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Rotting cheese for children with cancer
Mothers waiting in anguish for
surgery to begin |
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By Ranee Mohamed
On the afternoon of Monday, February 25, the
over 100 children of the Paediatric Ward of
the
Cancer
Hospital had been overjoyed with the news
that they were receiving gifts. "Thegi,
Thegi," (gifts! gifts!) they had whispered
to each other in bed, waiting excitedly for
the generous donors to come their way.
The staff at the Cancer Hospital's
children's wards - Ward Nos. 15A, 15B and 16
have always insisted that the gifts and
food brought inside these wards be clean,
packed and uncooked. This had been their
firm insistence on that Monday too.
However, the influential ladies who
announced that they were from the office of
a top politician had marched into the wards
and reportedly insisted that they give tea
to the children. Tea made by outsiders, with
tea leaves, milk and sugar brought from
various sources have been prohibited by the
hospital authorities.
"Only food cooked in the hospital kitchen
are given to these children as they are
immuno-compromised," said a medical source.
The source went on to say that many of the
children in the cancer wards have a very low
immunity and a low blood count. Sometimes
their blood count is as low as 100 or 50
after chemotherapy. We have children whose
cases are very complicated," said the
source.
This is why the Paediatric Ward carries a
notice that all visitors ought to remove
their shoes.
Influential ladies
When the influential ladies, who had
identified themselves as being from the
office of a prominent politician, walked
in, they had come there with the consent
allegedly of a deputy director. "They
marched into the ward with the labourer of
the deputy director and all nursing staff
were instructed to help them in the
distribution of their gifts," said a
labourer, speaking to The Sunday Leader when
we visited the Cancer
Hospital
on Wednesday.
"What shocked us was when the doctors and
staff in these wards insisted that they
remove their shoes before they walked in to
the ward, a particular lady had been very
angry. 'Then why are you wearing your
shoes,' she threw back at the doctors," said
the shocked parents in the hospital.
Meanwhile a medical source went on to
explain that shoes have to be removed when
entering such wards in order to minimise
infection. "In other countries children with
leukaemia are treated in isolated rooms,"
explained the source, and here at the
Maharagama
Cancer
Hospital's paediatric wards there are many
children suffering from leukaemia.
"Our children were very excited about the
gifts. Each child received two Cream Cracker
biscuits and two pieces of cheese,
individually wrapped. Some of the children
ate the cheese," said Chandrika who was
consoling her child suffering from leukaemia.
Rotting food
"My child had taken several bites of the
biscuits, while I opened the cheese; it was
by chance that I looked at the piece of
cheese. I found that it was hard and brown
and not creamy in anyway," she said. "I was
horrified that anyone could come here and
present these rotting food items to our
children who are suffering so much," she
cried.
Joining her were several mothers who were
crying at the narrow shave that some of the
children had.
"The piece of cheese that my child got had
worms in it," said another mother. "My child
is suffering from cancer in the throat and
he ate his piece of cheese. He has been
vomiting ever since," said Chandrika,
another mother.
"We cannot bear to watch him nauseating. He
is suffering anyway and after eating this
'gift' of cheese his condition has
worsened," said Nilusha, another mother who
resides in the Paediatric Ward.
'The ladies were angry at not being allowed
to give tea to our children," said a few
mothers. "Our children are alive today
because of the dedication of the doctors and
the nurses in these wards and we could not
watch them being abused this way. But we had
to shut our mouths," said the parents.
Threat of transfer
"The visitors were very angry at being asked
to follow normal procedure, so much so that
they asked the names of a few doctors of the
wards and said that they will do everything
possible to have them transferred," said the
parents, speaking to The Sunday Leader.
Kanthi, the
mother of a four year old, suffering from
cancer said "I was playing on the bed with
my child when we received this 'gift.' It
consisted of two pieces of cheese and two
Cream Crackers. When I began to take the
wrapper off the cheese, I got a strange
smell and I looked around the ward to find
out where it emanated from. When I saw the
piece of cheese I almost fainted. Not only
did it stink, it was black and hard," she
said.
Investigations revealed that when the
conditions of these children worsen, not
only does it cause deep anguish to the
mothers standing by their side, but also the
government which has to spend over Rs.50,000
per child to ensure that they get back to
their original state.
Passed expiry date
With the flow of rotten cheese into the
paediatric wards, the nurses had immediately
informed the PHI and arrangements had been
made to collect several of the pieces. But
as several children had eaten the cheese,
not all samples were obtained. The wrappers
had shown that the cheese was well passed
the date of expiry.
