When I contacted the Stamford Mercury, last November, to see how Britainís oldest newspaper was put together, I never thought they would ask me as part of my one-day visit to interview a ?famous? compatriot and prominent member of the local community. Though settled in the UK for nearly 40 years, Harrish Bisnauthsing feels close to Mauritius. He came here two years ago after 37 yearsí absence and was quite amazed at the changes in the country, especially in his home village, Brisée-Verdiere, but he was also struck by the challenges it has faced up to.

Harris left Mauritius in the late 60ís like many other young people because jobs were scarce. He studied electronics and worked as Radar Systems Engineer for the Royal Air Force for 12 years. He then joined a big IT company as an engineer and he travels all over the UK repairing big computer systems for large companies like Tesco.

Married and father of four grown-up children, Harris has been a local municipal councillor since 1987 and was the mayor of Stamford in 2002-03. His interest in politics dates from his youth in Brisée-Verdiere when he used to give free tuition to schoolchildren.

<B>Concerned about the environment</B>

Apart from his political involvement, Harris is a trained counsellor and works as a psychotherapist. Most of his free time is spent in agencies like Home Start, that helps single mothers in distress, Victim Support, that counsels victims of rape, abuse and battering, Parents? Line and Family 2000, that deal with difficult children and family therapy.

After he visited Mauritius in 2002, he thought he had to do something to help the less fortunate here. He made an appeal in his town for wheelchairs, gas heaters and pushchairs. Through the Mauritius Disability Link and a Port-Louis municipal councillor, Kader Hossenally, 16 wheelchairs, including two electric ones, have already been dispatched to Mauritius and handed over to institutions in the capital.

His appeal for 2005, following a visit to Mauritius just before Christmas, is for educational toys and funds to buy equipment for disabled children and walking aids for the elderly. He has already arranged with Air Mauritius for free freight. What impressed him most during this visit was the increase in the number of households that now have a computer. His big concern, however, is the local environment. He thinks the authorities should do more to ?keep our beautiful island... beautiful?.

Harris speaks of Mauritius with nostalgia. His father still lives in Brisée-Verdière and he would like to return home when he retires in a few years to ?do something for his village and his country?. But the question I asked him was: Can you really settle back after living 40 years in a country where you feel most ?at home??