IN THIS ISSUE
- A Planter's Dream or Folly? by George Braine
- Feature Article of the Month - Ralph de Run - A Walk Through The Tea Fields by Stefan de Run
- Memoirs of the Month - Maskeliya Memories by John Riminton
- Photo Album of the Month - Luckyland Estate, Udapussellawa
- Contributor Photo Album of the Month - Peter Hillier
- Planter Profiles of the Month - Lalith Obeyesekere & Roshan Rajadurai
- Down Memory Lane - The Holsinger Brothers
- Historical Events in 1890
- Tea Radio by Dilmah
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A PLANTER'S DREAM OR FOLLY?
George Braine
In tracing our family tree in Ceylon, my sister and I visited Yakwila Estate, near Pannala in the NWP, where my English grandfather Charles Stanley Braine served as manager in the early 1900s. There, we were told about a fascinating bungalow at nearby Andigama Estate.
The Yakwila managers did not have the vocabulary (in Sinhala) to describe the bungalow, nor did they have any photos to show us, even on a website. But they insisted it was a “must see”. We did not know what to expect.
At Andigama, up a winding drive, we came upon a sight that blew us away. Here, in all its splendor, was an English manor house, in a mix of Georgian and half-timber style, the latter seen all over Europe. The year of completion, carved over the front entrance, was 1922.
Upon entering, we were amazed to see a huge fireplace, designed for wood burning, in English style. Carved on it was a Latin sentence, “Dominiva Aedificaverit Domvm Labor in Vanum Fvit”, which Google translated as "Unless the Lord has built the house, those building it have worked in vain" From Psalms 127:1.
Click HERE to read the full article. |
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FEATURE ARTICLE OF THE MONTH
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RALPH DE RUN - A WALK THROUGH THE TEA FIELDS
By Stefan de Run
The documentary on the late Vivian Louis Blazé which was sent in to the History of Ceylon Tea website has inspired me to write about my father, Ralph de Run, who was a contemporary of Vivian Blazé and planted in the Uva District on Cobo Estate, Badulla and Dammeria Group, Passara when Vivian Blazé was on Sarnia Estate in Badulla.
Ralph de Run was born on Biyagama Estate (Coconut) in the district of Pannipitiya on the 12th of April 1933. He was the sixth son of nine brothers, and the ninth in a family of fourteen children. His father was a coconut planter who later changed his vocation to planting in Rubber and Tea in the latter years on Arslena Estate in Norton Bridge.
Having received his primary education at Dharmapala Vidyalaya in Pannipitiya, he completed his education at St. Anthonys’ College in Katugastota, Kandy, in 1950. Here he excelled in Cadetting and received the rank of Regimental Sergeant Major for the 2nd Battalion of Kandy District. His first love was for the armed forces and on being selected for training at Sandhurst in England, his mother refused to sign approval for him to pursue his chosen career as parental approval was a pre-requisite for selection.
Click HERE to read the full article.
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Maskeliya Memories
By John Riminton
I took over Forres from 1957-1961 after serving seven years as an SD on Pita Ratmalie, Haputale. During that time I had come to two conclusions about labour troubles: I. That a lot of petty troubles arose from the more intelligent labourers being bored and 2. that the old pre-war P Ds hadn't paid a lot of attention to Hindu culture. As an example of the second, Pita Ratmalie Upper Division had a bad reputation for pruning strikes. One day a pruner suggested to me that it was inevitable as we always started pruning on a Monday* which was an inauspicious day so that you had a self-fulfilling prophecy. A couple of years later I managed to get the PD to agree to let the Temple set the day for starting – no more trouble – another self-fulfilling prophecy.
Click HERE to read the full article.
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Luckyland Estate, Udapussellawa
Manager's Bungalow - Click HERE to view the album.
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CONTRIBUTOR PHOTO ALBUM OF THE MONTH
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Peter Hillier
Click HERE to view the album
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PLANTER PROFILES OF THE MONTH
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(L-R) Lalith Obeyesekere & Roshan Rajadurai
Click on respective photo to view profile
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The Holsinger Singers! Remembering Travice who passed away recently.
L-R Travice, Bernard & Monte Holsinger at the Dilmah HOCT Christmas Party for the plantation community in 2018!
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HISTORICAL EVENTS IN 1890
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The first electric bulb was lit with electricity in Ceylon, at the Billiard room in Bristol Hotel, Colombo Fort with the power generated by a diesel generator. Those were the days!
Elsewhere in the world:
- The Sleeping Beauty, with music by Tchaikovsky, is premiered at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.
- The first ever official English County Championship cricket match begins in Bristol; Yorkshire beats Gloucestershire, by eight wickets.
- Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh moves to Paris, where he will produce around seventy paintings in as many days.
- Death of Vincent van Gogh: van Gogh shoots himself, dying two days later.
- At Auburn Prison in New York, William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed in the electric chair.
- The folding carton box is invented by Robert Gair, a Brooklyn printer who developed production of paper-board boxes in 1879.
- A worldwide insurance and financial service brand, Allianz was founded in Berlin, Germany.
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The world’s first tea inspired radio station
Tea Radio has developed a global audience reaching over 90 countries worldwide; with the promise of ‘music inspired by tea’, and features news and views on tea, tea gastronomy and more, amidst the music of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
Stay updated on the latest tips and trends in the world of tea right here. Download the Tea Radio app on the Google play store or the Apple app store, or stream music inspired by Tea on www.tearadio.com.
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