The Reverend Barbara Walker was introduced by Bruce Martin who told us she was a nurse, eye surgeon, midwife, anaesthetist, international aid worker, health manager, missionary and Anglican priest!
She then calmly set out to tell us how she had performed those roles in some of the most dangerous places in the world. She talked of death threats (over wages) in Mozambique; rescuing “boat people” with a frigate in the South China Sea, said something about 80,000 refugees in a camp in Somalia and getting three million refugees across the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan – or something like that.
She has a Master’s Degree in Medical Anthropology (gained somehow around or between an Aids epidemic in Tanzania & Uganda) and was also awarded a QSO in the Queen's Honours over 20 years ago.
In more recent times she had a few weekends & holidays to spare, and so she wrote her autobiography “Purple Hands”– and shown here.
She said she had even been a Rotarian herself down in Otago (no surprise – she’s done everything else!) and admired the many things that Rotary does around the world. She explained how one day she had a vision and saw a rainbow and God.
And last Wednesday evening, I felt we did too. What a lady! Serving to Change Lives! The book will tell this story better than this mere mortal. Order one with Barbara through revbjwalker@xtra.co.nz (with your address) and bank $35.50 for one copy (includes p&p) at her bank 03-1736-0037214-00