Fernando was born on 14 July 1912 in Periyamulla, Negombo as the eldest of the family. His father was Peduru Fernando, who was famous for repairing village houses. His mother Liyanage Elizabeth Fernando was a housewife. He has one younger sister, Martha Mary Fernando.[1] He attended Dalupotha Roman Catholic School but was forced to drop out in the seventh grade to support his poverty stricken family. His father fell from a scaffolding and unable to move since then. Therefore his mother started to work in coir mill. He took to working at coir mills, estates, tobacco stores, fish stalls and in masonry to this end.

 

After stopping at the coir mill, he joined a group of fishermen in Kukulawa, Trincomalee, where he joined a fishing group at the village Alambala, 24 miles from Mullaitivu. After few months, he joined to a tobacco store in Hiriyale with a friend and worked as a cook. Later, he worked as a "kankanam" in a garden in Puttalam. During this period, he used to learn English and cookery from a Tamil teacher. He changed Ugo's name into "Hugo" due to famous French writer Victor Hugo, teacher's favorite. At the age of 16, Hugo went to work as an assistant mason.

 

He was married to Elizabeth Fernando in 1935. The couple has six children - eldest Bridget Malini, then son Nimal Anthony, daughter Lalitha, three sons Gamini Malcus, Sarath and Brito. Brito Fernando was a member of the Negombo Municipal Council for some time and currently works for the family of the missing in The Human Rights Council.

 

He died on 12 April 1999 at the age of 86.

 

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