Appreciations
View(s):He wore multiple hats with the greatest devotion
Ajith Abeyratne
It was early on a grey Thursday morning when I got to know that my father had suddenly died from a brief illness. There was only numbness as I caught the next flight home, trying to fathom what a life without him would possibly feel like. A year to that date, I am still to grasp the full extent of what his loss in our world truly means.
My father, Ajith Abeyratne, was the most life-giving person with a presence that was larger than life. To us his family, he was a rare jewel and his presence in our world brought nothing but great joy and motivation for greatness. My mother Lohini, siblings Surovi and Kishen, aunt Visaka and uncles Seneka and Harsha, miss him dearly and feel his loss and absence in our lives deeply. We, together with my late grandparents, Ernest and Ranee, and extended family and friends, shared a lifetime of abundantly happy times, the memories of which continue to strengthen us as time passes.
One of the greatest gifts my father gave us was a happy home filled with love, laughter and meaningful moments, from our daily meals at the table to many special days and adventures outstation and around the world. Our Christmases were always spectacular. We actively enjoyed our church festivities, late night drives about town and chats on the balcony under the stars, accompanied by carols and my mother’s divine Christmas cake. Our Christmas days would culminate at the Abeyratne family Christmas extravaganza at 5th Lane, where my grandparents hosted the most unforgettable traditional Christmas dinners.
There were ample interests I shared with my father – our faith and love of the outdoors and sports to name a few. I was always awed by his sporting prowess and strength of character. Not only did he excel in rugby but also in cricket, tennis, squash and athletics. In the years I performed as an athlete, he would spend some evenings a week training me, following his coaching sessions at the CR & FC grounds. I used to love running on the grounds at dark, guided by the moonlight and his voice (as I couldn’t see him), which is somehow symbolic of what life without his physical presence feels like.
For as long as I could remember, he wore multiple hats with the greatest devotion i.e. that of a family man, pastor, rugby coach, commentator and consultant, businessman, leader and member of numerous committees and boards. With the unwavering and loving support of my mother, he poured into the lives of others from a cup which never seemed to deplete, fuelled by a heart of unending kindness. It created between us a form of true love that I have come to learn extends well beyond the grave.
It’s been an entire year without him – his loss leaves us with an abyss to mourn but the fullest of hearts to keep going.
Vashni Abeyratne Cooray
A livewire in London’s Lankan community who will be deeply missed
Shanti Jayasekera
Shanti Jayasekera, former banker with the Midland Bank in London, recently passed away in the United Kingdom. A moving funeral service was held in a packed St. Paul’s Church in Ruislip. Shanti was a hugely popular member of the Sri Lankan community in London.
I first met Shanti and his parents, Brighty and Sirima Jayasekera, at community events organised by the Association of Sri Lankans held in London in the 1970s. Shanti’s father was Manager of the Bank of Ceylon in the UK.
The Jayasekera family were fully involved in community events and I remember Shanti’s mum, Sirima being a real “livewire” in London. She was involved in some incredible charity work in Sri Lanka through a charity she set up called the Brighty Jayasekera Endowment Fund and was in the forefront of reconciliation efforts between communities.
Sirima also combined two of her passions – Motherhood and Music and organised concerts in London, under the heading: “Symphony for a Child,” to raise funds in order to provide for children in need. Shanti fully supported these charitable efforts.
Shanti’s aunt, Ethelinda, worked at the Sri Lanka High Commission in London and another aunt Trixie was married to Neville Jayaweera, former Chairman and Director-General of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.
Shanti’s siblings were Sudantha, Keshani and Arundani. Whenever I met Shanti I so enjoyed the banter with him and cracking jokes – he always had a twinkle in his eye.
He was a kind, caring, compassionate and generous human being who had a deep and abiding faith in God. His faith in Jesus Christ was non-negotiable. At the time of his death, Shanti was fully involved in the church and was appointed Lay Reader of St Paul’s Church Ruislip in Middlesex. He preached the word of God regularly to a large congregation.
Shanti wrote on the St.Paul’s Church, Ruislip website:”I was born in Sri Lanka, on 4th March 1954 and came to England with my parents in 1968. In 1971 at the age of 17, l went into banking and served in various financial institutions. I am married to Gita and we have been blessed to have two sons, Jehan and Chanaka. They attended school at St. John’s, Stanmore and Bishop Ramsey, Ruislip. My youngest son, Chanaka, is married to Katie and we have two granddaughters named Freya and Erin and a grandson named Theo.
