Mr. J de S Jayasinghe was ‘Uncle J’ to Everyone at Gurutalawa?

Mr. J de S Jayasinghe (1924-1991)

S Thomas’ College Gurutalawa is unique in many ways. It came up in a remote location in the Uva Province under a contingency plan when the school at Mt Lavinia was taken over by the military during WWII. It was the only component that did not go back to Mt Lavinia after the war. There were many instances when Warden De Saram called up Dr. Hayman to restart the college in Mt Lavinia in his capacity as sub-Warden but desisted from hurting Dr Hayman’s feelings and eventually Dr. Hayman got back to Gurutalawa to his preferred job as Headmaster in 1948. 

The greatest challenge that Dr Hayman had to face in running the school was to retain a dedicated staff in this remote location where basic amenities were limited and very informal in the early days. 

Dr Hayman persuaded many of the pioneering students to assist him with teaching at school in the aftermath of the war. Mr. Bradman Weerakoon, Mr. A.K. Chapman, and Mr. Oliver de Soyza of the pioneers were the first to join the staff, and of the later batches; Mr. Selvin Gunawardena, Mr. A. C. M. Laffir and Mr. J W Marasinghe joined the non-academic staff. These old boys were a committed lot and gave their whole life and time to the school. 

Further to these old boys, there were a few other persons that Dr. Hayman did select to serve in the tutorial staff, and they too embraced the boarding life under trying conditions. Among them, two persons are worth mentioning: Mr. J de S Jayasinghe and Mr. M. Chinniah. (This article is limited to the teachers in the Hayman Era) 

J de S and staff at leisure - Mr. Chinniah, Mr. Selvin Gunawardena, Mr. Oliver de Soyza, Mr. Laffir. 

Most staff in the Hayman Era were in their early twenties and lived single. Therefore, many did leave when it was time to start a family. However, some were married to the school… of them, J de S, Mr. Chapman and Mr. Marasinghe have been noted bachelors. Later Mr. Chapman and Mr. Marasinghe married and left the school, leaving J de S, the most eligible bachelor at Gurutalawa. 

Mr. Oliver de Soyza remembers J de S to be a senior staff member when he too joined the staff in 1954… “A Senior Master in whom Dr. Hayman and Cannon Foster placed a lot of trust, teaching Biology and General Science in the upper school in English and later in both English and Sinhala when the education medium changed to ‘Swabasha’ in 1963. This was at a time when the staff worked as a team under the leadership of Dr. Hayman.

Mr. Jayasinghe was a Southerner from Ahangama in the Galle district; a product of one of the great Buddhist schools in the South, Mahinda College, Galle, which speaks volumes of the Buddhist tradition of tolerance. He was one of its best products but spent forty years of his life in the service of S. Thomas’ College Gurutalawa, an Anglican Christian School. 

He was an outstanding sportsman at Mahinda College. The eldest of four brothers, all of whom attended Mahinda College and excelled in cricket, football, and athletics. He captained the Mahinda cricket team in the years 1944 and 1945, where he ably led Mahinda against Richmond in 1944 and bowled extremely well to return a bag of 13 for 53. 

At Gurutalawa he was the cricket coach and took charge of athletics organizing the annual sports meet regularly. As the athletic coach he took a lot of interest in the latest developments and attended a professional training course in India at his own expense says Mr. Oliver de Soyza. 

Gurutalawa in the 50s had been famous for drama and Mr. Jayasinghe is noted to have taken a leading role in producing the Ralahamy series of plays. “A versatile actor, he was mainly responsible to produce two of J de Lanerolle’s plays, ‘Ralahamy Rides Again’ and ‘The Return of Ralahamy’. They were superbly produced and performed both in Colombo and Gurutalawa. He played the role of Ralahamy and if I recall correctly, ‘Haddjiar’ was played by another member of the staff, John Marasinghe. It was a combined cast comprising students and members of the Staff with J de S as usual, leading from the front,” says Harish Nilaweera (1958) appreciating J de S.

When I joined Gurutalawa in 1967 Dr. Hayman had left and Fr Foster was no more, but the school was still run to its glorious standards by Mr. Chapman and J de S, under the Headmaster Mr. Frank Jayasinghe. 

He was the Master in Charge of De Saram House and was always accessible to everyone, boys, staff, and others. Many were those who went to him for advice, and none was ever turned away. I recall meeting him to discuss the De Saram house swimming team for the Interhouse Swimming meets when I was leading the house team after Alan Goodchild.

Book cupboard corner - now bare

J de S was always a teacher to the Upper Forms teaching Biology, General Science and Buddhism to the GCE Ordinary Level Classes. However, he did interact with all the students in the issuing of exercise books and school stationery to all classes from his large book cupboard located in the passageway to the dining hall from the Junior dormitories. 

Though he interacted with the senior boys his living quarters were in the junior dormitory block adjoining the Garnier Junior dormitory. Its main door opened to the beautifully laid Swimming Pool Garden while the rear door accessed the Garnier Junior dorm. Though he was the house master of De Saram it was mostly the Garnier junior boys who got punished by him for mischief-making and misbehaving, disturbing him in his quarters. 

He was a person who took extra time with his toiletry and dressed immaculately in white or beige, wearing crease ironed trousers and long-sleeved shirts, and always left a trail of ‘Old Spice’ fragrance where ever he went. 

His living quarters

I studied in the mathematics stream and therefore missed him in the classroom but was in his Buddhism class in the GCE Ordinary levels, and remember an incident where we had to sit a withdrawal examination before the OLs then. The Buddhism paper then had a standard format with six questions where one had to answer five questions and the last question on the ‘Dhammapada’ was mandatory. His advice to all was to byheart the twenty verses in the textbook and you were sure of a simple pass. There was this most disruptive element in the class who had passed the withdrawal paper and J de S was suspicious that he had copied and was about to interrogate the fellow when he burst out loudly narrating the twenty verses to everybody’s amusement. I do remember him organising a Sil Programme on a Esala Poya day in a temple close by and I’m sure that this was the first time many of us observed Sil in our life. 

