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At a meeting of the Borough Council held on Tuesday, 24 th May 2011 at 7.30pm in the Council Chamber at the Hounslow Civic Centre, Lampton Road, Hounslow Present: Councillor Colin Ellar (the Mayor in the Chair) Councillor Poonam Dhillon (The Deputy Mayor) Councillor Amrit Mann (the Mayor in the Chair after the election) Councillor Ajmer Grewal (The Deputy Mayor after the election) Councillors: Mindu Bains, Alan Barber, Felicity Barwood, Lily Bath, Rajinder Bath, Colin Botterill, Mark Bowen, Tom Bruce, Ruth Cadbury, John Chatt, Melvin Collins, John Cooper, Steve Curran, Linda Davies, Samantha Davies, Theo Dennison, Ajmer Dhillon, Gopal Dhillon, Jason Ellar, Brad Fisher, Pamela Fisher, Mohinder Gill, Darshan Grewal, Pritam Grewal, Sachin Gupta, Matthew Harmer, Sam Hearn, David Hughes, Elizabeth Hughes, Gillian Hutchison, Paul Jabbal, Kamaljit Kaur, Gurmail Lal, Adrian Lee, Paul Lynch, Liz Mammatt, Ed Mayne, Gerald McGregor, Andrew Morgan-Watts, Shantanu Rajawat, Sheila O'Reilly, Robert Oulds, Barbara Reid, Sue Sampson, Sohan Sangha, Jagdish Sharma, Corinna Smart, Balvir Sond, Rebecca Stewart, Peter Thompson, John Todd, Peta Vaught, Beverley Williams and Allan Wilson 1. Apologies for Absence, Other Announcements and Declarations of Interest from Members The Mayor, Councillor Colin Ellar, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to it. He then expressed his pleasure at being able to welcome in particular, Miss Amrita Gurung, the granddaughter of the late Mr Lachimann Gurung, the very many gurkha guests in the chamber and in the gallery and Mr Paul Kennerley, the Deputy Lieutenant. Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Peter Carey and Barbara Harris. Apologies for late arrival were received from Councillors Kamaljit Kaur, Rebecca Stewart and Peter Thompson. There were no declarations of interest nor any further mayoral announcements. 2. Presentation from the Brigade of Gurkhas The Mayor then moved onto this last mayoral duty of the year which was the presentation to the Borough of a Kothimora kukri, a Nepalese ceremonial blade, as a token of gratitude for the Council’s support in relation to the funeral of the late Mr Havildar Lachimann Gurung VC. Councillor Paul Lynch, at the Mayor’s invitation, then gave a short presentation and made the following points: • He clarified that the presentation was from the family of Mr Lachiman Gurung VC with the support of the Brigade of Gurkhas and advised that Major Hemchandra Rai RGR, 1 the Deputy Chief of Staff from the Headquarters of the Brigade had regretted that he was unable to attend in person. • He explained that the presentation of Kothimora kukris was part of an ancient tradition; the scabbard for the blade was decorated with silver filigree against a velvet background, the patterns depicting figures from Nepalese history and religion. • The kukris were used for ceremonies and gifts to mark respect and appreciation: Nepalese bridegrooms often wore them and high ranking army officers were presented with one on leaving a regiment. • The gift of a Kothimora kukri was a mark of rare distinction and a great honour for Hounslow; the family of Mr Lachimann Gurung VC, with the kind assistance of the Brigade of Gurkhas, had paid the Borough great respect by making the gift and he was sure that the Council would treasure it always, along with the memory of the great man. • He concluded by reminding Members of the old British tradition that, to prevent the gift of a knife leading to the cutting of the ties of friendship, a small coin should always be handed to the donor in token of payment in order to avert this. So, at the point of presentation, the Mayor would hand to Miss Amrita Gurung a silver fourpence coin from the reign of George VI, the King in whose army her grandfather had fought, as a token that the friendship would endure. Miss Amrita Gurung then addressed Members of the Council and made the following statement: “Please accept this Kothimora kukri as a mark of the distinction which the London Borough of Hounslow has gained with my family, with the Brigade of Gurkhas and with Nepalese everywhere. My grandfather was old and suffered as a result of his wounds. This Borough helped him get the benefits he was entitled to, found him a comfortable house and above all honoured him. Honour, respect and dignity are the only price proud people like my grandfather ask for their great service. Hounslow has been very willing, in his life, and at his death, to pay that price. In honouring Lachimann Gurung VC, you honour the service of all Gurkha soldiers. This Kothimora kukri is a symbol of our appreciation of all you have done.” She concluded her statement with a Nepalese blessing on those