Always there with a word of advice

H.P. de S. Thabrew

I called him “Thabu Aiya”. His sudden death on March 15 was a shock to all of us and his beloved wife and two daughters. Our friendship goes back 14 years. We were both in the Land Commissioner’s Department. Mr. Thabrew was a surveyor and I was Superintendent of Development Works in the same department. He also worked in Iraq and Oman as a surveyor and gained knowledge on the new methods of his trade.

Before our retirement from the public service, we worked under one roof at the Kalutara Kachcheri. After retirement he obtained his surveyor’s licence. When I was working in several departments on a contract basis, Mr. Thabrew did some surveys in tsunami projects in Beruwela area under CADRAP (Capacity Development Recovery Programme) in 2006-2007.

As a licensed surveyor, Mr. Thabrew did great service to the public. He was popular among the people even in faraway hamlets like Hadgalla, Kelinkanda, Neluwa and Yattapatha, which were the areas we both worked in when we were in the public service.

I met him for the last time on the 14th evening in his residence at Nagoda. At that moment, he was busy and told me that he was leaving the island for five days with his family.

He was in a good mood and we chatted for about 10 minutes. On the 15th morning I got the sad news of his death. He had passed away in Madras and on the 16th his body was brought back to Nagoda.

'Thabrew Aiya’ was a wonderful colleague, always ready with advice and encouragement. As a licensed surveyor he always did his duties to the satisfaction of his clients and did not go after money. Once when the District Judge of Matugama had appointed me as a one - man commission to inquire into the discrepancies that had arisen between the Pradeshiya Sabha and the public, he helped me and taught me how to take evidence from the public. I will miss his good advice.

He leaves his beloved wife Sreemathie, two daughters, brother-in-law, son-in-law, and employees. May your journey through “sansara” be short until you enter the supreme bliss of “Nirvana”.

By Mervin Lysander