Business
‘Finding myself in nine generations of family history’
A review of Nirmala M. Pieris’s The Abeyesundere Family of Galle
Reading about one’s family history can feel like standing face to face with the forces that quietly shape our lives. Our values, temperaments, and ways of seeing the world are inherited and absorbed long before we are conscious of them. When I sat down with Dr. Nirmala M. Pieris’s The Abeyesundere Family of Galle: A Family History of Nine Generations, I felt hopeful and excited. While I had an inkling of my background through stories shared by my late grandmother, Eileen Abeyesundere, I realised I actually knew very little. This book not only filled those gaps but also exceeded my expectations.
I met Nirmala at her home to collect my copies, and that visit alone felt like stepping gently into a piece of history. Her awe-inspiring walauwwa-style manor, lined with ancestral portraits, reflected a deep love for heritage and sentimentality. Standing there, it was easy to understand what might inspire someone to undertake the task of documenting nine generations of family history.
As I read, the sheer effort behind the book became increasingly evident. Nirmala has gone to great lengths in her research, drawing from archives, oral histories, and repeated visits to libraries, institutions, and even cemeteries. Her writing is structured, analytical, and precise, with claims carefully cross-referenced across multiple sources. Just as importantly, she is refreshingly transparent about gaps in the historical record, clearly acknowledging where connections could not be made. I was particularly fascinated by her exploration of how the Abeyesundere name itself evolved over time.
This book feels especially significant today. As families expand, histories and their essence are easily lost. Ironically, while so much of modern life is digitally recorded, much of it is fleeting, easily skimmed, and quickly forgotten. A content-rich book like this is a keepsake, something to return to across generations. It serves as a grounding anchor — a reminder of one’s roots in an increasingly fast-evolving world.
Beyond family lineage, the book thoughtfully situates the Abeyesunderes within Sri Lanka’s broader political, cultural, and socio-economic landscape. Shifting industries, entrepreneurial ventures, and emerging opportunities are woven into the narrative, showing how each generation adapted to changing circumstances. In doing so, the book appeals as much to readers interested in history as it does to those connected to the family.
I was especially moved by reading about places once familiar to me, such as Fred’s Rhue estates, where I walked as a child collecting rubber seeds and listening to foxes howl at night. Reading about Villa Lucilla, the ancestral home of my grandparents, Eileen and Joe Abeyesundere, in the heart of Galle, was equally poignant. Though I never lived there, the book allowed me to reconstruct what life within those walls might once have been like.
Despite the depth of factual analysis, the book is remarkably readable. Nirmala balances rigorous research with quirky, cheeky, and heart-warming anecdotes, complemented by evocative photographs that bring people and places to life. A detailed index further adds to the book’s thoughtfulness and usability.
On a personal level, the book prompted more than one quiet “aha” moment. Certain traits I recognise in myself, even a lifelong, slightly puzzling attraction to horses, began to make sense. Being an only child, it was unexpectedly touching to learn that I shared this distinction with the earliest documented ancestor, my great-great-great-grandfather, Pemyano William Abeyesundere. As I step into my transformational middle years, this book feels perfectly timed. It has given me not only knowledge, but perspective — a steadier sense of belonging, and the quiet reassurance that understanding where we come from can profoundly shape how we move forward.
By Trevina Abeyesundere
By Ifham Nizam
Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Matthew Duckworth described Omega Traders’ latest investment in a modern dhal-processing facility as a strong example of how cross-border supply chains can translate into productive investment, local value addition and new business opportunities in Sri Lanka.
The investment, which adds a 150-metric-tonne-per-eight-hour-day processing capacity to Omega Traders’ operations, marks a significant expansion of the company’s manufacturing footprint as it celebrates 45 years in Sri Lanka’s food commodity industry.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new Lentil and Orid Dhal Processing Factory in Wattala, last Friday, H.C. Duckworth said the facility represented more than an increase in production capacity, pointing to the wider economic value created when Australian agricultural production is connected with Sri Lankan processing and distribution.
‘This facility is not operating on its own. It is part of a long supply chain and a trade partnership between Sri Lanka and Australia, Duckworth said.
His comments placed the Omega Traders’ investment within a broader commercial context: Australia brings agricultural production and established export capabilities, while Sri Lanka provides processing capacity, labour, market access and opportunities for further value addition.
The investment comes as Sri Lanka continues to look towards greater domestic processing and value-added manufacturing rather than relying solely on the import and distribution of finished commodities.
