LAUREN Walker, who passed away in September, came to Cyprus in 2005 with her husband Richard who had been appointed Director of the British Council.
Readers of the Cyprus Mail will remember her as the weekly columnist (twice weekly in the beginning) who wrote on everything from politics to poetry, from turtles to terrorism and from hotels to history. Her column was sometimes serious, sometimes witty and sometimes whimsical, but it was always fresh and original. She used personal insight or anecdote to lift the most leaden subjects and make them a good read.
An only child, she grew up in the village of Laleham in Surrey, looked after by her grandparents as her mother worked long hours at the NHS (her parents divorced before she was born). She adored her grandfather, a WWI veteran, who influenced her view of the world more than anyone. Lauren left home to study in Bradford, where in her final year she met Richard, who became her husband three years later.
As a result of Richard’s many postings, the Walkers lived in Thailand, Nigeria, India and Brazil and later Greece and Brussels. Lauren worked as a teacher for many years, as this offered flexibility and allowed her the time to bring up her two children. She taught English, sociology, and theory of knowledge in international schools. An inspired teacher, she always received positive feedback from students, parents and colleagues – not an easy set of customers to satisfy.
Before coming here she had decided to take a break from teaching, although she continued her association with Trinity College, which involved flying to another country two or three times a year to examine students in spoken English. Her columns were sometimes filed from far-off places like Argentina and Mexico, but she never missed a deadline.
Lauren loved to write and was passionate about her subjects, something that always came across in her columns. She always took pleasure in what she did, whether it was organising a party, painting in water colours, discussing books or politics, setting up a new home, pottering in her beloved gardens in England and Greece or spending times with friends and family. There was no half-heartedness in what Lauren did, always giving her all.
Lauren Walker is survived by her two children, three grandchildren and husband.
