Floreat Issue December 2016

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RCOBAA AGM
OVVEERR 50'SS LUUNNCCHH
ROOYYAALL BAALLLL 2016

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Inside
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RCOBAA Annual general Meeting

18th September 2016
Waverley Community Centre

Approximately 95 members attended the AGM which reflected a growing number of members actively
supporting the association. Shortly after the meeting started, the outgoing president gave a very engaging
report.

Outgoing President’s Report
The outgoing President, Aynkaran Sivaratnam, presented his report which covered all aspects of RCOBAA
and its activities during the year. All members were fully engrossed and engaged during the hour-long
presentation and this he achieved with the aid of his animated visual presentation.

Aynkaran presented the RCOBAA membership profile and its evolution. He showed the increase of the
RCOBAA membership base over the last four years. It was interesting to note that over the last four years,
members over the age of 45 years had grown by 38%, and those under the age of 45 years had grown by a
staggering ten-fold. Over all, the membership base had grown by 240%. The current membership base he
said was around 250 members. This, he attributed to RCOBAA meeting the broad membership base’s
interest and providing the members with an environment to foster fellowship amongst Royalists, whilst not
losing sight of RCOBAA’s social responsibilities. This was evident by the nine events that were facilitated
by RCOBAA during the last 12 months. Two initiatives were supported very actively by RCOBAA. These
reflected the commitment by RCOBAA to make a difference to fourteen deserving fellow Royalists and to
sixty families in Sri Lanka, who were victims of the floods last May. Aynkaran then presented photos of
the collection and distribution of flood relief boxes to those affected families.

Aynkaran also provided a detailed update of the fourteen Royalists that RCOBAA is supporting through
the Loyalty Pledge Programme, and stressed the continuing need to help these boys. Academically, all
fourteen boys achieved an average of over 74 marks across four subjects in the last term exams. Six boys
had achieved an average mark of above 92 marks, four over 87 marks and the balance between 74 and 87
marks. He said that they were well rounded boys, and that all of them had represented their respective
houses in sports and had been part the School’s clubs and societies. He said passionately, that these boys
deserved a “fair go” and it is “such a blessing that we at RCOBAA have had the opportunity to play a small
part in their lives”.

Aynkaran also shared some very interesting RCOBAA Social Media statistics. He visually presented an
analysis of the RCOBAA website and Facebook statistics. The total visitors to our website has been 4,957
over the last 3 1/2 years. The last twelve months has seen a 48% increase in visitor numbers. Similarly
Facebook has seen an increase of 66% in its level of engagement over the last year. We also had two issues
of the Floreat published during the year. Aynkaran also mentioned that RCOBAA was featured heavily in
the ‘Quadrangle Publication’ which has a wide global circulation. The Melbourne High School (MHS) and
Royal College partnership was the key feature of the publication. He said that it was pleasing to note that
our social media strategies are working and we are getting great engagement not only in Australia but also
internationally.

Aynkaran then gave an overview of the social and sports activities held during the year. Melbourne
Royalists played their annual cricket match against the Sydney Royalists last October in Sydney. This was
the first event for the 2015/16 financial year. Twenty-five Royalists and partners travelled to Sydney. We
had a good participation both at the pre-cricket match family event and at the cricket match. Over 150
Royalists and partners attended the evening event the day before the game. This assisted in creating an
environment to foster relationships between the Melbourne and Sydney Royalists.

For the second year, a six-a-side indoor inter-batch cricket match, was organised by RCOBAA. This was
played at Insports Knox in Wantirna South on the 31st of January and was a real success. Last year, eight
teams participated and this year, we had ten teams and over a hundred Royalists participating. One was an
over 50’s team and there was representation from 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2007 year
groups. Cricket was played in the true Royal spirit.

On the 18th of March, the Royal-Thomian Stag Night was held at Mount Waverley Community Centre in
the true Royal-Thomian tradition. A large number participated with close to 120 Royalists and a number of
Thomians attending the evening.

Aynkaran then gave an update on the Royal-Thomian match hosted by RCOBAA. It was played for the
first time at the picturesque Melbourne High School Oval. He said that there was great participation by the
Royal, St Thomas and MHS fraternity. RCOBAA was proud to show-case a Royal-Thomian carnival
atmosphere, fostering hospitality and fellowship with our traditional rivals.

The annual Triangular Rugby game was played on the 30th of April, followed by the Bradby night which
was hosted by Trinity College. It was great watching the game live and enjoying the fellowship with the
Melbourne Trinitians.

The annual dinner dance was held on the 2nd of July at Cathies Lane. This was the eighth event of our
calendar and was a great success. The last social event on the calendar was the over 50’s luncheon which
was on the 30th of July, just 28 days after the annual dinner dance. This was another record event for
RCOBAA with 110 people attending the event. We had our own “Elton John” who entertained the guests!

Aynkaran then gave an update on the Melbourne High School partnership. He said that in the last 15
months we have had four exchanges across our shores. He gave a detailed update on the two rowing tours
and a brief overview of the two cricket tours.

