Colin Walker was an ophthalmic surgeon at the Southampton Eye Hospital from 1962 until his retirement in 1989. He was born into a medical family; his father, Victor Walker, was an eye surgeon in Ipswich, where he grew up; his mother was Marie-Louise Scott. After some difficult times at his prep school, he moved on to Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, where he blossomed academically and was much happier. He then went to Trinity College, Cambridge and completed his medical studies at St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School, London, qualifying in 1949 at the age of 23. His house officer jobs were done in Cambridge and Norwich, with a two-year spell in the RAMC (British Army of the Rhine) as a medical officer, slotted in between his house surgeon and house physician posts. Sadly, his father died when he was 16 and that affected him greatly. He did, however, decide to follow his father into ophthalmology, completing his primary FRCS in 1953 immediately after his house officer posts. It was on 5 May 1953 when, as a postgraduate trainee, he was involved in the placing of the Queen Elizabeth II Time Capsule, marking the boundary between the Barry and Nuffield buildings at the RCS, under the memorial stone. He received the capsule from Her Majesty in 1953, but sadly was not able to be present on 27 September 2018, 65 years later, when it was removed and opened. Colin would have been the last surviving guest at the ceremony other than Her Majesty, but sadly had passed away just over four months previously. His elder son Gavin was there in his place. The capsule contained: the order of proceedings of the laying of the memorial stone of the new building on 5 May 1953; a pamphlet about the architectural history of the RCS; eight photographs of the wartime destruction of the building; a roll, with RCS seal attached, giving a description of the bomb damage to the building; two copies of *The Times* newspaper dated Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 May 1953; a set of 1953 British coins; a bound set of photographs with typed descriptions of some Hunterian Collection specimens lost in the Second World War air raid attacks; the *Annals* of the RCS for April 1953; examination papers for the fellowship diploma for 1952; papers for the final examination for the diploma in dental surgery; the RCS general annual report for 1952; and the RCS calendar for August 1951. Colin continued his ophthalmic training at St Thomas’ Hospital (from 1954 to 1955) and then at Moorfields, City Road (from 1955 to 1957), after which he continued there but also returned to St Thomas’ as a senior registrar, obtaining his FRCS in 1958 and finally being appointed to Southampton Eye Hospital in 1962, where he remained until his retirement. It was during this time that Southampton became the new and successful teaching hospital that it is today. In 1994, the old Southampton Eye Hospital, where Colin worked, moved to the General Hospital as the eye unit, where it has flourished since those early beginnings with Colin and his four colleagues. He took an active role in the developing Southampton Medical School, teaching and lecturing to students, general practitioners and nurses. He had a number of publications to his name from the 1950's to 1970's. He visited units in Europe and North America, and travelled to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Qatar, where he gave advice on the establishment of their eye services. He had a wish to improve his own understanding and to help create a better service for others. Committee work within the NHS was not always his favourite pastime. In 1959, he met Ann, while they were both working at St Thomas’, and they were married the next year, moving with their eldest child, Gavin, to the New Forest in 1962, where their other two children, Richard and later Tracy, were born. He was a ‘man of his time’ engaging in life enthusiastically. He was morally upright with a strong sense of duty, a proud family man, but also a strict disciplinarian. He wanted to make a better world. He was devoted to Ann and was always happiest when at home with his family. He was interested in everything and lived life to the full. Colin loved his life in the country and walking in the New Forest, whilst at the same time enjoyed photography and creating all sorts of things, from telescopes to bread slicers. He filled the house with music and was a successful pianist, winning the Murdoch cup at the Portsmouth Music Festival in 1971. When he retired, he moved to Boldre in the New Forest from Cadnam near Southampton and enjoyed life there, although his health started to deteriorate in 2012 following a bout of pneumonia. He had had bypass surgery in 1984 while he was still working and again in 1991, but that did not stop him, but rather gave him a new lease of life. His last years became increasingly difficult, but he always had Ann there to help and be with him. It was difficult for them both when he finally moved into a nursing home in Sway. He died on 12 May 2018 at the age of 92 and was survived by Ann, their three children, two of whom are married and live relatively locally in the south of England, and four grandchildren. He was naturally optimistic and hopes to meet all his family again or, as his granddaughter, Megan, would say, ‘back soon later’.