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WITHIN REACH OF THE BEACH – BY Des Kelly From my very early days in Ceylon, as it was then called, we were nearly always within reach of a beach, somewhere. Starting with Moratuwa, the wide, beautiful, sandy beach, leading out to the magnificent Indian Ocean, was within a stone’s throw. I still remember the “catches” of thousands of the smaller fish variety actually spread-out on the beach to dry, before being sent out to be turned into the tasty morsels of “dry-fish”, enjoyed by thousands of folk who lived there. I remember being taken down to the beach by my dad who also enjoyed going out to watch the fishermen, back from their very early hours of fishing on what were known as “Catamarans” singing “Ho-di helei heleiya” as they manually hauled these flimsy-looking home-made craft, back onto the beach in order to secure them there, mend damaged “nets” in preparation for ...