Bob Rush, chairman, Monega Area Resident’s Association, writes:
I received the horrendous news about the fatal stabbing of MP Sir David Amess with disbelief.
That such a nice man should die this way brought back awful memories of what happened to our own MP Stephen Timms. Thankfully, we still have our “good guy”, unlike the folk in Southend who’ve lost theirs.
It is well documented that David Amess was born in Newham, and went to school in Newham.
But there is another connection, and that is that both he and I were volunteers on the patients broadcasting system at St Andrew’s Hospital way back in 1976. I subsequently met David when he took up the issue of this aspect of patient care and recovery at national meetings and he always remembered me.
More latterly I wrote congratulating him on his sensible and powerful speech given on the plight of British fishermen under EU legislation.
Nicknamed Basildon Man, or Essex Man (after his election winning performances) he always remained approachable and I frequently thought it would be a nice idea to invite him back to Newham and to be guest speaker at one of our community meetings.
Just two days before his murder I had started to draft the invitation… sadly this letter will now never be sent.
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