present. She then presented Councillor Colin Ellar, as Mayor of the Borough, with the Kothimora kukri who accepted it and in return gave Miss Gurung a silver fourpence. Members showed their appreciation with a round of applause. The Mayor then thanked Miss Gurung, her family and the Brigade of Gurkhas and acknowledged the great honour that they had bestowed on the Borough. He was delighted to have been able to accept the blade on behalf of the Borough and its residents and affirmed the Council’s wish to retain the friendship between it and the Gurkha community. He wished them happiness and peace and stated that the Kothimora kukri would undoubtedly become one of the prize items of the Borough’s collection. Members again showed their appreciation with a round of applause. Councillor Jagdish Sharma, the Leader of the Council, advised that he, on behalf of all those present, wished to express his sincere appreciation for the beautiful gift of the Kothimora kukri. He praised Councillor Lynch for helping to develop such close ties between the Council and the Gurkha community. He also expressed delight at Members unanimously conferring the freedom of the Borough of Mr Gurung VC and Mr Pun VC for their lifelong efforts in both war and peace. He knew that all Members were proud that two such distinguished men had come 2 to live in Hounslow and even though they had now both passed away, the Borough would help support their families and community. He wished them and the army in general the best wishes and support of the Council, particularly given the difficult circumstances currently being faced by its servicemen across the world. He concluded by thanking Miss Gurung, her family and Major Rai. Members again showed their appreciation with a round of applause. The Mayor then advised Members of the sad news of the death of the Borough’s other Gurkha holder of the Victoria Cross, Mr Tul Bahadur Pun, who passed away in Nepal in April at the age of eighty-eight. On behalf of the Council and the residents of the London Borough of Hounslow, he expressed his deepest sympathies to all of Mr Pun’s family and friends. He then reminded those present that Mr Pun was a distinguished resident of the Borough and served this country with honour, being awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. On 23rd June 1944, during an attack on the railway bridge, at Mogaung, in Burma, a section of one of the platoons was wiped out with the exception of Rifleman Tul Bahadur Pun, his section commander and one other. The section commander immediately led a charge on the enemy position but was at once badly wounded, as was the third man. Rifleman Pun, armed with a Bren gun, continued the charge alone in the face of shattering fire and reaching the position, captured two light machine-guns and much ammunition. He then gave accurate supporting fire, enabling the rest of his platoon to reach their objective. He went on to achieve the rank of Honorary Lieutenant, and in addition to the Victoria Cross, Mr Pun was awarded ten other medals, including the Burma Star, which was a remarkable achievement. The Mayor declared that he would be greatly missed by his friends, family and all in the Borough, including the Council. The Mayor invited Mr Dharma Tamang, a close friend of Mr Pun, to say a few words of remembrance. Mr Tamang expressed great sadness at having to tell Members of the death of Mr Pun who he described as “that legend, our brave man, our war hero”. He declared Mr Pun to be a “very great man” and stressed that he would be missed, as both the late Victoria Cross holders would be missed. He went on to describe Mr Pun’s bravery both in the war, as a decorated hero, but also in the subsequent peacetime right up to the recent fight to ensure that Gurkha soldiers and their families could settle peacefully in the United Kingdom, the country for which they had fought. He thanked the British People and Ms Joanna Lumley, who had helped lead the campaign, for their continued support. Mr Tamang recalled the last words he had shared with Mr Pun before the latter left for what was to be his final visit to his homeland of Nepal and how he had sensed that he might pass away when abroad. Mr Tamang concluded by stating that Mr Pun’s wife was still in Nepal but on her return he would advise the Council and he hoped that it would be possible to have a day of memorial. Members showed their support with a round of applause. Members then stood in silent tribute for one minute. 3 3. The Election of Mayor and Appointment of the Deputy Mayor Councillor Gurmail Lal proposed a motion that Councillor Amrit Mann be elected as Mayor for the London Borough of Hounslow for the Municipal Year 2011/12.

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