Mr Christopher Greet – Personal Life History
Christopher Greet – A Synopsis
Christopher Arthur Greet was an announcer and presenter of radio programmes with Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Chris Greet enjoyed iconic status alongside other announcers of Radio Ceylon. Millions tuned into the radio station.
Chris Greet later worked as an account director at Intasel Advertising, 60 Green Path, Colombo 7, in 1978. He was also a freelance copywriter and radio announcer recording commercials for Sri Lankan advertising agencies in the early 1980s.
Chris Greet is also a distinguished actor. One of his earliest roles was as a British officer in the wartime epic film The Bridge on the River Kwai with Sir Alec Guinness, which was filmed in Ceylon. Chris Greet also appeared in several plays in Colombo alongside great Ceylonese actors such as Lucien de Zoysa and Eddie Nathanielz.
Greet has also appeared in many UK plays, films and television comedy programmes, most notably working with Victoria Wood on the sitcom Dinnerladies.
It is the days when Chris could be heard on Radio Ceylon for which people still recall his voice. Below is an excerpt from the Life Story being prepared by Neil Caves, a volunteer at the care home where Chris now resides. This is part of the work that is used to recall memories and to trigger happy times in peoples lives.
Ceylon Radio
Radio Ceylon Presenters in the early days of Ceylon Radio included……….Livy Wijemanne, Pearl Ondaatje, Tim Horshington, Greg Roskowski, Jimmy Bharucha, Mil Sansoni, Eardley Peiris,Shirley Perera, Bob Harvie, Chris Greet, Prosper Fernando, Ameen Sayani (of Binaca Geet Mala fame), S.P. Mylvaganam (the first Tamil Announcer on the Commercial Service), H.M.Gunasekera
Christopher was instrumental in launching the singing career of Des Kelly, now living and entertaining in Australia.
Below is an extract from an email / letter from Des Kelly to Neil Caves telling about Christopher’s time on Ceylon Radio
Chris & I were very good friends in the 1950’s after we first met at Radio Ceylon, where I had my very first “Radio Interview” with Vernon Corea & featured on “Spotlight”.
Chris was then a budding “Presenter” on the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon. He was a really great guy, already extremely talented as a “Compere” for the dozens of concerts held in Colombo at the time.
Chris decided to be my “Manager” and actually also the Producer of my first professional recording of “Dream-World”. I will never forget the car that Chris used to pick me up in, for rehearsals, etc., He had picked up a “bomb” of a “Mayflower” automobile which would regularly “breakdown” and Chris would dismount, kick the tyres (to no effect), then tell me, “don’t worry Desmond, she may-flower again. The popularity of Dream-World could be attributed in no small measure, to Chris. He “booked” an old, somewhat run-down “studio” in Colpetty C/W an old piano and when the “Semitones”, my backing trio, Chris & Gerry Crake (who played piano), turned up, it was raining buckets, the roof of the “studio” was leaking, the “Producer” – Chris – helped to push the piano to where it wasn’t getting a bath and so we recorded the song I had dedicated to Maureen (Neliya) Hingert. Chris WILL also remember that when we recorded that song, we always had fun. Maybe, that is why it became so popular. Chris was the one who took the very first copies of the recording to “The Childrens’ Bookshop” and helped Gerald Wicramasooriya to “sell” the first copy to the Public. Christopher Greet will be very proud to know that the “song” he “produced” is still popular, over 50 years, in fact, it is now considered “Perennial”.
As far as I am concerned, Chris “MUSIC IS THE FOOD OF LIFE”.
Des Kelly
