APPRECIATIONS
View(s):A hero during schooldays and a friend in later years
ALAN HENRICUS
Alan Henricus, the youngest of five outstanding sporting brothers who represented their school Royal College, and their country then known as Ceylon, passed away a few days ago. He would have celebrated his 90th birthday in February next year.
The Henricus brothers grew up in Kohuwela where their father, a former feather weight boxing champion of Ceylon lived. He served as an administrator of the sport, first as Hony. Secretary of the Amateur Boxing Association of Ceylon and later as its President. He helped build the Baptist Church in Nugegoda and was its treasurer for 25 years. The road leading to their property was named Henricus Mawatha in honour of this outstanding family.
Alan represented Royal in Boxing, Athletics and Rugby, and won school colours in all three sports. He was also a school prefect, highly respected and regarded by both his school mates and staff. The family consisting of five brothers and two sisters were all nurtured in the best sporting traditions of colonial Ceylon. Eldest brother Barney represented Ceylon in boxing at the Empire Games and won a gold medal winning the featherweight title. The next, Basil, held the national record for 100 yards sprint and I believe his record still stands. He also represented the Havelocks Sports Club and All Ceylon at Rugby. The next brother George, for many years the Master Attendant in the Colombo Port was also a champion boxer, as was Derrick, the fourth in line.
Remarkable sportsmen such as Alan reached their great heights from a base of raw innate talent fostered by regular training and a disciplined approach to life. When I was a ten-year-old schoolboy I used to watch with awe and admiration Alan doing his training run at 6 a.m. in the morning, jogging all the way from his home in Kohuwela to Havelock Park and back on most weekends.
Alan was senior to me in school by about three years and in those days, that was an age gap filled with respect and admiration. To us younger kids, the high achieving Alan was a hero. I recall in one Public Schools athletics meet for the Tarbat Cup, either in 1950 or 1951, Royal College was able to obtain a total of 15 points only, and were never serious contenders for the trophy. However the 15 points that Royal earned was almost singlehandedly through Alan’s efforts. He won the pole vault event, was first in the 120 metres hurdles, and was a member of the 4 X 400 metre relay team which won the event. Although the Tarbat Cup was won by another school, the assembled gathering of Royalists carried Alan shoulder-high around the grounds!
From school he was selected for training as a Naval officer cadet in Dartmouth in Devonshire in England. Fellow Royalists, the late Norman Gunawardena and Humphrey Wijesinghe were among the cadets selected for Dartmouth. On returning to Ceylon after his naval training, he served the Royal Ceylon Navy for several years until retirement. After retirement from the Navy he served for a short period as an executive in a mercantile firm in Colombo, before migrating with his family to Australia.
The stint at Dartmouth would carry many precious memories for him, as that was where he met Maureen, the love of his life.
Migrating to Australia in the 1970s Alan joined the Royal Australian Navy which he served with distinction as Lieut. Commander. On my moving to Australia in 1984, I met Alan and Maureen at a Sunday luncheon hosted by the late Brendon Gooneratne. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and Alan and Maureen remained very close friends of ours.
Over the years we used to meet every three months at lunch at the Rosehill Bowling Club organised for old Royalist Seniors through the initiative of Chandra Senaratne. Other social engagements over the years strengthened our friendship, and it is with deep distress that I heard of his terminal illness about two months ago. He was as stoic as ever, the brave naval officer that he was. He said in no uncertain terms that he was not seeking to extend his life on this earth, and that he would wait in his home until the final call.
Alan’s departure marks another severance with the old Ceylon we knew, and its traditions and honourable ways. He is survived by his dear wife Maureen, sons Andrew and Richard,, daughter-in-law Caroline, and grandson Ryan.
“The song is ended but the melody lingers on”
Farewell dear Alan.
Hugh Karunanayake
Still missing you Daddy, 16 years on….
Bryan Paul Senanayake
The years pile on without you here
Yet the pain of your loss is all so clear
Your heavenly home is where you now abide
With Jesus, Mary and angels beside.
I look through your photos
Moments to remember you by
But each time I do
I just want to cry.
You will always be near
And stay in my heart so clear
Unseen, unheard but always near
Still loved and missed and so forever dear.
The laughs we shared
The love you showed
The gates of memories will never close
I miss you more than anyone knows.
Your loving daughter,
Shima
He stretched out a helping hand and went that extra mile
UPALI SENERATH PREMADASA
It was with great sadness that I heard of the sudden passing away of my dear friend for over six decades and colleague at Ananda College, Colombo – Upali Senerath Premadasa.
‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’ aptly describes Upali, a jovial and down to earth friend, who always carried a winsome smile on his face. He had a rare willingness to stretch out a helping hand and go the extra mile, to anyone who needed help. There was never a “let’s see” or “I cannot” phrase in Upali’s vocabulary, but rather, “I will” and “take it as done.”
Friend or foe, rich or poor he would treat them all alike. He mingled freely with anyone and everyone who came in contact with him.
