By Anne Lastman

It was with great sadness that I learned about the passing away of Dr Robert Walley (81 years age) On June 22, 2020. Dr Walley had been battling cancer for some time.

My own relationship with him began many years ago when I was invited to speak about post abortion grief at MaterCare International conference in Rome. Dr Walley had founded MaterCare as an outreach to women/mothers and their babies.  

As I got to know him better over few years and more MaterCare conferences I came to learn of his deep and abiding love and care for mothers and their babies.  In this work he was strongly supported by his beautiful wife Susan and his family of many children and grandchildren.

As I got to know him better, I discovered a really humble and beautiful soul whose glance was always heavenward and his love for maternal and child health motivated and energised his life.

In his capacity as doctor of obstetrics and gynaecology he was able to speak out against the marauding attacks against woman and her baby and was able to stand and do something about this great inequity.

Perhaps this is where we had something in common as we each, in different ways, worked for and deeply cared for maternal and infant health.  Dr Walley showed interest in my work and I loved having someone of his stature admire what I do.

Dr Walley was not someone who philosophised about what should be done and then let it be but actually got down in the trenches and put his deep beliefs into practice.

One of the stories which he told and has remained embedded within my heart and mind was a story he told at one of the MaterCare conferences about the issue of  obstetric fistulas and its effect on women especially in developing countries and to this end he set about creating facilities which would help these women to not only heal/repair the fistula but restore the dignity of the mother who had experienced the loss of dignity and rejection by her family, husband and community because of the fistula and its effects.   

As I listened to him speak about this  deeply psychological  wound inflicted on the woman with the fistula and his being able to repair such damage and know that the woman could return to her village and her family restored in body and appearance (clean/new clothes) his joy was palpable. 

Over the years we shared many moments, some good and some not so much so, we both understood that woman in her design as life carrier should be accorded respect and honour and yet both within first world countries (abortions) and developing countries this has slowly ebbed away. 

Dr Walley’s many achievements include building hospital to repair fistulas, to help mothers have a safe pregnancy and delivery of their baby and help villages have a place for good medical care.  (91% of maternal deaths can be prevented by proper prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care. Walley 2012) and to this end his whole focus was on providing this particular medical care.

His work and projects are many many and known and recognised in many countries. Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Lesotho, Haiti and other developing small countries, and many honours much deserved were bestowed upon him.

As I think about his life, achievements, donation of his many talents for the benefit of women and baby I know that as he approached those beautiful gates which were open wide to receive him  the words which he would have been greeted with “well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness” (Mt.25:23) And indeed it is possible to see his huge smile and shining eyes as he meets his Lord and those many he has served.

Thank you, Dr Walley, for your magnificent Yes to the call of the Lord to care for “woman” and her baby.