An ardent supporter of the United National Party he loved the Senanayake. This was very well depicted by the only picture that hung in his living quarters that of Hon Dudley Senanayake in the college swimming pool when he visited the college during a campaign tour. 

Born in 1924 and joining STCG at the age of 25 in 1949 he devoted his life and time to teaching at Gurutalawa and never went Southbound until he retired in May 1989 at age 65. Though a product of Mahinda College he lived a Thomian to the highest traditions. He passed away in 1991 barely a year after his retirement, still a bachelor. Both Mahinda College and St Thomas’ Gurutalawa can be proud of this humble man. 

How did he become “Uncle J” to everyone? 

Ahangama was quite famous in Gurutalawa owing to two families: the Gunawardanes' (Boothayas) of Piyadigama  and the Gamamampilas' of Dikkumbura. 

When I hung my boots from an active engineering carrier and came back to my home in Galle during the Covid in 2020, my classmate Anil Gammampila, now domiciled in Australia inquired if I could assist him with the development work on his ancestral property in Dickumbura. 

During a visit to his home, I found this ancient wedding photograph of his parents which was still of remarkable quality and noticed a familiar figure standing alongside the couple as the best man. On close examination, I noticed it was none other than Mr. J de S Jayasinghe in his early 20 s. 

Anil's parents wedding photograph...J de S in dark suit on the right

Anil was here recently and he confirmed to me that it was J de S who was his father’s best friend at Mahinda College and had selected him as his best man for the wedding. 

Anil was yet to be born but his paternal uncle “Lokuthaththa” was already raising a family and the cousins Lionel, Nanada, Walter and later Sarath of our age group who were schooling at Richmond College Galle did affectionately call him ‘Uncle J’ the lovable family friend. 

Anil’s father had business interests in the hill-country and he happened to know of the school coming up under Dr. Hayman and Cannon Foster and suggests J de S join Gurutalawa under Dr. Hayman. Dr Hayman reading young J de S with his outstanding sporting achievements at Mahinda picks him as a prospective teacher that did go a long way as envisioned in their first meeting. 

J de S fell in love with the setting at Gurutalawa and suggests Anil’s uncle or ‘Lokuthaththa’ in enrolling the children at Gurutalawa; they were day scholars at Richmond College. This being accepted the two elder boys Lionel and Nanda Gammampila (S.C) entered Gurutalawa in the year 1954. When Lionel left in 1958 his younger brother Walter entered Gurutalawa. Finally, Sarath and Anil also entered Gurutalawa in 1966 leaving their friends at Mahinda College. 

Thus, it is these Gammampila siblings who did continue to call their father’s special friend, who was now their teacher at Gurutalawa “Uncle J” keeping to family habits. This humble human being Mr. J. de. S. Jayasinghe did not oppose the siblings continuing to call him Uncle J in school and so did the whole school. And it did continue so until his retirement. This was very unique at Gurutalawa and I’m sure there was no other teacher who carried such a lovable nickname throughout his time at Gurutalawa. 

A true gentleman with an exemplary existence of Buddhistic values who rendered his life and time to Gurutalawa never expecting anything in return.

A Trophy in Memorial to Mr. A C M Laffir.....?

Dulip & Rajpal de Silva brothers... both belong to the Post Hayman Era at Gurutalawa.... they have been very generous to host an annual fellowship for the collogues during their time in Gurutalawa....

This year the fellowship was held at Panadura their hometown and the night was dedicated to felicitate Mr. A C M Laffir the games Prefect in Gurutalawa.

The below speech was delivered by Bandula Vithanage reminiscing the boarding life and of Mr. Laffir ....the event was a success and attended by many ...

Ladies & Gentlemen

Guru days

We have gathered here today at the invitation of Dulip and Rajpal brothers… their second fellowship to a group of Gurutalawa Thomians…. who share the same interests in being students of the immediate post-Hayman Era.  Dr Hayman left Gurutalawa in 1963 all of us here today belong to the 1964 -1974 era. The school continued to run on the guidelines and traditions laid down by its founders Dr Hayman and Fr Foster during this period.

Gurutalawa was a special school being the first-ever outbound school in the country. We were all in this school when there was ample time for activities that worked like clockwork, unlike today’s child who is fighting for time to get himself organized for a day’s work.

There was time to roam about the countryside on weekends…. Go hiking to Horton Plains, climb Thotupola Kanda and Kirigal Poththa. Go camping to Yala and Lahugala during the Holidays. We were a set of students that grew up with nature. We saw how the trees in the orchard blossomed with the seasonal fruits. We knew of the months the mandarins in the orchard could be raided. We knew almost all the migrant birds that came into the orchard during a particular period.

There was time for mischief-making and there was even time for punishment when caught …. We had time to write 100/ 200 lines for the prefects. There was time set aside for detention at 11:00 in the classrooms on Sunday when even the duty master was also punished indirectly having to supervise our punishment.

It was a time when we only had to act to the timetable laid down from the time, we woke up to Bell Simons wake up bell until lights out when we retired for the night again when Bell Simon would lock us up in the dormitories.

Our soiled linen was taken care of by the school, Timely haircuts were organized by the school, Mending our footwear was also the responsibility of the school while filling our ever-hungry tummies was the primary task of Mrs. Jayawickrama.   

The school took a complete change by 1977 when it had to introduce a primary section when the Post Hayman Era to which we belonged came to an end. Therefore, we happen to be the last generation brought up in the traditions of the Hayman Era.

