The Settlor of the Trust, Tennyson Rodrigo, was a visionary who was also altruistic with a burning desire to transform Sri Lanka to a modern, secular, forward looking nation in the international arena. He believed firmly that schools, universities and other institutions of higher learning have a compelling role and responsibility to create and foster attitudinal change and critical thinking so that education will serve as a core pillar in producing the next generation of thought leaders and change agents in the community.
The thought of creating a Trust with clear objectives to advance his vision may have been with him for a long time but it was conveyed to Ruwan Punchihewa, Priyath Salgado and later to Deva Rodrigo when Tennyson was in his mid 80s. By that time he had judiciously invested in company shares and in interest bearing bank deposits his life savings as the initial capital for the Trust.
The Deed of Trust was executed by Tennyson as the Settlor on 12 June, 2018 with Deva Rodrigo, a first cousin of his as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Trust, and Jacey Trust Services (Private) Limited, a company established by the leading law firm Julius & Creasy as Trustee. Ruwan Punchihewa, also a first cousin of Tennyson and Dr. Thushara Rodrigo, his nephew, witnessed the signing of the Deed.
Tennyson was at that stage bedridden with cancer that had advanced to affect most of his body but not his mind. He drafted many versions of the Deed moving with considerable difficulty from the bed to his computer table and produced a document that finally satisfied his exacting standards of quality and clarity of expression. On the date of signing, he tried but failed to sign properly and had to attach his thumb impression to the Deed. His resilience and indomitable spirit were hallmarks of his character throughout his remarkable life.
As the cancer advanced, he sold his entire share portfolio and invested the proceeds at banks and nominated his trusted cousin Ruwan to own all those deposits and make a smooth transfer of funds to the Trust. Ruwan on his part judiciously accounted for every investment of Tennyson and transferred to the Trust every Rupee he received on Tennyson’s demise. This arrangement avoided, as Tennyson wanted to, testamentary case and court intervention to distribute his assets.
After a long and loving relationship that spanned 50 plus years, it was natural for Tennyson to name the Trust after his companion and wife Vinitha and himself.
