Henry H. Lemij
Outstanding leader
News reached that Henry H. Lemij passed away on November 10, 2016, just short of his 89th birthday. He was the first Refinery Manager of CPC’s Oil Refinery.
Henry Lemij will be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the Initial operation of CPC’s Oil Refinery in Sapugaskande, and for also laying the foundation for its sustained operation in the future. The refinery is in operation to this day, some 48 years later, thanks to the sound foundation he initiated.
Henry Lemij was born in Breslau, in 1927, and survived his teen years in Amsterdam, during the time of the German invasion, and miraculously escaped detection.
We next hear of him entering the University of Delft, where he graduated in Chemical Engineering in 1955, and in the same year, joined the precursor of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His intellectual ability and sound work ethic, combined with strong leadership qualities, saw him rise up rapidly in the Shell’s Pernis Refinery, and lastly, as Head of the Shell Manufacturing Development Division in the Hague.
In 1966, CPC Chairman K. Alvapillai negotiated the contracts for the establishment of our first oil refinery, a 38,0000 barrels per day hydro-skimming refinery.
Snam Progetti, an Italin Govt-owned entity was awarded the contract for the lump sum turn key project. Universal Oil Products was selected for the design of their licensed units, and Snam as responsible for the detailed design and procurement and erection of all plant and equipment, including a 5 MW Power plant, and a water treatment plant. The project was planned for completion in 1969.
Chairman K. Alvapillai also concluded important agreements with the Shell Group, a five year agreement for the supply of Crude Oil, including takeover and commissioning of the Refinery and its commercial operation included was contract for a Technical Assistance Team, who would takeover and operate the Refinery, and also train and develop local staff.
Henry Lemij arrived in Colombo, in January, 1969, and led a team of Shell Expatriate staff about 50 in number, who comprised hand-picked persons from the other Shell Refineries. Some 140 local refinery operators were also recruited by PC, including 40 management trainees destined to occupy executive positions. He approached his task of commissioning the Refinery and training of Local staff with considerable zeal and energy.
Henry Lemij presided over daily meetings, between Snam Project, UOP, dors reps, overseeing complex tasks engulfing the takeover and initial operation of a Refinery with great skill, and was a hard task master setting project mileposts, of which he sought a high degree of compliance. Finally, the Refinery was brought on-stream in August, 1969, meeting all specified design criteria and processing 38,000 BPSD. Henry Lemij was the first Refinery Manager, and headed Shells Technical Assistance Team, which set about its task of training Sri Lankan staff Assiduously, One of Henry Lemij’s dictums was there were no reserved seats, and each person had to earn his position by due performance. Senior Staff were assigned to key positions under expatriates, and their capabilities evaluated.
Henry Lemij devised the Refinery Organisation according to the best Shell practices, and paid great attention to sound safety practices, which became ingrained in operating staff, resulting in the Refinery winning several awards for safe operation in the ensuring years. From day one, he sought to optimize refinery operations, seeking to increase through put by debottlenecking constraints to increased production. Attention was paid to minimizing refinery losses, and this was closely monitored on a daily basis. The refinery Organisation was devised to establish sound operating and maintenance practices.
Henry Lemij initiated the practice of regular meetings between operating and maintenance staff, and planned maintenance was instituted from the beginning. He presided over the Monday morning management meeting each week with much aplomb and kept everyone on their toes. The success with which he conducted his assignment resulted in the takeover of operations by CPC staff in 1972, about two years earlier than planned.
In 1994, the Refinery celebrated 25 years of operation, and Henry Lemij was a distinguished invitee to attend the celebration event, a deep recognition and appreciation of his monumental contribution to the Refinery’s initial operation.
The then Chairman, Anil Obeysekera felicitated him at special dinner during this visit, at which some Refinery Senior Staff who worked with him were present. The Chairman extolled Lemij’s contribution to the Refinery Operations, and wished him a happy retirement. It was, indeed, a happy re-union and a wonderful opportunity to recall pleasurable times working together.
We pay a tribute to his outstanding contribution, and convey our sincere condolences to his wife Audny, his sons, and their families.
Neville S. Weerasekera
Refinery Manager (1972-75)
Nanda Maitipe
Soft-spoken teacher
The saying goes:‘Teachers are visible gods’. The validity of this saying became veritably palpable not only to me, but also to all the numerous near and dear ones who rocked to show their empathy to our beloved friend Gernal Mayakaduwa on his wife’s unexpected demise. Tranquility in the picturesque idyllic hamlet of Balangoda, a few miles off the City of Galle, was veritably stirred when the versatile teacher of high calibre Nanda Maitipe went on the flight of no return.
The symbiotic relationship among plants and animals, I have observed many a time. Yet, on January 25, only I breathed a great lady of sterling qualities had such a relationship with nature.
In a nutshell, her ladylike decorum won the laurels of all and sundry in the vicinity. The boughs of the trees saluted her bending towards her little abode; her feathered friends virtually sang a sorrowful semitone as a token of gratitude for feeding them ever lovingly in her diurnal journey with mother earth.