It is learnt that the incident has been
reported to the Ministry of Health and the
complaint has been recorded in the complaint
book of the hospital. Under normal
circumstances, all donors are required to
enter their names and other details in the
hospital record books, but the details of
this donor, The Sunday Leader learns, is not
available now.
As we walked out of the cancer ward we were
able to see crying children being comforted
by their mothers who have spent weeks and
months comforting these children in pain.
For many of these women, life seems long and
painful. These mothers lead hard lives,
standing by the beds, without proper food,
drink or social life.
In another section, children as small as six
months and yet others, six, seven, eight,
nine, ten and twelve years afflicted with
various cancers, were crying as their
miserable mothers tried hard to console
them. These white-clad children were waiting
in line for surgery.
The Cancer
Hospital
is a sad place, the paediatric wards, even
sadder. As our quest for various material
achievements and positions become more
pronounced, here in Maharagama are a section
of men and women whose only wish is to have
their children with them, well and safe for
as long as possible or another hour more.
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"Be sensitive to the needs of these
children" - Consultant Paediatric
Oncologist
When The Sunday Leader contacted Dr.
Damayanthi Pieris, Consultant Paediatric
Oncologist, she said that she is aware
of this incident and expressed concern
and disappointment at the incident. "For
the past two years I have insisted that
such haphazard donations be stopped. Our
patients are not a dying population.
Throwaways cannot be given as donations.
People ought to be more sensitive to the
needs of these children," said
Consultant Paediatric Oncologist Dr.
Damayanthi Pieris.
"There is
nothing that your paper can do about
this" - Deputy Director
When The Sunday Leader contacted the
Deputy Director, Dr. W.N.M.D.M.
Paranagama she said that the incident
was due to a `genuine mistake' and went
on to point out that there is nothing
that the newspaper can do about it.
"There have been times when expired
things have come. We have now sent a
circular that all these donations ought
to be checked before being given to the
children," said Dr. Paranagama. "It is a
genuine mistake and it should not go
into the newspapers," said the doctor
and went on to thank The Sunday Leader
for telephoning her. |
An
exhibition that shattered a dream
|
Samitha Samanmali in hospital |
By Risidra Mendis
Samitha
Samanmali, a
fourth year medical student at the Faculty
of Medicine, University of Colombo had set
her future goal. Her one intention in life
was to pass all her exams at the Medical
Faculty and look forward to a bright and
successful career as a doctor.
The sudden death of her father when she was
10 years old didn't stop Samitha's dream of
becoming a doctor.
The loss of her father, G. D. Sirisena at
this very young age and the burden that fell
on her mother, G. D. Wimalawathi to take on
the task of sole breadwinner in the family
only spurred Samitha to achieve her goal.
Samitha a student of Makuluwa Vidyalaya
passed her Year 5 examination with flying
colours and entered Gothami Balika Vidyalaya.
She passed her A/L examination and gained
entrance to the Medical Faculty in Colombo.
Determination
However her determination to move forward
and her dreams of becoming a doctor and
saving others' lives were shattered when she
visited the BMICH with a group of her batch
mates to see the Deyata Kirula exhibition on
February 15. Samitha and her batch mates
were at the BMICH to organise a medical
stall - Medex 2008 put up by the medical
students.
"We were at the BMICH with Samitha when it
suddenly started to rain. We took shelter
under some of the canopies erected at the
BMICH for the exhibition. Unfortunately due
to the heavy rain the canopy above us
started to collapse. Our instant reaction
was to move away from the canopy before it
collapsed. Samitha couldn't get out in time.
One of the iron bars came crashing down and
hit her head," Indunil Piyadigaga, a batch
mate recalled.
Samitha was
bleeding heavily from her head and had to be
rushed to the General Hospital. An XRay and
CT scan revealed that Samitha had injuries
on her head and spine. "Due to the accident
doctors say Samitha is suffering from a
spinal cord crush injury, skull fracture in
the occipit, and internal bleeding.
Consultant neuro surgeons and orthopedic
surgeons say that this kind of damage to the
spinal cord could lead to drastic, long term
complications such as lower limb paralysis,
loss of sensation, anal and urinary
incontinence and other complications,"
Indunil said.
Major surgery
Samitha
underwent an operation on her spine which
was also to stabilise her vertebrate column
on February 19. Two orthopedic surgeons, two
neuro surgeons and one cardio thoracic
surgeon operated on Samitha. She is now
warded at the National Hospital, her dreams
in shambles, as she has to now undergo
neurological surgery or a comprehensive
rehabilitation programme overseas that would
take years.
Samitha has no
sensation on her legs and has no control
over the lower part of her body.
