Appreciations
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My
father, my guide and my teacher "I
shall pass this way but once This poem and the poem "IF" by Rudyard Kipling were framed and hung upon my father's office wall. When we were young he encouraged us to memorize the words, and as my sisters and I grew up we watched our father live his life by these very same ideals. My father was a very busy man - he was involved in so many activities political, religious, social and professional - yet he always had time for us six girls. Every single aspect of our lives was important to him. He filed our letters and school reports, kept our birthday cards, was proud of the certificates and prizes earned and in later years of our respective careers and achievements. He encouraged us to take part in every sport and extra-curricular activity and many a school friend would recall how he would take us all out to Fountain Cafe or Green Cabin to give the whole team a "treat" after a sports tournament or elocution exam. At the end of each school term he took us on holiday all over Sri Lanka. Each trip was a history and geography lesson for us. He told us folk tales and legends about each place we visited and patiently repeated stories of Saradiel, Sitawaka or Sigiriya each time one of us wanted to hear the story all over again. He was a gentle, patient man who never raised his voice to get his point across. An extremely clever man - he had a brilliant mind, a remarkable memory and mathematical skills which would put our calculators to shame. In later years when I worked with him at the Ministry, I was able to see him work with such dedication and skill - his high intelligence, his quick grasp of facts, his ability to make firm decisions and give precise directives earned him praise and respect from his staff. Education was extremely important to my father. His only request to his parents was that his future wife should be an educated girl. In that he found a perfect partner and soul mate in my mother - she had beauty, grace and education. Together they gave us children the best of education. His library had an extensive collection of books. Every educational magazine and periodical and newspaper was ordered for us and likewise in later years when it came to his grandchildren his birthday gifts to them were subscriptions to the National Geographic, finance for a school trip or a beautiful letter with words of advice quoting wise words from great poets encouraging them to: "toil whilst their companions slept". His pride knew no end when he attended his eldest grandchild's graduation ceremony at Cambridge University and watched the others follow suit in various fields of study. The emphasis on learning was not only for his own family. In his youth he helped to organize Night Schools for people in his electorate, which effectively began his career as a social worker and politician in later years. Upon his death we had many visitors, most from his much loved electorate of Balangoda. Many
told us of the help they received from him, as he quietly sent them
funds for their books and fees or helped get electricity to their
villages, so they could study and become the doctors and teachers
that they are today. My father was most well known for his political achievements. A French journalist who met him described him as "formidable". Eminent historian K.M. de Silva in his book "The History of Ceylon" says, "the most remarkable case of all is the case of M.L.M. Aboosally M.P. for Balangoda... a seat he won against the powerful family interests of the Ratwattes... the Muslims constitute just 2.75% of the total votes." My father represented this Sinhala electorate from 1977 to 1994 and was the longest serving MP for Balangoda. He also served in the Ministries of Mahaweli Development, Plantations and Labour. From my early days I remember the hectic political activity inside our home, especially when a general election was near--hundreds of people to meet my father, hundreds of political meetings, hundreds of houses to be visited in house-to-house canvassing for votes... etc. All this he did amidst petty party politics, political victimisation, racial brickbats, tension and treachery. Throughout all this my father never wavered. True to his principles and the policies of the party he represented he remained honest, forthright, courageous, loyal and humble, dignified in both victory and defeat. When he was victorious he never remembered insults nor stooped to take revenge. He
told us: "It is when you are most powerful that you must be
most careful not to abuse that power". A leading politician
who is now no more described him as: "A true gentleman and
the only person in politics whom I can trust". My father never differentiated between people because of their religion, race or creed. He worked well into the night answering their letters and heeding their humble requests. Awarded the Deshabandu award for his services to the Nation in the last month of his life, he appreciated the gesture, but was quick to share the honour and give credit to his wife saying to us "it is as much your mother's award as it is mine". In the 50 years of his political life my father saw many changes, lived through many social and political upheavals, riots and insurrections. He faced these difficult times bravely helping numerous people in many ways by word or deed often at risk to his own life. His
philosophy in life was thus: In his memoirs which he started writing in the 1980's he pays tribute to his own father who taught him to be fair and just in all his dealings. Fortune had lavished on my father a privileged life but what material wealth he had he used without ostentation. If they were present he enjoyed them simply, if they were absent he felt no need of them. He was a generous man who gave much to charity and never "let his left hand know what his right hand gave". A hadith relates a question asked of his Holy Prophet Mohammed (s.a.l.) by his companions; If I have no wealth to give what other charitable act can I do to please Almighty Allah? And the Holy Prophet (s.a.l.) replied: "You can enter public life and serve the people, you can build a well or you can write a book". My father did all three and more, in his lifetime, and he did these with integrity, honesty and humility in all his actions. The
state of the country as it is today, being in active politics, my
father could have met with many a violent end, for such are the
times we live in. But when he left us on December 11 last year,
he closed his eyes and slipped away gently with his family around
him, and prayers in his ears. The
Quran says: "Verily we are from Allah and to Him we return".
