Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Kerrigan La-brooy


Kerrigan La-brooy

Kerrigan Warren Rayne is a Sri Lankan born Australian dream come true.

This dynamic, full-time Singer/Songwriter was a Nominee at the 7th Annual Golden Music Awards held in Nashville Tennessee in no less than 5 categories.

Kerrigan hit #1 on the Worldwide Mainstream Charts for 10 consecutive weeks. Out of over 20,000 entries he stormed up the charts to the #1 position ahead of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jo Dee Messina, LeAnne Rimes & The Dixie Chicks.

Kerrigan was the first Australian Artist to make #1. Countrycity Unity was a Top Ten hit on the Australian Charts and when released in USA and Canada it secured a Top 3 berth. To accommodate his amazing International acclaim, Kerrigan released a 2nd single, 'Holding On', on the Stardust Enterprises Label in Nashville.

His single 'Countrycity Unity' produced by Sherbet member Garth Porter received International recognition. Released in Europe it made the Top 10 on the European Top 40 Singles Chart AS WELL AS The European Most Played Artist Chart. Kerrigan also reached #1 on the Belgium Charts and made the Top 10 in other European Countries.

Kerrigan has received rave reviews from Nashville Tennessee, Fort Worth Texas, Manchester England and Munich Germany, often compared with Keith Urban & Jamie O'Neal. The focus of outstanding comments from the Worldwide media, Kerrigan was interviewed by Australian Magazine 'Aussie Post' which publicised his (quote) 'legendary live performances' and
was also featured in Europe's Leading Magazine 'Country Music Round-Up'.

His self-penned songs 'Together Tonight' and 'Feel So Blue' confirmed his staying power as a force to be reckoned with on the Australian Music Scene.

This human dynamo sets Tamworth of fire, his demand once escalating to a staggering 52 performances. During the Annual Cavalcade in Tamworth Kerrigan took out the Best Float Award for 3 years in a row with Roy the Tree Man. He remains a consistent crowd favourite at the Festival, continuously selling out of merchandise.

Kerrigan plays guitar and keyboards and his repertoire ranges from Country, Rock 'N' Roll, Country Rock, Ballads through to Popular Favorites.

Kerrigan has an intriguing history. An ancestry Journalists and Magazines find alluring. Of Dutch/English descent with an Irish/French name, with Spanish blood, born on the Tropical Island Paradise of Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka, raised with Country and Rock 'N' Roll music in his veins and now a fair-dinkum Aussie, Kerrigan is presently riding the crest of a wave of popularity. His fiery passion for entertaining radiates through his performances as Kerrymania sweeps across the world. He and his Kez-Crew always make their mark at Clubs, Concerts, Functions, Tours & Festivals.

The Overseas market has embraced Kerrigan with a passion, including him on the same play lists as Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Cash and Faith Hill.
More than a Singer/Sonwriter, Kerrigan is an Entertainer Extraordinaire.

Blessed with 'heartbreaker' good looks and a 21st century crack voice, he is young and fresh - friendly and natural. His charming personality, incredible energy and unassuming attitude
accompanied by an electrifying stage presentation, establishes a Worldwide recipe for success.
Kerrigan has an aura about him - an appeal that charms all ages.

Men and women, both young and old, succumb to his appeal, teenagers go wild watching his stage movements and incredibly enough he attracts even little children.

"That's what touches me the most," Kerrigan admits. "The little kids showing their appreciation because children are openly honest and what they say is from the heart. So if they like you
then you're definitely doing something right."

Kerrigan received National Television exposure with his song 'The Miracle Of Katie-Tara Murphy', a song he wrote for a little girl diagnosed with Meningococcal.

Another fan close to his heart was Kylie - she stricken with Huntington's. Fighting back tears Kerrigan performed his birthday dedication to her, a song he wrote titled 'My Beautiful Kylie' - a tear-jerker straight from the magnanimous heart of this caring human being.

That musical challenge was a drop in the ocean compared to when he was asked to sing the same song, soon after, at Kylie's funeral, before her open casket with a photograph of Kerrigan on her chest.

Kerrigan continues to tour the continent, both major and smaller communities. His debut tour of New Zealand was a huge success and return bookings were organised immediately.

For more information on him please browse his website at http://www.kerriganlabrooy.com/kerrigan1.html

He returned to the beautiful country of New Zealand in April/May 2003. His world tour during June/July 2003 was a staggering success taking in Europe, South America, the USA and Canada.

Featured frequently in the press he appeared on Television's New Faces and Hey Hey It's Saturday, even contesting on The Price Is Right. He also appeared on Channel 7's 'Denise Show'.
When featured on TV's Pot Of Gold Kerrigan won his heat when the audience voted him their favourite. In the finals he won the heart of the 'People's Judge' getting the highest score but missed out on sweeping the competition by a single point from. Kerrigan performed 'Achy Breaky heart'.

Kerrigan has performed on Radio & Television Internationally and appeared 'Live' in Nashville Tennessee, Bangkok Thailand, all over Australia and Sri Lanka and over 19 countries around the world. He nearly clinched a recording contract with Marty Robins Enterprises in Nashville with a song he wrote for his Mum's birthday when he couldn't afford to buy her a present, aptly titled 'Mother My Darling.' He went one step further to what most artists have done and recorded a duet with his Mum on his debut album - the song is titled 'Long Long Way'.

Another song sung in Nashville and also off his debut album is the self-penned 'Thank You Lord,' written at a time when Kerrigan says he was at his lowest ebb.

"When you feel so down and you can still thank the Lord then that's pretty special," smiles Kerrigan.

Featured as Man of The Month in Australia's Women's Day Magazine, letters poured in from thousands of hopeful females.

Kerrigan was brought up with country music in his veins.

His mum Jeune and dad Paul would gather the family around and sing along to the strum of a battered guitar, mostly hymns and country gospel and other favorites. Kerrigan's first public performance was at the age of 5 singing the old Jim reeves classic 'But You Love Me Daddy' with his dad.

Says Kerrigan..."I could never comprehend how I could have possibly felt so proud when dad sang 'your five year old face is a dirty disgrace' and I chimed in with 'but you love me daddy'.
Obviously 'self-respect' was a zero factor as a kid."

This versatile, multi-talented youngster is an engaging author. One of his early stories was 'Somersault To Adventure'.

He has also been involved in Acting, both on Stage and on Video. Despite a leading role as Apostle Peter in the rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar' which broke box-office records in Gippsland, Kerrigan's passion lies in his Music - singing and song writing. He opted against performing in "Les Mis" due to his highly demanding musical commitments.

Eliel Homer Titus

Family Tribute to Eliel Homer Titus

Obituary: Daily News, May 20, 2005

TITUS - ELIEL HOMER - Formerly of Shell, MD Lankem, retired, died peacefully on 14th May 2005 in Sydney, Australia. Beloved husband of Rukmani (nee Joseph), loving father of Jehan (Urologist, Adelaide), Kamini (Orthodontist, Sydney), and Rohan (Australian Dept. Foreign Affairs & Trade), father-in-law of Fiona, Anthony and Sandi, grandfather of Alexander, Samuel, Daniel, Thomas, Andrew and the late Charlotte, caring brother of the late Chrisoula, Spiro (UK) and Andre (Australia).
Memorial Service on 21st May 2005 at 10.30 a.m in St. James' Anglican Church, Turramurra, Sydney. In lieu of flowers, a donation towards a scholarship at Trinity College, Kandy preferred. For further information, contact Rohan Titus, 57/6, Flower Rd, Colombo 7.

Appreciation

Dad loved life. He loved family and friends getting together. He would have loved the sandwiches and slices waiting for us in the memorial hall. He would have caused mayhem by giving all the little ones sweets and telling the rest of us jokes, and simply with that look on his face, which can only be described as a contained chortle, he would have lifted all our spirits.

So it would be a terrible thing, if this man whom we all remember as someone who made us smile, was remembered with sadness and gloom. And I can assure you that if ever there was cause for happiness, dad’s life is it. He was a marvel. He defied all expectations, courageously living with a massive inoperable brain aneurism. Right through to the very end, on Saturday last, dad was an inspiration and a role model.

When I was a little boy, I thought my daddy was ten feet tall. There was nothing he couldn’t do. I could strut around the playground and kick sand in the other kids faces, because my daddy was better than anyone else’s dad. I’m sure most little boys would say the same about their fathers. As I grew older, my friends started to question how accurate their assessments were. So naturally, did I. We all grow up.

So who was this man to whom I had given super hero status?

Well, firstly, dad was fun. He told the best stories. Until I was about six years old, I was absolutely convinced that dad and Tarzan were close personal friends. He would point to scars (both real and imagined) and tell me how one was caused by a Zulu spear, or a pygmy blowpipe, or a poacher’s blunderbuss. Now with most dads, such tales were completely implausible, but with my dad, you believed him. For one thing, my Uncle André had a stuffed leopard and a tiger skin. It’s hard to keep your sense of perspective with props like that.

But the truth was even stranger than the adventure stories. Eliel Homer Titus was born on Sunday, 20 September 1931 in Basra, Iraq, not far from the ancient city of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham. A strange place for a half Greek, half Ceylon Tamil Anglican to be born, but then, if you’d asked his parents, they would have thought Killara was an odd place for him to die.

My grandfather, Edward, was the 57th Sri Lankan to sign up for active duty in the Great War. The only ‘native’ unit raised in Sri Lanka for overseas service was the Ceylon Sanitary Company. Not very glamourous work, but they were the only ones going overseas, so off he went. Because of his fluency with English, he soon found himself doing clerical work in the company headquarters. The unit was sent to the Middle East. Edward’s father had died when he was very young, and his mother remarried. His young wife, carefully chosen for him according to the customs of the Tamil community, died of smallpox within a few months of their marriage. After his demobilisation in 1919, having no reason to return to Ceylon, Edward remained in the Middle East, and worked as a civilian clerk in the British Middle East Command Headquarters.

My grandmother, Despina, was the eldest daughter of Antoniou Spiros Zacharakis, a prosperous cheese-maker from a small town in what is now the European part of Turkey. In my grandmother’s youth, however, this was part of Greece. When Greece and Turkey went to war in 1923, the Turks advanced through the Greek province of East Thrace, and a new border was set between the two countries when peace was restored. My great-grandfather died in a Turkish prisoner of war camp, and my great-grandmother found herself to be a refugee on the wrong side of the border with three children. She fled to Thessalonika, having left behind all their belongings in Thrace. My grandmother, who was the eldest, went to live with her aunt, who had married a Greek merchant and lived in Baghdad. There she met my grandfather, who was a business partner of her uncle. It was 1928. She was about 16, he was about 29, and to the horror of everyone in Sri Lanka and in Greece, they got married and settled down in Iraq to raise a family.