Dire straits
"Samitha's mother has undergone a
hysterectomy for cancer of the urethra. Her
sister is an A/L Commerce teacher who has
two children aged five years and three
months. Samitha's brother-in-law works as a
binder at a printing station. Her family
cannot bear the costs for rehabilitation
that will require the best surgeons in the
world," says Aravinda Kamaladasa, another
batch mate.
But despite her serious condition Samitha is
determined to complete her degree and
achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. She
has the utmost support from her batchmates
who have helped her in every way they can.
However Samitha's recovery now depends on
kind donors as Rs. 2 million is needed for
her operation and rehabilitation.
Appeal
"The first step is to get Samitha into a
wheel chair. At present she cannot sit
straight due to her injuries. Once the
doctors get her into a wheel chair the next
step is to send her abroad for
rehabilitation as this kind of rehab is not
available in Sri Lanka. We request kind
donors to deposit money in the Students
Rehabilitation Fund at the University of
Colombo for Samitha's medical expenses,"
Indunil appealed.
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Docs and their dress
I refer to the article entitled - "The
Dress Doth Make The Doc" by D. P.
Siriwardene which appeared in an English
daily recently. I am in agreement with
some of the views expressed by him.
In the distant past I worked at the
General Hospital, Colombo (GHC), now
called the National Hospital of Sri
Lanka (NHSL). Way back then both male
and female doctors were very smartly
dressed in spite of the meagre salary (Rs.
480 per month) we received. All of us
maintained the dignity and decorum
expected of our profession.
When I was an intern house officer
(1964-1965), strict instructions were
given by the Superintendent, Colombo
Group of Hospitals (SCGH) through a
circular making it compulsory for the
male house officers to be dressed in
white shirts and trousers and tie, and
all female house officers to be dressed
appropriately. All of us had to wear
white overcoats during ward rounds
including night ward rounds.
The lady doctors wore beautiful sarees
and looked very smart and the patients
respected us. I can remember an instance
when a female doctor had to go to a
paying ward of the GHC to administer an
intravenous injection to a very ill male
patient. The patient, after getting the
IV drug, is said to have shouted at the
lady doctor and pulled her up for not
wearing the overcoat and threatened to
punish her. The patient happened to be
the SCGH, Colombo, who was the toughest
administrator I have come across.
Doctors should maintain the reputation
of our profession and win the confidence
of all patients who put their lives in
the hands of doctors. They should
maintain the dignity and decorum
expected of them and should be smartly
dressed during work.
Medical professionalism is very
important and some UK medical schools
have recently introduced Clinical
Aptitude Tests to identify individuals
who are fit to join the medical
profession. Possible action by our
universities should include better
selection of those entering medical
schools, more liberal education during
and after medical school, better
supervision of professional aspects of
training and correction of deficiencies
in addition to the points system.
The public has high expectations of
doctors, and patients don't have
confidence in shabbily dressed doctors.
The consultants under whom junior
doctors undergo training can play an
important role to improve the dignity
and decorum of the profession by
supervising the juniors.
The present director of NHSL is doing a
wonderful job. It will be another
feather in his cap if he can send an
internal circular requesting doctors to
dress appropriately when they work in
the hospital. I am sure directors in
other major hospitals will follow suit. |
Good sanitation is a
prerequisite for good health
|
There has been an increase in the
number of patients suffering from
water borne diseases |
By Shezna Shums
Health is wealth, is an aphorism instilled
into us from childhood. It is necessary that
a person's health is treasured and looked
after carefully for without health, any
amount of wealth and material possessions
would be useless.
Given the unpredictable weather - sporadic
rains, dry air and dust in urban areas,
looking after one's health is very
important.
Chief Medical Officer, Colombo Municipal
Council, Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam speaking to
The Sunday Leader said that many cases of
Viral Hepatitis A have been reported from
the Colombo North area in the recent past.
He said the reason for this was the poor
sanitation in urban areas. He stressed
schools were places where disease and
infections spread fast.
Sewage problem
Dr. Kariyawasam explained that increasing
urbanisation is also straining our sewage
system, and thus causing unhygienic
conditions that increase the possibility of
diseases spreading.
"This is a problem especially among the
urban poor where germs are spread through
contaminated water," he said.
"Furthermore, the school is also another
place where diseases spread very easily and
fast. In many schools, adequate water
supply is a problem and the children may not
wash their hands well. This in turn leaves
germs and bacteria on the furniture that is
touched bythe children and therefore causes
the bacteria to spread to other children as
well."
"Contamination occurring this way is very
common," highlighted the doctor.
