Wesley College Colombo
I've looked at life from both sides now, from win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall. I really don't know life at all. -
Joni Mitchell
Contents
K. P. Ranis Appuhamy By Gordon Tytler (from the 125th Anniversary souvenir)
When the Double Blue snapped in the breeze, and the College Bell pealed on the 2nd of March 1974, in celebration of the Centenary, there was one whom we missed and that was K. P.Ranis Appuhamy, who died on September 13th 1972 at the grand age of 88, and just two days less for sixty years at Wesley. Of more than average height for a Sinhalese, his dignified mien was emphasised by his ramrod straight carriage, stern visage, magnificent bristling walrus mustache, framing aristocratic high- boned checks.
A
neat tight knot held his greying hair in position. Ranis belonged
to that rare breed of men almost extinct today-who, without preaching,
exemplified in their life and work the very highest of moral and
ethical standards. His character became clear in the very first
days of his service at Wesley. On September 15th 1912. He was engaged
by the Rev. Henry Highfield as a "School servant" at a monthly salary
of Rs. 8/-. On his first pay- day Ranis went up to Rev. Highfield
and said that there had been an error in calculating his pay. "Error?"
demanded Highfield. "You were taken on for Rs. 8/- a month and you
have received Rs. 8/- not one cent less. Where is the error?" Ranis
pointed out that, since he had worked for only half the month he
was actually entitled to only half a month's pay Rs. 4/- instead
of Rs. 8/-. Such a man was Ranis.
In fact so devoted to Wesley was he that in all his nearly 60 years of service, he was absent from his duties for only 60 days an average of one day's leave a year for well over half a century! That included the time he took off to get married! In 1962 Ranis celebrated his Golden Jubilee at Wesley. Or rather Wesley celebrated the event for, despite his proud and aristocratic bearing. Ranis was the most modest of men. . Wesley really outdid itself on that occasion. Ranis was feted as no "domestic servant" of a major educational institution has been before or since. A prominent article in the Ceylon Observer of October 15th 1962 recorded the event in banner headlines "RANIS OF WESLEY GOES ON." The "Observer' story noted that when Ranis Joined Wesley, among others on the teaching staff of the School were, O.E.G., S. J. V. Chelvanayakam. F. J. Labrooy and Lionel Fonseka. Among the thousands of small boys who scurried along the corridors of Wesley every morning in a desperate effort to beat the inexorable peal of Rani's bell.
Were the future physician, Dr. J. R. Wilson the future theologian, the Rev. Dr. D. T. Niles, M. H. Mohamed, a future Mayor of Colombo, and Sam Silva, Chairman Air Ceylon and Chairman Petrolium. The article added ; "Ranis was Guest of Honour at a garden party given by the Staff Guild of Wesley and friends and Old Boys. School closed half a day for the occasion, and Ranis was given a purse." Old Boys bringing their sons for admission to Wesley treated Ranis with the deference due more to a former teacher than to a school servant-with good reason.
There was always the fear that, if not handled with care, the old man with the phenomenal memory would spill the beans to the son about some embarrassing prank that the father would sooner forget! For what father could dismiss his son's pleas for more pocket money or criticise his table manners when reminded by Ranis of the day he ate 75 hoppers on a bet! The here of this particular gastronomic feat avouched for by Ranis-was an elastic-stomachache boy called Francis Jayawardena; and the incident took place some- where during the time of the First World War. Jayawardena went on to become one of Wesley's most outstanding sportsmen in the pre 1920 years. Many years ago, when I was a little boy in the College Hostel, about the year 1949 or 50 Ranis took me to the rear door of the boarders' dining hall and pointed to something carved on it. Puzzled, I bent down and read the crudely carved inscription "K. P. R. - 1912". Gordon Tytler
Marshall Perera by Dr.N.D.Amerasekera
Marshall
Perera is known to several generations of Wesleyites and like his
colleague Ranis Appuhamy is a school Icon. He joined Wesley in the
1930's soon after the Highfield era and the exact date of his arrival
seems to be lost in the mist of time. For many years now he has
taken numerous old boys on conducted tours of the school. Marshall's
encyclopaedic knowledge of the school, staff and students past and
present will be sorely missed by the returning hordes of OB's. When
I returned to Wesley after nearly 15 years the gates were padlocked
and the guard refused me in and it was Marshall's intervention that
opened the gates for me. He will be mostly remembered by Wesleyites
for his unfailing loyalty to the school. We wish him a long and
happy retirement in the house donated by the Old Boys.
By Dr.N.D.Amerasekera (transcribed from the 125th Anniversary souvenir)
It was an idyllic time in the history of our island. The Second World War had ended and Independence from British rule has just begun. Tolerance, compassion and kindness were present in abundance. Terrorism, television, AIDS and computers were not in our vocabulary. As for the future we took it all for granted.
I remember as if it were yesterday walking up the hill between the tall Casuarina trees into the main building of Wesley College. The year was 1950 and I was 8 years old. My uncle, Neville Weerasekera , who was a sixth former showed me the classroom which was to be the centre of my universe for a year. The bespectacled M.T.Rajapaksa introduced me to the school rules and the rest of the " scallywags" of Std-2. There I met my friend Daya Perera and many others who were to play a major role in my school life. Daya was an excellent host when I Stayed with him in Los Angeles, where he is an Anaestherist. MT Rajapaksa subsequently left to join the Teachers training school Maharagama. I met him many years later when I was a doctor at Kurunegala and his nephew was admitted to my ward.
