Features

” Against All Odds”: The Enduring Legacy of Louis Armstrong

Published

1 year ago

2024/09/8

by Dahami Samarathunga

During my college days, I had a neighbor who would enthusiastically blast his ‘Louis Armstrong’ AKA ‘Satchmo,’ collection on weekend afternoons. He was eager to share his refined musical taste with the entire neighbourhood. While the noise often tempted me to confront him, I believe it was our friendly small talk and his wife’s warm, endearing smile, which I’d receive just before heading off to class, that managed to dissuade me from taking up the disturbance of the loud music with him. I always thought their house was a testament to a bygone era, with its picket fence and asphalt shingles, resembling a perfectly preserved snapshot of a bygone age.

Although, I appreciates jazz, his loud music often felt like an intrusion into a quiet neighbourhood. Like many of my generation, my exposure to Armstrong’s music was limited to occasional snippets, like bits from ‘What a Wonderful World’ on TV commercials. I couldn’t fathom how someone my age could find relevance in jazz composed nearly a century ago. To make matters worse, with a mountain of assignments, research papers, theses, and exams piling up, I was already at my wit’s end, and was simply in no mood to hear ‘I want a big butter and bread man” every other weekend.

However, after my neighbours’ passing last October, I felt compelled to listen to a lot of Satchmo’s work work and soon I discovered why he peaked as high as he did. He was a trailblazer without an equal, often dubbed as one of the most influential forefathers of jazz and scat singing. Armstrong was a colossus of musical innovation, whose groundbreaking artistry, infectious attraction and enduring legacy have continue to inspire and delight audiences across generations, cementing his status as an iconic legend in the pantheon of American music.

Beyond his mastery of the trumpet, his revolutionary techniques and his much-loved gravelly voice, it was Louis Armstrong’s infectious grin, quick wit, and general demeanour that truly set him apart from others. His was a warm and humorous personality that won him a multitude of fans and captured the hearts of millions worldwide. His ability to connect with people through his music, humour, and charisma has cemented his legacy as a beloved entertainer and a timeless icon in the world of jazz.

Born into dire poverty in 1901, Armstrong grew up mostly under his grandmother’s care. He lacked the simple joys of life as a child and suffered malnutrition. In the early 1900’s despite his grandmother’s ambitions for him, being of African descent was a major setback and at the age of seven, he was forced to work selling newspapers or vegetables on the street. At age 11, he had quit school and joined a quartet of boys who sang on the streets for money. After few months of work, he saved enough to buy a used cornet with which he taught himself to play.

During their street performances, Louis and friends would come into contact with many different musicians who played in ‘Storyville Honky Tonks.’ It was here that one of towns best known trumpeters, Bunk Johnson, noticed Armstrong’s raw talent and taught him a variety of techniques to refine his already impressive skills. Johnson invited Armstrong to attend his concerts, paving the way for the young prodigy’s future success.

During this time, Louis lived with his mother and sister and worked for the Karnoffskys’, a local family of Lithuanian Jews. He often helped the family with their two children, Morris and Alex, and did chores around the house. Many believe his fondness for the Jewish faith came from this connection revealed in his memoir ‘Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, LA’. Working for the Karnoffskys’ and singing Russian lullabies to put the children to sleep inspired him to ‘sing from the heart’.

As a young boy, Louis Armstrong generally steered clear of trouble, but on New Year’s Eve in 1912 an impetuous act of firing a blank into the air with his stepfather’s gun led to his arrest. As a result, he spent the night in a lock-up and the New Orleans Juvenile Court sentenced him to detention at the Colored Waif’s Home the next day. The home, run by the strict Captain Joseph Jones, was akin to a military camp, with discipline enforced through corporal punishment.

Ironically, it was within those walls that Louis discovered his true passion. The home’s brass band captivated him, as he longed to join its ranks. But the band director was initially hesitant, wary of his troubled past and feared the repercussions of accepting a ‘gun-toting kid from Storyville’ into the band. But Louis’ continued persistence eventually worked as he not only became a member of the band but its leader. It was said that Peter Davis, who became Armstrong’s first teacher was highly impressed with not only his ability, but also his creative mind. And with this band, the 13-year-old Armstrong caught the eye of the likes of Kid Ory.

