Mr. K. J. Leo De
Silva : Service above Self
When the Class of '71
of S. Thomas' College met this year we placed high priority on
gathering and sharing information on our beloved teachers
particularly to pay tribute to them. Thus, this becomes the
very first of a series on "Tribute to Teachers of STC"
I can only think of
one way to begin this tribute ; that is by saying that to K. J.
Leo De Silva who is 83 Years old now teaching was not a mere
profession but a passion, for thousands of Thomians he laid
solid foundations not only for education but also for life, his
was a life dedicated to service.
Leo de Silva was born
on the 2nd of November 1924 in Seeduwa, he had his
primary education at Seeduwa Methodist School and his secondary
education at St. Mary's College, Negombo. On completion of his
secondary education he was enrolled at the Teachers' Training
College in Peradeniya, and after successfully completing the
three and a half year course he joined a Boys' High School in
Aluthgama (presently known as Aluthgama Vidyalaya) where he
served for 18 months and thereafter he moved to Christ Church
School in Dehiwala where he served as a teacher for about eight
years. During this time his reputation as a great teacher and an
effective disciplinarian spread to other schools in the area,
and for our good fortune, the Warden at S. Thomas' College at
the time was Rev. Canon R.S De Saram, who was always head
hunting for good teachers and he was quick to send an
invitation to Mr. De Silva to join STC which he accepted. In
1956, he joined the lower school at which time Rev. Barnabas was
the Head Master, it is important to place on record that Rev. De
Saram and Rev. Barnabas had no hesitation in getting the best
teachers for College, their ultimate goal was to provide the
students with a quality education.
Leo De Silva was an
exceptional teacher moulding young children into true Thomians
by giving them a solid foundation. He taught forms two, three,
four, five and six. He taught me in Lower 3rd, and of
course we were too small to remember stories or anecdotes of his
teachings, but even today, we all feel the impact he has made on
our lives. He was someone who really understood the importance
of primary education and it was on this foundation he laid, that
eventually true Thomianism' was built. Mr. de Silva sowed the
seeds of the true Thomian spirit by creating traditions which is
to this day unique to the College. The spirit of Thomians was
primarily about utmost love and respect for the school,,
however, Mr. de Silva wove kindness, compassion and care into
that spirit and gave birth to an unparalleled spirit. His
contribution to our Alma Mater is therefore immense. I still
can picture this personality, stocky in his build; my vision of
him from my childhood is that of a fearful person, he wore white
trousers and long sleeved white shirts; occasionally with a tie.
He carried a big black brief case in one hand and a long black
umbrella on the other, we never knew what he carried in that big
bag, but I am sure that it was knowledge that filled the
mysterious brief case. At the same time he was a strict as well
as an effective disciplinarian, indeed we all feared him, good
deeds were rewarded but wrong deeds never went unpunished. I can
still recall how he would hold our trousers by the waistband
right above the naval with one hand and lift us effortlessly.
That 'lift' was punishment enough for us to correct ourselves.
We had no opportunity to complain about this, our parents would
not hear of it, and even if parents come to school on a
punishment issue, he spoke to them with courtesy and kindness
that parents went back without carrying any ill thoughts of Mr.
De Silva. His actions in punishing us were purely on
disciplinary grounds and I can vouch that he never had any
sadistic pleasure in punishing anyone. That is where he differs
from today's teachers. Unlike the present day teachers, teachers
of'yesterday such as Mr. de Silva had neither domestic nor
social pressures which frustrated them, so it was not such
external pressures that led to his punishing us, perhaps that is
why his efforts to discipline us had very positive impacts on
our lives. That is the reason that today the fear we had for him
as children has turned into awe.
Something very few of
my fellow Thomians know is the fact that in 1961 he contested at
the local government elections for Katunayake - Seeduwa Town
Council. Recently when I asked him the reason for wanting to
contest, snap came the answer; "I hate politicians and I hate
politics". He elaborated it further by adding that even at that
time there was thuggery and intimidation of people, bribery,
corruption and social vices such as people brewing illicit
liquor. Leo de Silva being service minded, knew that none of the
recognized political parties could give solutions to the
problems which people had in that context. So he decided to run
for elections as an independent candidate under the symbol 'the
umbrella' (of course), but how did he win? During those years,
school teachers were held in hiyh regard, and he being a teacher
at S. Thomas' College gained him higher regard from the people,
but I think he won because he sincerely wanted to serve the
people.
So how did he find the
time to serve the people while being a teacher is the million
dollar question? According to Mr. de Silva, the Warden did not
like him being elected to the town council, yet he was tolerant,
and Mr. de Silva never forgot or faltered in his duties as a
teacher. During his three years at the council he balanced both
professions remarkably well. School hours during this time were
8.05 am to 3.05 pm with a 40 minute lunch break. He performed
his duties in the council in the evenings on week days but on
Wednesdays when the school closed, at 12.41 pm he would wrap up
his school work by 1 pm and would go to attend to the work at
the council. He was granted leave to attend Council meetings and
other important meetings. The Warden was compelled to do so, as
Mr. de Silva did not neglect his duties. Out of his 49 years of
service as a teacher, he served STC for over 38 years. He served
under Wardens Rev. Canon R.S. de Saram, C.H. Davidson, S.J.
Anandanayagam, Primary School and about six years prior to
retirement in 1994 became the Head Master of Middle School as
well.
I always had his good
wishes at many points in my political career. But what impressed
me most was when I went to his house during the last local
government elections and how he recognized me, I was wondering
as I chatted with him whether he would even know me, for he was
82
years of age. But he
turned to his wife and said "Do you know who this is? This is
D.S. Gunasekera's brother's son." And he was absolutely right.
It was amazing how well he remembered not only who I am, but
whose who as well. It showed me that not only did he have a
great memory, but also that he cared to remember, and of course
for someone as committed •as he was to service, caring was the
crux of everything he delivered.
Mr. Leo de Silva is a
pillar of S. Thomas' College. His contribution was not confined
to the primary school. It did not matter whether he taught us or
not, his presence was felt throughout the College. He has
influenced our lives so much that we can keep our heads up and
speak without any fear in any context. I think of him as someone
witli charisma who has given us character and courage to face
the world, and that is why even after 21 years of leaving the
College we still speak of him with love and respect, I wish him
good health and choicest blessings for a peaceful retired life.
The above
article was written last year by an Old Thomian, Kesarralal
Gunasekera before the demise of Former Head Master Mr.Leo de
Silva
