Newslanka London – Ernest Corea – a tribute

http://www.newslanka.net/a_tribute_to_ernest_corea.html
By Ivan Corea Ernest Corea passed away peacefully in Virginia in the United States of America, on the 11th of May. He was surrounded by his loved ones – my Aunt Indra and cousins Lester and Andy. They read his favorite psalm which was Psalm 23 written by King David – where he remembered the goodness of God following him all the days of his life and the blessed assurance that we will dwell in God’s house forever. This life was only the beginning because God had promised us eternal life through his son Jesus Christ. Uncle Ernest knew Jesus and he was in heaven. He had a deep and abiding faith in God. When my cousin Lester sent me a message to say Uncle Ernest was at peace, so many memories flooded back. Memories of childhood when we grew up in Colombo, Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. We lived in Maha Nuge Gardens in Colombo and he frequently visited us and brought with him an atmosphere of joy, laughter. He had bought a piano and decided to leave it in our lounge in Maha Nuge Gardens for a while. My father, Vernon Corea was his only brother and they were very close. They spent many evenings singing, with Dad playing the piano – a melody of old songs. We all joined in, Dad sometimes played his melodica, Vernon jr and I contributed with our St. Thomas’ Prep School recorders and Lester and Ouida were the percussion band. Mum joined in the singing in Maha Nuge Gardens. I have so many recollections of visiting Lake House in the 1960s – at the time Uncle Ernest was Editor-in-Chief of the Daily News in Colombo. There was such a sense of community like one big Lake House Family. We visited him in his office saying hello to George Mason, Phillip Cooray, Edward Arambawella, Errol de Silva and others. Uncle Ernest knew Reggie Fernando (the founder of Newslanka) very well as Reggie himself was an ex-Lake House man. Lake House journalists used to visit us in Maha Nuge Gardens – the conversations were riveting! Once I had a problem with one of my knees and a Lake House journalist, Thangarajah ( I called him “Uncle Thsnga”) said he knew of a herbal remedy and he brought with him some leaves, put them in hot water and placed them on my knee – it certainly helped. Vernon and Ernest were the sons of Reverend Canon Ivan Corea and Ouida Corea – my grandfather was Vicar of St. Luke’s Church, Borella. Uncle Ernest was born in Borella in 1932 – he was educated at Royal College Colombo where his maternal uncle, J.C.A Corea was the first Ceylonese Principal. Vernon and Ernest were inseparable as brothers they were very close. I remember the time when my grandfather passed away in 1968. Uncle Ernest was covering the Vietnam war for the Daily News. My father refused to bury his father without Uncle Ernest by his side, so we had a six day vigil in Maha Nuge Gardens, until the US military could locate my uncle in Vietnam and informed him that his father had died. He was flown back to Colombo for the funeral. His distinguished career included working for the United Nations in New York where he covered the first and last speech to the UN General Assembly by Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. He did a stint with the United Nations in the Congo and when he returned to Ceylon he joined Lake House. Edmond Wickramasinghe appointed him Assistant Editor of the Daily News. He was soon made Editor-in-Chief of the Daily News. He was also Editor of the Ceylon Observer for a year. After leaving Lake House he worked for the Straits Times of Singapore as Foreign Editor and Director of the IDRC in Canada. President J.R Jayawardene appointed him Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Canada and thereafter Ambassador in the United States – running concurrently as Ambassador to Cuba and Mexico. When he left the diplomatic world he joined the World Bank for many years until his retirement. It was ex- Lake House man Thalif Deen who was a senior Editor of a news service in New York who brought him out of retirement and he started writing again. I think he really enjoyed this new lease of life as a writer. Uncle Ernest’s greatest diplomatic triumph was to secure the first and to date the only State Visit of a President of Sri Lanka to the United States of America when US President Ronald Reagan invited President J.R.Jayewardene to the Rose Garden in the White House. He also secured international coverage for the visit which included Sri Lanka’s gift of a baby elephant to President Reagan. The US President invited President J.R. Jayewardene’s favorite singer, Frank Sinatra who sang his hit “My Way” at the State Dinner at the White House. The State Visit was a huge success for Sri Lanka. Uncle Ernest and Aunty Indra got on very well with President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan. The US Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Atul Keshap paid a wonderful tribute to Ernest Corea on hearing that he had passed away on the 11th of May. In the 1980s Commonwealth Secretary General Sonny Ramphal appointed him Chairman of a Commonwealth media committee and he frequently visited London, during that time. He also met up with members of the Royal College Old Boys Union in the U.K. His earliest visit to London was in 1960 when he was invited to speak on “Minorities in Ceylon”. Whenever he visited London he never failed to visit us in Essex. On one occasion the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the UK asked him to accompany him as his guest to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, at Mansion House, in London. I am so thankful that our son Charin got to meet him and Uncle Ernest would always interact with him. And so I say farewell to a wonderful, kind, loving, caring and compassionate uncle – that was Ernest Corea the Man. A Memorial Service celebrating his life will take place on the 8th of July at his church in Virginia. The Washington Post has opened a book of condolence online on their Legacy.Com website.

