An accomplished editor who didn’t lose the common touch

The curtain came down on Gamini Weerakoon, one of the last of the great English language editors of Sri Lanka in the sad month of November, 2023. Gamini Weerakoon’s passing ends a career that spanned 57 years of superlative journalism. He was 82 at the time of death. 
This burly figure stood out like a beacon not only for his excellence in journalism at home and as a foreign correspondent, but also for his will to carry on as editor, regardless of the challenges leading journalists who were not government stooges or yes men faced. ‘Gamma’ to his close friends and in local journalistic circles and ‘Mr. Weerakoon’ to those like me who served under him; Gamini Weerakoon’s specialty was international affairs.
Gamini Abhaya Weerakoon was born on March 19 1941. His father, Edmund Weerakoon, an officer of the Ceylon Railway Department, settled down in Mount Lavinia for Gamini to attend S. Thomas’ Colege Mount Lavania; of which school he was later a loyal old boy.
Weerakoon entered Colombo University, Science Faculty in 1963 and later changed over to the Law Faculty. He also excelled in rugby union; representing his school and the Combined Universities. 
It was while at the University, having edited the magazines as President of the Science Students’ Union and later as President of the Students’ Union that he conceived his love for journalism. This led him to be introduced to the then Chairman/Lake House Ranjith Wijewardene by Devinda Senanayake, the son of Robert Senanayake. Cutting short his undergraduate studies in 1966, he  joined the Sunday Observer as a cub reporter under the legendary editor, Denzil Peiris who passed on to him some of the finer points of this noble art.
At the Observer Weerakoon cut his teeth as a reporter covering Coroner’s Court. Subsequently, he was assigned to cover the Colombo Municipality, the then Senate, and thereafter the Parliament. At Lake House, where heavy competition was then the order of the day, he was picked to interview Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon in 1969; when the astronauts of Apollo 11 visited Ceylon in 1970.
He also had readers at the time who looked forward to read his reports of the controversial meetings of the Rationalists’ Association headed by Abraham Kovoor (of firewalk fame who invited Sai Baba to visit then Ceylon without a visa.) His coverage of the Senate proceedings was also a treat at a time when politicians of the calibre of Reggie Perera and Hema Dabare with their colouful banter, afforded journalists a well comprised report. Later, the Editor of the Sunday and Evening Observer, Harold Peiris entrusted him with the Evening Observer signature column “Roundabout.” It was also at the Sunday Observer that he met his lifelong partner, Rajitha, herself an accomplished journalist.
While serving as the Additional News Editor of the Observer, which had the largest circulation for a Sunday newspaper at the time, Weerakoon was moved to the Daily News.
On the Daily News, which then had the largest circulation for a daily newspaper, he took over the role of News Editor.  
In 1976, while at Lake House, he was selected to cover the Non-Aligned Summit held in Colombo; which was chaired by Premier Sirima Dias Bandaranaike. Ninety six heads of state were in attendance.
His interests in international politics led him to later cover Non-Aligned conferences in New Delhi, Harare, Belgrade and Jakarta. It was in 1986 when covering the Non-Aligned Conference in Harare as Editor of The Island that a drug addict broke into his house and attacked his wife and daughter. With there being no daily flights out of Harare, Lasantha Wickrematunge, who worked on The Island, worked out a flight for him to return home through Dutch Airlines.         
In 1981, when business magnate Upali Wijewardena began The Island and its sister newspaper Divaina, the cream of Sri Lankan journalists were recruited for this endeavour. And Weerakoon was appointed as News Editor of The Island. Within a few months, he was appointed as its Deputy Editor. When the other Editor Vijitha Yapa left around 1986, Weerakoon assumed the post of Editor.
In 1985 Weerakoon, on an invitation from the US Government, visited Washington, NASA, the Pentagon and key US state establishments ending his tour in Hawaii.
In 1986 Weerakoon was struck with a viral attack on his nervous system which confined him to hospital for about four months. It was thought that he would not be able to walk freely, but he made a seemingly full recovery.
With his deep interest in international politics, Weerakoon on invitation covered several General Elections in France and Germany.
Besides his interviewees included, the Japanese Prime Minister Kaifu Toshika, Indian Prime Ministers Indrakumar Gujral, and Chandra Shekhar, Pakistan’s President Zia-ul-Haq, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Afghan President Mohammad Najibullah.
In 1986 he was appointed the Editor-In-Chief of The Island and Sunday Island. In 1999 he was appointed Editorial Director of Upali Newspapers Ltd.
During the JVP insurrection in the 1980s with politicians and journalists being gunned down Weerakoon’s life was in danger. But despite threats from the JVP and with the LTTE threatening to blow up the whole of The Island newspaper carried on regardless ensuring that the paper was published.
Retired in 2004 from the Upali Newspapers, he functioned as the Consultant Editor of The Leader newspaper until its publications closed down. Up to the time of his passing away, he wrote the popular column “Doublespeak” in the Sunday Times newspaper.
Weerakoon, a member of the prestigious Orient Club, walked with kings but did not lose the common touch.
When in 1965 temperamental English cricketer Freddie Trueman retired, someone wrote, ‘there will never ever be another you’; there will never ever be another Gamini Weerakoon.

Elmo Leonard