Dr. (Mrs.) Siddhika G. Senaratne, Director General/CEO of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI), who attended the inauguration as Guest of Honour, highlighted the importance of quality assurance in food processing and the role of standards in maintaining confidence across the supply chain.
The facility is equipped with new-generation cleaning, processing, sorting and quality-control machinery, including advanced colour-sorting technology, automated systems and an in-house quality-control laboratory.
The additional capacity will support Omega Traders’ three principal Mysoor Dhal brands — Rainbow Jumbo Dhal, Komas Dhal and Rozanna Dhal — which serve different segments of the Sri Lankan market.
But the investment also has a distinctly local agricultural dimension.
Through its Orid Dhal operation, Omega Traders plans to source locally grown black matpe from Sri Lankan farmers and process it at the new facility.
That creates a domestic value chain linking farmers to industrial processing and consumers, while potentially increasing demand for locally produced agricultural commodities.
Duckworth said this type of business partnership could generate benefits for both countries.
‘Australia produces some of the world’s best agricultural products and we are very efficient and very capable at trading them. But that alone is not going to bring success to Australia. Just as building a factory like this is not going to bring success to Sri Lanka, he said.
‘It’s when we bring these entities together that our products produced in Australia can be processed in excellence here in Sri Lanka that enables this to be a success, the H.C. explained.
The investment therefore combines two complementary supply streams: imported agricultural commodities, including Australian-origin products, and locally produced black matpe for the Orid Dhal operation.
For Sri Lanka, the business significance extends beyond Omega Traders itself. Increased processing capacity creates demand for logistics, packaging, distribution, services and agricultural inputs, while supporting employment within the food-processing ecosystem.
HR-led transformation places people, culture and business performance at the heart of the organisation
Ideal Motors (Pvt) Ltd,has achieved a significant milestone by securing multiple prestigious workplace and organisational culture accolades in 2026, reinforcing its position as an employer of choice in Sri Lanka’s automotive sector.
Among its latest achievements, Ideal Motors has been recognised as one of the 20 Great Workplaces for Young Talent in Sri Lanka 2026, ranked No. 1 and awarded the Gold Medal in the Small and Medium category of Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka 2026, and ranked No. 18 among Best Workplaces™ in Asia in the Medium Scale category—the highest-ranked Sri Lankan organisation in the category. The company also received Industry Excellence for Workplace Culture – Trading Industry.
The Young Talent recognition was presented at the Great Place To Work® CXO Forum 2026 held on 10 September 2026 at Cinnamon Life, Colombo. The recognition followed an evaluation of more than 100 certified organisations and highlights workplaces that create meaningful opportunities for employees under 35 to develop, contribute and grow.
At the Best Workplaces™ in Sri Lanka Awards Gala 2026, held on 11 September 2026 at Cinnamon Life, Colombo, Ideal Motors achieved another historic milestone by entering the Best Workplaces Sri Lanka list for the first time and securing the No. 1 Gold Medal in the Small and Medium category. The company also achieved No. 18 in Best Workplaces™ in Asia, reflecting the strength of its workplace culture beyond Sri Lanka.
These achievements represent more than a collection of awards. They reflect the transformation taking place within Ideal Motors, where people, culture and business performance are increasingly viewed as interconnected drivers of sustainable growth.
Over the past few years, the organisation’s HR function has evolved from a predominantly administrative role into a strategic business partner, with greater emphasis on employee experience, capability development, engagement, performance, communication, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, and data-driven HR practices.
The Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) conducted a seat belt safety awareness programme in front of its headquarters and along Galle Face Centre Road, encouraging motorists and passengers to make seat belt use a habit on every journey.
AAC staff, working alongside officers of the Sri Lanka Police Traffic Division, distributed specially designed hanging tags and stickers to drivers. The material carries a clear reminder that seat belts protect drivers as well as passengers in both the front and rear seats.
The public awareness drive was held ahead of the requirement taking effect on 20 September 2026, under which seat belt use becomes mandatory for every occupant of a vehicle travelling on an expressway.
AAC emphasized that the regulation should be understood as a life-saving measure rather than only a legal obligation. Wearing a seat belt can help prevent occupants from being thrown inside or from a vehicle during a collision and can lessen the severity of injuries.
The Association said road safety legislation must be supported by sustained public education, visible enforcement and responsible behaviour by all road users. The participation of the Traffic Police helped the campaign reach motorists directly in a busy part of central Colombo.
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