“My calling to become a Licensed Lay Minister came a few years back, through God’s calling, and much encouragement from various members of clergy, parishioners and family, culminated in me going to theological college at St. Mellitus, London to study and qualify. I am delighted and look forward to serving this parish and community in Ruislip Manor, to enrich the lives of many of God’s love for each other through my ministry and prayer.”
Shanti was passionate about music and cricket. His sister recalled his stints as a DJ at parties in London. An old boy of St. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia, Shanti played a leading role in the choir and was chosen as a soloist in the carol service.
After he moved to the UK, Shanti took a keen interest (as many Sri Lankans do) in cricket. An accomplished and dashing cricketer, he was hugely popular as Captain of the Second XI cricket team at Winchmore Hill Cricket Club. His generosity and his kindness really came through at his funeral service in Ruislip with tales of Shanti making sure that his team at Winchmore Hill and the visiting cricket sides were always looked after in terms of hospitality and jugs of beer! I’m convinced that Shanti would have also had Sri Lankan food there – he was a great cook.
And so we say farewell to Shanti Jayasekera on earth, but we will meet in heaven. He has gone home. Shanti leaves behind his wife Gita, sons Jehan, Chanaka and wife Katie and their children, Freya, Erin and Theo.
May he rest in peace, in the arms of Jesus.
Ivan Corea
He had a vision for the future of Zoology in the country
Prof. H. H. Costa
Professor H.H. Costa, Professor Emeritus of Zoology and Founder-Professor of Zoology at the University of Kelaniya (1967-1998), was a remarkable figure. He served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya from 1994 to 1997 and contributed significantly to the Zoology Departments at the Universities of Colombo, Peradeniya and Kelaniya.
With his passing on December 22, 1998, Sri Lanka lost an extraordinary teacher, eminent scientist and exemplary administrator. Most importantly, he was a kind and compassionate human being.
Despite holding prestigious positions including that of Vice-Chancellor, my father remained humble and approachable.
Born on August 17, 1932, in Kurunegala, as the only son in a family of three children, he had two sisters. Despite being expected to carry on his father’s business, he chose to pursue a career in academia.
My father began his educational journey at St. Anne’s College in Kurunegala, where he excelled academically and was also a prefect. He briefly served as an assistant teacher at his alma mater before embarking on a remarkable academic career. He entered the University of Ceylon, where he graduated with a first-class honours BSc special degree, earning a Ph.D. in Zoology in 1958. The following year, he joined the academic staff of the University of Ceylon, Colombo campus, as an assistant lecturer in Zoology.
He pursued his postgraduate studies at the University of Wales in the UK and obtained his PhD reading fresh water biology and pollution biology. He joined the University of Ceylon Peradeniya campus as a lecturer in Zoology from 1964-1967.
In 1967, he moved to the newly established University of Kelaniya then known as Vidyalankara University of Ceylon as the founding Professor of Zoology, where he made lasting contributions to the field.
In 1978, he received an international scholarship from UNESCO to pursue advanced studies in Technology and Environmental Engineering. He obtained an engineering degree in Ecosystem Management and Environmental Protection from the University of Dresden, Germany. Armed with this extensive knowledge, he introduced pioneering changes to the Zoology curriculum in Sri Lankan universities.
His vision for the future of Zoology led to the development of these specialised fields of study, which had a significant impact on the nation’s research capabilities. Institutes like NARA benefited greatly from the research carried out in these newly introduced areas at the University of Kelaniya’s Department of Zoology. Thanks to his efforts, these areas of study developed into full-fledged programmes, enabling students to pursue doctorate degrees in fishery biology and freshwater biological sciences—fields that were not previously available in other universities in Sri Lanka.
He was awarded the Fulbright Hayes post-doctoral scholarship (1973), College of Fisheries, University of Washington USA; a fellowship (1975) at the Max Plank Institute for Limnology, Plon, West Germany; the Commonwealth Technical Co-operation Fellowship (1976), Fisheries Research Institute, Malaysia; the UNESCO/UNEP scholarship in Environmental Protection (1978) and the Commonwealth senior academic staff fellowship (1981) University of London among others.
