Abey had a liking to do Medicine
The news of the passing away of a friend of over six decades can only be received with profound sorrow heightened with reflection of some aspects of the departed friends’ life and softened with thoughts on some shared experiences.
So it was when I heard about the death of S. Abeykone, my contemporary at Richmond.
Abey was a product of Richmond College during the heyday of the E.R. De Silva Shelton Weerasinghe combination as Principal and VicePrincipal the former taught him Maths and the latter English.
Of course their influence extended beyond the classrooms and the subject matter. They set the tone of the school, its very atmosphere was impregnated with their culture and values. For both Abey had an abiding affection till the very end.
In one of his last telephone calls he mentioned how he saw Mr. Weerasinghe in a dream and felt that he himself was in heaven.
Abey pursued studies in the Science medium and had an obsession for Medicine. In spite of his great commitment he could not get through the needles eye to pursue medical studies in the only faculty of the time. His commitment was however, to medical studies and not to one school thereof.
Hence there was no avenue he spared-not even Ayurvedha. Ultimately his efforts were rewarded when he gained entry to a medical school in Calcutta - facilitated by the good offices of the Metropolitan Bishop the Rev. Lakdasa de Mel. While in India he completed a full University course in Homeopathy as well thus becoming one of the few Sri Lankans to be fully qualified in both branches of medicine.abey had established for himself a good practice In Calcutta city in spite of an intense competition when he took too seriously a request from the Health Minister of the time to serve his country. On his return he immediately ran into road blocks the medical bureaucracy was well known for and was even driven to litigation with the Medical Council to win his right to practice.
He subsequently joined the Health Service and served in several hospitals, earning a well deserved reputation for patient care and strict administration for the benefit of patients-as one would expect from such a dedicated medical man. He retired as DMO Embilipitiya and made Embilipitiya his home continuing to serve the area to the very last.
Abey was always a disciplined person at peace with himself and the world .His wife who shared his life both in India and Sri Lanka and his two children sustained him especially at the time he encountered a serious health problem - which he overcame with great courage and patience. May they draw inspiration from his life to face their life ahead without his guiding hand.
May he attain the Bliss of Nibbana.