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Sri Lanka – WHITHER GOES THOU? – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

The Last of the Mohicans – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

Fr Eugene J Hebert – A life to be remembered.- By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

T Malli – He heard his last whistle – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

Sri Lanka – WHITHER GOES THOU? – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

Sri Lanka – WHITHER GOES THOU? – By Capt Elmo

The Last of the Mohicans – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

Fr Eugene J Hebert – A life to be remembered.- By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

Fr Eugene J Hebert – A life to be remembered.-

T Malli – He heard his last whistle – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena

T Malli – He heard his last whistle – By

Sri Lanka – WHITHER GOES THOU? – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena I plagiarized the title of this article from a Latin quote “Quo Vadis”. It was an immensely popular movie in the 50s starring Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr. According to the film, Quo Vadis (Whither Goes Thou) were the words exchanged between God and St Peter. The first apostle was fleeing from Rome along the Appian Way to Brindisi to take a boat and escape to Palestine. Peter went back to Rome where he was crucified. Today there is a small chapel on that road where Peter turned back. It is called the Church of Domine Quo Vadis. Now you know I admitted I plagiarized. Don’t throw stones at my aeroplane. I have already said my mea culpa. Times have become difficult and often impossible to cope with. Whatever winds blow across our paradise isle, they are all filled ...

Mar 7, 2024 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Capt Elmo Jayawardena, Corruption, Democracy, Elections, Leadership crisis, National identity, Oligarchy, Political commentary, Political turmoil, Social inequality, Sri Lanka

The Last of the Mohicans – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena The lane down Nugegoda which is in the outskirts of Colombo, is named Mudaliar Avenue. Two left turns after that would bring you to number 1/8. This is Uncle Siri’s and Aunty Olga’s domain. Sadly, she passed away. As Uncle Siri says, “she went to heaven in 2021”, a sentiment whispered softly, sounding more like a person finding it impossible to fill the huge empty space she left. Perhaps painful heartstrings may be tugging when he mentions her. 68 years is a very long time to share a blissfully happy life and lose your soul partner. Air Ceylon first batch Stewardess Aunty Olga De Silva Navigator Lionel Sirimanne Now Lionel Sirimane is alone. He is 103 years old and is a classic example for those of us who have gone beyond 75 and are pre-occupied contemplating when the bell will ...

Oct 13, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Mohicans

Fr Eugene J Hebert – A life to be remembered.- By Capt Elmo Jayawardena The monument with engraved details of someone stands like a sentinel. It can be seen by anyone entering Batticaloa town from the lakeside. At the Garden Park some faithful followers had erected the statue and painted in colours of haunting old gold. It is to honour a priest who no longer walks this planet due to a senseless incident. The figure is clad in a flowing ankle length robe. The sculpted face is familiar to those who had known him. His signature ghost of a smile is depicted correctly is what anyone who knew him would say. On the left hand, the statue holds a Holy Bible. On the right hand is a basketball, cradled fondly to tell the world the man and the game were synonymous. It whispers in all simplicity whose statue it is ...

Sep 29, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Batticaloa, Capt Elmo Jayawardena, Fr Eugene J Hebert, Joseph Christie, Sri Lanka

T Malli – He heard his last whistle – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena “Theresius (T Malli) Silva” I first met T Malli in the basketball court of St Sebastian’s College. I was the coach yet did not know how to tell him politely that he had no business playing basketball, being height challenged as he was. But then, he was T Malli, a determined man who bucked the odds all his life, won some, lost some but had the courage to get on with his life, undaunted. He was mostly a bencher in the team, hardly getting on to the tarmac. But he was always there, the perfect teammate, to cheer, to give water and occasionally play too as a worrisome guard. The team won the All-Island Schools Basketball Championship and T Malli stood on the victory platform. They were then chosen to play in a tournament in India and ...

Aug 20, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged All-Island Schools Basketball Championship, Basketball, Capt Elmo Jayawardena, Sri Lankan, St. Sebastian’s College, T Malli, The Moratuwa YMCA, Theresius

Prologue – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena “The Incredible Rescue” is a true story. It was written by the co-pilot of the flight Capt Shelton Goonewardeana. He is 97 years old and lives in Marawila. ‘Sinhabahu’ and ‘Terry’ in the story is him. Capt Emil Jayawardena was my father and off and on I heard this Madras story. Mr John Vethavanam was the Radio Officer (father of Capt Duleep Vethavanam.) Miss Cynthia Phillips was the flight Stewardess. In my humble opinion this really was an incredibly crazy operation planned and flown by Capt Emil and his crew. Yes, some would say they broke every rule in the book. Who am I to judge? The scales of justice at times have to be tempered with mercy and kindness and a whole lot of madness. There were 17 film people who boarded the plane on the taxiway close to the end of runway 25. ...

