The Colombo South Region lost a stalwart in the field of education with the demise of Mrs. Jasmine Waidyaratne, a past Principal of Holy Family convent, Dehiwela, the only lay principal in its history of seven decades.
She served in the school for a period of over tow decades, the latter half as its principal taking over the mantle of office from Rev. Mother Agnes of the Holy Family Congregation.
All Principals preceding her and those succeeding her, were Reverend Sisters and she was the only lay person to be appointed to this position, which shows unreservedly her distinguished personality.
Hailing from Moratuwa and nurtured in Catholic family traditions, she imbibed from her father the disciplined conduct inherent in those trained in an Army environment. From her pious religious mother came the religious aspect of her personality, thus growing up in a family bound with strong family values Miss Jasmine as she was called by many of us grew up with a caring, sharing nature.
I first encountered her for a short spell as the Sinhala teacher in Grade Five, for she soon left us to enter training college.
When she returned from her training period she became our Sinhala literature teacher in the prep-senior class, the mathematics teacher and the Pali teacher.
All these show her versatility in teaching unlike today’s teachers who can teach just one or two subjects in the higher classes. Her academic achievements did not stop here. She went on to do her B.A. And then the M.A. while still engaged in teaching. She taught us Pali in English while other schools were teaching it in Sinhala and there were no English translations of texts printed for schools.
With special permission from the Curator of the Colombo Museum Library, she spent Saturday afternoons with us in the museum library copying down extracts from texts required by us.
Her command of both Sinhala and English was excellent, and she spoke in whatever language required at public gatherings with equal fluency. She always used well modulated tones and never needed to raise her voice even when maintaining discipline.
The convent always maintained a high disciplinary standard and the religious environment never diminished even under a lay leadership.
Thus there was always a great demand for school entry and she would proudly boast of maintaining the religious percentage permitted at the time of the schools take-over right through her tenure of office.
She would acknowledge the duty she owed the Principals she served under, like Rev. Mother de Sales and Rev.Mother Agnes whose values she had acquired and tried to maintain them during her period of office.
She considered it a sacred trust handed down to her and was a hundred percent faithful in maintaining them.
Of course she had to contend with much interference, political and departmental at in her work. But she could always maintain satisfactory working relationships without compromising her principles. Even after her retirement she was always there to advise and guide her successors in office whenever they requested. The well being of the school was always one of her main concerns.
Though hailing from a strong Catholic family, her marriage to Arthur Waidyaratne, a strong Buddhist from a family down South was held as a model for religious harmony in a mixed marriage.
None of the partners gave up their religious convictions or practices but separately or together united in practising both Buddhism or Catholicism.
She always appreciated Arthur driving her and the children for mass on Sunday and she would prepare the offering for the temple on Vesak day.
At his demise, all the rituals were carried out in the traditional Buddhist manner in keeping with the religious percepts.
After her retirement from teaching and in between her visits abroad to her family, she had more time on her hands for a greater social life. By this time, her pupils of long ago had also more free time with families grown up and we would meet frequently just to keep up ties of friendship.
Visits to each others homes, picnics or birthday celebrations were regularly held and Miss Jasmine was a part of all these whenever she was in Sri Lanka.
Just before she went abroad for the last time, she invited us to her home, made each of us speak briefly on what we had been upto after we left school-a short account of our later lives.
She insisted on taking a group photograph of us so that she could look at us whenever she felt like. We prayed together, sang and ate together and finally sang, ‘May the Good Lord bless and keep you till we meet again; and we little realised that it would be the final farewell.
She cared for all of us and was concerned about us. Whenever she wrote or phoned, she would always make inquiries about the others-especially those not keeping in good health. She was a good teacher in the early years and later a good friend and companion.
We learned much from her, both academically and otherwise. We admired her in many ways and consider it a privilege to have enjoyed her company and friendship in later life. She was loved by us and she has left a void in our small group.
May her family be consoled in the knowledge that they were privileged to have had a mother/grandmother/sister who was such a special person, loved and revered by so many.
That they loved and were concerned about her was common knowledge.
When do sons in law come beforehand to clean up and arrange the house so that the mother-in-law will not have anything to worry about when she returns? This shows the level of love and caring in the family circle.
May the Lord bless them all!
Audrey de S. Wijeyeratne