After being released from detention around 1914, Louis met one of his idols, New Orleans cornet star, Joe “King” Oliver. Oliver was pleased teach and share his skill with upcoming artists and took Louis under his wing, eventually making him his protégé. By 1918, Armstrong had played in brass bands and riverboats in New Orleans, and travelled with the band of Jazz pianist Fate Marable who played on board a steamboat plying up and down the Mississippi River.

Marable was highly impressed with Armstrong’s music and encouraged him and other members of his band to learn sight reading of music. Armstrong would later recounted this time as a crucial part of his career. He described it as his introduction to formal education in music saying it was as though he and his fellow bandsmen were “going to the University” with wider exposure to work with written arrangements.

By the age of 20, Armstrong had already honed his skills to become a proficient sight-reader of music and a pioneering jazz performer renowned for his extended trumpet solos that showcased his unique personality and style. He also began to sing during his performances, adding another dimension to his artistry. In 1922, Armstrong made a pivotal move to Chicago, joining King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band at the prestigious Lincoln Gardens, a blacks-only venue.

Despite his age, Armstrong’s talent earned him a coveted spot as Oliver’s as second cornet artiste, a huge feat considering his amateur status. Shortly after, news of the young prodigy’s performances spread like wildfire, attracting a diverse audience of music enthusiasts, including future jazz legends Benny Goodman and Bix Beiderbecke who would sneak into the dance hall to experience Armstrong’s magic.

After leaving New Orleans in 1922, Armstrong spent three years playing in jazz ensembles in Chicago and Harlem. He was largely content to be a journeyman musician, but his second wife, pianist Lil Hardin believed he was simply too talented not have a band of his own considering his growing popularity. In 1925, while Armstrong was performing in New York, Hardin went behind his back and secured a deal with Chicago’s Dreamland Café to advertise and use him as a featured artiste.

She even demanded his being billed as “The World’s Greatest Trumpet Player.” Despite Armstrong’s’ hesitation, many believed it was a clever entrepreneurial decision on his wife’s part as this marketing gimmick eventually played out in his favour. It turned out to be the best move of his career, as a few days after arriving in Chicago, Armstrong was given the permission to make his first recordings under his own name by ‘OKeh Records’ – a monumental moment in his career.

Between 1925 -1928, Armstrong and his backup bands, the Hot Five and Hot Seven, went on to release over dozen records that introduced the world to his improvisational trumpet solos and trademark scat singing – all commercial successes. The legendary Hot Five and Hot Seven bands captured not only Armstrong’s development as a fine Jazz soloist, but showcased superiority to his peers and many other artists before his time. His “Struttin with Some Barbecue,” “Cornet Chop Suey” and “Potato Head Blues” were often regarded as three masterpieces where he seemingly switched from the mellower-sounding cornet to the trumpet winning the highest critical praise. His efforts at hitting the higher notes was considered revolutionary at the time.

Asked in an interview to discuss the secret of his success and what distinguished him and his peers from the then current crop of artists, Armstrong replied, “I don’t know what they did. I don’t know where they blew it from.” He added, “That’s their business, but if they sounded good I don’t care where it came from.

You understand? Music is music.” Asked about the future of jazz, he expressed confidence that it would remain secure as long as the sanctity of music was upheld. Responding to a question of changing his style to suit younger audiences, he said, “No, why should you change your music, Mozart didn’t change. Bach didn’t change.” When the interviewer stated that some might find that strategy to be a bit regressive, Armstrong countered, “We never did worry about styles, there ain’t no such thing as styles in music. There ain’t but two kinds of music, good or bad. That’s all.”

Despite his phenomenal success, many often-overlooked the chapter of relentless racism in his career which he and fellow artists of colour endured in the industry. This, ironically, was a stark contrast to the joyfulness in his music . Critics noted that he was often singled out among African American artists during the tumultuous 1940s-1950s, with some labelling him an “Uncle Tom” due to his perceived acquiescence of discrimination, in contrast to figures like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali who vocally denounced the US government’s handling of racial issues. While some believed Armstrong’s restrained approach was driven by a fear of backlash and career repercussions – which was a legitimate concern given the industry’s predominantly white ownership – his actions nevertheless remained a testament to his strength and perseverance in the face of adversity.

