Those who knew Rodney, and many who didn’t, will be aware of his significant impact on Guernsey. This ranged from his contribution to parish politics in the Vale to his presidency of La Societe Guernesiaise, and perhaps his most well-known achievement, the campaign to save St James in the 1980s.

But that drive and energy had as much impact in his professional life as his personal. Not one to work for others his whole life, Rodney set up as a sole practitioner in 1972 working from a single room in his house with his wife as his secretary.

His business acumen and personal reputation meant a thriving business and quick expansion. Eddie Jones joined him in 1978 to form Collenette Jones, before Clive Falla joined them in 1982.

As the island changed over the decades, so too did the business. At the time Rodney first established the firm, the island’s finance sector was relatively small and there were fewer than 150 qualified accountants working locally. Clients were small family businesses, including many growers, guest houses and small hotels.

The growth of the finance sector saw significant change for all accountancy practices, including Collenette Jones. But while the industry changed, Rodney was determined that the personal service the firm offered would remain the same.

Luckily, Rodney was somebody who was as comfortable dealing with a farmer who turned up on his tractor to finance executive clients. And while traditional values were important to him, he was also very happy to embrace change.

Rodney led on major decisions such as Collenette Jones’ move in the 1980s to the Crossways Centre to enable the firm’s continued expansion.

There were, however, some areas where Rodney remained content with the old ways. When the firm embraced technology as an early adopter of computerising accounts production, Rodney certainly wasn’t as keen. A popular tale at Collenette Jones involves a race between Rodney and a work experience student to see who could add up a sheet of A4 numbers first. The student with his calculator was no match for Rodney’s mental arithmetic – his grasp of numbers was simply unmatched.

Rodney retired as a partner in 2002 but his family name lives on in our firm. Jon Collenette stepped into his role upon his retirement, while Mike Collenette was appointed as a director in 2007. For Rodney, it was important that his family business remained just that.