At 105, Tiddy’s life story is a simple but devout one
Two birthday parties – one in the morning and another in the afternoon!
He more than deserves both because it is a very special occasion. Tiddy (Theodore) Senapatiratne turned 105 years this week on Tuesday, June 6.
The morning was all to do with his faith, with the Baptist Church rallying round him.
Birthday boy Tiddy. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The evening was the celebration with bunting, balloons and lots of food with a beautiful cake at the retirement home ‘Village 60 Plus’ at Narahenpita, with talkative Tiddy all dressed up, being the centre of attention.
As soon as he walks in he says: “Aney, mage pinthure gannava. Monawada mata gevanne. Mama lokkek neve.”
Thrilled over the gift of a teddy bear, Tiddy insists that he is not 105 but 110 as he “seems to have lived a very long time”, sending a smile around the room.
Tiddy’s life story is a simple but devout one……for he was from a family of Baptist ministers.
While his father’s ancestors had been from Keembiya close to Galle, Tiddy had been born in Moratuwa as his mother had gone to her parents’ home for the confinement. It was the time when his father was working as a medical assistant at Needwood Estate in Haldumulla. Losing his mother to enteric fever (typhoid) just about a year after his birth, Tiddy had been looked after by his maternal aunt and her cousin, being taken along to Madampe from Moratuwa and back to Moratuwa when his grandfather, a Baptist minister was sent on transfer.
Five generations at birthday celebrations: From left Tiddy, son Jayantha, granddaughter Jayani, great-granddaughter Shyara and great-great-granddaughter Tehani
Tiddy and his older brother had attended Prince of Wales College but moved to Kandy and a short stint at Girls’ High School, when living with his maternal uncle after his grandfather’s death.
Back again in Kollupitiya with their uncle, they had been admitted to Methodist College and when later transferred to the home of their paternal aunt at Bambalapitiya, taken a train ride to school.
Holidays were spent with their father at Haldumulla and in a kind of memoir written in 2000, Tiddy states: “We used to go for walks often. We played on the large rocks……..once we walked along the railway line for some distance even going through a long tunnel. We also walked to Diyaluma Falls at Koslanda, a distance of about 14 miles.”
Schooling at Methodist College, meanwhile, had to end as there were no boys after a certain grade. Next came a stint at St. Paul’s Milagiriya, once again until it stopped having boys, then onto St. Peter’s College and finally in 1929 to Royal College after an entrance examination to fill four vacancies.
Tiddy’s relatives believe that he may be the “oldest” Royalist alive now.
Living in Dematagoda then, as the wife of the couple who was looking after him had suffered a heart attack, Tiddy would board a train from Maradana to Bambalapitiya and walk to Royal College from the station. Having passed his Cambridge Junior examination in 1933, he had also got through the London Matriculation examination in 1937, while being heavily involved in the choir which was trained by Principal H.R. Reid and his wife.
Romance was also in the air for Tiddy when he saw and fell in love with Sarah. His first glimpse of her had been in the home of Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Perera in Thimbirigasyaya where he was living, after his stay at Dematagoda. Mr. Perera was the Vaccinator for Thimbirigasyaya and Sarah was Mrs. Perera’s sister.
It was to Pembroke College that Tiddy went after Royal College, then on to the Polytechnic for a four-month course in accounts and typing, joining Pope and Co., Chartered Accountants and Auditors as an apprentice and finally the Postal Clerical Service after sitting a competitive examination.
For 13 years, he served the Postal Department – 7½ years at the Post Office Savings Bank; 3 years at the Accountants’ Office; 2½ years at the Nuwara Eliya District Inspector of Telecommunications Office and finally for about 2 months at the Buildings Branch of the Postmaster General’s Office, Colombo.
“While at the Savings Bank the World War between Britain, France and their Allies against Germany and Japan broke out in 1938 and the Savings Bank was shifted to Kandana in 1941 and back to Colombo when the war ended in 1945,” he recalls in his writings.
Sarah, who had passed away in October 2005, had been his one and only love. Tiddy’s and Sarah’s wedding amidst some opposition had been on May 2, 1942, a simple affair.
Before the wedding when Tiddy was taking Sarah from Panadura to meet the priest who would marry them, they had seen low-flying planes.
“When the bus we boarded was near Ratmalana, we saw smoke rising from the Ratmalana workshop. A soldier in the bus said that it was from a smoke bomb during practice. It was when the police stopped the bus that we heard that the Japanese were bombing the Ratmalana Airport,” states Tiddy, adding that they were saddened to see hundreds perhaps thousands of poor families making their way out of Colombo city and suburbs with their children, dogs and belongings.
Marriage to Sarah led to the nomadic life of Tiddy, moving from one boarding to another, coming to an end. Their cozy little home, two small boutiques converted into a house, was in Makewita at a rent of Rs. 15. But life was still arduous, as Tiddy had to cycle four miles to work and back from Kandana, once a heavy downpour keeping him stranded at a petrol shed the whole night. So to a larger house the young couple moved at Rs. 8 per month, closer to the Seeduwa Railway Station, where two of their four sons, Nalin and Jayantha, were born. Their third son, Ranjith, would be born in the house they rented from Tiddy’s father at Jambugasmulla, Nugegoda and Priyantha when they were living in Nuwara Eliya.
It was while Tiddy was working in Nuwara Eliya that the calling to serve God became powerful, propelling him in the direction of resigning from the Postal Service when he was back in Colombo in May 1952.
Bible School and taking the word of God to many distant places including Beligodapitiya and then engaging in evangelism in areas such as Urubokka, Galle, Ratnapura, Boralesgamuwa and Rozella had been part of Tiddy’s life until retirement.
A colourful life is the legacy of Tiddy living not only through World War II but also more recently the unprecedented Pandemic and recovering from COVID-19 about two years back. He has four sons, 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one much cherished great-great-granddaughter.
As the time approaches to cut the cake, 105-year-old Tiddy asks those around, where the knife is and with one thrust does the needful.
What does he love to eat………cake with “lots” of icing! We bid him good luck and goodbye as the celebration begins.
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