Minutes:
It was moved by Councillor Chris Mullins and seconded by Councillor Lunnon
RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY
That, in pursuance of Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Council do admit BRIAN JAMES QUINN to be an Honorary Freeman and Honorary Alderman of the Borough of Crawley, the most honourable distinctions which it is the privilege of the Council to bestow in appreciation and acknowledgement of the eminent services rendered by him to the Borough Council as a from 1998 until 2019, as Mayor of the Borough in 2003/04 and 2017/18 and a West Sussex County Councillor from 2013 until the present day, past Committee Member and Chairman of Broadfield Pages Community Centre, School Governor at Seymour School from 2004 to 2013, Trustee at Crawley Museum from 2008 to 2013, Chairman of the Sarah Robinson Education Foundation from 2011 until the present day, President of Crawley Judo Club from 2008 to 2019, Chairman of Crawley & District Royal British Legion member since 1968 and Chairman for 2011/2012 and as an expression of the high esteem in which he is held by the Mayor, the Council and the people of the Town.
As well as Councillor Chris Mullins and Councillor Lunnon, Councillors Lanzer, Burgess and Rana also paid tribute to Brian Quinn.
With the motion having been duly carried, Brian Quinn thereupon signed the Rolls of Honorary Freeman and Honorary Alderman, with his signatures being attested by the Mayor and the Chief Executive.
On behalf of the Council and the people of Crawley, the Mayor then conveyed her congratulations to Brian Quinn, and presented to him a badge and a scroll recording his admission as an Honorary Freeman and Honorary Alderman.
Brian Quinn then addressed the Council and the assembled guests and expressed his thanks for being honoured in this way. A copy of his speech can be found below:
Good evening your worshipful the Mayor of Crawley, Chief Exec, Leader, distinguished guests, friends and family and obviously a special good evening to our honourable MP for Crawley, Peter Lamb. Thank you. And very nice here tonight to see the Chair of West Sussex attending here tonight. Thank you, Pieter, for coming it’s very kind of you.
Well, I was going to say I stand here tonight, very humble, very humble indeed and very proud. Let's start with the humble, as Chris Mullins said, where I come from in Ireland it is a small village in the Midlands where I grew up until about 20 years of age, it didn't even have a pub in the village. Chris, there be no good to you, would it? No good at all, because there was my local school and the Catholic Church. But there was a lot of happy memories there and I do return to Ireland quite often, as this is where I feel proud.
When I arrived in this great town as a 20-year-old, never did I think that would be a Crawley borough councillor for over 20 years, let alone to be mayor of this town on two occasions. And I stand here tonight to be awarded this prestigious award is much more than I ever expected and to follow in the steps of the late Alderman Jim Smith, Bert Crane and Alan Quine I am truly honoured.
May I thank Chris Mullins for proposing me tonight and also to Tim Lunnon for seconded me, as well as the other speakers. May I thank all the speakers who spoke so kindly of me tonight it was very kind of you. Can I thank the residents of Broadfield for their wonderful support as without them I would not have been their councillor for all these years and most of all, my wife Susan and my two daughters for supporting me for all these years, it has been a privilege and an honour to serve this great town. Thank you.