It is not my intention, in writing a tribute to a friend who has crossed the great divide, to list his academic achievements or to count the rungs he climbed on the social ladder. My intention is to place on record the privilege I enjoyed in being chosen to encounter his human qualities and his moral worth. When I said farewell to Midkey, sad and shattered as I was, it was with the determination that it would be a ‘valediction forbidding mourning’. It was our loss not his.

I first met Mickey in June 1954 when together we entered the idyllic precincts of the University at Peradeniya. In later life we realised that this idyll was a form of leisure class escapism from the social reality that was Sri Lanka. It was within this framework of understanding that our friendship blossomed and matured in the autumn of our lives. Midkey and I were residents of adjoining halls of residence, namely Arunachalam and Jayatilleke respectively. He was one of a group of close friends among whom were Haig Karunaratne, Wilfrid Jayasuriya, Dexter Nicolle and a few others. I would not go so far as to say that we shared common interests. Yet, on matters such as life and values our outlook was very similar. Apart from the stimulating discourse we engaged in as undergraduates while sharing the regular routine of lectures, sports and leisure time activities, there were other special encounters, which I still cherish. I still recall with nostalgia the prayer meetings I attended at the invitation of Midcey, at which Rev. Celestine Fernando acted as animator.

Mickey decided to take up employment in the private sector without competing his University education. We lost contact with each other for some time due to the exigencies of employment. During that period he attained the professional qualification of Cost and Management Accountant. Our close friendship was renewed and strengthened when both of us engaged ourselves in teaching English at the Sri Lanka Institute for Development Administration (SLIDA) along with Wilfrid Jayasuriya, the Course Director and Haig Karunaratne. Mickey did more than teaching. He offered his services on a voluntary basis to help the Director in coordinating work in the faculty. His genial qualities, especially the tone of his voice and his outreach endeared him to both students and teachers alike. As fate would have it the quartet of 1954 was there in dazed silence to witness the last rites and bid a final farewell.

The passing away of Mickey represents the passing away of an era when the faith others had in us and the faith we had in others helped us to believe in ourselves. This faith was the touchstone on which we assayed our human dignity and worth. Mickey was scrupulous to the point of agonising on problems which people faced in their day to day life. His participation in the work of the National Consumer Watch of Sri Lanka reflected this concern. As a committed Christian he was disillusioned by the manner in which the institutional church deviated from the teachings of its founder in promoting humbug and hypocrisy. He was passionate in his endeavour to join every collective endeavour to promote ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue that would enable people to understand what genuine Christianity is. Mickey’s simplicity, intergrity and sincerity will continue to survive and surpass any monument we dare to build.

I take this opportunity to convey my condolences to the members of his family, especially to his two daughters, who will carry his gene of graciousness as testimony to a good life well lived.
Eymard de Silva Wijeyeratne