Jul 11, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Capt Elmo Jayawardena, Capt Shelton Goonewardeana

Save the last dance for me-By Capt Elmo Jayawardena Source:Island A few months ago, I was in Hong Kong, visiting a well-known charity organisation called Crossroads. It was to seek assistance for a project in Sri Lanka. Crossroads has an enormous warehouse filled to the brim with anything and everything; ready to be sent to places where people in need plead. The store surroundings looked familiar. Then I realised I was standing where the old Kai Tak airport was, now pastured and replaced by the glamour of the new Hong Kong International Airport. Yes, I have been here before, many a time at that, bringing jet aeroplanes into land on runway 13, turning at the famous Chequered Board at 600 feet and pointing at the short runway besieged by the sea. The final turn and approach was made between sky-scrapers that stood on either side, like sentinels, and one could ...

Jul 6, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Chequered Board, Kai Tak Airport

ERADICATING FOL TOPPI AND FAN CAKE – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena CandleAid started a new project. We have an ’Out of the Box’ program to teach English to anyone who wants to learn. It is an 8 week course and another 8 weeks of advanced training. The total is 4 months. We have planned its contents and the first batch of 6 has finished and so has the 2nd batch of 6. The ones who went through the whole course and successfully leart to speak English were 5. 7 fell off on the wayside, maybe they learnt something. The 5 who passed speak and write better English than I ever expected. jwe are now on the look out to share this course with others. The course is given to any one and it is free. Every week the students do the following. 1/ Write an essay of minimum 100 words ...

Jun 26, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Advanced training, English, speak English, teach English

Nadeesha from Tangalla – by Elmo Jayawardena Nadeesha from Tangalla, 34 years and two children, the husband a labourer, had her leg amputated above the knee for cancer. The husband had no money to feed the children. The amputation was done in the Colombo hospital and they had no way to get back to Tangalla other than by bus. That same evening I was in Melbourne and I had a visitor. An old friend from my younger days. When leaving he gave me some money, quite a lot, and said “Elmo Aiyata Ona deyak karanna” He knew about CandleAid and knew we worked with the poor. Dil immediately got on her computer and transferred the money to CandleAid and that was for Nadeesha and family. That money was used to hire a car for Nadeesha to go home. There was a balance, that will be used to buy them food. The ...

May 19, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Nadeesha from Tangalla

Andy Roberts – As it happened – By Captain Elmo Jayawardena I knew Andy from years gone by. No one bothered with his real name, he was simply Andy Roberts, of course connected in some wav to cricket and the West Indian fast bowler. Andy’s mother, Cicilin, worked for Aunty Dee, job description, Major Domo in the kitchen, plus all the chores that went with a middle class home in the sixties. Big, charcoal black, that was Cicilin, hefty as a hippo, with a smile that sprouted through toothless gums and an abundance of breast that over flowed out of size forty two. Cicilin was ramrod at Dee’s home, duties including everything, plus occasionally spanking the little masters of the house hold. This was Sri Lanka, sans wars and turmoil, times of life in a lighter shade , slow lane and lazy stuff, where laughter came easy and plenty to ...

May 14, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged "CRICKET, Andy Roberts, International cricketer

Rata Yana Grandmothers – By Capt Elmo Jayawardena Remember the bygone years! Daughters got married and became pregnant a few rounds more than the current rate. The average production line extended to a foursome. Some even went further, “A” team types and came close to two digit figures of adding new inhabitants to walk the planet. Today the story is different. “One is enough and he will get all we have,” is quite a common comment and a few over-step the planned reproduction limitations purely by accident and reach the second round. Either way the count is kept low relative to the statistics of the previous generations. Thank God. Let’s make a few comparisons, I do recall the yesteryear, same show, as common as grass blades. The drum major of a mother-in-law invaded and took over the whole show, lock stock and cradle. Of course she did not come alone ...

Apr 29, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Capt Elmo Jayawardena Tagged Grandmothers