Veteran newsman dies

Dalton receiving an award at the Editors’ Guild ceremony in 2002

Veteran journalist Dalton De Silva passed away on Friday at the age of 77, after a brief illness. Dalton who worked as a journalist for more than 50 years began his career in the 1950s at the Daily News where he excelled as a newsman. Later he joined the Information Department and served as the Press Officer of the Foreign Ministry.

Following in the journalistic footsteps of his father Fred De Silva, Dalton took over the French News agency AFP’s Colombo office after his father’s death. Later he joined Reuter’s news agency and served as Bureau Chief till his retirement. He thenjoined the Island and also served at a consultant at Lake House, reported for Bloomberg Business News Agency, and served as lecturer in journalism at Aquinas College.

His remains which are lying the Jayaratne funeral parlour in Colombo will be taken to St. Anne’s church at Wattala for a service at 4 p.m. followed by interment at the Wattala cemetery. He is survived by his wife Nalini, sons Shalinka and Lalith and daughter Sonia.