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Appreciations A live-wire in broadcasting fades away Vernon Corea Vernon Corea, a live-wire in Sri Lankan broadcasting for many years, passed away in his sleep on the night of Sunday, September 22, in Surrey, England. Earlier, he spent the day with his daughter and her family, returned home to receive a telephone call from his brother Ernest in America, read briefly, watched BBC News as he did every night, and then turned in for his final sleep. Vernon grew
up in Borella, where his father was the priest-in-charge of St.
Luke's Anglican Church for many years. He was a gifted speaker,
highly appreciated humorist, self-taught jazz pianist, organist,
and occasional violinist. As a high spirited
young person, he was once admonished for not following the sober
lifestyle of his family, and retorted: "I'm simply trying to
keep the balance at home." His gift for repartee stayed with
him throughout his life, and endeared him to friends and acquaintances. He was educated
at Royal College, Colombo and, later, at Bishop's Theological College,
Calcutta, in preparation for a priestly life that, eventually, he
did not follow. He took to a career of teaching, in Badulla, and
returned to Colombo after the loss of an infant son. It was then
that he moved into broadcasting, first as a relief announcer on
the Commercial Service, then as a full-time announcer, and up various
career steps at SLBC until he reached the position of Director,
News. He was one
of the broadcasters trained by Clifford Dodd, the founder of the
Commercial Service, who maintained and passed on his exacting standards
to those whom he mentored. Many of them went on to positions beyond
SLBC, either in Sri Lanka or abroad. Vernon worked closely with
several heads of SLBC, but always had the warmest feelings for Neville
Jayaweera. Vernon was
engaged in religious broadcasting in England for a time, until he
was appointed BBC's first Ethnic Minorities Adviser, a position
he held until retirement. He helped to
expand multiculturalism in BBC's domestic programmes, and trained
several broadcasters of many ethnicities. He was a "people
person" both at home and abroad. He helped many
young Sri Lankans up the ladder of fame. His home in Colombo was
always open to those who needed his guidance, and he spent long
hours with them. In London as elsewhere, he built up an ever-widening
circle of trainees who remained his friends and admirers right up
to his last days. Some of them were from Asian and African countries
where he trained broadcasters as a visiting consultant. He shared
his interests and talents widely, with no thought of the differences
that divide. May his soul
rest in peace. An era died
with him I was introduced
to him in 1986, by a mutual friend who now lives in America. Subsequently,
I got to know that he came to Matugama when he was very young and
settled there for good. He was a capable
and lively person who went out of his way to help the needy people
of Matugama. He was courageous and hard working and treated his
staff well. He was always
a man who never said 'no'. He was prepared to take up any challenge
and was not afraid to speak out for what was right. He was fluent
in Sinhala but sometimes pretended not to know, for the fun of it.
Be it a wedding,
funeral or any other occasion, Mr. Chang was there in person. He
was like a child when confronted with electronic equipment. He owned
a fantastic collection of stereo material and loved to watch the
latest movies on his DVD at full volume. I had the opportunity
of attending the Chinese New Year celebrations at his home. Chang was a
good father and loving husband. He cared for his family very much.
Goodbye my
friend and may you attain the supreme bliss of Nirvana! We
lost you in the sky you loved When we first
met, you were a simple, shy cadet You gave your
best to your country, I will cherish
your memory A
life built on principles and values August 27 proved
a sad day for the Puvimanasinghe family, when Uncle Innocent answered
God's call. The news of
his demise after a brief illness came as a shock. Born in Jaffna,
he had his education at St. Benedict's College, Kotahena. Later
his career in the banking sector accounted for nearly 50 years,
38 of which were in the Bank of Ceylon from where he retired in
1978. At the time of his retirement he held the position of acting
Chief Accountant. He was disciplined,
dedicated, committed and above all loyal to the institution he served.
He was accepted as a man with sterling qualities and this won him
the love, admiration, respect and affection of his subordinates,
superiors and customers. Uncle Puvi
built his life on fixed principles and values. He was simple, quiet,
soft-spoken and unassuming. Rancour, hatred, malice, animosity and
revenge were not part of his life. However, he
was firm in his decisions and never hesitated to call a spade a
spade and at all times advocated that right was might. A tolerant
person, whose limits of patience and endurance were beyond measure,
he had a pleasant disposition and a sense of humour. He was knowledgeable
on any subject and loved to talk politics and cricket. Uncle Puvi
was an entertainer par excellence. No one who visited his home ever
went away without having a meal. He was a god-fearing man who knew
the essence of the teachings of Jesus Christ. He practised his religion
in accordance with his conviction and belief but never went to extremes.
He married
Angeline in 1957 and they had one son, Ajith. Uncle Puvi was a family
man and enjoyed wedded bliss for almost 45 years. He was a devoted
husband, loving father and affectionate grandfather. He doted over
his two grandchildren, Nadine and Nilesh. Little Nadine will certainly
miss Seeya. To the world,
Uncle Puvi was just another person. But to his dear family he was
the whole world. Though Uncle
Puvi is no more, those who were fortunate to have known him will
cherish his memory. He was the
best and noblest of them all The elements
so mixed in him That nature
would stand up and say To all the
world He was a man
May the Lord
grant him eternal rest and peace. Goodbye dear
Uncle Puvi and may the choirs of angels sing thee to thy well-earned
rest. He
was committed to progress and development Shahul was
always concerned about the wellbeing and welfare of his friends.
Politics was something extraneous to the relationship he had with
us. In the early
days, he was into education and set up Winchester Academy in Matale.
He was keen
to ensure that Winchester had the capacity to provide information
and guidance to many a student. I remember
the time that Shahul decided to enter politics. My father who
was a principal of a government school had just retired and he was
happy, on our request, to sign the nomination papers of Shahul.
In time my
father became a great supporter of Shahul, even appearing on public
platforms. Shahul never
forgot his constituency and always looked after the needs not only
of his supporters but of everyone. He was committed
to progress and development. He served his
people well and to this day he is remembered with respect, adoration
and gratitude. May he be blessed
with eternal peace and may Shameena and the family share these memories.
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
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