Dad was the eldest of Edward and Despina’s four children. He was baptised as Omeros, because even though my grandfather Edward was an Anglican, my grandmother’s forceful personality ensured that dad was baptised in the Greek Orthodox Church. His sister Chrisoula was born in 1937, and his brothers Spiros and Andreas were born in 1938 and 1941 respectively. I have no proof, but again I suspect my Greek grandmother got the final vote in choosing the names of her children. I don’t mind, because I have eaten free souvlaki and baklava in milk bars all over Australia on the strength of these simple facts.

Dad was an inquisitive and fearless child with a great sense of adventure. He was fascinated by machinery. He discovered that he was an expert at dismantling the family wireless set. Sadly, reassembly eluded him. His first attempt to drive a car was not impeded by the fact that he was too small to see over the dash, or reach the pedals. A fruit case, a brick and a sense of bravura got him as far as the Shatt al Arab, that famous confluence of the Tigris, the Euphrates and the buick.

Dad had a keen sense of natural justice all his life, though in his youth, it was more of an Old Testament ‘eye for an eye’ nature. In Iraq during the 1930s, there were few medical practitioners, and fewer qualified dentists. My grandmother often had to treat dad for common childhood problems. A loose tooth, for instance, was fixed by tying the offending incisor to a piece of string and pulling it sharply. Despina did this by tying it to the doorknob and closing the door. Dad did not consider the score even until the next day, when, after stalking her for some time from deep cover, he was able to shoot her with his air-gun as she bent to sweep the floor.

In 1939, as the threat of war loomed over the Middle East, dad was sent to boarding school in Sri Lanka. My grandfather chose his old school, Trinity College, Kandy, which was an Anglican Church Mission Society school in the centre of Ceylon. Those of you who have attended an Anglican boarding school will understand what I mean when I say how indelibly such an experience alters the psyche of a child. My grandfather, who had travelled to Ceylon to enrol dad at Trinity stopped at the gate of the school and said to my father. “Now son, take a moment. Shout, stamp your feet, tantrum and carry on for as long as you like, and when you are quite finished, and you have composed yourself, we’ll walk through that gate and you will have to behave like a man for the rest of your life.” Dad was not yet eight years old.

Within six hours, he had earned the distinction of the boy with the shortest time interval between enrolment and being caned in his year. Trinity was in for a rough few years.

It didn’t take long for Trinity to turn the potential rebel into the leader. Dad’s energy was channelled into sport. His skill for running into trouble became a skill at running between wickets. His deadly aim with an air-gun helped him fire the ball through the gap in the outfield. His restless, inquisitive nature meant that he tried every possible sport. By the time of is ‘O’ levels, dad had his colours in cricket, boxing, swimming, athletics and rugby.

Along with his developing sporting talents, dad was also developing leadership skills. His two brothers came out to Sri Lanka to join him. Dad took his responsibilities as the eldest very seriously. The tragic loss of his sister in Iraq to typhoid in about 1945 added to dad’s sense of anxiety about the health and safety of his brothers - and later, his family.

Towards the end of his schooling, dad made the first of many bold decisions. He decided that Trinity would not be able to help him get into University. Though the school had many great virtues, dad was not meeting his potential academically, and he knew that he needed every bit of help that he could get to improve. So without any consultation with his parents, dad changed from Trinity College in Kandy, to St Thomas’ College in Mount Lavinia, where he studied from 1949 to early 1951. In the short time that he spent there, dad quickly demonstrated the skills he needed to win the cricket prizes for both batting and bowling - he got his colours for cricket, boxing, soccer, swimming and small-bore rifle shooting. he was also in the choir, the debating team and a server in the chapel, but most importantly in his view, he also raised his academic results and got into the University of Ceylon to read Medicine. Dad was so reticent to talk about his sporting achievements, both at school and University, that I still don’t know for certain how many matches he captained the University of Ceylon cricket team. Or what his batting or bowling averages were. I do know that he played against the touring MCC team in Kandy, and that he also toured to India and Malaysia with Sri Lankan teams - as this was before Sri Lanka became a test cricket country, the records of these matches are not available. Dad left an impression on those who saw him play.

When I was in Chennai in January this year, a chance-met Indian sports journalist, now long retired, still remembered dad. It was only when researching this tribute that I found out that dad had University colours in Cricket, Swimming and Boxing, and that he was also the captain of the University Boxing team and President of the Sports Council. Dad excelled even in his hobbies. His passion for jazz found expression through his volunteer work as a 'DJ' on Radio Ceylon and his presidency of the Jazz Club.

Medicine was not for dad, and he switched to Science, from which he graduated with honours. It was a matter of great regret to dad that he didn’t stick with Medicine, and the three of us grew up with that regret greatly influencing our own choice of careers. From University, dad when to Cambridge to do postgraduate study. It was while he was there that his parents marriage failed, and dad returned to Sri Lanka before finishing his studies. It was doubtless a time of great sorrow and anger for the boys, who in the days before no-fault divorces, could not have understood the complicated legal processes required. Dad felt abandoned. So much so, that I grew up thinking my grandmother was dead, and it was not until 1985 that we discovered that she was alive.

Dad’s first job was with Shell. He joked that his interview in London with a cricket-mad senior executive involved discussing field placements under different weather conditions on different pitches. After a particularly challenging combination of deteriorating wicket, poor light and a short run chase, dad was hired. In a newly independent Sri Lanka, striving to achieve rapid economic growth and feed its people, dad’s efforts were focussed on agricultural products, vital for a country with tea as its main export.

In 1958, dad met mum. He started as he meant to continue. Dad saw mum across a dance floor, and breaking every social convention of good Asian society, he walked up to her un-introduced and said “If you don’t dance with me, I’ll go off and put a paper bag over my head.” Forty-seven years later, he still thought mum was the most beautiful person he ever knew. Each birthday, mum was greeted with a dozen long-stem red roses.

Mum and dad were married on 17 June, 1961 at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Milagiriya. Dad had not been a regular churchgoer since leaving school. His faith at this point can only be described as tolerant indifference. The Trinity College of dad’s childhood had been very High Church Anglican, and the primacy of the bible as the reference for all Christian instruction had not been central to his education.
So dad would not have thought of Abraham, when he left Ur of the Chaldees to seek the promised land, as it became clear that Sri Lanka held no future for a young family - particularly for Tamils, living in Colombo. Race riots in the late 50s were a foretaste of what was to come later. An attempted coup in the early 1970s confirmed dad’s view: we had to leave.

And so dad made the second his second big move of his life. He decided to migrate. At first, the choice seemed obvious. He had an American friend in DuPont who was keen to sponsor him if he chose to migrate to the US. But wisely, dad felt that Australia held better prospects for his family. So here we came. I suppose if you were to define our status under the current Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs criteria, we would be classed as economic refugees. Then, as now, Australia was not keen to have economic refugees, so our application was refused. And then an amazing thing happened. The newly elected Whitlam Government changed Australia’s policies for migration. Our case was reviewed, and thanks to the intervention of some people whom I can only describe as angels in the truest sense of the word, we were accepted. My brother, sister and I immediately started to learn the names of the States, their capitals, their floral emblems, the strange names of the animals, towns and every piece of trivia we could about Australia. We ransacked the libraries and searched out our friend’s bookshelves for everything we could find.

Meanwhile, in the years between applying and being accepted, dad had reached the top of his profession in Sri Lanka. He was Managing Director of Lankem, Shell’s agricultural products subsidiary in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, in 1973, we became sojourners in a strange land - Queensland. A place where the municipal sanitation staff were called ‘Garbos’ and where more surprising still, they called you ‘mate’. Dad, at the age of 42, had to start again at the bottom of the corporate ladder, this time with an American company, DuPont. Well known in the US, but relatively unheard off in Australia.

He loved his work. He made some great friends, and if you talk to them, they’ll tell you some outrageous anecdotes about what it was like to work with dad. If I can paraphrase the words of one good friend, Jeff Campion, dad had the knack of identifying with people. He could walk into a room full of tension, and soon find something in common with everyone there. In no time at all, dad had won them over and the tension would evaporate.

Dad’s time with DuPont, from 1973 until his retirement in 1999, was very special to him. His work in America and South East Asia gave him the opportunity to make friends in many countries. This last few weeks, e-mails and cards have come from work colleagues the US, Spain, France, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Japan. I’m sure that as the news of his passing spreads, messages will arrive from other parts of the world. At a time when people who can cross cultural divides are few and far between, dad is being remembered this week in this Anglican service, in a Roman Catholic novena at Quezon City in the Philippines, and by Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists all with equal sorrow at his passing. If only there were more like him!
It was a particular gift of dad’s - this ability to make everyone feel like they were special. All of us felt like we were his particular favourite. My cousins each had a special relationship with dad too - he wasn’t impartial, but I suppose you would have to call it favouritism on an all encompassing scale - no-one was left out. For his grandchildren, dad was like an all-year father christmas. He could get instant good behaviour from them, and was equally capable of joining in some small mischief to their delight and everyone else’s exasperation.

Dad’s work took us all over the world. We lived in Brisbane, Singapore, the East Coast of the United States, and finally Sydney. Perhaps the moves made us a particularly close family. We came to rely more and more on each other. Our faith as Christians grew too - in countries like Sri Lanka and Singapore, where the dominant culture is not Christian, you are far more aware how different Christian values are to those of other religions. You become aware how little genuine Christianity is left in Western culture. How much we need to go back to basics. At first, dad was a sceptic. He was happy for mum and the rest of us to do as we wished, but wasn’t too keen on doing a lot himself. After all, he’d been baptised. He’d been to a Christian school, and saw to it that his children had received a similar education. He was a fairly good person. What more was there that he had to do?

Well, he needed to be healed of all the wrongs he felt he had suffered as a child. Seeing his mother and accepting that she wasn’t some terrible cruel person was an important part of that. As I said earlier, in 1985 we found out she was still alive, and we travelled to Greece and saw her. Later, she came to London, where dad saw more of her. For a short time, she lived with mum and dad in Singapore. In forgiving her for real and imagined wrongs, dad’s own emotional healing began.

Michael Stead saw dad in hospital last month and read John 14:1-7 out loud. The words of this beautiful promise are printed next to dad’s photo at the back of the church. Dad listed to Michael and said he believed, but he wasn’t one to talk about it. In a way, that one sentence said it all about dad. If you wanted to know what dad believed, then you had to look at how he lived his life. Dad’s life was an example of what Christian life should be. He loved his family and was willing to give up everything for us. He was a man of high moral principle, and stayed true to his values, even if it cost him. There are many who consider him to be a father figure, a role model, an example of how to be - yet he was so modest and humble that I had to find out about his achievements from others. If ever he boasted about anything, it was about us.

