Dr John Walker, Chairman of Dittisham Parish Council
Dr John Walker, Chairman of Dittisham Parish Council
From where do you originate?
I was born in Wilmslow near Manchester where my father worked for The Bank of England as did my mother until she married. I lived there until I was ten and then my father’s job necessitated a move for the family to Scotland where I continued my schooling and then I went to university in Glasgow.
What was your career before retirement?
After I left university with degrees in Metallurgy, I worked at City University in London for 25 years teaching my subject mainly to engineers and chemists and running the University consultancy arm. At the age of 50 I decided to retire from teaching (which was probably the cleverest thing I ever did) and then took a management post at Ulster University in Northern Ireland. After three years my then wife and I decided not to remain in Ireland and I returned to England to work for the Higher Education Funding Council for England. This is the paymaster for universities and higher education and channels money from the state into that sector. I decided the civil service was not for me in a very short time! That was in 1996 and was when I finally retired.
How did you come to know Dittisham?
Pure serendipity! A friend in London had a wife who was born in Paignton and her father had a boat on the River Dart. We used to come down and stay on the boat and the first time I came to Dittisham in 1968 I thought this was where I definitely wanted to be. Eventually I bought the boat and then came down and stayed on her most weekends. After my time in Ireland I came back with a little bit of spare money and purchased the cottage I now live in on Manor Street.
You give a lot of your time serving the community….
Well yes, usually because they couldn’t find anyone else to do the job!! Seriously though as Chairman of Dittisham Parish Council I feel it is a shame when it comes to Parish Councils that they are not paid greater heed. One of the things that led me to be in favour of the abolition of District Councils was that I felt it would be an opportunity for a genuine devolution to Parish Councils where decisions can be made with local knowledge. As it is, our main remit is to look after The Ham and car park there together with the footpaths around the village. We also comment on planning applications. With regards to the Dart Harbour Authority, I am one of the longest serving members of the Board…over eight years but I will be finishing at the end of this year. I believe the Dart Harbour has achieved considerable success over the years. We have moved from a debt ridden organisation to one making surpluses that allows us to invest in a capital programme of improvements. We have invested considerable monies in the commercial pontoon on the North Embankment, we are repairing the low water landing, monies are being put into the public slip by the Higher Ferry and the facilities for dinghies have been improved considerably. We have been heavily involved in the discussions for the planning at Noss and the moorings’ policy is being looked at again. We are definitely moving forward and I am happy to be leaving it in safe hands.
You have also stood as a candidate in the District Council elections…
Yes, I stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democratic party and I did cut the majority to 100 from 600+ which, I thought, for a first outing was a fair showing. Perhaps it made a few people think a little more about what is needed in what is really quite a large ward in geographical terms.
What hobbies and interests do you pursue otherwise?
Boating and socialising…I particularly enjoy having a meal out at The Seahorse in Dartmouth and most people who know me realise that I live conveniently close to the Ferry Boat Inn! For the last twenty plus years we have celebrated Burns Night and I would even fly back from Ireland when I was working over there. With my Scottish background and having lived in Burns’ country I am very familiar with ‘Robert’ and can understand much of it. So I have two or three speeches, I give the address to the haggis and normally include ‘A Mans a Man for All That’. Then there is also my role as quizmaster every Thursday night…the alternative quiz…only blondes need apply…it has to be experienced…it is like no other!
