C. Samarasinghe:
He excelled in whatever he did
It is with a touch of sadness that I write this appreciation of our very close schoolmate whose father was very close to mine when his father was practising as a lawyer in Matara while my father was in the Excise Department.
Due to their friendship, my father used to visit his father and family at Weligama, Pelana and the family was well-known with the eldest being Wilmot and the next Chandra, Wickramapala and Chandana.
We knew each other as children. Chandana unfortunately had been a victim of polio. All four brothers were boarded at Richmond College. Chandana was a good example of perseverance, dedication and hard work and a man who was always content with what he had and he achieved great success despite his disability.
He was a good example not only to all Richmondites but to everyone who knew him. He tried to do his best in the circumstances being a victim of polio. Everyone in the school including Principal E. R. de Silva, Vice Principal Shelton Werasinghe and the teachers had great respect for him because of his endeavours to achieve professionalism and meet challenges despite the fact that he had a disability. He excelled in athletics in high jump. As far as I remember he came second at the Southern Province meet. He played cricket for Richmond which was greatly admirable. He was a prefect in school and displayed a sense of calmness, humility and commanded great respect from the students and teachers alike.
He entered university and qualified as a chemist and thereafter joined CIC Paints where he worked with commitment. I recall a certain incident when there was a strike at CIC while he was working at Nawala and they had even tried to use force on the management.
But he stood firm fearlessly and fought internal violence.
He married Sherine and migrated to Melbourne, Australia and they had a daughter by the name of Natasha. With all his disabilities he was very cheerful and was fun loving with a great sense of humor. To me he was a very sincere and good friend who never spoke ill of anyone but always spoke well of people and was very generous in helping Richmondities and friends who were not so well off.
I recall an incident where he used to very generously help a friend whenever he requested for financial assistance or even clothes. He never missed our Richmond 60 Club get together whenever he visited Sri Lanka.
After he migrated to Melbourne, I had the fortune of meeting him and his family during one of my visits with my family. I have seen the Eulogy delivered by his daughter Natasha on May 22, 2015 at his funeral and the love and respect his daughter had for him sums up in a few words stated by her saying: “My dad was a truly wonderful man. He meant everything to me. He was definitely unique and one of a kind. I am not sure I can express what a remarkable person he was and how he touched many lives in his time on earth. Dad was a faithful husband, a loving father, grandfather and a colleague and so much more.”
In fact I would add to this by saying as stated by Natasha:
But if you look inside Dad's heart,
Where no one else can see,
You'll find he's sentimental
And as “soft” as he can be...
But he's so busy every day
In the grueling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff
To his partner, his wife and child
But fathers are just wonderful
In a million different ways
And they merit loving compliments
And accolades of praise,
For the only reason this dad aspires
To fortune and success
Is to make the family proud of him
And to bring them happiness
And like our Heavenly Father,
He's a guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on
To be always on our side.
Yes! He will always be on our side
I would add this small ode to my friend Chandra by saying:
In spite of the fact that we complain and lament
And view this old world with much discontent
Deploring conditions and grumbling because
There's so much injustice and so many flaws
It's wonderful world and it's people like you
Who make it that way by the things that they do
For a warm, ready smile or a kind thoughtful deed
Or a hand outstretched in an hour of need
May he rest in peace!
Nihal de Alwis
********----
S.B. Senaratne:
A man with determination and commitment
I met S.B. Senaratne, a retired Senior Superintendent of Police, when I was a probationary Sub Inspector in Nuwara Eliya when he came there for a traffic demonstration. He was handsome and an officer with plenty of public relations skills.
In 1965, I recall him heading the Traffic Branch in Colombo or was in charge of a team at the Traffic Headquarters. He was simple and humble in his ways. S.B. had the talent of imitating people. S.B. was closely associated with me when he joined the Industrial Security Foundation in its initial stages meeting constantly at the office of Director Operations, Lake House, Edward Gunawardena in his office.
His contribution was towards training along with our Director Training S.B.W. de Silva. In training he would explain details and get the class involved in discussion relating to particular incidents and sometimes he was so engrossed in it that he forgot the time frame provided and exceeded the limit.
