by Lianne Card
Our brother Robert Goonetilleke passed on Sept. 17, 2022 just after a visit to Santa Cruz from his home in Sri Lanka. A longtime member of the Santa Cruz group, he came to visit his sons Harendra and Ramesh and his grandchildren but while here was diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer, returned home immediately, and died three weeks later.
Robert was born in Sri Lanka March 23, 1937 and was opened in the early days when Subud first came to Colombo. Robert’s rich and colorful accounts of the visits with Bapak and his helpers can be read on the Subud Colombo website https://subudsrilanka-en.blogspot.com. Click on the “Robert’s Memoirs” tab of the pull down menu to read Robert’s writings.
Robert was born to a landed family during the time when Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) was still a British colony. Ridwan Fleisher was once asked by Robert to clarify his lineage. Robert wanted to assert that his family were farmers, not aristocrats and said, “My Grandpa was a Queen’s counsel who fell out with the British.” Although Robert denied that he was upper class, Ridwan remembers that he had once commented that he had grown up riding horses with his father on the family property and, when they went on vacation, his father would rent a train car for the horses.
When Robert grew up he went to work at a remote governmental electronics installation and was motivated to learn to cook for himself. “Robert’s golden rule of seasoning” that his Grandmother passed on to him was : “Seasoning’s must be balanced with great care so that none stands out from the others.” Many members of Subud Santa Cruz remember sharing many meals with Robert, both ones he cooked and meals at Sri Lankan and Thai restaurants.
Robert was one of the youngest members opened in the famed Colombo group that Varindra Vittachi wrote about in A Reporter in Subud. Robert emigrated to the USA and was a member of the Santa Cruz group when there were many young families. Besides Subud, Robert loved soccer. He played whenever he could and served as a coach for local teams for many years. He was very proud that his love of soccer has persisted in his family because his granddaughter now plays in a highly rated league. Robert also appreciated American football and enjoyed watching NFL games on a large screen with Gregory Tarsy and others. He was always up on all the players and their statistics.
Robert was a dedicated and committed member of Subud Santa Cruz. Under his leadership the “men’s hall” was enlarged to almost twice its original size. When Subud Santa Cruz hosted Bapak and grandchildren in 1975, the group chose a redwood tree for Bapak to plant. Robert and Rachmat Martin assisted Bapak in the planting of the redwood. Symbolizing strength and longevity, the very tall tree still presides at the edge of the incoming driveway.
Robert served as a center helper and later as an International Helper when he returned to live in Sri Lanka. He was able to share a deep insight and wisdom in person and through his writings.
At the Santa Cruz house, we have framed a statement from Robert. Here is an exerpt from that statement: “We enter this world with nothing and must leave with nothing, the departure is known onto to Almighty God and none is exempt from this reality…Above all my Brothers and Sisters do not neglect the Latihan, for the spark that you once received at your opening is the light that must guide you when you leave this world. May the Grace of the Almighty be with you always.”
Please share your own remembrances of Robert Goonetilleke. Find the Comment box following this post (below “Leave a Reply”).
Robert was a nice guy. He had a lovely wife, Cassandra. We always somehow got the feeling that we were “very good friends” – something really strong people somehow manage to do to everyone they meet. Of course we will miss him. Lawrence and Romana send love to Cassandra – we never met any of his family.