Sebastian Saw Mill celebrates golden anniversary

One of the oldest saw mills in Moratuwa, St. Sebastian Saw Mill & Timber Depot celebrated its 50th anniversary recently and has strong plans to expand its activities in the future.

St. Sebastian Group now under the third generation is headed by Managing Director Dr. Harsha Fernando who has brought in new technology and most importantly inculcated positive thinking to its employees. 

Dr. Harsha Fernando recalled that his grandfather Micheal Santhiyago Fernando started this facility in 1967 and it was the second saw mill in Moratuwa. With the business growing he also bought a cutting machine and then opened a showroom in Galle Road, Moratuwa.

However after his demise in 1980, his son Millinton Fernando along with his brothers Marshall Fernando and Francasius Fernando carried out the business for 13 more years.

Graduate of Kelaniya University, Dr. Harsha Fernando recalled when he was an undergraduate at the Kelaniya University following a course in Physical Science had to end his university education abruptly to take over the business together with his brother Dharshana Fernando, his mother Jean Fernando and his father Millinton Fernando when his two uncles decided to quit.

Dr. Harsha Fernando took control over the company by buying the shares of the two uncles and guided the business along a different angle and also invested about Rs. 10 million and installed new machinery imported from USA. In a bid to fill the major vacuum in the Sri Lankan timber business he introduced the ‘Chemical Treatment of Timber’ using the pressure treatment and gave a lifetime warranty for the timber. Dr. Fernando said that today they have around 70 employees and they are a preferred supplier to most of the newly built hotels and apartments. “Rapid development in this area has given us more opportunities.”

He also said that even though quality timber is available in Sri Lanka, people tend to buy timber imported from Malaysia and other countries. “However with the increase of the US dollar rate we can expect a decrease in imports which will favour the local industry.”

“There are several restrictions for felling and transport of timber. Similarly regulations are very strict for export of timber.”

He said that the Government must re-look at relaxing these regulations since export of timber is a very high foreign exchange earner for the country.

“St. Sebastian Group is very concerned about the environment and we have initiated the ongoing CSR Program, Gahata Gahak (A tree for a tree) where we offer plants for every tree that is felled. We buy plants from the government nurseries and through the AGA offices, distribute them free of charge in areas where people buy timber. To date we have distributed nearly 9,000 plants.”

The St. Sebastian group has won a series of awards such as MASSCO, Sharma Abimani for their dedicated, quality and on time delivery service. Harsha Fernando was awarded the ‘Doctor of Business Administration Philosophy’ by the University of International Education Research & Higher Education Professional Centre on Chennai in 2007. He is also the recipient of the Desha Bandu, Desha Mannya, Prabu Chudamani and many more accolades. The uniqueness of Sebastian Saw Mill is that they guarantee a lifetime warranty for the timber they sell to their customers which Harsha Fernando says is the difference from other saw mills.