In the last twenty years, as part of this parish, there was a slow transformation in dad. His understanding of Christianity grew. He didn’t have a dramatic conversion, like I did, or like Paul on the road to Damascus - no single moment when he could say ‘at this point, I am saved’, but slowly, the solid, consistent preaching of the gospel from this pulpit brought dad to an assurance of his salvation. I saw him die with such peace, such dignity and such acceptance, that I am absolutely certain that dad is in heaven.

And so, when I came to write this tribute, I came to think about the things that dad has taught us, not through words, but through his life and actions.

1. Consistent from my very earliest memories right through to last week - hug those you love often.

2. If you don’t mean it, don’t say it.

3. Be frugal in your needs, and generous in your giving.

4. Death holds no terror for a righteous man.

5. Human dignity has nothing to do with hospital gowns that show your bum, or tubes up your nose.

6. Finally, life is to be enjoyed. It is too short for low-fat, sugar-free, salt-reduced and high-fibre. Those things won’t make you live longer - it will just feel that way.

So to me, dad is still ten feet tall. He is still my hero. I will live in his shadow and hope that one day, I will grow tall enough to see all he saw.

Rohan Titus
Telephone: + 94 11 259 9316
9/3 Queen's Court
Mobile: + 94 77 697 5693
22 Queen's Road E-mail:
rohan_titus@hotmail.com
Colombo 3 Homepage:
http://homepage.mac/rohan_titus
Sri Lanka

A C M Lafir

A. C. M. Lafir an incredibly brilliant batsman
Sporting Personalities with Ken de Joodt: DN Sat Nov 25 2006

SPORTING PERSONALITIES: Amidst the green hills and misty mountains of the 'cleansing' climes of Kandy, it was the 'gentleman's game' of Cricket that captivated the hearts of many schoolboys, their parents and a wide circle of fans, to joyfully gather at the picturesque Cricket grounds and watch their 'Cricket Heroes' with intense interest.

Among them was a scintillating batsman of 'real class' and elegance whose techniques of 'twists and turns' of wrist and graceful use of feet were 'out of this world'!


A. C. M. Lafir

He was a real treat to watch, whenever he was at the batting crease, bashing the little shiny 'cherry coloured' ball to all parts of the ground - and on numerous occasions - out of the grounds!!

It was in the 1950's that a dashing young cricketer, A. C. M. Lafir 'sprang-up' to dominate the batting scene, tearing the best of bowlers apart and entertained his numberless fans with brilliant stroke-play.

This was the 'real class' of a batsman, whose techniques and methods of play were meticulously perfected - with tremendous toil 'practice makes one perfect'!

What an incredible record 'A.C.M.' has established along his glorious pathway in Cricket, which began at St. Anthony's College, Kandy (Katugastota) in 1949. It was in an under 14 Inter-school cricket match that the famous, fabulous 1st XI SAC Coach, John Halangoda (an Old Trinitian) spotted Lafir's great talents, when he scored a splendid 60 runs.

With great gratitude to John Halangoda, from 1950 'A.C.M.' was picked to play for the 1st XI of St. Anthony's and went on to captain the college team for two memorable years! Through his consistency and excellence in batting during the season, he was selected to play for the Combined Colleges, skippered by Kenneth Serpanchy of St. Joseph's College.

Perhaps it may be simpler to 'find a needle in a haystack' than to list out the numerous centuries and half centuries scored during his 17 (seventeen) fascinating years of college, club and Sri Lanka representative cricket. Lafir's 'fantastic fifties' and 7 years of the seventy's, saw him 'notch-up' over 50 (fifty) centuries, 2 (two) double centuries and a number of scores past the '50 run' mark.

To briefly 'breeze' through his 'lengthy' list of achievements:

(1) in 1954, he was the first schoolboy from St. Anthony's College, to play for Sri Lanka, whilst yet in school, against the M.C.C. led by Sir Len Hutton.

(2) His distinguished service to the country, continued for a long 8 years period from 1954 to 1962.

(3) He scored the 'fastest 100' in 60 minutes against Ananda College Colombo, in 1954.

(4) A schools record for an opening stand of 266 runs by A. C. M. Lafir (176) and Ronnie Stephens (103) was established against Trinity College, which 'stands' to this day!

(5) Lafir was the first player on either side to make a century in the Gopalan trophy between Madras and C.C.A. President's XI in 1961.

(6) He led St. Anthony's in 1954 to become the unbeaten Inter-school Champions

(7) At the 'Big Match' he won four awards - Best Batsman, Best Bowler, Best all-rounder and Highest scorer.

(8) He scored over 1000 runs in '54 with an average of 108.06, breaking the record of 92.6 set in 1918 by the legendary Jack Anderson.

(9) He was the first batsman to win the Macan Markar Trophy awarded for the highest score of 256 not out, playing for Nomads vs University in 1966. He beat the previous best of 236 by Makin Salih.

(10) In 1954 A.C.M. Lafir won the Sri Lanka schools Best Batsman Award.

(11) A. C. M. skippered the Kandy schools and led them to victory over the powerful Colombo schools XI with a Captain's knock of 151 not out.

(12) His Mercantile record score of 236 against Rowlands.

(13) There are many more but space does not permit the listing to carry on!!

A. C. M. Lafir captained a strong, all-round Anthonian team who were unbeaten in 1954 and were 'unofficial' Inter-school cricket champions.

This 'mountain moving' team from the hills of Kandy, consisted of Ranjith Doranegama a good batsman, J. Sivananthan a master spinner of the ball, Ronnie Stephens a superb opening batsman, T. M. 'Tom' Deen fastest bowler in the schools in 1954, Cutbert Pereira School's Best Wicket-keeper, Saliya Doranegama an effective opening bowler, W. Premaratne an all-rounder (who was later elected the first 'Daily News - Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year' in 1956), Guy Fernando, J. Abdeen and Nihal Fernando, together with reserves Cecil Rodrigo, Adrian Berenger, C. Pamunuwa, Dicky Macky and Fred John.

This team was coached by Maurice Perera, a former Peterite and superb cricket commentator, who took over the coaching with the demise of John Halangoda in 1953.

On leaving College at the end of 1955, A. C. M. joined the police force as a sub-inspector. After a short period of service he got a 'break-through' in employment with an American Oil Company - Esso in 1957.

When Lafir played for Colombo Esso in a Stanvac '50 overs cricket tournament' in Bombay, he scored 60 runs out of a total of 62 (one run was a buy and Chinniah scored the other run and 'held the fort' until Lafir hammered 60 runs!!) to defeat Calcutta and win the Sinclair Trophy.

In 1962 he joined Lever Bros. Ltd. and played some match winning innings for the company. He did justice for Lever Bros. with a hurricane 121, which included 14 fours and 5 sixes, enabling Levers to regain the Lister Challenge Trophy from BCC in the 'Battle of the Soaps'!

A.C.M. also enrolled himself to play for Saracens Sports Club and established his place in the Sri Lanka team, with an impressive batting record, which had 27 centuries and 2 double centuries in the 'Sara' Trophy tournaments.

His batting performances for Sri Lanka were also outstanding, particularly his enterprising knock of 107 against Madras in 1955 and another century 132 runs, in the following year.

Some of his team-mates of the Sri Lanka side, captained by V. G. Prins, were C. I. Gunasekera, Dr. H. I. K. Fernando, Brian Claessen, Stanley Jayasinghe, C. T. Schaffter, Dooland Buultjens, P. N. Schokman, G. P. Schoorman, P. A. T. Kelly, N. Ponniah and M. Makkin Salih, who won the Gopalan Trophy.

In 1958 he was selected to play for All-Ceylon (Sri Lanka) team against the MCC, which was captained by Colin Cowdrey and had great England players of the past, like Tom Graveney, R. Subba Row, Peter Richardson, Trevor Bailey, Peter May, Frank Tyson, Jim Laker, Brian Statham, C. A. Milton and 'fiery' Freddie Trueman. Sri Lanka was captained by Vernon Prins, with co-members C. H. Gunasekera, A. C. M. Lafir, Michael Tissera, C. I. Gunasekera, A. Sethupathy, Dr. H. I. K. Fernando, Clive Inman, C. T. Schafter, Tony Buhar, Malcolm Francke, 12th man Lasantha Rodrigo.

In 1960 the Pakistan Eaglets visited Colombo and played a three day match against the CCA led by C. I. Gunasekera which included Lafir and in the following year he played against India and scored a brilliant 55 runs. He also toured Malaca and Singapore in 1956 and 1957.

In 1961 the first consignment of Norm O'Neill cricket bats "Hydromatic Driver" was manufactured in Australia and imported by Dr. Subash Chawla's Sports firm Chands Ltd. At a special function to launch these new bats, an award to the first batsman to score 500 runs was made to A. C. M. Lafir by the Australian Trade Commissioner in Sri Lanka Desmond Mc Sweeney.

Once again in 1962, A. C. M. Lafir was selected to play for Sri Lanka against the MCC led by Ted Dexter in which Ken Barrington scored 93 runs before been dismissed by Abu Fuard, just 7 runs short of his century.

Dr. H. I. K. Fernando was named the Best Wicket Keeper in Asia by the Reuter's special correspondent Leslie Smith, for his splendid performance behind the stumps.

For his 84 runs in the test against the MCC, the British Trade Commissioner J. F. Saunders, awarded a prize for Sri Lanka's highest scorer to A. C. M. Lafir.

In 1975 Lafir opened his Cricket Coaching School at the Nomads grounds and conducted classes only on Saturdays, for boys between the ages of 12 to 15 years.

He recalled the names of some talented players who were coached by him, like Roshan Mahanama Asanka Gurusinghe, Nigel Fernando and many others who reached Sri Lanka levels.

In 1981 he decided to sojourn 'Down under' - to Melbourne Australia, with an intention to obtain employment and explore the possibilities of bringing his family over.

While he was there he took the opportunity to attend Frank Tyson's Coaching School at Monash and was awarded an intermediate coaching certificate registered with the Victorian Cricket Association.

Lafir also played cricket for the North Club on the invitation of Merril Gunaratne a former Anthonian Captain of 1969, who scored a brilliant 139 against St. Josephs and more than 10 half centuries in his cricketing career. He is presently the active President of the Old Boys' Association in Melbourne, Australia.

By 1982, A.C.M. was back in Sri Lanka and glad to reunite with his family in his 'homeland'! His 'longest innings' has been with his charming wife Carmini (nee Ratnam) who is an English Graduate and continues in a Teaching profession.

