Unsung Hero of the Gal Oya Project - Dr. Roman Szechowycz
Unsung Hero of the Gal Oya Project - Dr. Roman A. Szechowycz, Dr. Sc. (Eng), Hanover, M.A.S.C.E., M.I.E.C., A.M.I.C.E.
(Information furnished by his son, Andreas, also an Engineer).
Among the many foreign experts who worked for the Gal Oya Development Board at its inception was Dr. Roman A. Szechowycz, Engineer & the Chief Forest Officer, who played a key role in the project at the time. As was the practice then, some of these experts lived in the project area with their families, under the most difficult conditions, & Dr. Szechowycz too was with his family in the project.
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| Dr. Roman & his colleagues |
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| Dr. Roman, Sabina Szechowycz & his staff |
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| ? , Dr. Roman, Andreas (partly covered) Dr. Roman with some villagers |
Dr. Szechowycz was ever willing to share with & impart his knowledge to others, & his publications & lectures, during his period of service (1950-1961) were as follows:
Some of his contributions listed by him are as follows:
He was also a contributor to the Gal Oya Newsletter & his article on “The Rock River Story” is reproduced below, as the information contained therein is a part of our history, though not widely known:
However, it was during the 1956 Anti-Tamil Riots in Gal Oya that he produced a heroic performance which is described more fully in a letter addressed to then Prime Minister, Hon. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike on behalf of 2565 employees of the GODB. An extract is reproduced below:
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| Some Grateful Residents |
Dr. Roman Szechowycz's son, Andreas, the latter's sister & mother too lived in Ampara during the time his father served there.
Andreas is an expert on Power Generation & has been involved in the Kelanitissa Combined Cycle Project as Technical Advisor to the banks etc & had reviewed Sri Lanka's Power Generation in the early 2000s. He lives in Chicago & laments that there are no restaurants there which serve Sri Lanka food, which he continues to enjoy at home even now.
Comment
By Andreas Szechowycz on the following article by Ajit Kanagasundaram, son of the first Chairman of the Gal Oya Development Board.
https://thuppahis.com/2017/01/13/looking-back-at-ds-senanayake-and-the-gal-oya-project/
Very interesting update. My father was directly involved in the project from 1950 to 1961. Dr. Roman Szechowycz with wife and daughter arrived in Sri Lanka/Ceylon on 1950 and received permanent residency. The article names him as “Chekovitz” which is a good phonetic spelling.
My parents were displaced people from WWII. They were from the Ukraine and Poland and were not Jews. We went to the Fatima Catholic Church in Inginiyagala close to our home.
He was the civil engineer and forester. Subsequently, he was the Head of the Department for Watershed Management, Wildlife Department, Fishery Department, and Department of Landscaping. In 1956 he and the family were awarded citizenship for distinguished service.
I recall the riots and that we stayed in Inginiyagala during the riots. On Christmas Eve 1957 there were torrential rains that nearly topped the main dam. Dynamite charges were placed on the ancillary dams that would be blown to save the main dam and Inginiyagala. The spillway had about 12 feet of overflow and survived. We were isolated for days from washed out roads.
There are many good memories of Sri Lanka.
Of note, Roman’s brother and family were also in Inginiyagala during the time. Wladimir Szechowycz was involved with civil infrastructure projects.
I have had the opportunity to visit Sri Lanka on business several times and my wife and I have been there on vacation. In 2016 I was able to travel to Inginiyagala and see my childhood home with sister (4 years older). The house was near end of life. A modest home by todays standards. We visited the clubhouse (Vacant when we were there and the tennis courts are gone – this was the congregation place after work), the rest house, etc.
I recognize many of the names directly involved with the Gal Oya project mentioned in the article. Roman Szechowycz published many articles about the project on various publications. In 1961 the project had wound down and he moved to West Pakistan. From West Pakistan he moved to Chicago USA in 1965. From Chicago he primarily worked on civil projects in Indonesia.
He passed away in 1973 while visiting Indonesia. He was 64.
Read more here :
https://thuppahis.com/2024/03/21/experiences-working-on-the-gal-oya-project-in-ceylon-1950-61/
https://thuppahis.com/2024/03/29/for-ceylon-roman-szechowycz-in-gal-oya-1950-61/
https://thuppahis.com/2024/04/06/pictorials-roman-szechowycz-in-the-dry-zone-in-the-1950s/
https://thuppahis.com/2024/04/19/roman-szechowycz-a-discerning-eye-for-past-present-in-the-gal-oyas-history/