APPRECIATIONS
View(s):With pluck and luck he reached the top in public service
W.D. Aillapperuma
My lifelong friend and colleague W.D. Aillapperuma, who reached the highest echelons of the Public Service has departed amidst grief, leaving an indelible impression of awe and admiration in the minds of all those who were associated with him.
I first met the extremely sharp and amiable young District Land Officer Aila and his endearing wife Pushpa way back in 1966, when I assumed duties as Government Agent of Polonnaruwa District and in no time we struck an everlasting accord which lasted for 56 years. Thereafter, by some strange coincidence for 28 years till both of us retired from the Public Service in 1994, we had the opportunity of working together in unison under the same roof in wide and varied fields of the Public Service such as District Administration, Agriculture, Housing, Construction, Urban Development, Local Government and Village Reawakening or Gam Udawa.
Like many of our contemporaries, Aila was a brilliant product of free education. The students of our generation enjoyed the best of both worlds with English as the medium of instruction and equal emphasis being given to the study of Sinhala language and literature. His proficiency in English and Sinhala and early exposure to foreign training gave him a head start in his career development. Added to that, he was a voracious reader, with a good memory; a veritable storehouse of knowledge indeed.
To reach the topmost positions in the Public Service, one should have both pluck and luck; Aila had both in equal measure. Being in the very first batch of the Ceylon Administrative Service, he received induction training very similar to that of the Ceylon Civil Service. Very early in his career he was sent for post-graduate training in development administration at Cambridge University and subsequently for a course of studies in managing urban growth at the World Bank Institute in Washington. Aila made the most of all these opportunities that came his way.
Aila’s Public Service career was both slow and steady and wide and varied. He was always prepared to take on challenging jobs and break new ground. In fact, as the first Director General of the Urban Development Authority and the Central Environmental Authority, he displayed his tremendous organizational ability and innovative skills. He was at his best in the handling of the Million Houses Programme, the Village Reawakening Movement and the annual Gam Udawa celebrations. He functioned with great distinction as the Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing from 1989-1994.
During this period Aila along with his Minister Sirisena Cooray successfully steered the One and a Half Million Houses Programme and the Village Reawakening Programme, which provided the much acclaimed breakthrough in participatory development.
Among other key positions he held were Chairman, National Housing Development Authority and Director Planning in the Ministry of Local Government Housing and Construction. He was one of the most sought after and trusted Public Servants of President Premadasa over a period of 15 years, from 1978-1993; an enviable position to be in, and a rare feat indeed, considering President Premadasa’s fluctuating moods and idiosyncrasies.
During Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake’s Green Revolution of 1965-1970, when the Polonnaruwa District was adjudged the best district in the island in relation to paddy yields per acre, Aila was my top ranking bureaucrat spearheading the food production drive. During President Premadasa’s massive and universal Housing and Village Reawakening Movement of 1978-1994, he was my able and trusted Deputy Director of the annual Gam Udawa Festival. During my chairmanship of the Central Environmental Authority from 1980-1989, Aila as its Director General was responsible for the drafting of the National Environmental Act and for devising the organization, methods and systems of this fledgling institution.
So Aila, maybe from his present heavenly abode could rejoice at his achievements; Polonnaruwa District provides the highest paddy surplus; over half of our low income families have a shelter above their heads and the Central Environmental Authority has made its mark throughout the country.
Aila was one of the most endearing persons, I have met. He was always kind and sensitive, calm and unruffled and above all, indefatigable and positive. He had the ability to face any challenge confidently, fearlessly and innovatively. He was a man of principles. He always acted true to his conscience; he stood for justice, fair play and righteousness. If he made any wrong decision, he would be the first to admit his mistake and rectify it with humility. He was non-aggressive and never lost his temper. He had a piercing mind, better than that of a Scotland Yard detective.
Quite often people seek high office in the Public Service because it adorns them. But in the case of Aila, it was the other way around. He adorned the Public Service. Men of such sterling calibre are very rare indeed.
It has been said that “behind every successful man there is a woman”. I suppose a woman with courage and determination, Pushpa Ranatunga, Aila’s wife not only proved beyond doubt but also to the hilt, the validity of this saying. She was a tower of strength and also a guardian deity to Aila throughout the 56 years of their matrimony. She herself is an Honours graduate of the then independent University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, and a member of the Ceylon Administrative Service before it was politicized. A loving, caring and understanding wife, she made many personal sacrifices at great personal discomfort to make Aila healthy and happy.
Aila also leaves behind two accomplished children; a son and a daughter, whom he adored.
May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.
K.H.J. Wijayadasa
He gave from the depths of his lion heart
Singha Weerasekera
Born on August 1, 1930 to Mudaliyar Peter Paul Weerasekera and Dona Francina Jayakody of Dambuwa Walawwa, in Yakkala, Gampaha, he was named Jagathsingha Chandrawansa Weerasekera, by the Anagarika Dharmapala.