They married in 1962 and 'bat-on' after 44 years of a happy and blessed 'partnership'! They produced a son Aashiq Cader Mohamed (ACM) Lafir jnr; (40 yrs.) who is today an accomplished Accountant with a double Degree and is working Director at United Motors. He is married to Lamina (nee Sameer) and has two daughters, Raahya (12) and Taahira (8).

In addition, ACM and Carmini have two daughters, Nirala (32) who works as an Executive Secretary and Mehra a Chartered Secretary, married to Mithila Mendis a Director of Airstan Telecommunications, who completed his degree in Electrical Engineering at Cambridge University, UK.

After his return to Sri Lanka his intention was to continue coaching and be active in the Cricket Fraternity.

However with the 1983 ethnic problems in the country ACM took up a two-year assignment in Saudi Arabia and when he came back in 1985 he had a great offer of employment in Bahrain, which he took and 'flew away' - until 1994!

He is presently Chairman of the Selection Committee of the Colombo District Cricket Association (CDCA), since June 2004, which covers approximately 65 Clubs. ACM has been a Match Referee for the Premier League matches and continues actively to this date.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Personalities Sri Lanka

PERSONALITIES SRI LANKA

D W Abayakoon
Kandagamage Don Bastion Tilekewardene Abayaratne
Prof Tikiri Banda Herath Abeyasinghe
George Hector Abeygoonesekera
Wijesekera Don Simon Abeygoonewardena
D F Cyrus Abeykoon
M K Walter F Abeykoon
Dr Don James Alfred Abeyratne
Dr Kamalika Abeyratne
Dr Lloyd Oscar Abeyratne
Mudaliyar Egodage Alfred Abeysekera
Karunaratne Abeysekera
Kirthie Abeysekera
W E M Abeysekera
P M P Abeysingha
Alexander Nicholas De Abrew Abeysinghe
Samson Abeysooriya
A W H Abeysundara
Sunil Subasini Abeysundara
Dulcie Abeywardena (nee Jayawardene)
Harsha Deva Abeywardena
Henry Abeywickrama
Keerthisena Chandradasa Abeywickrama
Simon Abeywickrama
Don Francis Abeywickrema
Don Epopenius Fonseka Wijayawardena Abhayakoon
Kusala Vichitra Abhayawardhana
Ayur D K Ukwattege Rajakaruna Abhayawickrama
Pedris Francis Abhayawickrama
M. S. Aboobakr
K Don Edward Winifred Britto Adikaram
A M Appuhamy Adikari
Agalakada Dhammarakkitha Thera
Prof Ahangama Rathnasiri Mahanayake Thera
Maha Adigar Ahelepola
George Alagiah
Alagiyawanna Mukaweti
Lucky Alagoda
Mohotti Kankanamage Albert
M S Alif
Assen Aliyar
Allepola Adikaram
A C Alles
Anthony Alles
Aluthgama Dharmasiri Thera
Aluthgama Sri Silakahanda Nayake Thera

Meetalawa Simon Aluthgamage 1920-1987
Born: 17 Aug 1920 at Meethalawa, at Nawalapitiya
Primary Education: Giriulla Maha Vidyalaya
Higher Education, Ginaraja Vidyalaya, Gampola
Member, Uda Palatha Ganga Ihala Korale, VC
Chairman, Udapalatha VC 1954-1970
MP Nawalapitiya, SLFP 1970
Retired from active politics in 1985 and served the electorate in social and religious fields
Passed Away: 3 Mar 1987

Aluthnuwera Anomadassi Thera
Uda Walawwe Bernard Herbert Aluvihare
Richard Aluvihare

Arthur William Alvis 1856-1922Born: 16 Jun 1856
Son of Francis Daniel Alvis & Louisa de Run
Education : St Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia
Member CMC 1889, 1903
Proctor DC, SC, Notary Public Jan 1879
Police Magistrate, Committee of bRequests Jaffna, Mallakam
Acting DJ, reverted to the Bar
Member Fort Ward CMC 1893-1902
Police Magistrate Trincomalee
Passed Away: 24 Apr 1922

Alwalle Sri Ratnajothi Maha Nayake Thera
K G Amaradasa
Pandith Amaradeva
Gate Mudaliar Abraham Christopher Gregory Suriarachchi Amarasekera
Manan Thomas de Silva Amarasekera
Dr Nihal D Amarasekera
BinduHewage Hikkaduwe Amarasena
Sarangupta Amarasinghe
Mudaliyar Mahendrapala Thomas de Silva Amarasuriya

Ambagahapitiye Gnanawimalatissa Nayaka Thera 1767-1835Born: 1767 at Mahakarava, Balapitiya
Eldest son of Karalu (Karolis) de Silva Vedaarachchi of Welitota & Madalena
Early education under his father and also learned under Bopawala Dhammananda
Ordination: Weliwita Saranankara, Kandy, as ‘Gnanawimala’
StuPassed Away under Weliwita Sangharaja
Resided at Ambaharukkaramaya, Ambagahapitiya
Established Amarapura Nikaya (sect) at Madhu river, May 1803
Proceeded to Burma for studies
Awarded title ‘Mahadhammarajadirajaguru’ from Burma
Passed Away: 8 Jul 1835

Ambagahawatte Indasabhavaragnasamy Maha Thera 1832-1886Born: 16 Nov 1832 at Ambagahawatta, Akmeemana
Son of Don Mathes de Silva Madanayake & Indipola Walawwage Jenohamy
Lay name Cornelis Madanayake
StuPassed Away under Pilane Mahastavira
Ordination under Akmeemana Sobhitha Maha Thera as ‘Ambagahawatta Saranankara’
Educated under Benthota Atthadassi Thera
Higher Ordination Malwatta Vihara
Awarded the ‘Indasabawara Gnanasamy’ in Burma, 12 Jun 1861
Returned to Ceylon in 1863 and established Sri Lanka Ramanna Nikaya, 19 Dec 1894
Received Higher Ordination six times. Resided at Vijayanada Pirivena, Weliwatte
Established Payagala Dharmagupta Pirivena
First Mahanayaka, Ramanna Nikaya
Passed Away: 29 Jan 1886

Ambalangoda Devananda Maha Nayake Thera 1847-1936Born: 1847 at Ambalangoda
Ordination Ander Werallene Pannatissa Thera, 1855
Higher Ordination 1866
StuPassed Away under Weligama Sri Sumangala
Proceeded to Burma to study Abhidamma
Incumbent Gangarama, Horetuduwa, Moratuwa
Conferred title Deputy Sangaha Raja from Burma
Works: Hethu Pala Vadaya
Passed Away: 2 Apr 1936

Ambalangoda Dhammakusala Thera, ajakeeya Pandit 1899-1984
Born: 27 May 1899
Ordination: Sunandaramaya Maha Vihara, Ambalangoda
Pupil of Ven Ambalangoda Indrajoti Thera
Education: Sujatha Vidyalaya, Panadura
Pupilo f Ganawaimalatissa, Vidyodya Pirivena, Maligakande, Ander Kahawe Sri Rathnasara Maha Nayaka Thera
First at the final exam of the Maligakanda Pirivena
Awarded Siam Raja prize for best student
Passed final exam of the Oriental Studies Society with First Class Honors, 1932
Presented a Monograph Evolution of the Sinhala Letters pubvlished as ‘Sinhala Akuru’
Pioneered the establishment of Sastrodaya Pirivena, Ambalangoda
Appointed Senior Lecturer Department of Sanskrit, Buddha Sravaka Dharmapeetaya, Anuradhapura
Member, Editorial Board, Buddha Jayanthi, Tripataka Committee
Editor, Mahavagga, a Vinaya Text
Represented Sri Lanka at the 6th Buddhist Convocation held in Burma
Silver tongued orator, excelled in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Sinhala
Magnum Opus ‘Saddharmasagara’, 2672 pages
Adikarana Nayaka, Amarapura Sect
Works: Dhaturuparatanavaliya, a study of Sanskrit Roots and Conjugations, Chatur Veda
Passed Away: 21 Feb 1984

Ambanwelle Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Dhammananda Anunayaka Thera 1881-1968Born: 21 Aug 1881 at Wilawwa
Son of Dhanapala Mudiyanselage Dhanapala Nilame
Primary Education: Nelidhandahinna Government School
Ordination 1897
Educated at Vidyalankara Pirivena, Kelaniya
Tecaher Vidyodya Pirivena, 1908
Chief Incumbent Beligammana Vidyawardena Pirivena, Mawanella, 1910
Karmacaharya, 1912
Nayake, Aluthnuwara Vihara, 1914
Committee Member, Malwatte Chapter, 3 Feb 1920
Assistant Registrar, Malwatte Sangha Sabha, 3 Mar 1920
Sangha Nayaka, Galboda Kinigoda Korale, 5 May 1921
Chief Sangha Nayake, four Korales, 15 Dec 1935
Thewa Dure, Dalada Maligawa, 1945
Anunayake, Malwatte Chapter, 28 Jan 1956
Edited Parajika Pali, 1956
Puggala Pragnapathi Prakaranaya
Associated at the Higher Ordination Ceremony of Anagiraka Dharmapala
Passed Away: 20 May 1968

Ambanwelle Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Maha Nayaka Thera 1868-1927Born: 3 Aug 1868 at Ambanwelle
Eldest son of Rajakaruna Seneviratne Ratnayake Appuhamy Nilame, Ambanwelle & Navaratne Mudiyanse Ralahamylage Dingiri Menike Kumarihamy of Boragolla Walawwa
Ordination: 1877
Higher Ordination under the Turelage of Botota Maha Medhankara
Chief Pupil of Tibbotuwe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Maha Nayaka Thera, May 1888
Honored with ‘Karmacaharya’ Title
Councillor, Nayaka Uda-Pahala Hewaheta and Walapane, 1911
Mahanayake, Pushparama Sect of the Siam Nikaya from 27 Mar 1925 to 3 Aug 1927
Mahanayake, Malwatte Chapter from 27 Mar 1925 to 3 Aug 1927
Chief Incumbnent, Nalagawimana, Kandy Vihara, Kandy, Bogoda Kande Raja Maha Vihara, Passara Raja Maha Vihara & twelve other temples
Patron, Foster Robinson Samenara Vidyalaya, Kandy, established by Anagarika Dharmapala
Passed Away: 3 Aug 1927

Ambewela Punnassara Thera 1899-1985
Born: 18 Jan 1899 at Hevanakumbura
Chief Incumbent, Puravaramaya, 1918
Established Village School, Ambewela Vidyalaya
Received Title ‘Sri Saddhambhanaka’
Passed Away: 21 Dec 1985

