Transcript

Hi and welcome to Etv Power Women. Today we have with us we’ve got a very special guest. You’ve heard the introduction already but, she’s probably known, most widely known as Sri Lanka’s foremost teachers of English, Drama and Theatre. Hi and welcome to the show.

Hi Minoli.

Hi, how are you?

It’s good to be here.

Thank you for being on and taking some time off from your busy schedule. I wanna just jump straight into it and ask you. Coz, you know I have been reading about you and you’ve just lead this fascinating life. From the time you were eight months old you know I think that’s when our career in sort of Theatre started. Just talk us through a little bit about your childhood and how you got to where you are today.

Ok. Well, now you mentioned the eight months old at the theater. This is because my mother was producing a play. And she needed a baby in the play. And everyone looked around and said, well from where are we going to get a baby. And she said, I’ve got one at home. So at eight months, I came on stage and my ‘Aayaa’ was in the wings with my bottle and my nappies. That was my introduction and I have been involved with speech and drama. I would say really from the age of four. Because that’s when my mother started teaching me. And I think I did my first trinity college London exam when I was four. And from then onwards, it was a case of one aunt wanting to teach me art, my mother’s sister who was the artist. At age seven I started playing ‘Cello’.

Yes, which is incredible.

And my Aunt was a Chellist. And she thought that I would be a very good chellist and my mother encouraged all these things. And school life was wonderful. Because you know, I started off at Bishop’s college in the Nursery. But there was this boy who insisted on rolling me in the sand pit and I objected while being rolled in the sand pit. And from there, my father died when I was five. I was very sad and the Doctor recommended a complete change of environment. So I was sent to live with my grand parents in Mathara. And I was there for two years and attended the Matara St.Mary’s Convent. Came back to Holy Family, when I was eight years old. And continued there until the end of my school days. Right along my lessons never stopped. I went ahead with my drama, with music, dancing, singing. Because I needed to have a second instrument. Because my idea was that I was going to be a professional Chellist. And my mother said, “Oh, Yes, yes. You can go ahead and do all this. But remember eventually you will take over the school”. And just life went on you know. With exams and a lot of school work. And then at the age of sixteen, she suddenly told me. It was December, “In January, you start teaching.”. And I said “What do you want me to teach?”. And she said “You teach what I have taught you”. And she had organized 20 students, and so from the age of 16, I began to teach.

That’s amazing. At 16!

At 16. I think my pupils were 12 or 13.

Wow. And was that nerve racking for you? Your first class?
Yes, It was. Because, my mother stay on the other side of the curtain. There was a curtain dividing my class room. And she sat on the other side and every time I made a mistake, she bounced out and she said, that’s wrong. The main thing was I think, she just taught me discipline. And what it was like to have to prepare for the lessons. And she made quite sure that I prepared for the next class that came in. And stick to time. I’m still 10 minutes early for an interview. And from there, then I started working on my Diploma for speech and drama. As well as, by the time I was 17, I had done my licentiate for the Royal Schools in London, I had done my Licentiate for the Trinity College London. And then of course I got married and produced a baby by the time I was 20. And I got my fellowship two months after the baby was born.

My goodness! So incredibly eventful. Well, 17 years. Well up to that point. 20 years.

And well, from that time onwards, phase of teaching. And finding selections, finding interesting ways of presenting it to children. Inculcating a love of the language, a love of poetry, a love of drama into the children was lovely. Also taught Chello.

And yes, you joined the symphony orchestra right at 12?

I joined the symphony orchestra when I was 12 years old. And I had been a member of that for the past so many years. Now I don’t play any more, because practices are on a Sunday morning and I need my space now.

Only a little bit of time off. Because I mean with the school, and you know the school is grown so much and you have branches of the school Island wide actually. That must you know, be a wonderful thing that you are taking this t0o children across the island.

I think the greatest satisfaction is when, I travel. In Colombo children sometimes take English, Drama, Speech would take it for granted. Specially the ones from the private schools. But when you go into the out station and you see the effort they put in and the keenness of the parents. Seeing that there children learning this language. It’s a very humble experience for me to have people to come up to me and say thank you for training these teachers. And I train all my teachers. Any teacher who’s on our staff has a teaching Diploma. I don’t want them to you know go out half baked. They need to know what they are doing. And I’m quite tuff on that.

Which is a wonderful thing. I think that is a necessary thing.

Yes. We have now teachers all over the Island. I think now it is my dream to try and push out to Jaffna.

Wonderful. That I think. That is just incredible.