Finally, Aynkaran made two important announcements on behalf of the committee. This once again was
done with visual presentations. He said that the committee, after much thought, had identified Mr Trevor
Jansz as the person eminently qualified to hold an Honorary Life Membership. He said that Trevor is a well
deserving RCOBAA member and at the age of 93 is the oldest Royalist in Victoria and very likely in
Australia. He has been a member of the Royal College Old Boys’ fraternity in Melbourne since the mid-
1960s, a member of RCOBAA since its inception, has never failed to pay his annual subscription and was
also a member of the inaugural Royal team to play against St Thomas’s in Melbourne in 1971. In
recognition of Trevor’s’ contribution to Royal, his good standing and most importantly for his moral
support, loyalty and commitment to our association, Aynkaran said that the committee was pleased to
present Trevor with Honorary Life Membership. The house ratified the committee’s decision.

Aynkaran then announced the appointment of Nihal De Run, from the 1957 group, as Vice Paton of
RCOBAA. Nihal replaces the late Dr Clarence Muttiah. Aynkaran said that Nihal was a worthy recipient

particularly considering his significant commitment and contribution to RCOBAA. He said that back in
1971, Nihal was part of the un-incorporated association with Eddie Gray and Ernie de Bruin. He has been a
member of RCOBAA since its inception and has been a committee member since 1973. Nihal has held
many positions in the committee including; Chairman of the Dance Committee for several years, Vice
President, President and Past President. The popular and well circulated RCOBAA publication - the
Floreat newsletter, was initiated by Nihal. He was heavily involved in drafting the original constitution.
Aynkaran said that being part of RCOBAA since its inception, being a member and holding committee
member and office bearer positions for so many years shows Nihal’s true commitment and dedication to
RCOBAA.

Aynkaran, concluded by saying, “It’s been an absolute pleasure to serve this excellent association for two
years. Thank you to my fellow Royalists and members for being part of this wonderful association and for
all the encouraging words of appreciation and support that you have given me at a personal level. To my
fellow committee members: thank you for being so receptive to my vision and leadership. Finally, to
Dinesh Perera who acted as my left hand with the association, and Dhammika Perera who acted as my right
hand and to my wicket keeper – Athula Ratnayake, for his total support, friendship and fellowship over the
last two years. I know that our new team led by our new president will take this association forward to its
next phase of evolution and I look forward to being part of that journey too”.

Aynkaran Sivaratnam’s comprehensive report showed the enormous progress made by the association and
paid tribute to the excellent work done by the committee.

New President’s Opening Address

Indrajith Wijegunaratna was unanimously appointed President. In his opening-address, he stated that he
was stepping into some very big shoes! He mentioned that over the past four years, the RCOBAA
membership had grown four-fold increasing to over 250 members. With a significant proportion of
younger Old Boys, the membership now spans three generations. In addition, RCOBAA inaugurated the
Royal College and Melbourne High School partnership. This is a first in the history of Royal College. Inji
Wijeguneratna said, “We owe a large debt of gratitude to Aynkaran Sivaratnam and the outgoing
committee who have done a truly outstanding job”. Inji said he would do his best to continue the good
work into the next year. “The main task ahead of us now is to consolidate our gains – we need to be able to
operate effectively to run an association with 250 members. We have a strong committee and with their
assistance, we cannot help but succeed”

Honorary Life Member

Mr Trevor Jansz was appointed Honorary Life Member at the AGM for his longstanding contributions and
devotion to RCOBAA. He is 93 years old and is our oldest member, having joined the association at its
inception. At the lunch that followed the AGM, Trevor Jansz was presented with a memento. During his
acceptance speech, having played cricket for Royal in the 1940/1941 team, he pulled out the college crest
he was awarded as a cricket coloursman. Much to our surprise, he pointed out that his crest was topped
with the Imperial British crown – later to be replaced by the Kandyan crown atop the crest.

The Eddie Gray Memorial Lecture

This lecture was delivered by Dr Fred Perera - Neuro Surgeon and distinguished old boy of the school.

Dr Perera told us about his school days during the 1960s. He got into Medical College after his excellent
career at college that included captaining the rugby team in 1971. He became a Neuro Surgeon, graduating
and practicing in England and returned to Sri Lanka in 1985. He worked in accident service and saw the

worst of soldiers’ injuries caused by landmines. He treated the worst of the war victims requiring neuro
surgery.

He served college as rugby coach and recalled the Bradby Shield matches when Royal college retained the
shield in 1988/89/90. In 1989 the second JVP uprising disrupted the Bradby games. A small crowd at
Bogambara watched Royal winning 9-6 and later also winning the Colombo game 9-8. A lap of honour
was done by both sides. These matches were played in fine spirit, despite the JVP problems.

Fred continued to practice neuro surgery in Kandy in 1990. He saw more devastation from the war and he
treated the injuries of soldiers from both sides. He emphasised that his education at Royal College helped
him face life’s later challenges. Royal College was a place where students from different races and
religions, rich and poor from every background all mingled as one. Dr Perera upheld these values.

Toast to the teachers

Aslam Assen (1995 Group) who proposed a toast to the teachers of Royal College, entertained us with
many anecdotes from his school days, experienced by him in more recent times. Those endless encounters
between teachers and students in and out of the classrooms still go on unchanged from one generation of
students to the next. Those perplexing moments and the humorous moments will always continue and those
wonderful stories will be told endlessly with much feeling.

