Appreciations
View(s):Ged Gooneratne
A man admired and respected by all who knew him
It is a month and more since Ged passed away after a brief illness. I read with pleasure the very elegant tribute paid to him by Lucky Chickera and felt that I should add a few words of tribute to a true gentleman, an able lawyer and above all a dedicated old Royalist. I hope these few words will help alleviate the grief his wife and children have had to undergo by his passing recently.
My close friendship with Ged goes back almost 77 years when he and I entered Royal Primary School (RPS) together. I treasure a truly historic photograph of Ged, I and other 8 year-olds taking part in the play Hiawatha by Longfellow staged by the RPS over seven decades ago. Our bonding from RPS to Royal College through Law College and Hulftsdorp finally consolidated in our time in the Royal College Union where Ged and I became the most senior Vice Presidents. Our friends at RPS included Nihal Senaratne, Major Gen. C. H. Fernando, Dr. Ranjit Atapattu and T. L. K. Mendis, all of whom meet even now at the yearly reunion of the 1945 Group, 1945 being the year we entered Royal College proper.
Ged was the son of Major and Mrs. L. V. Gooneratne of Mount Lavinia. His father was a legend not merely at Royal but in Mt. Lavinia too and Ged was a true inheritor. He was very proud of all his father’s achievements as a cadet master and the master who accompanied the very first Royal College cricket team to tour Australia in the 1930s.
At college Ged and I were classmates and joined the cadet company together. I still reminisce about the times spent at the Diyatalawa Cadet Camp vying for the coveted Herman Loos Challenge Cup. We were outclassed by Ananda College, who shone in every field. Ged was in the same cadet platoon and I happened to be leader of the .22 firing team. Ged always enraged me saying that all my shots were well outside target. It was a big thrill and experience for us to take home a .303 rifle and take the train to Diyatalawa from the Colombo Fort Station to attend the annual cadet camp.
Our paths separated briefly when Ged entered Law College in Colombo and I went to Peradeniya to the Law Faculty. But soon we were back together in Colombo. I recall Ged working with the renowned Cyril de Alwis, a leading proctor in Mt. Lavinia. Thereafter he joined the Attorney General’s Dept. and shone there, finally becoming the Crown Proctor, a position he held until he retired. I was only briefly at the Bar in Hulftsdorp in my early twenties and joined Ged there. Ged used to continually tease me once saying when I appeared as a young assigned counsel in a murder case where the accused was convicted, that but for my appearance the man would have been freed.
I used to tease him saying he was only a proctor and we were advocates. His instant retort was “you joined Parliament as a clerk, all your life you continued to be a clerk and you’ll die as a clerk.” This was all in jest. Through 77 years we were very close and highly valued our friendship.
Ged threw himself into the practice of law with commitment and dedication. He was over the years heavily immersed in the activities of the Law Society, the Bar Association and the DPA, doing yeoman service and finally heading some of those bodies. After retirement Ged joined Julius & Creasy first as a consultant and later became a partner.
Ged was a person of fortitude and character. I wish to recall a single incident to support this. Ged was an Asst. Crown Proctor in the Attorney General’s Dept. and the powers that were at that time wanted him to succeed as Crown Proctor. Ged very firmly refused, saying that there was another who was senior to him. Such attributes are so rare in today’s context.
A word about his family; Ged married Sriyani Wickramasinghe, a lady from an affluent background who was a keen tennis player who later became a coach, something she enjoys even today. They had three children, two girls and a boy whom Ged was truly proud of since they were all high achievers. Deepika is a banker who worked with HSBC in Vancouver and is now in Oman. Ruwanthi attained great heights in the insurance industry and Lalinda, a doctor who specialized in haematology and today is a leading consultant in that field. I personally know how devotedly all of them looked after Ged during the period of his illness.
We will all miss Ged in more than one way. I admired his discipline, his commitment to work and most of all his unassailable honesty and integrity. His family can take comfort in the fact that he was a man admired and respected by all who knew him. Being a truly devout Christian, may he find eternal peace with his maker.
- Nihal Seneviratne
Padma Maharaja
I will treasure our friendship always
Forty years ago I was introduced to Padma. I immediately took a liking towards her because she had a strong personality and we understood each other quite well. Over the years we built a friendship that I will treasure until the day I part from this earth.
Padma as a human believed in living life to its fullest and she enjoyed every moment. Never did she regret making a decision because she wanted to embrace it all as valuable lessons in life.
Padma loved her children so dearly. Although her children were grown ups and parents to her much loved grandchildren, Padma never stopped caring. In her eyes, they were yet her little children and she continued to nurture them until she shed her last breath.
Padma as a friend was always more than a friend to me. She had a big heart that drove her to care and spread warmth. Never did she miss my birthday or neglect to call me often to check how I’d been. I surely will miss our conversations.
Padma had a great sense of fashion and was admired by all. Her mantra was to age gracefully and she did so in style. I’m fortunate to own her creations which are not only elegant but one of a kind.