CJ Oorloff was the Principal and Kenneth de Lanerolle, the Vice-Principal. The Headmaster JLF De Mel was a kind and pious man. In the early 1970's he was admitted to my ward at the General Hospital, Colombo with a heart attack. Even when he had only hours to live JLF recognised me and asked, "aren't you an old Wesleyite". Life seemed an endless game of cricket before and after school and in the intervals. The matches were held in the "small park" a mainly gravel field with sparse patches of grass. It is now a large housing complex behind the school adjacent to Karlshrue gardens. Years seem to pass quickly and schoolwork was a mere nuisance and got in the way of the endless fun and laughter. Mr. Wilfred Wickremasinghe (padlock) was in charge of Std 4 and a fierce disciplinarian. I still remember the many times he had pinched my tummy black and blue for failing to remember the homework. Being an eligible bachelor he was courting a pretty music teacher. He never failed to escort us to the music lessons. Later the school choir sang at his wedding at the Maradana Methodist Church. I was saddened to hear he died in the 1980's.
Meanwhile in 1952 my father decided to send me to the school boarding. It was like a prison in those days confined to the College boundary. Our lives were orderly and regimented by the bell.The six years in the hostel were good and bad in parts. Ivor De Silva was the Senior Hostel master. He is now leading a happy retired life in the USA. The next was LA Fernando, a charismatic figure full of life. I have never:seen him at a loss for words. He was the cheer leader at the inter school cricket matches and sang the limericks and baila with fire and gusto. I owe him a great debt of gratitude for instilling in me the will to succeed in life. After being the Vice-Principal of the school his life and career sadly slipped away.
Then came Maxwell De Alwis who introduced an active choir to the school and was responsible for the Operetta "Alad -in-and -Out".The show was a sellout and a great success at school. It was staged at Kingswood College, Kandy to a large appreciative audience. I was deeply upset to hear he died in the early 1970's in the General Hospital, Colombo in a ward just next to the Blood Bank where I worked. I remember Rev.R.W.Pile, the Chaplain, with great affection. Once I was bitten by Mr.Eric Gunasekera's Bull Terrier while returning from a cricket match at Campbell Park. I felt a piece of my inner thigh disappear into its mouth. Rev.Pile took me in his arms and transported me to the casualty department at the General hospital. He has retired to live in rural England. In the boarding we were forever hungry. We stuck bubble gum on our bedposts at night to be chewed again the next day.
The hostel food was pretty appalling. The Tuck shop was our haven. It was a wooden shed with a tin roof next to the kitchen. Wijemanne and Jinadasa sold us the best fish buns in the world or so they seemed at the time. At the intervals there were the quick nibbles, orange barley and other goodies. The "achcharu" ladies with big bosoms at the back of the school and the Toffee man with a withered hand at the front gate provided tasty alternatives. They gave us instant credit to be returned when we received our pocket money on Friday. There was a man who sang a song to sell his delicious sweets " come on buy baby nice pineapple and pol toffee".
Being deprived of female company the boarders were terribly sex starved. Girls were always in their dreams and conversations. Many thought they were deeply in love 'with girls from the Mount Mary Housing Estate without ever having spoken to them. Afterbeing taken to see the film "War and Peace" at the Savoy at least a dozen of us fell in love with Audrey Hepburn. Living in dormitories surrounded by friends was a wonderful experience. Mrs.Hindle our Matron was larger than life but kind and gentle. I finally left the boarding to enjoy my freedom once again in 1958.
No doubt we have one of the best assembly halls in the schools. The tall wooden ceiling, stained glass windows, semicircular stage and the balcony gave it the character it deserved. There were several creaky, wobbly, aging fans painted dark brown that hung from the ceiling. I often wondered what mayhem it would cause if one came off its moorings. Black and white portraits of past principals and teachers adorned the walls on both sides. I distinctly remember a bronze plaque at the back of the hall dedicated to an old boy who died in action in Syria. There was a panel full of names of past Principals hanging on the wall to one side of the stage opposite which stood the old piano.
CJ Oorloff always made a dramatic entry for assembly with all his black regalia and head gear. He never failed to read out loud and clear the names for Saturday detention. The prefects and sub- prefects stood to attention round the hall to stop the tittle- tattle and whispers. P.H.Nonis who took over from CJ Oorloff introduced his own relaxed style. With the end of the primary school, maths, history geography and science began to play a more important role in our lives. Edmund Dissanayake taught maths and several other subjects. He never raised his arm to punish students and seemed to have earned the respect of the class. Who can forget the Premawardenes Felix and Cyril? The former had a well-trimmed moustache, taught Sinhala and the latter had difficulty turning his neck and was called "bella". He taught Scripture. Lionel Jayasuriya affectionately called "Kabaraya" was our Class teacher in Form 2. He had a keen sense of smell and was eternally sending us out of the class for allegedly breaking wind with many of us protesting our innocence.
Fourth form divided our class of 30 into the Sciences, Arts and Commerce, friends were separated for the first time and gave us a taste of things to come. The Senior School Certificate was the first goal and it came upon us like a ton of bricks. I remember with affection Sethukavalar who taught us Physics. He made a characteristic hiss at the end of every sentence. Sethu left us to join Union College, Tellipalai. "Mishter" Dabrera took over physics and taught physics and rugby at the same time. We weren't sure whether to try or convert. DP George and Hensman were our Chemistry gurus and Yesudian the Biology tutor. NEH Fonseka wore the Ariya Sinhala dress taught Sinhala and NSJ Fonseka alias "Homba" taught scripture. We thought he wept when he related the story of the suffering of St Francis of Assisi. Fred Abeysekera was a fine teacher of English and helped us in essay writing and appreciating poetry. Being a distinguished old boy and having the right academic pedigree it defies logic why he did not become the Principal of the school. We met at Queens Hotel Kandy in 1970.1 was with some inebriated medics and was ducking and weaving to escape his attention when he tapped me on the shoulder. We chatted warmly about mutual friends. Later,I bade farewell and saw him disappear into the night.
