R. L. Brohier
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Richard Leslie Brohier, , , (5 October 1892 – 14 February 1980) was a Ceylonese Burgher
surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
and writer. He served as Deputy Surveyor General of Ceylon and Chairman of the Gal Oya Development Board.


Education and career

Brohier was born in
Colombo Fort Fort (Colombo) (; ) is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE operates. It is ...
on 5 October 1892. He received his education at the
Colombo Academy Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...
and at the Ceylon Technical College, where he studied surveying, having entered in 1909. In 1910, he joined the
Survey Department Survey may refer to: Statistics and human research * Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population * Survey (human research), including opinion polls Spatial measurement * Surveying, the techniq ...
as a supernumerary
surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...
and was the first Ceylonese surveyor in the department. He passed the senior departmental professional examination in 1921, and was appointed to the grade of Assistant Superintendent of Surveys and headed the surveyor party in the North Central Province. In 1933, he was promoted to the grade of Superintendent of Surveys. Between 1938 and 1946 he served in the capacity of Acting Assistant Surveyor General and was confirmed as Assistant Surveyor General, later serving as Deputy Surveyor General. He was the first Ceylonese to served in these capacities. In 1946, he served as the Secretary to the first Delimitation Commission, appointed under the Ceylon (Constitution) Order in Council. He took early retirement while serving as Deputy Surveyor General on request of Prime Minister
D. S. Senanayake Don Stephen Senanayake ( si, දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක,; ta, டி. எஸ். சேனநாயக்கா; 21 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Mi ...
to become a member of the Gal Oya Development Board, later serving as its chairman.


Honors and appointments

Brohier was elected a
Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...
of the
Royal Geographic Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
in 1931 and of the Institute of Chartered Surveyors in 1947. He was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in the
1947 Birthday Honours The 1947 King's Birthday Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made "on the occasion o ...
for his service as Assistant Surveyor General. He was awarded an honorary doctorate
DLitt Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
(
Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
) from the
University of Ceylon The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Univer ...
in 1963 and was presented the Gold Medal of the
Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...
in 1971. In 1978, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Oranje Nassau by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. He served as president of the
Engineering Association of Ceylon The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) is a multidisciplinary professional engineering institution in Sri Lanka. History It was the Director of Public Works at the time F A Cooper, who while attending a meeting while on circuit, who plan ...
; President of the Ceylon Geographical Association; President of the Ceylon Survey Institute, and President of the
Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon The Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon (abbreviated as: DBUC; ), known commonly as the Dutch Burgher Union (DBU), is an organisation of Dutch Burghers in Sri Lanka. It was established on 18 January 1908 by R.G. Anthonisz, Richard Gerald Anthonisz. Hi ...
. He was elected as a Fellow of the
Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...
and an honorary member of the Netherlands Alumni Association.


Author

He authored several books, including:


Bibliography

*The Golden Age of Military Adventure in Ceylon in 1933. *The Ancient Irrigation Works of Ceylon in three parts (1934/35), which was reprinted in 1949 and 1979. *De Wolvendaalsche Kerk in 1938 and reprinted in 1938 and 1957. *History of Irrigation and Colonisation in Ceylon in 1941. *Lands Maps and Surveys Vol I and Vol II in 1951. *The Gal Oya Valley Project in Ceylon in 1951. *Seeing Ceylon in 1965 reprinted in 1971 and reprinted in 1981. *Furniture in Dutch Ceylon in 1969 and reprinted in 1978. *Discovering Ceylon in 1973 and reprinted in 1982. *Food and the People in 1975 *Links between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands in 1978 *Changing Face of Colombo in 1984 (Posthumously) *The Golden Plains in 1992 (Posthumously)


External links and References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brohier, Richard Leslie 1892 births 1980 deaths Alumni of Ceylon Technical College Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Burgher academics Sri Lankan surveyors Burgher writers Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau People of British Ceylon Sri Lankan people of French descent