It is with a heavy heart that I pen this tribute in memory of the late Stanley Wijesinghe, who breezed out of our lives a year ago.
Stanley was one of the very few executives from the private wharf companies to be absorbed into the Port (Cargo) Corporation, when the Colombo Port was nationalised in 1958. His meticulousness, commitment and integrity earned him the position of finance manager at the newly created Port (Cargo) Corporation.
Stanley’s talent and abilities truly came into play when he was appointed as the first food and bewerages manager of the Ports Authority.
The late Wimal Amarasekera made him head of the largest single catering operation in South East Asia. Stanley was the first manager (food and beverage) of the Ports Authority’s Kitchen and Canteen, which handled the production and distribution of more than 20,000 packeted meals and quantities of snacks and tea daily to all Port employees.
The job called for the efficient management of human and material resources, outstanding coordinating skills, and even the expertise of a chef de cuisine! With a hands-on approach, Stanley managed the operation to near perfection – and a touch of panache – for 15 long years, until his retirement in 1989.
He was a founder member of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Staff Officers’ Association, and served as its president for more than 17 years. Every year he would be re-elected uncontested, clear testimony to the high regard everyone had for him.
Retirement was no resting place for Stanley.
He accepted the post of president of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Retired Staff Officers’ Association, and continued to hold the post until 2008, when failing health forced him to step down. During his stewardship, he secured a great many benefits for the former Ports employees.
Stanley was a leading social worker in his home neighbourhood, Mutwal. He was president of the Colombo North Lions Club, initiating several projects to raise the living standard of the community.
He was also a generous host, often inviting us to his club, the Fishtail Club, in Mutwal, of which he was president, for a “drink and a chat”.
Stanley was a loving husband and a caring father. His three children today are highly respected professionals in their various fields.
When diagnosed with a terminal illness, Stanley took his medical condition in his stride and faced his predicament with courage. I remember how his wife and children tended to him during his illness, rushing him to hospital at the slightest hint of danger, and ensuring he always received the best of medical attention.
The high esteem in which Stanley was held by all who knew him should be some consolation to his widow Genevieve, his daughter Attracta, and two sons Suran and Mallory.
H. D. Gunaratne
|
E-mail