Growing up in the crème de la crème of society, he shaped into an erudite intellectual and spirited business leader. He was fondly called ‘Singha’ a name that became synonymous with magnanimity and philanthropy. He lived a full, contented life, and passed away on May 26, 2021, aged 91.
He was orphaned at the tender age of six, when his parents passed away within four months in 1937, due to illness. The appointment of Neil Hewavitarne, (a member of the State Council) as Singha’s guardian, marked a significant turning point in his growing years. When Mrs. Hewavitarne (his cousin) and their half-a-dozen daughters lovingly absorbed little Singha into their big happy family, little did they know that they were laying a solid foundation to raise him up, to be the best he could be.
Singha’s first school, Visakha Vidyalaya, and then Royal College Colombo were mere stepping stones until fate moved him to Trinity College Kandy (1938 – 1950) where he blossomed.
In 1952, a Colombo Plan Scholarship saw him obtain his Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture at Gatton College of Agriculture, Queensland, Australia. On his return, he joined H. Don Carolis & Sons Ltd, as a marketing executive. Raja Hewavitharne, (the brother of his childhood guardian), was its then Chairman.
On February 16, 1956, Singha married his fiancée Mala Hewavitarne, the daughter of his Chairman.
In 1960 while at Don Carolis and Sons, he was picked by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to attend the MBA program at the first International Marketing Institute of the Harvard Business School (USA), open to marketing managers from across the globe, a learning experience he cherished.
In due course, Singha became the Managing Director and Chairman of H. Don Carolis & Sons Ltd, and Founder Chairman of Parquet Ceylon Ltd, Metal Pressing and Engineering Company Ltd, and Mitsui Construction Lanka (Private) Ltd.
Singha also served as the Chairman of the National Lotteries Board and Ceylon Match Company. When the Eastern Bank converted into the Commercial Bank, he was its youngest board member. He was a Director of many other leading business entities.
Inspired by his parents’ commitment to community service, Singha transformed their sprawling ancestral walawwa into the Peter Weerasekera Children’s Home. It was declared open by Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike on March 5, 1959, commemorating his mother’s death anniversary.
Genuinely caring for the less fortunate, he reached out to orphaned children to help them discover their full potential in life, the way he did. He gave his might to the upliftment and care of youth. His family, donors, and volunteer staff seconded his efforts. The home is managed by the Trustees of Peter Weerasekera Foundation under the supervision of the Department of Probation and Childcare Services.
Ever grateful for the blessings he received in his life through a trustee, Singha committed his services as a Board member of the Dharmapala Trust and Mudaliyar Don Carolis Hewavitharne Scholarship Trust. He was also appointed Vice President of the Mahabodhi Society.
He travelled widely, wrote his memoir, and enjoyed life to the full. He said “…The most blessed thing in my life is my wife Mala, and my children.”
Singha gave from the depths of his lion heart.
May he attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana!
Charmaine Fernando
Epitome of loyalty and kindness
Ingrid Withana
Ingrid Withana was one of the first members of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries in Sri Lanka. She had a unique personality which I admired from the day I joined as the Chief Executive of Walker Sons and Company Ltd. in October 1990 till I relinquished my duties in May 2007.
During this long period I found her extremely loyal to her bosses; she would never divulge any information to anybody. She was very kindhearted and knew almost everyone in the company from the peon upwards.
I was deeply saddened by the news that she had passed away peacefully a couple of months ago.
May she rest in peace.
Gamini Fonseka
A bright star is no more
Sameera Hiran Perera
Selfless, smart, supportive – Sameera
Ardent alma mater Ananda College in the heart of Colombo
Manifold mannerisms maintained for decades continuously
Excelled in athletics, senior basketball
Exemplary diligence when employed in South Korea
Relevant responsibilities rendered sans negligence
A stroke of luck, over 20 years in Doha, Qatar as Dubai IT officer.
Hiran’s hallmarks too many to include in concise eulogy
Inimitable, industrious, indispensable, independent personality
Rukshani Saumiya, beloved wife, only daughter Seranya, happy family,
As a close aunt, I extend my condolences to bereaved family deeply,
Needless to mention untimely demise at 47 lacunae irreplaceable.
Prestigious parents late W.D. Felix Perera and Sita Dissanayaka
Epitome of attachment, Hiruni ‘n Yugani loving sisters
Roy n’ Rohitha Kumarasinghe families left nothing undone in their sorrow
Efficient Group of 94 of Ananda College joined in heartfelt sorrow
Remembering everyone sharing our grief unbearable
Almighty God will guide Sameera to rest in peace, bliss eternal.
Kumari Kumarasinghe Tennekoon
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