Serozsha A S Goonewardena: A Surgeon, Teacher, Researcher And Writer Par Excellence!

Dr. S.A.S. Goonewardena MBBS MS FRCS Dip Urol, Urological Surgeon passed away on the 10th of March 2020 at the age of 62 years. With that Sri Lanka lost a man who served his motherland and its people with distinction, honesty and commitment.

- Anuruddha M. Abeygunasekera

Serozsha Anura Sahadewa Goonewardena (SASG) was born in the southern port city of Galle and had his primary and secondary education at Royal College, Colombo. He was one of the few students who got a double promotion for his above average performance whilst in school. He was an enthusiastic table tennis player at Royal College. As we found later, he was a talented singer of classical English music. He displayed his musical talent every year after a round of scotch at the inauguration ceremony of the annual academic sessions of Sri Lanka Association of Urological Surgeons (SLAUS).

SASG entered the University of Peradeniya in 1977 and surprised everyone when he clinched a first class at the second MB examination as he never showed off his knowledge. He won the Chalmer’s Gold Medal and C.B. Dharmasena Gold Medal for Anatomy, and was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship during his third year when he visited the pioneering urologist the late Mr. Joe Smith in Oxford, UK. This inspired him to embark on a career in urology. He passed out with second-class honours at the final MBBS in 1982. Although the urological fraternity remember SASG’s academic prowess while in the medical school, his batchmates at Peradeniya remember him for his humane qualities. During university holidays after the year-end examination, when everyone rushed home, SASG stayed back in the hostel to teach and help his batchmates who got referred at the examination.