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23rd December 2001

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All topics came alive in Philip's hands

With the death of Philip Coorey, Sri Lanka has lost a newspaper editor and author, whose successes were achieved both at home and abroad. He is mourned by friends and colleagues in many countries. On the outskirts of Washington DC, for instance, I received news of his passing away, from Colombo via Toronto and New York.

Philip was a versatile writer with a wide range of interests: local and foreign, solemn and light-hearted. He was equally at home with reporting as he was with opinion-writing. He could make abstruse literary topics come alive. He wrote more interesting sports "copy" than many sports writers did. He could, at the same time, turn out editorials and other commentaries on current affairs, that were robust and perceptive. He covered the founding meeting of the Group of 77 with depth and with an understanding of complex issues that continue to bedevil the world.

He wrote simply, directly, and with clarity; characteristics of a writer who knows what he is writing about. His strongest interest was in the arts and, particularly, in films. He was one of the best Sri Lankan film critics of his time. His knowledge of films was encyclopedic, and recognized as such. His "The Lonely Artist: A Critical Introduction to the Films of Lester James Peiris" continues to be studied, discussed and quoted, and springs up on the Internet.

His personal life was even richer. His parental family, and his own, sustained him, as he sustained them. The two Coorey homes, senior and junior, side-by-side in Havelock Town, have always been centres of hospitality, love and laughter. Philip was a devoted son and affectionate brother. His storybook romance with his wife Sardha, began on the university campus at Peradeniya and blossomed throughout their life together. He was a dedicated and caring father. He was a supportive friend. He was a charming raconteur. To round it all off, he excelled at cricket. 

Philip came to journalism with an interest that he had shown from an early age. His enthusiasm, combined with his "Special English" degree, made him a natural choice for Lake House, under Esmond Wickremesinghe's policy of periodically recruiting staff direct from university who could be nurtured, over time, to succeed their seniors. An extension of that policy was that new recruits, whatever their specialization at university might have been, were expected to immerse themselves in all aspects of a journalist's craft from the moment they entered Lake House.

Philip revelled in this learning-by-doing apprenticeship. Although he had specific writing interests, he had no inhibitions about trying his hand at various branches of newspaper work, acquiring new skills and new interests. He absorbed the knowledge his colleagues could share. His peers took stock of the young man and surmised that he was likely to move up the editorial ladder quickly. They were right.

Esmond, who kept a close watch on all the "hopefuls", observed Philip at work and was impressed. He placed Philip under the direct tutelage of Cecil Graham (my predecessor as Editor of the "Daily News"). Cecil shared both his love for the "Daily News" and his high professional standards with Philip, and helped to develop Philip's flair for newspaper design.

Philip was initially Features Editor and, subsequently, Deputy Editor of the "Daily News" during my stewardship. Later, he was Editor of the "Observer" and "Sunday Observer," and held those positions until shortly after the ownership and editorial structure of Lake House newspapers were brought under government control. While still at Lake House, Philip was falsely implicated in a bizarre reporting event, when men and women spoke out posthumously in praise of the fifth summit of the Non-Aligned Movement being held in Sri Lanka. The details of that story do not belong here. I mention it only to record the fact that Philip emerged from this episode fully vindicated, with his good name unharmed. 

After his years at Lake House, he did a short stint with the "New Straits Times" in Malaysia, followed by some 16 years with the "Straits Times" of Singapore (the two newspapers are not connected). On his return to Sri Lanka, he edited the "Weekend Express". He opened the columns of the "Express" to many writers, providing readers with an exposure to diversity.

All of us, whose lives were touched by his, will continue to remember him with great affection and high regard.

-Ernest Corea



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