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Tuesday, 2 August 2011

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APPRECIATIONS

Dr Malcolm de Alwis:

Devoted scientist

Dr M C L de Alwis, popularly called Malcolm de Alwis, is no more. Dr Alwis, born in 1940 is an old boy of St Joseph College, Colombo. He entered the University of Ceylon in 1959 and pursued a graduate degree course in Veterinary Science.

During those days, the first two years of the course was conducted by the staff of the Medical College, Colombo who taught general physiology, biochemistry, histology, pharmacology and pharmacy while veterinary specialist took applied aspects related to animals.

After studying for two years in Colombo, he continued his studies for another two years at Peradeniya. Dr Alwis, not only performed excellently at St Joseph College, but continued excellence even in the university. He completed BVSc degree in 1963 with honours and joined as a government veterinary surgeon.

His first assignment was at Welikanda, a far away place in Polonnaruwa district. I can remember how innovative he was when he successfully performed a fetatomy surgery on a cow in the field, even without having basic equipment.

Subsequently he was appointed as a Veterinary Research Officer and was attached to the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) of the Dept. of Animal Production and Health.

Dr Alwis’ interest was on bacteriology and undertook studies on bacteria causing diseases in animals. He proceeded to England where he continued his research studies attached to the University of Liverpool, UK. On obtaining PhD degree, he returned to Sri Lanka in 1969 and worked in the bacteriology Division of the VRI.

Dr Alwis concentrated on working with bacteria causing haemorrhagic septicemia (HS), a dangerous disease causing heavy deaths in cattle and buffaloes.

This disease was a big problem and resulted in considerable economic losses to farmers, not only in Sri Lanka but in many countries in the Asian and African regions. He used new techniques and developed a more effective vaccine against this disease.

He was a highly devoted officer, working very hard to find a solution to the HS problem, which killed thousands of cattle and buffaloes, annually in our country alone. Soon the affectivity of the new HS vaccine in Sri Lanka was spotlighted internationally.

Requests poured in not only from international organizations but also from other countries individually to obtain assistance from Dr Alwis to improve their HS vaccine production technologies.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations named him as a regional Expert on HS. Since then he had visited many countries of the world as an International Expert.

Due mainly to his contributions, the FAO of the UN named the VRI as the Reference Laboratory for HS for the world. It is true to say that he devoted his entire life for the cause of haemorrhagic septicemia.

Later he was appointed as the head of the Veterinary Research Institute and to the post of Deputy Director Dept. Animal Production and Health. In 1989, he was appointed as the Additional Director Dept. Animal Production and health. Besides his contribution to the field of HS he had the foresight to plan and implement a manpower development programme for the staff of the VRI.

Thanks to this effort, the VRI continued to have the services of highly qualified scientists for a decade even after Dr Alwis retired.

During his last years at the VRI, his health condition deteriorated slowly which made him to retire prematurely in 1997.

Thereafter, he joined the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science as a Professor and worked in the Bacteriology Division. His failing health forced him to retire from that position too but continued to contribute as an expert in his specialty, nationally as well as internationally.

Besides his contribution as a scientist, he was a honest , hard working, helpful and kind gentleman.

The country and the world will certainly miss you, Malcolm.


Maanel and Merwyn de Alwis:

Their loss is felt by all

It was on May 5, 2002, that Merwyn de Alwis left this world. Last year on July 12, Maanel, my Loku Amma, followed. Their loss is felt by everyone who knew them, especially by all of us, their family.

Oswald Merwyn, known in the legal world as O M de Alwis came into this world in Induruwa on March 3, 1923. He was the only child of Edwin de Alwis and Lilian Matilda Jayasekere. He joined Nalanda in Colombo as a school boy and continued on to the University of Colombo where he completed a degree in Economics and Law. He held the position of Legal Draughtsman of Sri Lanka until 1977 when he travelled to Kenya to work with the Commonwealth Secretariat. There at the Law Faculty of Nairobi he trained young lawyers from around the world to become Legal Draughtsmen – including some from Sri Lanka. Five years later, he did the same in Bangladesh.

Maanel, was born on January 13, 1923 in Galle, at the de Alwis ancestral home in Kalahe to Don James Jayasundera and Blanche de Alwis. She had her schooling in Kalutara at Holy Cross College, in Negombo at Newstead and in Colombo at Ladies’ College. She married Merwyn and put her studies aside to bring up their two daughters, Dileeni and Neelanthi. Later in the early 60s she returned to them following a course in Speech and Drama with Wendy Whatmore (Sr) and in 1966 spent an year in London to complete her Fellowhsip at the Trinity College of Speech and Drama.

