Fly tying lost one of its most innovative exponents when Terry Ruane passed away on June 24.

Terry worked with Partridge of Redditch for many years as a demonstrator and wrote numerous articles for FF&FT. He was at the forefront of the drive to utilise man-made materials in fly tying, and his inventive mind created a wealth of techniques, which he demonstrated at FF&FT's Fly Tying Days back in the 90's.

A talented fly tyer, Terry was also an accomplished artist and he illustrated his articles with detailed sketches. He drew on a vast fly-tying experience and relished the opportunity to experiment with new materials; he would trawl through haberdasheries and craft shops on the lookout for potentially useful materials and then devise application techniques for fly tyers.

Humour and Terry Ruane were never far apart; he was never short of a joke, irrespective of the occasion. On his last visit to the Danish Fly Fair he and the late Alan Bramley - who was still suffering the after-effects of a stroke - drove all the way to be there on what Terry dubbed, "the geriatrics tour of Europe." He will be missed.