Gurutalawa in the Post Hayman Era continued with its unique traditions thanks to a dedicated staff who also resided with the students being boarders in the same school partaking of the same meals enjoying the same limited resources and going through the hardships during the cold monsoon rains when we all got ducked coming to the dining hall from nightly prep in the classrooms. But then it was all fun and that was the way in this outbound boarding school in the Uva hills.

Dedication to Mr. Laffir

The school had a committed set of old boys who took to teaching as a profession and as administrators in running the school. Among them, Mr. A K Chapman was an authority in the English medium section while he was also the caretaker Headmaster. Mr. O. E. J. de Soyza also a pioneer student taught English. Mr. Benjamin Fernando and Mr. John Marasinghe took up the administrative duties of the school being the Bursar and the Headmaster’s Secretary. Mr. A C M Laffir a distinguished old boy was the Games Prefect. Mr. Kadurugamuwa too later joined the Sinhala medium teachers.

Further to these old boys who continued from the Hayman Era. There were Mr. J. de S. Jayasinghe, Mr. Chinnaiah, Mr. Kularatne, and Mr. Amarasinghe, who were not-old boys but dedicated their whole life to the school continuing their service from the Hayman Era.

There were other noteworthy staff who joined the school during the post-Hayman Era who did devote their life and time to Gurutalawa. We cannot forget Mr. S.K. Gananamuththu, Mr. Lekamge, Mr. Pathiratne, Mr. Nirodhiwardane, Mr. Cyril Perera, Mr. Bandusena, Mr. Chanmugam, Mr. Dhanaraj, Mr. Fassy, Mr. Geethal Mendis, Mr. Jayaraj, Mr. O N Peris, Mr. Gray, Mr. Sunil Premathilake, Mr. Hubert, Mr. Tulin Ratnam, Mr. Dharmasiri, Mr. Punchi Banda, Mr. David, Mr. S. P. Dharmawardane, Mr. S. S. Selvendran, Mr. Thayagaraja and Mr. Ratnasingham are fondly remembered. The only lady teacher then was Mrs. Loreta Jayasinghe. Headmaster Mr. Frank Jayasinghe’s wife who substituted to Mr. O E J de Soyza who left college.

However tonight we are here to commemorate the services of one staff member who was absent in the classroom but was most actively present on the playing field. He is non-other than the only Games Perfect the school has ever produced... Mr. A C M Laffir.

A. C. M. Laffir was born on the 28th of October 1932 in Nawalapitiya. He had his primary and middle school education in Jaffna and later joined S Thomas’ Gurutalawa in the year 1945.

While at school he was an average student in academia but an exceptional one on the playing field. A star-class football player; an "Ambipedal", one who could use both his legs equally good in kicking and passing. Hockey was his other favourite game and he played in a leading position in both these field games and obtained College Colours. His other favoured games were Squash and Badminton.

Mr. Laffir too fancied for a carrier in planting just as most Gurutalawa boys did after their S.S.C Examination. But fate acted differently for him. His coach and mentor Rev. Father Canon A J Foster requested him to join the school and take charge of the sports at Gurutalawa. It was difficult for him to turn down Father Foster’s request and he had to take the hard decision to take charge of sport at Gurutalawa.

This short-statured gentleman in an open collar sport shirt with a whistle cord round his neck would herd everyone to the playing field after tea. Those preferring the racket games took up position at the respective courts while the rest ended up on the grounds and took part in Hockey practices and football practices until it was time to get back for a wash and evening prep.

Rainy days when no field games were possible… it was cross-country running…  barefooted drenched in rain and mud splashed from the dirt roads.

Mr. Laffir had the vision to produce the best hockey team in the Uva Province. The initial preparation of his ambition with Sarth Serasinghe leading the team had to be delayed for Sarath joined Ananada College and later captained Sri Lanka. However, he did achieve his ambition by producing that super undebatable team in the Uva Province in 1972.

Mr. Laffir continued to serve the school even after many of his contemporaries had left the institution by 1989. However, he too could not continue long, when he had to make allowances for his failing health. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had to call an end to all his commitments at Gurutalawa and come back home to Nawalapitiya. He passed away peacefully and was laid to rest on the 26th of October 1994 in Nawalapitiya with a solemn Janasa attended by the close family.

It was an early call, and he was only 62 years of age.

Today as a mark of respect and gratitude to this humble gentleman who always sported a genuine smile and was loved by all…. Dulip and Rajpal de Silva brothers would dedicate a trophy in memorial to be presented to the Best Hockey Player of the year at the Annual Prize Giving.

(Call upon Dulip & Rajpal to hand over the trophy)

Esto Perpetua 

The Habit of Saying Grace...?

Having been a boarding scholar all my childhood in an Anglican environment... we were introduced to certain sacred habits practiced with a Christian upbringing.

Grace saying before a meal was one such practice. A form of offering thanksgiving to remember that it was God, that provided our meal. We as kids rushed to the dining hall at the meal bell hungry as ever and stood still at the table until grace was recited by a master or the chaplain who also had the same meal. Then followed the clatter of cutlery against crockery... we were still novices with the fork and spoon.

My vivid memory goes to S Thomas’ College Gurutalawa then in the 1960s where meal settings were different to those at STPS Bandarawela where grace saying was first experienced. At Gurutalawa the breakfast was always laid at the table while dinner and lunch were of a semi-buffet style where we queued up with our plate and cutlery at the pantry to be served our portion.

So unlike at breakfast where we all sat for the meal at the same time and grace was recited before the meal, lunch and dinner had a practical issue with the grace? Everyone could not wait until the last boy was served to commence the meal. So, this issue was addressed by saying grace after the meal, still giving time for the last boy to have his meal.

My memory runs back to Suresh Markandan  who would ring the small dinner gong requesting silence before breakfast for grace recital; “For the food we are about to have may the Lord’s name be praised”; and the issue with lunch and dinner was adjusted linguistically by saying “For the food we've already had may the Lord’s name be praised”. 