On her return, and until the late 90s, she was an examiner for the Trinity College examinations held in Colombo. She had a deep love of poetry and of taking long walks in nature.Maanel and Merwyn shared a keen interest in languages. Merwyn started learning French at the Alliance Francaise in Colombo and was chosen in 1968 to study French Jurisprudence and other legal subjects which would help shorten legal proceedings. He spent an year in Paris in the St Michel area, going to the Palais de Justice every day in the midst of the Student Revolution of May 1968. He returned to Colombo smitten by French culture and music.

Maanel too joined the Alliance Francaise to learn French and the Goethe Institute to learn German. Together they went on to learn Tamil.

After retirement, Merwyn continued to accept short assignments in Sri Lanka. Though the Commonwealth Secretariat urged him to come out of retirement to go to Fiji, despite his wife’s and daughters’ encouragement, he declined declaring that at the age of 70 he should leave such work to the younger generation.

As individuals both Maanel and Merwyn helped their friends and relatives, gave advice when needed. They passed on to their daughters the value of knowledge, of true friendship and the virtue of compassion, together with how to live life to the fullest. They are sorely missed by their loved ones.


Kumar Parakrama Wimalasuriya:

Younger brother is no more

I simply cannot imagine that it’s one year since malli’s demise. I still recall the wonderful moments malli and I spent at my house as well as Podi akkas place during weekends. He was a very unusual figure who had a very kind heart and so down to earth. I am yet to recall any day that he had spoken ill of another.

He was sympathetic towards his field workers with whom he worked as a civil engineer in CPTSL Kolonnawa. He treated all his friends, labourers, drivers in such a manner and went out of his way to help them in their private lives too. His great sense of humour that made us happy is no more.

He was a fine cricketer and was the vice captain during his period at Mahinda College, Galle also had a great love for the school.

Being a civil engineer he had a marvelous knowledge and experience in the job both at the SD and CC and the CPTSL Kolonnawa and his good work was appreciated by his seniors. He could talk on his subject with authority.

Like all great minds his mind was at its best when discussing ideas and concepts rarely descending to personal issues. Malli’s love for amma was remarkable. She grieves silently all the times as she does not want to accept his loss.

To me he was like an elder brother of mine than my younger brother. The two of us grew together. I was always in the habit of looking up to him for advice.

Tears come to my eyes when I recall the good old days. Every morning I pray for malli not to meet an untimely death he faced, in the future and pray that I meet him in someday somewhere in Sansara until we all attain Suprim Bliss of Nibbana.


Wilfred Perera, a great trade unionist remembered

It was the swinging 60s and 70s. The trade union movement in Sri Lanka was gaining momentum. It was backed by political greats such as Dr. N.M. Perera, Philip Gunawardene, Pieter Keuneman firebrand Bala Thampoe and Bernard Soysa.

Similarly GCSU, CMU, UPTO and many a trade union which were in the forefront of working people’s fight for justice and fairplay, could bring the existing government administration into a standstill. The Port Trade Unions, brought the Ports, the nerve centre of the country’s economy into a deadlock with the strike. Wilfred Perera was one of the stalwarts of a premier trade union, Union of Post and Telecommunication Officers (UPTO).

His name was synonymous with UPTO. He joined the government service as a Post Master and Signaller in 1943. Wilfred Perera ventured into the trade union activities after being elected as a member of the executive committee of the Post Master’s Association and later elected its assistant secretary in recognition of his leading role in the 1947 general strike.

Subsequently elected President of the Postal, Telegraph and Telephone International Asia. Wilfred represented Sri Lanka in London, Brussels, Paris, Tokyo, KualaLumpur and Bangdun internatioanl conferences.

His dual role as a responsible administrator and an active trade unionist dedicated to the cause of his peers never left any room for the authorities to find fault with him.

When politics and trade unionists remained inseparable from each other and the politicians exploited the workers as a means to achieve their ends it was Wilfred Perera who walked on the tightrope and drew the wafer-thin line between politics and his UPTO organisation. During this exercise he naturally became the object of acerbic criticism at the hands of politicians.

He constantly expended his energy to bring up the UPTO into a formidable body among the rival trade unions. Although he frequently moved among the greats yet he did not lose his touch with the rank and file. After decades of commitment and sacrifice to the cause of the poor workers, Wilfred breathed his last on July 30, 1973 after a brief illness.

His commitment, devotion and dedication to the worker movement and his personal affable qualities towards his colleagues, friends and public was evident at his funeral for there was an unprecedented crowd who paid their last respect and the funeral march was five miles long. It will be a long time before those who know him within and without Sri Lanka can recover from the very deep sense of loss brought about by his death. Major General Udaya Perera of the Gajaba Regiment presently the Deputy High Commissioner in Malaysia and Athula Kenneth Perera, a Senior Director of the Road Development Authority are two of his sons.

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