Comments for David Walser http://www.davidwalser.com Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:11:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on Feedback by David Walser http://www.davidwalser.com/feedback/#comment-163 David Walser Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:11:49 +0000 http://www.davidwalser.com/?page_id=76#comment-163 Thank you for your reaction. What good fortune you had to get out on the last boat. We left earlier than I thought: I've found the ship's manifest: we were on the Athlone Castle and landed at Southampton on the 29thJune 1940. By coincidence my father was offered the command of the Air Station at Kula Lumpur along with a promotion to Air Commodore. He turned it down because he wanted to get back to England and join the war effort. My mother, whose instincts were spot on, thought my father's health would not survive the heat of KL . Father was very sure - wrongly as it turned out - that there would not be any war in the Far East. So he was in the Air Ministry and we survived but he never got that rise in rank: it was obviously a black mark that he refused the appointment. I hope your boy is happy at Gordonstoun. I have been impressed by what I have seen recently but there is a new Head , so it will be interesting to watch developments. It can't be easy to take over from someone who has been in the job for 20 years or so. With very best wishes David Thank you for your reaction. What good fortune you had to get out on the last boat. We left earlier than I thought: I’ve found the ship’s manifest: we were on the Athlone Castle and landed at Southampton on the 29thJune 1940. By coincidence my father was offered the command of the Air Station at Kula Lumpur along with a promotion to Air Commodore. He turned it down because he wanted to get back to England and join the war effort. My mother, whose instincts were spot on, thought my father’s health would not survive the heat of KL . Father was very sure – wrongly as it turned out – that there would not be any war in the Far East. So he was in the Air Ministry and we survived but he never got that rise in rank: it was obviously a black mark that he refused the appointment.
I hope your boy is happy at Gordonstoun. I have been impressed by what I have seen recently but there is a new Head , so it will be interesting to watch developments. It can’t be easy to take over from someone who has been in the job for 20 years or so.
With very best wishes
David

]]> Comment on Feedback by Gabrielle Liddy http://www.davidwalser.com/feedback/#comment-106 Gabrielle Liddy Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:06:34 +0000 http://www.davidwalser.com/?page_id=76#comment-106 I really enjoyed reading your blog, which I came across quite by chance. My son has just started in the 6 th form at Gordonstoun. My mother was born in 1940 in Kuala Lumpa; she and her mother were on the last boat leaving Singapore to Perth. I hope you have recovered from your illness. I really enjoyed reading your blog, which I came across quite by chance. My son has just started in the 6 th form at Gordonstoun. My mother was born in 1940 in Kuala Lumpa; she and her mother were on the last boat leaving Singapore to Perth. I hope you have recovered from your illness.

]]> Comment on Unexpected illness in 2010 by Tomek http://www.davidwalser.com/unexpected-illness-in-2010/#comment-46 Tomek Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:09:22 +0000 http://www.davidwalser.com/?p=430#comment-46 Hi David, I have read your story and I hope you feel much better now. I am surprised that you had got the problems with the circulation. I remember that you liked to use a bicycle and went to gym. So, perhaps the problems went just from your previous diet. Regarding the health care system, it reminds me of the Polish one. Similar mistakes are common here too, but I think UK doctors are more nice to patients. Many (but of course, not all) Polish doctors are too much focused on money and their relationships with pharmaceutical "friends" (representatives) than the patients. The doctors are often rude and prefer to "test" the patients by pills, not by safe testing. Anyhow, the doctors are usually judged by their friends here, not by independent courts. Besides, the Polish justice system is "ill" itself, many cases take a few years before finals. If it's not a problem, please pass my greetings to Jan, "Tomek from Poland" Hi David,

I have read your story and I hope you feel much better now. I am surprised that you had got the problems with the circulation. I remember that you liked to use a bicycle and went to gym. So, perhaps the problems went just from your previous diet.

Regarding the health care system, it reminds me of the Polish one. Similar mistakes are common here too, but I think UK doctors are more nice to patients. Many (but of course, not all) Polish doctors are too much focused on money and their relationships with pharmaceutical “friends” (representatives) than the patients. The doctors are often rude and prefer to “test” the patients by pills, not by safe testing. Anyhow, the doctors are usually judged by their friends here, not by independent courts. Besides, the Polish justice system is “ill” itself, many cases take a few years before finals.

If it’s not a problem, please pass my greetings to Jan,

“Tomek from Poland”

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