WHO KILLED ILEX PERERA IS STILL A MYSTERY …

Ilex Perera was a born achiever, a great family man. And from very humble beginnings, he became a millionaire businessman from Dehiyagatha, Ja-ela who lived like a poor person in his outlook but with a a very good heart. He was a greatly talented person on and off the field in whatever he did, was a musician, a sportsman, and a soldier with an immense talent during his services as an able seaman with the Sri Lanka Navy. He represented Navy in Rugby, played in the Navy band, and was in the Navy Boxing Team, with flying colours, and a member of the sea protecting gun boats division namely Balawatha during his venture at S L Navy. In the first year in Navy’s entry to A Division Rugby under Hooker Ilex Perera’s leadership in 1976, S L Navy became the runners up to powerful Havelock’s side which comprised of seven to eight Sri Lanka players in the Clifford Cup final.

On their way to the final they beat CH & FC and CR & FC too. He represented CR & FC as hooker in A Division Rugby for a few months before he hung his boots prematurely to earn his living by saying to play rugby and enjoy was not in his calendar, because he did not have money to join with rugby’s elite at that time.

He was a great boxer too and became the Defence Services Best Boxer and a member of the Navy band under Captain Premalal Danwatte and as a sailor he sailed with Lanka Rani too. He was a fearless person who always said ‘I will never give into anyone who tries to force me to do wrong to anyone, or never will anyone get anything from me forcibly.’

He was gunned down on July 28, 2014 near Tudella, exactly two years ago, on his way to a Ja-ela bank on his moped, with his wife and 2 to 3 lakhs cash and some cheques to deposit. He was blocked by two persons on a motor bike, and an assailant with a sophisticated weapon (the gun which was supposed to the carried by high security personnel), who fired the first shot into the tyre of his tiny moped (which everyone thought was a cheap joke to make such a small robbery) to show he was armed with live bullets and asked for the bag to be handed over. Then sensing the danger of both he and his wife being gunned down he sacrificed his own life trying to protect his beloved wife from certain death, as he has jumped on to the assailant and fought with him taking all remaining 5 bullets to his body.

Ilex Perera died after admission to the Ragama Hospital due to the ruptured main valve under his heart.

Hope that the killers will be brought to justice soon. May his soul rest in peace.

On the rugby scene Navy another Club that was made a Constitutional club along with Police, Army and Air Force, in 1974 emulated the Army and Air Force who were the 1975 Cup finalists by entering the Clifford Cup finals in 1976 against the Havelocks.

The Captain of the Navy team was hooker Ilex Perera and he had in his team players who took to rugby only after joining the Navy. Ilex Perera, the skipper, had his education at Christ King College, Tudella and he too learnt the rudiments of rugby in the Navy. His team had Radhakrishnan, Anthony, N.K Nandasiri, L.P Perera, H. A Ramanayake, T. M. N Sheriffdeen, P. L .B Nandasiri, V.C Perera, Nazeer, Somapala Perera, Gunawansawaidyaratne, M.T.S.R Perera and Bin Galiph who were all new to rugby. Post By S Sivendran: Ilex Perera was a born achiever, a great family man, from very humble beginnings, he became a millionaire businessman from Dehiyagatha, Ja-ela who lived like a poor person in his outlook but with a a very good heart