Goodbye Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor and his wife Valerie were two of the best marine biologists ever to have lived. Sadly that wonderful pair has become a lonely one:on the 9th of September 2012, Ron Taylor died having been ill with myeloid leukemia at the age of 78.
In his youth he was a world champion spear fisherman until he "looked down at the fish of different sizes, shapes and colours that had been caught and killed and thought:this is wrong" (as quoted by Ron Taylor in one of the last episodes of the TV series, Shadow of the Shark). He left the world of spear fishing at the same time as Valerie who was also a champion spear fisher, and the two of them married and became avid marine conservationists.
They made countless underwater documentaries and Ron was an innovator in underwater photography.
Together they led the Great Barrier Reef protection party, until in the 1980s it succeeded and a National Marine Park was made.
Ron and Valerie were the first to dive with sharks at night, the first to free dive with no cage amongst great white sharks and also discovered many types of sea creatures.
With their expert knowledge of sharks Ron and Valerie helped to create the terrifying scenes in the Spielberg film "Jaws". However they both regretted the backlash of hatred for sharks which was sparked by the film.
Those of you reading, please bow your heads for a moment and remember Ron Taylor.