Ajahn Brahm of Perth

Speedy has made the following comment under the posting "Sanath de Tissera".

 

Anonymous December 29, 2012 2:29 PM

You are instantly recognisable Sanath. Have a good holiday. You are lucky to be in Perth. You must see and listen to the wonderful Ajahn Brahm.

 

For your information, Sanath and Kanthi are prominent Dayakayas. I had the pleasure of visiting Ajahn Brahm and monastery in Perth a couple of years ago.

 

 

 On extreme left is Cecil Saverimutto who is a GP in Perth.

End of Year Reflections

End of Year Reflections

(It is expected that a lot of my batch-mates will share my lament)

 

The Band is playing till late

As Holidays come to a close

Calendar on its last date

Flirts with 2012’s last dose

 

Our tired heads on a pillow rest

Thinking of the years spent

Hurts, like birds, fly the nest

Hurrah! It’s high time they went!

 

Love, Peace, our new housemates

Love to all, any creed or race

That includes any one who hates

Us for some fall from grace

 

Work is over- but days go by

Achievements belong in history

“Not much use to the world am I

About my worth? No mystery”

 

Sunrise, sunset, eat pray sleep

Ever like clock- work goes on

Retirement is a ravine deep

Which relentlessly drags on

 

But, Hark! The dawn of a New Age!

2012 Bows out gracefully

2013 takes centre stage

Love, Peace, kick in gleefully

 

And new Hope there is for all

World’s bitter wars may end

Gun usage too, will fall

And every person will be your friend?

Happy New Year to all my batch mates and their families

From Zita

E-Mail and Photo from Speedy

Hi Lucky,

Just to keep the Blog going, I thought you might like to post this picture of the UK contingent in 1991. It was taken at the late Somasunderam's house in Cheadle, Cheshire. As you can see, a few of our colleagues in the picture are no more. I think there are movements afoot to gather as many as possible somewhere sometime in the UK this year.
 

The picture was taken on the 13th of July 1991.
 

Wish you a Happy New Year.
 

Speedy

 

 

Visitor from Perth

My old friend Sanath de Tissera and wife Kanthi are in Sri Lanka on holiday. They visited us a few days ago. Sanath is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Perth, Australia. He was unable to attend our recent Reunion due to a family wedding that clashed with our event.

Bernard Randeniya – A Life Remembered

By Nihal D Amerasekera

At Medical College he was known as RADW Bernard. Although we were in the same year, I got to know Bernard when my parents moved to his home town of Wattala in 1963. We travelled daily by train to Maradana with Razaque Ahamat. We began to study together for the intensely difficult 2^nd MB examination and struck up a friendship which lasted a lifetime. During those heady days of our youth, there were many fun filled events like the Block Nite, Colours Nite and other Medical College functions. Those bring back numerous memories of music, dancing, fun and laughter. Bernard always featured in them prominently and never missed an opportunity to enjoy.

He immersed himself fully in the life of the University playing a full part in its activities, always. Bernard took part in the festivities of the infamous Law-Medical match with the rest of us. I recall with much fondness the camaraderie during a trip to Kandy with Bernard, Lucky Abeygunawardene, Sanath de Tissera and Lakshman Jayasinghe.  These are memories that will remain with us for many more years.

After Internship in Ragama he married Ranjani Wijetunge, his sweetheart from schooldays. I visited them when he was DMO in Rattota, MOH in Minneriya, Medical Superintendent in Kalutara and also when he was the Director of the Cancer Institute, Maharagama. In this his final posting  I was immensely fortunate to be his host in England when he visited the UK for a Conference. Each time we reminisced at great length the good life in Medical College and the wonderful friendship we enjoyed.

Bernard was held in high esteem in the Health Service as one of its most colourful and successful managers, and as a man who led from the front and inspired all those who worked with him. His great professionalism was accompanied by an infectious enthusiasm for life and mischievous sense of humour. He used his charm and skills of persuasion to obtain expensive equipment for the Cancer Institute to benefit the numerous patients who came for treatment. Despite his achievements, he was also a modest man, protective of his privacy, embarrassed by praise and with a deep aversion for publicity.

In early 1999 when we met up in Colombo, he gave me the sad news of his illness which proved terminal. I kept in touch with him and admire the courage which he showed until the very end. He passed away with great dignity in November 1999 at the age of 58 years. Bernard was a devout Catholic . His Faith gave him great comfort during his final illness.

His cheeky grin and infectious laugh are precious memories for us all. Bernard was my best friend and I will miss him. He was far too young to leave us.

May his Soul Rest In Peace

 

Is this happiness

By Mahendra Gonsalkorale

---

Born to die
And time between.
Is Life just about how best to fill the space?
Is happiness an impossible dream?
Like seeking the beginning of a rainbow?

Chase the fleeing animal and grab it
The joy of success,
Now it’s done, pleasure abates
Is this happiness?

Run the race after years of toil and preparation
Heart and soul went into it, and now you’ve won!
The joy of success,
Overpowering effervescence
Now it’s done, pleasure abates
Is this happiness?

