When Mohd Aris Ahmad, Helen Chuah and Thiruvenkatar Krishnapillai left the country in pursuit of work and education, it never once crossed their minds that their journey would take them to the halls of fame and the pages of history of their adopted land.
Aris, later a Datuk, left Johor in 1957, while Chuah, from Penang, and Pillai, from Seremban, left in 1971 to do nursing in the United Kingdom.
Interestingly, all three had many traits in common — a keen interest in the social welfare of the community, the ability to adapt, integrate and assimilate, and the spirit of giving back and serving the society they live in.
These are the qualities that saw them on their shared journey to don the robe and chain that made them mayor of their own borough, its first citizen and the choice of their electorates.
On May 19, the appointment of Councillor Krishnapillai, 70, or better known as Chris Pillai, made headlines in the UK as well as back home as the first Mal-aysian mayor of Calderdale, a borough in West Yorkshire, 300km northeast of London.
On May 18, 2011, at the Moot Hall in Colchester's Town Hall, I was there to witness Chuah, then 61, donning her mayoral robe over her Kebaya Nyonya and giving part of her acceptance speech in Malay.
It was indeed a historic event for the Roman city, as Colchester's 1,636th mayor from the Liberal Democrat Party was the first from outside of the country.
Chuah had served as mayoress when her partner, Michael Hogg, was mayor in 2001.
Her appointment came 22 years after Aris donned his robe during a ceremony at the town hall of Winsford, where he took the oath as mayor.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that he could very well be the first from Malaysia to be appointed for such an office in the West.
Aris was then 55. He died in 1994 at the age of 61.
It would also be fair to say that the acceptance and recognition they were shown by the community they lived in were a testimony to their hard work and dedication.
In the words of the late Aris in a magazine interview: "... There is no short cut to success."
Having worked in the jungles alongside British soldiers fighting the communists, Aris came to England where, according to newspaper reports, he worked as a clerk, drove lorryloads of sand, and sat his O and A levels, which then led him to the University of Manchester.
He then became involved in the trade union and later stood in the local council elections for the Labour Party in 1983 and won. He won again in the 1987 elections, and in 1989, was made the mayor of Winsford.
Aris' road to the town hall and to the hearts of the people would sound familiar to the newly elected Councillor Pillai.
Before going into politics, Pillai held many roles in the healthcare sector at hospitals in and around London.
He owned and managed nursing homes and was the non-executive director at South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust.
Working for the Conservative Party, he entered public office as a councillor of Calderdale Council in 2011.
In an interview via Zoom, Pillai detailed his work, which involves charity organisations and community work.
"Having been a deputy mayor a few years ago, I have some knowledge of what happens and what I have let myself in for," said Pillai, whose diary is almost packed with fundraising events, agricultural shows and the Mayor's Ball, to name a few — Covid-19 permitting, of course.
Together with his wife Beverley, the couple have three children. He was also a magistrate in the courts in Bradford and Halifax.
He said he is proud to still have his Malaysian passport.
"Being a Commonwealth citizen, I am entitled to do what a UK citizen does. I do not see the necessity to change my citizenship. Under Commonwealth regulations, I can stand for elections in the UK at any level, including as a member of parliament if I so wish, but I have reached my pinnacle, I think, as the mayor of Calder-dale."
Like Aris and Chua, Pillai can testify to being recognised on the strength of merit alone. There was certainly no question of colour or religion.
Pillai is keen to promote Malaysia to Calderdale and show them how rich Malaysian culture is and how delicious and diverse the food is.
He has invited Malaysians to visit the borough, which is rich in history, while he is still the mayor there.