27 Nov 2008
People often say that we have no heroes in this country - well we know today that that isn’t true.
Hounslow can lay claim to the unique honour of being the only authority in the country to be home to two living Victoria Cross holders.
Lachhiman Gurung VC has joined Tul Bahadur Pun VC in making his home in the borough. He was officially welcomed at a ceremony in the council chamber by the mayor, Cllr Genevieve Hibbs, and myself earlier today.
We certainly do mistake celebrities for heroes - we are a society of celebrity worshipers, voyeurs of the rich and famous. We are infatuated by celebrities. We idolise them. We grovel in their presence. We try to look and be like them.
To most of us, who you are and know is much more important than what you do or stand for.
It is an honour and source of great pride for the London Borough of Hounslow to have living here real heroes. Men who have truly displayed in words used to describe the awarding of the VC that you wear with pride…"most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.”
Men who have demonstrated courage, vision, and character-selfless character.
Why do we need heroes - today more than ever?
Because we all seek someone beyond ourselves to tell us when and how high to jump. Better to model ourselves on people worthy of respect than to the many charlatans who prey on us.
Because we need people of dignity and virtue who will remind us of what makes life worth living.
Because in these cynical and disillusioned times we need public figures who we can trust.
When Martin Luther King was asked once what made a person great, he said that the truly great people, the ones who were important to the world were those who served others not those who tried to become more powerful than others.
Ultimately heroes make us mere mortals want to be better. As someone once observed: "Great men exist that there may be greater men."
Would that we could find among us someone who is up to this great task. There's an empty pedestal waiting to be mounted.
Lachhiman Gurung VC is now living in a borough of over quarter of a million people and I know that every one of them will be proud to have him living here. One of the strengths of this borough is that we have people from all over the world who have made Hounslow their home and I am sure that his small but industrious community will contribute to creating with a us a stronger and more united London Borough of Hounslow.
May I just say in conclusion, that as leader of the Hounslow Council how proud I am that these heroes have decided to make our borough their home.
Cllr Peter Thompson
Leader
London Borough of Hounslow