Sir A W M Ameer

Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe 1913-1980
Born: 18 Mar 1913 in Colombo
Primary Education: Royal Primary School, Colombo 7
Secondary Education: University College, Ceylon, First Class in Classics, 1934
Joined CCS in 1936
Secretary to the Treasury 1 Jun 1951
Resident GM Galoya Development Board, 1950
Police Magistrate, Committee of Requests
Additional DJ, Secretary Ministry of Health
Ceylon High Commissioner to India, Ambassador to Nepal and Afghanistan
Ceylon Permanent Representative to the UN 1967-1980
President UN General Assembly, 1976
Chairman UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of the Seabed and Ocean Floor
Counsellor, Ceylon Embassy in Washington, USA
President UN Conference on the Law of the Sea
Passed Away: 4 Dec 1980

Appapillai Amirthalingam 1927-1989
Born: 26 Aug 1927
Secondary Education: Melkandar Tamil School, Pannagam, Victoria College, Chulipuram, Ceylon University College, Colombo (BA Degree), Law College
Qualified as an Advocate
Won Vaddukoddai seat 1956 and retained seat in the March & July elections 1960
Placed under house detention in 1958, 1961 & 1965
Joined Dudley Senanayake Government 1965 and left in 1968
Lost seat to the Tamil Congress candidate 1970
Formed the TULF on 15 May 1976
Contested KKS seat vacated by SJV Chelvanayagam and won, 1977
Elected leader of the opposition, 1978
Forfeited seat in Parliament
Leader of the Opposition 22 Oct 1983
Lost Batticaloa seat at General Elections 1989
Nominated TULF MP 1989
Represented Sri Lanka Conference in UK, Australia, Jamaica & Manila
Passed Away: 13 July 1989

Amunugama Raja Guru Sri Piyadassi Thera 1930-1982
Born: 6 Mar 1930 at Amunugama in Pata-Dumbara
Ordination: 16 Jun 1943 under Amunugama Vipassi Thera
Higher Ordination: 18 Jun 1951 under Rambukwella Sri Sobitha and Sirimalwatte Ananda Maha Nayaka Thera
Entered Sangarajah Pirivena, Kandy, 1943, Vidyodaya Pirivena 1958
Appointed Executive Committee Malwatte Chapter 1964
Secretary to Amunugama Nayaka Thera, Malwatte Chaptefr, 1964-1969
Established Kotugodelle Siri Niwasa Sunday School
Passed Away: 14 Jun 1982

Anagarika Dharmapala
Anagarika Dharmapala 1864-1933
Born: 17 Sep 1864 in Colombo
Eldest son of Mudaliyar H Don Carolis (Don Carolis Hewavitarane), of Hittetiya, Matara & Mallika Dharmagunewardena
Was named Don David Hewavitharane, brother of Edmund, Simon, CA & Jacob Munasinghe
Primary Education: St Mary’s Pettah, Colombo 11, 1870, Baptist Sinhala School, St Benedicts College, Kotahena, Colombo 13 1870-1874, St Thomas College, Mt Lavinia 1874-1884, Christian College, Kotte, Royal College, Colombo, Vidyodaya Pirivena, Maligakande (for Buddhism)
Learned Sinhala, Pali & Buddhism under Ven HBikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Maha Thera
Successful at the General Clerical Service Examination and obtained employment as a clerk at the Department of Education (DPI)
Resigned from Government Sewrvice in 1886 and took up as apprentice t a Notary Public
Joined Buddhist Theosophical Society (BTS) Colombo in Jan 1884
Worked together with other Buddhist leaders such as Ven Mohottiwatte Gunananda, Carolis Pujitha Gunawardena, Col H S Olcott fr the upliftment of Buddhism
Left for Buddha Gaya in Inda with the help of Carolis Pujitha Gunawardena and others to safeguard the sacred places of Buddhists in 1896
Member BTS Colombo 1884-1890
Manager, Sarasavi Sanderesa Newspaper
Asst Secretary, Buddhist Defence Committee Mar 1886 to Dec 1890
Became a Brahmacjhchari taking the name ‘Anagarika Dharmapala’ in Jan 1886
Left for Japan fr Buddhist Missionary work with Col H S Olcott on 10 Jan 1889
Introduced the six color Buddhist Flag to Japan with Ven Sadhdhananda
Visited Buddha Gaya and establisyhed a Temple in Jan 1891
Maha Bodhi Society at Vidyodaya Pirivena, Maligakande to save Buddha Gaya, 31 May 1891
Established branches of the Maha Bodhi Society in many countries
Commenced publication f the Maha Bodhi Journal in jan 1892
Left for Chicago, USA, to attend the World Religion Conference iun 1893
Left for EWngland from USA via Honolulu and met Mrs Robinson who became a Buddhist
Won Buddha Gaya for the Buddhists and held first Wesak Festival in 1896
Commenced Maha Bodhi English Journal in May 1892
Started Sinhala Buddha Gaya Newspaper on 5 May 1906 on return to Ceylon
Engaged in developing local industriues, viz woodcraft, match making and textiles
Travelled round the country in a Bullock Cart inspiring the people to work for the development of Buddhism and the nation
Engaged in temperanc3e work with other leaders, viz D B Jayatilleke, Walisinghe Harischangra & F R Sednanayake
Was taken into custody while in Calcutta, 1915-1920 and sent to jail for seven years
Established Dharmarajika (Nov 1920), and Mulagandhakuti Vihara (1931) in India
Entered the order under the Tutrelage of Borukgamuwe Revata Nayaka Thera as ‘Siri Devamitta’ on 13 Jul 1931
Higher Ordination: 16 Jan 1933
Established Buddhist Seminary in Kandy in 1925
Helped to print large number of Buddhist Pali texts with English translations
Created Anagarika Dharmapala Trust in Ceylon in 1931
Publications: Arya Dharma of the Gauthama, Sakyamuni (English), Facts to Know (Sinhala), Buddhism Past & Present, Aravada Ratanaya , Surapanaya, Gihi Dinachariyawa, American Buddhist Journal (1931), Senkadagala (1925), the Buddhist Empire f Asoka the Great, What did Buddha teach?, Rewlation between Buddhism & Hinduism
Passed Away: 29 Apr 1933 at Mulagaandhakuti Vihara, Benares (Varanasi). Ashes brought to Ceylon

Ananda Mangala Thera 1917-1986
Born: 1917 at Wattala
Lay Name: Narcissus Ananda Meemanage
Gandhian Satyagrahist in the Indian Freedom Movement
Ordination under Heenetiyane Dharmaloka Maha Nayaka Thera
Left for Singapore for Dharmaduta work
Founder Member, World Fellowship of Buddhists and World Buddhist Sangha Council
Passed Away: 28 Jan 1986

Noel Francis Ignatius Anandappa 1932-1983Born: 3 Dec 1932 at Kotahena
Colombo Chetty
Education: St Benedict’s College, Kotahena
Cadet Sri Lanka Air Force 22 Sep 1953
Wing Commander
Retired from SLAF 1 Jun 1979
Air Pilot
Pilot, Learjet 35 belonging to Upali Wijewardena
Passed Away: 16 Feb 1983

Governor John Anderson
Mohamed Anis
Dr P R Anthonisz, Surgeon Dr P R Anthonisz, Surgeon (more)
Dr. P R Anthonisz - Lanka Chronicle

Rev D John Anthony OMI 1894-1979
Born: 25 Dec 1894 at Makavita
Son of Bulathsinhala Appuhamilage Don Anthony Cooray
Primary Education: Village School
Higher Education: St Joseph’s College, Colombo
Passed London Matriculation Exam
Married M D Francis Netthisinghe, Jaela
Entered Order 29 Jun 1921
Vice Principal, St Joseph’s College, Colombo 1924-1940
GM Catholic Schools 1940-1953
Principal, Sri Lanka Catholic Guruabyasa Vidyalaya, Bolawalana, 1967
Conferred Title, ‘Sahiacharya’, 1953
D Litt, Ottawa, Canada
Works: Catharina, Muniawrayage Kathawa
Passed Away: 27 Mar 1979

Don Philip de Silva Epa Appuhamy 1810-1891
Born : 1810
Eldest Son of Don Simon de Silva Epa Appuhamy of Welihena
Early Education: under Ven Walagedara Sri Dhammadassi Maha Nayake
Prepared a Panchanga Litha (Calendar), 1854
Chief Initiator to Invite Ven Hikkaduwe Sumangala Thera to Colombo and instrumental in establishing Vidyodaya Pirivena
President, Vidyadara Sabha
Publications: ‘Sidhathvata’, Biography of Walane Siddhartha, 1859
Passed Away: 10 Mar 1891

Gurunanselage Don Pelis Appuhamy 1847-1910Born: 27 Feb 1847 at Telengapata
Son of Don David Appuhamy
Studied Astrology under Don Philip de Silva Epa Appuhamy
Founder Member Vidyodaya Pirivena
Married Suriyaarachchige Dona Engalititina Perera
Commenced ‘Kavata Kathikaya’ Newspaper on 1 Jan 1872
Works: Dunapare Vadaya (Panadura Vadaya), Mahiyangana Varananawa, Walpola Pinkama, Koorale Shantiya, Dashagatha Shantiya
Passed Away: 4 Sep 1910

Narayana Mudiyanselage Appuhamy 1916-1974
Born: 3 Mar 1916 at Uhumiya, Piduruwella, Kurunegala
Primary Education: Village School
Secondary Education: St Anne’s College, Kurunegala
Joined Health Department as a Clerk and later Local Government Service
Started business in Kurunegala and founded M/S Sathyawadi Stores & Motor Transporters Ltd
Pioneer Manufacturer of Agricultural Trailers, water bowsers, farm implements
Appointed to Senate on 20 Oct 1965 & 20 Nov 1971
President Merchants Chamber, Kurunegala
Founded houses for Deaf & Blind children at Sandagala
Support Home for the Aged, Kurunegala
Active member UNP, contested Kurunegala seat and lost, JUuly 1960
Passed Away: 3 Mar 1974

Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Appuhamy 1925-1989
Born: 9 Jan 1925
Education: Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Bandarawela, Bandarawela Pirivena
Salesman, Welimada, Farmer
Member Bandarawela UC, 1963
Contested Haputale as an Independent candidate and lost in 1965
Contested Bandarawela seat as an UNP candidate and lost in 1977
MP Bandarawela (UNP) in 1977
District Minister, Badulla
Passed Away: 9 Jun 1989

Prof D Arampatta 1926-1985
Born: 5 Jun 1926 at Akuressa
Education: Mahinda College, Galle
BA (Hon) Ceylon, Education 1948
Posdt Graduate Diploma in Education 1954
MA Education 1957
Special Education Degree USA
Teacher and Principal, Prince of Wales College, Kotahena
Lecturer Vidyodaya University, 1962
President Vidyodaya UTA 1967-1969
Head of the Department & Co-Dean Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, 1975
Dean Faculty of Education, Associate Professor, 1979
President National Education Society of Sri Lanka 1973-1975
Passed Away: 21 Nov 1985

