A surveyor who made the country proud

It was three months yesterday (January 25) since the passing away of a great human being respected by all.

Dr. Samson Herat was the first Surveyor General of Sri Lanka produced from Trinity College Kandy. Born on October 28,1934 to George and Sriya Herat, a Kandyan family who lived in Kandy, he was the eldest child in the family of six (three sons and three daughters ). Dr. Herat spent his entire childhood in Kandy and had the luxury of living close to the Kandy lake in a beautiful environment close to nature. Walking round the lake, visits to the hilly areas above the Raja Pihilla Mawatha, Udawattekelle, Bahirawakanda and Hanthana Hill were the order of the day for a healthy life.

He was fortunate to have associated with children in the surrounding villages and schoolmates of different ethnicities and religious backgrounds. This was the secret of his success story.

Samson Herat had his early education at the best school of all - Trinity College Kandy. He was a firm believer of the school motto “RESPICE FINEM “- “Look to the end” and lived up to the traditions of the school. While having his primary education at Trinity he was under the stewardship of the then principal Rev. R.W. Stopford who had a distinguished career at Oxford. His next spell, the secondary education was under the stewardships of C.E. Simithraaratchy and

N.S. Walter .

During this period Dr. Herat had an excellent academic career and excelled in his studies with the guidance provided by the two vice principals Gordon Burrows and G.Y. Sahayam. In 1948 & 1949 at the G. C. E. ( O. L.) stage Dr Herat won the Mathematics prize. In 1950 & 1952 at the A.L. stage he won the Mathematics & Physics prizes. He along with fellow batch mate Mahinda Kehelpannala passed the University Entrance Examination in 1952 and gained entry to the Science Faculty of the University of Ceylon Peradeniya. Some of his other colleagues at Trinity were Kavan Rambukwella (sportsman), J.C.Rassiah, B.R.Hepponstall and L.Y.Wickramaratne, (academics)

Having gone through a distinguished academic career in the university earning a BSc. Honours degree in mathematics he later joined the Ceylon Survey Department as an Assistant Surveys Superintendent. His father George Herat too happened to be a surveyor.

As colleagues who worked with Dr Herat in the Survey Department and the Sabaragamuwa University, Sarath Jayatilaka (Deputy Surveyor General ), Neil Seneviratne (Surveyor General) & Dr. H.I.M. Prasanna, (Dean Faculty of Geomatics, Sabaragamuwa University) say, Dr. S. T. Herat was one of the most illustrious surveyors Sri Lanka had ever produced. He was a friend and mentor to many people.

While working as an Assistant Surveys Superintendent he obtained his post graduate training at the University of London in the United Kingdom and later obtained his Master’s Degree from Ohio University in the US.

Dr. Herat was in charge of the Survey Departments Aerial Survey Section and was responsible in introducing “Strip Triangulation” for photogrammetric plotting. He was also responsible for developing the computer division of the Survey Department and as a skilled programmer who specialized in Fortran developed least square solutions to deal with several problematic issues in the department. He also served at the National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada to work on Computer Sciences and its applications in Geodesy & Photogrammetry. Dr. Herat was a great mathematician who developed programmers for projects that focused on Jethawanaramaya Temple in Anuradhapura, underground tunnels in Polgolla / Bowatenna / Maskeliya. He also worked with Mahaweli Minister Gamini Dissanayake on the accelerated Mahaweli project. The Victoria project, Randenigala / Rantambe project, Maduru Oya project were some projects where he was actively involved.

Dr. Herat rose to the top position of Surveyor General in Sri Lanka and was the first Trinitian to hold this post. He also held key responsibilities in different Government and research organizations. He functioned as a director of the National Hydrographic office & ESCAP Regional remote sensing programme, was a member of the Arthur C. Clarke Centre, Young Astronomers Association of Sri Lanka, Steering Committee of the Central Cultural Fund, of the Governing Board of the National Aquatic Resources & Development Agency and Surveyors Institute of Sri Lanka.

Dr. Herat also provided his expertise internationally serving in the National Survey Directorate in Bahrain. He was also an advisor to the Sri Lankan team engaged in the demarcation of the Maritime boundaries between Sri Lanka and India including the Katchthativu Island and also Maldives. He served as a visiting lecturer for Geodesy & Photogrammetry at the Gulf Technical College in Bahrain, University of Moratuwa, University of Sri Jayewardenepura and the Institute of Surveying & Mapping Diyathalawa and was valued by the respective institutes and the students who followed the lectures. On retirement, he joined the Sabaragamuwa University as a senior lecturer and supported the institution to set up its Survey Faculty.

He was one of the most respected personalities in the field and always contributed to enhance the standards of the profession. In December 2014 at the general convocation of the Sabaragamuwa University, Samson Theodore Herat was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in recognition of the services rendered by him for his motherland and its citizens.

I came to know the Herat family when they settled down in School Avenue Kalubowila, Dehiwela in the late 1980s. Though he was very much senior to me at Trinity College Kandy, we had a good understanding among us and respected each other. He being an elder statesman was able to command the respect of all the people in our neighbourhood. The passing away of Dr Herat three months ago was a great loss to the entire neighbourhood.

May his journey in sansara be a pleasant one until he achieves Nirvana.

Dr. Herat’s devoted wife Ramani was always behind his success in his professional career. She was able to guide him and also the two children Athula & Tamara.

To Athula and Tamara and their extended families take your father as a role model to achieve a great future.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. “RESPICE FINEM” Look to the end.

Sunil Keppetipola