Because, you know. We the Wendy Whatmore Academy runs jointly with Bible Society Contest called ‘The Light of the World’. And I opened it out to the outstations and Jaffna included and the largest entry of children for this contest is from Jaffna.

Really?

And this year we had 272 children.

Oh my goodness. That’s huge.

Yes, and they are examined in Jaffna by qualified English Teachers from Batticaloa. I am really thrilled that I see the appreciation. Ok, I mean the parents in Colombo also they love it when they see children progressing. And for me it is a personal satisfaction when I take on a pupil who, lets say mediocre. And I see the effort that w e put in, I see the development. I am thrilled.

It’s a wonderful thing actually to be able to help children developing and progress and then take it to the next level.

Confidence. What Speech and Drama gives them most of all is confidence. And specially because, you know when we teach them to improvise. And it takes them so fine in Job interviews. And they have the confidence because they have the vocabulary, they know that they are speaking properly. I mean you don’t need to have an accent. But so long as you can make your pronunciation is good, your syllabic stresses are correct and I pay a lot of attention to the vocal technique.

By vocal techniques, what do you mean exactly.

Breathing, projection, resonance, your articulation all that comes into your vocal technique. What I do find, they find difficult is when I say “Right, lets do some acting now”. And they al shiver. And they become shy and withdrawn. And I say “Look, life is acting. If you don’t want to go to school, you pretend to have a tooth ache or fever your pretending. And I say, do that. So when I point little things like that, it becomes much easier.

I just want to quickly ask you about your race care driving. Because I was reading that about you and I thought, My Gosh! How fascinating. How did you get into that and where? Was it here in Sri Lanka?

Yes. Most people don’t know that my father was Scottish. And he was by profession an Engineer. And he used to race cars in England. When he came here after the war was over and I was born. He had an MG. Which I loved. And I got into this car that was parked in the drive way and at 4 years old I got onto the car, let off the hand brake and the car of course rolled into the verandah. And there was this scream from my mother and my father was delighted. But mummy was absolutely horrified. And I started driving when I was 10. And by the time I was 13, I was driving my mother around Colombo.

Without a license I presume.

Without a license. But at that time the cops were not so strict like they are today. And then a friend of mine Jay Liyanage, who noticed that I was a goo driver, he said, why don’t you take part in the rally. And I said yes, I would love to and that started it off actually.

Oh my goodness. Wow!

We were just chatting during our break a little bit more about her rally racing and she was just saying how she wend on a rally when she was 5 months pregnant. How incredible!.

I don’t know if I would have know that I was that much pregnant. I dint realize that I was pregnant.

How wonderful to just live your life.

That was a 550 mile lotus rally that I went on and we had to drive for 22 hours non stop. Only a one hour break for dinner. And if you were late, you dint take your one hour. Because that means so many deadly points.

I think that’s just amazing. I also wanted to ask you. I think everyone, well most of the people I know refer to you as ‘Aunty Bundle’. And I was wondering how this name arose.

You really want to know?

Yes, absolutely.

Ok. It’s very unusual. Mu mother had a very beautiful little terrier, a dog, white called bundle who use dto sit in her basket and ride with her when she went on her bicycle. Because she established the school in 1940, which was eight years before I was born. And she took this little dog with her everywhere she went. The dog died, and soon after I came along and she looked at me and she said, "Ah, tis is my second bundle."

Oh my goodness!

So, its… I am named after a dog. My pet name.

Well that’s a really lovely story.

And bundle went everywhere with her. And so did I. Because I am an only child. I have absolutely no brothers or sisters but I dint feel the lack of that. You know when my Daddy died and I was sent to Mathara lo live with my grand parents. Because mummy was busy establishing the school. I had 3 cousins in Mathara. They’ve been my brothers and sisters. And they are in Australia now but we are so close.

So you had this close childhood growing up with them. And the estate life might have been wonderful.

It was gorgeous. And I always go back to that country side. It’s what I love and its so relaxing. I had 5 acres to run around in Matara. That was my grand father’s property in Matara. And dogs have always formed a huge part of my life. And my grand parents didn’t know half the time where I was, because I would take my huge, he was a Labrador cross great dane called Prince. And we used to set off on our adventures on this 5 acres. And granny used to give me sandwiches, I had taken a book. I love the famous five. That was lovely. Lovely memories of my childhood in Matara.

Oh how nice. Like you said, it must be lovely to have so much space to roam and just to kind of be. And do you think may be it was there that you sort of developed your love for theater and drama and sort of English and you know literature?

