We are very sad to announce the death of William (Bill) Matthews, who passed away on 14th July 2018. Many in the industry will be familiar with Bill and his enormous achievements over a long life dedicated to arboriculture. Famous for his company, Southern Tree Surgeons, which attracted the Royal Warrant for carrying out tree work for the Queen as early as the 1970s, he was also a founder member of the European Arboriculture Council (EAC), which he continued to support right up until his recent illness. Bill was a great man who had a tremendous impact on the Arboricultural industry all over Europe; his initiative led to the founding of the European Arboriculture Council and the start of both the European Tree Worker and European Tree Technician certifications. He will be deeply missed, and our thoughts go to his immediate family and friends. We will be running a full obituary in the winter issue of the ARB Magazine.