The school had the most beautiful gardens. When the many flamboyant trees were in full bloom in April with their deep red colour it seemed as if the trees were on fire. On chilly December mornings at sunrise we could see the silhouette of Adam's Peak and its mountain range against an orange background. This was a breathtaking sight indeed. The tall tamarind tree in front of the school provided the hungry boarders with some sustenance. Raman, the gardener from Cochin looked after the estate with great care. Ringing the school bell was an art and only Ranis knew how. It had its own characteristic rhythm. Ranis with his long hair tied at the back and a grey bushy moustache was even at the time a man from a different era. Rodrigo cared for the Chemistry lab and knew many tricks with chemicals, which surprised and amused us all. Silva with a short temper and a strange gait walked as if he had a football between his legs. He had thick rimmed spectacles and was in charge of the Physics lab. No story is complete without Wilbert with a foul temper who was our chief groundsman at Campbell Park. Marshall was the peon and when I saw him last, 4 years ago, it was as if time had stood still for him. His toothy smile remained unchanged in 40 years.
Adam's Peak
The
dreaded school report never failed to arrive at the end of term.
They are masterpieces of laconic English, a true record of ones
performance and admonitions where necessary. "Could do better"
or "there is room for improvement" were common "complaints".
I did not like some of the comments but all in all felt no animosity.
No memoir of school is complete without mention of matrons. Mrs. Ruth Hindle was a large lady and loved the boarders. She was a mother figure to us all. Cared for us when we were sick, rubbed Vicks on our chests , cleaned our wounds and berated us when we misbehaved. Her son Waldo was a fellow boarder with us. She broke down and cried on her last day at school. Everybody felt sad and embarassed. Without her the boarding was never the same. Mrs.Gomes took over from her.
The Welikada prison opposite the school reminded us of the big bad world outside. There were punishments within the school too. They often didn't match the crime and excesses were rare. We were made to standup in class for the minor offences and to standup on the form for repeated minor offences. For slightly more serious misdemeanor we were sent out of class. On the spur of the moment punishment was a thundering slap which often left the finger marks. Various implements were used too. The ruler was used with its sharp edge or the flat side depending on the severity of the crime. The cane was the ultimate punishment in class. After school or Saturday detention was mostly for homework related crime. For crimes akin to murder we were sent to CJ Oorloff, R.A.Honter or Lanerolle which always ended in floods of tears and six of the best. The ultimate punishment was suspension or expulsion. Very few were bad enough for this. Smoking received such harsh punishments those days. A brave student would have quick puff during an interval in the dark alleys of Mount Mary and chew a mint to get rid of the smell.
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. - Aristotle.
In the sixth form we had come to the top of the ladder. We could go in and out of the school at will. Some of us became prefects. This gave added freedom though it alienated us from the school proletariat. Yesudian continued teaching Zoology. An excellent Zoologist, he had a genuine interest in our welfare. He left to retire in his hometown in Cape Cormarin, South India. Suntharalingam was a dedicated teacher too and taught Botany. His mispronunciations provided endless ammunition for jokes and laughter in class. "Laffa" taught us Chemistry. Chandrasekeran, a quaint, gaunt, saint, was the Physics teacher par excellence. Mr. Chandrasekaran went to Canada from Africa and was a very popular teacher in a Scarborough High School in Toronto. There was a great write-up in the Toronto Star after his untimely death. He was a soft spoken and an outstanding physics/applied maths teacher. Daya Perera, Lucky Jayasinghe, Sarath Ranasinghe and yours truly entered the Medical Faculty. Many others found places in Engineering- Y Sathyanathan and Gnanakrishnan, Biological Sciences and Agriculture- Sarath Wickramaratne and Harold De Alwis Jayasinghe.
The results were the best in the school for many years thanks to the dedication of our teachers. Jayasinghe is now a Consultant Radiologist in Brisbane, Australia. I met Ranasinghe briefly in 1973 when he returned from the UK after qualifying as a Paediatrician. By March 1962 the University Entrance results were made public I finalized my plans to leave school with mixed emotions. The last day at school was for me the saddest day of my life. It was as if my life had suddenly caved in. As I moved from room to room to say goodbye to my teachers, it dawned on me that I would never see some of my school friends ever again. Shaking their bands to say good-bye was the hardest act of all. When I left the school gates for the last time it left a void which has never been filled. The last image of the school as I looked back from Baseline Road has remained with me since. Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten. "Go West young man" said Rudyard Kipling and I took his advice and came over to London in the summer of 1974. Dr.C.S.Chen, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, who was an old Wesleyite gave me the encouragement to climb the ladder, when I needed it most. Sadly, he died 3 years ago.
After burning the midnight oil for further examinations I finally settled in semi-rural Hertfordshire about 50 miles North of London. On long summer evenings as I sit in my garden my mind often wander to those carefree days at Wesley College. Internet edition of the Ceylon Daily news is my only source of home news. It depresses me to read in the obituary column the names of school friends. I still remember them, as I saw them last, with their young impish faces and mischievous smiles. They are gone forever. Man is a history-making creature who can neither repeat his past nor leave it behind
I dedicate these memoirs firstly to my parents, who provided the encouragement and paid the bills, secondly to my teachers who educated me beyond the call of duty and thirdly to my schoolmates who by their friendship enriched my life. May God bless them all.
My life as a boarder (1952-58) by Dr.N.D.Amerasekera
There was peace in our country although the dark storm clouds of discontent were gathering in the horizon. My father was in Government Service and had to move from town to town every 3 years, what was then euphemistically called "transfers". In their wisdom my parents decided to send me to the hostel, at great cost to themselves. It was to give me a stable life and teach me the social skills and discipline. I achieved their goals only to lose them in the rough and tumble of University life
Memories of life in the boarding can fill a book. I will only select a few that stand out and I can recall with clarity. I was lucky to belong to a generation inspired contemporaneously by great teachers and principals. They gave us lofty ideas, great inspiration, self respect , firm discipline and anchorage. It was a sublime experience.