The increasing population is straining the
sewage system designed more than a century
ago for a much lesser population, resulting
in the system overflowing at times, posing
a great hazard to the health of the people.
Ideal conditions
At times of heavy rain, the system
overflows and along with the garbage causes
the most unhygienic conditions and an ideal
scenario for bacteria to thrive and infect
people in the neighbourhood along with the
water borne and air borne diseases. These
conditions also cause the mosquito menace.
Dr. Kariyawasam explained that inspite of
the increasing cost of electricity and gas,
the public should keep in mind that food
should be thoroughly cooked before
consumption.
"Especially fish and vegetables have to be
cooked fully for them to be safe for
consumption," he explained.
Dr. Kariyawasam also said that in view of
the increase in electricity and gas prices
it is doubtful whether eateries and
restaurants will be storing their food in
hygienic conditions or even cooking their
food in a proper manner.
Improper storage
"Sometimes food is kept in the fridge for
days. The problem is that this food is not
stored in the freezer, as it should be, but
only stored in a normal fridge." This he
said could increase the chances of bacteria
spreading to the other stored food items,
particularly meat.
Dr. Kariyawasam noted that most children
fall sick by catching an infection from
school or by coming into contact with an
infected person.
"When a child touches a doorknob, he comes
into contact with germs and may get
infected as a result and if that child's
hands are not washed, he spreads the
infection to other children. This is why in
some families children constantly suffer
from one disease or another." he said
Dr. Kariyawasam also stressed the
importance of drinking boiled water.
"The water supply in Colombo is safe since
it is chlorinated, but as a general rule the
public should always boil the water before
it is used," he emphasised.
Aquinas preparing
graduates for hospitality industry success
The world is experiencing dynamic growth in
the hospitality industry. This expansion of
hotels and restaurants throughout the world
has increased the demand for qualified and
knowledgeable employees who are ready to
excel in the world of lodging and food
service.
Aquinas - LCD Hospitality Management
Programme provides the perfect start for
students looking for a competitive edge in
the hospitality industry of the world.
Educational resources
The Educational Institute is the training
arm of American Hotel and Lodging
Association. The Educational Institute (EI)
is known for developing the world's finest
training and educational resources for the
ever expanding hospitality industry.
EI's role is to
prepare dedicated individuals for
hospitality career advancement and helping
to satisfy the ever-increasing need for
qualified personnel. Combining more than
four decades of research and expertise of
today's leaders, EI resources and qualified
personnel are sought by industry leaders
throughout the world.
London College Dublin, founded in 1999 has
quickly become one of Dublin's leading
business, hotel management and English
language schools. Their panel of lecturers,
trainers and staff are committed to meeting
the academic and professional needs of the
students. Teachers are carefully selected to
nurture and develop a friendly and caring
atmosphere that makes London College Dublin
so special.
Pre-eminent position
Aquinas College of Higher Studies was
established by the late Very Rev. Fr. Peter
A. Pillai, in 1954 with the inspiration and
assistance of the late Thomas Cardinal
Cooray, OMl, the Archbishop of Colombo.
Aquinas College is registered with the
Tertiary and Vocational Educational
Commission of Sri Lanka to conduct courses
and examinations at the tertiary level. The
college is also affiliated to the
International Federation of Catholic
Universities in Paris. Aquinas holds a
pre-eminent position in the socio- economic
life of the country.
Aquinas College is situated in a parkland in
Borella, located in the centre of the city
of Colombo. The presence of students from
many diverse backgrounds and nationalities
including SAARC countries provides a
cosmopolitan community, creating an exposure
to numerous cultures and ethnic groups.
Aquinas has a considerable number of
Buddhist monks and students from all
religions and ethnic communities among its
student population of over 7000.
Degree awarding institute
In 2004/5 Aquinas College of Higher Studies
was awarded the status of a Degree Awarding
Institute by the University Grants
Commission of Sri Lanka.
The American Hotel & Lodging Educational
Institute is the world leader in hospitality
education and training. Students who
successfully complete these courses earn
globally recognised certificates from the
American Hotel & Lodging Association.
Educational Institute courses are developed
with input from hospitality industry
professionals and reflect the most current
industry practices and trends. Employers
know that students who have completed EI's
hospitality management courses are well
prepared to handle supervisory
responsibilities and be a valuable addition
to their staff.
Career advancement in the hospitality
industry happens quickly for those who have
the knowledge and skills taught in a
programme like the one offered by the
Aquinas Faculty of Hospitality Management.
The hospitality industry has a long history
of promoting from within, and stories abound
of people who have risen from the ranks of
entry level employees to become general
managers, corporate executives or owners of
their own properties.
