Australian Fluoridation News
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Delivered by John T. Webber at a celebratory memorial function, a thanksgiving for the life of Glen Stanley Rex Walker.
The function was held in the Eastern Transit Room (part of the Old Observatory complex), at the Royal Botanic Gardens, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria, on the 18th July 2009 at 2.30 pm and was arranged by Glen's family.
Dear Mary, Elaine, Susan, your extended families and Glen's friends and colleagues.
I first had the pleasure of speaking on the phone to Glen in the late 1970's, and met Glen and Mary soon after. Our common interest and concern was medication of populations with fluoride chemicals in our water supplies.
I rapidly came to respect Glen's ability, as a very thorough and meticulous person, with an extensive knowledge of the toxicity of many chemicals, but even more, his great concern for the well being of his fellow man.
Glen was Chairman of the Anti-Fluoridation Association of Victoria for close-on 30 years. But he also supported many individuals and groups across Australia, where he was widely acknowledged as a fountain of knowledge and a tireless worker on their behalf.
I know that many people would like to pay tribute to Glen, but I'd particularly like to acknowledge the presence from across the Tasman of John Braim, and from Queensland, Dennis Stevenson. I'm sure they each could spend an hour talking about Glen, had time permitted. Glen helped John to successfully end his 14-year struggle for compensation, after his sheep and Hereford cattle were killed by a Council fluoride chemical spill.1 Glen helped Dennis in his lone struggle to remove fluoride from Canberra's water supply.2
Glen earned the respect of all he assisted, with his incisive mind, happy nature, and wise advice. He communicated by phone, by fax, by mail and in recent years by email. As an example, I worked out that Glen and I had about 2000 telephone discussions, exchanged hundreds of faxes and letters and met several times in Melbourne and Sydney. And I'm only one of the numerous people he communicated with.
On one occasion several years ago, Glen strangely didn't receive any mail for several days. He rang the Post Office to find out why. The postmaster explained that Glen received lots more mail than anyone else over a wide area, so they had held back his mail to trace how efficient their letter delivery system was. Needless to say, Glen was not amused by this 'efficiency' study.
There is no doubt that Glen's effort in opposing water fluoridation was a labour of love, with his deep passion for truth and justice. He vigorously promoted our democratic right as individuals to freely choose what we eat and drink, or choose not to eat and drink.
He wrote a 450 page book,3 made
submissions to State and Federal Governments, to Councils, to Premiers, to
Ministers of Health and had many letters published in the Victorian and
interstate press. He traveled to dozens of towns across Victoria and
interstate, speaking at public meetings.
As editor of The Australian Fluoridation News, Glen's reputation spread
to New Zealand, the USA, Great Britain and Europe. He wrote hard-hitting,
incisive and telling articles, calling a spade a spade in no uncertain terms.
His consistency as a tireless worker in writing articles resulted in doctors,
scientists and other professionals in Australia and particularly from
overseas, offering articles for publication in the journal.
Glen loved his family, and they were the priority in his life.
His workload was immense, but would not have been possible without the wonderful support of Mary over many years and the care that Mary gave him, particularly in recent years. To me, Glen was a great ally and close friend, even though that was mainly at the other end of the telephone.
Glen, and what he stood for, was greatly respected by many people. Many Australians know the highly decorated Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop, as a hero in World War II POW camps in Burma. At the Town Hall, here in Melbourne, over 30 years ago, he delivered a speech opposing fluoridation at a public meeting,4 and gave his support to the Victorian movement. His statue is only a few hundred metres away from here, facing St. Kilda Road.
Dr. Philip Sutton, a University of Melbourne Research Fellow, dedicated his book The Greatest Fraud - Fluoridation5 to his wife and "My esteemed friend, Glen S. R. Walker."
