Administrator, social worker and affectionate friend
PREMATILLEKE MAPITIGAMA
Prematilleke Mapitigama had an illustrious career as a dedicated Government Servant. He would have been in his eighties at the time of death. He hailed from a respectable Kandyan family. I believe he was the eldest in the family.
Having worked for the General Clerical Service in the latter part of the 1940s, Mapitigama entered the prestigious Ceylon Administrative Service in the early 1960s. He was appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Lands and Land Development. Prior to this appointment, he served as Secretary to President J. R. Jayewardene. After retirement, he was appointed Secretary General of the J. R. Jayewardene Cultural Centre.
This writer had the opportunity and pleasure of working with Mapitigama at the College of Fine Arts, the smallest government department at the time.
Mapitigama and the eldest of his younger siblings, a high-ranking officer in the Police Force, entered wedded life on the same day, back in the late 1950s. I had the pleasure of attending this unforgettable wedding ceremony.
Mapitigama was of sober disposition and simple in his ways. He befriended a person with his simple and genial manner. He assisted all who came to him for advice and counsel.
Mapitigama was a good administrator, social worker and author. With knowledge gained as Secretary to the Marriage and Divorce Commission, he wrote a book on various aspects of marriage and divorce in Sri Lanka.
I extend my sympathy and that of my family to Mrs. Mapitigama and children.
May Prematilleke Mapitigama be born in heavenly spheres and end his sojourn in Sansara by attaining the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.
This tribute is from a sincere friend.
Goodbye dear friend.
R. M. L. Ratnayake
Adoring Hilton Colombo ‘family’ remembers a very special friend
ANNOUCHKA WEERATUNGA FERNANDO
 We are still in a state of shock and disbelief, a month after our dear friend Annouchka left us.
I write these words on behalf of all who had the pleasure and joy of working with Annouchka at the Hilton Colombo. We became a family. We celebrate a life that brought joy and happiness to all of us over the years. We each had our own special relationship with Annou, as she was fondly known, and we each have a similar happy sweet tale to tell.
Annouchka was the daughter of the late General Tissa Weeratunge and Sonia. She had two brothers she doted on. They in turn were very fond of her, despite having to play the dutiful “brother role” during her spirited young days. Her many friends at school remained her best friends all her life.
Let Annouchka’s Hilton Colombo colleagues share their thoughts of Annou.
When I first walked into the Hilton, Annou was sitting in the office, beaming from ear to ear, greeting me with a smile that could not have been more genuine. That instant, I knew I would have the best support anyone could wish for.
Our lives jelled like no other. Our office team grew. We launched the Lady Hilton Club. We took public relations to a different level. We had our monthly communication meetings in the graphics department, and at the end of each meeting we dug into the goodies I had been ordered to make by Anouchka and the team.
There was Heather, Mr. Fernando’s executive secretary, who also partook of the fun get-togethers, and there was Natalie, the PR Secretary, and Jackie and Deso, who migrated to Canada and Australia respectively.
Annouchka roped her best friend’s younger sister Gigi into the team, having convinced the late Mr. Gamini Fernando that Gigi would be the next best item in the Hilton PR team. So much so that within the year, we clinched the All-Asia Best Public Relations award within the Hilton chain.
Annouchka found in me an older sister she did not have, a friend, perhaps a second mother. We cried together, laughed together, and shared our saddest and most difficult moments – so much so that a colleague in the sales department said the PR Department should be renamed Yasmin and the Wailers! That was quoted by Theruni, who was Annou’s bridesmaid at her wedding to childhood sweetheart Terrence.
As loyal friends to Annou, we covered up for her when she would dash off on a Saturday afternoon to meet Terrence, after telling her parents that she was following a Highlights Programme.
This was a match made in heaven. Terrence fulfilled his marriage vows to the very end, and unconditionally.
When Samanthi joined the sales team, we were not sure whether to admit her to our group. But she found her way in, and in a few months became a good buddy of Annouchka’s, not realising that she would soon become an in-law to Annou, not only a work buddy. From the start, Annou knew Sam would be the ideal soulmate for her older brother. She did not expect to be separated from the couple, but Sam whisked Annou’s “loku aiya” away to a distant land. Not too long ago Annou visited the couple and had a wonderful time with them.
Last December, Sam and Rohan came to Sri Lanka for Christmas, and Annou organised a memorable family trip to Habarana. Nadine, another dear friend of Annou’s, joined in with her family.
During our years at the Hilton, Nadine operated out of Ramani’s hair salon, and we all ran to her for our beauty needs. Soon, she too joined our circle. Nadine has since become a pillar of strength to us. Latterly, she was closer to Annouchka than anyone else.
Annouchka had a passion for life. Her laugh could be heard in the hotel corridors and in the neighbourhood. She was a great team player, at any level, and was great to watch on the netball field, where she represented the Hilton netball team. To us, she has not gone. She remains an inspiration. She was a loyal, dedicated and committed friend. She was a loving wife to Terrence, an adoring mother to Arvinda and Amrita, a kind and caring daughter, a great sister and sister-in-law.
She showed us how to fight an illness for which there is no cure. Her courage sustained her through more working years, despite frequent bouts of illness, Annou always bounced back.
That Annouchka was a much loved person was evident from the numbers that came to the hospital that fateful morning and prayed for her. Those by her bedside pleaded with her to fight the illness one more time. It was not to be.
