29th September 2018 22:48:48 Hours
Memories and works of late General Denis Perera, one of the firsts into Sandhurst graduation and a former Commander of the Army who was also the founding father of the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) were immortalized in a new volume, ‘General Denis, the Epitome of Leadership,’ authored by a group of members of ARFRO (Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers) headed by General Gerry de Silva.
The ceremonial launch of the maiden copy took place this evening (29) at the Institute of National Security Studies of Sri Lanka (INSSSL), Suhurupaya in Battaramulla before a contingent of distinguished invitees, including the Chief Guest, Hon. Ruwan Wijewardena, State Minister of Defence, Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake and Commanders of the Navy and the Air Force, Chancellor KDU, Vice Chancellor KDU, academics, former Service Commanders, scholars, defence analysts and invitees.
First maiden copies were presented to the Chief Guest, tri service Commanders, Chancellor KDU and family members of late military veteran respectively by the author during the simple ceremony that also commemorated his death anniversary.
The book is important in relation to many dimensions. The General was among the first batch of officer cadets who were sent to the Sandhurst Military Training Establishment in Britain upon the dawn of Ceylon’s Independence. From that point onwards, Denis Perera’s career and its evolution and growth of the national Army were coterminous.
In this unfolding scenario, the young officer gradually acquiring more seniority having been entrusted with more responsibility showed his qualities of hard work, consistency, bold initiative and implementation capacity. Perhaps, there was an element of destiny in all this. Denis happened to enlist as an officer cadet on the 10th of October 1949, the day the Army was founded which also happened to be his birthday, the author documents in his Foreword to the book.
The book also unfolds the General’s post retirement activities and the responsibilities he undertook as High Commissioner to Australia with concurrent accreditation to many other countries, including Papua New Guinea and Fiji, as well as the important role he played in the private sector of Sri Lanka, as Chairman or a member of the Board of Directors of many companies.
He was destined to join the newly-formed Ceylon Army on 10 October 1949 on his 19th birthday, he received his initial training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Ceylon Army. He was stationed at the Diyatalawa garrison taking part in the formation of the new engineering unit and later moved to the newly-built Panagoda Cantonment in 1953 as an officer of the Ceylon Engineers. In 1957, he entered the Royal School of Military Engineering and graduated from the British Army’s Staff College, Camberley in 1961.
During his illustrious career, he was the Military Attaché of the Sri Lanka High Commission in London for three years, was the Commandant of the Army Training Centre from 1969 to 1972 which was later elevated to Sri Lanka Military Academy. Finally, he served as the Chief of Staff, prior to being appointed as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army in 1977 as the youngest and the first engineering officer to be appointed to the post at the age of 46 years. He held this post till 1981 and retired from the Army in the rank of Lieutenant General. He peacefully passed away on 11th August 2013. jordan Sneakers | Vans Shoes That Change Color in the Sun: UV Era Ink Stacked & More – Fitforhealth News