In Sacha Jenkins’ documentary ‘Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues’ , revealed a rare interview where Armstrong reminisced on the discrimination he faced in the industry, from being heckled by an audience member who yelled ‘I don’t like Negros’ to his face ‘ to being disrespected on a film set in a manner which he believed ,no white artist would ever tolerate.

Armstrong also said in his usual humorous manner how he got last laugh at the encounter he had on the movie set, adding he even harangued them on ‘where to stick their movie’. And as a man who was born less then a half century after the abolition of slavery, it was no less of a miracle that Armstrong reached levels of fame and success that could rival the likes off Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby, who were both studio darlings.

Louis Armstrong also bridged the generational gap by collaborating with younger artists, notably Ella Fitzgerald, with whom he released the iconic album, “Ella and Louis,” in 1956. This masterpiece showcased the duo’s undeniable chemistry and offered a powerful representation of black Americans in the 1950s, emphasizing the importance of unity and solidarity in the face of segregation. In late 1963, Louis Armstrong (and his All Stars ) recorded “Hello, Dolly!”, a title track for an upcoming musical project.

Although Armstrong himself had low expectations for the song, it became a massive hit when the show premiered on Broadway making “Hello Dolly!” reach number one on the charts, surpassing two songs by The Beatles at the height of ‘Beatlemania in 1964’, making Armstrong the oldest musician in American history to have a number one song at 62 years of age. His crossover appeal continued with his starring role in the film adaptation of “Hello, Dolly!” in 1969, where he shared the screen with Barbra Streisand, further cementing his status as a generational icon. Critics believed these projects demonstrated Armstrong’s ability to transcend age and genre boundaries, leaving an indelible mark music and American cultural heritage.

Shorty before his death on July 6, 1971, in February Armstrong played a two‐week engagement at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. When asked about his return to the scene he said, “I’m going back to work when my treaders get in as good shape as my chops.” Showing audiences that the ‘showman’ in him hasn’t died out despite his rapid decline of health.

“If anybody was Mr. Jazz it was Louis Armstrong. He was the epitome of jazz and always will be. He is what I call an American standard, an American original,” Jazz icon Duke Ellington once said. Critics believe it was a testament to his prodigious talent, innovative spirit, and iconic image that were inextricably linked with the genre of jazz, making him an embodiment of that art form. His legacy continues to inspire generations of musicians, from , Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday to modern virtuosos like Jon Batiste. And, though, the state of Jazz is in no state of a disarray, its current state is a far cry from its former glory, leaving many to ponder if there will ever be another artist who can match the success and enduring influence of Louis Armstrong.

Regina Bain, executive director of Armstrong’s house museum in Corona, lauded him for his unwavering perseverance and resiliency in the face of intense backlash from social critics. ‘Despite enduring racial terror that affected his life and well-being, he continued to push forward,’ she said. ‘While no one, including Armstrong, deserves such treatment, his ability to overcome obstacles and achieve legendary status is a testament to his remarkable talent and strength.’

His influence strictly went beyond nearly a century of jazz to include everyone from Leonard Bernstein to the Rolling Stones, and his imprints extended far beyond jazz, with his momentum serving as an inspiration for many artists in popular music still to this day . And as J.D. Allen once aptly put it, ‘All roads lead back to Pops,’ nodding to Armstrong’s enduring impact as a once-in-a-generation icon.

(The writer is a Sri Lankan living in Toronto, Canada. She may be contacted at dahamisamarathunga44@gmail.com)

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Features

The State of the Union and the Spectacle of Trump

Published

17 hours ago

2026/03/1

Thilina Walpola

A Grim Handshake: The President and the Chief Justice at the State of the Union

President Donald J. Trump, as the American President often calls himself, is a global spectacle. And so are his tariffs. On Friday, February 20, the US Supreme Court led by Chief Justice John Roberts and a 6-3 majority, struck down the most ballyhooed tariff scheme of all times. Upholding the earlier decisions of the lower federal courts, the Supreme Court held that Trump’s use of ‘emergency powers’ to impose the so called Liberation Day tariffs on 2 April 2025, is not legal. The Liberation Day tariffs, which were comically announced on a poster board at the White House Rose Garden, is a system of reciprocal tariffs applied to every country that exported goods and services to America. The court ruling has pulled off the legal fig leaf with which Trump had justified his universal tariff scheme.