Overnight we had gone from the luxury of homelife to almost total captivity. The first day at the boarding was full of tears specially when wishing the parents good-bye. I was ten years old and was virtually just off nappies. Nothing could have prepared me adequately for this trauma. It was the large frame of Mrs. Hindle, the Matron, who welcomed us. The loneliness and bewilderment was overpowering at times. There were times I wanted to run away to my aunt in Dematagoda. All our possessions were crammed into a large metal trunk and the clothes had our name tags. In the first term they all called me "new boy", a strict reminder of the pecking order. In the beginning we all had to endure an arduous time. In such 'incarceration' some behaved well, others less so. We saw the best and worst of human nature. Humour was invaluable in the darker moments. As a group the boarders were self reliant, resourceful and developed amazing skills of leadership and survival.
There is no place like the boarding to get to know the fellow students. The Saints, sinners and the scholars reveal themselves in the fullness of time and there is no better preparation for the life outside. The teachers fall into those categories too. Overall the sinners were very few like the Saints. The majority belong to some category in between. Our lives were controlled by the the large golden bell rung by "Tarzan" or Thasan who certainly looked liked the real thing. In the boarding we were confined to the school boundary. I was in the junior dorm which had a small wooden cubicle for the prefect in charge (Herbert Gunaratne and later L.C.Rodrigo). Then there was the Intermediate dorms A and B and the Senior dormitory. In the dorms there were two rows of beds covered with the double blue bedspreads which was our trade mark. I clearly recall we were not allowed to sit on the bedspread. Life began at 6am with the bell. Wash and ablutions were done in the communal bathrooms where Kolynos chlorophyll toothpaste and purple Lifebuoy soap comes to mind instantly. Chlorophyll was said to remove the odour from the mouth. Interestingly, some years late I recall seeing in a journal:
"The goat that stinks on yonder hill. Grazes all day on chlorophyll". (Chlorophyll, as you know is the green pigment found in leaves)
There was a large concrete tub full of water where some brave lads had an early morning bath. We had PE at 5.45 am taken by a monitor (usually a masochist) for about 10 minutes. Prep started at 6.45 finishing at 7.35 when we all assembled in the dining room for breakfast. Bread jam and tea was served sometimes hoppers like flying saucers and string hoppers hard enough to kill a man. These were served with mouth watering seeni sambol packed with a stick of dynamite. The school bell rang at 8.15am. From 4 -6pm all boarders were expected to indulge in sports which most of us enjoyed. Prep was done in 2 prep rooms on either side of the common room. We had our own desks securely padlocked. Many of those padlocks were called "Master" made in Milwaukee USA. The desks had broad sloping tops that opened. We kept our books pens and pencils in those and also a few of our priceless possessions. There was a hostel master or a prefect on "guard" to make sure there was no chit chat during prep. It was a serious business and no nonsense was tolerated. After doing our homework we prepared for tests and examinations. Reading story books was strictly forbidden. I have received the regulation slap from EL Rodrigo for breaking the rules at prep. 6.30pm prep began until 7.45 when we met in a small room called the chapel- with a well polished wooden floor where we had prayers taken by a teacher. We sat or squatted on the floor. On one wall was a famous painting of the 'Praying Hands' by Albrecht Durer. There was a tall pulpit for the short sermon. I remember singing those famous hymns and praying leaning against a wall. Dinner was served at 8pm and prep started again at 8.30 until 9.15. We retired to bed at 9.30pm when it was "lights out". Two large buckets were kept at either end of the long corridor upstairs for us to empty our bladders at night. Being semi awake some missed the target making a mess on the floor. I recall someone saying "Don't flatter yourself"- stand nearer. The barber came every Wednesday, being a half day. Cutting was done in the open air in front of the primary block. I often feared that flying crows will provide the Brylcreem. We wrote our names in the barber's book and that was the "batting order". We had to be motionless during the procedure to avoid cutting the ears.
The clothes washing was done by a "dhoby" who visited the hostel once a fortnight in his bullock cart. He was called "mynah" as his long hair was knotted at the back. We had a "dhoby" book and this was filled in duplicate and a copy was placed in the bundle of dirty clothes. "Thou shalt not steal" said the rule book but petty stealing was rampant and difficult to eradicate. Any food or money left unattended, just disappeared. Some developed ingenious techniques of opening padlocks with master keys etc. There was a hard core of small time crooks who were on the lookout for goodies. They were mainly in search of food. Some broke into trunks and others into desks. We owned so little that anything stolen did not amount to much. LA Fernando was the Senior Hostel Master and there was Yesudian, Vethanayagam (balli) and EL Rodrigo (Peththa) who helped to maintain law and order. Subsequently Ivor De Silva, Maxwell De Alwis, Ben Jayasighe, Henry Rajapakse and Welikala joined the staff. Thursday dinner was special called ,"State dinner". Mr. and Mrs. Oorloff joined us and the food was marginally better than usual with a dessert. The Principal always said Grace in Latin. Saturdays we played sports the whole day and in the evening there was a film show. The 16mm films borrowed from the embassies showed life in other countries and items of "Pathe" news.
