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| Friday, 26 March 2004 |
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Calistorites Association - over the waves to the 70s by I. P. C. Mendis The Moratuwa-based Calistorites Association completes the biblical three score years and ten this year and will celebrate the occasion with a dinner-dance on 27th March 2004 at the stadium in Moratuwa. The Association comprises the descendants of Mr. and Mrs. S. Calistoru Fernando of Moratuwa fame, those who have joined the family through wedlock and the progeny. The Association had its beginnings with a carol service in 1934, and had its get-togethers for quite some time in the environs of ancestral property at Dharmaratne Avenue, Moratuwa. The family has now reached its 6th generation. The ancestral couple had 3 sons and 5 daughters (Mary, Alice, Grace, Sally and Jocelyn). The membership now is near 600 and the annual get-together affords an opportunity for one and all in the extended family to meet, renew family ties and enjoy. As it celebrates its 70th anniversary, the Association remembers with nostalgia and gratitude the initial efforts at consolidation by Shelton C. Fernando, his versatile wife Edna, Didymus Fernando and Walter F. Keerthisinghe. The Calistorites Association moves on with added vigour, and has served as a fillip for other similar family groupings elsewhere. Calistorites pride themselves immensely in their family members who had over the years distinguished themselves in the public and private sectors and made their contributions to society and country, brought fame and generally shone in positions of standing. Peter C. Fernando and P. A. Fernando, both sons of Calistoru, were deeply involved in local government politics and social work. The former dedicated himself also to religious work. He and his wife (Annie) are both buried in the solitary grave in the precincts of St. Matthias' Church, Laxapathiya, as a singular honour for their dedicated service. Muhandiram P. C. J. Fernando Keerthisinghe, the youngest son, held a high post in the Government Veterinary Department. With apologies to the numerous family members who have distinguished themselves for the inability to include all of them of six generations due to lack of space, special mention is made of Shelton C. Fernando and C. B. P. Perera, who ended up as Permanent Secretaries, Sam P. C. Fernando as Minister of Justice and later Ambassador to Cairo with concurrent accreditation to certain Middle East countries, Tyronne Fernando PC, Minister of Foreign Affairs, several doctors, some of whom became much-sought after specialists - Drs. Dayasiri Fernando, Lalith Perera and his wife Selvi, and Sunetha Fernando, Bishop Emeritus Kenneth Fernando, Archdeacon Chrisantha Mendis, Prienni Ranatunge the first woman veterinarian and later nutritionist, Sicille Kotelawela, company director and Hony. Consul for Cyprus and Trade Commissioner for Belgium with husband Lalith, heading the conglomerate Ceylinco Consolidated, seven pilots two of whom are long-standing commercial airline pilots of repute, namely, Shira and GAF, the present Mayor of Moratuwa, Ravinath Gunesekera, Mahes Wickremesinghe, till recently Senior Vice-President of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and now Snr. Vice-President of Bell Canada. Priests, including Rev. Celestine Fernando who was synonymous with the Ceylon Bible Society, University Professors, lecturers and many others who have distinguished themselves in their positions as professionals, directors, commissioners, chairmen (which included Leslie Fonseka of National Livestock Development Board), Harshana Perera as Sub-Warden, St. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia, teachers, managers, musicians, broadcasters with veteran Nihal Bhareti outstanding, and in other capacities serving God, society and country. Most of them in this great family were and are ardent church workers and held office in parishes and the Anglican Diocese. Irene Mendis who was organist at St. Matthias' Church, Laxapathiya, for 62 years was a household name in Laxapathiya. The family is not without its wit and humour as was evidenced by the pluckiness of Dr. Riley Fernando, who planted the famous obituary of D. E. M. Ocracy in the Daily News at the time of the Press Bill. Due to sheer disinterest for publicity and sense of modesty, the fame of the ancestral Sellapperumage family from Moratuwa has gone mostly unsung. The de Soysa family hailing from Moratuwa, particularly that of the late C. H. de Soysa, famous for his wealth and unparalleled philanthropy, is still being remembered with honour and gratitude. What has not had publicity and much fanfare was the mark made by another family from Moratuwa, which venturing far out from home-town Moratuwa, had outshone all other businessmen of the period throughout the Kandyan provinces and had spread subsequently to other parts of the country with the development of access roads. The Moratuwa enterprise of this family belonged to the Sellapperumage clan of Moratuwa which had established themselves long before the advent of the de Soysa clan. Portuguese and Dutch tomboos over three centuries show them as considerable owners of land. Also, entries over two and a half centuries ago refer to the clan as ship chandlers and other businessmen of consequence under contract to the Dutch government. (Govt. Archives) S. C. Fernando & Bros was founded by S. Christombu Fernando, the eldest son of Sellapperumage Gabriel Fernando, who lived in Laxapathiya, Moratuwa, at the turn of the 18th century. The two elder sons were both S. C. Fernando distinguishable by their Christian names, Christombu and Calistoru, (Calistorites Association comprise the descendants of the latter). Their wealth and social standing was second only to the C. H. de Soysa family. The company was from all accounts, the foremost Ceylonese concern in the Kandyan provinces (if not the whole country) from about 1870 to 1885. The Fergusons Directory of 1876 which contained an advertisement of S. C. Fernando & Bros. was the boldest for any Ceylonese enterprise at the time where no other Ceylonese business was given prominence in this exclusive publication. The business extended to imports including foreign liquor. 134 years ago, the Fernando brothers adventured into the hill capital of Kandy when horse coaches were the quickest mode of transport for passengers and bullock carts for goods. The route to Kandy was via Ruwanwella and travel was an adventure by itself. The main crop in that era was coffee till it was replaced with tea much later. To start with, the business of the Fernando brothers was as a Forwarding Agency which was later transformed into a company. From being a small emporium somewhere down Colombo Street, Kandy, the company in less than 10 years had come to own or occupy the entirety of the long build-up street and expanded to Gampola and Nawalapitiya. Its transport business was enormous and eye-witnesses have testified seeing around 125 bullock carts at a time negotiating the Kadugannawa incline laden with goods and the return journey carrying coffee. The pinnacle of its achievement was the establishment of its own bank issuing its own cheques which were honoured throughout the island. Large European estates and companies had done business with it while the biggest single owner of coffee estates then, C. H. de Soysa, did considerable transactions with it. The company had been entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining regular food supplies to the estate area and on a recorded instance, the whole area was in turmoil due to a serious rice shortage. The then Government Agent, John Parsons, had personally sought the assistance of the Deputy Head of the company, Calistoru Fernando to regulate all supplies from his company at Colombo Street and thus a near food riot was averted. The account describes how the GA patiently waited outside St. Paul's Church, Kandy till Calistoru returned from the morning service as the latter had given instructions not to be disturbed. When the fabulously wealthy C. H. de Soysa entertained the Duke of Edinburgh at Alfred House, Kollupitiya, to a banquet of banquets, the elder Fernando (Christombu) was one of 4,000 guests and had the special distinction of being chosen to be one of the select 12 to be seated with the Prince, Governor, Colonial Secretary, Chief Justice, Maha Mudaliyar and the host and hostess. Business life then was not a bed of roses. Physical and financial risks predominated. The Fernando brothers had to contend with bandits of the calibre of the legendary Sardiel as well. The absence of recorded confrontations per se gives credence to the popular belief that Sardiel had given personal instructions that S. C. Fernando & Bros. be permitted to pass unhindered. (Some information sourced from a document compiled by the late Shelton C. Fernando, Permanent Secretary) |
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