The blue sky seemed to having a plot with the wind, and the sun to bless her with quietude on the day of this profound mourning. People from all walks of life made a beeline to Maya’s house in no time. They got the errand from the kids who ran round the village, in the alleys, in the valleys, even on the untrodden paths, to give the news of the expiry of their community leader.
She graduated from the University of Colombo as far back as 1975, and she also earned her post-graduate qualifications of teaching from the same university. She cut her teeth as a well-qualified teacher immediately after her graduation, and it was proverbially like duck to water. This full-fledged visionary teacher of high calibre was posted to Balangoda Maha Vidyalaya as a graduate teacher, and she proved her mettle by lending her hand to numerous children who came to her feet, enabling them to come off with flying colours.
Teaching was her forte. What I realized from this great teacher is that as doctors, teachers are also not made, they are born. This soft-spoken lady with a great mission in her mind was exemplary to the hilt. Her gait, decent, dress-sense, her witty utterances, and to cap them all, her preparation for lessons made her the epitome of a modern teacher for our era. I humbly feel that it was a great luck bestowed on us to be living in her age.
The teacher is a purveyor of knowledge. Nanda was one of them. Her specialty was Sinhala. She deserves the nation’s salute for guiding a lot of children in good Sinhala. How she taught ‘Selalihini Sandeshaya’ was par excellent. She illuminated the posterity under her tutelage like no other. I fail in my duty if don’t quote a few lines composed by one of her students in his eulogy for solemn lament.
Selalihiniya hari rasata gayanna
Tawa eka serayak evidin yanna
Another heart-rendering verse is as follows:
Jeevitha pothata ekkarana varatawak
Nivanata yanna pera evidin wathawak
Jataka pothe hari lassana kathwak
Pahada denawa data waeka wathawak?
Her visit to ‘Dambadiva,’ she always said was a dream came true. Her religious fervour was repleting. She breathed the cherished history of her motherland in every inch from Dondra to Point Pedro.
With his soul mate spouse Maya, English teacher methodologist of O/L TV English telecast, presently attached to ACBT and other apex institutes of English teaching at tertiary level.
Her Sinhala expertise blended with Maya’s Anglophone disposition made an indelible impact in the locality even their garden creatures would testify.
Ven. Baddegama Samitha Thera’s one-time bhikku parliament, gushing eulogy condensed the fulfillment of her life and drove home the idea that an epitome of a teacher ought to be of a Nanda
She was born with a silver spoon in the mouth. So, avarice was quite alien to her. She enjoyed in spending for the uplift of the village through generosity. The late M.L. Appuhamy, her businessman father with many a land or her mother, E.J. Kumari Siriwardene, would never have thought that their daughter would have bought such glory to their lineage. When she bade adieu to her impeccable teaching career from Sri Rathnasara College, Baddegama she was only two years shy of four decades of service to her motherland, teaching was her first love.
When I go down memory lane, I could still remember how she treated us many a time on our visits to her simple home with her peculiar smile. She was the tower of strength behind her beloved husband.
When she was born, she was chrysanthemum
When he married Maya, she was chrysanthemum to him
When she ceased to be, she was chrysanthemum to him.
On this eulogistic epitaph let me carve out ‘death not be proud’ because,
‘So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
William Shakespeare(1564-1616)
Sonnet 18
Piyadasa Rillagoda
Nihal Perera
Man of the people
Nihal Perera was born on June 20, 1944, in Colombo. He had his education at St. Thomas’ College, at which he excelled in his studies and other activities. He was one of the youngest to enter the profession of Chartered Accountants at the age of 24—a remarkable achievement in the 1960’s. Thereafter, he became Chief Accountant of the Bogala Graphite Company.
In 1971, during the time of the JVP insurrection, he arranged a series of meetings with the then cabinet ministers Dr. N.M. Perera, T.B. Subasinghe, and Colvin R. de Silva, which finally led to the nationalization of the Graphite industry in Sri Lanka. Thereafter, he was appointed the competent authority of the newly formed state Graphite co-orporation. Using his management skills, he managed to improve its production and exports remarkably, within a very short period. Further, he took action to improve the health and living conditions of the previously neglected nine workers and their families.
Being an intellectual of a rare calibre, Nihal held many prestigious positions at a very young age. He was appointed the Chairman of Bank of Ceylon at the age of 29, and soon afterwards, he was appointed the State Graphite Co-orporation’s Chairman.
In 1974, Nihal married Sweenitha Subasinghe, the eldest daughter of late Minister T.B. Subasinghe.
Later, he entered active politics, and in 1988, farmed “Desha Vimukthi Janatha Party” which was considered as one of the radical left parties at that time. Although an Accountant by profession, he was a committed socialist, who was inspired by the teachings of Lenin and Mao Tse-tung. He was a friend of China, Cuba, Libya, Palestine, and many other socialist countries. In fact, he was an internationalist to the core.
During the time of the infamous seventeen-year rule of the United National Party (1977-1994), Nihal was in the fare front of the Pelawatte struggle, anti-water tax campaign, the campaign against the establishment of an Israel Interest section in Sri Lanka, and many other protest campaigns. His involvement in the trade union action in the graphite industry and plantation of agriculture of service sector is noteworthy. During that period, Nihal joined other progressive forces to fight against state oppression and to win back democratic rights of the down-trodden masses.
