Misha Lobban, Gleaner Writer

Danville Walker likes to take care of his pet fish and his birds as a form of relaxation. He is also an avid cyclist.

You are a happy fellow, for you give happiness and joy to many other people. There is nothing better or greater than that.

- Ludwig van Beethoven

His decade-long (1997-2008) tenure as director of elections and head of the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) has been regarded as outstanding, as he was unrelenting in his commitment to improve Jamaica's electoral process.

Recognised as a man of principle, even by his detractors, he has led Jamaica through several general elections and has been credited, along with the Electoral Advisory Committee, with ensuring that Jamaica's electoral process was free, fair and transparent during the 2007 general election.

Outstanding work

Danville Walker speaking at a Gleaner Editors' Forum. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

As director of elections, he served as a member of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, an oversight board for the Electoral Office of Jamaica. He has also served on several electoral observer missions since 1997 in Venezuela, Dominica Republic, Suriname (chief of mission) and in South Africa, where he was a member of the Commonwealth Observer Group, which observed the National and Provincial Elections.

His outstanding work led to his appointment as chief executive officer of the Office of National Reconstruction (ONR), which was established in October 2004 by the then prime minister of Jamaica, P.J. Patterson, in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Ivan. The ONR managed and distributed over J$1 billion in aid donated by local and international institutions, and coordinated the implementation of an additional $1 billion in international aid.

He resigned from the position of director of elections in May 2008 and assumed responsibilities as commissioner of customs in June 2008. The tough-talking commissioner has already begun to take a firm stance against persons who have been cheating the Customs Department and the country of well-needed revenue.

Danville Walker's contribution to Jamaica has earned him the Order of Jamaica for Outstanding Public Service; the CVM 'Newsmaker of the Year Award' - 2002; The Gleaner Honour 'Man of the Year' Award - 2002, and The Gleaner Honour Awardee 2002 for Public Service.

He names Valerie Smith, assistant director for information systems at the Electoral Office of Jamaica, as one of his best friends. Valerie has been working with the EOJ for more than 10 years, and was one of the principal persons involved in the recruitment and training of staff for the implementation of the Elector Registration System in Antigua and Barbuda.

In this week's feature, Valerie reveals that the man considered by many to have an iron will is, in fact, affable, easy-going, has a deep love for people and brings joy to many. She also tells us of his love for photography and the fact that he is quite good at it.

How did you meet Danville Walker, and how long have you been friends?

We met in September 1997. I had applied for a job at the Electoral Office of Jamaica and, after two interviews with senior managers, I was sent to him for a third interview. Upon leaving the building after the interview, I was stopped by the security officer, who told me that Mr Walker wanted to see me. When I returned to see him, he asked me if I could start working the next day, and so, on September 2, I started my job as operations manager in the Systems Administration Department.

Although I didn't report directly to him, we worked closely together and by December 1997 we were friends. We started to play kalooki with other members of staff at the office, and then it moved to his house, where we would meet any day of the week or on weekends to play the game. Danville and I would also spend a lot of time on the phone outside of work, and that's how the friendship developed.

I am now a friend of his family, and he knows everyone in my immediate family, and he and his wife are godparents to my son.

Tell us what you admire most about him, and why you think you have remained friends all these years.

I admire the fact that he is a family man; he loves his wife, his children, his mother and his sisters. He is true to himself and he does what he believes in. He is very friendly and easy-going and he's the one who people go to with their problems (whether personal or professional). He is not a judgmental person and he accepts people for who they are.

He also likes to take care of people, and he willingly does it. There was an elderly man, for example, who would come to the EOJ regularly, and Danville supported him financially until he died about two years ago.

Danville and I think alike and we have similar beliefs. We are each other's confidante and our friendship is unconditional.

Tell us something interesting about him.

He took up fishing once to help him relax, but I don't know that he was successful at it!

Another thing is that he loves photography and he is quite good at it. He owns a very professional camera with different types of lens, and anywhere he goes, he takes his camera. He has taken some excellent photos of his family and of nature, which he framed and had them displayed in his office at the EOJ. He also took quite a few photos when he was head of the ONR and he had to travel around the island.

What are some of the things you talk about when you get together?

We talk about his work, his family, his children, my family and life in general. We also talk about the future.

Share with us one of the happiest moments you have experienced with him.

One of the happiest moments for me was when the Electoral Commission had a function to honour his contribution to the EOJ as director of elections. This was just after he had left the EOJ. When I heard persons who were non-political and political speak of the work he has done, and when I saw the number of persons present from all over the island, I was so proud of him and the fact that he really made a significant contribution to Jamaica.

Tell us the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of him, and why.

Happiness ... most people think of him as 'the man with an iron will', but he's friendly and he brings joy to a lot of people.

What are his favourite food, favourite music and favourite sport?

He loves pastry, especially chocolate cake, and he loves a good plate of curry goat. We were always eating curry goat at Moby Dick Restaurant, downtown Kingston.

Please send your feedback and comments to lobban_misha@yahoo.com.