We then as children did not see any amusement in these different formats of grace saying. However today as adults we appreciate the good practices introduced to us Christians or non-Christians to have gratitude and respect to those who toil to provide our food to the table.

Most faiths have adopted good practices that had prevailed even before their leaders came on the earth. The five precepts in Buddhism and thanksgiving for food has been practiced even before Christ and Gautama.

The word “thanks” in modern English has a rich history, while the word “grace” is most often tied to divine assistance given to humans and it is historically connected to “giving thanks” to God before or after a meal. In a certain sense, this is not surprising as the food we eat is often given to us through no effort of our own but of many others who toil on our behalf. Therefore, food is a great gift that sustains us keeps us alive and is biblically linked to God who created the earth on which it is grown.

However, I wonder if these habits of saying grace before meals are still performed in these institutions today? Most habits and traditions that we continued with are less in use or done away with completely.

ADVENTURES OF ANTHONY CARL FERNANDO…?

Carl Fernando was known to me ever since we joined the FIELD ORNITHOLOGY GROUP OF SRI LANKA [Fogsl] in 1996. An outdoor man, a bachelor who enjoyed the company of like-minded friends. And a gentleman motivated for the noble cause of giving.

He is today recovering from a Cerebrovascular Accident [CVA] and very much confined to indoors with his grandnieces and nephews in Dehiwala. However, we still are in contact over the phone and share our past rendezvous in the wilds. Carl with his blinking memory had been narrating his childhood pranks and adventures continuously to me and what follows are some of the stories that I noted down with difficulty for his speech is now of a low throaty tone.

(Written as narrated by Carl)

Lost in The Madhu Jungles & the first-ever shooting experience

This happened around 1957 when he was about 17 years when the family went to the Madhu church and they camped out as was the tradition on these Madhu pilgrimages then, says Carl. Hunting was a regular sport in such outings then and they carried their firearms also in these trips. Having finished putting up camp, the elders with the children went out in the two cars and the motorcycle of uncle Alloy to the Sinnavillu tank in leisure. While the elders were seated at the tank bund those in the cars went about site seeing. Uncle Alloy with Carl who was yet to use a shotgun went along the road looking for a suitable target when they see a jeep approaching in the distance. Fearing of the jeep to be wildlife rangers on patrol they all creep into the jungle to avoid possible questioning for an underaged to handle a gun.

Taking advantage of the situation they now venture deeper into the forest but being new in the jungles they did not know the basics of marking trees and establishing other landmarks to find their way back if they were to stray off in the forest. To their amusement, a Gray Langur appears on the canopy and Carl bags his first-ever game shot in the wild. Not knowing whether to take it with them they decide to leave the monkey there and wonder about and come back to the monkey. After about half an hour in the forest, they could not come back to the monkey carcass and decides that they are lost for sure. Darkness falling, they look to the setting sun to get directions but a clouded sky did not provide for directions. By then uncle Alloy finds a track and decided to follow it. Which by the way was a creek that was dry without water; which during the rainy season took the rainwater runoff to the Sinnavillu tank. The creek took a winding snaky route and just before darkness fell, exhausted and drenched in sweat they see the silvery waterline of the Sinnavillu Tank. There was nobody to be seen and the cars had gone. Another shot fired in the air Carl’s parents come to open and they join with them and gets back to the camp.

His second shooting experience was at Kuttukatchchi tank. This time it was his father uncle and cousin Ivan. At Kuttukatchchci his father shoots a waterfowl in the water and asks Carl to swim across and fetch the bird. Carl seeing a baby crock in the water and refuses to swim fearing for a crocodile attack. However later with Ivan aiya shoots a sea eagle in the water but this time as it was his shot he swam to get the eagle but seeing it still alive kills it after hitting it with many sticks that would break off. Ultimately swims back with the eagle.

Swimming Across the Bentota River dead in the night.

This was a time when the Bentota area was not very popular with tourists but the sand bar between the sea and the river had many holiday homes and government circuit bungalows. It was quite common for families from Colombo to book these lodges for weekend outings. Once they planned for an outing and were discussing the trip the night before when they hear a dog bawling and it was considered an omen in hearing of a death. Terrified the discussion is ended and they retired for the night. The following day they land at the river ferry late in the night after 10:00 p.m. as one guy in the group did not oblige to skip his rugger practices. No boat or boatman around and seeing the lights of holiday home across the river Carl decides to swim across expecting the boatman and boat to be on the other bank. While Call was in mid-stream they hear a dog bawling just as the previous night and everyone are terrified and many were in prayers for Carl. The urge to get to the other bank and looking for direction from lights across Carl did not hear a bawling dog but the splashing water from his long arm strokes in the water. He gets to the other bank and reached the bungalow and gatecrashes to a session in high spirits. They were the famous undertakers in town, the Raymond brothers.

On inquires as to how Carl came across without the boat, he said “I swam across” …. To which the brothers said “you are a mad bugger”, Carl replied I’m a good swimmer… “still a mad bugger” was their reply.

However, he did manage to get the boat and go over to bring the others. Only to find many were still on their knees praying for Carl’s safe return.

Sailing in the Nikaweratiya Tank

Eight friends plan a camping trip in the catchment of the Nikaweratiya tank as planned in the premises of the Irrigation Engineer Nikaweratiya. However, they frim that a catamaran boat sailing event had also been scheduled at the same time in the tank. None of them had had the experience of manoeuvring sails to traverse a boat and accepts the offer to take part. It was fun alright but someone got the bright idea to sail to the campsite on the far side of the tank where the water was shallow and got stuck in the mud and was unable to get off the boat until rescue came in with even the many rescuers also getting bogged down in shallow water.

Sea Anglers in Trincomalee.