Dr. Hans Moolenburgh led the 8-year campaign that stopped fluoridation in The Netherlands, which then joined the rest of a fluoridation-free Europe. On Glen's 90th birthday, Hans said that The Australian Fluoridation News is the best periodical on the planet. He added :
Glen has understood what the great struggle of our time is all about. It is the right of small, seemingly unimportant people, to lead their own lives. He does not hesitate to challenge the powers that be, who seem to consider common people as just cogs in the political and commercial machine. Glen belongs to those giving the people hope, that they are not completely powerless after all, but that the deeds of every person on earth, great or small, matter. For once let it be permitted for us to forget all the articles he has written and to focus on the writer himself and tell him that he is doing a great job.6
To Mary and all Glen's family, I'd like you to know that Glen's legacy will continue, not only in our memories, but also in his extensive writings. Glen was a servant of society, and an on-going inspiration to many people.
You should all be very proud to have been part of the life of such a wonderful man.
We are grateful to be able to share this
celebration with you.
John T. Webber, Secretary
Freedom from Fluoridation Federation of Australia.
Postscript
Following the celebration, many of the Walker
family, friends and colleagues, viewed the Californian Redwood Sequoia
Sempervirens End I which Glen brought back from California as a seed, which
he then grew and donated to the Gardens in 1973.
The day after the memorial celebration, I walked past Melbourne's historic Flinders Street railway station. A large red banner on the facade of the station stated:
Weary Dunlop Appeal, 12-25 July 2009
Support the health of our (war) veterans...
Buy a pin.
Sir Edward Dunlop Medical Research Foundation
The Foundation website states: Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop remains one of the outstanding figures in Australian history. He is particularly renowned and admired for his leadership while a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II.
The medical and dental professions continue to recognize Sir Edward by supporting the Medical Research Foundation of which he is the Founding Patron, and which: was established in 1985 as part of his commitment and undertaking to make the health and welfare of veterans his life objective.
Yet in spite of all the public honours
heaped upon him, this highly decorated Australian's
opposition to fluoridation is not known by most medical and dental
professionals.
References
1The Australian Fluoridation News, Vol. 26, No. 2, March-April 1990: 'Australia’s Fluoridated Death Valley.'
2 The Australian Fluoridation News, Vol. 27, No. 2, March-April 1991: 'The Australian Capital Territory (Canberra) Government's Inquiry Recommended Reducing the Fluoride Content in their drinking water supplies by 50% from 1ppm F, down to 0.5 ppm.'
3 Fluoridation - Poison on Tap: An indictment of the Victorian Government Inquiry, Melbourne 1979-1980, into the Fluoridation of Victorian Water Supplies, by Glen S. R. Walker, F.I.M.F., E.M.E.C.S., M.A.E.S., published by Glen Walker, printed by the Magenta Press in Mulgrave. 2nd ed., 1982, ISBN 0 9593571 0 6.
4 The Australian Fluoridation News, Vol., 13, No. 10, June-July 1976: 'Extracts of Speech by Sir Edward Dunlop', Given at a Public Meeting in the Melbourne Town Hall on June 4th, 1975. See also the following editions of The Australian Fluoridation News: Vol., 29, No., 6, November-December 1993: 'Sir Edward Dunlop', Vol., 31, No., 3, May-June 1995 Vol., 36, No., 4, July-August 2000: 'Sir Edward Dunlop', A.C., C.M.G., O.B.E., 1907 – 1993.
5 The Greatest Fraud - Fluoridation by Philip R. N. Sutton, D.D.Sc.(Melb.), L.D.S., F.R.A.C.D.S., A Factual Book, printed by Kurunda P/L, 1996, Lorne, Australia. ISBN 0 949491 12 8 Dr. Sutton (1914-1995) was an Academic Associate and Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Oral Medicine and Surgery, Dental School, University of Melbourne.
6 The Australian Fluoridation News, Vol., 40, No., 4, July-August 2004: 'Watchman, What of the Night.' By Dr. Hans Moolenburgh, The Netherlands.
