Shereene Williams and Kate Costaras are both veterinary students at Nottingham University, which is where they first met and became friends.
Both of them have English mothers, but the fathers of both had their origins elsewhere – Shereene’s Dad is Sri Lankan and Kate’s is Greek.
Shereene is no stranger to her father’s homeland, having visited Sri Lanka many times over the years with her parents and even with her English grandparents. She loves it here and is close to her several cousins and aunts and uncles and grandmother on her father’s side.
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| Kate and Shereee at the summit of Sri Pada |
For Kate, this was a first visit and she fitted in as easily as did Shereene.
What intrigued me when I first met the pair, was that they were here on a busman’s holiday. They had looked up the Internet for places that might give them work with animals.
“Most places require a payment from those who volunteer and we couldn’t afford that, so we were delighted to find there was a safe haven for stray dogs in a Southern village in Sri Lanka – a refuge called `Animal SOS Sri Lanka’, founded by an Englishwoman, where we could find employment on a mutual no-payment agreement.”
The girls had travelled to London to meet the dog-lover who, on a holiday in Sri Lanka, had been unhappy about the neglected stray dogs on our roads and had decided to do something about it.
Kim Cooling was her name. She had established a centre for strays, sterilizing them and also attending to wounds or any medical conditions from which they suffered.
They were told that `Animal SOS Sri Lanka’ was located some distance from Weligama and that they should take the train from Colombo to Weligama and call the Director (an Englishman), who would arrange their transport to the place.
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| Kate attending to a sick dog |
Train fare and the costs of accommodation would have to be borne by the girls who would also have to find their own meals.
So, after three days in Colombo, Shereene and Kate went to the Fort station to take the train to Weligama and found that there was no hope of a seat although they had bought 2nd Class tickets, the whole train being crammed with passengers bound for Southern towns.
Undaunted, they waved goodbye smilingly to Shereene’s uncle and aunt who felt some anxiety on their behalf.
Kate and Shereene had alighted at Weligama and found a small hotel by the beach which was to their liking. They got in touch with the animal shelter and it was arranged that a vehicle would come to pick them up in the morning.
Shereene’s relatives in Colombo consoled themselves with the recollection that Shereene had earlier gone to Thailand on her own, had travelled around and had worked for a time at an elephant camp, helping to look after the big beasts. Kate had done much the same, but in South Africa, where she had worked in a game reserve and had tended wounded lions who were put to sleep by means of tranquilizer darts.
On these jaunts, volunteers pay their own ‘plane fares and fend for themselves.
In Ahangama, on the outskirts of which SOS Animal Sri Lanka is situated, this was the pattern. The chauffeur-driven vehicle that picked them up from their hotel in Weligama every morning and brought them back in the evening, was the only concession made to them.
They prepared their own lunch in the kitchen.
The next time I met the two of them was at Christmas when they came to Shereene’s aunt’s place in Bambalapitiya for a couple of days. They seemed to have enjoyed taking care of stray dogs during working hours and then enjoying a dip in the ocean when they got back each evening to Weligama. Since they were practically on the beach, they could revel in a swim in the morning too, before leaving for work, if so inclined.
They made the most of the sun, the sea and the sand.
Prior to coming to Colombo for Christmas, they had a few days off and they went to Kandy and to Sigiriya.
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| Shereene at the dog centre |
They had been fascinated by all they saw and learnt at Sigiriya, but felt the fee of Rs.3500 levied on foreigners was excessive. So, when they found that they would have to fork out a further Rs.1500 each to see inside the Dambulla rock temple, they called it a day.
Between Christmas and New Year, they romped with Shereeene’s cousins and had a few carefree days and then it was back to work in Ahangama for a further fortnight.
Before they returned to Colombo preparatory to taking off for England and home, they had the joy of realising their dream of climbing Sri Pada.
Both Kate and Shereene declared it was a lifetime experience which they would always treasure, even though the climb was tougher than they had expected and coming down the mountain had taxed their weary muscles to the limit.
They said that when they saw old ladies doggedly climbing, they had felt ashamed to give way to groans! They did view the sunrise from the top, but missed seeing the shadow of the Peak due to dark clouds that obscured it. When they bid us goodbye, they smiled triumphantly even as they admitted to having aches and pains all over!
I asked them whether, on their journeys on our public transport, they had had any unpleasant experiences and both girls gave a convincing “NO.”
They said, “People were very kind – sometimes a little curious and asking questions, but always friendly and wanting to be helpful.”
For Kate, her introduction to Asia has been a rewarding one and she hopes she can come again to see more of the island. |
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