A tree that provided shelter to many

On May 24, 2015 when Godwin Perera passed away, Rev. Father Chriso said how lucky he was to have breathed his last on Pentecost Sunday. Yes, amidst prayers and hymns that he liked best during the month of May Novenas and the recitation of the Rosary, he passed away peacefully.

God must have thought that such a good person should not go on more, so tired that he was. So he was welcomed to His Home, prepared for him with angels by his side. Although he looked hale and hearty only the death certificate reveals how much pain he had endured so cheerfully.

God will reward him abundantly for being a devoted husband, loving father, a father in law, grandfather, brother, relative and friend. He served everybody selflessly and dutifully. Even his clients were looked after very well.

Just a few days before his father’s death, may be through premonition he was asked to take the responsibility of his family which was a huge task. But he fulfilled it to the letter. He was a tower of strength, a huge tree to take shelter under, especially when anyone was in trouble.

It was when he was the

It has been two years since he left us suddenly on that fateful day, leaving a big vacuum in our families.

His demise came fast though we wished for him to live longer, after his kidney surgery which was done successfully one year ago. But everything changed unexpectedly, when he was hospitalised after a sudden sickness causing pneumonia. He passed away within a week. His demise was a shock to everyone who wondered why such a thing happened to a person like Erantha.

He was a live-wire among the family members with his powerful voice and singing talent and jovial personality, always maintaining family links.

However Erantha was not President of the OBA of St. Aloysius’ College Galle that he fell ill seriously. But even then every event that was scheduled for the year was done under his guidance from his sick bed. People who came to pay their last respects spoke of his golden heart filled with generosity which even I did not know about. Jesus said, “do not your left hand know what your right hand is doing…”.

Some said, he was the only one to say a witty word at their political meetings He was very faithful to his green party.

He had his entire education at St Aloysius’ College where his father was the Principal of the Primary and mother a teacher, under the strict discipline of Jesuit priests. He entered the University of Peradeniya where after his graduation he was a teacher for eleven and a half years. His students who came to pay last respects were full of praises for him. In the meantime he graduated in Law, passed the Attorney’s finals and entered the Bar. He excelled as a criminal lawyer for nearly 38 years fearful of death since he was of good faith and believed in God almighty, being a devout Christian. Erantha loved life, but always knew his limits and was generous and helpful to all in need. He enjoyed travelling upcountry with his team that his job entailed at “Astrons” as a marketer of pharmaceutical products. He enjoyed his job with true commitment achieving targets given by the company, and working for 20 long years. He was loved by his office colleagues being one of the organisers for their gettogethers, picnics, christmas parties etc.

He was always concerned about his wife Menik, son Senuksha and daughter Tharini gaining the highest respect from the Bar and the Bench equally. He was dedicated to his clients, helpful to the juniors and so courteous and polite to the judges. This was quite evident at He was a devout Catholic, honest and loyal. He stood firmly if anything that was said or done against the church, his own school or the Sacred Heart Convent Galle where our daughters studied.

Even when it was so difficult he tried to recite the Rosary with us just two days before he passed away. His last word to all of us were, ‘God bless you’ which still ring in our ears and a very special blessings for all of us.

He was a loving, caring husband, father and father in law, grandfather, brother, loving uncle to all his nieces and nephews and a faithful friend to all. Words cannot say how much we miss him since the huge tree which gave us everything is no more.

May the Almighty God keep him in His safe arms till all of us meet again one day. where ever he went and took time to be at home and spend weekends with them. He was also concerned about his brothers and their families and made it a point to meet them often.

Dearest, you have left us with such lovely sweet memories not just of yourself and family but of all the good you did and the wonderful person you were. Those sweet memories carry a long way with our family members and your close friends as well, until we meet again on that beautiful shore.

Thank you Lord Jesus for keeping him in your safe hands.

May his soul rest in peace. Praise the Lord!

It has been 22 years since my father passed away on April 2, 1994. He was 72 years. I believe that a personality of that calibre needs to be recorded for the benefit of others. He had many facets to his personality as a well cut and polished gem. He was born in Eluwapola of Kuliyapitiya, the third child in a rural family of 12 children.

After school he had been selected to the Royal Army during the world war, but decided not to join. My memories of him go back to when he was a member of the village council. He energetically served people in the village at a time when rural villages had minimum facilities in the 1960s. He made wells, supplied houses to the poor and started the Ihala Diyadora cooperative society. People were appreciative of his 40 years of service as a village councilor.

One of the uncommon things done

Aloy was my only brother. With only two years between us, we grew up together, went to school together, played together – and got into trouble together! As teenagers, we went to St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa. They were happy carefree days but it was soon clear that Aloy was not destined for an academic career. However, Aloy was an able athlete and his prowess as a sprinter won him the Under 19 Champion of the Year award in 1948. All his life he was keen on playing sport - one of his favourites was badminton, which he played with his erstwhile neighbours, the Cooray girls.

