It was very kind of Councillor Iain Dysart to take the trouble to write his tribute to Councillor Gam Gurung, who has sadly passed away.

Gam was a gentle man who exemplified the very highest standards of public service in Merton (as does Iain) and who is remembered by his friends as a modest and unassuming representative of our community in Colliers Wood.

He made relatively few public speeches, but instead worked tirelessly on behalf of local people, and was the chairman and founder of the South London Nepalese Gurkha Association, where he most famously worked alongside Joanna Lumley to obtain citizenship for Gurkha soldiers.

Iain also supported that campaign, which he forgot to mention in his letter (so did Rupert Murdoch, lest we forget).

Gam realised his dream against a background of infantile politics that many people with moral codes now find highly embarrassing, and should.

It was Mission Impossible from day one, but Gam did it anyway because everybody from the media who met him immediately liked him.

Michael Barltrop, Via email