Appreciations
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Caring
for family and social service were her forte During his funeral oration, Ven. Welimitiyawe Kusaladhamma Nayaka Thera, head of the Vidyalankara Pirivena, spoke about the great service rendered by Mr. de Lanerolle as Editor-in-Chief of the Sinhala Dictionary, founding editor of the Lankadeepa and visiting lecturer of the university. He was a student of the Vidyalankara Pirivena and continued to maintain a close relationship with it. The Nayaka Thera referred to the days when powerful political forces of the day moved to cut off the Vidyalankara Pirivena from society as a protest against "the political bhikkhus" preventing the 'dayakas' from offering alms. He reminded how Mrs. de Lanerolle hearing of the plight of the monks, rushed to the temple with the pot of rice prepared for lunch at home and offered it to the monks. Right up to her last days, she continued that relationship. After the death of her husband, Mrs. de Lanerolle, who treasured her independence, devoted her life to social and religious work having seen the three sons well established in their professions. Until a few months ago, she was quite hale and hearty attending to her work all by herself, visiting her sons' families and enjoying the company of her grand children. She was 97 at the time of her death. Mrs. de Lanerolle had no regrets. She lived a simple life as a devoted wife and caring mother. She strove to carve out her path to reach the ultimate goal of Nibbana. D. C. Ranatunga The
play goes on, but the void still remains Your
presence is felt With
deep reverence and honour The
Trust Fund opened in your name It
is most sad Dear
Manel From
happy carefree days to battles on the front As I relive our past I yearn for a glimpse of his laughing face and how he used to say, 'Hello! Sugar Akka, how goes life with you?’ As we left our childhood and became young adults we did not drift apart. His one-shortcoming was that he was short tempered. He could not tolerate injustice. But his temper was shortlived. All of us were so very proud of him when he joined the army to serve Mother Lanka. Much has been written about his bravery at the front so I shall not repeat all his brave deeds. We still treasure the condolence message issued by the then Regiment Commander and present Army Commander which also sets out his brave actions in many operations and the numerous medals awarded to him for bravery at the front. He was always there for anyone in need of help. He was generous to a fault. Helping others in need was second nature to him. I have yet to witness such a massive turnout at any funeral and it bears testimony to his popularity not only as an army officer but also as a humane human being. His
daughter Lahiri and son Suran are his legacy to us. They are indeed
children to be proud of. He continues to live through both of them.
Manisha Namal Walwin
T.P. Gunetilleke It is true that we were colleagues only for a while. But the friendship that burgeoned while working together at the now defunct Ceylon Estate Employers’ Federation (CEEF) lasted a lifetime. As a matter of fact, my first encounter with him was a few months before I actually started working at the CEEF in January 1972. He was on the panel, that initially interviewed me, way back in October 1971, for the position of Labour Relations Officer, others being (if my memory serves me right) Roland Wijewickreme, the Secretary, CEEF , C. Rajasooriya , Deputy Secretary, Donald Speldewinde, Assistant Secretary and Doddie Jayamanne. As I walked into the room, I couldn’t help recognizing Walwin’s commanding persona. Beneath the twinkle in his eye and the winsome smile adorned by mischievous dimples that bespoke a million, were searching, well directed questions designed to draw the best out of the interviewee. That twinkle, the smile and the dimples will be long remembered by the many and varied friends and acquaintances who had the privilege of associating with him. Walwin’s great asset was that he could readily relate to anyone at any level. He was a ‘connector’, in the sense described by Malcolm Gladwell in his excellent tome, Tipping Point, who could both connect with and between people with equal facility. He also put his commanding personality, knowledge and skills to great use as an astute negotiator, sharp and alert, yet friendly (the twinkle and the dimples again!), fair and willing to move towards a win-win situation. The late Minister Saumyamoorthy Thondaman and his associates such as M. S. Sellasamy knew only too well Wally’s worth as a human being, though he was on the other side of the table. That he was on the other side of the table did not deter Wally from maintaining lasting relations with them, beneficial in the long term. Equally, Wally was one of the leading practitioners in the original labour courts. If ‘leading’ was to be measured not so much by the number of cases one was retained in but by the quality of one’s work and output, then, surely Wally would stand way up in front of many of his ilk and more. Unlike most of the legal fraternity, who dabbled in labour relations, Wally appeared on both sides of the divide. He was equally at home appearing for both employer as well as employee and was equally respected by both. It is not unknown that sometimes he appeared either pro deo or virtually so, as his winning and magnanimous nature beckoned. There are many an employee- applicant client, who must surely be eternally grateful to him for his genuine efforts in their cause and his intellectual munificence and agility to bring their case home to roost! The Ceylon Planters’ Society (as did the members of the plantation management community), always held him in very high esteem. And justifiably so. For this very reason the CPS virtually kept him on a retainer. Though he