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A
daughter's tribute: My father's life was his honour As the grandson
of Charles Henry de Soysa and the son of Sir Wilfred and Lady Evelyn
de Soysa, my father was born into wealth and fame. He was proud
of his family and its achievements but he never forgot the obligation
that comes with privilege - the obligation to improve the lives
of those less fortunate. Whether in business, his daily life, on
the sports field or in his social service activities, my father
sought to help others in whatever way he could. He treated
all people, from peons to prime ministers, with the dignity and
respect they deserved. He was always
grateful for the love and support of his parents and the values
of hard work, honesty and faith in God they passed on to him. He
was very proud of his eldest brother, Harold, the first Sri Lankan
Bishop of Colombo. To my father,
his integrity and reputation meant everything. As Shakespeare wrote:
"Mine honour is my life; both grow in one; Take honour from
me and my life is done." As morality and decency tumbled around
him, my father held fast to his principles and refused to yield
to the bribery and corruption so rampant in Sri Lankan business,
often incurring personal loss. If he sometimes
demanded too much of those around him and was hard on them, it was
because he gave nothing less of himself. He could be stubborn, impatient
and intolerant of laziness and inefficiency. A fine sportsman,
my father's behaviour on the cricket field, golf course and billiards
room reflected his character and values. I can do no better than
to quote from an article by Jessop in the Daily Mirror of November
6, 1965: "His stature
as a man and player at once commands respect. He drew deep from
the well of experience, and his natural cricketing brain, stimulated
by the challenge of extra authority and responsibility, instinctively
led him to do the right thing. "Ryle
was always a genial personality who was well liked by his colleagues.
As a skipper, he always won allegiance without ever becoming a dictator.
Honest to the core, and a complete realist, it can be claimed that
Ryle escaped the jealousies that are sometimes the unwelcome attendant
to fame because it gave him pleasure to help others without being
patronizing. For that reason, he was so popular yet he was one who
abhorred sham. "His conduct
on and off the field was always beyond reproach, and it can be said
with perfect honesty, that there has never been a single word of
criticism of him from an umpire or a player, his own or of the opposition." Unfortunately,
the last few years of my father's life, a time he should have spent
in peace and relaxation, were blighted by having to fight court
battles. He did this because he firmly believed in doing what was
right, and because he fought deceit and injustice wherever he found
it. Although legally
victorious, my father was deeply hurt that anyone could attempt
to bring the family name into disrepute. His last few
months were spent reading and watching television with his youngest
granddaughter. My father never fully recovered from a bad attack
of bronchitis and died one year ago on January 13, 2002. He was
84 years old. "He was
a man, take him for all in all, I shall not
look upon his like again." Shakespeare. We thank God
for giving you She lived a
fruitful life amidst trials and tribulations. Her steadfast
faith in God helped her to fulfil her mission. She finally bid farewell
to her family and friends on December 23, 1994, the same year she
celebrated her 80th birthday. She now rests
beyond life's gateway. "There is an open gate at the end of
the road, through which each one of us must go alone. And there
beyond that gateway is a light we cannot see. This place our Father
in heaven calls His own. Beyond this gateway our loved ones find
happiness and rest. We have comfort in the thought that a loving
God knows best." She was a friend
not only to her children and their families but also to anyone who
came in contact with her. She was "Mummy" to many. We remember
her loving kindness and the peace she promoted and shared with us
all. She always turned away from conflict, anger, hatred, malice
and revenge and taught us how to shun them too. Love is a mother's
catalyst and she freely gave of it. She was like a candle burning
in the winds and storms, useful in her own way in church circles,
family and society. She was gentle, tender and was always with a
smile, spreading sunshine wherever she went. It is upto
us who knew her closely, while giving thanks for her life here on
earth to try and gather some of the sparks of love that burned in
her. Then we in turn may be fired with the same ungrudging love
she readily gave to all. We know that
all mothers love their children and shower upon them the best of
everything they have. We found in our mother all the qualities a
mother should have. We thank God for the good fortune of having
had such a mother. The fragrance
still lingers Manel symbolized
the sweet fragrance of the beautiful flower she was named after,
living a life worthy of emulation. She was just 30 when she was
widowed with three young children but with indomitable courage and
strength of character she took up her responsibilities. Manel was an
extraordinary woman. She placed a premium on self-help and it may
well have been the reason why she did not reach out for assistance
to her kith and kin. She was an expert seamstress and the income
thus earned supplemented the pension she drew on the demise of her
spouse. She never let misfortune dampen her zest for living. Manel also
helped those who solicited her assistance. She was a devout Buddhist
who loved to offer alms regularly. No doubt her
children are proud of their darling Amma. May her journey in Samsara
be short before she attains the supreme bliss of Nibbana! Mr. Private
Sector: the man of our times Many roles