Trump was livid after the ruling on Friday and invectively insulted the six judges who ruled against Trump’s tariffs. There was nothing personal about it, but for Trump, the ever petulant man-boy, there isn’t anything that is not personal. On Tuesday night in Washington, Trump delivered his first State of the Union address of his second presidency. The Chief Justice, who once called the State of the Union, “a political pep rally,” attended the pomp and exchanged a grim handshake with the President.

Tuesday’s State of the Union was the longest speech ever in what is a long standing American tradition that is also a constitutional requirement. The Trump showmanship was in full display for the millions of Americans who watched him and millions of others in the rest of world, especially mandarins of foreign governments, who were waiting to parse his words to detect any sign for his next move on tariffs or his next move in Iran. There was nothing much to parse, however, only theatre for Trump’s Republican followers and taunts for opposing Democrats. He was in his usual elements as the Divider in Chief. There was truly little on offer for overseas viewers.

On tariffs, he is bulldozing ahead, he boasted, notwithstanding the Supreme Court ruling last Friday. But the short lived days of unchecked executive tariff powers are over even though Trump wouldn’t let go of his obsessive illusions. On the Middle East, Trump praised himself for getting the release of Israeli hostages, dead or alive, out of Gaza, but had no word for the Palestinians who are still being battered on that wretched strip of land. On Ukraine, he bemoaned the continuing killings in their thousands every month but had no concept or plan for ending the war while insisting that it would not have started if he were president four years ago.

He gave no indication of what he might do in Iran. He prefers diplomacy, he said, but it would be the most costly diplomatic solution given the scale of deployment of America’s fighting assets in the region under his orders. In Trump’s mind, this could be one way of paying for a Nobel Prize for peace. More seriously, Trump is also caught in the horns of a dilemma of his own making. He wanted an external diversion from his growing domestic distractions. If he were thinking using Iran as a diversion, he also cannot not ignore the warnings from his own military professionals that going into Iran would not be a walk in the park like taking over Venezuela. His state of mind may explain his reticence on Iran in the State of the Union speech.

Even on the domestic front, there was hardly anything of substance or any new idea. One lone new idea Trump touted is about asking AI businesses to develop their own energy sources for their data centres without tapping into existing grids, raising demand and causing high prices and supply shortages. That was a political announcement to quell the rising consumer alarms, especially in states such as Michigan where energy guzzling data centres are becoming hot button issue for the midterm Congress and Senate elections in November. Trump can see the writing on the wall and used much of his speech to enthuse his base and use patriotism to persuade the others.

Political Pep Rally: Chief Justice John G. Roberts sits stoically with Justices Elena Kagan, Bret Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, as Republicans are on their feet applauding.

Although a new idea, asking AI forces to produce their own energy comes against a background of a year-long assault on established programs for expanding renewable energy sources. Fortunately, the courts have nullified Trump’s executive orders stopping renewable energy programs. But there is no indication if the AI sector will be asked to use renewable energy sources or revert to the polluting sources of coal or oil. Nor is it clear if AI will be asked to generate surplus energy to add to the community supply or limit itself to feeding its own needs. As with all of Trump’s initiatives the devil is in the details and is left to be figured out later.

The Supreme Court Ruling

The backdrop to Tuesday’s State of the Union had been rendered by Friday’s Supreme Court ruling. Chief Justice Roberts who wrote the majority ruling was both unassuming and assertive in his conclusion: “We claim no special competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs. We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned to us by Article III of the Constitution. Fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.”

IEEPA is a 1977 federal legislation that was enacted during the Carter presidency, to both clarify and restrict presidential powers to act during national emergency situations. The immediate context for the restrictive element was the experience of the Nixon presidency. One of the implied restrictions in IEEPA is in regard to tariffs which are not specifically mentioned in the legislation. On the other hand, Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution establishes taxes and tariffs as an exclusively legislative function whether they are imposed within the country or implemented to regulate trade and commerce with other countries. In his first term, Trump tried to impose tariffs on imports through the Congress but was rebuffed even by Republicans. In the second term, he took the IEEA route, bypassing Congress and expecting the conservative majority in the Supreme Court to bail him out of legal challenges. The Court said, No. Thus far, but no farther.