Oh yes. Because my grand mother, I think was the first French scholar in Sri Lanka. And she was a teacher, my mother was a teacher I am a teacher my children are teachers. So 4 generations of teachers. And language with my grand parents, I grew up learning good English. There was never a time when they would use a swear word and I was always taught to be very correct, never hurt other people’s feelings. And my grand father would say “Don’t’ ever make personal remarks about people “. Which I carry on to this day.

Ok. I mean wonderful. Those are fabulous values to have instilled in you. I mean I know your children. I know Tracey, she has those too very much. Is that something that you passé down to your children?

Yes. I think good manners is something which should be instilled into children at a young age. And if you have good manners you will go far. And you will get on with life. I think it was my grand father and my mother who instilled this love of reading. Because at 10, I was reading the full version of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.

Oh Gosh! That was at 10?

Yes, and then I remember my mother setting me holiday reading when I was 8 with Travels with a Donkey by R.L. Stevenson. I wish I could read it now. Because at that time I certainly didn’t appreciate it. I just needed to be out you know running wild doing my own thing.

And adventures with your dog. And you still have dogs today? You’ve got 4 dogs.

Yes, I’ve got Rocky a Doberman. He’s in our property in Dambulla. And then Tammy my youngest daughter has two beautiful Labradors. And my favorite at the moment is a golden retriever called Amber. I have announced for the Kennel Association of Sri Lanka for 20 odd years. I have announced “Can the Labrador no 77 come to the ring please. This is the last call for Alsatian so and so “.

When did you sort of have a personal philosophy in life?. Something that you live by. Apart from obviously the belief that’s important to have. Do have sort of a person Ethos or?

As I said, my grand father had a huge influence on me. Every Sunday, he would go to church in Matara And What I learnt there from the ladies who used to run the Sunday school has been with me all my life. My personal belief is in No.1 Spreading love. Kindness. Then I think humility. Because how ever high you go in life, you don’t forget where you started. Because the higher you go, the more arrogant you get the harder the fall when it comes. So I don’t believe in that. And what I truly believe in also is time. You have to give people time. I am a people person. I love meeting people, I like getting to know them, I ned dto understand them, I listen a lot. That’s half the battle you know. Getting to know people and listening. I listen a lot. Specially to my students. But time, time is something you will never get back. You give when you have. So really that’s what’s that guided me. And of course absolute belief in God.

Yes, because you are very spiritual.

Yes, I am. I start my day with prayers. And I don’t go downstairs until I’ve done my prayers. I mean I get telephone calls in between, then I have got to say “Please excuse me God. I have a call coming”. But that’s important to me.

That’s wonderful. I was actually going to ask you, what is a typical day like for you? What is a typical day in your life like? Do you have such a thing as a typical day?

Yes. I am up at 5.30 am. And I love a hot cup of coffee at that time. Then I lye in bed and I plan my day. And that’s the special time I have with my husband. Because after he retired from his work, he came into the school. He always told me, “I’ll come in and join you when I’m passed 55.” And so we plan out our day. We face any problems that we are going to likely to have or we face the problem and we try to discuss it and see how we can solve it. By 6.30 I’m out on my balcony with my Bible and prayer book. And that takes me through till about 7.20 am. Then I have my wash and I have my breakfast by quarter to eight. That doesn’t take me 5 min. By this time I already would have had about 4 calls from various people. I start, I go into my office from my secretaries to from my girls, is there a problem, what do I have to do today. And then I start teaching by 9. I make phone calls, if I have to do a letter all that has to be done before 9. But I am available to my staff any time of the day. Even while I’m teaching they phone me. And I have to be ready to answer any question that’s put to me. I teach through till 11.30 to quarter to 12. If I have to do marketing, I have 1 hour. Then there is lunch and after lunch I need a nap. For exactly 15 min. My power nap. I can’t do without that. I start work again by 2.15 and I finish by 6.30 or 7.

And then you are done for the day.

Done for the day. Sort of. My husband being a hotelier he would suddenly spring it on me. Ah I forgot to tell you, we’ve got some guest today. But I have learnt to cope.

That’s really good actually. That’s wonderful.
I’m actually gonna ask you Wendy little bit about your personal life. I mean everyone at home, including my self would love to know how you met your husband Monty.

