This excellent tome produced by Ivor de Krester has been loaned to me by Warwick and Peggy de Kretser of Adelaide — simple souls who espouse no airs and are friends with all and sundry. As a youngster from the 1950s Bridge on the River Kwai generation in Ceylon I knew of Warwick as a cricketer. Here in Adelaide I discovered that he had been a juvenile motor-cycle hotshot who had bagged several prizes in races at Katukurundu and upcountry. This sporting field was not part of my horizon then in the 1950s and 1960s.
For Sri Lankans who have migrated to Australia, of course, the name De Kretser is etched firmly in their minds because he was prominent enough in his career to be elevated to the position of Governor, Victoria (2006-11) ; while Michelle De Kretser has carved out a career as a novelist and participated in several literary festivals (note https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/11/we-are-not-very-caring-michelle-de-kretser-on-australian-society).
David De Kretser 
Michelle De Kretser
Thanks Michael
Someone deleted my email to this website jealousy I suppose.
Reading about J R Jayawardene: he was a lovely man our neighbour the Kelly’s used to work with him. On 31 Dec all the big shots party we used to be invited but we did not go as we thought we were not educated enough for the crowd. We used peep through the window watching spot dance. Pearl Kelly and mum were good neighbours. There children, kennet and Derick Rosemary were good to us too. we went for Rosemary’s wedding. We were little then. kennet had a drum set would bang all day. Kenneth daughter sent me a pic off them. On SM.there huge house was beautiful. she told me they sold it kennet went to work in Madagascar helping the poor.my cousins talk to Derick in Perth. So lovely to read about beautiful people
. Amen to them.
My info about JR was not sent. We used to go to the matches gollywogs pinned to are clothes we lived laterally across the road my aunty was the matron of the laundry i used to work with her on holidays, sit all day reading not saying or asking a thing we were seen and not heard, we went to Maya Avenue Church and footy matches at Havelocks Park.