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The men who put Lanka on the map
Ex-Surveyors-General savour the past
By Chandani Kirinde and Leonard Mahaarachchi

"To chart the deep unknown depths,
And survey and map our land,
Walks a strong and silent man,
Who rises with the birds or a little while before,
Who cares naught for sun or rain,
Nor for elephant, leopard or bear,
Nor for ticks, leeches and snakes………”

This is how former Surveyor-General turned author Dr. T. Somasekaram described "what surveying is all about" in his book "Surveying Stories".
So it was no surprise that when nine retired Surveyors General and a serving one got together with their spouses, there was endless recollection of the memories of surveying days gone by.

The special occasion on January 29 was to celebrate the 83rd birthday of the oldest among their fraternity. It was a day to recollect the happy times that the men and their families had enjoyed during their many years working for the Survey Department, encountering many an adventure and building lifelong friendships.

For Reginald Alick Goonewardena, the oldest surviving ex-Surveyor General in the country, it was an extra special day as he was feted by his colleagues, some who had worked along with him during his tenure of service in the department while others had been his students at the Institute of Surveying and Mapping at Diyatalawa.

"They have not been fairweather friends. We have always been close and worked together," Mr. Goonewardena said deeply touched by the gesture of his fellow surveyors.

Mr. Goonewardena who joined the department in 1948 and served there till 1971 recalled the experiences he had in various places such as Kalawana and Kantalai during a time when most of these areas were covered in thick jungle and their work entailed going many a mile on foot.

Among his first assignments was in Kukulkorale in Kalawana, an area bordering the Sinharaja forest. Getting to his 'bungalow' which consisted of two bedrooms and a toilet with planks was a five-mile walk.

"The area was famous for pure Kitul toddy and Kitul jaggery which is what kept us going," he said. Equally challenging was another assignment in Kantalai where the survey site was a 12-mile walk through thick jungle where not only encountering elephants was common, but leopards as well. "The villagers wondered how I was going into the jungle without fear and I jokingly told them I knew a "manthara" and they believed this was true," Mr. Goonewardena said smiling.

From there, he moved to the Diyatalawa training school and was stationed there for four years where he had the privilege of teaching many others who themselves went onto reach the top-most position in the department.

Among those who have followed him to become the Surveyor General was Dr. Somasekaram, whose idea it was to host the birthday party for Mr. Goonewardena. Since retirement, Dr. Somasekaram has turned fulltime author and has published several maps and atlases as well as "Surveying Stories" which he has aptly dedicated to "surveyors the world over" and to his family.
Among the other retired Surveyors General present were Elmo Perera who is a prominent lawyer today, P.A. Ariyaratne, A. Ranasinghe Silva, Neil Seneviratne, S.J. Munasinghe, S.T. Hettige and M.P. Salgado.

Surveying has come a long way since the time Mr. Goonewardena worked for the department. "It is a department that works with great efficiency but there is no great knowledge of the workings of this important department," the octogenarian said.

The present Surveyor General B.J.P. Mendis too is treading in the footsteps of his predecessors and working to keep up with the changes in the field. "The department has modern equipment such as the satellite global positioning system which assists us in our work."

With the department's employees spread out throughout the island including the north and the east, they continue with this important work silently toiling endless hours surveying and mapping the land.

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