Of life, love and work of a time gone by

Don Laurie Seneviratne is 100 years old today. His father Don Bastian Seneviratne of Nugegoda sailed to Malaya in the early 1890's as a young man in a spirit of adventure to seek his fortune. The British were opening up the country for development and there were many opportunities. Don Bastian found employment in the Malayan Railways.

In 1901, he returned to Ceylon and married Jane Attygalle of Madapatha, a first cousin of Alice Attygalle, the mother of Sir John Kotelawela.

The young couple went back to Malaya and raised a family of six boys, Raety, Wheeler, Alick, Laurie, Austin and Kittly. They lived in Kuala Lumpur and the boys attended the Victoria Institution. Laurie has a faint recollection of adults talking about the Halley's Comet of 1909. In 1915, the family shifted to Seremban and the boys continued their studies at St. Paul's Institution.

He fondly recalls his boyhood days when the six brothers were up to numerous pranks and were quite a handful at home. Their father was a strict disciplinarian while their mother was kind in their times of trouble.

Their mates were Chinese, Malays, Jaffna Tamils, Bengalis and Sikhs. The boys had a Christian upbringing under the Rev. Brothers and attended St. Mark's Church for Sunday worship. Laurie and three of his brothers played football for their school. They excelled in other sports too and all of them passed their Senior Cambridge examination.

In 1924, Don Bastian retired and returned home with the family to Ceylon as a Malayan pensioner. While the other boys went back to teaching or technical jobs in Malaya, Laurie, alone stayed back with his parents. In 1926, he joined the then Government Stores later to be the Department of Government Supplies and retired as its Deputy Director in 1964. He recalls his working life when their office was opposite the Regal Cinema. His boss was an Englishman - Warby, and his office attire was shorts and short-sleeved shirt, stockings, black or tan shoes and khaki pith hat. As he gained seniority he remembers bringing office files tied up in 'red tape' for work to be done at home.

Music was Laurie's main recreation as he was a fine violinist. He was now a young man and quite eligible and his thoughts turned to love. His idea of his perfect soul-mate was that she should be a Christian, a good pianist and have looks that would appeal to him. Laurie was a regular worshipper at St. John's Church, Nugegoda and one Sunday he saw the pretty face of a visitor in the congregation and was smitten. She had come with her relatives and he made some inquiries. He learnt that she was Stella Rodrigo, an accomplished pianist from Nawalapitiya but did not get to meet her.

Undaunted, he travelled up the next Sunday to St. Andrew's Church, Nawalapitiya and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was the organist.

Laurie enlisted the help of a Mr. Setunge, a friend of her family, and was introduced to her. Over the next several months he travelled up regularly and very soon she accepted his proposal. He had got the girl of his dreams and they married in August 1934 and lived in his ancestral home in Nugegoda. He recalls with nostalgia the musical evenings they had with their friends; she played the piano and he the violin. Their favourite number was "I'll string along with you". The chorus was :

You may not be an angel
'Cause angels are so few
But until the day that one comes along
I'll string along with you.

In due course they had four children, a girl and three boys. In fond remembrance of his boyhood home town in Malaya, he named his home 'Seremban'.

In those far-off days it was the practice to give the children an annual 'opening dose' to rid them of worms. He recalls with much amusement how he used to force them to swallow the thick nauseating castor oil which had the desired effect. The larger Seneviratne clan were referred to as 'Singapore Seneviratnes' by the people of the area. At the end of World War II in 1945, Laurie was happy to welcome his brothers back to Ceylon. They had traumatic experiences to relate under the Japanese occupancy of Malaya. Their children met their cousins for the first time. Laurie's wife, Stella had had a brilliant all-round record at Hillwood College, Kandy. She had passed the Senior Cambridge examination with flying colours, excelled in music, played netball and tennis for the school and ended up as Head Prefect. Both Laurie and Stella took an active role in the life of St. John's Church; he as a Warden and she as a member in the Mother's Union.

In 1952, the family moved into their new house built at Havelock Gardens. While Laurie was busy in his job, Stella was prominent in the YWCA and was the Director for Education. The children, Chereen, Lamani, Mohan and Shiran one by one moved out to their own homes to start their own family lives and pursue their careers. Chereen, has her well-known Havelock Gardens Montessori School and Lamani, his battery business at Magnet Cells Company, Mohan and Shiran took up planting jobs in sterling companies. Their parents’ home was full of warm hospitality for their children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces.

Laurie and Stella’s loving companionship was a shining example to all of them. Their great interest in later life was to follow the fortunes of the Sri Lanka Cricket team. They watched all the action on T.V and were knowledgeable about the finer points of the game.

It is significant that in Laurie's family of six boys, three others lived well into their 90's. Equally long lived were their spouses, and five of the brothers celebrated their golden wedding anniversaries and three went on to their diamond anniversary. Inevitably, each one went to their rest with Stella the last in 2002 and this ended their 68 - year marriage.

For the past four years Laurie has been quite lonely, but no doubt happy and contented that the Good Lord has blessed him abundantly. He has led a sober, God-fearing life. He has long been the patriarch of the family and is Uncle Laurie to all.

Laurie, was always a man of few words - his deeds are far more eloquent. He is happiest when he is helping someone – whether it is to find a job, a house or even rendering assistance financially.