Anton Perera:
A father with a generous heart
Words fail to express how much we miss you. Your laughter and smile was warm and generous. Your love was abundant for your children. We felt it when you took us to school every day, when you took utmost pride in our achievements, when you wrapped your grandchildren with that same love and when your calls to check on us never stopped.
You had a generous heart to help anyone to your best ability, see the best in others and feel utmost joy in simple things in life. I wish I can live as you did. Took each day as it came. You lived today without worrying about tomorrow. You challenged the challenges in life.
“I am healthy,” you used to say. True to your words, you were always healthy in mind. Even at the most challenging moments, you looked forward to better outcomes. Age was just a number for you as it was never able to break your spirit. You were always young in heart.
Dear thaththa, we won’t need special days to remember you. You will always be in our lives as you were a great father who had the amazing ability to love and show that love to your children so we could feel it within us.
Now that you have gone, there is a void that will remain forever with us. The Bible says, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life” (Daniel 12:2). I look forward to that day, not because I could have the everlasting life, but because I could hug you one more time and say, “ I love you thaththa”. Aiya loves you, Amma loves you. We all love you and miss you dearly. Rest peacefully. Let’s meet again.
Chuti, Loku Putha, Nali, Charith, Miyangi and your grandchildren Dasindu, Chesna and Sayul.
Reggie Abeyweera:
A business legend of our time
My first recollection of Reggie Abeyweera was when I was nine-years old and my father built a house at Athula Mawatha off Templers Road at the then de Soysa Estate in Ratmalana. Abeyweera was one of the first residents of the de Soysa Estate. A few years back, he constructed a two-storeyed house which was a luxury at that time for all of us to admire.
When I joined Turquand Youngs, later Ernest & Young, in 1965 as a clerk, I came to develop business contacts with Abeyweera. We knew each other from our Ratmalana Estate days. He used to drive a Vauxhall Wywern at that time even though he was the chairman and managing director of J.L. Morison Son and Jones (Ceylon Ltd.). He didn’t have a driver. Whenever he saw me on Templers Road, he used to stoped offer me a lift up to Queens Street Fort where my office was at the time.
Simplicity was his hallmark. He used to come for lunch to the YMBA building in the Fort where Pagoda Tea Rooms ran a canteen. He came in a short-sleeved shirt and a tie. From the second year, I was sent for the audit of Morison’s. I used to enjoy my time at Morrison’s as Abeyweera used to find out about us and the progress of the audit.
When I was made a Partner in 1972, I handled the Morison’s audit until my retirement in 1991.
During this time, Morison’s was being restructured as it went from a foreign owned Co. to a Sri Lankan owned Co. In this process, Abeyweera became the major shareholder with over 50% of shares.
He was blessed with three daughters, and in 1983 his eldest daughter whom he was grooming to take over from him, passed away due to a sudden illness. He concentrated on meritorious acts to transfer merit on his daughter.
He was the chief Dayaka of Mallikarama Temple at Ratmalana. He also built temples. Around five years ago, he sold his shares of Morison’s to Hemas. He is survived by his wife and two other daughters who live in Australia.
May he attain Nibbana!
H. Gamini Fonseka