Daily News shares birthday joy with elders

Manjula Fernando and Rajmi Manatunga

COLOMBO: The Daily News, first published on January 3, 1918, turned 89 on Wednesday. Daily News staffers celebrated this milestone yesterday with the senior citizens of the Gamini Matha Elders Home in Slave Island, bringing a smile to their lips and happiness to their hearts.

Putting aside their busy schedules for a moment, the Daily News staff gathered at the Elders Home for an hour to share the joy of their newspaper's anniversary with the elders.

The idea put forward by the Editor to donate gift packs to the elders to share the happy moment was given wings by donations from the staffers along with a generous contribution from the ANCL management. The Poya day was dedicated to buy the gifts and for packing.

The office assistants (Sampath, Pramodaka, Bandu, Kapila and Anura) under the constant supervision of the Editor's Secretary Champa Perera were seen busily arranging the stuff occupying most of the space and the tables at our modest news room.

The next day everyone except a few who always find it difficult to keep track of the time got into the company bus from the transport entrance, sharp at 9.45 a.m. to leave for our destination. They were joined by the Daily News editorial VDT staff and the photographers.

Those who could not catch the bus arrived in time for the 10.30 am event.

Wijaya Group Chairman Ranjit Wijewardene representing Lake House Founder D.R. Wijewardene and Lake House Acting Chairman Sarath Kongahage representing the ANCL management joined in. Editors from ANCL publications Sunday Observer (Dinesh Weerawansa), Dinamina (Mahinda Abeysundera), Silumina (Karunadasa Suriyarachchi) and Thinkaranan (M. Sivasubramanium) joined their Daily News colleagues.

Editors from other English newspapers including The Nation Editor Lalith Alahakoon, former Sunday Standard Editor Rohan Abeywardane, Sunday Times Deputy Editor Anthony David and well-wishers also graced the occasion, whose highlight was the cutting of the grand Daily News Birthday cake by Govinnage Sumanadasa Perera of the Home.

The cake arrived with the compliments of former Daily News Deputy Editor Tharika Goonetileke, now the PR Manager at Cinnamon Grand.

Daily News staffer with the longest 35 years service, Foreign News Editor Rohana Ariyaratne made a very inspiring speech at the outset.

Former Daily News editor Arjuna Ranawana and SLPI Director General Ranga Kalansooriya were also present.

The Daily News staffers who distributed the gift packs also talked to many of the senior citizens.

The oldest senior citizen at the Gamini Matha House is Martin Perera aged 102, an artiste who adorned the Sinhala stage dramas during these golden 'Tower Hall' days.

The only centurion under the care of the House, he could still recite songs from the Nadagams and Kolamas of olden times in which he played the hero as well as the villain.

"I became a drama actor in 1930 after joining the Negombo Drama Council. Since then I played numerous roles in well-known dramas, ranging from the prince to the devil.

Later I became an 'A' Grade artiste at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation," he says.

Frail and feeble today, Martin Seeya recalled how his parents were even charged a fine by the Government when he left school at the age of nine to join the stage drama industry.

Some of our senior journalists met a former colleague, Bertram Silva who worked at the now defunct Times of Ceylon.

Silva recalled his days in journalism and some of the 'scoops' he managed to get into print.

Having spent nearly one hour at the Home, the Daily News staff bade farewell to the inmates to get back to their office to work on the next day's Daily News, which has just stepped into another year.