?Town has lost a true friend?

TRIBUTES have been paid to three times mayor of Tavistock Ken Sanders who died last Saturday. Current mayor of Tavistock Jenny Metcalf said Mr Sanders, 68, was a very caring man who was so proud of the town he lived in. ?Ken had a very caring attitude as a town councillor and as a mayor ?Tavistock was his brief and he loved everything about it,? she said. Cllr Ted Sherrell, who also served on the town council with Mr Sanders, a former vet, said he was deeply committed to his community. ?He brought to everything in which he was involved, knowledge, tolerance, wisdom and integrity. He was an innovator, a positive thinker and a natural leader ? Tavistock has lost a true friend.? A town councillor of 16 years, Mr Sanders? third stint as mayor in 2002 was curtailed through ill health. He suffered many years of health problems and had a triple heart bypass in 1987. Chris Warren from Westmoor Veterinary Practice said Mr Sanders had been associated with the practice for 40 years. ?We all admired his determination and courage at sticking with his job when he was suffering from health problems,? he said. ?He was known as a good and safe clinician but also earned respect for his personal attention to his duty to keep his patients and clients happy.? Ken Sanders was born and bred in Lapford, mid Devon and qualified in veterinary science from Bristol University in 1960. He was chairman of various national and West Country veterinary associations, including the British Veterinary Association but his continued ill health forced him from national to local politics in the late 1980s. He was a founder member of the Tavistock Business Association and held positions in the tennis club, Rotary Club and twinning association. He loved rugby, travel, classical music, good wine and, above all, his family. His various achievements on the town council included upgrading and retaining services at the hospital, upgrading the children?s play area and securing EU funding for lighting the Meadows. Funeral arrangements had yet to be made as the TImes went to press.