Wonderful direction
According to one research study, the average
hotel general manager worked in the industry
for two years before becoming a department
manager, and another seven before becoming a
general manager.
The hospitality industry provides a
wonderful direction for students seeking a
career focus for their area of interest.
With more than 200 different job
opportunities, the multi-billion dollar
hospitality industry has a career to fit
every interest.
Hotels and restaurants need sales and
marketing professionals, accountants,
engineers, human resource specialists,
chefs, security directors and managers for
every service department from front office
to housekeeping. Aquinas Faculty of
Hospitality works with students to develop
an educational path that's right for them.
- Manel Atapattu
Adding bombs to our
transport problems
|
All that remains of the bus after
the explosion at Mt. Lavinia recently |
By Nirmala Kannangara
With the number of bomb explosions in buses
increasing alarmingly, killing innocent
commuters in various parts of the country
the Private Bus Owners Association (PBOA),
as a precautionary measure, has banned
parcels being kept on overhead racks and has
requested commuters to keep all their
belongings with them when travelling.
Meanwhile in order to avert the horrendous
traffic congestion during peak hours that
could also contribute towards a disaster,
the PBOA has appealed to Public
Administration Minister, Karu Jayasuriya to
alter office hours of government departments
to overcome congestion and has also
requested Transport Minister, Dulles
Alahapperuma to introduce new security
measures to prevent any further explosions
in buses.
No response
"As the PBOA president, I wrote to Ministers
Dulles Alahapperuma and Karu Jayasuriya to
take immediate action to ensure the safety
of the general public. Minister Jayasuriya
responded positively by agreeing to a round
table discussion with Minister Dulles
Alahapperuma and other government officials
to find a solution to this grave problem the
people are now facing. But it is a pity to
note that Minister Alahapperuma has not even
responded to our request," Gemunu Wijeratne
told The Sunday Leader.
According to Wijeratne the police has
launched a sticker campaign to educate
commuters using public transport to be
vigilant of any unattended parcels in their
vicinity even though the government has
failed to introduce more stringent security
measures.
"Apart from this the police has also
requested the PBOA to restrict the number of
passengers in each bus as that would help
travellers to identify any suspicious parcel
but that request is not practical. Ninety
percent of the people use public transport.
If we carry out this request 75% of workers
will reach their destinations well after 12
midnight as a result of the non availability
of sufficient public transport," said
Wijeratne.
Impractical
"The government and the police can request
the PBOA to restrict the number of
passengers but can they request the Sri
Lanka Railway too to restrict the number of
commuters? Even if they do request the
railway to restrict the number of commuters
will they be able to increase the number of
trains to accommodate all the passengers?
The government has to come up with
effective plans to change school and
government office hours to overcome the
traffic congestion at least to a certain
extent but we cannot restrict the number of
passengers in every bus as it is not
practical," added Wijeratne.
Meanwhile the PBOA President also reiterated
that if the war continues further bomb
explosions in the south cannot be stopped.
"Pirapaharan once said that the Sinhalese do
not remember anything for long. The public
would be watchful for a while and forget it
all later. But the LTTE Tigers who have a
mission to achieve will not stop their
operations and will attack at any time at
any destination. So the more the country
wages war against terrorism, more bomb
explosions could be expected in the south,"
added Wijeratne.
Meanwhile The Sunday Leader spoke to a cross
section of bus and railway commuters to find
out whether the government's request to
restrict the number of travellers in each
bus or train is practical and also whether
they would want their office and school
hours changed in order to ease the traffic
congestion in the city.
Convenient
"Changing our office hours would not be a
problem and if we could return home early it
would be convenient. We would then have
enough time to do grocery shopping and
finish our work early too. That would no
doubt help to reduce our electricity usage
and thereby the costs as well," added a
group of commuters.
However they inquired whether the government
would increase the number of buses and
trains to take the people back home if the
number of passengers were to be restricted.
"Only God knows how miserable it is to
travel in public transport whereas the
decision makers are blissfully ignorant of
the realities. How can they say that the
number of passengers must be restricted
while they travel in tinted, luxury vehicles
with back-up security? If these restrictions
come into effect the people will not be able
to reach their homes till midnight even
though offices may close at 2 p.m." said bus
commuters.
More problems
Sujatha de Mel
who travels daily from Galle to
Bambalapitiya by train told The Sunday
Leader that banning parcels in overhead
racks and under the seats is a welcome move
but added that if the transport authority
restricts the number of travellers in each
carriage then the people will have to stay
in their offices and go home around
midnight.
