Michael Rees (Brother Teilo) was joint chairman (with Ian Scott-Kilvert) of the The Byron Society from May 1975 until the close of 1978, succeeding the late Dennis Walwin Jones.  He also served as the first secretary, later joint chair, of the International Byron Society, encouraging the development of many of the international societies and organizing a number of the early international tours, including Scotland and Greece in 1976,

Portugal and Spain in 1977, and Italy in 1978, among others.  A gifted linguist, he sometimes served as an unofficial interpreter on the tours. He translated Teresa Guiccioli’s Vie de Lord Byron en Italie (University of Delaware Press, 2005), which was edited by Peter Cochran.  A dedicated collector of Byron books in many languages, as well as Byronic portraits and memorabilia, he generously donated his entire remarkable collection to  help launch the Byron Society Collection as he was preparing to enter the abbey at Caldey Island. A very kind person, Michael was a peacemaker; every person that he met was important to him.  His impact on the International Byron Society remains immeasurable.