital disputes, and the rationing of beer and cigarettes. He carried out his work sometimes with minimal equipment. I remember giving him my sunglasses when I left Aldabra in 1987, because he didn’t have a pair of his own. 

Pat Matyot has fond memories of him, in part because John made many interesting and important collections of insect specimens on Aldabra.  One of these was a specimen of a rare moth he found in the dining room of the Aldabra Research station while he was there. It’s still in the Aldabra insect collection with the label, in John’s own handwriting: “Dining room, April 13 1984, J. Collie.”  A little bit of his legacy, available for scientists in years to come to study. The moth is the “dot underwing,” known – in Seychelles – from only three specimens, including John’s (although the species is widespread elsewhere in the tropics).

After returning to Mahé he married Thérèse and remained in Seychelles. He worked his way up the ranks in the Ministry of Environment – as conservation officer, senior conservation officer, and finally Director of Conservation and National Parks.    I am grateful to him because he made possible my own return to Seychelles in 1995 to work on the big GEF Turtle & Tortoise Project. 

But, beyond that... working with John Collie while he was Director was a joy.  It was a time when morale was high– due in no small part to the positive manner in which he led the department.  His primary interest was to promote conservation and to encourage a positive outlook   and harmony in the department.  He never played people off against each other to further his personal agendas.  And he brought out the best in those who worked with him –although we sometimes did subject him to teasing.  Suzy Marshall used to sidle up to him during staff meetings and run her fingers through his hair – which caused his face to turn the most amazing shades of crimson! 

His next promotion was to Managing Director of the Marine Parks Authority based on St Anne Island.  Those of us remaining on Mahé missed working with him on a daily basis. But, for him it was a wonderful opportunity – not for any personal gain he might derive from his position (that sort of thing didn’t concern him) – but rather because he loved the Marine Parks. 
He managed them for five years and fought hard for their conservation. He had great plans to make Ste Anne into a regional biodiversity centre.  Pat Matyot, who was a member of the board of the Marine Parks Authority, remembers him as being extremely professional and conservation-minded. But, in the end, other plans were made for Ste Anne, so John opted to return to Scotland where he spent his last eight years working with the Scottish Natural Heritage.

One of John’s great interests was sea turtle conservation – the topic of the thesis he wrote for his advanced degree at the University of Adelaide in Australia.  He and I co-authored a number of scientific papers on sea turtles.  I am in the final stages of producing publications on 40 years of sea turtle data collected at Aldabra.   And, although dozens of people were involved with the Aldabra work, John will be one of only four co-authors on these papers, because his contribution was so important.

John badly wanted to make a final visit to Seychelles – to see the land he grew to love so much, and his friends and relatives here.  Sadly, his ill health prevented that. He is fondly remembered by those who knew him; and although he is no longer with us, he will certainly not be forgotten.  He is survived by his wife Thérèse, and his daughters, Ginny and Megan.

by Jeanne A. Mortimer

Forrás: http://www.nation.sc/index.php?art=18847