A gentle giant in the accounting world

Having joined Ford, Rhodes, forerunner to KPMG to serve articles in January 1966, with a distinguished cadre including S.Velupillai-Chief Partner, N.G.P. Panditharatne, A. Karunalingam, W.G. Boteju and N.M. Lakdawella , G.C.B. Wijesinghe was the “blue- eyed” man of the Chief Partner and was our Staff Partner, chosen for his professionalism, demeanor and critical ability to command respect of all.

The qualified assistants at that time were mostly London CA’s like S. Ramanathan, Jimmy Billimoria, M. Mansoor besides our Ford Rhodes Sydney Fernando etc.

Being the son of E.C.B. Wijesinghe of “Well Mudaliyar” fame from Kynsey Terrace, G.C.B. represented Royal College under Lalith Hewavitharane in the losing side at the Royal-Thomian in 1952, opening the pace attack with T. Nirmalingam, playing with Frecko Krelshiem, Ubhaya De Silva, S.S. Jayawickrema and A.B. Van Twest etc.

A little known fact was that in 1960, GCB captained the Ford, Rhodes Cricket Team which won the Mercantile E Division with the likes of K. Ariyachandran, N.M. Ladawella and Sydney Fernando etc.

G.C.B. was the first Fulbright schol- ar from Sri Lanka and during his nearly 50 years at KPMG was the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, President of OPA, Council Member of the Commonwealth Association of Corporate Governance and was also on the External Audit Committee of the Central Bank. He was of late honoured for his lasting contribution to the Institute of Chartered Accountants along with K. Kailasapillai and Hemaka Amerasuriya.

I had the privilege to have hosted G.C.B. on his visits to New York where I took him, along with my wife, to see “Mama-Mia”, and as requested, to the Sri Lanka Association picnic and cricket match in Denville, New Jersey and also for dinner at the home of Ford Rhodes alumni Jehan Raheem, Tissa Dharmagunaratne and Buddhi Abeysekera, where to the accompaniment of Melani Babapulle, G.C.B. broke out to sing lustily the eternal favourite, “My Way “.

To his beloved wife, Eustelle nee Abeysundere and beloved daughters Rukshika, Varini and Dipika, my heartfelt condolences.

May the turf lie gently on this gentle giant.