Annou was always only a call away. She helped all and sundry. No more will I hear her say, “Yassie girl, when are you next inviting us to your home? My children insist on coming too!” My response was, “Annou, you are welcome any time!” This meant that the rest of the group came along too.
We pray for Terrence and his young family. We promise him that we are always there for them.
Yasmin, on behalf of Gigi, Theru, Sam, Nadine, Heather, Jackie, Natalie and Deso
To a remarkable Mother, on Mother's Day
By the time this tribute is published, it would be over a month since Mama passed away.
It would therefore, be apt, to say that time flies. However, considering Mama was just 45 years old when she died, it seems time has stood still, for we didn't have enough time to be with her, or fulfil the many dreams we had, together.
Mama was a dream mother. So full of life, bubbly and smiling all the while. She would never get into a mood, and even when she lost her cool, which was rare, a few words from Dada or Aiya would make her smile, and she would be normal again. She had this great gift of giving. Always ready and willing to help those in need, and numerous were those who benefited from her generosity. She didn't have to know someone to help them.
Our family meant a lot to Mama, and she always made sure we did things together. Be it a simple dinner on a Saturday, a long week-end in one of her hotels or the few overseas trips she initiated, she always ensured we were together. If aiya was unable to travel overseas with us due to his cricket commitments, she would speak to his coach and ask that he be excused at least for a few days, so he could be with us. After all, Aiya was her pet!
Mama was such a great cook. She could turn out great dishes without too much effort. Her lasagna was much sought after, and her cheese cake, brownies and date cake, heavenly. We only had to mention what we felt like eating, and you could be sure, it would be available at the earliest opportunity! Whenever she talked to Dada about quitting work, we encouraged her to start her own food outlet, which we are sure would have been a huge success!
Mama had loads of friends, as was evident by the number of people who called to pay their respects to her. She would catch up with them over long conversations on the telephone, and we could easily figure out who she was taking to, simply by the duration of the calls! She was a friend to us too, and often bullied us, either by singing a ridiculous song that was sung to her, by her mother, or by getting us to scratch her head while she fell asleep. How we long to hear her voice, or be able to run our fingers through her hair.
Knowing how much Mama loved Dada and the two of us, we know she will be with us in spirit, and guide us in whatever we do. We will miss her dearly, and know hers is a void, that can never be filled. However, we are comforted by the fact that she is in a better place, free of the pain she so bravely endured during her illness.
You will always be in our hearts Mama, till we meet on that beautiful shore.
We love you.
Arvindh and Amrita |
Thaatha’s values are our guiding light
W. P. R. B. WICKREMASINGHE
In penning these words in your memory, a quote by Robert Anderson expresses the thoughts that cross our minds every day. “Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship, which struggles on in the survivor’s mind towards some resolution which it may never find.
Fourteen long years have gone by since you left us – in the early hours of Sunday, May 3, 1998. Your generosity, kindness and rare qualities live on in our hearts and minds. We remember you as a humble person, sympathetic to those in need, helping people regardless of race, caste or creed, going beyond borders. You shared your immense knowledge with your friends, colleagues, et al.
We – your wife, daughters, sons-in-law, son, daughter-in-law and grandsons –remember you with affection and gratitude. The values you inculcated in us are the guiding light in our lives.
Buddhist philosophy teaches us about the impermanence of life. Your sojourn here was brief but a truly a contented one. You remain with us in spirit. May you attain the Supreme Bliss of Nirvana.
Dearest Thaaththa, this is my fervent prayer for you.
“The good doer lives happily in this world and the next.” (Dhammapada)
Loku Putha
Champa Damayanthi Ruwanmini
Wickremasinghe
Dearest Dimples taught us to be loving and gracious
CECILIA MARGARET GOONEWARDENE
My grandmother turned 90 at her last birthday, on May 26, 2011. Although at this point her short-term memory had largely faded away, our family decided that this did not matter. Rather than letting another birthday come and go, my aunts and uncles took ownership of the fragile moment and organised a joyous, colourful birthday party, with guests from all aspects of her lengthy life.
Because I live halfway around the world, in the US, I could not attend the party. But the pictures said it all. Dressed in a soft fuschia sari, her silvery hair pulled back in a neat knot, and wearing her best gold jewellery, my grandmother celebrated what would be her last birthday in beautiful, vivacious fashion, surrounded by those who loved her.
From her schoolmates at St. Bridget’s Convent – where she studied from 1928 to 1939 -- to her first great-grandchild, two-year-old Dinuk Wickremesinghe, the party guests reflected the vast experiences that Dimples, as she was affectionately called, had in her time on Earth. As loved ones looked on, she cut the birthday cake and Dinuk blew out the candles – a clear symbol of life moving from one generation to the next.
As I gaze at the photographs from last year’s celebration, I know that my grandmother may not have fully realised that it was her birthday, and that was why people, young and old, were pouring into her normally quiet house. But I like to think that the exuberance in the air that day was powerful enough to seep into her consciousness and remind her of the full life she had lived.
On what would have been my grandmother’s 91st birthday, we look back at her life and thank God that she was with us for so many years. In her honour, we will continue a family tradition that is loving, gracious and deferential to God.
Shanika Gunaratna |
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