Needless to say there was no television, no computers, and no mobile phones. We made our own entertainment and amused ourselves. Mr. LA Fernando took large groups of us to see films at the big Cinema halls. I remember seeing Demitrius and the Gladiators, The Robe and Samson and Delilah. During the marble season we were all at it playing "bunkings". Hector Bernard Dareeju was the uncrowned king of marbles and I have lost many a round to his wily ways. Indoor games like carrom and table tennis were popular too. These were played in the Common Room which had a Rediffusion set to listen to BBC News, Elvis Presley Or Bill Haley. There was also a game called " Thachchi" which was played in the Badminton courts in the front of the school. "I spy" and "hide and seek" were popular too. In the hostel we had 3 houses Yodhayas, Vikings and Spartans. There was great rivalry between them. The matches were keenly contested and took place in the "small park". The small park was a patch of gravel. Trips and falls here resulted in numerous grazes and peeled skin. All these running repairs were done by Mrs. Hindle with iodine and spirits sending us skipping in pain. We wore tennis shoes for games. As we never bothered to keep our feet clean constant usage created "toe jam" (An offensive paste of dirt and sweat). We all had our heads full of lice or dandruff and faces full of pimples giving us a Dickensian look.
On Sundays there was no salvation for the Christians outside the church and the non-Christians had it easy. The rest had to walk to the Maradana Methodist church in the morning for Sunday school and in the evening for Evensong. It was a long trudge on narrow roads with trams, cyclists and motorists whizzing past our toes. Certainly the path to heaven wasn't easy! We all hated the journey and wished we were non-Christians. It is perhaps this forced religion that made me drift away from Christianity. The highlight of the evening service was the singing of the octogenarian Mr.Blacker, an old boy of Wesley, who was very deaf and sang a different hymn to the rest of us. On the Sabbath Christians were not allowed to play any sports. We tried hard to reconcile the strictures of our faith with our youthful exuberance and love of cricket.
There was intense loyalty to the hostel. All the Hostellers were in Moscrop House which brought a great degree of unity amongst the boarders. These surfaced at interschool matches. There were little groups or gangs who stuck together and occasionally violence erupted ending up with "Laffa" who applied the wisdom of Solomon. The victim, assailant, witnesses and bystanders were all caned. Those who "sneaked" got punished by the peer group as well. There were times when I raged at the injustice of punishments. In the main the boarders were a united bunch. The friendships were strong and lasting and the day scholars feared the camaraderie that existed. The Muslims, Tamils, Sinhalese and Burghers formed one large brotherhood which we carried to the wider world in later years. Most boarders had nicknames depending on their infirmities, habits and names. Like "Homba" for a protruding jaw and "Kabaraya" for scaly skin, "Goofy" for protruding teeth and Nabiya for NAB. A chap with a goitre became "gedi Vetha" There were two blind students in the senior dorm who were greatly liked by us all. One of them , Cornelius, was an excellent pianist and the other was Matthew (thanks to Mike Christoffelsz and Lou Adhihetty for jogging my memory) I met Cornelius many years later when he was in charge of a School for the Blind in Seeduwa. He didn't recognise my voice by recalled my name and the connections instantly. He spoke most warmly of LA Fernando for his help and kindness.
For many years we had bed bugs in the hostel. The white sheets were covered with blood stains. It kept some of us awake at night when the infestation was at its peak. There were debugging sessions on Saturdays which the boarders undertook without any input from the management. Some used lighted candles to burn the bugs from the iron beds. How we didn't set fire to the coir mattresses and to the wooden floor remains a mystery. Perhaps going to church on Sundays had its benefits after all. The more affluent ones used various kinds of insecticide sprays. Finally it dawned on the Hostel masters that something had to be done for the whole hostel to prevent re- infestation and hired a company to do the work. That was the end of the problem. When sickness struck we were put in a small house by the rear entrance of the school called the Sick room. It was mostly the 'flu but occasionally the childhood infections like chicken pox and measles. It had a toilet and a single large room. Mr.Eric De Silva who lived in the same building visited us to give advice about matters medical and spiritual. Sickness often resulted in a visit to Dr.Lucien Gunasekera in Borella who was an old boy and also the hostel doctor. He spoke little but with authority and always prescribed a pink liquid and a bottle full of tablets. In those days we knew our place and asked no questions. The matron visited us twice a day and the food was sent to us.
It would be fair to say I enjoyed the mealtimes more than the meals. As I recall the hostel food was appalling and we were eternally hungry. Wijemanne's Tuck shop was our only hope for sustenance. Trips from folks at home brought food and extra money. There were times when I was flat broke. Friday was the day we got our pocket money. Often the rupee we got was used to pay our debts to Wijemanne, the achcharu ladies or the Toffee man. When the money ran out some ate toothpaste Marmite, Bovril and Horlicks and others used their ingenuity to make "invisible" hooks to pluck papaws from the neighbours. The large Tamarind tree provided a sour mouthful when the hunger was pretty desperate. The small park was surrounded by "andara" trees which had green pods with the seeds covered by some edible white stuff. We just ate that too. Being cheap, tasty and filling a "thosai feed" was the ultimate luxury we dreamed of. Raman the gardener brought the stuff from Purasanda Café next door. I vaguely recall the boarders going on strike because of the poor quality of food in the hostel. I would be grateful if someone can expand on this incident.
I joined the boarding as a child and left as an adult. In that process I noticed my voice go husky and the hairs appearing in my body. The Mount Mary girls whom I have ignored for many years became attractive and even sensuous and beautiful.. I went to Church and Sunday school to to see the girls and speak to them. It was a phase that remained well into our teens and beyond. A time in our youth when we saw the world in vivid technicolor. Youth is a blunder, Manhood a struggle, old age a regret said Benjamin Disraeli
We often used the road through Karlshrue gardens to go to Campbell park for sports. This was the road used by the Mount Mary girls which gave us a lot of pleasure. Mr.Eric Gunasekera used to stand at the gate of his house to ask us the cricket scores on Fridays and Saturdays. He was blind then but his love for the school remained strong. The famous Nalanda cricketer Sarath Silva used to live down that road too and of course Ajitha Wijesinghe (old boy) at the top of the road and Dr.Jayasundera and his daughters next to the "small park".