The last occasion I met him was about two or three months ago when I alerted him on the ISF Annual General Meeting and he came prior to it to my house accompanied by his son Dr. Chula Senaratne. He was a man with determination and commitment.
He patted me while walking with a walking stick and told me that he had a fall.
But else, he appeared to be in a healthy state and I never expected him to leave us so suddenly. He and his wife were a very close couple always concerned about his family and would always talk about the achievements of their children with a sense of pride and would always say: “Nihal, if our children are doing well that means we have achieved very much in life!”
It was sad that I could not attend his funeral due to my being out of Colombo. But my meeting with his son who is in the Air Force revealed how close he was to his children and the love and respect they had for him as a father and friend.
S.B. reminds me of the happiness he enjoyed as indicated in the following poem:
Everybody, everywhere, spells happiness, it is true
But finding it and keeping it seems difficult to do
Difficult because we think – that happiness is found
Only in the places where wealth and fame are found
Only in the places where wealth and fame are bound
And so we go on searching in places of pleasure!
Seeking recognition and monetary treasure
Unaware that happiness is just a “State of Mind”
Within the reach of everyone who takes time to be kind
For in making others happy we will be happy too
For the happiness you give which returns to “shine on you”
Yes, he was a Gentleman officer who always did his best to give happiness to others and he certainly displayed it in great measure.
According to my religion as a Christian I am certain he is in eternity waiting to shower his blessings on the family and friends.
NA
*******----
Lucian Emmanuel Fernando:
A man with a kind heart
It is with sadness that I write these few lines on Lucian Emmanuel Fernando who was an Assistant Regional Manager of the People's Bank from 1953 to 1983 and father of my good friend Terrence.
Born on January 7, 1929 Lucian passed away peacefully on February 26, 2003 at the age of 74 years. He hailed from a very respectable Catholic family of Katukurunda in Moratuwa and had his entire education in one of the leading Catholic schools, namely St Sebastian's College, Moratuwa. After completing his studies as a dedicated and brilliant student, Lucian brought immense credit to his school in the spheres of sports and other extra curricular activities. He excelled as an all-round sportsman, representing the college in cricket and athletics during his time. He found employment first at the Bank of Ceylon where he worked as a clerk for five years and subsequently at the People's Bank in the same capacity.
He served the bank for 30 years continuously until he retired from the banking service. At the time of relinquishing office, he had been elevated to the post of Assistant Regional Manager. He thereafter joined the private sector as director of Zellers Holdings and Alpex Engineering Ltd. He was a very efficient and a highly intelligent administrative officer and also a kind-hearted person. He was a faithful husband to his wife Felicia, a loving and caring father to his nine children and an adoring grandfather to his grandchildren. The father of Felicia who was from Beruwala, was a very close relative of mine.
However after Felicia's aunt's death, we lost close contact with that family. My association with his five sons Laktran, Anton, Terrence, Linzy and Sharvan began in early 1972 while at St Sebastian's College, Moratuwa when I was in grade seven.
Laktran represented the Sebastian's Invincible 1971 and 1972 cricket team led by the legendary Sunil Wickramanayaka. Another of Lucian's sons, my friend Terrence, worked for a short period at the Food and Beverages Department of a leading hotel in Colombo and Galle in 1978. During his last days, Lucian lived with his son Terrence.
Lucian Fernando was the eldest in a family of three, the others being, Norbert and Benadette. His brother Norbert was a former all-round cricketer who played for St Sebastians, Catamarans Sports Club, Air Force and Ceylon Intercontinental (now Kingsbury during a span of 22 years. Nobert's wife Norma, was a retired teacher of St Sebastian's College Moratuwa. She was my tutor in the primary section. Her father “Lawrence Sir” also served as an English master in the same school.
All family members are past pupils of my Alma Mater St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa. Lucian and my father Mervyn were more friends than relations. He leaves three daughters and six sons. I have seen from my young days annually all members of Lucian's family get-together and offer prayers soon after the St Sebastian's Church feast.