But quite unexpectedly, his active political life came to an end when he faced his untimely death on March 30, 1994.
Nihal’s simplicity, kindness, and delight...sense of humour marked every phase of his life. His sudden departure was a personal and political loss to many of us, but he left an indelible mark, and that makes his memory more fragrant.
Ven. Galagama Dhammaransi Thera
President of D.V.J.P.
Yasodha Weligamage
Affectionate soul
She was Yasodha Weligamage. My Loku Aiya’ s eldest daughter and the eldest niece in our family. To say in short, she was everyone’s the pet. With happiness, I recall the day she was born. I was at the hostel of Matara convent. My mother came to take me. I was so anxious to see our first niece. Little Yasodha was about eight months, when Loku aiya and Violet akka went to reside at Matara, Pamburana. I was taken out of the hostel at came to stay with them.
It was a happy time—I still remember putting little Yasodha to sleep. I still remember Violet Akka carrying little Yasodha to the gate to greet me when I came from school. She used into jump to my arms. These are sweet memories. Then Loku Aiya was transferred to Badulla and the family went there. She was only one then.
I came to study at Southlands, then Loku Aiya came to Galle and little Yasodha came up to the school going age. She too, was admitted to Southlands.
As far as I can remember, it was I who admitted her to Southlands during the time of Miss Ridge. Then she had another brother and sister. Loku Aiya got transferred to Kurunegala and she had to leave Southlands.
Her childhood days were spent mostly with us. She was with my parents at Hambantota when Loku Aiya was at Badulla. These are the memories I have of loving Yasodha. I used to take her to plays and shows with me. Those were the happy times; she grew up to be a pretty young maiden.
Her marriage with Wimal was a happy one. He was a caring and loving husband as was she a wife. She was blessed with two dutiful, amiable sons: Anuradha and Suranga. Yasodha did her duty by her parents and siblings, and she was loving to her daughters-in-law and us relations.
She was loved by everybody and I never ever addressed her by her name. I always call her Loku Doo—that is how her father & mother call her too.
Loku Doo is no more as all good things come to an end. Her family is proud of her, and death will not remove the aura attendant on her for many years to come.
Memories of her will always remain impressed in the minds of all those who knew her. May her journey in ‘Sansara’ be brief, smooth, with no grief, until she attains Nirvana.
Loving punchi aunty,
Patricia Mangalika Yahampath
Rev. Bro. Raymond Benildus
Great administrator
Rev. Bro. Raymond Benildus FSC entered eternal glory to be with his maker. April 13 was his 13th death anniversary. He was the former Director (1964 - 1973) of St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa, which is my alma mater. Bro. Benildus had served in all the prestigious La Sallian institutions and organizations islandwide such as De La Salle College, Mutwal; St. Xavier’s College, Mannar; De Mazenod College, Kandana; St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa; and St. Benedict’s College, Kotahena.
He had served St Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa and St Benedict’s College, Kotahena more than once. Rev. Bro. Modestus was transferred to St Benedict’s and Bro. Benildus was appointed as the Director of the College.
He introduced a number of fundraising projects and also set up a welfare office to collect funds directly from parents. Rev. Bro. Benildus was one of the greatest administrators St. Sebastian’s College ever had. During this period, parents were requested to pay very reasonable admission fee and monthly donations. Almost single-handed, he managed the income-generating project, especially the college farm, to find the additional funds required to run the college. The new building was extended to accommodate the sport pavilion.
The religious atmosphere in the school was excellent. Being a scholar in oriental languages, Bro. Benildus was keen on improving oriental studies, in keeping with the national culture of Sri Lanka. During the Bro. Benildus era, St. Sebastian’s produced Duleep Mendis, who at sixteen, captained the St. Sebastian’s College First Eleven cricket team, scored 1,000 runs in the cricket season, and also captained the Sri Lanka test cricket team.
The last time the college won the Big Match was In 1966, during Bro. Benildus’ period. Harindra Fernando, who in 1971, was placed fourth in the island in the GCE (A/L) examination, won the UNESCO Gold Medal for the best engineering student of Sri Lanka in 1978 and was in the profession of Mechanical and Aero Space Engineering at Arizzona State University, USA.
My memory moves back to the then nursery class at St. Sebastian’s College where I started studies in the year 1965 and continued until I sat for the GCE O/L Examination in 1975. I feel that it is God’s special blessing to have studied in the college under Bro. Benildus, who served as the Director during that time.
He helped many a parent in admitting students to the school after having listened to their woes. He was strict on all his students; he was also sympathetic towards them. He was popular among both, present and past pupils. His faithfulness and loyalty to his master Jesus Christ and founder St. De La Salle was immeasurable. His was a legacy of service, fraternity, cordiality, and commitment. Although Bro. Benildus is no more, he is immortal in the hearts and minds of thousands who associated him. Certainly, the La Sallian congregation lost an invaluable son, and a jewel in their crown.
Prabath Perera
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