Plus

Plus

Appreciations

Farewell, sweet cousin
Lynne Kuruppu
Sadly, I remember family and friends
Who passed out of my life,
And now young cousin Lucky
Has left this world of strife.
Her grandparents and parents had
With us the friendship of generations
To the present level of cousins
With no break or separation.
Lucky came of a stock
Close knit with affection
And bound to duty, keeping the rules
Of Christian devotion
Her siblings strongly steeped like her
In honesty, faith, hope and charity,
When left bereft of all their elders
Stood staunchly as a family.
So long ago I was a flower girl
On Lucky's parents' wedding day,
And later she was my mother's
Favourite god-child sunny and gay.
The passing years sat lightly on her
She was ever young,
A smiling look, a modest air
From her was always sprung.
In later years she shared her music
With St. Paul's, her church of young days,
She helped with organ playing and choir,
And in many other ways.
Her siblings and she kept a Christian home
Where she presided so quietly modest,
And never demanded but was given loving respect
From the family always acting for the best.
"What a lot she did for us," a sister cried;
"A big loss," grieved a brother,
A niece wept, sadly saying,
"To me she was a mother."
So now she is gone as all mortals go,
For her we toll a solemn bell
The siblings showed love and gratitude for her
In the way they said "farewell".
Bona Ekanayake

Never destined to be 16
Zamani Fazreen Izzadeen

Zamani Fazreen Izzadeen would have reached sweet sixteen on December 28, 2002 had she survived the waters of Yala-Kirinde on August 19, 2001. The void created by her loss within the family circle will never be filled.

She was a vibrant young girl keen to help the poor. Unknown to us, she would hand out even some of her best clothing to underprivileged children.

We are sure that a girl with such qualities is resting among the angels. As the saying goes, "The good die young", we believe that the "very good die very young" and that is what is giving us hope of her soul resting in peace and tranquillity.

She was a devout Muslim and we believe Almighty Allah has taken her to his domain to bless her with a heavenly reward. May Allah grant her Jennathul Firdous, the supreme bliss.

Fazal, Lilanganie and Fazeela, grieving parents and sister

He rode the radio waves
Livy Wijemanne
Livy Wijemanne spanned an era where broadcasting saw the golden years of Ceylon Radio. In 1936 at 18 he won the Senior Reading Prize at Royal College where he was a prefect. His passing away at 85 draws a curtain on a colourful personality, a pioneer who set a trend driven by youth and enthusiasm. I came to know Livy through the highlights of his career.

In 1998 he won a special award at the "Obe Katahande Thama Mathakai" ceremony held at the Tower Hall. It was a tribute to the radio announcers from 1950 to 1998.

Livy excelled as the maestro. I saw him trudging the coir matted studios of Colombo Radio in Cotta Road, where Isabel de Kretser, Ned Rankine and later Pearl Ondatje ruled the roost. The Scottish born Isabel who was the world's first woman announcer was watched by Livy as she broadcast the abdication of Edward VIII.

In my early years in the Ministry of the Catholic Church, I witnessed the sweeping changes in Radio Ceylon, and the part that Livy played in the transition.

Wijemanne's saga started on October 31, 1948. The Post Master General, who was also Director of Broadcasting summoned the young announcer, and invited him to become the Assistant Controller of Programmes. The era of Shirley Da Silva and Richard Weerasooriya was sidelined. A year later in 1949 John Lampson of the BBC was on a contract to organise Radio Ceylon, which moved from Cotta Road to Torrington Square.

Livy was made Western Programmes Organiser, with Merle Swan for "Talks", Richard Weerasooriya for music and Pearl Ondatje and later Hector Jayasinghe for Drama. Some unfairly grumbled that Wijemanne's political clout with the bigwigs of the UNP got him the job. Obviusly it was Livy's feel for broadcasting, and John and June Lampson's friendship that were an added bonus.

