Otter Aquatic Club Colombo Sri Lanka | Vernon Corea 1927-2002

A photograph of Radio Ceylon broadcaster Greg Roszkowski hangs in the Otter Aquatic Club in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Greg Roszkowski of Radio Ceylon.

Greg Roszkowski was a very popular announcer over the airwaves of Radio Ceylon in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a friend of broadcaster Vernon Corea. Greg always started his morning radio programme with the words ‘wakey, wakey.’ There is a photo of Greg which hangs on the wall of the Otters Club in Baudhaloka Mawatha in Colombo – Greg was a Founder member of the Otter Aquatic Club. Greg’s family also owned Hotel Nippon in Colombo. It is still in existence to this day. Greg’s father was Polish and his mother Japanese. He was hugely popular – in fact he presented the Binaca Hit Parade on the All Asia Service of Radio Ceylon – from that programme came the Hindi hit parade programme – Binaca Geet Mala which enjoyed iconic status in India, it was presented by Ameen Sayani. He was a larger than life character. Greg used to plug his family hotel – Hotel Nippon on his radio programmes saying it was a ‘home away from home!’

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hotel Nippon situated at 123 Kumaran Rathnam Road in Colombo-2, Sri Lanka was owned by Greg Roszkowski and his family. It had a red brick frontage in the 50s and 60s and served the best chinese rolls in Colombo.