How delighted I was to be invited as a guest to the annual St Edmundsbury Borough Council mayor making ceremony at the Apex in Bury St Edmunds this week, writes Andy Abbott.

A true town legend, Patrick Chung was installed as the 42nd mayor in a ceremony I remember covering year after year from the very first mayor of the borough, Colin Winsor, in 1974, a year after I first started my journey in photo-journalism.

I clearly remember every incumbent and how I would follow them around events and civic pomp and ceremony during their year in office, chaperoned over the decades by Doug Linton and then the imperious Joy Childs.

Working in my home town it was important to form a trust and rapport with the civic leaders and that would enable me to get fun and imaginative images of them going about their duties. Believe me, the album we used to present them as a mayoral memento of their elected term was always amusing with memorable moments captured for posterity.

So what a great honour for Patrick yesterday, one of the town’s true gentlemen and a hard-working town and borough councillor known and respected by all. We will have some extraordinary photo opportunities over the next 12 months.