Monty, plays a very important part in my life. And I met him when he came to take part in a show for my mother called ‘The Boyfriend’. I didn’t make friends with Monty when he was taking part in the boyfriend because he had many other girl friends, girls walking around. And I use to think to my self “My God. He thinks he’s it.” And I thought, I’m not going to be one of those girls. And I met him really about 6 months later when he came home to do another play for my mother. But then I realized, that long before this that I had met him when I was on a Rally. Because he was planter, he was doing a check point in Haputhale. At 4 o’ clock in the morning and I come racing around the bend, in my mini cooper and there’s Monty as the check point marshal. And I looked out and I though “Oh this is talent”. And there was no way I could stop the car to you know say a word or two but I had to keep going. And tehn he came and took part in my mother’s ‘Boyfriend’ and tehn he came back later and you know it was like a flash of lightning. This time when I met him about 6 months later, I knew this is the man for me.

You just knew. The moment

Just knew.

Oh my goodness wow!.

And Monty asked my mom “ Who’s that girl”. And my mom said “Now that’s my daughter, you concentrate on what I’m saying”. And that’s how I met Monty we’ve been together now for 37 years. See the important thing that I find in marriage is the ability to listen. There again we share our ideas a lot. Of course we disagree we fight and then the children put their boxing gloves on or they will come to settle things and they laugh at us. But the main thing is I think that your husband also got to be your best friend. To be able to go to him with anything. This is what I have done.

How wonderful. And you have 4 amazing children.

4 Daughters. We didn’t get the recipe right for the boys. They are 4 so different people. And each one was born at such a very special moment. I cant say that the special moment was when the first one was born. Because for me very single birth was special. As you know when you carry that baby and think about it. It’s a marvelous feeling. So these four girls have been brought up not very strictly. Monty keeps rules and regulations much better. They take not on what I say certainly. But we have a marvelous relationship where they can come to me with anything and I can ask there advise. I was 20 when I had Rozanne. 21 when I had Shelly. 25 when I had Tracey and 27 when I had Tammy.

You were a very young mother.

Yes. And it was nice. Because when you are young with your children, the age barrier is not there anymore. So its nice to have. You understand each other better. And now it’s more friends. Great friends.

Talking to couple of your students, you have a very good rapport with them too.

Understanding. It’s important to understand people. Different children need different needs. Now my four girls are very different. So I tackle them in different ways. They don’t know that. But I can get the best out of them knowing that I am putting the screws on so nicely. That’s what’s lovely. And the 4 sisters are very close. And then of course I became a grand mother when I was 45. I think grand children are wonderful. And I think all grand mother think that. There are 4 grand daughters. And 3 boys. And I am very proud of them.

And your daughters. I know Tracey has made a wonderful name for herself. She’s so talented. And Tamara as well. That must be an incredible source of pride for you as well knowing that they have reached such heights.

Tracey, I think is a bit of a genius. And she has the ability to pick a person on a Production. She will see it from an angle that no body else would see. And the way she works , she just finished producing ‘After Juliet’ , which was marvelous. Some of those children had never been on stage before. And finally she got them going so beautifully. That really turned out great. Tracey has the ability to inspire people.

She herself has this wonderful talent when she’s on stage as well.

Yes. She has charisma. Tammy is a fabulous Chellist. But I don’t think people realize how very highly qualified she is in her speech and dreams also. Equally qualified.

Oh wow. Really?

Shally, my second daughter. She teaches more the younger children. I would like her to set up the play school and the Montessori which we had to give up. It was called the ‘Wendy Hut’. She is so good with little children. I really like her to start off on a Wendy Hut. This is the dream that I have. Rozanne the eldest, she got into law college but at that time the JVP had closed down the college. So she went to England and she did interior designing. And she’s a superb interior designer. She’s also a fabulous cook.

And a great beauty as well. She’s stunning.

Yes. She’s a lovely girl. And she gives me a call every morning to see that I am alive and kicking. So Razanne is a person who holds everyone together.

That’s wonderful It sounds like a very close knit family.

Yes. I think that is important.

And actually you have translated that into your school as well. With your children in the school and it seems its very much very close knot family you knot there as well.

The Teachers. The teachers can come to me with anything. I know each one by name. And when they have problems they come to me. When I can I help sorting them out. But there again, it’s a very professional organization. But at the same time that human touch is very very important. I think relationships is what everything is all about. And the need to visualize what you want and then to have the ability to carry it out into reality. You have to have that.

