The death occurred on Monday of Attorney-at-Law Sunil Rodrigo, 89, a former Chairman of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL).
Rodrigo, who succeeded Ranapala Bodhinagoda as ANCL Chairman on January 10, 1989 held the position till May 1994, when Dr. Sarath Amunugama took over.
Hailing from a leading family in Horana and educated at S.Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia and St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, Rodrigo proceeded to the UK for higher education where he graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of London (Political Science).
He qualified as a Barrister of the Middle Temple in London, before returning to Sri Lanka to practice law. He was one of the most well known legal luminaries in the country. Having taken over the reins of Lake House in one of the most turbulent and challenging periods in recent history, when several Lake House employees were killed and newspaper circulation plummeted during the JVP-led insurgency, Rodrigo steered the company back to normality and profits.
He ensured that ANCL delivered the newspapers to its loyal readers in spite of the difficult circumstances. He was instrumental in modernising the printing processes at Lake House, which invested in an Urban Liner press during his tenure.
He also introduced photo-typesetting to Lake House, a precursor to today’s digital pre-press systems. He also invested heavily in welfare measures for the Lake House employees, introducing a comprehensive health insurance scheme which is being continued to this day.
It was during his tenure that the Lake House opened its Pilgrims’ Rest facilities in Kataragama and Mihintale which are open to both ANCL employees and outside clients. Unassuming and humble to the core, he had a very cordial relationship with the employees. He treated all alike, be they senior managers or clerical staff, though he always had a special place in his heart for journalists and ANCL newspapers.
He took a special interest in establishing websites of ANCL newspapers on the then-emerging Internet, though he had left when they took off on the Net a few months later under the next management.
He is survived by wife Tilaka, daughter Chathurie, herself an attorney-at-law and son Gamini, a doctor. He was also the father-in-law of the late Bodhi Ranasinghe, a former Chairman of the Ceylon Hotels Corporation. His funeral was held yesterday at the General Cemetery, Kanatte amidst a large gathering of past and present ANCL employees, members of the legal fraternity and relatives.
A large number of people paid their respects to him at his Polhengoda residence where his remains were kept.