Aritta Keevendu Perumal alais Jayaweera Bandara ?-1594
South Indian Adventurer by the name of Arittakeevendu (Kirivendu) Perumal became a favorite of Rajasinghe I. Received Title and was made a high official. Became in amportant figure in the Sitawaka Kingdom after Rajasighe’s death.
Deserted to the Portuguese which gave the Colonial rulers the ability to subjugate the Kingdom of Sitawaka
Dharmapala honored him with the title ‘Jayaweera Bandara’
Accompanied Sinhala soldiers to Kandy under Pedro Lopez De Souza, the First Captain General of Portuguese Ceylon
Slain by Pedro Lopez De Souza in 1594

Edwin Ariyadasa

Brig Ariya Ariyapperuma 1935-1985Born: 8 Dec 1935 at Rajagiriya, Balbantuduwa
Son of Don Baron Ariyapperuma & Catherina Malalasekera
Education: St Johns College, Panadura, Sri Palee, Horana, Zahira College, Colombo
Higher Education: University of Ceylon, Peradeniya
Joined the Army in 1958
Specialized training in counter-intelligence
Honored with Titles ‘Janaraja’ Sannaddha, ‘Janadhipathi Sewa’, ‘Sri Lanka Sannaddha Sewa’
Passed Away: 8 Feb 1985

A T Ariyaratne

Rerukane Ariyaratne 1899-1981
Born: 1899
Ordination under Vinayalankara Burmese Priest
Studied Dhamma under Ven Arangala Sridhamma Thera
Went to Burma for further studies in 1918
Ordained as Renukane Ariyagnana Thera
Returned to Ceylon and taught at the Vidyalankara Pirivena
Works: Dhatu Watha, Puggala Pannapithi, Yamaka Pattana, Kathavathu, Pachchupakkaranaya
Edited Atha Katha, translated Abhidhammattaakekatha Vinayatita
Disrobed 1939
Passed Away: 18 Dec 1981

P Gamini Ariyatilake 1917-1983Born: 26 May 1917
Education: Mahinda College, Galle, Sri Palee, Horana
Public Health Inspector 1939-1943
Officer, Madyama Lanka Bus Company, 1944
Joined CTB
Member Hatton-Dickoya UC (LSSP)
Chairman UC 1961-1967
Joined SLFP and lost elecxtions, 1960 & 1965
Won Maskeliya seat (SLFP) in 1970
Passed Away: 13 Mar 1983

Srila Sri Arumuga Navalar 1822-1879Born: 18 Dec 1822 at Nallur, Jaffna
Social Reformer, Saivite Revivalist, Tamil Scholar
Youngest son of Paramanthar Kanapathi Pillai & Sivakami
Studied under Subramaniampillai and Velartha Mudaliyar of Nallur
Sent to Vidyasiromani Senathirajah Mudaliyar of Erupalai and Saravana Muthupulavar of Nallur
Attended Methodist English School in Jaffna run by Rev Peter Percival
Appointed Headmaster of Methodist English School
Translated Vannarponnai for imparting Tamil learning and Saivaism, 1848
Established a printing press near his school for Tamil learning, 1849
Established English School at Vannarponnai, 22 Jan 1872
Established Hindu Schools at Kopay, Pullaly, Inuvil, Kalambagam, Kantharnadu, Madhagal
Received Title ‘Navalar’ for oratory and learning
Works: Hindu catechism, Subra Bodam, Shaivasya Parikkaram
Influenced politics through Ponnambalam Ramanathan
Passed Away: 8 Dec 1879

Sinnathamby Arumugam
Anthony Pieris Aserappa

Budhdhadasa Atapattu 1913-1985
Born: 14 Aug 1913
Son of Don Juwanis Attapattu (Ayurvedic Physician Nakulugamuwa) & Kadawedduwe Wijekoon, brother of D C Atapattu
Chairman Beliatta Town Council
Social worker
Established a Rs 100,000 fund for the development of Sunday Schools in the Hambantota District
Developed Jayatilekaramaya, Nakulugamuwa
Donated house at Cinnamon Gardens in Colombo worth Rs 400,000 to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs
Passed Away: 31 Mar 1985

Attaragama Rajaguru Bandara
Attudawe Dharmakkitha Nayaka Thera
Cyril Eugene Attygalle
Prof Daphne Attygalle

Dhanapala Piyadasa Attygalle 1917-1969Born: 1917
Education: Sivali Vidyalaya, Ratnapura, Law College
Proctor SC & NP
Politics in 1952, Member Rajagiriya UC, Vice Chairman Ratnapura UC, 1957
Member Ratnapura District Committee
Resident Manager YMBA, Colombo 1948-1950
MP Ratnapura, Mar 1965
Passed Away: 3 Dec 1969

Dharmasena Attygalle 1925-1989
Born: 19 Feb 1925
Son of Ayur Dr D P Attygalle of Madapatha & D S J Attygalle
Education: Madapatha Buddhist Mixed School, Piliyandala Maha Vidyalaya, Nalanda College, Colombo
Entered Ayurvedic Medical College and passed out in 1942
Obtained MB Degree in Homeopathy
Served on the Advisory Board of the Ayurvedic Medical College
Awarded ‘Ayurveda Vaidya Maha Vishadara Panditha’ Hon Degree by the Ayurveda Waidya Maha Mandalaya, 1978
Won Kesbewa seat in NSA by-election, 1972
Returned at the Parliamentary, 1977
Deputy Minister of Health 1977-1980
Minister of Indigenous Medicine Feb 1980-1983
Resigned as Minister 1983
High Commissioner to Pakistan Jan 1983
Passed Away: 1 Jun 1989

A.M.A. Azeez
Shanthi Balasubramaniam
Janet Balasuriya
Felix Reginold Dias Bandaranaike
SWRD Bandaranaike
Bandaranaike Family
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Dr Noel & Nora Bartholomeusz
Jimmy Barucha
Geoffrey Bawa
Geoffrey Bawa 2
Nita Bhareti
Deloraine Brohier
M. K. J. Cantlay
Chitrasena
Sir Arthur C Clarke

George E Chitty, QC
George Edmund Chitty Jnr, QC, born:Jan-1-1909, died:Dec-23-1974, son of George Edmund Chitty Snr & Mabel Pullenayagam was married to Leila Ratnam (d/o Dr. EV Ratnam, founder of Ratnam’s Private Hospital, Tamil Union Cricket Club, and philanthrophist and believer of all religions, & Rose Beatrice Chitty, GEC Jnr’s fathers sister)

GEC Jnr was educated at Royal College, Colombo, University College, Colombo. Won Dadabhoy Prize for Natural Science, Junior Essay Prize, Jayawardena Prize for English, De Heer Memorial Prize for General Merit. Prefect Harvard House. Editor Royal College Magazine. Passed Law Final. Advocate 1934. Called to the bar May 1935. Crown Counsel 1938. In charge of Defence Regulations 1942-1944. Reverted to the Official Bar 1945. Commissioner of Assize 1954. QC 1955. Member MC, Bribery Commission 1961. Member Gratien Commission on Prison Reform 1949. Board of Governors Trinity College Kandy. Director Mecantile Credit Limited, Hino Motors Limited, Chitra Lanka Limited which produced the Sinhala Film, REKAWA. Conducted the prosecution of the SWRD Bandaranaike assasination case.

His children are G. L. Ajit Chitty (Chairman Colombo Shipping and Eastern Brokers), G. E. Chitty (Kumar Chitty), Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Law of the Sea, ( married to Shanta David), Indira Chitty (married to Chandra Corea), and Chris R. L. Chitty (President of Soho Inc, Timely Travel International in Beverly Hills, Ca. USA)

His siblings are Mabel Chitty (married to Maharaja Vanderkoen), Renee Chitty (married to David), Samuel Alexis Chitty ( ex CEO Lewis Brown & Company),

His fathers siblings are Charles Chitty, James Chitty (First Crown Counsel), who married Laurie Pullenayagam, Rose Beatrice Chitty (married Dr E V Ratnam), and two mother sisters married to Storer and Saravanamuttu, respectively.

Choksy
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Dr Lucian de Zilwa
Courtesy "The Hindu" - Historic home turns hotel
By V.S. Sambandan, 17 MAR 2005

Sri Lanka's historic mansion — the private residence of the Bandaranaikes — will soon become a boutique hotel.

`Tintagel,' in the heart of Colombo, which Sri Lanka's first family called home for decades, will join a list of handsome European and Indian castles and palaces that are now elegant hotels. The sprawling size and costs of maintenance were cited as the reason for the decision."This is far too big a place for me to live [in]," the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga's sister, Sunethra Bandaranaike, was quoted as telling The Sunday Times. The decision to convert the more than 12,000 sq ft mansion into a hotel was endorsed by Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga and her brother, Anura Bandaranaike, the newspaper said. The house, built in 1929 by a Sri Lankan gynaecologist and writer, Lucian de Zilwa, owes its name to the castle in which King Arthur is believed to have been born.

The past
Tintagel is historic as the residence of three Prime Ministers and a President — the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, the late Srimavo Bandaranaike and their daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was Prime Minister before winning the presidential election. To add to the list, Mr. Anura Bandaranaike, a former Speaker, is now a Cabinet Minister.

The house was witness to defining moments, both tragic and celebratory, in Sri Lanka's post-independence history. On its verandah, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike fell to an assassin's bullet. The mansion, however, has not been an official residence since 1962, when the late Ms. Sirimavo Bandaranaike moved to the Prime Minister's official residence, Temple Trees, for security reasons.

Sri Lanka's `First House' also has an India connection. Its architect, Homi Billimoria, was among the several `Indo-Lankan' professionals who made Sri Lanka their home.

According to Dr. de Zilwa, the marble for its steps and verandah came from north India. During the Second World War, the British military asked Dr. de Zilwa to vacate it "within eight days," and took it over as "a hundred soldiers could be housed there," his autobiography said. After the military occupation, Tintagel was "a wreck," and Dr. De Zilwa subsequently sold it to the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike's father.

The future
Udayashanth Fernando, who runs a boutique store and hotel in Colombo, the Gallery Café, has taken the house. He plans eight suites, each with its own sitting room and private balcony. No major alterations are on the cards, but "a few walls will have to be opened out," and a swimming pool added.