Today I have lost a great friend. My heart is heavy but I know you are now amongst the Angels. You are home where you belong. Your kind heart and exceptional qualities will be cherished forever.
Farewell Padma, until we meet again.
- Savithri Edirisinghe
Ashraf Hussain
A social worker who stood for justice and fairplay
Rosmead Place, Colombo 7 is where the rich and privileged live. For several decades the house No. 22, Rosmead Place, Colombo 7 was a centre of social service activities.
The home of Al Haj Ashraf Hussain, who died earlier this month, was where various tasks were carried out for the benefit of the poor people living all over the country. It was a centre for all sorts of social work not only for the Muslims but for all the underprivileged, because he sacrificed his entire life towards social work.
In addition to the activities for the disabled and Janaza welfare, there were many other public works and projects that also operated from this house. He held key positions in various welfare organisations such as the International YMMA, Colombo West Lions Club, Dr. Jayah Foundation, Sri Lanka Institute of the Blind, the Sri Lanka Muslim Documentation Centre, Accident Service Social Organisation and Colombo Janaza Welfare Society. He offered his house for their meetings and other important activities.
Mr. Hussain hailed from the famous business family of Sikandar Batcha in Colombo. His father was S.P.M. Hussain. Since childhood, Ashraf Hussain followed the example of the family of social service until his death.
He stood up to the hate campaign against Muslims and threats to reconciliation in the last days of the previous regime. A meeting of representatives of the Muslim movements with the top security officials that took place in his residence to draw up an action plan to overcome that critical situation is still fresh in my mind.
Mr. Hussain’s contribution in publishing the document compiled by M.I.M. Mohideen regarding the violence carried out against Muslims during the last regime in book form, is remarkable.
Ashraf Hussain and Hassan al Fasi served as President and Governor of the welfare division of the International YMMA respectively. During President R. Premadasa’s tenure they made arrangements for fasting with the assistance of the state. On behalf of the organization they appealed to the President for such concessions and saw it through. A high-level conference was held at the Presidential Secretariat. Special holidays and salary advances for Muslim state employees were granted during the fasting days through a Circular.
When a Muslim person died at the National Hospital in Colombo, Ashraf Hussain came forward to give a helping hand – he created the Colombo Janaza Welfare Society to overcome the enormous responsibility such as releasing the janaza from the hospital, completing the paperwork and other formalities. They also distributed kafan fabrics to the poorest people in society.
His contribution towards the development of the Thihariya Islamic Centre for Disabled created in 1984 is highly commendable.
Ashraf Hussain joined hands with former Speaker M.H. Mohamed in creating the Maligawatte Islamic Centre and served as its Chief Executive Officer.
When the Sinhala Commission was set up in 1997, the Islamic Centre came forward to clarify certain misunderstandings and created a coordinating Council of all Muslim organisations to appear before the Commission. The group of which I was also a member, led by President’s Counsel Faiz Mustapha testified before the committee. Mr. Hussain served as secretary of this Council.
Whenever natural disasters occurred, he would visit the area with his friends and provide relief to the people affected.
He was closely associated with the media. On Friday, after Jummah prayers media people got together to discuss about various problems at his residence. He encouraged journalists and writers in many ways.
He showed special interest in assisting the under privileged. He also organised many camps for the benefit of the blind and served on the Colombo National Hospital Advisory board.
He always stood firm for fairplay and justice and fought against repression. In some cases, he was investigated by the CID. When he was interrogated by the state intelligence officials in connection with a statement made by him regarding the malpractices of the hardliners at the end of the last regime, he invited the same officials to his house, and held a meeting and articulated the problems faced by Muslims.
He was conferred the American Biographical Institute pinnacle of achievement award by American Life Sciences Institute for his lifetime Social Service. He was one among 2000 popular figures, the institute documented from all over the world.
Born on September 18, 1944, he married Mariyathul Zifthiya, daughter of Marhoom N.M.M. Haniffa who sponsored the publication of the Tamil translation of the Al-Quran. They were blessed with four daughters and a son.
After performing Umra before the Ramazan fast, he fell sick and died at the age of 71. His honesty and integrity and his large heartedness were acknowledged by all.
The memory of his days as a friend and exemplary social worker can never be erased. May Allah, the most compassionate bless his soul and grant him Jennathul Firdouse.
- N.M. Ameen
Uditha Liyanage
With love to a beloved professor
One year
Too fast it flew
Your absence is felt
In all quarters
In a much bigger way
Than one would have ever expected
Proving
What and who you have been
To this world
I am yet to meet a cleverer academic who
incorporated spirituality and practice
Into the studies
In great style
In inimitable
UL (Uditha Liyanage) style
May your journey through samsara be short until you reach Nibbana
Until then, I must confess that I am earnest
in wishing
You to be my teacher, just one more time…
- Deepanie Perera