However great a person is, when he or she leaves this world it is quite normal for myths and stories based on assumptions to emerge surrounding the life and times of such person.
The information that you find in here is based on what I have heard and learnt firsthand about Wally Bastiansz from my mother (i.e. his sister), aunts , uncles and other relatives, while growing up in the Bastiansz ancestral home in Piyadigama, Gintota, Sri Lanka.
Uncle Wally, undoubtedly was the most beloved member of his family. He was truly an entertainer who was not only a musician but a storyteller as well. He had an amazing ability to make people laugh with his inexhaustible jokes.
Let this website be a forum where anyone who knew Wally Bastiansz as a relative or a friend or just a stranger inspired by his music, can celebrate his life and times so that his legacy can continue.
My special thanks to my eldest brother, Lal Jayasekera, for his immense contribution of valuable information on the Bastiansz family; Ruth Florine Bocks (eldest daughter of Wally Bastiansz) for sharing family photographs; and to my good friend, IT guru Amal Kaluarachchi, for putting this website together.
I would also like to recognize Dr Sunil Ariyaratne, for his research work on the culture of Baila in Sri Lanka and presenting relevant facts about Wally Bastiansz and Baila, in his book An Inquiry into Baila and Kaffirinna. Any excerpts from his book are marked with an asterisk and properly referenced.
Robin Kolitha Jayasekera