William Bickerton Clyde Robertson

Bill was born in Scotland and passed away on January 31, 2021 in his 92nd year. He is survived by his wife, Sally of 44 years, his son Greg, his three daughters; Barbara, Christine O’Connor and Marjory Phillips, his grandsons; James, Robert and Alex Phillips and three nephews in Australia; Peter, Nicholas and Anthony Vidot. He was predeceased by his sister Marjory Vidot of Australia and his parents in Scotland.

Bill grew up in Kirkintilloch, Scotland, where he attended Allan Glen’s School in Glasgow. After two years in the Royal Air Service, he went on to graduate in Medicine at Glasgow University with distinction in Public Health and Medical Jurisprudence. A life-time Elder of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland and Canada, after graduating in Medicine, he was called to be a Presbyterian Medical Missionary in India in 1955 where he worked for seven years.

In 1962, on his return to Scotland, he worked as Deputy Area Medical Superintendent for North and South Ayrshire under the UK National Health Service. During those years he obtained his Diploma in Social Medicine at Edinburgh University. In the late 1960s he emigrated to Canada, where he became an Associate Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Dalhousie University Medical School, Halifax. Later he assumed the position of Director of Public Hospitals for the province of Nova Scotia.

In 1974, he was appointed Director of Hospital Insurance in the federal Department of Health and Social Services, Ottawa. In 1980, he left the federal service to become the Senior Medical Consultant in the planning of a 1000 bed Health Care and Teaching Centre in Halifax. Later he became the Chief Medical Officer for the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

Retiring in 1992, he moved with his family to Victoria, British Columbia where he undertook a variety of voluntary and church projects in addition to some private health care consulting. Also, as a Master of Usui and Karuna Reiki, he continued his interest in healing and also taught at the Chinese Acupuncture School in Victoria. He was a keen gardener and wrote two books on his career and two books of poetry. Always enjoying fitness, in his seventies and eighties, he participated in the BC Senior Games Track and Field sports, winning medals in provincial competitions. As was his wish, there will be no funeral.