Bob Walker Memorial Fund

Dr. Bob Walker of Victoria, BC passed away peacefully on the 30th of April, 2022.

Bob was born on the 15th of May, 1936, in Nottingham, England. He attended Lancaster Royal Grammar school, then Newcastle Medical School. After graduation, his first job was working in Bedford, England. In 1965 he emigrated to Canada, along with his wife Dorothy (nee Cowan) and two young children – Liz and Al. They settled in Thunder Bay, Ontario, where Bob practiced medicine for ten years at the Port Arthur clinic. During that time, a second son, Dave, was born. In 1974, Bob and his family moved to Vernon, BC, where he practiced as a GP. While they were living in Vernon, Dorothy passed away in 1977, and Bob became a widower.

Bob then met his future wife Janice (nee Mann), whom he married in 1980. They welcomed a new addition to the family, a daughter – Szu. After retirement, Bob and Janice moved to Vancouver, BC and later relocated to Victoria, BC.

Bob was a kind, gentle, compassionate and courageous man in his own humble way. He was an avid bird-watcher, enjoyed playing guitar and going for walks in the countryside, and loved British antique sports cars and car racing. He and Janice had the privilege of traveling to many parts of the world, such as East Africa, the Galapagos islands, and India. Bob was a practicing Buddhist and was ordained by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 2012 with the Dharma name True Profound Achievement.

Bob and Janice sponsored the education of children in the Himalayas through the Trans-Himalayan Aid Society (TRAS) for many years. If you would like to make a donation to TRAS to honour and celebrate Bob’s life, you can do so by:

  • E-transfer to email address: info@tras.ca and add reference “Bob Walker Memorial Fund”
  • Credit card online via CanadaHelps
  • Credit card by phoning the TRAS office at 604-224-5133 (the phone line is monitored regularly)
  • Cheque made out to TRAS. Please note “Bob Walker Memorial Fund” on the bottom of the cheque, and mail it to:

    TRAS
    1183 Melville St
    Vancouver, BC, V6E 2X5

Thank you for honouring Bob’s memory.

Dekyiling Handicraft Centre Computers

Project #338 – 2021

Dekyiling submitted a request for assistance in replacing their outdated office computers.

“Today, I am here to make a special request for the administration section that we are running our office works mostly from the desk of the Manager and the Accountant/Secretary for the daily administrative and welfare work of the Society. Dekyiling Tibetan Handicraft Society was established in the year 1982 in the northern Indian town of Dehradun with the aims and objective to promote Tibetan traditional Arts & Crafts and its preservation. The society has been successful to live up to the expectations of the people with very kind support from our donors/supporters without which it had not been at this stage now. So we express our sincere gratitude to all those who have extended their valuable support for children’s education, grannies, welfare and projects at the time of need.

Coming to the proposal, the administrative working computer set (desktop) of both the Manager and the Accountant/Secretary are quite outdated models of 2012 which often creates problems causing loss of saved data/documents resulting in administrative obstacles and disturbances. Hence, we request you for funding of 2 desktop computers which are costing around Rs.46,100 X 2 sets= INRs.92,200 as of today if the cost does not fluctuate. We are sure that your good office will look into our proposal favourably and help us for a better working of our office.”

The CTA is no longer funding admin costs for the small settlements in India. As you can imagine handicraft sales are a way down due to the COVID pandemic so they did not have the available funds for this purchase.

TRAS was able to fund this project – $1,626

Dekyiling reported in December 2021 the successful installation of two computers.

Munsel-ling School Flush Toilets

Project #329 – 2020-2021

TRAS is a long-time supporter of the Munsel-ling School in the Spiti Valley, in northern India, since it opened in 1996.

In 2018 the School constructed 12 dry toilets with urinals for the boys. The toilets were very useful during the winter but during the summer they created a dreadful smell around the school and campus.

Early in 2020 Munsel-ling School approached TRAS for help with building a permanent block of flush toilets for girls and boys. The Indian Government is now very active in working towards the health and sanitation of the students in the schools.  So with TRAS promising half the needed funds , Munsel-ling was able to obtain the other half from the government, and  construction started when the road to the Valley opened in the early spring. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic all construction has been stopped, and the project was on hold until at least later in the spring of 2021.

Construction restarted in 2021 and a large block of toilets were built incorporating the flush toilets for use in milder weather and the dry latrine toilets for use in the freeze of winter.

TRAS raised $5,000 to cover the funds sent in 2020 and an additional $3,970 when the building restarted. The project was completed in 2021.