That is where he met Chrissy, his wife and soul-mate – a clear case of game, set and match! They were married in 1958 and Aloy proved to be a loving husband to Chrissy and a devoted father to Sandra, Jeff (and daughter-in-law Tamara) and Keith and grandfather to Aloysius (Jnr.) and Annamarie.

After he left school, Aloy did his Chartered Secretaries and spent a brief sojourn with the family flagship, F.X.Pereira and Sons. Ltd. but found it too stifling because the boardroom was packed to the gunwales with his uncles and senior cousins. His spirit of enterprise was bubbling over to run his own by him was the asweddumising of a paddy field. Following in the steps of our forefathers, he asweddumised a large paddy field named Kubukkele at Diyadora in the Kuliyapitiya electorate. He also made a water pond as a reservoir for paddy fields in Thawallegedera. He said that he was very happy because this would yield paddy for people for another thousand years in this country. He raised his voice against insecticides and artificial fertilizers, but no one listened at that time.

He was a practical Buddhist who believed that the true Buddhist should engage in discipline (sila), donation (dhana) and meditation. I have seen him criticizing people who are more interested in rituals than true Buddhist practice.

He was an activist against all forms of alcohol and drugs. He advised youths and adults in the area to refrain show which is what he did when he set up his own humble agency called Bromidon Silvex and Co around 1961 to sell photographic paper.

Over the next 50 years or so, he had the distinction of seeing it grow into a major trading house in Sri Lanka where he acted as sole agent for several multinational companies mostly in the plastics industry- plastic polymer raw material as well as processing machinery. His first major breakthrough came in 1980 when he was appointed sole agent for Sri Lanka for Himont, a US/Italian giant who was the world’s largest manufacturer of Polypropylene resin. In 1995, Himont merged with Shell. The new Super Colossus was called “Montell” and Aloy was still retained as agent because he had this unique quality of earning the trust and respect of these multinationals. He was quite unconventional in his personal contact but what came through was his honesty and his integrity. The proof of the pud- from taking alcohol and drugs. He was a role model to me and advised me not to touch alcohol. Amazingly, he made me draw anti alcohol posters when I was an eight-year-old boy in year three of the school. That may have been a reason why I was compelled to start a clinic on my own for alcoholics for the first time in the area at the Base Hospital Kuliyapitiya in 1992 when I was working there as the District Medical Officer. That energized me to conduct similar clinics later in other areas of the country, in Anuradhapura, Kegalle, Kalutara and continue up to today at NHSL as a psychiatrist.

He was a very gifted singer. He was a very popular vocalist at musical shows, dansalas and other social occasions in the area. People were impressed by his ability to sing old songs like “Silumini seeya wadim…., Namu gilee hadapane” in a manner ding was that he was selling Polypropylene by the container load - 3,500 tonnes in 1995 viz. 33.8% of the total market.

Aloy was also the agent for Reliance Plastics of India selling PVC. He was the personal friend of Mr. Ambani, Founder and CEO, who is a “Legend in his own life-time.” When Ambani’s son had his wedding, Aloy and Chrissy were invited to a reception which was held in a Sports Stadium!

Two other major agencies were Cincinnati Milacron and Starlinger GmbH of Austria, two world renowned suppliers of plastics extrusion lines and bag weaving machinery. In 1999, Aloy (Bromidon Silvex and Co.) was awarded the “Iron-Man” trophyfor excellence in marketing by Cincinnati Milacron GmbH.

At the other end of the Spectrum, Aloy enjoyed a close rapport with all the major industrialists in Sri Lanka. His clientele included Nawaloka Industries, St. Anthony’s Industries, KG Plastics, Phoenix very similar to the original singer.

His willingness to share his knowledge and skills with others was another quality in his life. He was a karate master and taught youths in the village free.

His mother had already donated land and a field to the village temple, the Lokananda maha pirivena at Weekande and he managed it for the temple till his death.

After the his death, the chief priest of the area, Ramannya Nikikaye Anunayake Most Venerable Halpanvila Dammrathne Thera had advised the principal of Diyadora Vidyalaya that children should take part in the funeral as he had been a member of first School Development Council and had helped the chief priest to start this school amidst a lot of political suppression.

May he attain Nibbana! Industries, Polypak Secco, etc. From the Galle Face Green on, Aloy walked into their hearts and confidence.

Aloy derived steady, reliable support from his wife, Chrissy, who was his business partner who stood by him through thick and thin. In 1989, I became a freelance consultant and that is when I joined my brother, Aloy as the technical arm of the partnership, operating from the UK. My (modest) contribution was mostly related to the annual Montell Regional Conferences which were held in various, sun-soaked resorts in South East Asia. Memories come flooding back of the happy times that Bernice and I spent with Aloy and Chrissy for 10 years running.

To sum it all, Aloy was a great character and entrepreneur extraordinaire that all of his family can be proud of. Although he was not an ostentatious Catholic, he was a devout one. We now pray that the good lord will grant him his just reward in the next world. May God rest his soul.