The sea anglers club was one of the oldest recreational establishments in the country with its mail head location being the Marble beach in Trincomalee. The club catered to the panting expatriates then and later to the Colombo’s Mercantile Sector. Their land in Trincomalee was on a lease and once the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCAF) was established in the late 1950s, the land surrounding the China Bay airfield was taken over by the RCAF. This was known to the membership only when the Air Force noticed the club that they were squatters on Air force property. Unable to lay their long lease as the Kacheri in Trinco was set ablaze in the 1983 riots the Anglers club is now taken over by the RAF and now the owners of Clappenberg Bay, Trincomalee.

This story is about when the camping companions also members of the Sea Anglers Club went fishing in the sea. Carl's bosom pal Nihal de Silva was an enthusiastic angler and had a piece of well-stocked angling equipment with rubber baits of flies and others. This particular day they went into the sea from the Anglers club and that day Nihal used a rubber squid as the bait and the boat trolled the squid and line behind the boat. A White-bellied Sea Eagle scanning the sea from above spots the squid dangling in the water and swoops down to snatch it with its beak rather than to carry it away. Doing so it gets hooked to the line and is dragged along with the rubber quid. Finally, the bird was dragged into the boat and with assistance from an expatriate member in the boat, the eagle was dehooked and released.

Professor Carl, in India

Carl goes to India on a birdwatching trip to Slim Ali Bird Park with Lester Perera and Uditha Hettige. At the park office, they had an excessively long waiting until they were registered for their stay.

Lester knowing that the Indians like the association of scholars he approaches an officer and apprises that they are from Sri Lanka and the elderly gentleman Carl is a university professor. This prompts the officer to inquire from Carl of his scholarly discipline two which Carl prompted Applied Mathematics. The office says he is a graduate in Biology and the registration did quicken.

They are booked into a lodge in the park with two guides. With the enthusiasm to get to the park and make the best use of the stay, they venture into the park for birdwatching. The climate was similar to Nuwara Eliya they risked the walk without any warm clothing and as evening fell it became colder. At one stage the other two decided to proceed further on a downhill track where Carl being much elder than them decides to go back. One guide stays behind with Carl and the other proceeded downhill. The climate turned chillier and Carl finds it difficult to stay but the guide insists that he needs to stay till the other come. Carl now decides to do the return on his own and reaches the lodge without any mishap drenched in sweat in the high humid forest. However, he finds that he is locked out as the key to the lodge was with Lester.

Unable to do a change and shower he asks to borrow a lungie and a towel from the caretaker and freshen up himself. Instead, he gets two verties. (large lite cloth worn as a sarong) He has a bath and wore one verty and covered himself with the other until the return of the team.

Deep-sea fishing in a trawler.

This was while at Ceylon Seafood Industries when they hired an Indian trawler to fish in the deep seas Carl was interested to go out to sea and experience the fishing staying for days on a trawler. His requests were turned down many times by the trawler master until one day he opted to accommodate Carl on a trip. They set out from the harbour and the first two days it was without any significant catch. But he enjoyed the experience more than the sea voyage but the expending the utilities all equally. The water is rationed by the mug to all the sleeping times while some were on lookout duty and of course the loo habits. Sleeting was in the holds either in the lowermost or mid-way. The lower section was colder being deep in the water while the mid area was heated during the day and was of a higher temperature. Carl preferred the r deeper sleeping. These trawlers then had no loo houses. This was performed at the stern side and one at a time discharging directly into the Indian Ocean and ablution water was also from the sea.

On the third day, they ventured into the bay of Mannar and laid nets along a two-mile stretch and the long wait before the collection of the net. Night fell and Carl retires for his nap when he has woken to a commotion onboard above. Their net is entangled with Indian fishing boats that come into our waters in the night to bottom trawl; an illegal way of fishing. The choicest filth in its plainest way was exchanged by both parties in their native tongues. Their lower garment was raised to express animosity and finally, the long net was cut open in a section for the illegal boats to pass. With no success on the third day as well, they return to port. However, on the way, a huge Marling is caught and the fish being too large for the hold it’s lashed to the side of the boat as in Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man & the Sea”.

Snowing in the Grand Canyon.

Carl on his visit to The United States way back on a September in the fall had a rare experience to find it snowing the day he visited. It's generally too early for a Grand Canyon winter.

Elephant Blocking the Way.

The day was when the opening of the Gonawiddagala Bungalow in the Udawalawe National Park. Carl with his friends happened to be in the park that day not knowing of the event on the official opening of the bungalow. It was Col. Anuruddha Ratwatte the State Minister of Defense; the dignitary at the occasion. It was a waring time in the country and a helicopter was used for surveillance for the minister on the way to Gonawiddagala and back. In the midst, the elephants in the park were disturbed with a low flying chopper and the pachyderms came onto the road and blocked the way for traffic that morning. The jeep that held Carl and friends were blocked by a huge bull elephant that would not move at all. The tracker tried all his tricks up his sleeves to avail. The entourage carrying the minister nears the blockade and just as any politician’s security goons would say they commanded the jeep to proceed.

With the bull elephant still blocking the road the jeep backed up off the road for the minister to pass. What a shame for the goons none did budge forward until the elephant felt enough and moved ahead and crossed into the thicket.

Reliable Rally, Lotus Rally & Economic Rally.

Motor rallies in the 60 was a thrilling adventurous event that had on an annual calendar then. Carl's friend had a vintage Motor Cruiser bike of 135 CC series and the couple decided to enrol for the first-ever Reliable Rally way back in the 1960s. The rider was the friend while Carl was the navigator.

The rallies were different for races as one had to drive between set checkpoints to a predetermined speed on a fixed time chart that was given to the participant. The chart is entered and authenticated at one checkpoint and is carried to the other point by the participant itself. The route is also determined and issued to the rider/driver at the start of the rally.

