Mayor of Medway

HE grew up as a child refugee in south London, life was tough, his mother was his pillar of strength and now he is the new Mayor of Medway.

Douglas Hamandishe was born here in Zimbabwe but his family moved to the United Kingdom as refugees during the liberation war. Now, the 51-year-old has risen to become the mayor of Medway in Kent in South East England. But, he still remembers the challenges he faced while growing up.

He will be mayor until, at least, May next year. He grew up in Thornton Heath, south London, as a child refugee with his three sisters.

“Times were hard. We survived courtesy of charity shops, hand-me-downs, and the good faith of the British public.

“Every other Saturday, my mother would go to St Andrew’s Church jumble sale and would come back with black plastic bags with clothes, toys and books.

“As she distributed the clothes to us, my mother would require just two things: our gratitude and the answer to the question —‘Does it fit?’

“Today, I find myself in a somewhat elevated position, wearing the ultimate hand-me-down from all the previous mayors. I don’t take that lightly at all.”

He is a nurse and he says among the first things to be considered, when a patient is admitted, is how to get them ready to be discharged.

Because of this, he had already considered how he would like Medway to be when he leaves the post next May.

“When I hand back this chain, Medway must be stronger, more unified, and ready for what comes next.”

But, he added, there were aspects of the Towns — Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham —who collectively are called the Medway Towns, which needed to be acknowledged and challenged, including health inequalities and deprivation.

Hamandishe is also an author and, just as well, he will be mayor of a municipality which has strong links to one of the finest of all-time, Charles Dickens.

In his classic novel, Great Expectations, Magwitch looms from the Medway mud to accost a young Pip Pirrip in the start of an adventure which is the soul of the book.

Cllr Hamandishe’s chosen charities are Wisdom Hospice, Chatham Royal Marines’ Cadets, and The Sunlight Development Trust, which runs the Sunlight Centre in Gillingham.

He will also support The Legend on the Bench, an organisation which installs benches in public parks with information on how to get support in dealing with suicidal thoughts and mental health issues.

Cllr Hamandishe, who represents Gillingham North ward, said every park in the Towns should have at least one of these benches.

He is the 79th Mayor of Medway, stepping into a chain of office older than most countries.

For the Zimbabwe-born Councillor, this wasn’t just a ceremonial milestone — it was a chance to deliver the speech he wished his younger self could have heard.

Hamandishe’s inauguration speech struck a different note from typical political addresses.

He described the mayoralty as “one of the few roles left where the work happens face to face — in living rooms, hospices, school halls, on doorsteps and in church basements.

“Not in press releases. Not in soundbites.”

It’s a fitting philosophy for a man who spent over 20 years as a mental health nurse before entering local politics.

That background shapes his approach: public service as direct, human contact, not distant administration.

Hamandishe laid out three promises for his mayoral term:

1. To acknowledge the people doing the work in Medway.
2. To amplify their efforts.
3. To connect them, so “no charity stands alone, and no volunteer feels unseen.”

He’s also made it clear this isn’t a solo mission.

Deputy Mayor Sharon Jackson, who he calls “a beacon of unfiltered love,” will serve alongside him. Young photographer Isabel will document the journey.

Cllr Hamandishe doesn’t see politics as a career path.

“Public service is not a career, it’s a calling,” he wrote on Facebook.

Before becoming a councillor for Gillingham North in the May 2025 elections, he built a varied career as a mental health nurse, podcast host, influencer, and advocate for using technology to improve public services.

That mix of frontline experience and digital communication has made him one of Medway’s more visible new councillors.

“It is the honour of a lifetime to represent the community of Medway as Mayor for the next year.

“Medway is home to amazing people, has hugely significant heritage sites and a flourishing cultural and arts scene — and I am excited to promote and highlight all of this during my year as Mayor.” —H-Metro Reporter/havoklive.com/kentonline.com