Obituary: Trevor Rajaratnam – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.
It is with profound grief I was informed of the sudden passing of Trevor Rajaratnam who was an outstanding Cricketer at Colts Cricket Club in Sri Lanka.
He was a key member of a formidable Colts club as a clever and facinating spinner, playing alongside some greats of the club such as Roy Dias, Duleep Mendis the recently deceased Gary de Silva, Bernard Rulach, Kumar Ramanathan and some others during my reporting career in Sri Lanka.
After an illustrious cricketing career, he made inroads into Travel and related tourism projects in Sri Lanka that contributed hugely to the country’s economy. His involvement in travel spanned five decades.
He was highly respected in his input into travel and tourism and soon established himself as a go to man for all things travel. But his connection to sport and cricket was always a link to everything team related.
This experience was to benefit his old club Colts, and an extension was Havelocks Rugby Club adjoining his cricketing exploits in which he soon got involved in administrative roles. Rugby was his other passion after his involvement at an early age, at school level.
He held several important positions in the Sri Lanka Cricket board and was an outspoken defender of the players at committee meetings.
My connection with Trevor was on a personal level where we hung out as young men. We would visit each other’s homes and his brother Russell was another that bonded as a clan in Dehiwala.
St. Mary’s Church in Dehiwala was our early hang out. We would play table tennis, softball cricket, and other activities as local kids.
He was a personal friend of my ex brother- in -law Allan Varney, the late Ralph Wickrematilleke, and the late Stephen De Niese all who visited our home while Allan courted my sister Ingrid.
Trevor among all else was a down to earth selfless individual loved by anyone who knew him. He made friends easily and interacted with people from all walks of life.
He left an indelible mark on the World and his demise leaves a huge void that will be hard to fill.
May the turf he so loved lay lightly on him.
Rest in peace mate.
