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- Born ? South Croydon, Surrey, UK ? 23rd May 1946
Richard grew up at the family home in South Croydon, the youngest of four children. He loved the outdoor life and followed the family interest of Scouting after his father, Skipper Walkley, who started one of the first Scout troops in Croydon in 1909.
From an early age Richard was a very keen cyclist, riding across the French Alps at the age of 17. He learned to play the violin, an interest kindled by ?Aunt Marion? [Marion Britten, his father?s aunt] who, with her sister ?Aunt Eleanor?, occasionally stayed with the family and who herself was an accomplished violinist. He later joined Croydon Youth Orchestra, performing with them in Croydon?s Fairfield Halls.
Richard was educated at Archbishop Tennisons Grammar School, Croydon. On leaving school after achieving his ?A? levels, he spent three years in the publishing trade. In his next position with a marine underwriting company at Lloyds of London, he chanced upon an oil tanker named William G.Walkley, a name that spurred interest in the family ?down under?. He then moved into Banking and joined Nedbank as a credit analyst.
In 1972 he married Ann Bullock, and their son Simon was born in 1981, followed by a daughter Fiona in 1983. In his spare time Richard ran an environment group, and it was therefore natural that he should introduce his children to woodland and pond management. The family later became used to having bats around the house, another of Richard?s interests, which reflected his concern for nature conservation. After the 1987 storm which devastated the South East of England, Richard became a Parish Tree Warden, working with local schools in support of tree-planting schemes and advising the public generally on tree matters.
Richard moved to Maidstone in Kent following his divorce in 2001. He enjoys ceroc dancing, and is a keen walker, having walked not only the local country walks in Kent, but also in Austria, Corsica, Sicily and Crete. He remains keen on mountaineering and has climbed in the Welsh mountains and in the Lake District, as well as in the Austrian and Italian Alps. He is also a competent skier, and a proficient ballroom dancer.
In 2007 Richard met his partner, Wendy, to whom he is now engaged. They are looking forward to having time to travel in their retirement, Richard from his job at Fortis as a Bank financial analyst, Wendy from teaching, in the not-too-distant future. Such travel will naturally include New Zealand, and a chance to meet finally other members of the wonderful Walkley family.
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1946 - (78 years)