Spectacular Scenes of Sri Lanka from a Drone

Here are some spectacular scenes of Sri Lanka – the birthplace of broadcaster Vernon Corea, from a Drone.

Centenary of World War I (1914-1918): A Monument in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Here is a film on the World War 1 Monument in the centre of the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka:

E.K.Perera (Dickie Perera) was the first Sri Lankan Director News of Radio Ceylon

E.K.Perera who was also known as Dickie Perera created history when he was appointed the first Sri Lankan Director News of Radio Ceylon in the 1960s. He was a friend of Vernon Corea.

E.K.Perera also known as Dickie Perera was the first Sri Lankan Director News of Radio Ceylon now known as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. A former teacher he was a product of Royal College Colombo. He was a friend of Radio Ceylon/SLBC broadcaster Vernon Corea and visited him when Vernon lived at 5 Maha Nuge Gardens in Colombo. Dickie Perera left the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and migrated to the United Kingdom. He met up with Vernon Corea in London in the 1970s.

Here is a short article on E.K.Perera published in ‘The Island’ newspaper in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2005:

http://www.island.lk/2005/06/07/features5.html

Vernon Corea on the World Class Sri Lankans Facebook Page

Vernon Corea is on the World Class Sri Lankans Facebook Page.

Vernon Corea at 5 Maha Nuge Gardens in Colombo, Sri Lanka – he was a legendary broadcaster at Radio Ceylon/Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation.

A profile of the legendary Sri Lankan broadcaster, Vernon Corea is on the World Class Sri Lankans Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/WorldClassSriLankans

CHOGM 2013: The Final Communique – from the Commonwealth Heads of Government

The Group Photograph from CHOGM 2013 of the Commonwealth Leaders.

The Final Communique from CHOGM 2013 – the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka:

Click to access CHOGM+2013+Communique.pdf

CHOGM 2013: ‘Tomorrow Belongs to Us’ Student Parade at Independence Hall Colombo

CHOGM 2013

‘Tomorrow Belongs to Us’ CHOGM 2013 Students Parade at the Independence Hall in Colombo marking the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka.

CHOGM 2013: Prince Charles visited the Colombo National Museum

His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales talking to Sri Lankan school children at the Colombo National Museum during CHOGM 2013.

His Royal Highness Prince Charles visited the Colombo National Museum on Friday. Camilla Duchess of Cornwall was Chief Guest at a Book Exhibition at the Colombo Public Library.

CHOGM 2013: Muttiah Muralitharan plays a ‘doosra’ at British PM David Cameron

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron currently in Sri Lanka had requested this meeting – in the middle – on the pitch at the Colombo Cricket Ground. David Cameron was facing the world’s greatest spin bowler, the ‘Master of Spin,’ a Sri Lankan National Hero, Muttiah Muralitharan – he gave Cameron one of his specialities, a ‘doosra.’. Murali now retired from first class cricket was a member of the winning Sri Lankan team of 1996 and they won the Wills World Cup. ‘Murali went easy on me,’ tweeted Prime Minister David Cameron who is attending CHOGM 2013 – the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Watch Murali’s interview with Jon Snow of Channel 4 with TV footage of David Cameron facing the man who claimed 800 wickets, one of cricket’s all time greats:

CHOGM 2013 – Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain with the world’s best spin bowler, national hero of Sri Lanka, Muttiah Muralitharan. (Phot by the Presidential Unit)

The Sri Lankan Spin King Muttiah Muralitharan met the legendary broadcaster of Radio Ceylon/SLBC and the BBC, Vernon Corea in the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster in London. Murali has also met Vernon Corea’s family at the Festival of Cricket in the United Kingdom in the 1990s.

Muttiah Muralitharan – Sri Lanka’s best ever spin bowler with Prime Minister David Cameron at the Colombo Cricket Grounds during CHOGM 2013.(Photo by the Presidential Unit)

Prime Minister David Cameron hooks one off Muttiah Muralitharan at the Colombo Cricket Grounds.

Muttiah Muralitharan’s views as reported in the London Times:
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/article3924011.ece

Photographs of Muttiah Muralitharan and David Cameron courtesy of the Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Sunday Island Newspaper 2013 feature – Vernon Corea’s links with the Commonwealth

Vernon Corea 1927-2002

The Sunday Island Newspaper in Colombo, Sri Lanka published a feature marking the 2013 birth and death anniversaries of Vernon Corea.

Vernon Corea’s Link with the Commonwealth
11th Death Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Legendary Broadcaster

The death anniversary of the legendary Radio Ceylon/SLBC broadcaster Vernon Corea falls on the 23rd of September 2013. Vernon Corea’s 86th birth anniversary falls on the 11th of September this year. He was born in 1927 and died in 2002. People still remember the lovable radio personality who was one of the most popular English announcers of the Commercial Service of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation from the 1950s to the 1970s. Vernon Corea joined Radio Ceylon in 1956 and left the radio station as Director News of the SLBC in 1975. He has made a huge impact in the field of broadcasting in Sri Lanka.

Vernon was also the first ever presenter on the…

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