Robaird O’Cearbhaill
Hong Kong Correspondent
At an early age John Walsh was adventurous. He still is, despite having lived in very dangerous situations, but with rewarding experiences. He has lived a rich varied life. As he told O Clarim, even now he calls himself an adventurer. Walsh always wanted to travel, and he has done that spectacularly through six continents, half of them pure travel, working in the other three.
Going from one continent to another became his way of life. Walsh’s first overseas job: from Europe to Africa was to Zambia as a schoolteacher in a very remote place inland near the Zaire border. It was there that his first potentially horrible, lethal event came about, surviving, miraculously, unconscious, in a crocodile-infested river. Walsh explains the full story below and with almost public transport, hitchhiking was how he traveled anywhere.
“People were very hospitable. They took you home. Much more interesting and adventurous.” And people were “very good, just didn’t do you any warm.” Walsh’s third continent voyage was in Asia beginning in Singapore, followed by his fourth continent stay – Australia, the beginning of a 14-month journey.
After Ozzieland “down under,” it was across the world’s largest ocean, the Pacific, where he explored a fifth continent: North America. Just as in Africa he hitchhiked and got the same hospitality – people invited him to stay in their homes.
South America was the sixth continent, where Walsh settled down teaching in a Peruvian school. But very unsettling too. It was the time of the violent period of the uprising of fundamentalist, murderous, communist Shining Path terrorist group, an army taking over large parts of the country. In two years, Walsh travelled widely in Central America in Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico for the 1996 football World Cup, even witnessing the eventual Cup where Argentine champions were beaten in one match by his “adopted” country Peru.
After getting back to Europe in Wales, for continuing teaching education, he set out Hong Kong where he taught teacher training for many years at the Institute for Education.
Walsh has fond memories of his trips to Macau. He also underlines why teaching underprivileged children is so vital and how important his faith is.
Perhaps most inspiring is his social and work relationships outlook in life. He believes expats should not isolate themselves from local societies but should be part of them. “I don’t want to be in an expat bubble.” Walsh believes in social harmony.
Your life was miraculously saved as a young man in Africa. You could easily have drowned or been eaten by a crocodile. What happened?
It was in Zambia, where I was a school teacher, when I had a blackout. I have had these since childhood. I was in a boat in a crocodile-infested river when I lost consciousness and fell into the river. Even while unconscious, I was swimming. Some people arrived and pulled me out.
I didn’t remember any of it except when I woke up. Then I thought thank God I am not being sent home in a box. (Crocodiles are lethal there for humans) The day I arrived in Zambia, when I flew in I spoke to a Canadian sister. Three weeks later she was swimming knee-high in the water when a crocodile came in and killed her.
That was during the early years in Zambia. What was it like for you there?
We were in a fairly remote but cosmopolitan area. There were Dutch, Danish, British, Irish American and Indian staff in the school. It was a twenty-minute walk to the regional town. It was an adventurous experience, nice people there. Because I had blackouts one of them told me he would take me to a witch doctor. “He’ll make you well.” People were deferential. I went hitchhiking because there was almost no public transport. I had done a lot of hitchhiking in America when I was a student. In Zambia going to sleep at night was so cheap and people took you home and were very hospitable. Life was much more interesting, more adventurous. Sometimes you ended up in dead end places, you would have difficulty getting out. I realized that most people were very good, most people did not want to do you any harm.
What has teaching and travelling around the world showed you?
A great diversity of life from my teaching and travelling. I have been a part of many different societies. I have always worked in local systems, not like many expats. I found that satisfying. I wanted that authentic experience. I don’t want to be an expat in an expat bubble. It is unrepresentative of what you are. It’s totally minimal. If you are not localizing you are in a tiny corner of the society you are in. You are like the emperor who doesn’t leave the palace he is in.
What has been your greatest satisfaction teaching?
In truly connecting with kids who wanted to learn and become responsible members of their society and seeing them succeed, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Good to be able to help kids from poor backgrounds get a leg up in life and kids from rich backgrounds become responsible members and leaders in their societies.
Peru was very dangerous under communist terror group uprising with a lot of inequality when you were there
Yes, there were bombs even in Lima. Many areas in the nation were much too unsafe to go to. It’s a beautiful country and culture. Most of Lima was a series of “pueblos jóvenes” or young towns, often made up of ramshackle shelters with no water or sanitation facilities. My school catered to the sons of the wealthy who lived on a different planet. I doubt things have changed much and Peru now has the dubious distinction of having the highest number of Covid deaths per capita in the world. The old problems of racism and corruption still prevail. I had brief contact with the Columban missionaries, an Irish organisation. They did great work in the slums and in Andean communities. They also work in Hong Kong and around this region as they were originally formed to mission in China.
You know how people you knew from a developed country, years later, by pure coincidence, in some out of the way place nobody has heard of, you surprisingly meet them again.
Yes, people I knew, running into them in the most outlandish places I was in. In University one summer job, washing dishes in a restaurant in Cape Cod, US, with a French guy training to be a chef. Four and a half years later I was in Kinshasa in Zaire. I suddenly saw Pierre there. At the same job a Malaysian there in the team, Fu Man Chung. Nine years later, I was on a beach on the East coast of Malaysia. We were in a crowd looking at leatherhead turtles, laying eggs there every year. Suddenly out of the darkness a Chinese guy emerges out of the darkness and he said: “Are you John?” It turned out it was the same guy from Cape Cod.
You have been a Catholic all you’re a life haven’t you?
Yes. It helps keep me in a reasonably positive attitude to other people in general. Otherwise I’d have given it up. I have never had any reason to do otherwise. I have always been able to distinguish between the human institution and weaknesses that are always there.
What do you think about Pope Francis?
Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air. He is a man of the people who helped and worked in (the Argentine capital Buenos Aires’) slums for many years.
Do you have a close family?
My siblings, I see every year. Very loyal and close family. We have fundamental background basic values: decent, being a friend, a nice person, being honest, not using other people. Transfer those values to your acquaintances in life. Not ambitious. Being friends to people and they generally reciprocate.
Your fun Macau trips?
Yes usually at the Pousada de Coloane with the Hong Kong Folk Club. Like the food and Fernando’s, the churches, the architecture.
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