I became interested in invertebrates as a small boy. In the late 1950's early 1960's, it was still quite common for boys to collect things, usually moths, beetles etc, so a small collection of sorts wasn't unusual to have as an interest. A lot of us learned how to 'set' invertebrate specimens, and store them, and learning something about their biology naturally followed. As you get older it's easy to move away from those early interests as 'sensible' career aspirations take over..., but interest in natural history never left me. I left Wyggeston Boys' Grammar School in Leicester in 1971. 15 years later, in September 1987, whilst considering a major career change, I became a volunteer in the Biology Section of Leicestershire Museums Service, under the mentorship of the late Dr Derek Lott, then Biology curator, and beetle expert. After a few months re-learning some skills, and being taught many others by Derek (a former Chemistry teacher in one of our local grammar schools), I was taken on as a contract worker, and set to curating what was left of the rather large Chambers collection of Aculeata (non-parasitic ants, wasps and bees) passed on to Leicestershire Museums by the British Museum. Dr Victor Chambers was one of the most well-known Bedford naturalists of all time, and it fell to me to get to grips with the remaining hundreds of specimens of his life-times collecting, and incorporate them into the museums already extensive reference collections. Aculeata were not my greatest interest, but I had a lot of work to do. In the next few years, I assisted Derek in beetle surveys, and other field work, identification, collection and curation, in between working on the Chambers collection. As Derek's main interest was coleoptera, the 'other' field work usually involved beetles. I conducted a minor survey of inner city waste land, and a larger survey of aquatic coleoptera in arable farmland, often aided and abetted by Derek, and later Trevor Forsythe. Here was where I discovered how much patience I really had, spending hours dissecting and examining the genitalia of, amongst others, the tiny Haliplids. I learned a great deal from both these gentlemen. I spent many happy hours in the laboratory at New Walk Museum, and searching for specimens in various habitats around Leicestershire, but, after four years, the funding began to dry up, as did my wife's patience. Thus I went back to college, and became, in 1994, a registered Mental health practitioner - I didn't do much recording in those years. Now retired, I am still interested in all wildlife, but mainly insects. During recent identification efforts on some specimens, I again came across Mike Hackston's keys, which I found extremely helpful (along with my 1930's edition of Joy !, and my various more recent books)... Then I decided it was time to properly data base my own records. I'm not much good on the Aculeata though....Derek Lott was a close friend up until his untimely death, and he is responsible for my continued interest in invertebrates, particularly beetles, of course.