“DBU DEBUT” – by Des Kelly

For what it is worth, firstly, my grateful thanks to Anne Williams who always “posts” some very interesting subjects worthy of even more perusal than normal, this one, about Dutch & Portugese Burghers combined.

Secondly, the “emblem” connected with her story fascinated me, and I would love to have a copy of it, especially drawn for a photo-gallery on my ipad. Therefore, a “bcc” copy of this particular story goes out to my friend & yours, Maxwell Gerreyn, who, like Anne, myself, and many others are of extremely doubtful Ancestry qualifications. As the Editor of this superb website for Lankan Patriots everywhere, E’LANKA”, I am sure that I have encouraged all my Lankan friends (including Anne Williams) to become members, if only to read all this interesting stuff that comes up, from time to time. This time, once again, it’s all about “Burgher-Buggers”, and who better to start off with, than your’s truly ??.

Kelly, this is my real name folks. My paternal grandfather Jack Kelly was born in Dublin, Ireland, a typical blue-eyed Irishman, who loved to drink anything except water, married firstly, a Scottish lady, Anne Kynoch, then, after she had sadly passed on, decided to migrate to Ceylon, where he met my beautiful grandmother Marion Foenander (Ancestry unknown), who bore him two girls, and one boy, my dad, Robert Carl (Carlo) Kelly.

Carlo then met my mum Gwendolyn (Lynn) Kriekenbeek, and married her, so, here is where the known Ancestry comes in. Mum was a true “Dutchie”, whose Uncle, was actually a Founder-member of the Dutch East India Company who came to Ceylon in search of spices, then decided that this was where he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

While the Kriekenbeeks were fully accepted by the Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon, at the time, and my mum’s name and heritage goes back many centuries, simply because “Dutchies” in general, kept detailed accounts of their lives, where they lived, where they migrated to, etcetera, she was a true Dutch-Burgher, whereas the Kelly’s in general, just wanted to enjoy life, without any detailed history to worry about, the D.B.U. did not accept them into their journals, even though I well remember my grandad working AT their office in Bambalapitiya, we, the Kellys might have been Aliens, as far as the D.B.U. were concerned.

This true story will possibly tempt many of the readers of e’ Lanka to go into their ancestry, and, if so, WHY NOT ??.

Desmond Kelly.

(Editor-in-Chief) eLanka.