The non-conformist with a passion for life

Jude Ratnayeke passed away recently after a brief illness. He was a non-conformist to the last—a hallmark of his character.

He was born to a conservative Catholic family from Ja-ela. The tradition of the Ratnayeke family was to groom one of the siblings into the priesthood, and his entering the seminary was envisaged by his family. However, his reading of the scripture and quotes from the Bible by memory were at times considered unholy to the layman. Thus he took to a more rugged profession as a tea planter in the Finlays Group during the latter period of colonial ownership of plantations. He broke tradition by getting married to Rani Rajapakse who was from a Sinhalese Buddhist family. His primary education was at St. Benedict’s College where he excelled as an athlete.

I had the privilege of working with Jude during the latter part of his career, as Executive Director in the Management Team of Richard Peiris Plantations, where his twin brother Paul Ratnayake was the Deputy Chairman.

His passion for the fast life included Formula 1 racing and he would never miss watching a race during the season. A few days before he passed away, he was most disappointed when Louis Hamilton did not win the Formula 1 World Championship.

As a planter, he was recognized for his excellent knowledge and integrity.

Dr. Rohan Fernando who was a contemporary of his has this to say:

“I came to know Jude in the mid 1990s when he was Superintendent of Mohamedi Estate in the Kalutara district. Jude was a colourful personality, who added a lot of fun and laughter to our group of planters in Kalutara at that time. He was fun loving, well read and had a wealth of knowledge in different fields. His command of the English language was impeccable. He could quote from different people at will, putting many of us to shame.

Many of us used to gather at the Tebuwana Club in Kalutara most of the time seated around the bar and our conversations went on to the wee hours of the morning. Most often, Jude was the centre of many of the conversations as he loved to challenge your thinking and argue on any matter.

Jude was most importantly a loyal and steadfast friend who would stand by you mostly when the chips were down. I know how he and a few other planter colleagues used to band together during the dark days of the JVP insurrection. Those who worked with him on his estate learnt more than ABCs of planting due to his multi-faceted character.’

After retirement, he mostly lived with his beloved sister Nimal and brother-in-law S.L. Gunasekera.

Jude’s daughters Avanti and Dilini and his wife Joanne were at his bedside when he passed away peacefully. His four-year-old grandnephew Eran, who received a telescope as a Christmas gift says he spotted Jude as a “shining star” through his telescope.

Goodbye my friend. Ravi Kumararatne