We sang the school song and the afternoon ended as our lusty throats raised a cheer for Hartley, Harward,
Marsh and Boake.

A Meander Through Life

Inji Wijegunaratne (President RCOBAA)

I have been asked to write a short piece about me by way of introduction to the membership. So, as Maria,
who later became Mary Poppins, said “let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start”.

I was born on a balmy Tuesday afternoon at Durdans Hospital in Colpetty, Colombo, towards the tail end
of 1952. Ceylon was four years into its independence and Mr D S Senanayake, our first Prime Minister,
had unfortunately fallen off his horse a few short months ago.

Following an uneventful baby and toddlerhood, I was
enrolled at Aunty Joyce’s (Mrs Joyce Gunasekara’s)
Montessori, where I was known rather unedifyingly as
“butter bubba” due to the sandwiches I carried for lunch.
Interestingly, several of my Montessori mates ended up
as classmates at Royal, and here is a recent picture. You
will agree that we haven’t aged much.

I remember there was a test of sorts to gain entry to
Royal Primary, which I must have passed. “Inji” was
invented very early on at Primary by a classmate who
couldn’t get his tongue around “Indrajit”. Despite the
enormous Karmic burden my classmate incurred by mispronouncing my name, he went on to do very well
in industry.

In 1964 my year group entered Royal College and I started out in Form 1B. Our time in college, 1964 to
1971, was a period of change in Ceylon where we transitioned from a sleepy Colonial backwater into a
socialist state, weathering a Marxist uprising in the process. As the “Sinhala Only” policies began to bite, a
number of our Burgher friends in College left us early, most migrating to Australia. At Royal though, we
were largely insulated from the change occurring outside. Indeed, we in the Interact Club of Royal College
blithely organised a Disco in 1971 (having done Sri Lanka’s first in 1970) in the shadow of the first JVP
uprising.

A school carnival was held while we were awaiting A’level results, and our class volunteered to organise
an iced coffee stall. We had a trump card. Our classmate Tilak’s mother, the leading culinary expert Mrs
Chandra Dissanayake, had agreed to make the iced coffee. On the day however, as we were organising the
stall, a substantial amount of arrack found its way into our hands. And we merrily imbibed. Just before the
carnival opened we went to collect the coffee. Tilak’s mother had prepared it in very large, shallow, metal
containers. She and her assistants brought one into the porch, left it on the floor and went to get the other
one. As fate would have it, one of us who was more inebriated than the others lost his balance, staggered
back and placed one slippered foot squarely in the iced coffee vat. We managed to wipe away the evidence
before they returned with the second vat, but that evening half the customers were served iced coffee with a
good lacing of toe jam and whatever else was in my friend’s slipper.

As we entered Katubedda where I had gained admission for Engineering, those of us from Colombo
schools, especially the Royalists and Thomians, were bestowed a great deal of generous attention by the
senior students, bless their kind hearts. Measuring the distance between Colpetty and Bambalapitiya
junctions with a banana (as I heard some were gently persuaded to undertake) was perhaps their way to
prepare us for a career in Civil Engineering.

Leaving the tropical academe of Katubedda Campus, in late
1972 I arrived wide eyed at the University of Essex, England,
fully expecting similar attention to be heaped upon the freshers,
especially those of us from the darker continents. We were
ushered into a hall of sorts where there was coffee and biscuits,
and after short period of desultory conversation we were left to
our own devices. That was it. No two weeks of unremitting
kindness. I was left with a profound sense of neglect. This was
the time of Idi Amin’s ultimatum to the sub-continental settlers
in Uganda, and most of those who chose not to be chopped liver ended up in tents around Heathrow. From
the way some of the undergrads looked at us in the common room when these images were shown in the
news, I suspect they had some doubts as to whether, after lectures, we would retire to those tents at night.

They say you have to be in the right place at the right time. Back in Sri Lanka in the mid ‘70s I
photographed a murder involving three former Royal College classmates. The photo shows Bandula
Gonsalkorale being held down by two others and attacked by a villain. Later we managed to resurrect
Bandula and he now lives in Sydney.

As a young engineer in the Telecommunication Department, we were on full alert during the 1977
elections – perhaps with the events of 1971 still fresh in the minds of the powers that be. Imagine our
chagrin soon after the election when all contact with the Negombo exchange was abruptly lost! WTF’s
raced through our minds – another insurrection? A jeep was dispatched post haste with a few engineers and
technicians. We did not detect anything unusual on the way – normalcy everywhere – and this helped clear
the more extreme causal hypotheses churning in our minds. We reached the exchange safely and started
looking. In the transmission room, where the signal is carried to the microwave antenna for transmission to

Colombo, we found the cause. The large rat who had chewed through the cable – thicker than your arm –
and severed it almost completely. Fortunately for the rat it managed to escape, we repaired the cable and
brought Negombo back on line.

