At dawn one looks far to the east, to see the grandest and most colourful sunrises with range upon range of low hills, their valleys filled with mist so that they emerge like islands in a sea of white foam. The worst time of the year were the winter months
of November to January when all the clouds of the North East Monsoon would accumulate like lumps of cotton wool, and get denser and denser until it was so thick that one was hard pressed to see the edge of the little road one stood on. And then the rain would come, inches and inches at a time, in an absolute deluge to give an average rainfall of 125 - 150 inches for a year.
They arrived that evening at Gampaha bungalow which was at about 5,000 ft high facing the beautiful view, with the mountain peak of the Buffaloes Hump sweeping up to the right about 700 ft higher. They walked down the stately drive lined with gigantic Eucalpytus and fir trees and were met by his very kind and gentle wife Althea who was to be a great comfort to the young “creeper” in the days and months to come. Next day father moved 2,000 ft down the hill to the Assistants bungalow which was adjacent to the factory and the other staffs bungalows.

Father used to describe his two years at Gampaha under Fred Whittall as the hardest and toughest days in his whole life. Fred was a short dark haired man , who had survived the harsh trauma of the coffee smash, by sheer dominant willpower, determination, and an incredible meanness and thrift. He was one of the old pioneers that gave Ceylon its great industry, and it is a tribute to unpleasant and hard people that at the end of their lives they left a legacy of an industry that even today with all the politics that have been played with it, still survives. It must also be remembered that in those days tea took some 7 years to start coming into production, and there was all the continuing expenditure with a revenue that was slow to materialise and even then the returns and yields were very modest of only about 300 lbs of made tea produced per acre, a tenth of the amount that canbe achieved today with fertilizers and high yielding clones.
Fred took him round the estate and showed him his duties. Father was given an allow-ance of one pencil a month to do his checkrolls and keep his books. God help anyone who would dare to exceed this allowance. He spent his time running from one hill at 5,000 ft, down 2,000ft to the valley and up the other side three or four times a day,weighing pluckers and seeing to all the estate works, the strain of which he swore had a lasting effect on weakening and giving him an enlarged heart. He always used to tell me, that in subsequent years when he was in the Army no Seargant Major or any other officer for that matter, was as hard, rude and persistantly ruthless as Fred Whittall was on Gampaha.
There was no mercy for anyone from the lashing and vulgarity of his tongue. One late afternoon in the factory he was tasting teas by the open window, when the Sinhalese
Baas (Building Contractor) approached him about some matter. He took a drink of tea rolled it round his mouth and spat in his face. “ That is to teach you you damn rascal,
that the workmanship on the labour quarters you built was appalling.” Shortly after he repeated the performance on one of the Tamil minor bookeepers.
Father used to be absolutely terrified of him when he was in one of his moods. At dawn he would come up to the rear of the big bungalow and look into the kitchen to see Althea. Somedays she would say it was quite safe, as he was in a reasonable humour, but at other times she would gesture him off as he would be in a foul rage.
One day however Father said he came to find her, but she was no where to be seen, so he gingerly walked round the house and there on the front lawn was Fred with the head Kangany, the Tamil who was not only in charge of all the labour, but was also the chief who had recruited them from his villages in South India. Fred was still dressed in his pyjamas and had got the Kangany’s head wedged between his legs and was pummelling his sides for all he was worth. “ You Goddam Rascal” he kept shouting, and then suddenly his pyjama trousers ripped and Father was faced with his big hairy arse sticking out as he crept away, never ever discovering what sort of error or crime the poor man had committed!

On other occasions Fred could be quite charming. He was a very good shot and so often on a Sunday they would walk down to the Welmada plain which was mostly patana or grassland, with their guns to shoot partridge or wild pigeon. After a days hard slog there was the long climb back of 2,500 ft. If they had a good day and he was happy, Father would be allowed to hold onto one of the horses stirrups to help him up hill. Never once did he lend him a horse, or even take him on his, which as they were both small men the horse could easily have borne.
Meanwhile the new Luckland Estate was being developed as a private personal sideline. The aspect of the Estate was beautiful on the southern slopes of the Buffaloes Hump overlooking the whole Welimada plain below and in the far distant view, to the Horton Plains (7,000ft) and its peak of Totapala 8,000ft . Straight ahead on the horizon was the long Haputale range flat on top at about 6,000ft leading in the East lonely like the last sentinel, the Uva Peak of Namunakula. The upper reaches had all been jungle which had been cleared and planted first whilst the lower areas were still being planted. The tea was only just coming into production and the building of the new giant Luckland bungalow with its 120 ft corridor was only just commencing. There was no factory yet, this problem had yet to be resolved and the little leaf that was being harvested was transported to Gampaha next door.
Shortly after Father arrived in 1908 the world was paid a visit by Halleys Comet which was a spectacular sight with it tail spreading almost from horizon to horizon. In the clear dark upcountry atmosphere the view was breath taking, but the coolies all without exception took it as a bad omen and we frightened

About 9 months after he had come out during the misty north east monsoon they both went one afternoon in the gum plantation with a couple of dogs to shoot hares which were plentiful amongst the trees and the high patanas. Suddenly there was a roar and the most terrifying thing of Ceylon was on them. Somehow they had upset a swarm of the giant wild Bambara bees each of which is three times the size of an ordinary honey bee, and notoriously bad tempered in the cold misty season. They all flew on to Fred’s head and would have killed him had not Father luckily his cigarrette lighter handy and was quickly able to get a fire going with the resinous aromatic gum twigs. Soon he had ample smoke to quieten them down and give a place of refuge. But most years when I planted there was always talk of some cooly or villager being attacked. I used to be very wary myself and when one heard the sudden roar of a swarm would take cover and protect my hair above all, lest one get entangled and creates a scent which attracts the rest in their thousands with the most painful consequences!

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Fred 1908 at Allagolla, Buffaloes Hump above.