"Since I have to be in office by 8.30 a.m. I
leave home around 5 a.m. I have to take a
bus to the railway station and then a train
to Bambalapitiya. If this proposal comes
into effect then I will have to leave home
at least around 2 a.m. and return around
midnight," charged de Mel.
Students don't mind
However Gayani Karunaratne, a student at
Gothami Balika Vidyalaya, Borella told The
Sunday Leader that not only she but her
colleagues too would like to see a change in
school hours as they will be able to leave
home much earlier and return home early too
which gives them more time to study.
"We do not mind leaving home early in the
morning if we can return early as well.
We'll have time for our additional classes
and time for home work before it gets late,"
added Gayani.
Meanwhile, an accountant, on grounds of
anonymity told The Sunday Leader that the
government's plan to change office times and
limit the number of people in buses was
absurd as that would not provide any
solution to the threat of bombs.
'Prabha Air'
"The decision makers can say that this is
the ideal solution but how can we expect the
Tigers to work to our agenda? What happened
last April and then again last October when
'Prabha Air' attacked Colombo while the
entire country was watching the World Cup
match and the attack on the Anuradhapura air
base took place? Was that during the daytime
or during peak traffic hours? The Tigers can
create mayhem at any time. We may think
that due to buses and trains not being
overcrowded there will be no traffic
congestion if this plan is put into
operation.
"But the LTTE can enter a fair or any other
crowded place to kill people. Can the
government restrict people in crowded
places? The best solution is to go for peace
talks that were introduced by the farsighted
UNP leader after signing the Ceasefire
Agreement in 2002. Ranil Wickremesinghe put
an international safety net around the
Tigers in order to put a halt to the
bloodbath. Let our present leaders too
follow suit and bring the Tigers to the
negotiating table and fight it out there.
There is no solution to the ethnic conflict
through war but only through negotiations,"
he said.
A tribute
Losing Lorna
By Ranee Mohamed
Losing Lorna is a heart-rending loss for all
womankind. Lorna Wright, social worker,
rights activist, writer and founder of the
Housewives Association left an irreplaceable
void on February 25, when she passed away
after a brief illness.
Peacefully did she pass away, just as she
had lived.
Lorna Wright received applauds, awards and
honours. But the greatest award that she got
was in the smile of the people of the slums.
She was an angel to the slum people,
speaking out for them, checking the body
temperature and examining the skin eruptions
of their children, and consoling them
during floods and fires.
Lorna Wright who was born in Sri Lanka to
the Burgher community spent many years in
the provinces where her husband served as a
government agent of the then Ceylon Civil
Service.
On behalf of others
Down the years, Lorna Wright gave many
telephone calls, but none of them was about
her. It was always about the downtrodden,
the poor and the deprived. "Help them, write
about them, make their lives better," was
her constant call.
Lorna Wright could have lived in luxury in
a more affluent land, but she chose to live
in Sri Lanka among the poorest of the poor.
It was to her that they ran when disaster
struck their families and their lives. And
she would always be there for them, come
what may.
Her deep concern lay with the women of this
country, with the unemployed youth, with the
migrant worker. Wherever there were tears,
sadness and despair, Lorna was there. And
she used her ability as a writer and as an
award winner to forge ahead to achieve all
she could for the downtrodden and the
deprived.
This is why the loss of Lorna is a loss that
can never be filled. For seldom do we meet
people like Lorna - so selfless in their
service, so dedicated towards her cause.
Lorna Wright was brilliant in every way. In
the early 1980s she authored a Consumer
Directory, which was solely for the
housewife. Lorna cleverly documented
information and guidance for the housewife.
She listed fruits and vegetables in season
and how to preserve them in the coming
months when they became expensive. Whatever
Lorna did, she did it for someone else.
Lorna had written over 150 articles for
various publications over the past four
decades. She has also authoured several
books.
High recognition
Lorna, who was an Australian citizen has
been the recipient of many awards in
recognition of her dedicated services,
including the SAARC Excellence Award and the
Order of Australia.
It was the Australian High Commissioner who
presented her with the Order of Australia,
one of the highest awards in that country.
Apparently, this award is rarely given to
citizens living outside Australia and Lorna
was the first to receive it in Sri Lanka.
It was in recognition of her services to the
international and in particular her
"selfless commitment and long service to the
community in Sri Lanka.
Despite all her achievements Lorna Wright
remained down to earth. A true friend, she
would ask, plead and pursue for the sake of
the poor. Her heart and mind lay with the
suffering people of Modera, so much so that
she was their queen. Their children, were
her children too. She fought to get them a
playground, battled red tape to get them
better accommodation and water. When Lorna
Wright spoke about the people of Kunugoda,
she had tears in her eyes, and it was these
tears that fuelled her to get them a better
way of life.