I found a true multicultural experience at the Asian Institute
of Technology, in Thailand, in 1979 -80: students from
Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, and through the subcontinent into
Iran, found their way into a residential campus some way off
Bangkok. This eclectic collection has spawned several
enduring friendships – including the then young man who
walked into Thailand as a refugee and today is a Vice
President at Oracle Corporation in San Francisco. Just
outside the campus was a watering hole popular with
students, Papa Shop, a shed occupied and run by an old man
we called Loong (I think 'uncle' in Thai), serving beer and
Mekong, the local spirits. Our group were regulars, visiting
Papa Shop at all hours of the night. One night we ordered the
usual (Mekong, beer etc) and iterated through the meagre menu of bites that Loong usually supplies. With
each, there was a shake of Loong’s head (we knew one or two words of Thai and obviously Loong's
English was non-existent) and gesticulation in the negative. As the list was exhausted, an Indian chap in
our crowd called out in exasperation, "!!!$$$***", the old fool doesn't have anything to eat!". “!!!$$$***”
being one of the worst profanities in Hindi, in the same league as mentioning your mother in Sinhalese.
When Loong heard the words though, it was as if a light bulb went on inside his head. His eyes lit up, and
muttering "!!!$$$***", shuffled off into the shed. And emerged a short time later, holding a dish of tinned
Mackerel mixed with raw crushed noodles and some cut green chillies. Saying "!!!$$$***" he then served
it to us. From that day, "!!!$$$***" was added to Loong's skimpy menu. "Loong, !!!$$$***" produced the
Mackerel /noodles/ green chilli dish. So at least for a couple of years, in a corner of Thailand, "!!!$$$***"
became a fish dish served cold. As the picture shows, in late 1980 we graduated from AIT as Jedi Knights.

A great deal of water – and other stuff – has passed
under the bridge since those times. Marriage,
children, emigration to Australia. In the spirit of this
narrative though, it would be remiss of me not to
mention one more notable event. 20 odd years ago
in Australia, myself and a couple of classmates,
Janek and Mohan, had the good fortune to meet and
spend some quality time with Inspector Clouseau.
After swearing us to secrecy the good Inspector gave
us a glimpse of the fabled Pink Panther diamond that
he carries in a secret recess within his person.

So there you go. I hope that the ride was enjoyable.

The mantle of Presidency was passed to me this year from Aynkaran Sivaratnam, and with the support of
the committee I will do my best to build upon the remarkable achievements that RCOBAA has
accomplished over the past few years.

Inji graduated as an electronic engineer in 1975 and moved across to IT in the early 1980s. He left Sri Lanka in
1985 and emigrated to Australia by way of the UK in 1989. 25 years of sporadic tertiary education ended in 1995
with a PhD and he currently works at an IT services company as a consultant

Royal Ball 2016

The highlight of the RCOBAA social activities calendar the annual Dinner Dance rebranded as the “Royal
Ball 2016” was held at the Grand on Cathies Reception Center on the 2nd of July. With tickets sold out
within the first two weeks of announcing the event the Dance committee was quietly confident it would be
a night to remember.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. The photos on our Web site show, what a night it was!

Although the ladies dressed in the finest of Sarees and eye catching dresses added the glamour and chic to
the occasion it was the old Royalists (380 of the 455 guests being old Royalists and partners) who stole the
show. This was probably the largest gathering of old Royalists seen outside of Sri Lanka. It was indeed a
nostalgic and soul stirring moment as all joined in unison to hail our Alma Mater by singing the School
song. Amongst them was a batch of 10 (young) Old boys who had left school only last year.

Guest were greeted to a spectacularly decorated hall with a dazzling arrangement of lighting and the ever
popular Fred Cheah and the Cabaret Cats on the band stand. After the initial socializing, couples took to the
floor to be entertained by a famous old boy, and versatile balladeer and musician and flown in from Sri
Lanka - Rukshan Perera. Backed by the band “Be Sharp” he kept the night alive with a cavalcade of
musical hits, from sentimental favorites to ever popular Bailas. The guests reveled in the music with hardly
any room on the dance floor. After a scrumptious smorgasbord for dinner there was more time to let loose
and dance the night away and a good time was had by all until the early hours of the morning.

This occasion not only brought the Melbourne based Royalist together it also gave an opportunity for
RCOBAA to enable the newer members of the Royal community to engage more with the association. The
profit that night will be used to further fund our project at Royal to support 14 deserving Royalists in years
9 and 10 until they finish school.

Athula Ratnayake



Seniors Lunch 2016

The Seniors Lunch (rebranded this year as the Over 50’s Lunch) was held on Sunday 31st July at the
Mount Waverley Community Centre.

It was an enjoyable occasion where over a 100 old boys and their spouses attended. A record number of
attendees indeed for this year’s function.

Nihal De Run did an excellent job as usual being the bingo caller for the afternoon. A mouth-watering Sri
Lankan buffet was served at the conclusion of the bingo games.

This year the after-lunch entertainment was centered on an Elton John Tribute Show. Crocodile Rocket is a
live entertainment experience featuring most of Elton John classics plus some spicy stories about the songs
and the man himself. A cello performance by one of the guest artistes was outstanding.
Proceedings wound up with the singing of the College song.