May
we your children and grandchildren live up to your high ideals -
Rameez Ayesha Soysa He
steered Maris Stella through the storm A specialist in Mathematics, Bro. Peter was equally competent in the study and practice of music. He was also a linguist of repute. He was the first Principal of Christ King College, Tudella (1943) and Joseph Vas College (1955). The people of Tudella acknowledged with gratitude his services to the school and community at a public felicitation where they named a road in his memory. His crowning achievement as an educationist was his stewardship of one of Sri Lanka's leading Catholic colleges, Maris Stella College. He was heir to a tradition of excellence, from 1922 set by his predecessors - Bro. Louis, Bro. Anthony, Bro. Conran and Bro. Stanislaus. The years 1959-1965 were tumultuous following the political revolution of 1956. It was aptly described as an "age of transition between two civilisaitons - one dying and the other struggling to be born". Drastic reforms were being effected in education policy and implementation. The schools’ takeover of 1964 threatened the very existence of Christian schools such as Maris Stella. Long serving teachers opted out. Financial management and resource control became a virtual nightmare. But Bro. Peter stood undaunted. Supported by a loyal group of Marist Brothers, teachers and old boys, he gave leadership as an administrator to steer Maris Stella through the storm to tranquillity. A soft-spoken
man of few words, he was dignified in his style of management, patient,
interactive and committed to consensus and compromise. These were
the qualities that stood him in good stead during the difficult
days of his stewardship of Maris Stella. Bro. Peter was indeed a
model of Christian living devoted to the virtues of faith, hope,
charity, prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. He had a special
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the statue of the Holy Mother
which he so fondly erected at the entrance to Maris Stella is indeed
an eternal monument to the memory of Bro. Peter Berchmann Wijetunge.
Merrick Gooneratne From
the cross to the crown Brother Mark who spent the last few years with Moira after their parents died some years ago, remembers his crippled sister as the family’s best mannered person who started the day by wishing everyone Good Morning and ending the day with a Good Night. But on February 4, Mark was away and she was unable to say what would have been her final good night because by morning she had passed away peacefully and was not able to say good morning. According to Mark it was mainly Moira’s prayers that brought peace, unity and prosperity to the family. She was also the family’s computer having the best memory where birthdays and anniversaries of friends and relatives were stored. She would faithfully send greeting cards with little gifts in a spirit of caring and sharing. Faithfully and fervently Moira prayed the rosary daily and would have done it thousands of times. Though the family could not say good night, her beloved mother Mary would have come with the Lord Jesus in Moira’s moment of death to take her to heaven. Mark says that though Moira was disabled from birth, through her, the family learnt that in many ways they are better and brighter than able bodied people. Moira taught them that disabled people given the right opportunity could produce far better results than normal human beings. “One thing is certain that most of the disabled go to heaven and it is we who dig our graves without deciding where to go. Moira often joked with me and her other brother that she will go to God first and she did so as “God takes whom he loves most”, says Mark, sad and lonely but also full of faith that his sister who suffered so much is now beyond pain or suffering and living happily with God. Now
she must be singing joyfully with the Lord: A friend |
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