Sari had a large following of adoring fans
Sarath, more affectionately known to his family and friends as Sari, was born on June 25, 1940, when the clock was striking twelve noon. Sari passed away on November 5, 2014, after battling very bravely and philosophically with pancreatic cancer, and by a strange twist of fate was cremated at 12 noon, on November 17, 2014, in London.
Sarath Chandra De Sylva
Sari was the fifth in a family of one girl and five boys, and received his education at Trinity College, Kandy. He represented the school in Rugby, boxing and athletics and was awarded the rugby colours in 1959. On leaving school he came down to Colombo and was recruited by the Mercantile Bank Ltd., and also enrolled as a member of the CR & FC, where he excelled as a rugby player. In his formative years he came under the influence of two of the finest rugby coaches, late Berty Dias at school and the double international, late Mahes Rodrigo at the CR & FC., and had the privilege of playing alongside some of the finest rugby players of the time, in the likes of Geoff Weiman, Ashey Cader, Kavan Rambukwella, Ago Paiva, Devaka Rodrigo etc., which no doubt had an impact on his rugby, and made him the brilliant rugby player he was.
I had the pleasure of playing alongside him as the other wing forward, as flank forwards were then called, and when I captained CR in 1964, he was my vice-captain, and the following year he took over the captaincy, when I accepted a planting appointment. Under his captaincy the CR & FC were the Clifford Cup champions. Later on when younger brother, Tony passed out from Medical College, played alongside Sari as wing forwards. Since 1963 Sari was a regular member of the Ceylon side (as Sri Lanka was then known) and Captained in 1967. Sari’s rugby prowess are well known. He was a Legend in the rugby arena, and since his demise his achievements has been reported on by many in articles which appeared in the newspapers, and hence I will not go into it in detail.
In 1969 he was sent by the Bank for training to HSBC Ltd., UK, and Justice Noel Gratiaen, QC, a past Captain and a Hony. Life Member of the CR & FC, enrolled him with Blackheath RFC, and played in their second XV as centre three-quarter. On his return to Sri Lanka towards the end of 1969, he was selected to represent the country at the Asian Rugby Tournament in Bangkok. Tony was Sari’s co-flanker in that team. On retirement from rugby, Sari took to coaching the CR side. Many a young player benefited from Sari’s coaching and went on to represent the country. In 1990, the CR & FC honoured him by making him a Hony. Life Member of the Club.
Sari played at a time when horse racing was banned, and rugby drew great spectator interest. Crowds queued from 3 o’clock in the afternoon to get into the grounds, to watch key matches. Sari had a large following of adoring fans, mainly of the fairer sex. He broke many a heart when he married on the 17th.of May 1971, the lovely, charming Romany, daughter of Eardley and Kathleen McHeyzer. They have three very adorable and loving children. Shanara, the eldest, married Reza Attar-Zadeh, a Senior Banker – Head of Retail Products at Santander Bank in UK. Shanara qualified with a Masters degree in Law and worked in Financial Regulation for an Investment Bank in the UK. She is now a full time housewife and mother of two lovely children, Kiyan, aged Seven and Amaya, aged four. Dinusha, has a Masters degree in Marine Biology, and a school teacher by profession. She is married to Neil Parry, Head of Hospitality at the English Heritage Organisation. The son, Shahan a Civil Engineer, works for Bechtel Group.
Sari was very thoughtful and generous with his time and affection to his wife, Romany and his two daughters, Shanara and Dinusha and son Shahan, spoke with much happiness and joy of them and their achievements. I am sure the very short time he had of playing the role of grandfather to the adorable Kiyan and Amaya, he would have treasured very much.
Sari took a keen interest in people he liked and went out of his way to help them. He was very sociable and well loved by his friends and colleagues, as was evidenced by the outpouring of sorrow when his death was announced.
Sari lived a remarkable life that inspired me and the other family members greatly. He was courageous both when it came to life and throughout his illness. He had a broad range of interests, and his warm and charming demeanour, made him a lovely person to know. He was a very special human being and a wonderful brother. The family will miss his friendship and the warmth he extended every time we visited him in UK. We will miss you dearly, dear brother and will treasure your memory forever.
Although Sari is no more, his Legend will live on.
Raji De Sylva.