It was now a long way from his student days at Royal College and St. Peter's. At University College doing Zoology, Livy had a confrontation with Professor Robert Marrs. He then came to St. Peter's College, where with my brother Hilary Crusz and W.D.L. Fernando, he did Zoology under Fr. Thomas Paris, the Science Priest.

Later at a pre-medical course in the University Livy was defending a colleague against Professor S. A Pakeman, and branched on to do law. A distraught father went to the astrologer Professor Bulathsinhala, who said: "The stars say that your son would do neither medicine, nor law but his career will be in a profession that calls for speaking ability and his voice." At that time no one thought about broadcasting.

Then came the early break. The Post Master General J.P. Appleby heard Livy on the air. Pearl Ratcliffe was leaving and later resigned, and Livy filled in for her. Appleby recognised a male announcer of class, with a radio voice that was attractive and professional. There was correct intonation, and the pronunciation was flawless. Livy got a permanent position when he succeeded Eddie Hettiarachi (Laddie's father).

The new broadcasting setup at Torrington Square needed drive. John Lampson had Pascoe Thornton of the BBC to assist him, although much of the new drive came from Livy Wijemanne. He identified talent, welcomed new broadcasters, and gave room for any experiments in presentation.

It was he who first mapped out the logistics of 'outside broadcasts', especially of the entertainment programmes broadcast from the big hotels.... with names like Sacha and his Melodists and Luis Moreno.

The Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation at the time was under its new head M.J. Perera, who with the dynamic young Vernon Abeysekera gave the station the momentum it deserved. Livy thrived in this climate. Yet his eyes were on Clifford Dodd and Tim Horshington propelling the Commercial Service.

It was in 1953 when I was in London studying Religious Broadcasting with the BBC, that Livy came on a Colombo Plan scholarship. With the reputed John Arlott he worked in Scotland, Wales and London. But it was at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth on June 22 at Westminster Abbey that Wijemanne was chosen by the BBC to occupy a seat assigned to Commonwealth broadcasters.

Later the British Council invited him to reply to the toast of the Commonwealth proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Richard Mauldling at the Coronation civic dinner. He then appeared in Geoffrey Bridson's BBC feature "Asia has a Plan".

In Aberdeen Livy was given the facilities to record a programme featuring the children of Scotland.

In January 1967 Livy was appointed Director of Commercial Broadcasting. His experience gained through the years was filtered out to all who sought his advice. Sri Lanka certainly owes a debt to the consistent commitment that Wijemanne gave the country. True he knew how to handle the political porcupine without disturbing the quills. ln this saga at Torrington Square he at times upset the establishment when the going was rough. But he survived.

M.J. Perera and Vernon Abeysekera presided over the golden years, till Neville Jayaweera became Director General of the Corporation. Livy had no contention with the new vision. Jayaweera rightly felt that broadcasting was primarily treated as a medium of entertainment and cultural diffusion, but its potential for social change had not been exploited. He got Stewart Wavell as Director of Training, and wanted radio to seek socially relevant goals. This eventually was dynamite, not only for Livy but for the hidden trends that were evolving in Ceylon broadcasting.

Livy's part in getting an islandwide FM service through foreign help, and his initiative in starting a private broadcasting station in Colombo were laudable. On May 10, 1993 Station FM 99 came on the air with a single 18-hour transmission with Western, Sinhala and Tamil programmes.

Wijemanne's efforts won national recognition. In July 1990 he received the Kalasuri Class One from President Premadasa. In April 1996, Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandarnaike conferred the Visva Prasadhini for his services to broadcasting.

Livy was a personal friend, and my years in broadcasting in Radio Ceylon were no doubt helped by a man who understood the axiom that broadcasting begins where listeners are.

As a compere Livy had no equal. He had a charisma and charm that won friends and ruffled not a few feathers of an enemy or two. As a ballroom dancer Livy was graceful on the floor. He rode the radio waves and enjoyed every minute of it.
Noel Crusz

Back to Plus