MANY may not have associated the man who walked around Kotara shopping centre wearing tracksuit pants and old T-shirts with the highly regarded doctor who bolstered radiology services in the Hunter for more than 30 years.
But Dr Ajith de Silva - known to many as "Dr D" - has been described by loved ones as a humble man who valued people and experiences over things, and had little time for pomp.
He was happiest when the Sri Lankan cricket team or the All Blacks were giving it to Australia; beach fishing off the beaten track in his old 4WD; and while visiting Disneyland multiple times with his family. And he was proudest while watching his children pursuing their passions.
The Sri Lankan-born radiologist was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 10 years ago. He died on June 24.
He was 82 years old.
His family will remember his stories, his dry wit, the love and the laughter.
His former colleagues at the Royal Newcastle and John Hunter Hospitals will remember a well-respected leader who was a passionate advocate for training the next generation of radiologists - not just in the Hunter, but around the world.
But Newcastle Herald readers may also remember him as Australia's sole defender of the much-maligned Indian myna, which provoked passionate responses within the letters pages and inspired many inches of column space.
He featured on the front page of the paper when Sri Lanka won the Cricket World Cup in '96, and shortly after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 that devastated his country of birth.
Dr De Silva was born on June 28, 1939, in a town called Ambalangoda.
He trained as a radiologist, and worked at a local hospital where he met the love of his life, Manel - the woman who would become his wife of 52 years - despite family disapproval.
Together they eloped to London with just five pounds in their pocket.
Dr De Silva worked at Guy's Hospital in London, before accepting a job in Dunedin, New Zealand, where they had two children - Anoushka and Andre.
It was minus 10 degrees and snowing in Dunedin the day of Andre's birth.
"Dad said, 'Bugger this', and decided that day that we were going to go to Australia, where it was warmer. That's how we ended up in Newcastle in 1979," Andre de Silva said.
"Every decision that he made was the right one in the end, but they were big calls at the time. He had come from a fairly wealthy family but they left with nothing. He left everything in Sri Lanka, and started from scratch, and he built up a very nice life for mum and for us."
In Newcastle, Dr De Silva worked for the Hunter's health district for 30 years - first at the Royal Newcastle, then at the John Hunter Hospital, where he served as the Clinical Director of Radiology for the local health service. He successfully established a registrar training program in the Hunter, mentored hundreds of radiologists, and introduced the Sri Lankan post-fellowship training program, which enabled overseas-trained doctors to learn from him for a year before they took those skills back home.
Dr Barry Soans, the clinical director of radiology at Hunter New England Imaging and John Hunter Hospital, said these achievements were among Dr De Silva's biggest professional legacies.
"There would have been a whole generation of radiologists in Newcastle that would have been exposed to his teaching and his knowledge of radiology," Dr Soans said.
"He was a bit of a joker. He loved telling a good story - a raconteur, if you like. It was always quite easy to engage him in robust conversation if you talked about one of his key passions, like the Indian myna, or cricket, or rugby union."
Dr De Silva had an All Blacks picture on the door of his office, "just to wind up all the Australians".
He loved all animals, and treated his pets like people - ensuring they too had the very best medical care.
He loved to support his daughter's love of horses and horse-riding.
"He was a big doctor in Newcastle, but to us he was just Dad," Andre said.
"He never missed a cricket match of mine. In 25 years of playing cricket, he never missed a game."
He had loved contributing to the Newcastle Herald's letter pages, even if to just stir the pot and spark debate.
But his affinity for newspapers began back in Sri Lanka, where - after completing his medical training - he answered people's health questions in a regular column.
"He was a bit like Sri Lanka's Dolly Doctor," Andre said.
Despite a dry, cheeky wit, Dr De Silva's mantra was kindness. He was always looking out for others.
He will be remembered with a service at Pettigrew Family Funerals at Mayfield West at 10am on Saturday.
His Sri Lankan community is also hosting several Buddhist ceremonies to honour Dr De Silva's life.
