Appreciating Strangers

In 1984, the British broadcaster Michael Winner decided to act upon the fact that in the UK there were no memorials for police men or women who were killed in the line of duty.

Winner was bemused by the fact that there were memorials for the war dead, for fire-fighters who had died serving the community and for many other sectors of society. However, there were no memorials for members of the police who were killed serving the community.

Over the next 10 years, this campaigning led to 34 of these memorials being unveiled in the UK.

Last year, another memorial was opened by the Queen on the Mall in London, which is where the war-dead and other heroes are honoured.

Michael Winner’s ambition was to see that individuals who were often putting themselves at risk to protect the general public were acknowledged as heroes. Which members of society do you feel deserve to be honoured in the same way?

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, it is appropriate to not just be grateful for those who you know and love. It is also important to appreciate and acknowledge the strangers who often go to great risks to ensure that our town, our country and our world is a safer place to live in.