“S.L.S. eLANKA” (Part One) – By Des Kelly

As the good Sri Lankan Ship “eLanka”meanders quietly around Botany Bay, the Captain in Command, Neil Jayasekera, at the wheel” it’s first Lieutenant, Desmond Kelly, has been forced to “take some time off”in “Sick-Bay”, to recuperate from a few health-problems, mainly to do, with old-age. Because of the fact that I am also it’s “Chief” Editor, I take this chance to inform our many “Readers” that, in fact, I am still very much “alive”, although the word around is that “Desmond Kelly has “carked-it”, &, was “put to rest”, last Saturday, as a matter of fact. “Fake-Press” Ladies & Gentlemen, as Donald Trump, the American President, would say, BUT, I do feel to explain this strange phenomenon. You see, in Dandenong, Melbourne, where I did live, for many years after arriving in Australia, the last “count”of the “Desmond Kellys”(a very common name), especially in Dandenong, was (9), NINE. Then, the “one” who was so, was a “Horse-Trainer”by trade, got “kicked” at the gate, right on his “pate”to his “fate” & so, there were (8), remaining, & I, dear reader, is one of the “rest-remaining”,or “remaining-rest”(take it anyway you want).

Like the Ships we sail in, we, “old Salts”sometimes find ourselves in waters that are fraught with the cross-currents of life, and then have to navigate these stormy waters, as best we can, in order to get back “in” from our enforced “liberty” & rejoin the “Senior-Force”(as I always call the Navy, to be “piped” back on Board.

As everyone at eLanka already knows, I have been the 1st Lieutenant of the “Ship”, where Neil Jayasekera has been the “Captain”, for a few years, now, & together, we strive to “run a tight Ship”, when we “pick” only the very best for our “Shareholders”(Members, right now numbering over 21000, who receive a personal “Newsletter” every week, in addition to many varied “bonuses”, in a website that has already won top recognition, where it matters. Being a Burger, NOT of the “Muller-Mind-Bogglers”(as he would try to represent), his “Carlo-boy”being only interested in the ONE thing, MY DAD, correctly known as Robert Carl Kelly, WAS ALSO EVER INTERESTED IN, THE ONE THING & this was was his “OWN FAMILY”, my dear Mother, (also, R.I.P., Mum), named Lyn (nee Kriekenbeek),(from Holland of course), Eindhoven, to be exact, as I remember it.Then followed, Desmond, Ian, Rogan, Romaine, & Cleone.

Never ever trying to claim that we “Kelly-guys” were these “Goodie-two shoes”people talk about, now that my Paternal Grandfather, John (Jack), Kelly!,born in Dublin, Ireland, my Dad, born in Ceylon, as was myself, Ian, & Rogan,(my male siblings), have always been “ramrod-straight”(in sex-jargon), Grandfather Jack, preferring to “drink anything BUT Water”, my dad, Carlo, preferring to be a “teetotaller”(as a result), myself, Desmond, a confirmed “teetotaller”(in Australia), since the “Eighties”, Ian, going completely “the other way”, & Rogan, 50/50, if you like, as he can “take-it” or “leave-it”, as the case may be.

Dear readers, this is part one, of what might be a most interesting “journey in life”, as I’d like to put it. Please read it and make your necessary comments, as this is what LIFE is really all about. A never-ending “learning-curve”.

Hopefully, depending on whether GOD decides that number (8) has reached the “Final-Straight”or not, I will consider on

“Part-two”, especially for you. Till then, along with a bit of my favourite music, thrown in by Captain Jayasekera, I will now call it a day.