A Ray of Sunshine in Sri Lanka's Agriculture and Regattas
Dr. Phillip Revatha 'Ray' Wijewardene was not your everyday inventor, but an Olympian and Asian Games Silver medalist in Sailing, while also changing the course of Rowing in Sri Lanka!
Not many Inventors can be recognised as Olympians, and vice versa. His innovative thinking in the fields of Agriculture, Aviation, and Engineering was one of a kind, a 'Renaissance Man' if correctly described and he even has some unique achievements in the field of sport.
Deshamanya Dr. Phillip Revatha "Ray" Wijewardene was born on the 24th of August 1924, schooled at S.Thomas' College Mt. Lavinia and later at the prestigious Cambridge University, where he excelled as a Rower in both institutions. He missed his opportunity to become the first Sri Lankan to win the Oxford Blue in Rowing, but how he qualified to be an Olympian is a story of its own!
"I would like to borrow your Yacht"
He borrowed a yacht for the 1966 Hong Kong International Yachting Meet and won third place, beating several top sailors. He was once again placed third in another meet in Bangkok. Since he defeated some of the top contenders at the Olympics and was inside the qualifying window, he was granted a slot by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka as one of the three Olympians in the 1968 Mexico Games.
Despite finishing 29th out of 36 at the Games, he brought honour to Ceylon with a Silver medal in the 1970 Asian Games along with his sailing partner Ekendra Edirisinghe. These are achievements in his 40's but what he did before is what sets him apart from other Olympians.
The Groundbreaking Invention!
It was in 1955 that his novel invention of the Two-Wheeled Walking Tractor, also known as the 'Hand Tractor' empowered small-scale farmers in tropical regions. This would be known as the Landmaster, which was built on a large scale.
As an avid aviation enthusiast, he modelled many lightweight aircrafts and was a licensed pilot.
Dr. Ray in his University Days
The Beginning of the Bolgoda Regatta
It should also be specially noted it is because of his enthusiasm that the Bolgoda Regatta was initiated in 2003, and 2km Rowing which is the international standard, was adopted for the first time in Sri Lanka.
His personal involvement and funding when he was the Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa (and was also a member of the Colombo Rowing Club and Ceylon Motor Yacht Club) laid the foundation for this regatta, and a special mention goes to Dhananjaya Bandara for highlighting how it all began.
In 2010, he would "roam the skies forever" at the old age of 86 years, but left an undying legacy not just as a man who changed the lives of farmers but also left his mark on water with Rowing and Sailing. The Ray Wijewardene Charitable Trust was established to fund visionary inventors and the Ray Wijewardene Lecture is held every year, while the Challenge Trophy for the Laser Class 'A' Event at the Royal-Thomian Sailing is named in his memory.
Royal College presented the Ray Wijewardene Challenge Trophy in 2018 by his daughter Anoma Wijewardene, a renowned Artist and Designer