SENIORS
LUNCH
Some
of the attendees
Left
to Right Back Row: Anton
Blacker, Natty Prins, Langston Joseph, Vernon Nugara, Henry Duckworth, Rod
Schockman, Norman de la Harpe, Allister Bartholomeusz, Spencer Mack, Douglas
Mack.
Front:
Gerald
de Zylwa, Harry de Vos, Terry Robertson, George Robertson.
Seniors
get together for annual luncheon
The
Annual Seniors’ luncheon, has developed into a meaningful and important
occasion in the calendar of events for the Wesley OBU in Australia.
This
year was no exception. Melbourne’s
hot summer weather did not deter our Seniors from turning up at the BA Hall on
21st January 2001 to meet and greet their old school comrades once
more.
It
may be, for some of us, that this is the only time when this is possible, and
so this meeting of old friends becomes more of an occasion than the other
social events where the general membership can frequently get together with
their peers.
Reg
Bartholomeusz, in his welcoming address, expressed his high regard for the
Senior members and his appreciation for the contribution they have made to
Wesley, which must never be forgotten.
The
luncheon was a buffet meal of Sri Lankan dishes followed by dessert amply
provided, presented and managed by the ladies in the group.
Recorded
music playing in the background was enhanced by a sing-along led by Harry de
Vos and members of the committee who did a creditable job, bearing in mind
that most of the tunes were “Golden Oldies”.
Former
Vice President Langston Joesph proposed a vote of thanks to the Committee on
behalf of the invitees, and the afternoon drew to a close with a rousing
rendition of the College Song
Ora
et Labora!
See
you next year
George
Robertson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS
FROM NEW SOUTH WALES
The
6th Annual General Meeting of Wesley College (Colombo) O.B.U. New
South Wales was held on the 23rd March 2001, at the Parramatta RSL
Club at Macquarie Street, Parramatta. The
meeting commenced at 7.30pm.
The
President thanked those who attended. In
his message he thanked the entire committee and also Patta Siva, Carlyle Wells
Peiris and Keith Grenier for their help, support and contribution in making
our dance a great success.
A
Statement of Accounts was presented and accepted.
ELECTION
OF OFFICE BEARERS
The
following were elected for the current year:
President
Mel Motau
(02) 9869 4363
Vice
President Gamini de
Silva
Kulasuriya
(02) 9642 5177
Secretary
Darrel Maye
(02) 9677 0386
Treasurer
Allan Jansz
(02) 9724 6069
General
Com Tyronne Jansz
(02) 9822 9177
John Buultjens 0408
227 781
Membership
Coordinator
Lalith Fernando 0413 060 709
Cricket
Captain Lalith Fernando
0413 060 709
Robyn
Herft decided to take a break from the post of Treasurer.
Gamini proposed a vote of thanks to the Treasurer for his excellent
service during his term of office.
The
cricket match with Wesley College (Colombo) OBU Melbourne, is going to be
revived.
Events
Held During January – April 2001
1.
A dinner was organised by the Wesley College Old Boys, Sydney, for
Tyronne Maye, President of the Welfare Board, who visited us in January.
2.
St Bridgets Convent Sydney Branch invited Wesley College to present a
team for their Trivia Nite in April. Ten
members attended and we did our school proud.
3.
Captain Navin de Silva and family visited Sydney and a dinner was
organised by the Old Boys at Gamini
de Silva’s house. It was a rip
roaring night with Darrel Maye
taking centre stage and singing with Lalith Fernando.
It was thought that the
committee might sign Darrel on for future entertainment.
4.
Our Annual
Double Blue Ball will
be held on the 3rd
November 2001.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OBITUARIES
DE
LANEROLLE, Kenneth M
Appreciation
Kenneth
M. de Lanerolle.
It is with a great sense of sorrow that I pen these few words as a
tribute to one of my well-loved and revered teachers at whose feet I had the
good fortune of studying as a student at Wesley College, Colombo.
The
demise of Mr. Kenneth M. de Lanerolle who passed away a few days ago, at the
ripe old age of ninety, has removed from us yet another outstanding and
respected teacher this country has produced. It was only a few months ago that
he celebrated his 90th birthday.
My
own recollection of Mr. Lanerolle goes back to more than five decades ago,
when I was admitted to Wesley
College
as a kindergarden student, when Rev. James Cartman was then the principal, and
the late Mr. Lanerolle was vice-principal.
Mr.
Lanerolle who was a graduate of the University of London, also held a M.A.
degree in Linguistics from the University of Michigan, U.S.A. He was a Fellow
of the Royal Geographical Society and led many important teams of
educationists and teachers to a number of countries.