The main thrust of the ruling is that it marks a victory for the separation of powers against a president’s executive overreach. Three of the Court’s conservative judges (CJ Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett) joined the three liberal judges (all women – Sonia Sotomayor, Elana Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson) to chart a majority ruling against the president’s tariffs. The three dissenters were Brett Kavanugh, who wrote the dissenting opinion, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett were appointed by Trump. Trump took out Gorsuch and Barrett for special treatment after their majority ruling, while heaping praise on Kavanaugh who ruled in favour of the tariffs. Barrett and Kavanaugh attended the State of the Union along with Roberts and Kagan, while the other five stayed away from the pep rally (see picture).

The Economics of the Ruling

In what was a splintered ruling, different judges split legal hairs between themselves while claiming no special competence in economics and ruling on a matter that was all about trade and economics. Yale university’s Stephen Roach has provided an insightful commentary on the economics of the court ruling, while “claiming no special competence in legal matters.” Roach takes out every one of Trump’s pseudo-arguments supporting tariffs and provides an economist’s take on the matter.

First, he debunks Trump’s claim that trade deficits are an American emergency. The real emergency, Roach notes, is the low level of American savings, falling to 0.2% of the national income in 2025, even as trade deficit in goods reached a new record $1.2 trillion. America’s need for foreign capital to compensate for its low savings, and its thirst for cheap imported goods keep the balance of payments and trade deficits at high levels.

Second, by imposing tariffs Trump is not helping but burdening US consumers. The Americans are the ones who are paying tariffs contrary to Trump’s own false beliefs and claims that foreign countries are paying them. 90% of the tariffs have been paid by American consumers, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Small businesses have paid the rest. Foreign countries pay nothing but they have been making deals with Trump to keep their exports flowing.

According to published statistics, the average U.S. applied tariff rate increased from 1.6% before Trump’s tariff’s to 17%, the highest level since World War II. The removal of reciprocal tariffs after the ruling would have lowered it to 9.1%, but it will rise to 13% after Trump’s 15% tariffs. The registered tariff revenue is about $175 billion, 0.6% of U.S. gross domestic product. The tariff monies collected are legally refundable. The Supreme Court did not get into the modalities for repayment and there would be multiple lawsuits before the lower courts if the Administration does not set up a refunding mechanism.

Lastly, in railing against globalization and the loss of American industries, Trump is cutting off America’s traditional allies and trading partners in Europe, Canada and Mexico who account for 54% of all US trade flows in manufactured goods. Cutting them off has only led these countries to look for other alternatives, especially China and India. All of this is not helping the US or its trade deficit. The American manufacturers (except for sectoral beneficiaries in steel, aluminum and auto industries), workers and consumers are paying the price for Trump’s economic idiosyncrasies. As Roach notes, the Court stayed away from the economic considerations, but by declaring Trump’s IEEPA tariffs unconstitutional, the Court has sent an important message to the American people and the rest of the world that “US policies may not be personalized by the whims of a vindictive and uninformed wannabe autocrat.”

by Rajan Philips

Features

The Victor Melder odyssey: from engine driver CGR to Melbourne library founder

Published

17 hours ago

2026/03/1

Thilina Walpola

Victor Melder in Library

He celebrated his 90th birthday recently, never returned to his homeland because he’s a bad traveler

(Continued from last week)

THE GARRAT LOCOS, were monstrous machines that were able to haul trains on the incline, that normally two locos did. Whilst a normal loco hauled five carriages on its own, a Garrat loco could haul nine. When passenger traffic warranted it and trains had over nine carriages or had a large number of freight wagons, then a Garret loco hauled the train assisted by a loco from behind.

When a train was worked by two normal locos (one pulling, the other pushing) and they reached the summit level at Pattipola (in either direction), the loco pushing (piloting) would travel around to the front the train and be coupled in front of the loco already in front and the two locos took the train down the incline. With a Garraat loco this could not be done as the bridges could not take the combined weight. The pilot loco therefore ran down single, following THE TRAIN.

My father was stationed at Nawalapitiya as a senior driver at the time, and it wasn’t a picnic working with him. He believed in the practical side of things and always had the apprentices carrying out some extra duties or the other to acquaint themselves with the loco. I had more than my fair share.

After the four months upcountry, we were back at Dematagoda on the K. V. steam locos. From the sublime to the ridiculous, I would say after the Garret locos upcountry. Here the work was much easier and at a slower pace, as the trains did not run at speed like their mainline counterparts. The last two months of the third year saw us on the two types of diesel locos on the K.V. line, the Hunslett and Krupp diesels, which worked the passenger trains. For once this was a ‘cushy, sit-down’ job, doing nothing exciting, but keeping a sharp lookout and exchanging tablets on the run. The third year had come to an end and ‘the light at the end of tunnel was getting closer’.

