May I be permitted to use your forum to mention Wan Hassan Wan Bulat - a Malaysian entrepreneur original who passed away on July 4 in Kuala Lumpur.

Born in Perlis, Wan Hassan made his way to London in the 60s and in a career full of ups and downs, rose to be the first Malaysian chartered flight operator (and reputedly sterling millionaire) long before the likes of Freddie Laker, Richard Branson and, of course, our own Tony Fernandes.

It was all the more remarkable because this was achieved long before the advent of NEP - in other words on a level playing field and in a foreign land .

He once told me (and this can be confirmed by his other friends in the business) that a very young Mahathir Mohamad once wrote to him inquiring on the possibility of becoming an agent in his burgeoning airline business.

Everybody who is anybody in London knows Wan Hassan - the rich and the famous to the poor and the dispossessed (many of the latter have squatted in his Bayswater flat).

He has often been mistaken for Lorrain Esme Osman for his close likeness with the man so much so, with his usual quick wit, he would say, 'That's my brother'.

I would welcome stories from friends of this man among malaysiakini readers.

As a starter, my favourite story as told to me was the time he worked as a night shift porter in a hotel in Picaddily Circus. In the nights, he noticed that a piece of land near there was always empty.

He also noticed that cars were always looking for parking spaces in this part of a somewhat decadent Soho. Without as much as an 'excuse me', he planted himself at the entrance of this vacant plot and waved cars in for a fee.

Pure Jaga-Kereta mentality but with a first-world spin.

He collected - I don't know how much - until a few months later (this was in the 60s at the height of the Kray Twins), two very smartly dressed white gentleman drove into 'his car-park' and asked him what was he doing there.

He replied in true Malaysian fashion with all the correct balance of verve and politeness.

'Sir, I'm just taking care of the space from layabouts and the like.'

To which the two gentlemen replied: 'We will give you one month - then you will have to move on.'

And move on in the world he certainly did!