The event commences with the participants flagged off at 2-minute intervals. The Motorcycle that Carl was navigating had a speedometer that read Kilometers and they had to modify it by attaching a Milometer as the rally was conducted on a mileage distance. This was no easy task as they had to match the wheel circumference to relate to the milometer. They start in a Northerly direction from the old parliament premises in Galle Face and even before they reached Ja-Ela the modified milometer packed up and they were in two minds whether to give up the rally as they could not monitor the speed at which they had to ride. Carl as the navigator decided to continue with the wristlet and the mileage markings on the culverts and bridges doing the calculations by memory. They were slow alright and a host of other riders and drivers overtook them and probably were the last to continue. By evening they were into the mid-country and at sundown in the tea plantations and there were no signages on culverts and the timing went haywire. Being late they did not favour stopovers and refreshments. Carl had planned the trip with his garments to have ample pockets and sling bags to hold emergency repair tools and first aid kits. A generous portion of sandwiches was in a cloth sling and eating was in the ride. As night fell there were rains in the estates and the sandwiches became soggy and were thrown away.

The faint light on the motorbike was not sufficient to find the road and many a time they ended at closed barriers leading to planter’s bungalows. Finally, they started following the tire marks of other vehicles and soon it was dawn. Still, on an estate road around Pundalu Oya, they encounter goats on the road, that were startled and crash into them. All three including the motorbike sustain injuries. They pick themselves up and continue feeling that they seem to be sitting on nothing. Their buttocks went numb after sitting for over 12 hours. Finally, they arrive at the Galle Face after 5:00 p.m. the following day. Handing over their rally card and log notes to the organisers and go home to sleep a full day after a refreshing bath. A week after the results of the rally are announced and the two were present to see the outcome. Hurrah they turned out first in that bike capacity below 175CC as none of the others had completed the rally.

The euphoria continued and it was followed with the Lotus Rally .. where Carl was in a car as the deputy navigator. This time they finished the rally in style but for a position in the outcome.

Uditha Wijesena

udithawijesena@gmail.com

Fly High, Uncle Gomez

Uncle Gomez is no more? The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) lost its most senior member C R I Gomez at the ripe old age of 91 years on Wednesday 30th June 2021. Ignatius (Gerry) Gomez was born in 1930 in a Christian family and attended St Peter’s College Colombo 04.  He was a chorister at school and his love for singing proceeded into the church choir. His interest in Cricket at school continued when he sought employment as well, first at Caltex, later at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation with the nationalization of petroleum industries. While at Caltex he played cricket at the Mercantile Cricket Association tournaments representing Caltex. After he left CPC, he joined Maurice Roche and Co. Ltd. as Factory Manager, at their Lighting Factory until his retirement.

We at FOGSL got to know Uncle Gomez in the early 1990s just after his retirement when he showed interest in connecting with nature, something he had missed in his younger days, confined to the City as he was for most of his life. He was the most regular participant at the FOGSL monthly meetings showing his enthusiasm to learn about the wonders of nature and animal behaviour. This interest extended to the field trips to popular birding locations in the interior of the country where he greatly enjoyed getting to know bird behaviour and identifying them in the field. Age was no barrier for him on these outings as he mingled with the young and revealed he could be more mischievous than the young, at times. His love for FOGSL made him more active with the administration of the group. As he lived in Colombo, he was always available when needed. He was a member of the Committee many a year and was always the Interim President by tradition at every AGM before the new committee was appointed.

He was a remarkable person, given to celebrate the spirits of the Christmas season. Every Christmas saw the FOGSL family gathered at his residence for song and wine. His contribution to amusement during leisure while on field trips and at his residence reflected his love and affection to the cause of FOGSL. I personally recollect his involvement when he assisted me to organize the farewell for Mrs. Tara Gandhi wife of the then Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka (2000-2002); she assisted FOGSL in many ways, especially when hosting the second Pan Asian Ornithological Congress (PASOC-2000)  in Kandy Sri Lanka.

Uncle Gomez was active until the last stages of his life and many of us communicated with him even during the lockdown when it was not possible to conduct the monthly meetings, physically. It was unfortunate that he passed away when travelling is restricted in the country due to the current pandemic situation. Nevertheless, FOGSL wishes to show our humble respect towards his generosity and commitment to the activities of the Group. The membership has lost its most senior member and a very dear friend and a gentleman.

He leaves behind, his beloved wife Doreen, sons’ Kevin, Hiran and Dillon the three daughters in law, and six grandchildren and a host of friends.

 

“May the earth rest lightly on you” Uncle Gomez…

 

Uditha Wijesena.

FOGSL

A video based on his involvement with FOGSL was presented at the monthly meeting that followed his demise. 

https://youtu.be/k1HoCYzBcW8

Appreciation

 

ATHULA SENARATNE

(1964-2021)

(1977-1984)
STCG

It was in 2014 that I get to know Athula Senaratne personally. That too thanks to Dr Keerthi Mohotti – Director TRI, also an old boy of STCG who passed me the contact of Athula.  A few of us Old Boys of the 66-72 era wanted to support Fr Goodchild and  Athula who by then was looking into the wellbeing of  Fr. Goodchild on his own. Father remained a celibate all his life and did not consent to retirement homes. That year (2014) a few of us went up to Kundasale PHDT Regional Office where Athula and Father were stationed to celebrate Fr. Goodchild's 91st birthday. Ever since then I was a frequent visitor to them at PHDT offices at Kundasale and Hatton. When Athula got transferred to Badulla; Father went down to Piliyandala as the cold wet climate in the hills was too harsh for him now.

Athula joins Gurutalawa in the year 1976 and leaves in 1984 to take up a career in planting. He has had an illustrious school career being the Head Prefect in the years 1981 and 1982. He started his career in planting, a creeper at Divithura Estate under Elpitiya Plantations to end up a Manager at Malwatte Valley Plantations, after which he takes up the post of Regional Director at the PHDT; a Trust formed to uplift the living condition of the estate labour. 