Victor M’s Sri Lanka Ranjana medal

The fourth year saw us all at the Diesel loco shed at Maradana, which was cheek by jowl with the Maradana railway station. The first three months we worked with the diesel mechanical fitters and the following three months with the electrical fitters. Heavy emphasis was placed on a working knowledge of the electrical circuits of the different diesel locos in service, to ensure the drivers were able to attend to electrical faults en-route and bring the train home. This was again a period of lectures and demonstrations

We also spent three months at the Ratmalana workshops, where the diesels were stripped down to the core and refitted after major repairs, to ensure we had a look at what went on inside the many closed and sealed working parts. This was again a 7.00am to 4.00pm day job. Back again at the Diesel shed, Maradana, saw us riding as assistants for the next three months on all the diesel locos in service – The Brush Bragnal (M1), General Electrical (M2), Hunslett locos (G2) and Diesel Rail Cars.

After the final written test on Diesel locos, we began our fifth and final year, which was that of shunting engine driver. The first six months were spent at Maligawatte Yard on steam shunting locos and the next three months shunting drivers on the diesel shunting locos at Colombo goods yard. The final three months were spent as assistants on the M1 and M2 locos working all the fast passenger and mail trains.

Cartoon to celebrate Victor’s 60th wedding anniversary

I was finally appointed Engine Driver Class III on July 6, 1962, as mentioned earlier I lost eight months of my apprenticeship due to being ill and had to make up the time. This appointment was on three years’ probation, on the initial salary of the scale Rs 1,680 – 72 – Rs 2,184, per annum.

Little did the general traveling public realize that they had well trained and qualified engine drivers working their trains to time Victor was stationed in Galle until December 1967, when he resigned from the railway to migrate to Melbourne, Australia to join the rest of his family. He was the last of 11 siblings to leave Ceylon. Their two elder children were born in Galle. Victor and Esther had three more children in Australia. The children, three boys and two girls) were brought up with love and devotion. They have seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. They meet often as a family.

He worked for the Victorian State Public Service and retired in 1993 after 25 years’ service. At the time of retirement, he worked for the Ministry for Conservation & Environment. He held the position of Project Officer in charge of the Ministry’s Procedural Documents.

He worked part-time for the Victorian Electoral Office and the Australian Electoral Office, covering State and Federal Elections, from 1972 to 2010. From 1972 to 1982 and was a Clerical Officer and then in 1983 was appointed Officer-in-Charge, Lychfield Avenue Polling Booth, Jacana which is my (the writer’s) electorate.

As part of serving the community Victor participated in a number of ways, quite often unremunerated. He worked part-time for the Department of Census & Statistics, and worked as a Census Collector for the Census of 1972, 1976, 1980 and then Group Leader of 16 Collectors in his area for the 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012.

In 1970, Victor began this library, now known as the ‘Victor Melder Sri Lanka Library’, for the purpose of making Sri Lanka better known in Australia. On looking back he has this to say: “Forty-five years later, I can say that it is serving its purpose. In 1993 President Ranasinghe Premadasa of Sri Lanka bestowed on me a national honor – ‘Sri Lanka Ranjana’ for my then 25 years’ service to Sri Lanka in Australia. I feel very privileged to be honored by my motherland, which I feel is the highest accolade one can ever get.”

There were many more accolades over the years:

15.10. 2004, Serendib News, 2004 Business and Community Award.

4.2.2008, Award for Services to the SL Community by The Consulate of Sri Lanka in Victoria (by R. Arambewela)

2024 – SL Consul General’s Award

In 2025 , Victor was one of the ten outstanding Sri Lankans in Australia at the Lankan Fest.

An annual Victor Melder Appreciation award was established to honour an outstanding member by the SriLankan Consulate.

The following appreciation by the late Gamini Dissanayake is very appropriate.

Comment by the late Minister Gamini Dissanayake, in the comment book of the VMSL library.