A special thanks to Inji and his Organizing Committee for a memorable afternoon.
Lilith De Silva

Hashen Hettigoda

We remember Hashen Hettigoda when he came to Australia with the Royal College rowing team early this
year. Jointly with the Melbourne High School rowing team, the R C Rowing team took part at the regatta
held in Rutherglen in January. (See Floreat May 2016). At this regatta, Hashen performed exceptionally
well in the single sculls.
It was good to see Hashen’s photo in the Sri Lankan Sunday Observer in September this year, receiving the
trophy at the 31st Sri Lanka National Rowing Championships at the Diyawanna Rowing Centre,
Battaramulla. The trophy was for the winners of the Boy Schools’ championships won by Royal College.
As captain of the Royal college team, Hashen Hettigoda gained much experience collaborating with
Melbourne High School and competing in Australia. We wish him and the Royal rowing team more
successes in the future.

Ready for Some Trivia..?

1. He was the first old Royalist to become the Principal.
2. This Principal was nicknamed ‘Dimiya’ (Red Ant).
3. This Principal said, “If I once started talking about Royal College, I shall never stop” at a Prize

Day speech in 1904.
4. This Principal was the Honorary Secretary of the Colombo Sailing Club from 1900 to 1904.
5. In this year, subjects Sinhala and Tamil were made compulsory.
6. This shield was won by the Royal College Choir for 10 consecutive years between 1922 and

1931.
7. This Royalist became the first Asian to achieve Knighthood.
8. At a time Ceylon did not participate in the Olympics, this Royalist became the first Sri Lankan to

compete; representing India in Tennis during 1924 Paris games.
9. This Royalist became the first schoolboy to represent the All Ceylon team in an international

Rugby match.
10. This Royalist became the first to take 1000 career wickets in First Class Cricket in Ceylon.
11. This old Royalist was appointed the Principal of Wesley College Colombo (1950-57) and Trinity

College, Kandy (1957-68).
12. He was the first blind student of Royal College.

Royal College rowers and Melbourne High School rowers meet again in Colombo

Earlier this year, Melbourne High School and Royal College made history, with the first Colombo-
Melbourne schoolboys rowing exchange. In January, Royal College made their way over to Australia,
where the two schools raced each other for the very first time. After a great time rowing together, the boys
had to part ways, only a week later. Eager to meet once again and relive their fantastic memories, everyone
was eager for the second half of the exchange. With the assistance of a group of extremely helpful and
passionate members of the Royal College Old Boys Association, the rowers of the two schools were once
again able to unite, this time in Colombo.

For the Melbourne High boys, our
time in Sri Lanka was unforgettable.
We are sure to remember every
moment of the exchange for the rest
of our lives, for it was truly
amazing. As soon as we stepped off
the plane, we were instantly
impressed by the hospitality of
everyone around us. We were
welcomed with open arms by our host families, who had made the effort to come to drive out and to pick
us up from the airport in the middle of the night, during the stressful period of school exams. Each of us
was blown away by the generosity of our hosts, who worked incredibly hard to make sure that everything
was absolutely perfect for us, throughout every moment of our exchange.

Before we even got on the water with the Royal College boys, we were already astounded at their skill and
professionalism of rowing. Each of the boys had an incredible depth of knowledge of every aspect of
rowing, from general maintenance of the clubhouse, to making serious boat repairs. Every member of the
rowing club was able to assist us in any way manner we required, whether we were on or off the water. On
the day of the regatta, the sun was out, and everybody was ready for a fun day of racing. By the end of the
day, the Melbourne High boys were sunburnt and exhausted, but couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces
after the terrific day.

After all of these amazing experiences, we were sure that our time in Sri Lanka couldn't get any better, but
didn't realise just how wrong we were. For our last three days of the exchange, Royal College had truly
gone above and beyond our highest expectations. A sight-seeing trip around the country had been
organised for us, featuring stops at a temple and an elephant orphanage. In-between our action-packed days
travelling the country, we stayed in an amazing hotel. The hosting families had organised for us to stay
overnight at a 6 star boutique hotel in the jungle, which was absolutely unbelievable.

Overall, we were absolutely blown away by our rowing exchange with Royal College. It was such a great
experience to meet like-minded people from another country, and to learn about their culture and tradition
through a mutual passion for rowing. We will never forget the level of generosity and hospitality which we
were treated to, and hope the exchange will be able continue for many years to come, so that future
students of both Melbourne High School and Royal College will also be able to experience some of the
amazing things we have.

Yotam Brotman
(Member of MHS Rowing Team and a representative of the MHS, Student Representative Council)

The first Bradby Shield Match played in 1945

A Trinitian reminisces

Dr Asoka Ratwatte

The very first encounter between the two schools for the Bradby Shield took place in 1945, with Mr E L
Bradby the retiring Principal of Royal presenting a trophy to be awarded to the winning team.

I was fortunate enough to be selected to play in the first fifteen in the Fullback position.

Some of my colleagues were Dr Robert Sourjah (Prop Forward) who captained the team, S B Pilapitiya
(Scrum Half), Ronald Mottram (Forward) an Australian whose father was working in Kandy at the time,
and Jacob Kuruwilla who was of Indian origin and later became a doctor.

