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Sri Lanka Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts issued a new postage stamp in thedenomination of Rs. 10.00 on 11thJanuary, 2016 to commemorate Kalasuri Wilson Hegoda.
| Date of Issue: | 11th January 2016 |
| Denomination: | Rs.10.00 |
| Catalogue No. | CSL 2135 |
| Stamp Designer: | Mr. Kumudu Tharaka Peiris |
| Sheet Composition: | 20 stamps per sheet |
Born on 08.01.1915 in Batuwantudawa, Galle, Wilson Hegoda migrated to the locality called Barandeniya in Colombo (Kollupitiya) with his beloved mother and two brothers following the untimely death of his father. Thereafter, having received his education in Sinhala at Ananda Vidyalaya, Modara and the English education at the Methodist night school, he joined the police service in 1942.
By the time of his retirement on 01.01.1974 he was serving as the Head of the Photographic Division of the Crime Reporting Division (the Technical Division of the then Criminal Investigations Division). On 18.04.1935 he formed the Colombo Young Poets' Society (AganuwaraTharunaKaviSamajaya), on 04.02.1950 the Sri Lanka National Photographic Club and on 05.08.1973 Sri Lanka PrabhaLekhana Society and Sri Lanka Female Photographers' Club. In 1961 he commenced the publication of the magazine "Camera" and taught photography free of charge to school children through the Children's Club. He continued with this noble task until he was confined to bed in 1978 with illness. Since 1935 to 1978 he enriched the knowledge of children by teaching Abidhamma to the students of MaitreyaDhamma School. In 1959 he initiated an exhibition of photographs and hand writings of poets and writers. It has gone into history as the first of its kind in the world.
The pride and honour he brought to the Sri Lanka Police in particular and to the entire country in general by winning the First, Second, Third and the Fourth prizes and certificates at the World Police Photographic Exhibition held in Japan in 1958 is written in the annals of the history of the Police.
He was presented with the prestigious FEPIC award by Evident Photographic International Council in 1973 and he was the first and the only from entire Asia to be honoured with that award. In the same year, Mr Hegoda was honoured with the award of ESFIAP by the world famous photographic organization, Federation International de Art Photographic and at that time there were only eight recipients of that award in the world. Mr Hegoda was the only person from Asia to be presented with that award.
After his retirement from the police service, MrHegoda served as a visiting lecturer of the Aesthetic Faculty of the University of Sri Lanka.
In 1945 Mr Hegoda married poetess Nanda R. Jayawardane and became the loving father of six children. Out of them his sons Lal Hegoda, PalithaHegoda and Attorney-at-Law AnuraHegoda, following the foot- steps of their illustrious father, have made their own mark in the fields of poetry and photography.
This legendary personality called Wilson Hegoda breathed his last on 13th September, 1984.All rights received. All right to identify the Department of Posts as the Author and designer of this Bulleting has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.No part to this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by and means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior permission from the publisher. Any person who does and unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.