It is quite hard to remember a time when Peter Scott was not a part of my wildlife interest and education: I had been bird watching for only a few years when I remember going to the Festival Hall in London where he gave a splendid lecture (illustrated of course) on "Tierra del Fuego - Land of Fire" and the birds of Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. I was instantly transported to a world of flightless steamer ducks and kelp geese; I was desperate to see these wonders for myself, and wrote to Peter asking "how could I get there? Where could I stay, etc." I had a charming response, full of encouragement and information and all on paper headed with a sketch of tufted ducks...I had found 
someone who was interested and who was obviously keen to encourage me and many others like me.
I spent hours in the school library pouring over the plates in "Morning Flight" and "Evening Flight", and my bedroom walls at home were soon covered with framed cards: "Brent Geese Flighting under a Mackerel Sky", "Greylags rounding up to settle" and many others. With the coronation, television came into life at home, and soon I was glued to "Look" programmes with the miracle of watching a drawing develop before my eyes. Needless to say I soon joined what was then "The Severn Wildfowl Trust"...
...In short, the name Peter Scott has always been a part of my interest in wildlife, and he was probably the pioneer in the work of conservation at that time. I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly in 1985 when he was the head of a group of wildlife authorities and enthusiasts (Sir David Attenborough, David Bellamy, Jonathan Kingdon et al) presenting the prizes at the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" competition at the Natural History museum.
...We all owe him an immense debt for his vision and his leadership, but also for the way in which he encouraged young people like me to view the natural world.