Davinder Dhillon

Davinder Dhillon

Davinder has lived in Brighton and Hove since 1973. He manages a Special Educational Needs unit at Dorothy Stringer School, for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.

Davinder DhillonHow do you relax?

I play sports. I play hockey at the weekend and squash during the week.

What would you change about Brighton and Hove?

Very hard to say really. I think sometimes it gets a little dirty with litter and sometimes in the evenings, some people act inappropriately because of alcohol and possibly drugs. This concern is not necessarily confined to Brighton per se. I think that’s a cultural phenomena rather than peculiar to Brighton.

Public transport in Brighton I feel needs to be improved. As parking is very difficult in town, this is essential.

What living person do you most admire?

Right now it’s got to be Nelson Mandela. Many people have given him great plaudits. All I can say is that I admire him for the way he came through: his fight for freedom, the prison years, his forgiveness and his presence. I think he’s a wonderful role model for Africa and the world.

He comes from a long line of distinguished people, like Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King. He is as great as them. In fact he’s a kind of living saint, he’s inspired so many people and he’s an example to generations, cross-cultural and cross political. I would love to meet him before I die.

What are you proud of?

I’m really proud of my family, that’s very important to me and I’m proud of what I have achieved professionally. I’m proud of my role in increasing the profile of the Indian soldiers who fought during the First World War.