It was through curiosity that I ask Athula while in Hatton the reason for such a close and cordial bond developed between Athula and Fr Goodchild. He had been waiting until I asked this from him and related this touching story that I had not divulged to anybody until now. But I'm sure there may be others close to him who were aware of his entry to STCG. 

Athula is from Rambukkana in the Kurunegala District born in a Christian family. Athula as a kid was therefore selected to Grade 1 at Carey College, Colombo 8 and was a boarder in the school. It was only once he went to Grade 2 that trouble started he says. He became a stubborn child and getting punished was a regular event in school. One day he with another boy was punished for a misdoing and they planned to take revenge through a sinister retaliation. Two of them set fire to the class furniture after school. This followed with both boys barely 8 years of age expelled from school. A furious father would not look in the eye of the kid, leave alone looking for a new school.  The mother, on the other hand, went about everywhere looking for a school that would pardon the kid but to no avail, she approaches Bishop Lakshman Wickremasinghe in Kurunegala who gives a kind hearing and assures the lady some form of redress.   

Bishop Wickremasinghe then contacts Fr. Goodchild in Gurutalawa and seeks his favour in getting the child into Gurutalawa. It was not an easy undertaking with his past school record but does discuss matters with Mr J.W. Marasinghe the Headmaster's secretary and they both approach the Headmaster Mr M. L. C. Ilangakoon to discuss the request of the Bishop of Kurunegala. Mr Ilangakoon was ready to take the child into the school on the condition that he must sit for an entrance exam just as any other student and if he succeeds in the entrance exam he should be under the continuous surveillance of Fr. Goodchild.  The conditions agreed the mother brings in Athula to sit the entrance exam and alas he turns out miserable in all the three papers, Arithmetic, Sinhala and English. Knowing the conditions both Fr. Goodchild and Mr Marasinghe try their best to get the minimum requirement for a Grade 2 pass and with much persuasion and undertaking they manage to convince Mr Ilangakoon to admit the child to College. From then on Athula came under the wing of Fr. Goodchild and obviously, he ended up being an allrounder and head prefect in school. The bonding that developed as a  Teacher/Pastor - Student continued all along until Fr. Goodchild was adopted as Papa in the family. And Fr. Goodchild was cared for with love and affection by Athula and Shamalie till he passed away peacefully on January 6th 2019 at 96. Fr. Goodchild despite the numerous requests from his family and relatives to migrate to Australia or the US preferred to stay in Sri Lanka with Athula and Shamalie and their two kids Dilshan and Hashan.

Author with Athula & Father in Hatton

Gurutalawa had tamed many such difficult characters in homes. Reading this, many of you might also feel how you did change being in a boarding school that had a set of rulings that worked like clockwork. Many ended being perfects and games captains. Gurutalawa did mould us all into a sizing which was one size that fitted all situations and conditions.

It was unfortunate for Athula to end life at an early age of  57 years. But in this short span, he amassed a great deal of merit through compassion and empathy shown towards the wellbeing of the underprivileged estate folk in providing suitable shelter for them. He had an extra-large heart that did bleed for others but did have to end his life in the most tragic way showing how unpredictable and fragile this form of life is. 

May His Soul Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory...

Uditha Wijesena

udithawijesena@gmail.com

Uncle Carl, The Bushman and Backwoodsman...

This picture of Carl Fernando was posted by Rex de Silva in his “SEABIRD WATCH (Sri Lanka)” Group and there was definitely a reason for posting it.

Uncle Carl, Uncle Gomez, and Uncle Wilson are the senior-most citizens in the Field Ornithology Group Sri Lanka [FOGSL] and they are all octogenarians today. They were regular and active members on field trips then and being of an earlier generation they had many an experience of their childhood pranks and camping experiences to share with us during these trips. Today they are confined to their homes but Uncle Gomez still ambles in for the FOGSL-AGM in March every year to act as the Interim President until the new office bearers are appointed. However, we have not seen much of Uncle Carl for quite some time now. Wilson also in Galle is but very active with his birding through social media 

Anthony Carl Fernando was born in 1940 in Chilaw. His childhood was spent in Chilaw but the family had to move to Puttalam when he began schooling; his father in the Local Government Service had to shift locations once every three years.  It was due to this changing of schools that his father preferred to get young Carl the best Jesuit education as a boarder at St Aloysius College in Galle [SACG], says Carl. However, there were other reasons that prevented him from joining St Aloysius College initially. His mother was not happy to send the boy away to Galle and the parents thought that the boy would be a victim of favoritism; for his mother’s uncle was in the college staff at that time. It was only after the demise of the Fr. S. G. Perera  that Carl was introduced to the Rector by the Bishop of Chillaw and was enrolled in SACG in 1952.

He recalls this mother’s anxiety to leave the child in the boarding school when she did tell the Rector not to let him out for sea bathing. SACG had no swimming pool then and did conduct swimming lessons to boys in the old jetty alongside the Dutch Fort until recently. It was then that the Rector narrated this story to the parents says Carl, “it was a conversation between a fisherman and a Judge when they met on the beach, the Judge asks about the fisherman’s grandfather, to which he says ... he died at sea, and about the fisherman’s father… again he says he died at sea. Then the Judge asked the fisherman if he was not afraid of the sea?… then the fisherman inquired the judge about his grandfather… the judge said he died in bed and the father? … he too died in the bed. Now the fisherman asks the judge so are you not afraid to go to bed? … Carl remembers a blushing mother at the end of the story. However, Carl did end up an expert swimmer and did enroll in the Life Saving Club where he earned many an award and did give him an extra day of swimming for the week.

