In Memory of Mark Gillespie

Mark Gillespie joined us as a volunteer in the late 1980’s and was very much part of the move from Dhaka to Sreepur and the setting up of what is now, The Sreepur Village charity.

Before building started and during the early stages of the construction of the project he lived on the land with a number of children - in very basic facilities. For a short time they actually slept in a large truck! this was to prevent people attempting to acquire some of our land - some boundary stones had already had to be moved back!

As a talented musician, Mark also kept us well entertained and wrote a song he played at our opening ceremony. Later along with his wife Morium, they came back to Bangladesh from Australia and wrote a song for our twentieth anniversary.

Mark lived a quiet and reclusive life with his wife in a house he built in Dhaka city. Sadly, earlier this year Morium died and then recently Marks health deteriorated. In need of emergency care he made contact with Pat, founder of The Sreepur Village and current Overseas Director, who asked some colleagues in Dhaka to break into the house and get him to hospital. Mark had severe cellulitis in his legs with a disruption of the blood supply.

 

Over the following weeks Mark spent time in three hospitals and  a week at The Sreepur Village - but unfortunately we could not offer the intensive medical care he needed so he had to go back to hospital. Mark sadly died on Friday 12th November in Dhaka Medical College Hospital. A funeral was held at The Sreepur Village on Saturday the 13th and he was then buried in our graveyard. 

Mark will always be a part of The Sreepur Village.