After
many years of selfless service as the Vice Principal of Wesley College, he
became the head of Kingswood College, Kandy. On retirement after a long and
illustrious teaching career, he was appointed the Director of the Asian
Christian Service in Vietnam, where for the yeoman services rendered he was
awarded the Social Services Medal. Returning from this assignment in Vietnam
he devoted himself to the activities of the National Christian Council and
served in that organisation in many capacities.
When
I joined Wesley College it had on its staff teachers of high calibre who
moulded and guided the students upholding, the values and ideals of the
highest order with utmost loyalty and dedication.
If
I were to single out one teacher who had the greatest impact on my life, it
was Mr. Lanerolle. He was a teacher par excellence who gave himself to the
cause of education and moral upliftment of the children in this country.
He was one of the most versatile men I have had the fortune of coming
in contact with. He was broadcaster, linguist, sportsman, dramatist, singer
and actor. He was an excellent teacher and one of the finest English masters
we have had. He was a stickler for grammatical accuracy and his language was
unimpeachable. He had remarkable mastery of the English language and made
every lesson in English come alive. He was always punctual, smartly and
immaculately dressed. He instilled in everyone of us a sense of discipline and
dedication. To those in the teaching profession he was and will be an ideal
and a shining model. His upright walk along the corridors of the college
building was itself an example to the pupils.
Mr.
Lanerolle belonged to a rare breed of teachers who possessed an extensive
knowledge in many fields other than his speciality - the English Language. He
has written number of books and contributed extensively to the media.
The
character of the life he led may be summarized in a few words. He was
self-sacrificing, indefatigable, conscientious and sincere. He lived a full
fruitful and meaningful life and met his death without having to endure the
pangs of protracted illness and suffering.
Wesley
College and the other education institutions where he served should consider
themselves fortunate to have had a man of high eminence and intellectual
attainment like Mr. Lanerolle. Students who came under his influence and had
the privilege of learning at his feet had their lives determined in one way or
another by his character and personality.
His
life was based on Christian principles which he never failed to profess and
practice. A few days before his death, 1 went to look him up, addressing me in
a feeble voice he said, "Chandradasa, I am now in the Departure
Lounge". With his death our country has lost a teacher of undoubted
stature who will be difficult to replace.
Now
this great teacher has gone leaving a void in many places where he was needed
and loved. All his pupils and the institutions he served owe a great deal to
him and his name will be honoured with undying gratitude for many generations
to come.
Mr.
Lanerolle is now no more but his noble resplendent spirit will remain with us.
May
he rest in peace!
Justice
Chandradasa Nanayakkara
LOIS
KRELTSZHEIM
It
is with deep sadness that I heard of the passing of Lois Kreltszheim.
Lois was the mother of Michael and Jeremy and the beloved wife of Bunny
Kreltszheim.
On
behalf of the Wesley College OBU (Aust Branch) I would like to convey our
deepest sympathies to the family.
Bryan
Wijeyekoon
MACK,
Barbara Helen
We
regret to record the passing of Barbara Mack, on the 15th April 2001, after a
brief illness.
Our
sympathies go out to her sister June, brothers Douglas, Derek, Spencer and
Vivian and their families.
Barbara
was a frequent supporter of O.B.U. functions, together with June and her
brothers.
A
capacity congregation of relatives and friends gathered to pay their last
respects to Barbara at a Service held at the Anglican Church of Saint Peter,
Box Hill.
Always
a sincere and good friend, Barbara will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
George
Robertson
STOP
PRESS
SCHOCKMAN,
Rodney.
We
regret to announce the sudden passing away of an active and loyal member,
Rodney Schockman. Our sympathies to Olive & family and fellow old boy,
brother Errol.
HENSMAN,
Raju
Teacher
at Wesley College from 1956-1988
It
is with sadness that I pen this tribute to the late Mr Raju Hensman, retired
Teacher who served Wesley College with distinction for thirty two years and
passed away at the end of January this year.
Those of us who were at Wesley from 1956 to 1988 will I am sure have
many memories of Mr Hensman. The
image that I have of him at Wesley is of a short, very dark complexioned bald
man that had a high pitched voice and who possessed some effeminate
mannerisms. He was always
impeccable dressed in white short sleeve shirt and long white trousers with
the creases crisply starched and as sharp as a razor.
From this description you would instantly gather that if he was to have
a “nickname” it would be because of a physical attribute rather than
anything else. And so it was that
in Mr Hensman’s case it was “Cheese Ball” because of his bald head.
