CALDERDALE – A man from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan took the oath of Mayorship on May 19 to become the first Malaysian-born Mayor of Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England.
Councillor Chris Pillai JP (Thiruvenkatar Krishnapillai JP), who loves durian and relishes Malaysian dishes, took the chain and robes of the Mayor’s Office for the Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire in a ceremony held at the Halifax Minster due to the local Covid-19 rules.
Pillai was to take on the district Mayorship post back in May last year but could only carry out his duties as Mayor-Elect until now due to the pandemic.
“I feel very honoured and privileged to be elected as the first non-English Malaysian Mayor of this historic town of West Yorkshire and would wish to carry out my duties in the best possible way to serve the Calderdale community,” said Pillai.
Pillai’s father was a Senior Anti-Malarial Inspector in the then Malayan Railways, so the family moved around Malaysia every few years. He started his early education in Methodist (ACS) Ipoh (1958-1960), followed by Methodist (ACS) Seremban (1961-1966), and finished up in Methodist Boy’s School Kuala Lumpur (1966-1970).
Finally, the family moved back and settled in Seremban, where they felt most at home. Pillai left Malaysia to train as a nurse in London, England, in 1971.
“I applied to train as a nurse in England, with an open mind that I would accept any offer that comes my way. But, instead, I was truly blessed to be accepted by the world-famous Moorfields Eye Hospital in London,” he said.
Since then, Pillai has held many roles within the healthcare sector; senior nurse at Greenwich Area Health Authority, London (1984-1988), director/partner of Ivy House Nursing and Residential Home, Brighouse (1989-2004), and non-executive director at South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust (2002-2006).
He entered public office as a councillor of Calderdale Council in May 2011, having worked for the Conservative Party since 1989. Pillai was Calderdale Council’s Deputy Mayor to Mayor Marcus Thompson (2018-2019) and Mayor Dot Foster (2019-2021). As Deputy Mayor of Calderdale with his wife Beverley as his consort, Pillai and wife attended more than 70 civic occasions in their own right.
Pillai is also the Chairman of the Augustinians Cricket Club in West Yorkshire. The club has been through vast reform since Cllr. Pillai took over as Chairman.
He managed to relocate the club from Huddersfield, Kirklees, to a new location in Rastrick, Calderdale. He negotiated a 30-year lease on a 14-acre site and successfully raised £80,000 (about RM467,015) from various grants to develop the club. Augustinians are now a member of The Halifax Cricket League, playing in their 7th season this year.
Pillai has always had a keen interest in social, community, and health development. This interest was fully supported by his late parents, Mr and Mrs Krishnapillai. Though not in the same country, they never failed to encourage him from miles away.
Mayoress Beverley Pillai has been by Pillai’s side for more than 26 years. She has been his pillar of strength throughout his community health and public office journey. English-born Beverley is also a nurse at the local Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. They have three boys – James, Jonathan, and George.
The family occasionally return to Seremban for holidays and to meet with friends and family.
Calderdale is located about 300km northeast of London. – The Vibes, June 2, 2021
