Does anyone in this community know if Douglas Jenkins had a brother named William James Jenkins (born 1924) that served in the RAF during WW2? Thanks. Charles Ameresekere ceylon_medals@hotmail.com
The Mannar Dhanuushkodi naval connection was completed in 1911 to facilitate the immigration of indentured labour from South India. They formed the backbone of the Tea industry.
When this photograph was taken this bungalow must have been nearly 100 years old and yet the shingles of the roof are still functioning well. That is a long time for wood, and in a wet climate too! I wonder what wood was used.
Rohan Rajapakse was married to my cousin Nalini. They lived in the wallawwa by the railway station in Panadura. If my memory serves me correctly their son, Anil, became a surgeon in the U.S.A. when very young (for a surgeon).
In the early nineteen sixties the superintendent was D.B.L Fernando(Dennis).There were usually two Assistant Superintendents, one on Central Division, where the factories were, and the other on Kahagalla Division. The bungalows we shared sometimes and the Assistants were Tony Ebert on Central, Nihal Dias Abeyesinghe on Kahagalla. Later on, Malcolm de Zilva from Halgolle was transferred and shared in the Kahagalla bungalow. On Tony Ebert being transferred, Hilary Schrader occupied the Central bungalow.
As a child l spent my holidays at the owners Bungalow of Theberton Group. The estate was owned by a set of friends, most of them lawyers, my uncle Rohan Rajapakse, Guy Wickramanayake, Irwin Gooneratne, VT de Zoysa and others....My father T Victor Fernando who was then the Manager of the Ceylon State Morgage Bank facilitated the loan required for the purchase (in the fifties). The function of the SMB was to provide loans for such initiatives. We visited the factory situated in the valley and observed the tea making process. Occasionally visited the "lines" where the teapluckers lived. 'Appu' was the resident cook flanked by other cleaners...we hiked the tea planted hills, swam in the pool, got stung by millions of mosquitoes and relished Appu's meals. I recall the old fashioned telephone which had to be cranked before trunk calls. Those were wonderful and relaxing holidays.
The estates Manager in the seventies, when under the Agency of James Finlay & Co. Ltd,. was Gary de Saram with two Assistants Superintendents who were Tony Ebert, Nihal Dias Abeyesinghe, Parakrama Perera
Talgaswela recorded some of the highest tea yields in the country during the time Mr Elmo Abeysundera was the Superintendent. Mr Abeysundera was later appointed Chairman of SLSPC Board IV, Galle District, under the SLSPC
Hello Ian. My Grandmother was Elizabeth Pyper, who I believe was Gordon Jnr's daughter, unless I have jumped a generation. I think both she and her sister Georgina spent their childhoods on the estate, until returning to Edinburgh for education. My sister visited Hantane almost 30 years ago and the manager of the museum had been a 'house boy' when my Grandmother was there. I think the family sold the estate and then just managed it until independance. I would be very interested to learn more. all the best. Lewis
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February 22,2021 11:19pm