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| Sunday, 8 September 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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A man with a vision Fact File : Name in Full: Don Ariyaseela De Silva Wickremanayake
Accomplishments: Founder and Chairman of Master Divers ,Chairman State Engineering Corporation , Chairman Pelwatte Sugar Industries Ltd. and many more The company chairman, the master diver with many firsts to his credit has big dreams not for himself but for his country and its people. They are achieving self sufficiency in food and building the deepest port in the world. Dream "Agriculture is our cake while everything else we manufacture and export is the icing. Get the correct ingrediants for the cake and the icing will become a smooth process," said a determined Ariyaseela Wickremanayake. "Agriculture was the success of our past and it is our future too therefore we should go back to our roots and become an agricultural economy for the future prosperity of our country," he noted. We should promote the eating of rice, jak etc while rejecting bread which will help save the much needed foreign exchange and also make us more healthy. for example Sri Lankans eat US$250 million worth of bread a year and if we forgo eating bread for a week end that money is sufficient to give pipe borne water to the entire Hambantota. Way back in the 1950s we were not in debt to anyone instead self sufficient in food. Then we did not export house maids instead we did export professionals such as Doctors and Engineers, therefore it is necessary that we go back to the good old days without depriving the children their mothers or daughters for parents. For a year 3900 ships come to Sri Lanka while 36000 ships call at the Port of Singapore which is about 2000 kilo meters away from Sri Lanka. This is because the port of Colombo is small. Looking around we saw Hambantota. "It can be developed to be the deepest port in the world and the hub of Asia, this is my ambition said Wickremanayake. It is done as a priority project. The feasibility study will start in the near future while planning will be completed within one year. " We are hoping that the harbour will be in place within the next two to three years, which in turn will generate employment and earn foreign exchange while bringing a host of economic benefits to the country." Educated at St Aloysious College Galle he did science subjects for his Advanced level because his fathers dream was for him to become a doctor, but his first love was the sea and he was the fastest swimmer during his school days. When he went for baths to Galle he saw the divers who were building the Galle Port being treated with respect and dignity. this also inspired young Wickremanayake to become a diver. Career After completing his A/Ls an advertisement in the paper by the port commission calling for trainee diving officers caught his eye and without any hesitation Wickremanayake sent his resume. Everything went fine and he received the letter of appointment and the letter informing that he was selected to the Medical College on the same day. "I decided to be a diver and joined the Port on October 1 1970. The training period was three years and was paid Rs 9 per day." "Since I was a trainee I had the opportunity to learn every aspect relating to the trade including ship repairing and dredging of the port. I completed my training as the fourth diving officer and I was entrusted with the building of the first container terminal." This brought Wickremanayake to the limelight and journalists started writing about him which resulted him being spotted by a german national who was on holiday. "He wanted me to come over and work in the Port of Dhamam in Saudi Arabia, the worlds largest container terminal. I was happy because I was recognised by a foreigner, but I refused the offer since I was having a permenent and pensionable job. He did not stop but pestered me to come over. As I wanted to get rid of this person I told him to give me the full payment until my retirement at Age 55. It worked out to US$5000 per month." " I never thought that he will agree, but he did. Therefore In 1977 I left the Job and went over to take the new job accompanied by my brother." The agreement was signed for a period of two years but with work being speeded up Wickremenayake completed the work within nine months. "In 1978 August I was paid the full amount according to the contract and we came to Sri Lanka via Singapore." The stop at Singapore was for purchasing of equipment to start a diving company. Hardwork The Company Master Divers was registered on the day of his birthday September 25 and there has been no looking back since then due to the dedication and hard work of Wickremanayake. "It was the first ever professional diving company and within months all the shipping companies and the government wanted us to handle their work since we were on call 24 hours of the day." "Since no company had a boat to go to the sea I bought a puffin boat and every company started using my boat to go the sea for repairing of ships. I also purchased vessels to transport water to ships as well as oil tankers to give oil to ships." He bought the US owned company W. A. Tucker and Hull and thus started repairing of Ships and hull. With the purchase of the largest Tug in Asia Master Divers moved to the area of salvaging ships and also built a oil pipe line to discharge crude oil to vessels. Earlier this was being done by Japanese and US companies. Master Divers also own the Largest general cargo vessel and the largest container vessel as well as 12 puffin boats. With the purchasing of Pelwatte Sugar Industries Ltd (PSIL) he has moved to the business of manufacturing and selling sugar. " I also wish that the country will be self sufficient in sugar thereby saving the valuable foreign currency and also provide employment to people." He said "that at present only 10% of the countries sugar requirement is produced locally (by cultivating 3000 hectares of sugar cane) while 90% is imported costing the government Rs 10,000 million annually. Therefore if we cultivate 30,000 hectares of sugar we can save the valuable foreign exchange while giving employment, generating power, making alcohol and a host of other products." He said that "sugar cane is a crop that is harvested annually therefore he wants the sugar cane farmer to engage in livestock and dairy farming. He hopes to give two cows to a family and buy back the milk, packet it sell it. At present 80% of the milk requirements are imported." He said that if we can be self sufficient in sugar and milk " I don't think we will need to borrow money." "I also hope to start talking to the plantation companies who are uprooting rubber and selling for firewood to get them engaged in cultivating sugar. He said that if we get our act together we can produce the sugar, sell it and save the foreign exchange and also give employment to people who come to the city in search of employment." Family Hailing from Baddegama he was born to a family of eight boys and two girls.His father was a principal and a farmer moulded into one. He never allowed the children to drink packeted milk instead it was fresh milk taken from the cows owned by them while the vegetables and the treacle was home made. This was the life he had when he was young and it has helped to mould him to what he is today, humble but determined to achieve his dream of self sufficiency not only for himself and his family but to the entire country. Married to Dilrukshi he is a father of two boys aged 08 and 14 years. He likes to spend his leisure with the children. " If you have a likeing to something do it and do it well and be proud of what you are this is the secret of my success, "said Mr Wickremanayake who is a teetotler and non smoker. At present he is the Chairman of the State Engineering Corporation. Master Divers own 9% of Bogawantalawa plantations, 20% of Colombo Dockyard and one third of Aitken Spence Plantation Management Ltd who manages the Elpitiya plantations. PSIL has a total extent of 6,300 hectares and a 500 to 600,000 tons of sugar cane supply. |
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