PERSONALVIEWS
HUMBLEBEGINNINGS
Born in the now popular Galle Fort, Mayor Ismail lost his father at the tender age of nine, and had the onus of caring for his widowed mother and siblings on his young shoulders, he said. Educated at St. Aloysius College, Galle he later transferred to Zahira College Colombo, a fee levying school. "I didn't have enough money for my studies and lodging so I had to get a part time job which I did, at the Zahira College evening school for a mere Rs.30 per month - with that I managed to cover a part of my expen- ses. Later I procured a job at the Department of Government Electrical Undertaking (DGEU) which is now the Ceylon Electricity Board as an apprentice and then a technical officer. While working there, I banded a few of my colleagues and formed a trade union - the Department of Government Electrical Undertaking Technical Officers' Union (DGEUTOU) and I was made the first secretary of that union," the Mayor said with a smile.
IN SEARCH OF GREENER PASTURES AND POLITICAL CAREERINTHEUK
In 1961 I proceeded to the United Kingdom, much to the consternation of my mother," the Mayor said. "I continued my studies in the UK and joined British Telecom (BT) as an engineer where I worked for 25 years and then in the Royal Air Force where i got a commendation from the Air Vice Marshal for my ten years of service.
While at BT he became a member of the Labour Party, the Mayor said. Having worked hard for the Labour Party he decided to contest the Belmont Ward in 1998, which he lost, but without giving up, he decided to contest the next election due in four years. To consolidate his position he became a member of the governing body of a school, thereby gaining popularity among parents, teachers and the community, and so he won that Ward in 2002, and successively again in 2006 and 2010.
In 2011, he put in his nomination for the position of Deputy Mayor and his fellow Councillors voted him in, he said. "Usually there is no election for the position of Mayor, if you are Deputy Mayor you automatically become Mayor, the next year," he explained.
SOMEHIGHLIGHTSINTHE ROLEOFMAYOR
Commenting on the diversity that is the London Borough of Harrow, Mayor Ismail said there were 229,000 people from some 137 countries residing therein and 70 languages were spoken on the streets.
It was a challenging year, with Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics being held, of which he was fortunate to be a part of during his term.
"My last engagement was that of delivering birthday greetings from Her Majesty to a lady in the borough who turned a hundred.8221¡±
As Mayor, he said he was also re- quired to preside at the oath-taking ceremonies of residents of the borough who sought British citizenship. "It is so ironic that Sri Lankans who become citizens of Britain have to take their oaths before a Mayor of Sri Lankan origin in a London Borough," he quipped.
All incoming Mayors had to nominate a charity, and Councillor Ismail nominated ‘Age UK Harrow’ with the intent of assisting the senior citizens of Harrow.
"There are 20 Muslim organisations in the Borough of Harrow, which I had united under one umbrella," Mayor Ismail said. 8220¡°What we achieved, by diverting their 22,000 votes in favour of the Labour Party, and winning the election was the extension of burial facilities in the borough to seven days a week, which was not the case before.
"My election as the Mayor of Harrow and First Citizen second only to Her Majesty the Queen in my borough is not just a personal achievement. It projects the image of my birth-place - the Galle Fort, the community I represent - the people of Harrow, and the community I belong to - that's all of you present here today" the Mayor reiterated.
"Whether I contest the next election in 2014 depends on my wife Zahafaran who as been an encouragement and support to me at all times," he said, directing an affectionate glance at his life-partner following the proceedings of the evening.
The Mayor concluded with a quote by H. W. Longfellow as an inspiration to future generations.
'Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night.'