A Tribute MERRIL . J. FERNANDO

Much has been written about Merril the man, the businessman, his devotion to promoting pure Ceylon tea and as a philanthropist. As a close friend of over fifty years, I too, would like to pay my own tribute. What struck me most about Merrill from our very first meeting, was his deep spirituality and his steadfast faith in God. This is what I believe, helped his success in business, to bring up his two sons singlehandedly, instill the right values and principles in them and also to share the money he made with the under privileged, reaching out to them in countless ways. He was exceptional in his sense of social responsibility, which unfortunately is not a quality that most successful businessmen in our nation have today.  

He took pure Celyon tea all over the world, promoted its unique quality, and Dilmah today, is a household word internationally. The Merril. J. Fernando charitable Foundation is one of the region’s largest charitable Foundations and was the brainchild of the late Meriill, who took a personal interest in it on a daily basis. It has helped the less fortunate, the differently abled, children and youth, empowering them to have a better life, with dignity, through free education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, nutrition, medical facilities, and caring for the elderly. I have visited the Moratuwa centre more than once, which is where they have a preschool, a rainbow centre for children with special needs, vocationial training, a cricket live Foundation, a women’s development progrramme, and IT centre, a culinary school, a carpentry workshop and Community gardening. The Moratuwa centre is their flagship centre, and they have a similar centre in Kalkudah. They established a special needs school for children with cerebral palsy ,downs syndrome, and other disorders in Rajagiriya. The MJF Foundation operates in over fifteen locations in our country with over 100 projects in supporting the communities. Their support in the educational fields operate special children and youth programmes in over ten locations in Sri Lanka with special emphasis on the academic as well as the personal development of children and youth. They have provided educational scholarships to support selected students to support them financially with their learning needs. Vocational training in culinary, IT and dressmaking are conducted free for the less privileged. Dilmah’s SEP programme helps and encourages entrepreneurs to start and continue their own businesses. More than 15,000 families involved in producing tea in the plantation sector have been helped and supported financially to meet the changing needs and demands of our time. Merril never talked much about all the charitable work he did to make the world a better place for those in need in all spheres of life , The humanitarian efforts headed by him in the fields of nutrition, hygiene, , infrastructure and health have also helped the children of the tea plantation workers to better themselves and improve their living standards. Once when I told him that I think he was the greatest philanthropist after my great grandfather, the late Charles Henry de Soysa, he said’ Don’t compare me with that great man, I have done nothing compared to what he did’ That was Merrill. In the tourism sector, he started Tea Trails, small Boutique Hotels where tourists could see for themselves all the work that goes into producing pure Ceylon Tea. He went down South too in the tourism field and opened Cape Weligama, setting extremely high standards in these hotels, also starting a hospitality school in Kalkudah. So we see the hand of the late Merrril. J. Fernando in so many spheres of varied interest helping the less fortunate all over our emerald isle. His son Malik manages the hospitality sector of his business while Dilhan manages the tea. Both have had the best training possible under their father and can be truly proud of all he did and passed on to them. That is undoubtedly the best legacy he has left them. All I can say to end this is ‘Here was a man, when comes such another’.