Sunday Times 2
The bond with family, Christianity, chemistry and integrity
View(s):A tribute to Prof. Emeritus J.N. Oleap Fernando. Delivered by his brother Eng. B.R. Oclen Fernando at Holy Emmanuel Church Moratuwa on March 5, 2015
We are a family of four children. I have two elder sisters and my younger brother Oleap was born on the Leap Year Day in 1944. I did not expect to stand here today before you to deliver the funeral oration for my brother who is five years junior to me. My parents gave us names coined to the names of our ancestors, parents and godparents. My brother’s name was Jerence Nansel Oleap.
We were all brought up within a religious environment and had our family prayers daily and attended Church together on Sundays. Oleap commenced his secondary education at S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, where he excelled in education from the inception. He was awarded the Schneider Scholarship and was a scholarship holder for the rest of his school career. During the year he had to sit the G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examination. Our family doctor detected a murmur within his heart and the ailment was diagnosed as ‘Patent Ductus Arteriocis’ caused by a valve not closing up after birth. The doctor advised my parents to ensure that he did not fall sick or get an infection or even a mild cold before his operation. He should not exert or climb stairs as it will be deterrent to his health. My parents then contacted Mr. C.H. Davidson, the Warden of S. Thomas’ College, who kindly ensured all the classes that my brother attended were brought down to the ground floor. My mother who was the first lady driver from Moratuwa drove him to school and back home daily.
When the G.C.E. (Ordinary Level) Examination results were announced he obtained five distinctions from the eight subjects he sat and was declared as the first in the Island. At the college annual prize givings he repeatedly carried away a number of prizes. His heart operation was carried out at the General Hospital for nearly eight hours and was attended by four surgeons and the operation was successful and I contributed a pint of blood for the first time in my life.
However, due to the number of tubes that were passed through his nose and mouth during the operation and after being warded in the Merchants’ Ward resulted in his voice becoming hoarse. After the G.C.E. (Advanced Level), he read for his degree in chemistry at the Peradeniya University. During the period of his final examination my brother-in-law, the late Merril E.C. Fernando, was with him in the hostel to ensure that he did not have to face any problems. He passed the final examination with honours and was awarded the Bikarji Khan Gold medal. With pardonable pride I wish to say that due to his scholastic achievements in being awarded scholarships during his school career, my parents were able to utilise the money thus saved to spend for my engineering studies in London.
He then commenced his career as an Instructor and later as an Assistant Lecturer at the University. He was awarded a six month scholarship in 1968 to follow a training course course on Radio Isotopes at the Australian School of Nuclear Technology, New South Wales. On his return he was awarded a Commonwealth Post Graduate Scholarship to carry out research at the Imperial College London from 1968 on heats of adsorption of diatomic gases on tungsten using the calorimetric method. After six months he returned in April 1969 to attend my wedding as the Bestman.
He was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in 1971, and received appointments as a lecturer at the University of Peradeniya and Colombo and later at the Open University where he was a Senior Professor of Chemistry and later the Dean of the Science Faculty. As a visionary, he commenced graduate programmes on weekends for students who failed to obtain admission to the university and conducted practical classes at S.Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia from 1979. The funds thus collected over a number of years enabled him to build the three-storeyed building at Sarana Mawatha in Rajagiriya where Chemistry Graduates and Technicians are trained and awarded degrees and diplomas at the College of Chemical Sciences. A large number of graduates have subsequently obtained doctorates from universities abroad. He was the Honorary Registrar and at the time of his demise served as the Honorary Rector and was the Founder of this institution.
At the professional level, he held important positions as both the President of the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon and the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science. He served on the Executive Committee of the Organisation of Professional Associations and at the time of his demise was the Treasurer and a Fellow of the Academy of Science. He was also a visiting lecturer at a number of universities in Sri Lanka and served a period at the University of Papua New Guinea. He also served his sabbatical at the University of Manchester, Institute of science and technology to study surface chemistry by chromatographic determination of isosteric heats of adsorption on zeolites.
Now you students of the College of Chemical Sciences of The Institute of Chemistry numbering over 250 and present in the Church here today, remember that Prof. Fernando was a visionary and founder of your college and has left an unbroken legacy for you and the future students, and has provided an avenue to those who fail to enter the universities in Sri Lanka in the future to still pursue further studies to obtain their graduateships and also doctorates in foreign universities.
Oleap’s Interests in church activities were of a profound nature. The parish of our church elected him as a warden in 1973 and he was the youngest warden at the age of 29 and took upon him the task of relieving the parish from a heavy and unjust taxation imposed on our church. The wardens met the Inland Revenue Department officials and put up the case to settle the long outstanding taxation problem. After protracted discussions and correspondence the contention that each parish organisation and fund with a separate charitable purpose should constitute a separate charitable institution, within the meaning of the Inland Revenue Act was accepted by the authorities. On the basis of the revised computation of assessments, the arrears of the tax payable for the period 1959/60 to 1974/75 inclusive was about Rs. 55,000. As a result of this uncompromising tax assessment the Church saved Rs. 42,266 in respect of the tax assessment years 1959/60 to 1971/72. In this connection the parish placed on record to Oleap, particularly for the signal services rendered in preparing the various memoranda, submitting revised returns and the computation of the tax liability on the basis of the revised assessments.
He served as a Diocesan Councillor of the Diocese of Colombo for a long period from 1979 to 2010 and was elected to the Standing Committee of the Diocese. He served on the General Assembly of the Anglican Church of Ceylon from 1998 to 2009 and served on the Executive Committee of the General Assembly from 2008 to2009, and was involved with the preparation of the new constitution of the Church of Ceylon which was passed by parliament. He was elected as a trustee of the Incorporated Trustees of the Church of England in Ceylon from 2011to 2014. During the earlier years he was a member of the Junior Guild, Youth Fellowship and taught in the Sunday school. He served on the Board of Governors of his ‘Alma Mater’ for a number of years and served as the secretary. He also served as Secretary and President of the exclusive 12 member Factors’ Association, Moratuwa, which is now on its 85th Year.
Mandrupa, you have always stood by Oleap and assisted and supported him in a number of his work and assignments both at home and outside. You have been a tower of strength to him and was able to travel with him to a number of countries. You are strong, and please remember that your in-laws are always here to support you and help and assist you in the long journey before you. Oshan, Gayathri and little Maia, your father was respected by society. He was outspoken and never gave into the truants of politicians and to their whims and fancies. He hated the vile politics that existed in our motherland during the past decade. He was appointed as a Member to the Public Service Commission which was an Independent Commission appointed under the 17th Amendment. He also served as the Chief Examiner of the G.C.E. (Advanced Level) Examination conducted by the Department of Examinations. After having served a distinguished career at the Open University for nearly thirty five years he refused his name to be nominated by senior professors as one of the three nominees to the post of a Vice-Chancellor of a University in view of the selection made by the President of Sri Lanka was of a political nature. He shunned such dirty politics breathing into a highly academic system. Such appointments made by the past regime are rejected by the learned society even today.
So Mandrupa, Oshan and Gayathri, and Maia, Oleap was an eminent Chemist, Scientist and a Science Administrator, who was honest, outspoken and respected by the society and the church whose demise will be missed by everyone whom he knew. He is now with heavenly grace in the presence of the Holy Angels.