From what I can recall, the Trinity team comprised: Forwards: Dr Sourjah, W Thurairatnam, Dr Kenneth
Gunawardena, Bobby Shanmugam (Hooker), Dr Douglas Nethsinghe, Percy Dedigama, Ronnie Mottram,
Dr Haris Ranasinghe

Backs: S B Pilapitiya (Scrum Half), T B Madugalle (Fly Half), Asoka Yatawara, Dr Jacob Kuruwilla,
Micky Van der Poorten, and myself as Fullback
Reserves: Sene Mediwaka, Harvey Jones, Ivor Bartholomeusz

The principal of Trinity was Mr C Simithraaratchy, and our coach was the famous Philip Buultjens.

The Royal team was
captained by Dr C D L
Fernando (Forward), who
became a very close friend.
The Scrum Half was Mahes
Rodrigo who went on to
represent SL at Cricket and
Rugby, and the opposing
Fullback was M Kassipillai.

We travelled to Colombo by

train and were

accommodated for the night

at a place called Turret

House on Turret Road

(Dharmapala Mawatha

today). The match was

played at the University grounds and we walked there from Turret House. The match was played under

very soggy and wet conditions. Unfortunately, we lost 3 -0. From what I remember it was a last minute try

from a move by the Royal Forwards.

We returned to Kandy that very evening The second leg was captained by S B Pilapitiya in Bobby
Sourjah's absence through injury, and Douglas Nethsinghe played as his replacement. I have only very
vague memories of the second leg match itself, which we won 6 - 0. As such we won the contest and were
awarded the shield for the first time. The matches were played under conditions of very friendly rivalry.
Unlike today, there were not many post-match celebrations, tamashas etc. We simply won the match (the
second leg) and the trophy.

Among my team mates there were five who went on to become doctors of medicine - (Drs Sourjah,
Gunawardena, Ranasinghe, Kuruwilla, Ratwatte), one PhD and nuclear scientist (Dr Nethsinghe), and three
engineers (Mottram, Thurairatnam, Madugalle). Since then, 71 matches have been played. At the time of
writing and to the best of my knowledge, there are four surviving members of the 1945 Trinity team.

As narrated to his son-in-law, a Royalist, in August 2016.

Cover Story HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY Prf Christie Weeramantry

The background photo We send our Patron, Professor
of the cover is the old Weeramantry our best wishes
College crest with the for his 90th birthday.
British Imperial crown We acknowledge his long and
(later to be replaced distinguished legal career,
by the Kandyan crown culminating in serving for nine
atop the crest), from years as a judge on the
the College colours International Court of Justice.
awarded in 1940/41 to We are also mindful of
Mr Trevor Jansz, our Professor Weeramantry’s peace
oldest member. related activities: his quest for
the disarmament of nuclear
weapons throughout the world,
being one of them.

Rukshan Perera

Rukshan Perera known for his music and sports was
born to a highly musical family in the musical town of
Moratuwa. His mother, a classical pianist, a music
teacher at Princess of Wales College Moratuwa and a
church organist for almost 50 years influenced
Rukshan with the first piano lesson at age five. Before
long Rukshan became a self-taught guitarist and
formed his first family band at the tender age of ten,
composed their originals, and performed at the then
Radio Ceylon with Dr. Vijya Corea. Rukshan proudly
admits that he is also blessed to have inherited some
sports talents from his father, the National General
Secretary of the National Council of YMCAs;
Rukshan who started schooling at Prince Of Wales
College Moratuwa became the under 12 Junior
Athletic Champion excelling in 100 & 200 metre track, long jump and high jump. At 15, while at Royal
College, he became the Sri Lankan junior number 2 table tennis player representing Sri Lanka under 16
team at international events competing with the Chinese, Japanese and other countries. Then he went on to
captaining the Royal College table tennis team in 1973.

While doing his O Levels at Royal, Rukshan got his first big break to perform with the very popular ‘70s
band “Golden Chimes” as the lead guitarist, and later while doing his A Levels joined (still as the baby of
the band) the famous “Super Golden Chimes” as the keyboardist under Clarence Wijewardena and
Annesley Malawana. Rukshan still remembers how he came to school in the mornings for studies, played
table tennis matches in the afternoons and ended up at “Navarangahala” (at Royal premises) in the
evenings performing to a packed audience of Super Golden Chimes fans including some of his classmates.
“1970s was the era of long-hair and being a musician I had long hair during my school days at Royal” says
Rukshan while remembering how Mr. Gunesekera (the then vice principal) used to send him home several
times a month to cut his hair, yet escaped getting caned by him! Super Golden Chimes was a well-paid
band and with disbelief Rukshan explains, “it’s amazing how I used to earn three times the salary my
father’s and mother’s put together while I was still a student at Royal!” After leaving college while still
with the Super Golden Chimes, Rukshan decided to continue music as his career and later joined “Esquire
Set” and “Serendib” to travel Asia and Europe because going abroad was big back in the ‘70s!

Rukshan was 25 when he retired from his music career and relocated to US to continue his higher studies
where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and an MBA in Management in City
University of New York. Rukshan laughs and admits that he didn’t/couldn’t pay full attention to his
studies at Royal due to his involvement in music, but admits that the teaching at Royal College certainly
aided him to graduate from the university in New York with the highest honors (Summa Kum Laude) and
enter the Dean’s list and the National Dean’s list while winning many awards. Studies still didn’t stop him
from enjoying his love for music and sports – he joined the university Jazz Band as the Lead
Guitarist/Vocalist and studied jazz under Milt Hinton, a famous African American Jazz musician in the US.
Rukshan was also selected to the table tennis team and the tennis team where he competed against other
universities in New York.

