A Tale Of Three Orphans

By Sarah Hannan and Raisa Wickrematunge

This is the story of three young children; abandoned by the side of a busy road in Sri Lanka, a long time ago. Why and how, is not known.
Down on their luck, these children had no guardians – they were orphaned by fate. They were picked up by the authorities and placed in Sucharithodaya Orphanage in Pamunuwa Road, Maharagama along with 20 or so other children.
At the time Anura the eldest was 6 years old. His younger sister Kumudini was 4, while Rupasinghe, the baby of the family, was only 2 years old.
As the youngest, Rupasinghe remembers little of the orphanage ‘which is probably a good thing,’ he says, though he adds, ‘But I’m pretty sure we were well looked after there.’

A Close Shave
It is definitely not unusual for children to not find adoptive parents. But for these three children, their luck was about to change.
In 1977, the brothers and sister were adopted by an Australian family. Even at this point, the trio came very close to being separated. For in July 1977 the family was only permitted to adopt Anura and Kumudini. When they visited the orphanage to complete the formalities, the orphanage informed them that Rupasinghe, the youngest sibling was also in the same orphanage. After 4 months the family adopted Rupasinghe and the siblings were reunited in Australia.
‘Our new brother and sisters embraced us like their own treating us like we were just another member of the family,’ Rupasinghe said.
‘Our Australian parents gave us new names but we kept our traditional names as well,’ he recounted in an email. Rupasinghe’s new name was Paul Jason, his brother Anura became Glen David, and sister Kumudini was christened Andrea Louise.

Growing Pains
The three children were ecstatic about finding a home and, most importantly, not being separated, but they had new realities to wrestle with too. Rupasinghe said that it was a ‘struggle’ to adapt to the new Westernised culture, which the three children found so different to the environment they had been born in.
A huge problem was the language barrier, although all three became more confident in their English as time went on. ‘When you got stumped, you just said, ‘I speak no English’ and they leave you alone,’ Rupasinghe (or Paul) said, recounting how he got by in the early days with limited English skills.
The children attended Kindergarten, then Primary and Secondary School, earning their own small accomplishments along the way. They were also active, delighting in sports such as tennis and badminton, ‘to the highest level one can achieve,’ as Rupasinghe put it.
Fast forward to today and you see a very different picture to three frightened children abandoned on the street. The eldest brother Anura (Glen) is 40 years old now, and has his own family. He is a chef, running a catering business together with his partner.
Kumudini (Andrea) is now 38, and is devoted to her two daughters. She had previously worked in the hospitality industry for some time.
And what of Rupasinghe (Paul)? He is now 36, in a happy relationship with his partner Kirsty and a highly qualified chef to boot, having worked as Head Chef in a number of hotels in Queensland. He found a passion for cooking from watching his own adoptive mother, who he calls ‘mum’ like anyone else.
‘I’ve always considered myself a lucky child. Not many kids would get the opportunities we have had, to start again and grow up in a new country,’ Rupasinghe said, reflecting on his story. He adds that the many friends he has made along the way are always intrigued by his story; and how he went from living on the streets in Sri Lanka to being a chef in Queensland. ‘It’s quite amazing,’ he adds. Rupasinghe counts himself particularly fortunate for he and his brother and sister were in a particularly vulnerable position, having no one to look out for them. They could easily have fallen into the hands of unscrupulous people who would have exploited them. Rupasinghe thinks that being placed in the orphanage may just have saved their lives.
That gratitude has never left the family, for just last week Rupasinghe visited Sri Lanka with Kirsty, Merrilyn (his adoptive sister) and her husband, Terry, along with two others, Danny and Janine, and went to the Maharagama orphanage where he spent a part of his life.

Coming Full Circle
Rupasinghe had visited Sri Lanka only twice after he went to Australia, and on Sunday 13, May 2012 he visited the orphanage which provided the three of them shelter. Six of them visited the Sucharithodaya Orphanage with souvenirs from Australia (A toy Koala Bear to be given to each kid) and a football. They went out and bought more toys which included 2 cricket bats and 4 balls. Rupasinghe and the rest played cricket with the kids and spent a couple more hours with the kids, who were excited to receive the gifts. The group also donated dry rations to be used at the orphanage and each of them had pocketed out Rs. 7,000 to purchase these essentials on the day of their visit.

‘An Emotional Moment’
Rupasinghe – a chef by profession, said it was a very emotional moment, though he regretted the fact that he could not cook a meal for the little ones. Had he been able to do so, it would have made him much happier. When asked about the upkeep and as to whether the kids are looked after properly, Rupasinhge said that the little ones at the orphanage were well mannered and did not have a hierarchy system – as to who gets to bat or bowl first. He also said that the kids are being looked after very well. Rupasinghe and his siblings hope to support the orphanage and said that they are making arrangements to supply provisions to the orphanage, as monetary funds would not actually reach the kids. At the time they left the orphanage around 2 pm the kids were kicking the football around in the play ground and some of them were clinging on to the little koala bears that were given to them.
Rupasinghe was very emotional all throughout this brief chat and it is indeed a very heart warming story. Merrilyn has her own fond memories of Sri Lanka, having obtained an American Field Service scholarship to travel here, where she lived with Dr. R L A Fonseka and his family. She was able to travel to Kandy, Sigiriya, Anuradapura, Polonnaruwa, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and explored Colombo as well. Merrilyn was admitted to hospital at the end of her stay as an exchange student, having to get her appendix removed, but this has not soured her memories of the country at all. Instead she fondly remembers her trips and her friendship with Chaga Chandrapala, a friend who she met while staying with the Fonsekas’, and with whom she travelled to the Kandy Botanical Gardens. ‘My stay in Sri Lanka all those years ago brings back wonderful memories and I recommend the experience to anyone if given the opportunity,’ Merrilyn said. She visited the Fonsekas’ at their home in Negombo and accompanied Rupasinghe to Maharagama as well.
The story of Rupasinghe, Kumudini and Anura has a happy ending. Not just because they achieved success and happiness after being left to fend for themselves from a young age, but also because they still fondly remember the country from which they came, and on this trip even returned to the orphanage where they spent their childhood. It is a happy trip. ‘Sri Lanka is an amazing country with unspoiled beauty. A lot has changed over the years but it is great to a see a bit of the old Sri Lanka unchanged,’ Rupasinghe said, adding that Sri Lanka is rich in history.
’I will be back to show my kids one day,’ he vowed.