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Charles Ambrose Lorensz 1829-1871Born: 8 Jul 1829 at Matara
Youngest of nine children. Son of Johanna Frederick Lorensz & Euna Petronella Smith
Education: Royal Academy, Colombo, 1842. Won Turnour Prize, 1846
Apprentice in Law under John Drieberg, Journalist, Proctor SC, 1849
Coined the expression ‘Ceylonese’
Member Royal Asiatic Society - RAS (CB) 13 Aug 1830
Married Eleanor Nell, sister of Louis Nell, 19 Dec 1850
Sailed for England on 10 Feb 1855 and returned the same year
Barrister at Law Lincolns Inn
District Judge Chilaw, 26 May 1855
Reverted to the Bar Dec 1855
Supported Dr Christopher Elliott for a more representative Council and for an unofficial majority in the Legislative Council
Burgher Member LC 1856-1864
Resigned his seat from LC with six others in 1864
Purchased ‘Examiner’ newspaper by a syndicate and renamed it to ‘Ceylon Examiner’ and took up the challenge of Managing Editor & Editor
Member MC Colombo Jan 1860 to Jan 1870
Works: Provisional Payment, 1856 – Editor Law Reports, 1856-1870 – Notes on Kovil Practice, 1860
Passed Away: 9 Aug 1871

The Burgher intelligentsia in the 1860s was led by a young man who hailed from Matara - Charles Ambrose Lorensz. Being a brilliant lawyer he was popularly known as the "morning star of Hulftsdorp".

Together with a group of young Burghers like Leopold Ludovici, Francis Bevan, Samuel Grenier and James Stewart Drieberg they produced a leading local literary journal called Young Ceylon.

In 1859 Lorensz and a syndicate purchased the Ceylon Examiner which became the first Ceylonese newspaper. Until his death in 1871, at the age of forty two, Ambrose Lorensz wielded the powerful influence of his pen for social reform, championing democratic causes and courageously criticising the British colonial government, the Governor and his Executive Council.

In the true traditions of 19th century Burgher leaders, like C. A. Lorensz there came a few years later - George Alfred Henry Wille, who was also of the legal fraternity in that he was a proctor by profession. A keen student of history and politics from his young days, Wille was alive to his responsibilities as a citizen.

His interest in public affairs was such that there was hardly a public movement in the early 20th century in which he did not play a part. He was well-known for his knowledge in constitutional matters and when the Ceylon Congress came into existence, Wille had the sagacity to foresee the political reform in Ceylon which could not be postponed. Alone among minority men, George Wille joined the Congress and took a prominent part in its affairs side by side with its foremost leaders from the other communities.

The present site on which Wesley College stands and the surrounding land was once owned by Charles Ambrose Lorensz and used by the school since 1902.

Charles Ambrose Lorensz, of whom it was said, "the most versatile and gifted member the community ever produced," followed James Martensz succeeded him and then came C. L. Ferdinands. When the latter accepted government office as District Judge, Colombo, Advocate James van Langenberg Sr. was appointed to fill his place. On his death, Dr. P. D. Anthonisz of Galle, was appointed breaking the tradition of lawyer members. The appointment again of H. L. Wendt revived the legal link.

Lorensz was a proud product of Royal College, Colombo.

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Muttiah Muralitharan
Murali nails 600th scalp
Another pitstop for the Milestone Man
Charlie Austin
March 11, 2006
Mountaineers are obsessed by the final peak but Murali loves the climb © Getty Images
Another day, another milestone. For Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka's genial spin wizard, the current series against Bangladesh has seen him pass a series of landmarks, providing more intrigue for the statisticians, more delight for his proud team-mates, and greater reason to grumble for his detractors, the sour and ignorant Luddites that refuse to accept that his unique skills and remarkable achievements are to be cherished not scorned.

During the first Test in Chittagong he became the first bowler to take 1000 international wickets and then during the second he scaled three more peaks: his 50th five-for; 50 wickets against all Test-playing nations, a first; and the most importantly, 600 Test wickets from a career that started as a spindly and innocent 20-year-old back in 1992, a Colombo Test that he travelled to from his uncle's house in the suburbs on a public bus, to save precious rupees.
If he had reached the landmark in Sri Lanka they'd have been firecrackers and special ceremonies; bila bands would have gyrated and drummed frenetically in appreciation. But, in Bogra, Muralitharan's celebrations were modest: some backslaps and bumtaps from team-mates and some proud flag-waving from two travelling supporters, who had endured a 35-hour train journey from Chennai. Murali, a modest man devoted to his team, would have preferred in that way, close to those he cares about most.

Murali is cricket's Milestone Man, a prolific oddity in the world of cricket statistics, one who threatens to set records that will stand for generations to come. Yet the irony is that the higher he climbs and the more felicitations he attends, they mean less. Mountaineers are obsessed by the final peak but Murali loves the climb. Ask him to swap a five-for for a Test victory and he'll throw away the lot. Team success is what matters most. And in terms of personal satisfaction, being involved in building one of the hundreds of houses for tsunami victims makes him far prouder than his cricket harvests.

Indeed, Murali the man is even more remarkable that Murali the cricketer. His has been a journey of never-ending challenges. Whether you believe him to be a cricketing God or a fraud, you can't but help admire his infectious enthusiasm for a game he adores. Others would have thrown in the towel years ago had they faced the allegations, scrutiny and mud-slinging that has followed him in the past 14 years. Can you imagine being hooted and humiliated in front of 80,000 Australians, having been called for chucking during the Boxing Day Test in 1995? It takes serious mental strength to absorb what he has been through.

Murali was raised during a particularly violent period in Sri Lanka's history; it helped him retain a sense of perspective.

Of course, it helps when you have seen life through his eyes. From an early age he learned that life could be unjust and irrational. Before he'd even bowled a cricket ball he'd heard terrible stories of ethnic mobs burning down the family biscuit factory. He'd heard heroic tales of his father - a humble, generous, down to earth and successful businessman who rarely speaks a word to his to his son but commands his complete respect - being the last man standing that night before machete-wielding thugs broke through the factory's gates and chased him out. Murali, a hill-country Tamil, was raised during a particularly violent period in Sri Lanka's history, a decade marred by ethnic riots, civil war and bloody student uprisings. It all helped him retain a sense of perspective throughout the chucking controversies that have rocked his career.

Even more remarkable than his steely inner strength, is his generosity of spirit and human compassion. As Kumar Sangakkara wrote in his Cricinfo column: "Perhaps the greatest tribute I can pay to Murali is that the number of friends he has made around the world is far greater the number of wickets he has taken. I have never met a more honest man. He is simple and humble and a beacon of hope for all Sri Lankans." Indeed, off the field, Murali has touched many lives, dedicated an enormous amount of his time, energy and wealth to the charity he set up with his manager Kushil Gunasekera, the Foundation of Goodness.

Thankfully his cricketing journey still has more chapters. There has been much media speculation over his possible retirement after the 2007 World Cup but Murali is certainly not ready to bid farewell. Still only 33, he feels that he can play for at least another three years of Test cricket, possibly more. His earlier retirement from one-day cricket, though, is likely. This means that, injury permitting, he could play another 25 to 40 Test matches. When you consider that he raced from 500 to 600 Test wickets in just 14 games, the mind boggles when you consider the final tally. But no matter how many he takes, one can be assured of one thing: he will be a source of wonder, inspiration and hope far longer than his record lasts.

Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper pays tribute
'Murali will always be a beacon of hope'Kumar Sangakkara
March 13, 2006

Kumar Sangakkara: 'I have been fortunate to have had the best view in world of his magic and artistry'

My first association with Murali was while playing Under-15 cricket for Trinity School. I used to attend training sessions held in the back garden of Sunil Fernando, the coach who discovered Murali's precious talent and asked him to switch from medium-pace to spin. I still remember the day that Sunil called Murali into my net to bowl. Even then, on concrete, you could only marvel at his talent as the ball turned square. We knew he was very special.

Thereafter, a few years his junior, I followed his career closely from my television set in the Kandy hills. I remember his first Test in 1992 and the bemusement of Craig McDermott and Tom Moody, his first victims, as they were exposed to his unique brand of spin for the first time. I watched him bowl magnificently during the 1996 World Cup and marvelled at his brilliance in 1998 when he single-handedly destroyed England at The Oval. I watched him win match after match and I was in awe.

Then, in 2000, I was suddenly elevated into the Sri Lanka team. In those days my wicket-keeping was far from polished. I'd just replaced Romesh Kaluwitharana, one of Sri Lanka's favourite cricketers. Many were upset by Kalu's omission and I felt a huge pressure. But after just a few deliveries keeping to Murali I felt out of my depth. I was trying my hardest but I was missing more of his deliveries than I gloved. It was impossible to read his trickery. Murali, though, was also the first to come up and give me encouragement. He spent hours helping me. I will never forget his support back then.

Indeed, that has been a hallmark of him throughout his career. He is a big man, Sri Lanka's best ever cricketer, but he is also the first man to help any youngster in the side. For such a great cricketer he carries so little pride - he is just one of the guys. I have watched newcomers coming into the squad feeling awkward and nervous. Invariably, he is the first to aid them, going out of his way to help then relax, building up a wonderful rapport and a sense of familiarity. Murali cares deeply about his team and all those around him.

I have been fortunate because as wicketkeeper I have had the best view in world of his magic and artistry, the extent of which never ceases to amaze me. He has so many different deliveries and tricks, subtle variations over which he has complete mastery. I have watched the best batsmen in the world, the Lara's and Tendulkar's of this planet, try to combat his wiles and I have seen just how hard they are forced to work. Even the very best, those with the keenest eye, are deceived on a regular basis.

Remarkably, he keeps getting better and better too, inventing new tricks all the time and constantly developing one of the sharpest minds in cricket. The sky is the limit for his career. Despite now having 600 wickets, he remains young and could still play for a long time. Perhaps he will take 800, maybe even 900. Who knows? His greatness as a spinner is assured.
Sangakkara on Murali: 'He has taken much from the game of cricket, but he has given back so much to our society'

But I will also remember 'Murali the Man'. When I think of him I see that big, wide grin and a fierce strength of character that has carried him through the ignorance that has made his career and life so tough. There is not single ounce of doubt in my mind about the legality of his action. I have witnessed it from close quarters and seen all the testing over the years. But tragically so-called "experts" have made his life miserable at times. I could not have taken what he has been through. His inner strength is astonishing: he just takes it on the chin, with a smile. Through it all his love of cricket shines through.

Murali is a simple, humble man, but a beacon of hope for the whole of Sri Lanka. I have never met a man so honest and willing to speak his mind, a trait that has created misunderstanding at times. But he cannot be silenced when confronted with injustice. He has a basic goodness and humanity that is inspiring. For Murali, caste, class, ethnicity or faith is irrelevant - we are all equals. His life - the exploits on the field, his resilience in the face of intense provocation, his natural kindness and generosity, his remarkable charity work with The Foundation of Goodness - evokes a powerful spirit of reconciliation for a polarised nation. He has taken much from the game of cricket, but he has given back so much to our society. More than any other public figure in Sri Lanka, he stands apart, a source of joy on the cricket field, an example to us all and an answer to the ethnic conundrum we face in Sri Lanka.