After completing his degrees, Rukshan worked for Philip Morris International as the Systems Manager for
twenty years, designing and implementing systems and traveling extensively in Latin America and Europe
on work. Even with his busy work life, Rukshan managed to stay on top of his music and sports – he
became the tennis champion of Roosevelt Island (New York) where they lived, and also performed a series
of jazz concerts at the Whitney Museum of New York for 5 consecutive years.

Once again Rukshan took an early retirement from his systems

career and returned to Sri Lanka to continue his musical career

with a difference - to help charities and underprivileged

communities!! Upon his return, Rukshan launched his annual

“Rukshan Perera Live in Concert”, an “all original” concert series

and has already completed six concerts to packed audiences.

Every year Rukshan Perera Live In Concert raise funds for a well-

deserved charity. To date his concerts have raised funds for

“Samutthana” www.samutthana.org.lk, “Unity Mission Trust”

www.unitymission.lk, “Colours Of Courage Trust”

www.coloursofcourage.com, “Rotary”

www.rotarycolombometro.org, “Sunera Foundation”

www.sunerafoundation.org, “Sunshine Charity”

www.sunshinecharity.org, many churches, schools, Cancer

hospitals, elders homes, children’s homes…etc. As Rukshan puts

it, “I am happy to know that these funds go to help the poor, the

sick, elders, homeless children, promote racial/religious harmony

throughout the country, and promote arts, education, sports in

underprivileged communities.”

Today Rukshan is a well sort after composer who writes a variety of music in many genres. He has
composed many pop, jazz, blues, acapella and fusion music including big band arrangement. With
meaningful lyrics and beautiful melodies, Rukshan covers topics of current events and social values - songs
of peace and harmony, songs for Sri Lanka, clean environment, health, songs for the poor, sick, world
political songs, and also several humorous songs for entertainment. Rukshan writes for special events,
theme songs for organizations and companies, and has even written an anthem for a school in the US. He
has written unique tribute songs for Michael Jackson, Nelson Mandela, and two Nobel Laureates - Malala
Yousafzai and Muhammad Yunus. You can listen to some of these songs on his CD and two DVDs
Rukshan launched since his return, and his many live recordings can be viewed on his YouTube channel
“Ruklanka” with almost 400,000 views and about 450 subscribers to his channel. He has performed in Sri
Lanka, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, Texas, Minnesota, Canada,
India, Dubai, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Zambia, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney to name a few.

With an immense display of talent, Rukshan plays lead guitar and the keyboards equally well and also have
added the harmonica, flute and Djembe to his bag of instruments. Rukshan has mastered the style of jazz
scatting, and you can catch him at the Jazz Unlimited (JU) at CR&FC scatting away with other jazz
musicians. Combining his Jazz improvisational skills and scatting together with his ability to do instant
harmony Rukshan has developed his own style of improvisation with scatting in harmony – a signature
style of Rukshan.

Another unique talent Rukshan developed as a teenager is the ability to whistle in two parts together -
melody and harmony simultaneously. Rukshan has demonstrated this talent on stage, Radio and TV in the

US, Sri Lanka and in Australian TV. To anybody’s knowledge, Rukshan might be the only person who has
this talent in the entire world.

His talents go further - according to critics
Rukshan was the first to arrange Sinhalese “a
capellas” for Sri Lankan pop bands and has
performed various acapella originals in Sinhala
and English. You can always hear a couple of his
acapellas at his concert series and Super Golden
Chimes reunion concerts.

Along with his love for music and sports,
Rukshan dedicates his time to organizations that
support uplift Sri Lankan lives - Rukshan is a
trustee of “Unity Mission Trust” that conducts reconciliation programs in the form of Unity Camps for
children of all races. www.unitymission.lk. Rukshan also is the Vocational Director at the Rotary Club of
Colombo Metropolitan volunteering his service for the underprivileged communities in Sri Lanka, and will
become the next president of the club in the years 2017/2018. www.rotarycolombometro.org. He received a
special Rotary award for writing the song “Rotary SriLanka” and for launching a DVD titled
“Experiencing Rotary Through Music” with Rukshan’s special compositions that explain Rotary values
through his songs. Rukshan also continues to raise funds for Royal College through his class of ‘69 doing
sing-alongs and concerts.

Rukshan is blessed with four beautiful children who are well settled in the US working for multinational
corporations. As a result, Rukshan and his wife Piyum were able to return to Sri Lanka to enjoy and help
their motherland in various ways. They currently spend more time in Sri Lanka and travel to US every
year to spend time with their children and three grandchildren.

