Neville Nanayakkara, current Director General of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) and the former Government Printer of Sri Lanka passed away after a brief illness on January 6. He was 71.
Born on December 20, 1947, Nanayakkara was among his other accomplishments, the founder Chairman of the Sri Lanka Institute of Printing, the pioneer professional body committed to the advancement of knowledge and skills in Printing and Graphic Arts Industry, and rendered yeoman service to the Printing and Graphic Arts Community in Sri Lanka.
Neville Nanayakkara had his education at St.Joseph College, Colombo. His was a science graduate of the University of Colombo, a post-graduate in Print Media of the London School of Printing and a post-graduate in Industrial Management in the Netherlands.
He was a fellow of two prestigious professional bodies in the United Kingdom. He was also a consultant of the UNDP. He was the youngest head of a government institution in Sri Lanka, holding the same position for over 24 years.
His achievements include the introduction of Sinhala to digital computers and setting up the Sri Lanka Institute of Printing, which now is affiliated with the Colombo University in awarding degree level management qualifications to youth in the Printing and Advertising fields. He has written and published many books on digital and microprocessor technology.
His contribution at international conferences, in the local and the international arena is well documented. A Google search of Neville Nanayakkara will bring up a number of pages revealing his vast contribution.
Retiring early from government service, he shouldered five years of responsibility in handling tsunami rehabilitation in Sri Lanka as the Director General of the Sri Lanka Red Cross.
His book ‘IMPOSSIBLE to POSSIBLE’ comes as a tribute to the unsung heroes – the youth volunteers, who did selfless service during the fateful days of the tsunami.
He saw that the future of our motherland is in the hands of our youth who deserve empowerment. He therefore presented his book more as a training manual, hoping it to be a powerful contribution to that task. In 2016 he returned to the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society as its Director General, with a focus on post conflict resolution. He also serves on the board of other companies.
Despite his many qualifications and accomplishments, he was a modest person, committed to the development of others. Today he is no more. We cherish the memories he has left us with. May his life investment touch and inspire many others to greatness.
His remains are lying at the Jayaratna Respect Funeral parlor at Borella. Funeral rights will be held on Thursday, January 10 at 4.30 P.M. at the Family Burial Grounds in Dalugama, Kelaniya.
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