left the CEEF before I did, we continued our relationship to the end until he passed on. Many were the times we shared things that interested both of us; our alma mater, labour relations, sports in general, cricket and rugby in particular and, of course, simple things in life such as reading. Not only was he a voracious votary of good literature, he was also a very rapid reader. He could read and grasp things much faster than most and immediately assess the big picture. Equally, it was a treat to listen to him dictate a draft virtually off the cuff, immaculate in content and precision and one, which would eventually leave any antagonist in tatters. In a sense he was my guru, too. He would readily respond anytime to my call, literally and figuratively, to help resolve questions relating to employer-employee relations with such common sense solutions that was at times most refreshing. Whilst at the CEEF I learnt quite a bit from his acumen as a negotiator and court craftsman. We had lost physical track of each other for quite a while until once we bumped into each other at the Labour Tribunal down Vauxhall St. It was then that I happily learnt that he had become a proud father of a pair of twins-catching up on lost ground, as he was wont to say! In the irony of things, in more recent times, our relationship even got closer, when our progeny led their respective schools at rugby in 2001. Many would have been wondering, in this contorted world of rapacious rivalry, how the two of us continued a relationship, a friendship close enough to transcend what seemed to us, potty, man-made barriers. After the Royal-Thomian of that 2001 rugby season, when one side got badly beaten, we could still have a long jaw over a beer amply demonstrating that to us there is something more sublime than just winning or losing. That is the way Wally lived his life, taking things either way with a smile, quite unperturbed - a guiding principle that had stood him in good stead throughout. Even in death one can almost hear Wally whispering with a smile typically and rather nonchalantly– this time it was a bad jab, Machang! I once asked him how he managed his loyalties between his own old school, Royal, and the one his sons attended, STC. His characteristic response was that during a game he would stand in the middle, in line with the half-way line, with one foot on either side! It was a source of immense pride to him that his son, Jeevan (other twin being Jayan, both good rugby players) led the Sri Lanka Schools team, managed by S.W. Chang , on that historic, somewhat trailblazing Youth World Cup tour to Chile in April 2001. Wally belonged to a class, now fast diminishing, or no longer in the reckoning, which believed in absolute professionalism, where decency and sublime standards of professional behavior were the norm. He upheld and lived these principles to the last without compromise. He often lamented the total lack of professionalism and the massive drop in standards in almost every sphere of public life in our country. In a way, he is fortunate that he will not be there to suffer any more the disturbing disasters of decades of decadence! Yet, it was not only in the field of labour law and relations that he made his mark and valuable contribution. He was a good club member, first at the CR&FC, where most of his former CEEF colleagues (Arachu Coomaraswamy, Anthony de Vos et al ) foregathered for a couple, after a hard day’s grind at the Labour Tribunal, at a Labour Conference or a hard round of negotiations with trade unions in the plantation districts. He served the Club’s dministration well by being an important member of the General Committee, which was vested with the responsibility of running the Club. Later he shifted his attention to the Colts Cricket Club (whilst retaining an abiding interest in the CR, of course), where he rose to be one of its most dynamic Presidents. He also gave of his time to the country’s cricket administration by serving as Chairman of the SLC Disciplinary Committee. All this with a sense of dedication and purpose. This brings to mind another aspect of his life, which was somehow not allowed to blossom. He had been a budding cricketer at junior level at Glendale (a part of Royal College, which was taken to Bandarawela during the Second World War) His friend and fellow Glendalite , that fine sportsman, Stanley Unamboowe, once told me that Wally was a good bowler. Records as set out in the ‘History of Royal College’ speak well to this. Above all this was a genial and unassuming personality, who could command respect, from all walks of life, with a twinkle in his eye and that dimpled smile — a very helpful human being indeed (at times to a fault), who simply reached out to people and cared for them. To Nikki, his wife, and to his boys, Jayan and Jeevan, Wally’s death must surely be a great loss of a caring husband and concerned father. I am quite sure that when he shifted residence to Mt. Lavinia, it was solely for the convenience of his boys — that they may benefit it to the full from college life. He was proud to see them blossom out- prouder indeed, as a dutiful father would, in their achievements. To me, it is a great personal loss, too, of a very dear friend- a Kalyanamithra. Parting from someone held dear is always sorrowful – ‘Piyehi vippa yogo dukko’. But the inevitable law is that we must all pass on sometime or other, leaving foot prints behind and Wally’s footprints are firm, lasting and convincing. Au Revoir, Wally, till we meet again in our journey…….may be we can continue the good old friendship, talking of labour relations and of men and matters! But for now, let me treasure the sanguine memories of the goodness that was you, ensconced in that twinkle and the winsome, dimpled smile of yours! - ULK. |
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