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Name: WALKER, Ronald Innes

Birth Date: 3 Dec 1901 Auckland, New Zealand

Death Date: 1979 Auckland

Nationality: New Zealand

First Date: 1938

Profession: Junior Postal Clerk and Telegraphist, Posts & Telegraphs Dept., in 1939, appointed 1938. Farmer, Songhor

Area: 'Chelemet' M'teitei Valley Songhor, Nairobi

Married: In Mombasa 1928 Mildred Mary 'Peggy' Priest b. 27 Jan 1908 Dunedin, NZ, d. 29 Dec 1966

Children: David (20 Nov 1929 Nairobi); Michael Innes (17 Apr 1931 Dunedin, N. Zealand-7 Feb 2020)

Book Reference: Staff 39, Hut, Red 31, Childhood

School: King's Coll, New Zealand

General Information:

Hut has Ronald I. Walker, 1930, Chelemet, Timboroa AND R.I. Walker 1937 Chelemet Estate Songhor
Gazette 6 Dec 1938 Nyanza Voters List
Childhood - Michael Innes Walker - "My father, Ronald (1902-1979) was born in Auckland. He was educated at King's College and as a young man left New Zealand to seek his fortune in Kenya. My mother, Mildred Mary (Peggy) Priest (1908-1966), was born in Dunedin and was educated at St. Hilda's School. Mum and Dad met at an exposition held in Dunedin in the late 1920s and Dad left for Kenya shortly after this, Mum joining him some time later. They were married at the Cathedral in Mombasa and then returned to Dad's coffee farm in the M'teitei Valley Songhor, central Kenya. ……[1930s]. At this time, Dad was still struggling with the depressed price of coffee and finally after a massive invasion of locusts, which smashed his coffee trees, Dad was forced to give up the farm and the mortgagees (Dalgety & Co.) foreclosed. Fortunately Dad had always had an interest in radio and I remember listening to him in his shack on the farm speaking to other 'hams' throughout the world. Through this interest Dad met the Pegrume family who ran an electrical firm in Nairobi called Parker and Pegrume. ……
When Dad was eventually forced to leave the farm, he obtained work with Pegrume and Parker and after several years with them, took a job with the Post Office and remained in that employment until he retired as a senior Postmaster in Mombasa (circa 1960)

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