Steadfast in faith and living with charity
away of Brian’s father in the early sixties, his mother and sister Lorraine too migrated to Australia. Brian and Joan became the representatives of the family in
Sri Lanka. Nigel a son, and Karen a daughter completed their family.
Brian climbed to the top, at the
Bank of Ceylon which had with the passing of time set up its Headquarters at the building of the Grand Oriental Hotel, Fort. As a banker, Brian specialised in the agricultural sector serving a couple of years in Chilaw. He also benefitted from overseas postings in Lesotho and Tanzania.
Later, because of his experience, he received overseas assignments from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Rome. When he retired from the Bank of Ceylon it was at a Deputy General Manager level. With the passing of the years, Brian had unfortunately developed an eye disease, which took him for treatment to Singapore, on at least seven occasions. During this period, he also used to visit Australia Unfortunately, the eye specialists were not successful in saving the sight in one of his eyes.
However, this did not deter him from his favourite pastime – reading. Brian, until almost recently, used to borrow books from the British Council and Public Libraries.
As one deep in his religious convictions, Brian would in retirement, combine his daily walk with offering daily Mass at St. Lawrence’s Church, Wellawatte usually. He was also on the Committee at St. Lawrence’s to determine the distribution of assistance to impoverished families in the parish.
For Brian, service to his Creator, through his neighbour, was a routine activity. I had, since retirement in December ‘97 moved to Anuradhapura from Colombo. Since then, Brian would be the first to visit me, whenever I was in Colombo for medical reasons usually.
Brian and Joan, along with Nigel were the first of my relations to visit me after I had made Anuradhapura my place of retirement. They arrived one morning bearing a bumper Christmas hamper in a large presentation box, which is still with me.
Steadfast in faith, living with charity, Brian is certainly already rewarded in eternity, with what he hoped for.
Well done, Brian! A race very well run.