He did finish off a bright student at SACG passing his university entrance exams to enter the University of Ceylon in Colombo to study Engineering where he opted to a carrier in Refrigeration Engineering and served at S.V Industries, Ceylon Seafoods, and at Environmental Laboratories turning out water treatment plants etc. It was during this time that he spent his leisure with imminent outdoor men like Architect Lala Adithiya who had a Land Rover improvised to hold water and other camping gear, hunting expeditions with popular huntsmen who used firearms under game license. The experience he gained in these expeditions was immense and he was only happy to narrate these stories to us during the FOGSL field trips later.

We at FOGSL first met Carl on the first Field Trip to Sinharaja. From then on Carl was a regular… and when we had to camp in tents he would come with his own personal tent and other paraphernalia. It was a time when Fog Kids were also attending the trips together and it was Uncle Carl who kept them kids amused with his unbelievable stories when narrated to the elders would miss the catchy point. His famous story about the two human skulls on his table at home. When people ask him about them he would say the larger one is his grandfather’s and the smaller one was when the grandpa was a kid… the unsuspecting adult would then say… Ahhh, “Ok, I see". But when narrated to the kids they would howl back pulling at him … how can that be uncle?

He had a whole series of other silly stories for the kids… how to catch three elephants at one time with only a rope, a jar of Woodapple Jam, and an extra-large dose of laxative. The art of trapping a crocodile into an empty matchbox with only a rocking chair, a convex mirror, and a newspaper. Listening to him, others would also contribute with theirs. My friend Amudesh once came out with his; educating the school watcher of how the electricity flows in a wire and of voltage and current… relating to the water tank where the water is stored with the supply pipes as an example for the medium for the current to flow. The climax of the story being when one day the watcher hooked up a plug point in the guardhouse to listen to his radio when the lights went out … accepting to the fact in the example when the water is stopped at the tank the pipe running dry. He positioned a person at the street light to give a shout no sooner the light came on. The watcher was a lucky guy to have lived that day to narrate about his new plug point. Carl remembered Amudesh and his story when I spoke to him about his wellbeing recently.

Just as many of us do, Carl too liked the locality and the birding at Bundala. This photograph of him is also from Bundala. It was he who introduced us to the sweet ripe fruit of the invasive cactus plant that is plentiful in Bundala. The bulb that remains after the yellow flower wilts gets ripened with the seeds around a juicy red jelly within. The crown of the pod is slit across and a thorny star-shaped stone within should be removed with the point of the knife and then the seeds and the sweet jell are squeezed into the mouth that tastes “Necto”. Kids and Adults both did enjoy this new-found delicacy that day in Bundala. In the evening he would take us stalking into the stunted forest patches around the campsite along the elephant tracks where one could see the high branches with silt and mud where the giants had scratched their shoulders.

Nilgala too was another haunt where Carl braved the night in his single unit tent listing to the elephants feasting on ripened jack fruit a few yards away from his tent when we all vacated the tents and sort shelter in the verandah of the beat office. My son Naveen was baffled once when in Nilgala, Uncle Carl went down on his belly stretching out on the sandy banks of Gal-Oya to drink off the running river. And when asked why he did not cup his hands to drink from the river he said that the devil in the river will go mad when he sees a man making the whole river his cup to drink off. On the same trip in the evenings, many did not go to the Gal Oya for a bath but did the ablution at the well, fearing of elephants that also came to the river in the evenings to drink. The bathers at the river were low and Uncle Carl did enjoy a dip in a pensive mood. I found Carl amble off to the river for his bath, and asked him to slow down until I go fetch my bathing trunk and towel. Carl was in the river Oxford style with his wrinkled buttocks scanning the banks. I had the laugh of the day for I went to collect my bathing trunk in order to keep to the modesty of the old man but in the end, I too had to be fare by the old man in bathing to Oxford traditions. This amusement did continue when Upul Wicks also came over with a few others to bathe there that day.

It was through Carl that we all got to know the Late Nihal de Silva the famed author of “ROAD FROM ELEPHANT PASS”. His interest to study birds was fulfilled by Carl, introducing him to FOGSL. I remember Nihal a keen and enthusiastic birdwatcher inquiring of the finer details on identification during a trip to Sinharaja accompanied by Carl. This was far before he took to writing but he definitely did have a plan to write this book. In his book, he did acknowledge many of us by linking to the birds and the forest on the escape route of the duo through the Wilpattu National Park. But for Carl, he acknowledged him differently by writing his obituary; Carl succumbs to the injuries during an accident on a zebra crossing on the Galle Road in Dehiwala in his book. When I did call up Nihal to ask if it was proper to finish off a good friend like Carl on the Galle road, he said “that is the freedom that an author has even towards a good friend.” Yes, they were best of friends.              

It was so tragic for Nihal and his camping buddies to have been blown to smithereens on an LTTE land mine in his favorite habitat within Wilpattu.

Finally, I did ask Carl the Million Dollar Question a few days ago while collecting details for this writeup …. The reason for being so lonely all these years. And this is what he had to say.

Him being a bit of a perfectionist, did go looking for that “Ideal Girl” … and surprise… after all he did find the lady he was looking for……but alas she too was a perfectionist and was looking for her “Ideal Man” …. And Carl did not qualify as her Ideal Man. So, Carl ended being an eligible bachelor. He feels his never-ending love for the outdoors more than anything may have taken off a good share of points from the points table.

So, let me go back to Rex and his picture of Carl reminding us of this wonderful character full of humor love, and affection. Carl today is recovering from a stroke that he underwent three years ago and is attended to and taken care of by his nephew and the kids. He is still strong in his memory though quite slow in getting about with his four-prong walking aid. Has but given up the occasional shot of Brandy that he enjoyed while in the bush on medical advice. He is otherwise normal and loves to keep in touch with old friends reminiscing of the incidents in the wild with a very sharp memory for an 81-year old.

udithawijesena@gmail.com