The school cricket season made the hardships all worthwhile. Fridays and Saturdays all the boarders were at Campbell Park. Mr.LA Fernando led the cheering and the bailas. Even the College song was given a swing. Wesley had many unbeaten teams in the early fifties. The Claessens, Adihettys and the Fuards dominated the game from start to finish. There was good support for the away matches in Colombo as we were taken by a teacher or a senior boy. Having Neil Gallagher, and A.R.Chapman in the team both being boarders the support was intense and very worthwhile. I still believe 1952-53 were the finest years of cricket at Wesley. We were allowed out of the boarding one weekend a month, in the mid term and in the holidays. The process of getting off for these weekend breaks needed careful planning like obtaining a visa. We had a little blue book called the "Exeat" which had to be duly signed by a teacher.
There were annual hostel trips which took place in the mid term holidays or on a long weekend. Often they stayed in the homes of old boys or present boarders who lived in the upcountry. We often stayed at the d'with Barbuts (Cecil and Arthur) in the Survey Camp at Diyatalawa. End of term exams were a serious business and a many of us worked extra to get the good grades. We helped each other a great deal to achieve our goals. On the last day of school the leavers said their goodbyes and those who had the courage made a short speech after dinner. Let the truth be told, life in the boarding was never a bed of roses. The years between the ages of 10 and 13 were the worst. As we became more senior life was tolerable. Often I felt the teachers could have been a bit more kind to the boys who were far from home and at the mercy of those in charge. In those days values were different and the belief was that the boys had to be toughened up in preparation for the rigors of life ahead. Perhaps there is some truth in that too.
I think we had a premonition of the mass dispersal that would take place as we finished schooling. Many of us maintained autograph books, little rectangular books of about a hundred pages where we got our close friends to write a short note. The contents varied from canny limericks to Shakespeare. At the end of our stay in the hostel it became a vast collection of memories which I guarded with my life only to be a casualty of time and lack of space later on. Prof.R.Somanathan who now lives in San Diego, found his book recently and read out a verse I had written. I was embarrassed by my trivial trash nevertheless it remains a frozen frame from the film of life. S.R.N.Perera from Panadura wrote thus in my book:
Life is like a journey and the roadway twists and bends
We meet strange companions and unexpected friends
Who walk with us a little way and move out of our sight
Then find some fellow traveller whom you can love and trust
A poignant story of the life ahead. He is now Fr.Ranjit Perera who looks after his flock in Padukka.
Despite the hustle and bustle of life and the regimentation we had time to put our arms round our pals and share in their joys and sorrows. We shared our secrets and exchanged stories about our parents, brothers and sisters. There was a certain closeness which was rarely seen in friendships later on in life. We talked about our dreams and aspirations for the future and assumed we will always be friends. It fills my heart with sadness to think many of us will never meet again. It is a horrible reminder of your own mortality when you read or hear of the death of boarders who played, laughed, sang and fought with us all those years ago. For me they will always remain fifteen, healthy and smiling. It is hard to believe they will not be playing those elegant cover drives ever again or be ready for a pillow fight.
Where would they be now?
Nimal Sureweere-Vancouver, R.Somanathan-San Diego USA,Chandra Weeraratne-SL,Kenneth De Silva -SL, I .Muttu-UK, The strong contingent from Sammanathurai MAM Razak-Mohideen, Amir Ismail-SL and Hakeem Ismail-UK. Then there was HCU Peiris? NAB Fernando - deceased,BCRN Fernando-Holland, BGR Fernando-SL, A.R.Fernando who went on a scholarship to study medicine in Japan lives in London and I met him in a bookshop in London. His brothers NGA and Cecil, Brian (deceased) his brother Damien Gunetilleke? Asoka Rodrigo? There is a strong group in Australia-Cecil and Arthur Barbut, MNG and Upali Perera, Kenneth Anthonisz,Michael Christoffelsz,S.D.Fallil alias Shantha De Alwis,Harold Juriansz,Goofy Wright (Perth) . Milroy Bulner- deceased, Boris Schrader -deceased, Schranguivel, S.Soundravel, R.Ratnavel-deceased, Crutchley,Upali Siriwardene,HAL Kumarasiri deceased,Wijetilleke- deceased, Mynah Wickramaratne, H.B.Dareeju, Henry Rajapakse, Lionel Rajapakse-deceased, Ronald Asirwatham, Dr.Lakshman Gunaratne, Weeraperumals Maurice and Brian.Kenneth De Silva-Prefect of Games at Wesley and his brother Geoffrey. Asoka and Shirley Ranasighe- deceased
.
I sadly note the demise of:
Godwin Roberts who did an honours degree in Chemistry at the University of Ceylon and joined the TRI at Talawakelle as a Research Chemist. Subsequently emigrated to Australia.
Nalendra Abeysooriya, an all round sportsman, left school to become a planter and retired early due to ill health.
Shirley Ranasinghe had a brilliant academic career at Wesley and entered the Medical Faculty Colombo. He then developed a mental illness which made him give up his studies. He subsequently took his own life.
Sam J Ambalavaner, C.A Fernando, Dayaprasad Peiris, Hugh De Silva, Brian Jegasothy Robin Carnie
By 1958 my father had moved to Colombo and it was time to leave the boarding. I left with mixed feelings. Sad to leave my friends with whom I shared six long years but glad to regain my independence and some good food of my own choice. I maintained strong links with the hostel and with my numerous friends in the boarding until I left school in 1962.
