Tribute:

Henry Claude (HCFA) Goonetilleke

Claude was a true blooded Thomian, his father Harry, all his three brothers and even his sister being Thomians.

Claude was also known as Henry in Australia. Highest Common Factor to his classmates Gompa to the boxing fraternity in the College.

Claude alias Henry was born in Maggona, Sri Lanka on the 14th June 1921 and lived to the ripe old age of 88 fading away peacefully in Melbourne on the 21st January 2010.

He completed his entire period of schooling at S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia in the 1930s under Miss Bay in the baby class and Manikasingham in the Upper Sixth where he passed the London Matriculation.

He had several stalwart schoolmates such as Donald Fairweather, Baba Jayatillake, Willie Ekanayake, Raja Proctor, Boxer Dassanayake, the senior brothers of Dr. Douglas Arndt, Paddy Mandt, Bertie Wijesinghe and Darnley Ingleton.

Claude was a keen sportsmen in College where he excelled in Hockey, Cricket, Swimming and most of all in Boxing where he was feared by all schoolboys in his time. Warden De Saram who was an Oxford boxing blue himself took a special interest in Henry. Dr. R.L. Hayman was the scout master and he trained Henry to be a leading scout in the College pack.

It was a great privilege for us Thomians at the time to be schooled and disciplined by the legendary Canon R.S. De Saram who was the first Sri Lankan Warden of the College having just returned from Oxford.

After Claude finished school, he joined the Ceylon Government Railway as a Special Apprentice where he was trained in the Ratmalana Workshop on all aspects of steam locomotive and diesel engines. As an apprentice he would come home looking like a chimney sweep and was allowed to sit on a chair provided he first covered the chair with a newspaper.

Being Claude the boxer he survived a major illness in the mid 1970s and finally emigrated to Australia along with his gracious wife Audrey and the young daughters, Malkanthi and Lilamani.

He served in the railway (CGR) in Nanu Oya, Nawalapitiya, Anuradhapura and Trincomalee. When he took early retirement he had brief spells of service with the Port Cargo Corporation and the Insurance Corporation.

During his period at the Ratmalana Workshop the Japanese Airforce bombed Ratmalana and fortunately being a Sunday, Henry and most of the workers were spared the trauma of a live air raid.

Full marks to Audrey who attended to all his needs from the time he first fell ill. Without her help and love he would not have enjoyed a full life for so long. In spite of his medical affliction he held prestigious technical appointments in Australia and played a very prominent role in the Old Thomians Association of Australia.

During his working life in Australia he was able to visit the UK on more than one occasion and to travel extensively in Europe including the Swiss Alps.

Although for about 40 years of his latter life he was handicapped by the effects of his illness, he never gave up and was a tenacious fighter right to the end and was an inspiration to all who had the privilege of knowing him. He was always smiling and cheerful even being restricted to a wheelchair in his last years. Fortunately for him he had his wonderful wife Audrey supporting him right to the end.

Claude was an extremely devout Christian who gave his religion his first priority.

At his funeral, the Old Thomians in Australia gave him a rousing send off, draping the coffin with the Thomian flag and singing the College Song, Esto per Pertua.

Henry/Claude will be sadly missed by all his family members, his friends and relatives all over the world and the Thomian brotherhood in Australia.

Well done Claude alias Henry alias HCF alias Gompa and may the good Lord take care of you forever.

- A.O.T.