We were incredibly sad to hear the news that Howard Driver had passed away. In our 13 years on Skokholm no-one has spent longer volunteering on the island, indeed we’re pretty certain that Howard spent over a year of his life dedicated to making Dream Island the remarkable place it is.

A search of the Skokholm blog will reveal that his name occurs more than anyone else’s, this reflecting how pivotal he has been for more than a decade. There is no corner of the Skokholm infrastructure which hasn’t benefited from Howard’s immense expertise, knowledge and craftsmanship. All of the things we are most proud of, particularly the two Petrel Stations, turned out so well thanks to Howard. He knew all the tricks, all the best ways to plan a job and had the ability to turn a quick fix into something impressively tidy and long-lasting.

Everywhere you look on Skokholm, from perfectly scarfed door frames to immaculately symmetrical inspection hatches, from rustic coat hooks to crisply tiled floors, from ingenious boxing-in to perfectly hung doors, from the Ringing Hut windows to the stormguards, to five of the hides, to the Officer’s Mess ceilings, to the always sharp chisels, it’s all Howard. He shared his skills, his tricks of the trade and his one liners whenever required.

We both have our favourite Howard jokes, have improved our cryptic crossword skills immeasurably, have a much better idea of how to rig the perfect saw jig and both feel incredibly lucky to have worked and laughed alongside such a remarkable person. In the last few weeks we had been exchanging texts about the next Work Party and our plans for the future, the jobs needing a Howard. We’re incredibly sad that he won’t be there to help, incredibly honoured to try and do a few of the things he taught us (if you can’t fix it with a hammer, it’s an electrical fault).