I often look back to the days in the boarding. The sands of time have moved on as I have progressed from youth to middle age. After many years, I visited the hostel in 1998 and walked the long corridors once again. The nostalgia was overwhelming but the magic of the place had gone without the friends who made it so special. Fifty years on Wesley continues to make immense contributions to education but the Boarding has been scaled down. A sign of the times.
I dedicate these memoirs to my classmates, Dayaprasad Peiris and C. Amaradasa Fernando, who endured the pain and pleasures of boarding life with me. They were sons of Methodist Clergymen. Daya, I remember him as a chorister singing "Once in Royal David City" and CAF as a chap with a gravel voice and a poker face. Daya became a Journalist and CAF, a Superintendent of Police. They both lost their battle for life in their early fifties. May their Souls Rest in Peace.
Ah ! those were the days. How time flies.
Growing up at Wesley in the 1950's - Abridged - by Alfred K David
The Old Boys of Wesley College from many generations join those of the present generation in celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the founding of our great school. We do so with great joy and justifiable pride. Wesley has been one of the leading educational institutions in Sri Lanka and proudly takes it place along with other leading Boys schools such as St. Thomas Royal, Trinity, St Joseph's, Ananda, Zahira and St. John's (Jaffna) Those responsible for the publication of this 125th Anniversary Souvenir are providing an opportunity to the present generation of Wesleyites, to understand why Wesley has such a remarkable hold on the thoughts and affections of those who have been fortunate to pass through its portals. It is my intention to share my reminiscences of our beloved school with Wesleyites, both past and present.
It is my humble offering to thank my Alma Mater Wesley for what it has done for me and my three younger brothers Joseph, Paul, Charles. Each one of us owes Wesley a debt that can never be repaid. Many '": of my contemporaries will endorse these -sentiments. My association with Wesley began in January 1952, when I entered Form I A of the school as an 11 year old. My father, decided to send me to Wesley despite his being an Anglican and an old Josephian. It was perhaps due to my mother being a Methodist. The Principal was the retired civil servant Mr. C. J. Oorloff. The teachers who thought me in form IA and helped me to adjust to my new environment included Mrs. Rachel Lembruggen, Mr. Lional Jayasuriya, Mr. Gunaratnam (Bullet) Mr. Edmund Dissanayake and Mr. Derrick Mack.
Chief peon Ranis was held in great awe and respect by all the students. Marshall Perera, who still serves the school, was also among the minor staff. He is indeed a link with the Wesley of the Fifties. My entry in to Wesley coincided with the early years of Sri Lanka's Independence from British colonial rule. It was a period which former Prime Minister S.W. R. D. Bandaranayake described as "a period of transition". The changes in our national life also meant that Wesley which was an "assisted school" in the early Fifties became a non-fee levying private school in the Sixties. This status still continues and has perhaps changed the egalitarian character of the school in the fifties.The Wesley of the Fifties produced "men of grit and industry" from all communities who served independent Sri Lanka in different capacities. There wore also Wesleyites of a earlier generation who were prominent national leaders like Sir Baron Jayatilleke, Sir Oliver Goonetileke.
The first diplomatic envoys sent out by the newly Independent country included Wesleyites. The public service and other professions at the time of Independence had many Wesleyites who were Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher. It is important to remember that Wesley was founded by the Methodist Church in colonial Ceylon as a Christian school. Highly dedicated Methodist missionaries like Rev. Henry Highfield, who were its Principals until the early Fifties, were Missionaries who practiced what they preached. It was a Methodist minister Rev.Gogerly who in the mid 19th century, first proposed the idea of education in the Swabasha medium, long before our national leaders thought of it Wesley continues to provide an education based on Christian values and today it has adapted to changing national needs and priorities.
Wesley also continues to be a school which caters to Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus in addition to the Sinhala and Tamil Christians. In our time in the Fifties, there was no chapel and morning prayers were held in the school hall. Today, Wesley has its own chapel within the school premises, largely due to the efforts of Old Boys like Lou Adhihetty and Lasantha Fernando During my student days, Wesley succeeded in inculcating in me and most of my contemporaries, the concept of "Mens Sana in Corpore Sano" while we also adhered to the college motto "ora et labora". For someone who entered the school as a mere II year old, one of Wesley's particular attractions was the sports facilities. I remember playing cricket (without protective gear) in the "Small Park" in Karlsrhue Gardens during my Form I and Form 2 days. Mr. A. D. Dabrera (our general science teacher) regularly admonished us and warned us of the danger of getting "sun stoke" while playing in the hot sun. Ironically, "Dabbie" became the rugger master when Wesley started playing rugger in 1955 and it was his incessant persuasion that was responsible for me finally playing rugger for the school in 1958. By a strange coincidence, I took over his duties in 1963, when I began teaching at Wesley.
Apart from indulging ourselves in sports, we were even more enthusiastic spectators when Wesley played cricket matches. We had cheering squads led by persons like B. C. R. N. Femando (the Principal N. A. B. Fernando's younger brother). We used to cheer Wesley with mighty shouts of "Zam zam zaki, zam zam zhay.." Our cheering was a great source of strength to our cricketing stalwarts like Brian Claessen, M. N. Samsudeen, Lou Adihetty, Abu Fuard and Herman Claessen. It certainly helped them to win matches regularly. Another feature of those days was the friendly camaraderie among rival cheering squads. We used to get on particularly well with the Josephian cheering squad, both at Campbell Park and at Darley Road. This brief report on Wesley in the Fifties would not be complete if there is no reference to the religious activities in the school during my time. Like the Wesley College boarders, I attended the Maradana Methodist Sunday School since my father was concerned about my religious education. It was my connection with the Student Christian Movement (SCM) at Wesley and not any church influence, that led to my becoming a committed Christian. For this, I must thank Lou Adihetty who was then President of the SCM in addition to being the Senior prefect and cricket captain.
