PGM attends funeral of W.Bro Derek and Mrs. Helen Walsh
 
5th April 2013

On 5th April the RW Prov. G. M., Bro Peter Connolly attended the double funeral of W. Bro. Derek Walsh and his wife Helen. Derek held Grand Rank in Mark, and was a member of Freshfield Mark lodge. He had also been a ruler in the 'Operatives '.

 
Also in attendance were W. Bro. Brian Molyneux (special rep) and other members of Mark together with a delegation from his Craft lodge, Trinity at Garston. VW Bro Ian Clark (PGM of Royal.Order of Scotland was also present.
 
The service was at at a beautiful Church (1825) at Stand, just close to Whitefield. Dereck had filled most of the offices there and Rev. Alison spoke highly of him. Her address can be seen below.
 
Derek and Helen came from very different backgrounds in Liverpool. Helen was one of eight children, her family was quite poor; Derek an only child from a more privileged background. They inhabited in one sense quite different worlds in their early days but they both became teachers; Helen by sheer hard work and determination became the only member of her family ever to have gone to college and Derek following his private education naturally went on to university. They both shared common values – an absolute belief in the prime importance of education and learning - something which bound them together from when they first met as teachers at Wellington Road School. They were married in January 1953, and so celebrated 60 years of happy marriage just two short months ago. Derek’s career progressed quickly and he worked in several schools. Helen gave up work in 1963 when Ian was born after they had been married for 10 years - to care for him – as you did in those days. They moved to Stalmine where Derek was head of the small village school and in 1968 came to Whitefield – Derek as the first head of the new Ribble Drive school and Helen ready to take on two terms of supply teaching at Higher Lane – where she of course stayed for the next 20 years. The both retired in 1988.
 
Ian told me that Helen was a born teacher with a natural authority which engendered respect from her pupils, many of whom speak warmly of her still.  She could be a fearsome prospect but she loved the children she taught, wanted the best for them and was able to get the best out of them. She was organised, precise, efficient in everything she did and extremely capable. Had she worked in more enlightened times Helen would doubtless have been a headteacher. She was fiercely intelligent, a very forward thinking person, very much ahead of her time with a firm belief in the equal rights and responsibilities of men and women. 
 
Ian described Helen as the woman behind the man. She supported Derek in his career, brought up a child, managed the home and worked tirelessly at school. She told me only last week that her job was all consuming but that she wouldn’t have changed anything.        
 
Derek was passionate about the underdog having the same opportunities as everyone else. In the early days of the Hillock estate expectations were low for the children. Derek’s attitude at Ribble Drive was that all children had the same potential and he fought for them to have the same opportunities. He was ambitious for his children and determined that they should be playing on a level playing field with everyone else. Derek could be ruthless with parents who didn’t show the same ambition for their children or who failed to look after them properly. He had of course seen great poverty and deprivation in the 1930s in parts of Liverpool so he was very realistic about society in the 60s and 70s – he had seen it all before - and was determined to do all he could to make sure that the children under his charge had every opportunity to thrive.
 
Just to mention – neither Helen nor Derek were famous for anything – except Derek was very proud of the fact that he had taught Billy Fury – when he was Ron Wycherley. Helen was not to be outdone though – she had been a friend of Billy J Kramer’s sister and used to push the infant – Billy Ashton - out in his pram. 
 
Derek was a great joiner of groups, a committee man, who liked structure and titles and status – not in any desire for power – but because in them he found security and order. They suited his natural inclinations to be useful in society, to do his bit and to be part of a group of like minded people. He was a dedicated, exalted and well respected Freemason for 60 years. He was past President of the Prestwich and Whitefield Rotary Club. At All Saints’ he was at various times a sidesman, member of the PCC and Deanery Synod and sat on the Diocesan Council for Education as it them was.  He also played an important part in the Alumni Association of Chester College as it then was, from the early 1950s where not only was he a fund of knowledge about how things used to be but also maintained a keen interest in the life of the new university.
 
Helen was different. She was a member of the Inner Wheel but was generally more self reliant. The two of them together were stalwart members of the local branch of the Lifeboat, Derek Treasurer and Helen Souvenir Secretary for many years until the branch closed recently. Derek and Helen were also room guides at Speke Hall which passed to the National Trust in 1986. They volunteered every Saturday from March to December for 25 years. Derek had known the house since he was a 12 year old boy delivering eggs from the local butchers so he had real and valuable knowledge of the house and its environment from the 1930s. They also very much enjoyed this building and were happy to church sit and to share their appreciation of All Saints’ with passing visitors.
 
The most important part is saved to the end. Helen and Derek were marvellous parents to Ian. He says he was conscious as a child that his mum and dad were older than those of his friends – they had been married for 10 years before he was born – a stable and solid couple who provided a stable and solid environment in which he could flourish. He said they were a bit old fashioned – they were strict and they were teachers – poor Ian! I love Helen’s motto – What can’t be enjoyed must be endured – perfect for every P. E. hating teenage son. This practical – get on with it - approach was, of course, balanced by the fact that Ian has always known that his mum and dad loved him. They gave him an appreciation of the important things, beauty, truth and love, music and art; they were proud of his achievements and just as he is appreciative of all they have done for him, including ensuring the best education and domestic competence, so they too were appreciative of the love and care he gave them. The Walsh’s have, thank God, been a very tight, happy family unit.
 
Two wonderful lives, well lived with love and dedication to each other and to other people, at their heart.  They will be sadly missed, but here are two people whose legacy is lasting. They have had the privilege of teaching, shaping and influencing countless children. They have been useful and they have been fruitful. They have loved and been loved. They have enjoyed their lives and have lived them in the love of God and in the light of eternity. 
Thanks be to God.
Rev Alison J Hardy

Rector

All Saints’, Stand
5 April 2013
 
Article by Peter Connolly, with thanks to Rev. Alison Hardy for allowing her tribute to be published