This proves the unity of their family. Lucian had many friends and one of them was the auxiliary Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Maricus Peiris, also a past pupil of St Sebastian's College, Moratuwa.
May the soul of Lucian Fernando rest in peace and rise in glory!
Prabath Perera
*******----
A. F. Dawood:
His forte was well crafted, gripping short stories and poems
December 13,2015 became the unluckiest day of my life
Because of the sad news you had left this earthly life
On the previous day, I visited you at the Hospital Ward five
And you insisted your youngest daughter to bring your wife
But you were discharged from Kalubowila Hospital the same evening
And on Sunday 13 night you kept all of us grieving
Personally, I've suffered a profound sense of irreparable loss
Since you were my confidant, guide, philosopher with a fine gloss!
A cordial bond existed since our happy and carefree childhood
Our mutual understanding sans any friction had long withstood
On you I had trust and confidence in abundant measure
And your long telephone chat and discussions, I'll greatly treasure.
Above all, we enjoyed writing to papers and in the same wave length
That bonded us further to discuss our write-ups that gave us strength
I'll never forget your many calls willingly conveying the good news
That you'd read my contributions, praising and expressing your views
Alas! I'm doomed; no more such kind calls to me in the future
It was your very good nature; I really admire your fine gesture
Your stories and poems that enthralled had a class of their own
Among many readers your name A. F. Dawood came to be known
Regularly, you enriched the pages of Sunday Observer and Daily News
Requested me to read them and very keen to hear my views
But dear brother, I can't hold a candle to you in your creative art
Your name became popular and feel really sad for you had to depart
On my last visit on December 12, you looked weak, but some what fine
Told me consultant doctor remarked that you should live a long time Since he came to know that
you're the writer of those short stories
Alas! The following night, the Creator summoned you, causing us worries
A voracious reader, your stories, poems had a stamp of brilliance
Your explanation fantastic, many pupils enjoyed your teaching excellence
Figures of speech, clauses, phrases, syntax, grammar brilliantly analysed
Alas! Your many pupils, adults and professional now demoralised
Your creative thinking power helped to craft many stories, fine
Written with charity, style and finesse that made them shine!
Your fine literary talents in these genres was a gift, God-given
Your worthy outputs regaled many and made them enliven
A family man, good disciplinarian and never indulged in falsehood
Had good heart, never for back biting, keen to preserve your name Dawood
You believed in Time which became an important factor in your assignments
Your practised it to the very letter, making suitable arrangements
As a lecturer with a young family, you had steadfast faith
Displaying your skills in Nigeria, stationed at the Sokoto State
Your promise of sending cash from your first salary for house wiring
Was fulfilled sans dillying, making us happy and admiring
Dear brother, you asked a loan in building your Dehiwala House
When running short of money and I did so without any grouse
In keeping with your valued principals you returned same
Throughout you practised these noble traits earning a good name
When you returned a loan, your eldest daughter refused to accept
But you had said, “Loan is loan” and so, you mustn't reject
Admire your impeccable credentials – an epitome of honesty and integrity
You believed in these virtues along with your humility and geniality
Dear brother, how much your grey matter would have worked overtime?
Alas! You're gone, but your “gems” will live in the sands of time
You spoke of death and mortal beings in this ephemeral universe
While you snooze in the domain of Allah, I shall lonely traverse
And wait at the Departure lounge till the call comes from the Almighty
May Allah save you from the torments of hell fire and grant you Jennathul Firodouse. Aameen
M. Azhar Dawood
******---
Roshika Fernando:
You still dwell in our hearts and minds
You have not really gone away
We feel your presence every day
We hear you speak and laugh with glee
At every turn, Your face we see
Your footsteps follow us everywhere
Death does not part it reunites
You still dwell in our hearts and minds
And always will till the end of time
We try to be brave and hide our sorrow
Smile through tears and face to morrow
We know life has to go on somehow
But without you it won't be the same
Lord help us to carry on each day
and cope with whatever comes our way
We love you we miss you and always will be
fondly treasured in our memory
we will meet in heaven above
United in God's divine love
Dennis Pappa and Chrissie Mamma
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