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Former Benedictine athlete Irenaeus Ferdinandusz by Eric Motha

Former Benedictine athlete Irenaeus Ferdinandusz
Eric Motha

Irenaeus Ferdinandusz had his early education at De La Salle, Mutwal and thereafter proceeded to St. Benedict's College, Kotahena where he was a student from 1950 to 1959.

During his student days at St. Benedict's, the premier educational institution of the De La Salle Brothers in Sri Lanka, Irenaeus proved his mettle in athletics being crowned Juvenile Champion ( 1952) Junior ( 1954) and Joint Senior Champion in 1957 establishing College records in Long Jump, Triple Jump and 440 yards events. It was a remarkable achievement for Irenaeus establishing 8 College records during 1952 to 1957 when he reigned supreme in track and field. It is also relevant to mention that his younger brother Gaston Rajakaruna annexed the Junior Championship in 1957 sprinting with finesse.

Irenaeus, in addition to his prowess at athletics played cricket at the under14, 16 and second X1 levels. He was a student of good ranking in the Commercial stream and Prefect for two years in recognition of his achievements. I had the privilege of being a classmate of Irenaeus during the early to mid 50's and could well recall his versatility in the disciplines of academics and extra curricular activities. Ireneaus paid tribute to his coach at St. Benedict's Aldo Abeysena, also a former Senior Athletic Champion and the unfailing advice proffered by his teacher Mr. JF Jegarajasingham and the redoubtable Jayantha Seneviratne who won the Public Schools Pole Vault for College in 1953. He also recalled his feat in outclassing the firm favourite Maurice Fairweather in the 220 yds. event at the Mercantile Athletic Championships in 1961, establishing a new Meet record.

On leaving school, Irenaeus joined Colombo Agencies and had a four year stint prior to embarking on a career at sea in November '63, sailing as a Cadet on an American research vessel, before migrating to Denmark on September 09,1964. Irenaeus referred to his excellent performance at the famed Nautical College in SVENDBORG having secured 71 out of a possible 84 marks in an array of 12 subjects. The success saga continued with Irenaeus sailing the oceans over a record 33 years before dropping anchor and opting at the age of 65 to siphon his innate talents to the role of a Nautical teacher and introducing the study of Danish & English languages to refugees in Odense & Nyborg.

Irenaeus is the eldest sibling of late IV (Ignatius) and Ethelreda Ferdinandusz of Mutwal, Colombo and has five family members domiciled in Canada whilst three reside in Sri Lanka. The late IV Ferdinandusz was the Secretary of the Catholic Literary Union and a prolific wielder of the pen with his vast knowledge of men and matters.

He wrote extensively to the secular Press and the Catholic Messenger and respected as a stout defender of the Faith. He was Manager of the Catholic Book Depot in Pettah for a record 30 years and an asset in the diffusion of Catholic literature.

In his retired life Irenaeus has diligently focussed on completing his 450 page thesis titled "Mind the Mind" which he will defend for his PhD in Moral Philosophy either in UK or Denmark, the land of his domicile. He intends publishing this in the form of a book to harness funds for the philanthropic "Live to Give" project initiated by him in Odense. Irenaeus has always been imbued with a deep yearning to assist the less fortunate and marginalised in society in Sri Lanka, India, Sierra Leone amongst other countries. "Mind the Mind" is a tribute to the great Dane Hans Christian Anderson and in memory of some former iconic world leaders and his beloved mother Ethelreda. He is looking for a publisher in USA,UK or Canada with the sole intent of utilising monies from the sale for his mission to the poor.

Irenaeus, citing a worthy deed, remembered rescuing a stranded fisherman from Trinidad drifting at sea for 17 days in the North Caribbean bereft of any food when the ship under his command was on a run to Rotterdam from Guatemala. In this act of helping someone in distress Capt. Irenaeus entrusted the stranger to the American Coast Guard. A year later when his ship anchored at Port of Spain the grateful individual and his wife rushed to greet and express their profound gratitude to the Captain for his noble deed, a clear example of his vision to help those in need sans any fanfare but wholly inspired by the desire to serve fellow human beings in the spirit of humility and brotherhood. During his stint sailing the oceans for 33 years Irenaeus had visited 171 countries and approximately 800 harbours across the globe as Sailor, second Mate, Chief Mate and Master Mariner (Captain).

In retrospective, during his brief visit to Vancouver Irenaeus reminisced of our student days at St. Benedict's on a wave of nostalgia cherishing the education we received under the tutelage of the De La Salle Brothers with emphasis on the College motto "Religio Mores Cultura". In his array of schoolmates Irenaeus particularly remembered Augustine Alles, Camillus Perera, Nalin Swaris, Patrick Perera, Radley & Ivan Cramer and Tennyson Fernando.

He had made over 20 visits to the country of his birth and perhaps takes refuge in the famous quote of W S Senior:

"My heart you will break with longing.

For it can never be goodbye"

Capt. Irenaeus, having passed the Biblical span of three score and ten, leads a quiet existence assisting those seeking his knowledge and guidance in the spheres of his proven expertise. He is very closely attached to his daughters Susanne & Vibecke and four grandchildren with his wife having predeceased him in 1996. In the evening of his life, Capt. Irenaeus could reflect on his career with justifiable pride.

Posted by webmaster on March 12 2012 00:59:32 � 0 Comments � 1619 Reads

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