Among his professional activities, he was a member of the interdisciplinary committee Consejo Cultural Mundial (World Cultural Council-Mexico), Advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries, consultant to the UN environmental programme Nairobi, a member of the governing board National Aquatic Research Agency (NARA) Sri Lanka and member, advisory committee, Department of National Museums and the National Zoological Gardens.
He also served as visiting professor, College of Fisheries, University of Washington Seattle, the Max Planck Institute of Limnology, Germany, University of London Royal Holliway College UK, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, University of Agriculture Malaysia and received the Soca University (Tokyo) award of highest honour. He was a Fellow of the National Academy of Science Sri Lanka and a founding member of the Asian Fisheries Society.
He presented many scientific papers at international symposia.
His research interests included the ecology of fresh water bodies, estuaries; pollution of fresh water bodies, estuaries and coastal areas; biology and aqua culture of fresh water, brachiswater and marine fin fish and shell fish and taxonomic studies on fresh water and brachiswater fauna of Sri Lanka
Even with his health rapidly deteriorating, he participated in ecological surveys carried out in Horton Plains, and his heavy administrative responsibilities as the Vice Chancellor did not distract him as evident by his contribution at the annual scientific sessions of the Sri Lanka Association of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Institute of Biology in Sri Lanka.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, my father was deeply admired for his humility and humanity. His colleagues, friends and students held him in the highest regard for his approachable and compassionate nature.
He believed that students should be given a voice in the decisions that impacted them and he always listened to their concerns. He believed that every student and academic staff member had the right to their own political ideology, and as long as these beliefs were kept private, conflicts could be avoided. He saw extremism as the only threat to peace within the academic community.
My father had a deep conviction that the legacy of a teacher is carried forward by their students. He hoped the alumni of the University of Kelaniya would one day take pride in declaring, “I am a student of Professor H. H. Costa,” just as previous generations proudly aligned themselves with great educators like Prof. Malalasekara and Prof. Sarath Chandra. He believed that his students should exemplify the values he upheld and contribute positively to the world, continuing the tradition of excellence that he, and those before him, had instilled.
He was not only a brilliant academic and administrator but also a good husband and a great father to our family. May my dearest father rest in peace.
Dr. Sujath C. Wijesinghe
A great gentleman and employer
F.G.N. MENDIS
F.G.N. Mendis affectionately known as Ricky Mendis was the great son of great lawyer N.S.O. Mendis.
I was employed as the only legal officer in charge of the legal division of LB Finance Ltd. when F.G.N. Mendis was the chairman and the company was a private limited company (it is now a public company). I took up a challenging task as stated by him at the interview. He was happy to see the recommendation letter given to me by P. Navaratnarajah QC whom he respected.
I enjoyed working under his direct supervision in respect of the company’s legal recoveries which were unattended to though handled by outside lawyers. I am thankful to Mr. Mendis for the free hand he gave me to recover the legal outstanding of the customers who had defaulted in respect of loans as well as hire purchase loans granted.
I recall when I had to file papers for writ of execution on one occasion against a lawyer of a firm who was a guarantor to the principal borrower who was his brother-in-law, I sought permission to proceed. He took me to Justice Mark Fernando who was a member of the board of directors of LB Finance Ltd. prior to him being nominated as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Mr. Fernando readily granted permission to go ahead with the writ of execution. I state this to express my freedom I enjoyed under Mr. Mendis as chairman who gave me the liberty to carry on with my duties as the legal officer without any hindrance.
During my tenure at LB Finance Ltd for almost six years prior to getting married, he looked after me with a good salary and other perks for which I am ever grateful to him.
After leaving LB Finance to commence my private practice I continued my relationship with him sending yearly Christmas greetings which he promptly responded to.
I met Mr. Mendis last at a sing-along fundraiser in aid of cancer headed by Sunil Perera of Gypsies at a leading hotel.
To me he was a great gentleman and as an employer, he was never harsh on any employee. With a smiling face, he tackled issues in an impeccable manner with good results.
Honesty integrity etched on the face
Calm confidence, but arrogance, not a trace
Adieu! Sir, for a life well spent
Your unwavering faith stood in good stead
May you be the role model we all emulate!
K. Kaneshayogan
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