Exhilarating gush of air on the face
In a fast open car on a beautiful country road
The spine tingling thrill of speed
And then,
Inevitably slows down
Back where you were
Now it’s done, pleasure abates
Is this happiness?

The tempo goes up and up
Elation at the peak
The joy of success
Abatement after attainment,
Now it’s done, pleasure abates
Is this happiness?

Chase a dream
Through obstacles and pain
Keep going, don’t give up
Realise the goal
The joy of success.
And then,
Back where you were
Now it's done, pleasure abates
Is this happiness?

The temperature neither rises nor falls
Neither happy nor sad
Pain while rising
Pain while falling
with Joy at the peak,
But when it neither rises nor falls
Neither happiness nor sadness is felt
Change brings joy or sorrow
But Change is constant
Constancy could be numbing and empty
Like a sheet of white paper without poetry.

Forever seeking, finding and seeking again,
Never satisfied
Feel the joy of success, only to be back where you were
Now it’s done, pleasure abates
This cannot be happiness.
Let go, stop clinging, stop wanting
learn to savour the moment, the only reality
Be Content and at Peace
As you are, wherever you are, whoever you are
This is happiness.

N.Balakumar Remembered with Affection - E-Mail from N.D. Amerasekera

Dear Lucky,

I am deeply saddened to hear the loss of another friend from our great batch of 1962. Bala was a great guy with a lovely sense of humour. I last met him at Somasunderam's batch reunion in Manchester probably around 1997. We talked a lot and enjoyed a good laugh and a whisky. It was a long night when we danced the jig unashamedly. We shared many fond memories of the good and the hard times in Medical College.

 He was a respected General Practitioner in Huddersfield surrounded by green hills and deep valleys close to the Yorkshire Dales. Bala enjoyed the clean air and the solitude of the English countryside. He had a strong sense of right and wrong which we acknowledged at Medical College. He fought for his rights with great courage throughout his life. Bala was a much valued member of the community in which he lived since he emigrated in the 1970's.

He was bedevilled with poor health in his final years and was grateful for the support of his close family.

I remember Bala with much affection and recall his unstinting support for the numerous pranks throughout our days at Medical College. He never missed those lavish functions, trips and reunions, then.

May he find Eternal Peace

Regards

Nihal

N. Balakumar

News has just reached me that yet another member of our batch N. Balakumar has passed away in London. As you know, Bala was ailing for some time. May he Rest in Peace.

I am grateful to Indra Anandasabapathy for conveying this sad news to me.

Be a Founder Member of CoMSAA

Hi,

I am pleased to let you know that the deadline for Founder Membership of the Colombo Medical School Alumni Association (CoMSAA) has been extended to December 31st, 2012. For details, please visit the CoMSAA website at:

http://www.comsaa.org

The following from our batch have already been made Founder Members.

Suriyakanthi Amarasekara

Anton Ambrose

Swyrie Balendra

S.A.P. Gnanissara

V.A. Hettiarachchi

Ranjan Hulugalle

Lareef Idroos

Bandula Jayasekara

Sanath Lamabadusuriya

M.Z. Lameer

Douglas Mulgirigama

Lucian Perera

Lalini Rajapaksa

Rajan Ratnesar

Mahesan Richards

Kusuma Ruberu

Harsha Samarajiwa

Pramilla Senanayake

Chandra Silva

H.N. Wickramasinghe

S.S. (Jimmy) Wickramasinghe

L.N.D. Abeyagunawardene
Mahendra Gonsalkorala
Kamali de Silva
Farouk Mahmoud

Lareef Idroos (President of SLMANA - West Coast) and Sanath Lamabadusuriya (former Dean of the Colombo Medical Faculty) have largely been responsible for getting our batch members to join CoMSAA. I am told by Founder President Professor A.H. Sheriffdeen that Lareef has also helped in a successful fund raising project.

Cheers!

 

Lucky

Change - a poem by Mahendra Gonsalkorala

Change

---

Deep blue sky with clean, bright cotton wool puffs,
Shining sun rays spreading hope and happiness
Sea stretching till it meets the sky
Wave upon wave with majestic power
Ripples near the shore with darting lights
Patterns of white foam appearing and disappearing
Stretching and spreading warmth on the golden shore,
Receding but returning
Forever and forever,
Long lines of foot prints nearly washed out
Never tiring waves, never resting
Forming patterns for you to imagine

The gushing wind, so strong but caressing, loving, healing, calming
The smell of sea weed, fish, salt rolled into one,
Take a deep breath with closed eyes
Calm and be happy, at least for now.

Then everything changes,
The sky turns grey and heavy with dark gloom,
Streaks of lightning
Sheets of rain, so strong it hurts the face,
The waves now strong and angry
Wave upon wave lashing the shore with anger
Loud deafening thunder,
I close my eyes and cover my ears and shiver

This is what life is
Calm and beautiful one moment.
Sad and tormenting the next,

Nothing is permanent,
Change is the Universal law