Precious
Lorna believed that mothers are precious.
"They can be doctors, seamstresses, cooks,
teachers, judges and bankers, laundresses,
housemaids, gardeners, bakers and clock
watchers, yet their contributions to the
family and the children are immense." Lorna
once said. "Yet, women in this country
continue to suffer. Their faces demonstrate
human grief. In their day-to-day lives,
women keep thinking of how to feed the
children and of how to survive," she
observed.
Lorna Wright's greatest wish was to
establish a proper method of recycling
waste. Perhaps this wish was fuelled by the
fact that the people she so loved, were
forced to live in the midst of mountains of
garbage. Though the country called them the
people of Kunugoda, Lorna was able to winnow
through the garbage and see the human
hearts.
Lorna insisted that it was knowledge that
homes needed, more than money. This is why
she strode on to empower women with consumer
knowledge. Waste control and recycling, she
believed, were priority issues.
Good deeds
Lorna Wright formed the De La Salle
Community Centre with a hostel, a bakery and
facilities for hotel training, and arts and
crafts. She promoted the idea of kola kenda
among the women and urged them to nourish
their families with this nutritious and
inexpensive herbal drink.
When she resided in Australia a few years
ago, she made a significant contribution in
working with the Victoria Immigration
Council and involved herself there too in
aboriginal concerns and refugee welfare.
Lorna Wright was the executive director of
the MoM foundation - the Memory of Mother
Foundation where together with the De La
Salle Community Education Centre she helped
not only the poor and the underprivileged in
Modera but also the slum dwellers, street
children and prisoners.
Meanwhile, the Housewives Association of Sri
Lanka, the parent body in Colombo expressed
its profound sorrow at the passing away of
its founder. Lorna Wright founded the
Housewives Association on July 23, 1958.
Huge loss
There is always sadness in parting. But the
loss of Lorna Wright will always be felt.
She was an angel who touched the lives of
every human being she knew. She gave gifts
to those who could never give her a gift,
she helped those who could never help her in
return. Lorna Wright has passed on, but she
will remain etched in the hearts and minds
of men, women and their children for
generations to come. In losing Lorna, we
have lost a human being of rare talent, of
rare perseverance and of a compassion so
rare.
It is hard to say goodbye, especially to
Lorna Wright. It is hard to see her still,
and seeing her in eternal sleep reminds us
that even the most beautiful rose must
wither. but the fragrance of Lorna's good
deeds will linger forever.
 With
modern gadgets cooking is a breeze
It was bad enough to get a nasty shock when
you tried to buy a can of asparagus (no more
cheesy sandwiches or
soup!), but recently I wanted to
get some Muesli: I reeled back in horror at
the price! These were special treats that I
indulged in very occasionally, but I guess
I'll have to drop them from my diet. Fruit
and nuts are so expensive, you can't think
of making it up yourself. Even coconuts are
dear, and the hired help find it very hard
to economise since they aren't paying the
grocery bills.
The thing is, although I'm deprived of all
these luxuries, I still don't seem to be any
thinner. This isn't an unsolvable mystery,
because our food is so tastily prepared that
even vegetables and green leaves that would
normally taste unexciting, are most
palatable.
Tastefully prepared
So come hell or high water, we have all our
meals tastefully prepared and presented.
Then one is almost pushed to commit one of
the seven deadly sins, viz. gluttony.
Everyone here is obsessed with food, at the
slightest hint of forthcoming trouble,
everybody hotfoots it to stock up their
larders. That's the first thing we do!
Whenever I meet up with my girlfriends,
invariably the conversation leads to
preparations of various types of food. Or
someone will ask us to come up with an
interesting way of preparing a certain fruit
or vegetable. We are just obsessed with
food! I don't think so much planning and
preparation is done anywhere else on a daily
basis. Seriously!
I for one, am jolly glad to be able to make
use of all the electric gadgets available in
the kitchen. I remember at one dinner party,
some ladies were horror struck that I was
using my food processor to chop up my cake
ingredients.
Saving valuable time
I explained that though they wouldn't be
regular sized pieces, I would be saving
valuable time and energy. I also told them I
could do two or three different types of
cakes in one single day, unlike when one had
to chop ingredients normally, preparation
would stretch over a period of several days.
They didn't agree, and said it was nice to
have nice bitey pieces etc.
Some of them were so amused and were
laughing at me. A couple of years later, I
heard that very same lady tell someone that
she uses the food processor because she can
finish up in double quick time! I almost
wanted to remind her how she scoffed at my
explanation, but I decided to be charitable.
