Today at St James we hosted a service of thanksgiving for his life attended by the Mayor of Southwark, current and past councillors, the President of the Liberal Democrats, Baroness Brinton, Sir Simon Hughes, Lord Rennard and many of George's family and friends.
We sung some fine hymns - six in all - and heard the familiar words of John 14.1-6, on which Revd Katy Hacker Hughes, family friend and vicar of St Paul's Lorrimore Square, based her sermon.
What came over most strongly from the tributes to George was that he was a man of love and compassion, and a true servant of local people. He embodied the idea of civic responsibility as he worked for the people of Bermondsey.George was a convinced internationalist and a convinced European, too. It was fitting that the service ended with the South African national anthem, in view of George's long term opposition to Apartheid, and his late wife's country of origin.
After the service, George and Sandra's ashes were strewn in St James's Garden of Remembrance, a trumpeter from City Hope Church played, and we all sang the great Liberal anthem 'The Land' : The land, the land, twas God who made the land/the land, the land, the ground on which we stand/Why should we be beggars with the ballot in our hand?/God gave the land to the people.
The best line of all is the last but one: 'why should we be beggars with the ballot in our hand.'
Thank God for the day when the working people of Bermondsey gained the right to vote and thank God for the men like George they were able to elect when they had the ballot in their hands.
After the service the Mayor of Southwark placed a memorial plaque to George and Sandra on the memorial board on the church narthex. She spoke warmly of George and the spirit of civic service which guided him in his life.
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| The Mayor with Councillors Eliza and Hamish |
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