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| Sunday, 12 December 2004 |
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Top tennis official John Rajapakse dies A former President of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) - John Rajapakse, passed away after a brief illness last Tuesday at a private hospital and his funeral took place last morning (Saturday) at the General Cemetery, Kanatte. John was 76 years old at the time of his death and retired from the Police department as a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). An old boy of Ananda College, he was quite a good cricketer, having turned out for the First XI as an opening batsman. He continued with cricket even after joining Police in the State Services tournaments. However, it was tennis which was his first love. He was a long standing member of the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) and headed its tennis section from which he was elected into various capacities in the SLTA, ending up as being its President. John was also the holder of the White Baged of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and was a well-known umpire too. At various international tournaments in Colombo, John, was in charge of the line-umpires and ball boys too. He also attended various meetings of the ITF overseas. John was also a lover of cars, having owned a Caddilac, BMW and a Jaguar too. He leaves behind his wife, Rukmani. Two of his children, Romayne and Neil, were well-known tennis players themselves. Daughter Romayne fared well in local tournaments, while his son Neil went on to represent Sri Lanka in the Davis Cup. His eldest son Ananda is a well-known personality himself in various fields. Two other daughters of John, Kumari and Shiyami, are residents of England and USA, where Neil and Romayne too are living. May the turf lie gently over him. (L.G.) |
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