Remembering Frederick Jacob - Patron, STC OBA - NSW / ACT Branch
Frederick Jacob (Freddie) was the son of JG (as he was known) and Annie Jacob. JG was the first Ceylonese to be appointed a planter on a coffee plantation in Kandy. Freddie was the eighth of nine children; he had three sisters and five brothers.
Freddie was born on 30 June 1920 in Matale and would have been 100 this year had he been alive! Freddie went to be with the Lord on 18 November 2011 while in Sydney.
Freddie began his education at BMS College, Matale.
In 1931 he was awarded a scholarship to St Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia (STC). He attended STC as a day scholar and was in Stone House till 1938. He finished his studies at STC in 1939 and in his final year was a boarder in Copleston House.
This was STC’s “golden era”...of warden Canon De Saram and distinguished educators such as Dr. Hayman, Mr. Keble and Mr. O.P. Guneratne. As such young Freddie was at the receiving end of some good education and stern discipline!
From STC he went to the School of Agriculture in Peradeniya.
He began his planting career at High Forest Estate, Kandapola in Uva Province and then moved to Dimbula and Agrapatna in the 1960s. He became Group Manager of Glasgow Estate, Agrapatna; he was the first Ceylonese to hold this position which had previously only been held by the British! He married Rukmanie David, daughter of Rev and Mrs Paul David. Freddie and Rukmanie have four children – three sons and one daughter and five grandchildren.
At the end of 1967, he moved with the family to the Nilgiris, South India and worked in Brooklands Estate, Coonoor from 1968. Then moved to Waterfall Estate, Annamalais in 1969 and later to a tea plantation in Darjeeling. Retired and moved to Sydney in 1988.
Among his varied interests were cars, motorbikes, sports cars, motorsports racing, hunting, travelling, reading, crosswords, etc.
Freddie maintained that the happiest days of his early life were spent at STC. He was proud to call himself a “Thomian” and never forgot his roots. In time he made a name for himself as an excellent and dedicated tea planter and Superintendent, referred to as PD (Periya Dorai) in the plantation sector.
Since formalising the OBA here in Sydney, Fred was our first official patron. We were blessed to have him attend our functions and in turn he too gave of his time ungrudging. He enjoyed every get-together and loved to reminisce about the good old days!
Freddie Jacob 30/6/1920 - 18/11/2011 Fondly remembered and sadly missed
With Thanks to Dr Elmo Jacob. Elmo is the son of Leo Jacob, elder brother of Freddie Jacob. Elmo also studied at STC, Mt Lavinia from 1952 to 1960 and was in Stone House. Elmo’s mother, Joy Jacob taught at STC, Lower school for 25 years, from 1952 to 1977.