were played on the stage of life by Mallory Wijesinghe: he was an
engineer by profession, government servant, businessman, captain
of industry and leader in the private sector, member and chairperson
of the Boards of many voluntary organizations, diplomat and author,
husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. In a fast moving
world of crashing values, he stood firm for the principles of honesty,
integrity and sincerity, giving his best to whatever he did. He
was born on June 25, 1918 to Edward and Maude Wijesinghe, into a
family of four children, a brother who died at a young age, leaving
him with two sisters - Merle and Doreen. He was educated
at Royal College, Colombo and remained close to his alma mater most
of his life. His class at Royal College was the first to start class
reunions of their old school batch, the "Class of 1927"
as it was called. His classmates included Livy Wijemanne, Godwin
Carolis, Douglas Gunasekera, Will Subasinghe, Fred de Saram, Douglas
Amerasekera and many others. He was a trustee of Royal College for
many years and organised fund raising events for both school development
activities as well as needy students and retired masters. After Royal
College, he entered the University College, Colombo which was an
affiliate of the London University in Ceylon. At that time, there
was no other university in the country. He got a B.Sc through the
College and then proceeded to King's College in London where he
obtained an engineering degree. At the age
of 23, he completed his education, joined the Public Works Department,
and married Joyce Goonetilleke, the daughter of Sir Oliver Goonetilleke.
Joyce herself was an accomplished pianist and had obtained her LRSM
in music from the Royal College of Music, London. As a young
man, Mallory served as the PWD Engineer in Diyatalawa, Kurunegala
and Matara for several years. Among his first assignments was one
at Galle when as a young engineer he was asked to build camps for
Italian prisoners-of-war. But in the early fifties he left the PWD
which he found claustrophobic, and even at that time so long ago,
was not entirely free of intrigue over promotions and transfers.
He made a significant decision to enter the private sector. Thus,
he joined Bartleets, a well-established British owned tea brokering
company at that time. His hard work,
efficiency and perseverance paid off. When the company was "Ceylonised"
in the 1960s, he became the company's first local Managing Director.
From then onwards,
he never looked back. Under his leadership the company grew and
expanded to include many services in addition to tea. He became
chairman of the company in the 1970s. He was also
director of many other companies including Brown & Company and
Chairman of Ceylon Cold Stores for several years. It was during
the 1960s and 1970s that he played a key role in developing the
private sector which was still to play its rightful role in the
development of the country. He soon became Chairman of the Employers'
Federation of Ceylon, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Colombo
Brokers' Association. He became founder
President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Thus, he was
able to play a lead role in the fashioning of a private sector which
could in time influence the economic growth of a nation which was
in need of some vibrancy from the commercial world. He was the founder
Chairman of the Ceylon Hotels' Corporation and successfully negotiated
a long-term loan with the Export-Import Bank of Washington, which
helped finance the construction of the Hotel Ceylon Intercontinental.
This was a landmark in the beginning of the hotel and tourist trade
in Sri Lanka, which since then has grown to be an essential part
of the economy. He was Chairman
of the Colombo Stock Exchange when the stock market was first established,
and was President of the Institute of Management of Sri Lanka. It
was during this period that he was popularly known as "Mr.
Private Sector"! He authored
two publications, "The Economy of Sri Lanka, 1948-1975"
and "Sri Lanka's Development Thrust, 1977-1980". He attended
many meetings of the ILO in Geneva as a member of the Government
delegation and was the first Sri Lankan to be nominated as a member
of the governing body of the ILO. He was also
Consul General of the Netherlands for several years and was conferred
the honour of being made an Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau
in 1985. He contributed
to tertiary education through his membership in the University Grants
Commission. He never said
"No" to requests to support voluntary work. A council
member of HelpAge, he was also Chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory
Board, following which he was made a Knight of the Most Venerable
Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem by her Majesty, Queen
Elizabeth II. He was also
very involved with the Lions movement and was a Deputy District
Governor. He was a Mason and was one of the few Sri Lankan Lodge
officers in the United Grand Lodge of England. He was a devout
Christian and contributed greatly to the YMCA. He in fact, was president
of the YMCA for several years. He was also a trustee of the Diocesan
Council. He had just
completed 61 years of marriage at the time of his death. His wife
Joyce was a constant source of love and support without which he
could not have reached the heights he attained. He was above
all a family man who placed high priority on family values and ties. His life truly
personifies a prayer by J.G. Holland which states, God did indeed
create such a man in Mallory Evan Wijesinghe. He will long be remembered
by those who loved and cherished him, those who were helped by him,
those who drew inspiration from his life and those who were privileged
to know him and work with him. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