A man is attached to many things. Attachments though leading to sorrow in the end

are the living reality of life. Amongst these many attachments, the most noble are the attachments to one’s family and to one’s country. You have left Sri Lanka long ago but “she” is within you yet and every nerve and sinew of your body, mind and soul seem to belong there. In your love for the country of your birth you seem to have no racial or religious connotations – you simply love “HER” – the pure, clear, simple, abstract and glowing Sri Lanka of our imagination and vision. You are an example of what all Sri Lankan’s should be. May you live long with your vision and may Sri Lanka evolve to deserve sons like you.

With my best Wishes.

Gamini Dissanayake, Minister from Sri Lanka.

15 February 1987.

The Victor Melder Lecture

The Monash council established the Victor Melder Lecture which is presented every February. It is now an annual event looked forward to by Melbournians. A guest lecturer is carefully chosen each year for this special event.

Victor and his library has featured on many publications such as the Sunday Times in 2008 and LMD International in 2026.

“Although having been a railway man, I am a poor traveler and get travel sickness, hence I have not travelled much. I have never been back to Sri Lanka, never travelled in Australia, not even to Geelong. I am happiest doing what I like best, either at Church or in this library. My younger daughter has finally given up after months of trying to coax, cajole and coerce me into a trip to Sri Lanka to celebrate this (90^th) birthday.

I am most fortunate that over the years I have made good friends, some from my school days. It is also a great privilege to grow old in the company of friends — like-minded individuals who have spent their childhood and youth in the same environment as oneself and shared similar life experiences.”

Victor’s love of books started from childhood. Since his young years he has been interested in reading. At St Mary’s College, Nawalapitiya, the library had over 300 books on Greek and Roman history and mythology and he read every one of them.

He read the newspapers daily, which his parents subscribed to, including the ‘Readers Digest’.His mother was an avid fan of Crossword Puzzles and encouraged all the children to follow her, a trait which he continues to this day.

At his workplace in Melbourne, Victor encountered many who asked questions about Ceylon. Often, he could not find an answer to these queries. This was long before the internet existed. He then started getting books on Ceylon/SriLanka and reading them. Very soon his collection expanded and he thought of the Vicor Melder SriLanka Library as source of reference. It is now a vast collection of over 7,000 books, magazines and periodicals.

Another driver of his service to fellow men is his deep Catholic faith in which he follows the footsteps of the Master.

Victor was baptized at St Anthony’s Cathedral, Kandy by Fr Galassi, OSB. Since the age of 10 he have been involved with Church activities both in Sri Lanka and Australia. He remains a devout Catholic and this underlies his spirit of service to fellowmen.

He began as an Altar Server at St Mary’s Church, Nawalapitiya, and continued even in his adult life. In Australia, Esther and Victor have been Parishioners at St Dominic’s Church, Broadmeadows, since 1970.He started as an Adult Server and have been an Altar Server Trainer, Reader and Special Minister He was a member of the ‘Counting Team’ for monies collected at Sunday Masses, for 35 years.

He has actively retired from this work since 2010, but is still ‘on call’, to help when required. To add in his own words

“My Catholic faith has always been important to me, and I can never imagine my having spent a day away from God. Faith is all that matters to Esther too. We attend daily Mass and busy ourselves with many activities in our Parish Church.

For nearly 25 years, we have also been members of a religious order ‘The Community of the Sons & Daughters of God’, it is contemplative and monastic in nature, we are veritable monks in the world. We do no good works, other than show Christ to the world, by our actions. Both Esther and I, after much prayer and discernment have become more deeply involved, taking vows of poverty, obedience and chastity, within the Community. Our spirituality gives us much peace, solace and comfort.”

“This is not my CV for beatification and canonization. My faith is in fact an antidote for overcoming evil, I too struggle like everyone else. I have to exorcise the demons within me by myself. I am a perfect candidate for “being a street angel and home devil” by my constant impatience, lack of tolerance and wanting instant perfection from everyone. “

The above exemplifies the humility of the man who admits to his foibles.

More than 25 years ago The Ceylon Society of Australia was formed in Sydney by a group of Ceylon lovers led by Hugh Karunanayake. Very soon the Melbourne chapter of the organization was formed, and Victor was a crucial part of this. At every Talk, Victor displayed books relevant to the topic. For many years he continued to do so carrying a big box of books and driving a fair distance to the meeting place. Eventually when he could no longer drive his car, he made certain that the books reached the venue through his close friend, Hemal Gurusinghe.