Through all the troubles, the drama and controversies, Murali has emerged victorious. He has never allowed his spirit to wane and has always played the game fair. He will always be remembered for being Murali. Perhaps the greatest tribute I can pay him is that the number of friends he has made around the world is far greater the number of wickets he has taken.
© Cricinfo

Thambyah Murugaser
Henry Francis Muttukrishna
Adigar A Naganather
Naleem Hajiar

Dr Andreas Nell 1864-1956
Born: 3 May 1864, son of Louis Nell
Primary Education at Matara, Secondary Education at Trinity College, Kandy
Medical College in 1882, LMS 1887, House Surgeon 1887-1889
Demonstrator Anatomy, Medical College, Colombo
University College, UK and served at Charing Cross Hospital, Royal London Opthalmic Hospital, 1904, MRCS, UK
Victoria Memorial Eye Hospital, 1905, Retir3ed 1924
Student of Ancient & Modern Art, History & Archealogy, Anthropoloy, Ethnology
QC, Journalist, Architect, Member Royal Asiatic Society - RAS (CB)
Campaigned for establishment of residential UniversityConferred LLD (Hon Causa)
Member, University Council
Works: The Portrait of a Kandyan Queen, Style of Ancient Architecture, Some Trees & Plants of Mahavamsa, Stories of Kandy
Passed Away: 22 Jan 1956

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Arasi Marikar Wapchi Marikar 1829-1925
About the year 1016 A.D., a few Arabs, among whom were expert physicians and master masons, settled in Ceylon. One of them was called Sheikh Fareed. They were welcomed by the natives and settled themselves in different vocations. Their history was maintained orally until about the year 1770. In the "Thombu" of 1770 (the Government record), there is reference to one Paridoe. It is a custom of the Muslims to carry the name of theor ancestors in the line of genealogy and this Paridoe is the name carried from Sheikh Fareed.

There lived a wealthy lady, possessiung vast extents of land at Ambagahawatte, in the lineage of this Fareed. When she passed away, Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar, was the heir left behind to inherit this property.

After collecting his own share, Arasi Marikar Wapchie Marikar bought the shares of several other heirs of this land and donated a portion of it to build a mosque and later built another mosque called the Fareed Thakkiya. He had started off his career as an apprentice working under expert builders. His flair for Islamic architecture can be seen in the many arches used in his architecture. He mastered the building profession and undertook the erection of buildings independently as a building contractor.

So long as brick and mortar endure his name will be long remembered as the builder of the General Post Office in Colombo, the Colombo Museum, Colombo Customs, Old Town Hall in Pettah, the Galle Face Hotel, Victoria Arcade, Finlay Moir building, the Clock Tower, Batternburg Battery etc. The Old Town Hall in Pettah, which is now a busy market, was built on a contract for the sum of 689 Streling Pounds.

In January 1877, the completed building of the Colombo Museum was declared open by His Excellency, Governer Gregory, in the presence of a large crowd, amongst which there were many Muslims present. At the end of the ceremony His Excellency asked Arasi Marikar Wapchi Marikar what honour he wished to have for his dedication. The same question was asked by His Excellency from the carpenter who assisted Wapchi Marikar with the wood work of the Museum who desired a local Rank and was honoured accordingly. Wapchi Marikar, noticing the large number of Muslims present, feared that they would spend their time at the Museum on Friday during the Islamic congregation prayer, and requested that the Museum be closed on Fridays. This request has been adhered to by all authorities in charge of the Museum to this day.

When the throne of the last Kandyan King was to be exhibited at the Museum, the then Prime Minister, Mr. D.S.Senanayake, obtained the consent of Sir Razik Fareed, Wapchi Marikar’s grandson, to keep the Museum open on the intervening Fridays only.

Endowed with wealth, Wapchi Marikar contributed to the development of his communities wefare, religious, economical, social, and educational needs and searched for more avenues and opportunities to help them in every way possible. He resided in the vicinity of Marakkala Palliya Watta, the present Maradana Mosque grounds and patronized the mosque. His family residence was acquired by the state for railway extensions thus compeling him to build a large house at Vauxhall Street where he moved in subsequently. He continued to contribute towards the development of the Maradana Mosque by being a prominent member of the congregation. He also joined hand with and financed M.C.Siddi Lebbe, from Kandy, who started the Muslim educational movement in 1880.

Siddi Lebbe, in his "Asrarul A’lam" on page 199 writes,

"I have two friends in Colombo, one who takes great interest in educational matters, opening up schools and spending liberally his money is Arasi Marikar Wapchi Marikar philanthrophist, who comes forward to spend in all good causes. The other is Ghulam Mohiyadeen Sahib Bahauddin of Tanjore (Kashwat Alim)".

Wapchi Marikar and Siddi Lebbe set about looking for a place to establish a school for the Muslims and eventually selected the abandoned portion of the Maradana Mosque grounds. Since Wapchi Marikar was, at that time, the Vice President of the Management Committee of the Maradana Mosque, he urged the committee to grant a lease of the land in order to build the school.

A society, called the "Jamiyathul Uloom" (Muslim Educational Society) was thus formed.
Wapchi Marikar, at his own cost, erected a building for the school and also built four houses that would be rented and the income utilized for the maintenance of the institution.

During this period, Wapchi Marikar was involved in the construction of Masjid-E-Careem at 4th Cross Street, Pettah, for Carimjee Jafferjee. At his request Jafferjee contributed money for an additional building at the Maradana Mosque grounds for the cause of Muslim education.

When the Kuppiyawatte burial grounds was given to the Muslims (Crown grant 3325 dated 18-8-1879), a condition was laid down by the Government that a boundary wall must be erected within three years of that date. The Mussalman’s United Assembly had insufficient funds and approached Wapchi Marikar who negotiated with Careemjee Jafferjee for building the wall in exchange for a portion of land for use of burial of the dead of the Borah community.

When the Muslims of Ketawallamulla needed a mosque they approached Wapchi Marikar who bought a house at Clifton Lane and converted it into a mosque. A.L.M. Meera Lebbe Marikar, who lived opposite the mosque, was made the Trustee. M.L.M. Ahmed, JP of Ahmed Brothers, 3rd Cross Street, Pettah, is the son of A.L.M. Meera Lebbe Marikar.

The school building was finally completed and Madarasahul Zahira ( Zahira College) began to function. Arabi Pasha conducted the opening.

The houses constructed for the purpose of revenue for running the school were acquired by the government in 1906. Using the compensation received from the acquisition, Wapchi Marikar built a row of houses facing Darley Road, presently T.B.Jayah Mawatha.
Wapchi Marikar was also the Treasurer and Manager of the Colombo Muslim Educational Society.

In 1907, Wapchi Marikar was relieved of the burden of management and Advocate Abdul Cader was appointed as Manager of Zahira College. However, Abdul Cader had to relinquish his position on account of relocating himself to Batticaloa in the Eastern Province.

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Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne
Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne was educated at Royal College, Colombo and joined the Army as an Officer Cadet in August 1962. He commenced his career as an Officer in the Army on 1st August 1963 on completion of training at the Indian Military Academy. He returned after a Jungle Warfare Course in Malaysia and was assigned with the task of conducting the Jungle Warfare phase for Officer Cadets. His competency and application of the subject to the local scenario made the training very interesting.

He used to trek the jungles of Buttala, Wellawaya and Ampara in search of training areas and his description of the bush jungle as ‘Podi Singho Marang’ were some aspects which still remain in my mind. Sometimes he was called ‘Ka`la` Kumaraya’ since the jungle appeared to be his home He also introduced training on Fighting in Built up Areas and anti-terrorist operations to the Army. During his colourful career he raised the 1st Battalion

The Gajaba Regiment. He nurtured, trained and guided the Officers and the Men and made the battalion an effective fighting unit. The nucleus he created in the battalion became a catalyst and the performance of the Gajaba Battalion later is ample testimony of his leadership and vision. During ‘Op Liberation’ in 1987 he commanded 3 Brigade in the first ever two Brigade operation launched in the history of the Sri Lanka Army. He was holding the appointment of Deputy Security Forces Comd Jaffna.

Meticulous planning of operations and attention to detail were his strong points and he taught and guided his staff to achieve the same standards. He played a major role in ‘Op Balavegaya’ (link up with Elephant Pass). He was bold and daring and whenever an incident occurred in Jaffna he used to get some troops from his battalion and proceed to the area to assess the situation. On one occasion, some claymores had been exploded on the Idaikkadu road in Jaffna and with casualties.

It was around dusk and light was fading. He had immediately taken his command vehicle which was a Buffel, gathered some troops and proceeded to the scene. Since there was an element of risk involved had to pursue with additional troops. He acts instinctively at times thus making his staff fear for his safety though he unknown to us has taken adequate security precautions without only fuss.

The staff work of Maj Gen Wimalaratne was meticulous. His method of maintaining records and data with accuracy are still being followed. His influence over the staff Officers enabled them to learn and progress. He was a hard taskmaster and set high but achievable standards. With his personal guidance and personal touch he was able to obtain the best from his staff. His final appointment was Comd Security Forces Jaffna. His vision and dedication were a sources of inspiration to others. Planning and execution of operations was his forte and he led upfront. His presence in the front and his leadership were motivating factors which led to his success in operations. He had a firm belief that proper logistical planning is essential for successful operations. Therefore he always ensured that logistic plans were make in detail and that resources were in place prior to launching of operations. Being a well disciplined and dedicated Officer and Gentleman he expected the same from those serving under him. He was firm, friendly and fair. Those under him responded positively and gave him their wholehearted support since then were inspired by his leadership and had confidence that he had the staying power and courage to ensure that any assignment given to him would be successfully completed.

He always made it a point to recognize good performance and place on record by way of commendations for future reference. Being deployed in operational areas for a long duration he had to sacrifice time with his family. His wife Manel therefore had to bring up the children. Her devotion and support enabled him to carry on with the campaign to eradicate terrorism and bring about peace to Sri Lanka.

On 8th August 1992 when he was Security Forces Comd Jaffna whilst accompanying Lt Gen Kobbekaduwa on a mission in Kayts he laid down his life for the Country. On this day the Army and the Nation lost a Leader, a Warrior, a true patriot and a son of the soil. Manel and the children lost an admired and loving husband and a father. The Army remembers Maj Gen Vijaya Wimalaratne today as one of its greatest warriors and respected Officers who laid down his life whilst fighting in a campaign to safeguard the Country and its people.

Winter
Yasmin Zarook

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