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Appreciations

Devoted mother, charming wife
Rani Sepalika Dias
Your cheerful life was like a sweet, scented flower, but you left us a year ago creating a void that cannot be filled. It is a great loss not only to me and the two children, but also to everybody who associated with you. We miss you and love you for what you were- a devoted mother, charming wife, admirable daughter and inspiring friend.
Everybody appreciated your modest and unassuming way of life. Your sincerity and kindness was vividly portrayed under different circumstances.

You were outspoken but avoided arguments. You were satisfied with what was available and never yearned for anything more. You were a tower of strength to me and helped me become what I am today.

As a mother you did everything to make the lives of our daughter and son comfortable, healthy and perfect. No words can express my feelings about your commitment as a wife. You did everything possible to ensure that I concentrated on my duties efficiently. You did the marketing, cooking, sewing and all household chores, never seeking the help of housemaids.

You advised me in your calm manner and was always the voice of reason. You lived according to Buddhist principles.

The blow of parting was severe. The loneliness and emptiness will never fade away. With silent tears and aching hearts we think of you.
Palitha and children

Excellent banker
K. Sivagananathan
Siva was my friend and colleague during a period spanning four decades. I recall first meeting him at the Loans Department in the then Central Office, at the Bank of Ceylon, York Street, where we worked together as junior officers learning the trade.
He first impressed me as an exceptional example of a knowledgeable and committed banker, with a determination to reach the top. Another striking characteristic of his personality was that he had no hesitation in openly expressing his ambitions to achieve excellence in his banking career and to interact with the highest levels of the bank, then headed by C. Loganathan, the first Sri Lankan General Manager.
We parted company thereafter, when we moved into different areas of operations within the Bank. Siva gained rapid promotions with his vast knowledge, hard work and dedication.

In the early '80s, he was posted to the bank's first overseas branch in London as Chief Manager, during which period he was instrumental in obtaining 'recognised bank' status for the London office from the Bank of England.

Siva was not only a knowledgeable and enthusiastic banker but a caring human being as well. His disciplined life tinged by his religious beliefs no doubt, helped him to achieve his goals and objectives. He was always ahead of the times and driven by his determination to achieve both for himself and the Bank he served so loyally.

Siva retired from the Bank of Ceylon in 1995 and I retired in 1996. We have both continued to serve the banking sector in different capacities. Siva was, thereafter, invited to work as Advisor to the Governor by A.S. Jayawardena. He considered this as the pinnacle of his career.

Siva's sudden demise is a loss to all of us and in particular to the banking sector. He dedicated his life to improving and upgrading the banking skills and knowledge of the younger generation. I have no doubt that his devoted wife and children will be strengthened by his exemplary and noble qualities.
Rohini Nanayakkara

International civil servant
Andrew Joseph
Andrew Joseph, who died recently at age 78, joined the United Nations System in 1958, after a distinguished ten years in the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS), holding various senior positions in the Ministries of Finance, Health, and Food and Agriculture.

Between 1956 and 1963, he was appointed to the World Health Organization (WHO), serving both at WHO headquarters and in WHO's Regional Office in Alexandria, Egypt.

Andrew or "AJJ" as he was known to legions of staff in the organization, joined the United Nations Technical Assistance Board, UNDP's precursor organization, in 1963. A quintessential "field person", he initially served as Deputy Resident Representative in Zambia and the Sudan and subsequently and successively as UNDP Resident Representative in Nepal, the Philippines and Indonesia until 1976.

During this period he also served out periods of secondment with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), between 1970 and 1972 and again, as Director of the Field Programmes Divisions, between 1974 and 1976.

In 1976, the then Administrator of UNDP, Rudolph Peterson, acting on the premise that serving staff with such distinguished records and operational experience might best serve at the highest levels in the organization's operational bureaux, appointed Andrew as Assistant Administrator and Regional Director of the Asia and Pacific Bureau, a post in which he served for a record 13 years.

In 1989, Administrator William H. Draper III appointed him as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDP, where he served until his retirement the following year in 1990.

In a UN career spanning nearly four decades, Andrew epitomized the very best traditions of the international civil service. He left a legacy of excellence, fairness and decency reflected in part by the many "graduates of the AJJ school" who continue to serve in the system, including several at senior most echelons.

Always sartorially elegant and eloquent in expression while possessed of a near puckish sense of humour, few can lay claim like Andrew Joseph to have been so widely respected and loved while garnering such fierce loyalty from the many colleagues who came to work with him in the course of his long and varied career.

Mark Malloch Brown
Administrator,
UN Development Programme,
New York

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