He also was the guest speaker at one of the meetings and he regaled the audience with railway stories.

Victor has dedicated his life on this mission, and we can be proud of his achievements. His vision is to find a permanent home for his library where future generations can use it and continue the service that he commenced. The plea is to get like-minded individuals in the quest to find a suitable and permanent home for the Victor Melder Srilankan Library.

by Dr. Srilal Fernando

Features

Sri Lanka to Host First-Ever World Congress on Snakes in Landmark Scientific Milestone

Published

17 hours ago

2026/03/1

Thilina Walpola

Dr. Anslem de Silva

Sri Lanka is set to make scientific history by hosting the world’s first global conference dedicated entirely to snake research, conservation and public health, with the World Congress on Snakes (WCS) 2026 scheduled to take place from October 1–4 at The Grand Kandyan Hotel in Kandy World Congress on Snakes.

The congress marks a major milestone not only for Sri Lanka’s biodiversity research community but also for global collaboration in herpetology, conservation science and snakebite management.

Congress Chairperson Dr. Anslem de Silva described the event as “a long-overdue global scientific platform that recognises the ecological, medical and cultural importance of snakes.”

“This will be the first international congress fully devoted to snakes — from their evolution and taxonomy to venom research and snakebite epidemiology,” Dr. de Silva said. “Sri Lanka, with its exceptional biodiversity and deep ecological relationship with snakes, is a fitting host for such a historic gathering.”

Global Scientific Collaboration

The congress has been established through an international scientific partnership, bringing together leading experts from Sri Lanka, India and Australia. It is expected to attract herpetologists, wildlife conservationists, toxinologists, veterinarians, genomic researchers, policymakers and environmental organisations from around the world.

The International Scientific Committee includes globally respected experts such as Prof. Aaron Bauer, Prof. Rick Shine, Prof. Indraneil Das and several other authorities in reptile research and conservation biology.

Dr. de Silva emphasised that the congress is designed to bridge biodiversity science, medicine and society.

“Our aim is not merely to present academic findings. We want to translate science into practical conservation action, improved public health strategies and informed policy decisions,” he explained.

Addressing a Neglected Public Health Crisis

A key pillar of the congress will be snakebite envenoming — widely recognised as a neglected tropical health problem affecting rural communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

“Snakebite is not just a medical issue; it is a socio-economic issue that disproportionately impacts farming communities,” Dr. de Silva noted. “By bringing clinicians, toxinologists and conservation scientists together, we can strengthen prevention strategies, improve treatment protocols and promote community education.”

Scientific sessions will explore venom biochemistry, clinical toxinology, antivenom sustainability and advances in genomic research, alongside broader themes such as ecological behaviour, species classification, conservation biology and environmental governance.

Dr. de Silva stressed that fear-driven persecution of snakes, habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade continue to threaten snake populations globally.

“Snakes play an essential ecological role, particularly in controlling rodent populations and maintaining agricultural balance,” he said. “Conservation and public safety are not opposing goals — they are interconnected. Scientific understanding is the foundation for coexistence.”

The congress will also examine cultural perceptions of snakes, veterinary care, captive management, digital monitoring technologies and integrated conservation approaches linking biodiversity protection with human wellbeing.

Strategic Importance for Sri Lanka

Hosting the global event in the historic city of Kandy — a UNESCO World Heritage site — is expected to significantly enhance Sri Lanka’s standing as a hub for scientific and environmental collaboration.

Dr. de Silva pointed out that the benefits extend beyond the four-day meeting.

“This congress will open doors for Sri Lankan researchers and students to access world-class expertise, training and international partnerships,” he said. “It will strengthen our national research capacity in biodiversity and environmental health.”

He added that the event would also generate economic activity and position Sri Lanka as a destination for high-level scientific conferences, expanding the country’s international image beyond traditional tourism promotion.

The congress has received support from major international conservation bodies including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Save the Snakes, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Amphibian and Reptile Research Organization of Sri Lanka (ARROS).

As preparations gather momentum, Dr. de Silva expressed optimism that the World Congress on Snakes 2026 would leave a lasting legacy.

“This is more than a conference,” he said. “It is the beginning of a global movement to promote science-based conservation, improve snakebite management and inspire the next generation of researchers. Sri Lanka is proud to lead that conversation.”

By Ifham Nizam