A TRIBUTE TO DEAR AUNTY PHILINE : Bishop's College Past Pupils Association

When Sunella messaged me requesting to pay a tribute to aunty Philine as we fondly call her | was honoured as much as nervous as | get very emotional even doing my own speeches.

Dr. Mrs Philine Peiris was presented to the queen at buckingham palace on commonwealth day in 1955. Her credentials being the countrys first Peaditrician to be specialised in treating Tubercolosis in children. She qualified with an MBBS from the University of Colombo with second class honours and a distinction in surgery. She succeeded at the MRCP (Edin) in the first sitting together with her husband the late Dr Ernie which was a first as husband and wife to do so. They both made a valuable contribution to their respective professions. Her beloved husband Dr. Ernie Pieris who was a gentle and a caring doctor with a subtle sense of humour was an equally talented physician and the two of them served their patients selflessly in their chosen fields.

Dr. Philine Peiris returned to Sri Lanka and took on the challenge to treat Tubercolosis in children. The dreaded disease was a “hidden Enemy” as referred to by her. The afflicted children were isolated in a ward due to the nature of TB. She was blessed with selfless, gentle and giving dispositions which saw her tirelessly working to help curb this disease in these socially isolated young children. My first recollection of her was when i was taken to consult Dr. Ernie Pieris as a child by my mother. He was a well respected physician himself to whom my family owed much having saved my sisters life from a rare kidney disease. She would always reassuringly

hang around outside his room and one couldn’t miss her presence. Little did | know that we both attended Bishop’s College, and had the privilege of meeting her again

She was a mother to 5 girls and a boy whom she sadly lost at birth. One of her daughters passed away at a very young age too. Through it all they never lost the faith in God. She was a proud grandmother and a great grandmother.

She delivered an oration under the presidency of Shyama Perera titled “The Hidden Enemy” on Tubercolosis at the age of about 85 without any reference which left us in awe. | later mentioned to her how uneasy we were and how on earth she did it word to word from this long text. She said ” Sonali, | am used to it because of the preparation in doing my lecturers”. Her memory was very much intact till her death at the age of 98. If ever | rang her to ask her to keep the date free for a past pupils fellowship her response would always be ” God willing | will be there *

| have had countless conversations and shared many experiences. She even introduced me to her physician Dr. Nimal Jayasinghe who had visited her as a clever junior of her husband and wanted me to speak to him over the phone, which | did. She used to mention how she missed her husband when she became a young Widow and she knew how much | did too. She was well cared for by Her daughters and lived with her youngest Enoka and son in law Niru who’s mother Pamela Fernando was ironically a former head girl of Bishop’s College and a past President of the PPA.

When she heard the sudden demise of Asma Jeevunjees husband Yusuf she called me to ask me if | could record her relating a poem By Henry Scott-Holland, on death which | gladly did and shared with Asma. After aunty Philine’s death | shared it with her daughters on how their mother would view death and for their consolation.

At her funeral | met a few whom she had touched and realised how many more would be out there whom she silently supported. Bishops college PPA has lost a distinguished and loyal Patron that epitomised every sense of our motto. Her love, loyalty and dedication to her alma mater was unconditionl. She left an indelible legacy which will be hard to fill.

| like to leave you with a Beautiful poem by Henry Van Dyke, sometimes attributed to Victor Hugo which reminded me of her life.

I Am Standing Upon The Seashore

I am stading upon the sea shore
A ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come

to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;
“There, she is gone!”

“Gone where?”

Gone from my sight. That is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull

and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her

load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone

at my side says, “There, she is gone!

There are other eyes watching her coming,

and other voices ready to take up the glad shout;
“Here she comes!”

And that is dying.