It is no overstatement that Captain Sir Tom epitomised humane values which was the hallmark of that generation and thus deserves more than a memorial.
by Victor Cherubim
As years roll and bygone generations of a world, we hardly knew fly past, it behoves of us to always honour the dead for their humble contribution to make our known world a better place, thanks to them.
Sir Captain Tom Moore who passed away at Bedford Hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday 02 January 2021 was one of them.
Many around the world will remember how Captain Sir Tom raised more than £32 million for the NHS during the pandemic by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, during the first national lockdown last April 2020.
His efforts struck a chord with the nation with praise and donations flooding in. In acknowledgement of his efforts, he was knighted by the Queen in a unique open air ceremony at Windsor Castle in the summer of 2020.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to him in the Commons (03 February 2021). The UK as a nation for the first timein history or so it seems,joined in a national clap in the evening to honour the life of Captain Sir Tom Moore, asMP’s held a minute silence for him and for all COVID victims.
Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Justin Welby summed up the life of World War II veteran, Captain Sir Tom, as a “gift to humanity.”
He said: “I think he comes from a generation that know what real and complete suffering for the whole nation was in war, and in a unique way. And as a result,he is someone who had that determination. I have seen it in others of his generation, and my father-in-law who’s similar, has demonstrated the constant positivity and constant hope. I think that comes from their experience and this is a trial of our resilience and our capacity to rise above it.”
It is no overstatement that Captain Sir Tom epitomised humane values which was the hallmark of that generation and thus deserves more than a memorial.
Florence AmirthanayagamBastiampillai was unlike Captain Sir Tom, an unknown Sri Lankan, who settled in the United States with her husband, the Late Dr. Joseph Bastiampillai in 1972.
She was named Florence by her father, Late Dr. G.A, Amirthanayagam, JMO,Jaffna in the 1950’s. Her name was no coincide as over the years, her qualities came to be seen as the Florence Nightingale of Ceylon in the US, as she possessed many of her qualities of her mother Teresa and her Grand Mother Constance Sandrasagra.
She was without doubt a daughter of a different generation but adopted to life in the US with quiet dignity. She touched many young lives, first as a Day Carer to her grandchildren, then in pursuit of her vocation as mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.
First what Florence had brought with her from Sri Lanka to the U.S. was her erudite science knowledge, but most of all her quiet and serene temperament, her fortitude and her love of all that was Sri Lankan.
She used her smile to change the world she lived in, but never did let the world change her smile.
The thing about her generation of Ceylonese was that they always looked forward to something – when they do not enjoy it – they are not very present in that current moment, but always hoping for better things to come. It was a life of looking forward, not backward to make their days more enjoyable. It was a way of improving their outlook on life. It was always giving of one’s life in service to nature and mankind, a distinguishing trait of their times.
Florence is survived by her siblings Annette Rambukwella in Colombo, who is years older than her and by her brother GratienAmirthanayagam, a retired Tea Broker with the well-known Tea Merchants, Jafferjee Brothers, Colombo, and a younger sister, Rohini Xavier, in Scarborough,Canada.
She has three children, Chemeli, Nimmi and Harisha (an Attorney). She became a grandmother in 1978 and is blessed with six grandchildren.
Florence will be buried on Saturday 06 February after a serene but quiet Catholic service at Our Lady of Mercy, Potomac, U.S.A. without much fanfare.
Her legacy lives on in the hearts of those who were touched by her life of simplicity.
May Florence, Sir Captain Tom Moore and all who have recently died rest in peace.
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