God certainly moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. My association with the SCM at Wesley, helped to enrich my life as an undergraduate at the University of Ceylon in Peradeniya. There I came under the influence of the Campus Chaplain Rev. Lakshman Wickremasinghe, who later became the Bishop of Kurunegala. I remember that prominent old Wesleyite and Wesley teacher Mr. Maxwell de Alwis (later an Anglican priest), who was the General Secretary of the SCM in 1959, commending me to Rev. Wickremasinghe as a "useful" SCM, man prior to my arrival in Peradeniya. Among the prominent SCM personalities that Wesley produced in my time, apart from Rev. Maxwell de Alwis, Mr. C. S Ponnudurai and my wife's uncle Dr. Archie Singham. In later years my student Mr. Marshall Fernando went on to become the President of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) based in Geneva.
I recall persuading Marshall to participate in a WSCF consultative Meeting at Jaffna College in December 1965. I was then the Acting General Secretary of the National SCM. Soon after I joined the Sri Lanka Overseas Service. Returning to sports activities in school, I captained the school athletics team and participated in some of the events in the Public School Athletics Championships in 1958. I also played in the rugger team as left wing three quarter and contributed towards some of the victories. It appears that at present, there is less interest in sports among die current generation of Wesleyites, particularly those who pursue higher studies. As I mentioned before, the early Fifties was the "golden era" of Wesley's cricket. It produced two outstanding National players, Brian Claessen and Abu Fuard, both top class spin bowlers. Among the . great victories achieved by Wesley was against St. Joseph's in 1952, St. Thomas in 1953 and St. Peter's in 1954. The win against St. Thomas was largely due to the last wicket partnership of 19 runs between Vincent Adhihetty and Herman Claessen, despite the brilliant bowling of Zaki Cader. M. N. Samsudeen was largely responsible for the other two victories.
Wesley also maintained a fairly high standard in hockey during my time, due to the support of the Old Wesleyites led by Mr. Walter Jayasuriya. Wesley also produced National champions in table tennis and badminton. My wife's cousin Rishi Singham was the National Men's champion. The irony was that the school did not award colours for Badminton at that time despite the presence of reputed National players in the school. When I carried the Wesley College flag, as the Captain during the march past at the Public School Athletics Meet of 1958. I had lo wear an ordinary blue blazer and not the College blazer. The "golden era" of athletics was in the late Forties and early Fifties, prior to my entry to Wesley when there were athletes of the calibre of M. A. M. Sheriff and T. Van Rooyen. They were National Champions while in school. Sheriff proceeded to the USA along with my wife's uncle Archie Singham and won a Harvard blue in athletics. He later joined the Sri Lanka Overseas Service and served for a few years as a Diplomat. He was the first Wesleyite who was a Diplomat. He was the first Wesleyite who was a career diplomat. Despite a keen interest in sports, our generation of students did not neglect our studies. In 1958 we had very good University entrance results. Six out of the twelve students who sat for the examination, gained entry to the Arts Faculty of the University.
We also had good results that year among the Science students with Douglas Raymond, winning the coveted Hill medal that year and beating me in the process. I had to be satisfied with the Moscrop Award for the best all-rounder in the school. My younger brother Paul David won the Hill Medal in 1962. I won the Mary Highfield Essay Prize twice, first as a Fifth former in 1956 and later when I in the Upper Sixth in 1958. The essay written in 1958 was perhaps the best piece of writing I have ever produced in my life.- "The Brotherhood of man" my life.- "The Brotherhood of man" One of my regrets when I look back on my school life, was that I did not participate in the drama and activities in the school, except in the inter-house competitions. In the First half of the Fifties, Wesley e a reputation for producing good operettas like "Alad-in- and out". I remember Ronald Asirwatham, who turned out to be a good athlete performing in the role of a beautiful and coy bride. During those years Wesley also very good choir that was trained by Mr. Ivor de and our Annual Carol Services matched those Thomas' College and Trinity College.
The standards in Drama and Music at Wesley improved further in the Sixties under the guidance of Mr. Haig Karunaratne, when he introduced certain innovations of an indigenous nature. In this brief survey of the time that I spent at Wesley in the Fifties, I also wish to touch on the lessons the school taught me. It was not just the English, History and the other subjects that I learnt which turned out to be useful, I can honestly say that Wesley helped me to cope with the whole business of important questions in life such as the following:- Who am I and what am I doing on this universe ? How do I relate to other people ? What is my destiny and where am I going? The fact that I became a committed Christian in school, due to the influence of the SCM, helped me to find some answers to these questions.
In this context, I cannot help recalling that the Vice - Principal Mr. L. A. Fernando ("LAFA") chose the book "Why I am not a Christian ?" by Bertrand Russell as my 6th Form Christianity Prize. The teachers at Wesley in my time were very broad - minded persons. Wesley also helped me to develop and assert my individuality, while ensuring that due respect was shown to other persons. Wesley also taught me and my contemporaries how to cope with the competitive world to set one's own goals. Wesley in the Fifties reflected communal harmony at its best, something which is sadly lacking in our country today. Another lesson that Wesley taught us, was our responsibility to the community around us, particularly the under privileged ones. Those who passed through the portals of Wesley during the past 125 years have been regularly, made conscious of what they have to do for their poor and needy neighbours.
It is now time for me to pay tribute to the staff of Wesley all of whom were responsible for the school maintaining such high standard. I wish to single out one person who made a tremendous contribution to the school in my time. I refer to Mr. L. A. Fernando, whom we affectionately referred to as "LAFA". He was a father to most of the students of my generation. Apart from this time he spent in the classroom, he spent many hours on the playing field encouraging Cricketers, Athletes and Hockey players. The year I spent in form 3A during 1954 with Mr, Felix Pre