In fact, my daughter said I made it look
all so easy, she thought cooking was a
breeze. She said I went into the kitchen and
in next to no time meals would be produced.
She found out the hard way that some effort
goes into it! I told her I depended a lot on
my trusty food processor. Salads, soups,
sauces can be whizzed up in minutes.
Another very useful invention is the
microwave oven. Provided you have frozen
food stocked up, when unexpected guests are
due to turn up, just pop whatever in and
thaw in minutes. No problem!
Extra-terrestrial invasion
The problem is when you decide to make a
pudding and you are asked to microwave the
marshmallows, make sure you note the correct
time, or you will find them foaming out from
all corners of your microwave in a very
sticky mess, looking like an
extra-terrestrial invasion.
Yes folks, this happened to me, and provided
the entertainment for many a day. Once I
micro waved some potatoes to death and they
closely resembled rock stones at the end of
it all. Caveman delivered them to my sister
to show her what I had achieved with my new
kitchen gadget!
Eggs explode, containers melt into strange
modern artistic shapes; some things melt
into runny liquid and some dry up like dust
in the microwave. So treat it with caution
and respect or you might have haunting
nightmares for weeks after a particularly
terrifying episode!
The blender is another useful kitchen help.
Only don't overfill it; it will result in
rivulets of liquid flowing merrily over the
counter and onto the floor. Another
important point, fasten cover securely, or
else contents will rapidly shoot up into the
air like an underground geyser and your
ceiling will be tastefully splattered in
various shades.
The same applies to pressure cookers, quite
temperamental and can suddenly explode
scattering hot fluid far and wide. Careful
now!
- Honky Tonk Woman
HUMOUR
The lawyer and the bandit
A Mexican bandit made a specialty of
crossing the Rio Grande from time to time
and robbing banks in Texas. Finally, a
reward was offered for his capture, and an
enterprising Texas ranger decided to track
him down.
After a lengthy search, he traced the bandit
to his favourite cantina, snuck up behind
him, put his trusty six-shooter to the
bandit's head, and said, "You're under
arrest. Tell me where you hid the loot or
I'll blow your brains out."
But the bandit didn't speak English, and the
ranger didn't speak Spanish. Fortunately, a
bilingual lawyer was in the saloon and
translated the ranger's message. The
terrified bandit blurted out, in Spanish,
that the loot was buried under the oak tree
in back of the cantina.
"What did he say?" asked the ranger.
The lawyer answered: "He said, 'Get lost,
you turkey. You wouldn't dare shoot me.'"
Professional advice
An efficiency expert concluded his lecture
with a note of caution. "Don't try these
techniques at home."
"Why not?" asked somebody from the audience.
"I watched my wife's routine at breakfast
for years," the expert explained. "She made
lots of trips between the fridge, stove,
table and cabinets, often carrying a single
item at a time. One day I told her, "You're
wasting too much time. Why don't you try
carrying several things at once?"
"Did it save time?" the guy in the audience
asked.
"Actually, yes," replied the expert. "It
used to take her 20 minutes to make
breakfast. Now I do it in 10."
The rent
Neurotics build castles in the sky.
Psychotics live in them.
Psychiatrists collect the rent.
The weatherman
A film crew was on location deep in the
desert. One day an old Indian went up to the
director and said, "Tomorrow rain." The next
day it rained. A week later, the Indian went
up to the director and said, "Tomorrow
storm." The next day there was a hailstorm.
"This Indian is incredible," said the
director. He told his secretary to hire the
Indian to predict the weather. However,
after several successful predictions, the
old Indian didn't show up for two weeks.
Finally the director sent for him. "I have
to shoot a big scene tomorrow," said the
director, "and I'm depending on you. What
will the weather be like?"
The Indian shrugged his shoulders. "Don't
know," he said. "Radio is broken."
Talking to me?
At the height of a political corruption
trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a
witness. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that
you accepted five thousand dollars to
compromise this case?"
The witness stared out the window as though
he hadn't hear the question.
"Isn't it true that you accepted five
thousand dollars to compromise this case?"
the lawyer repeated.
The witness still did not respond.
Finally, the judge leaned over and said,
"Sir, please answer the question."
"Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought
he was talking to you."
Good with cash
The kid had swallowed a coin and it got
stuck in his throat, and his mother ran out
in the street yelling for help. A man
passing by took the boy by his shoulders and
hit him with a few strong strokes on the
back, and he coughed the coin out.
"I don't know how to thank you, doc...", his
mother started.
"I'm not a doctor", the man replied, "I'm
from the Inland Revenue Department. " |
