26-05-2025
June Walker obituary
My cousin June Walker, who has died aged 89, was a pioneer of permaculture in Malawi, where she lived for almost 70 years. As June put it: 'There are three principles: care for the earth and its people and share the surplus. Learn how to grow food without chemicals or money. That is all it is.'
After a long career as a teacher and volunteer, June turned to her final calling after meeting Jeremy Burnham, a permaculture advocate based in South Africa. She became involved with the Permaculture Malawi group, a network of workers and specialists involved in promoting and training for smallholding farming systems, and soil and water health and stability. In 'retirement', June funded the Mkandwe Eco-Village, where villagers put these principles into practice.
The elder daughter of Elsie (nee Tomkins) and Leo Bottrill, who both worked in banking, June was born in Blackley, Manchester, but grew up in the nearby town of Whitefield, where the family settled when June was two. A few years later, June's aunt, Marion, a Sunday school teacher, gave her a magazine about Africa and she set her heart on going there.
June and her sister, Ruth, both attended Bury grammar school, and while there June met Brian Walker. While she completed a BSc at Nottingham University, he did national service in Malaya, serving with the King's African Rifles. By 1956 they were engaged and in 1957 they married. Their interest in Africa led Brian to Chikwawa, in Nyasaland (now Malawi), and June joined him there after a stint at Broughton high school for girls, Salford, to qualify as a teacher.
Her voluntary work began with a mothers' and infants' welfare clinic at Mulanje. By 1961, the couple had settled in the city of Blantyre with their three sons. June taught chemistry in schools there, including the Sir Robert Armitage high school, while volunteering for Save the Children.
Following independence in 1964, Brian became a civil servant in the government of Hastings Banda's government, and the family moved to the capital, Zomba (the current capital is Lilongwe). June continued to teach, worked with women in Zomba prison, and co-wrote The Malawi Cookbook (1974), to encourage use of local produce.
Following a move to Lilongwe, June became a deacon in the Anglican church. In tandem with the Malawi council for disabled people, she established a tie-dye centre, training people with disabilities to live and work independently. She was appointed MBE in 1995. In retirement, as well as the Mkandwe Eco-Village, she supported the Mangochi Orphan Education Trust.
Brian died suddenly in 2003. June lived the rest of her life by Lake Malawi with her carers. The Walker Thanthwe Trust has been established to support her legacy in Malawi.
She is survived by her sons, Timothy, Christopher and Jonathan, two grandchildren, Gemma and Benjamin, and her sister, Ruth.