I first met Wendy when she married Monty. Who has been a childhood friend. I’ve known him practically all my life. But with every passing year, my friendship with Wendy has blossomed. And the more I get to know her, the more I appreciate who she is. And she always finds time for people. And when she smiles she brightens up the room. The room just lights up. Children are drawn to her. And I am told that children are very good judges of people and personalities. And she’s also someone who takes time to listen to people and I found that she’s a wonderful teacher, a fine communicator, and a gifted story teller. You know, some people impress but Wendy she impacts people’s lives. Our two daughters were her two pupils. And they have taken into adult life the nuggets of wisdom Wendy parted to them over and above teaching them how to speak English the way it ought to be spoken. I have found that she’s someone I can name my self with. Someone who is very real. Some one who is very sincere. Someone I can trust. And she has a lot of compassion, sympathy and faith in God. I also know that Wendy has time for people other don’t have time for. And she has been a great blessing in my life.

As a person say, she is incredibly capable of giving and sharing like no one I’ve met before. She is able to give just so much, share so much and that impacts like everything really. I mean her life as a teacher, as a mother. Her students adore her. I think they Hero worship her because they have such a special bond which is more than just a teacher. She’s a friend. She is very inspiring. She gives you a lot of freedom I mean as children growing up, yes we did have certain restrictions placed on us you know 4 daughters. But we still hade so much freedom to explore and she encourages us to go on any way we wanted. No matter what it was you know. She never said you have to this or you have to do that. She gave us a lot of choice. I think that’s one of the best things as a mother. I think she is the biggest influence in my life. She always, always made her own way. When she was very young she got a Scholarship to go to England and study the Chello but she decided to stay on and get married instead. But she was also Sri Lanka’s first female Rally driver. She used to go on rallies and she was pregnant, with kids in the back and she was you know started the female participation in rallies and races. And there are lot of guys who remember her. In fact she met my dad on a rally. He was handling one of the check points. So he had to tick something or the other. In times of stress, is when she’s at her greatest. I mean all het problem solving skills, there is something quite magical about the way she sorts things out. She is an extremely powerful woman. She’s one of the biggest role models in my life. And when ever I felt a little bit unsure, I always talk to her.

That is incredibly touching and you know I guess for you to hear how they feel about you. Which is wonderful. I’m glad we got to show that to you.

Young Tracey is tough. For her to have said all that it’s an eye opener for me.

Ok wow. I am glad. I am glad we got to sort of show that to you.

And Dilhani is one of the loveliest friends that I have. Because I can go to Dilhani if I have a problem and I don’t want to talk about it with anyone else, I would phone Dilhani and the other person I would phone I a very close friend of mine Pamela Marshall. And Pam is somebody who is also a good listener. And she’s such an incredible person. She doesn’t realize the influence she has had on me and my life and I think Dilhani is a person who doesn’t realize how much you know I adore her and love her specially because she has been through so much her self and I am glad that I have been there for her.

Wonderful. Well I think it was evident through what she said how much regard she has for you. Which was lovely to see actually.

That was lovely.

Wendy I just want the first answer that pops into your head when I ask you the Question. And ‘The Dreaded Ten’ is brought to us by Ponds Age Miracle.
What’s your favorite word?

Love.

What speech from literature would you say is closest to your heart?

Ben Auchry, where in this gorgeous Poem he says “May a wonderful light always guide you on the unfolding road, because life is a road which unfolds.”

What do you do to impress other people?

I just be myself.

What would you have done if you were not a teacher?

I would be a Chellist.

What is your biggest regret?

May be that I should have spent more time with my Mother. When she was very sick I tried to be there for her but then I had to run the school, she was in Hospital. It was so difficult. I used to go home at 1 o’clock in the morning and be back at hospital at 5 o’clock. May be I could have spent you know. That’s the regret I have.

Who is your greatest Hero? Could be fictional, could be real.

Man or Woman?

Anyone!

Then it has to be my grand father. Who was the justice of the supreme court.

Would you give up everything for love?

Yes.

What’s the first lesson you would teach your students?

To appreciate what they are learning. And give them a very clear understanding of what they are getting into. They start learning speech and drama poetry and literature.

What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?

Ok. What’s going to be my day.

If a group of Aliens walked into the Wendy Whatmore Academy, what would be the first thing that you would say to them?

Don’t take me to space. I like it here. I don’t like travelling. Even in the plane.

Oh really?

I am a bit claustrophobic. So when I am closed in, I feel like I need to jump out.

That was the dreaded 10!

Not so bad!.

See this is what everyone says. I think we need to make it a bit tougher. Everyone sort of expects something really dreadful and then they are not quite tuff. Well you answered they really well.

Thanks you.

And thank you again Wendy. Thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your life with us.

You are welcome.