Little did
we
realise that he was pioneering a fashion trend that is popular all over the
world today. Schoolboys could be
quite mean and I am sure that when the name was coined there was no
consideration given to Mr Hensman’s feelings.
He was also known as “Koli” and “Kikkili” – “nicknames”
that were derived from his surname.
Mr
Hensman was a qualified Teacher (Inter-Science Calcutta English Trained)
specialising in Maths and Sciences. Very
early in his time at Wesley he taught Chemistry in the senior school.
I had the priviledge of being taught by him in a number of classes in
Maths and General Science as I progressed from the Kindergarten to the Senior
School. He had a thorough
knowledge of his subject and was a strict disciplinarian but also considerate
and kind in his manner. I recall
one occasion during an interval when my classmates and I would relish a game
of “King”. I happened to be
the chaser and in my eagerness to get another person out I took this firm shot
at a classmate hiding behind a pillar. The
ball missed my friend and also whizzed past Mr Hensman’s shiny head as he
ducked for cover. The ball was
confiscated and I was summoned to his classroom.
I subsequently had to front up to Mr Premawardhena and had to apologise
to Mr Hensman for my actions. However
the ball was not returned much to the disappointment of my friends and I.
As a consequence I must have appeared to be insincere in my apology to
him. Later that afternoon/early
evening when Mr Hensman arrived at my home for my tuition he mentioned the
incident to my mother who in turn mentioned it to my father when he got home
from work. I was marched down to
Mr Hensman’s home by my father and I had to apologise again and also got two
of the best from my father for my trouble.
On reflection it was part of my personal development and growing up to
be a responsible citizen and gentleman. Teachers
of Mr Hensman’s calibre were loyal and dedicated to their craft and their
remuneration was a pittance when considering what they had to put up with.
Our parents entrusted us to their care and they in turn inculcated in
us a set of values, discipline and knowledge that has helped us over the
years. As diminutive as Mr
Hensman was, he can stand tall as one of Wesley’s loyal teachers who served
the College with distinction and devotion.
I
probably shared many more experiences with him than the other students as he
lived only a few streets away at Somasunderam Place off Station Road,
Wellawatte. Though he gave the
impression that he was a very serious person I saw his funny side on many
occasions as teachers and student gathered outside the Gas
Company
Showrooms on Galle Road to catch the school bus each day.
The late Mr Watson Wijewickrema and the Late Mrs Sheila Arndt
(previously Wijeyekoon) and Mr Hensman would carry on a lively chat which
often continued on board the bus much to our amusement and inquisitive ears.
He tutored me in Maths for a short period of time and I recall he would
have much delight in joining my mother for a chat over a “cuppa” as I
plodded through the sums he had set me. I
am indebted to his efforts as it contributed to my good grounding in Maths
which resulted in my obtaining a University degree with Double Maths majors.
He became firm friends with my parents and when he married in the late
sixties my parents and I attended his wedding.
If I recall correctly, my mother made his wedding cake.
When my family and I migrated to Australia he purchased many items of
furniture and household items some which he still had when I met him in 1999.
Though we lost touch over the years, when I returned to Colombo in 1999
for the 125th Jubilee Celebrations he made it a point to seek me
out for a chat at the Jubilee Dinner held at the Oberoi.
I had a photograph taken with him that day.
Mr Hensman had aged which was to be expected but his mannerisms were
still the same and as expected he was impeccable dressed for the occasion.
He was very keen to find out how some of his former students were
faring in Australia. Teachers
like Mr Hensman took a keen interest in theirs students not only in class but
long after they had left school. He
was pleased to hear that many
of
this former students were getting along well in Australia.
He invited me for a meal and I had the privilege of taking my family to
his home at Somasunderam Place for afternoon tea.
His wife and he who were both retired were looking forward to joining
their only daughter and her husband in Canada in the near future.
Sadly it wasn’t to be.
Thirty
two years as a teacher at Wesley College is a long time.
To spend such a significant part of one’s life dedicated to Education
and Wesley College is indeed laudable and hundred of students had the benefit
of Mr Hensman as their teacher. We
are indebted to teachers
like
Mr Hensman who we have met along life’s journey and have contributed in
their own way to moulding a rich mosaic of knowledge and character which is
uniquely ours. Thank you Sir for
your loyal and dedicated service to Wesley College and all her sons.
I am grateful for having had the opportunity to be taught by you.
May God grant you eternal rest.
Sincere
sympathies to Mrs Pathma Hensman, daughter Rapti and son-in-law Christie
Ratnam.
Keith
de Kretser