Upali hailed from a reputed Buddhist family; his father was late J.G.N. Premadasa, owner of the well-known Premadasa & Co. Jewellers (Pvt) Ltd and his mother, was Hema. Upali was the eldest of five siblings – four sisters and a brother, and was well aware of his family responsibilities.
Since his father’s death in 1972 he handled the business and all family responsibilities selflessly. He expanded his main business in hotel locations across the country and at the duty free shopping complex at the airport. He maintained shops in Maldives, Japan, Belgium and Mauritius as well and had a well-equipped gem laboratory in his main shop.
His main responsibility was to find good partners for his younger sisters. After he succeeded in that pursuit, he married a very kindhearted lady, Sujatha who stood by him in all his undertakings to serve people and friends. They were blessed with two daughters Dhanali, Nihili and one son, Dhanika and five grandchildren.
He passed away on November 8 after a prolonged illness. He was 75 years old. My beloved friend Upali, your name will always be etched in our hearts. It’s goodbye for now until we meet on that beautiful shore soon.
May you attain the Supreme Bliss of Nibbana.
Meghavarna Kumarasinghe
A remarkable teacher turns 100
Mallika Goonesekera
“Teachers who educate children, deserve more honour than parents who merely gave them birth, for the latter provided mere life, while the former ensure a good life” – Aristotle
Mallika Goonesekera will be one hundred years old on December 14, 2022. In Sri Lanka, it is incredible, almost miraculous, to find a vibrant, healthy and intellectually sharp centenarian. If anyone deserves to have been well preserved over the years, it is Mallika, whose exemplary lifestyle has kept her mind sharp, and her inspiring wit evident even as she nears 100 years.
Till recently she was engaged in her chosen profession coaching students who still considered her an exceptional teacher. First of all, let me join the hundreds, nay thousands of grateful students who all over the world are standing to cheer this great lady who was their friend, counsellor, guide and educator whilst at Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala, where she taught for 30 years and seemed to be part of its architecture during its period of glory. Mallika was regarded by many as the cornerstone of the tutorial staff of the Convent which produced many graduates, professionals and leading entrepreneurs.
After she moved to Colombo to be closer to her children, she continued her teaching at Asian International and the Colombo International School winning acclaim as a Geography teacher.
Edward de Bono tells us how to evaluate people by a system of values in his book “The Assessment of Values and the Six Value Models”. I will attempt to capture Mallika’s qualities and what she meant to her students, and the community, by using the six medals.
The Gold Medal is as always for the most important attribute – human values. For a teacher possessing unquestionable values is essential, and Mallika, an ardent Buddhist, treated her family, students and the community with compassion, empathy and understanding. She believed that integrity and honesty was a two-way process, but that the example must come initially from the teacher who would be the role model and guiding beacon. I am sure everyone who knows Mallika would say that she would respond to any situation she was confronted with in a manner which demonstrated total adherence to her principles.
The Silver Medal is directed to assessing organisational values. Mallika was known for her loyalty and commitment to the school that she served in as a teacher. The school itself acquired a great reputation as an institution of the highest quality due to the image she created for it. Her students recall that as the Teacher-in-Charge of Loretto House at HFC, she was passionate about the House and devoted time and drive to achieve excellence in all its activities.
The Steel Medal stands for her strength of character as well as her competencies in the subjects she taught. You may add the myriad activities she was responsible for, which helped many students to move forward in their thirst for knowledge and build their personalities. The temptation for a teacher of her brilliance to look for greener pastures must have been tempting but she was made of steel and it was around such staff that the school held its own against those schools which the government favoured.
The Glass Medal is an opportunity to evaluate the creativity of a person. It covers innovation, creativity and simplicity. Mallika immersed herself totally in her pedagogy to motivate her students to be interested in what she taught. She made the lessons delightful by introducing humour into the classroom and simple stories to illustrate her otherwise heavy material. Her thirst for new knowledge made her creative and gave her students a head-start over others.
The Wood Medal reminds us to look for relevance to the environment and the community. The business world talks of the three P’s: Planet, People and Profits. The students who passed through her hands had a proper balance in terms of understanding what their social roles were. She also encouraged them to always be mindful of the need to think beyond the classroom. Her forte was Geography so students learnt of issues confronting different people in faraway places making them conscious of using their knowledge to create a better world.
The Brass Medal is an important one as it focuses on perceptual values. In our multicultural milieu, the role of a teacher to help students to understand that the truth is sometimes only due to a perception built on our prejudices is a serious challenge. Brass looks like gold but is so different in value. It is important to be able to stand back and analyse a situation before jumping to conclusions. Teachers like Mallika teach students how to take what is called a “helicopter view” standing back from the dust of a conflict to be mindful of what consequences a hasty decision will produce!
To sum up, on De Bono’s analysis I would rate Mallika as a really great human being – an educationist of rare talent and a person who has not grown old without growing in wisdom continuously. At 100, she has the potential to remain a fountain of knowledge.
We wish her health and happiness in the years to come.
Franklyn Amerasinghe
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