00:00The first meeting of the County Council today, which has been called for the purpose of considering the granting of
00:05the freedom of the county to the Brigade of Gurkos.
00:07Not your average meeting in the Kent County Council Chamber, as the British Army's Brigade of Gurkos were granted the
00:13Freedom of Kent,
00:14a civic honour in recognition of their 216 year service to the country, supported enthusiastically by all parties alike.
00:24And very welcome they are here in County Hall and in Kent.
00:28There are so many who have made their homes in Maidstone and Folkestone, even after their service is included.
00:34There remains a thriving Nepalese community in Canterbury, particularly in my division.
00:40I'm absolutely delighted to be in the door of this motion.
00:43The county is home to two Gurkha battalions, an air assault infantry unit in Folkestone,
00:49while the Queen's Gurkha engineers are at Maidstone's Invicta Park barracks.
00:53And Kent has a well-established Nepalese community, particularly in these two towns.
00:59They are fearsome, they are courageous, they are supremely loyal.
01:03And it's not just about the soldiering, it's about their families, of course, as well, who come over when they
01:07serve with the British Army.
01:08They come here and they live in Kent.
01:10They live in Maidstone and Folkestone.
01:12And they are a wonderful part of the local community.
01:14And we wanted to really recognise their service to the British Armed Forces and the fact they have fought and
01:19died for this country.
01:21It's also been common to be a third-generation Gurkha.
01:26And it means absolutely everything to me.
01:30The award doesn't grant any special privileges or monetary rewards,
01:34but does manage to shine a light on centuries of service to the British Crown.
01:39It's really important to me and to the brigade of Gurkhas itself,
01:43but ultimately what's really important is, as you're right to point out,
01:46to the two Gurkha majors that were with us.
01:48These are people who have come to Kent, come to the United Kingdom, over 30 years ago,
01:53and they've made their home here.
01:55And they're the people that it really matters.
01:57They're the people that it's really touched.
01:58And they, as you saw from the speeches today, are truly gateful on behalf of the community.
02:02And the promise of more camaraderie to come.
02:05From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your friendship, for your trust.
02:12I'm continuing on with this support.
02:14I never thank you.
02:16Megan Shaw, in mid-stair.
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