Eulogy - Dr Trevor Augustus Edwin La Brooy 1 July 1935 – 16 June 2016

Trevor was born on the 1st July 1935 in Colombo and was the second
child of Mary and Dr Edwin La Brooy. Trevor attended many Primary
Schools as his father was transferred to a number of provincial towns in
Sri Lanka to satisfy the medical needs of the communities. The family
eventually moved to Colombo and Trevor finally started his schooling at
Royal College. However, it was at this early stage in his life and the other
siblings that his parents decided to go to England so his father could
further his qualifications. So for the next five years, the children lived
with their aunt and uncle in Colombo and spent their school holidays in
Hatton, with another aunt and uncle.

It was when in Colombo, in 1953, that a pretty young girl named Vilma, who lived a few houses down the
same street, caught his eye and the courtship began. Before Trevor could complete his schooling at Royal
College and a few years after the parents returned from England, the family moved to Jaffna. Trevor
completed his final year of college at St John’s, to gain entry to Medical College alongside his future
medical colleague Dr Colin Fernando, who was also his best man at his wedding.

Five years of Medical College started in 1958 and Trevor’s internship commenced early in 1963. During
this time, romance was really blossoming: Trevor and Vilma got engaged in December 1962 and they were
married in December 1963. It was estimated that around 1,000 people attended the Church Service and 400
attended the reception.

Nigel, their eldest son was born on 6th October 1964 and they immigrated to Australia in 1966 with Vilma
pregnant with their second son. Jeremy was born on the 4th March 1967 and Jacqueline, their daughter,
arrived into this world on the 20th August 1970. In Melbourne, Trevor commenced practicing as a Locum
before securing a position at the Repatriation Hospital in Heidelberg and then moved to the Peter
McCallum Cancer Hospital in Melbourne. He then worked in a private practice in Bentleigh before joining
a practice at 31 Beach Street Frankston in 1970. The practice then moved to 61 Beach Street and he also
acquired a new practice at Langwarrin.

Trevor was a wonderful doctor with an excellent bedside manner. He brought many new lives into this
world and treated a multitude of patients in the area. As good a doctor as he was, he was one who would
say “Do as I Say”, not “Do as I Do”. He would advise on diet and weight loss but was blessed with a rather
portly physique himself. Trevor retired from practicing medicine at Langwarrin in 2004.

He joined the Frankston North Rotary Club in 1975 and was elected President from 1983 to 1984. He was
active on a number of committees and the family was fully involved in the International Student Exchange
Program, hosting students from Japan, China and New Zealand. One of the students from New Zealand is
here today to honour a life dedicated to helping others. Trevor resigned from Rotary in 1994.
Trevor loved sport and in his younger days played tennis and cricket. After coming to Australia he chose
the more mundane sport of golf. Trevor found that he had a talent for table tennis and that he could
challenge and quite often beat his young sons. Trevor’s health progressively started to deteriorate with the
onset of Parkinson’s disease and was exacerbated when he fell and broke his hip in March 2014. Requiring
24-hour care and additional help, he was placed in care at Benton’s Lodge in Mornington where he
remained till he passed away peacefully last Thursday at Frankston Hospital with his family by his side.

This is an edited version of the eulogy delivered by Francis Miller at the funeral of Dr Trevor La Brooy at High Street Uniting Church
Frankston on 21 June 2016.

Membership List as at 06th December 2016

1. Abhaya Udugama 47. Feisul Uduman 90. Madhava Wijayaratne 134.Saman Edirisinghe
2. Abdullah Mahmud 48. Fred Kreltzheim* 91. Madushe Jayawickrema 135.Saman Fernando
3. Ajith Jayawardena 49. Gamini Jayasinghe 92. Mahinda
4. Akila Weerasinghe 50. George Fernando (Athula)
5. Akvan Gajanayake 51. Gerald Cooray Wickramasuriya 136.Saman Nanda
6. Alexander Lokuge (Don) 52. Gnanathikkam 93. Maliq Deane
7. Almaaz Alavi 94. Mangala Jayawardene Ranasinghe
8. Anil Amarasekara Emmanuel 95. Maurice Anghie 137.Saman Wijeratne
9. Anil Amunugama Amirthanathan 96. Melville Knower 138.Samath Wijeyasinghe
10. Anton Suresh Mahadeva 53. Guy Chadrasena 97. Michael Kreltszheim 139.Samitha De Silva
11. Asanga Perera 54. Haris Peiris 98. Michael La Brooy 140.Sandy (Ranoir)
12. Aslam Assen 55. Harsha Aluthge 99. Mohan de Run
13. Athula Ratnayaka 56. Harsha Perera 100.Mohan Perera Jesudhason
14. Aubrey VanCuylenburg* 57. Hasalaka Edirisinghe 101.Mohan Pillai 141.Sanjaya Ranaweera
15. Aynkaran Sivaratnam 58. Hasitha Gunasekera 102.Mohan Tisseverasinge 142.Sanjeewa Udumalagala
16. Bevill Janz 59. Hashitha Perera 103.Muditha Jayasinha 143.Saru (Sarvendran)
17. Binesh Gunaratne 60. Hemanth Cooray 104.Nadika Dias
18. Brian Lieversz 61. Hildon Bevan* 105.Nandun Fernando Sivarajah
19. Bryan Wickremeratne 62. Indrajith Wijegunaratne 106.Nandun Thellamurege 144.Seyed Hassen Murthaz
20. Buddhimith 63. Iqram Mohinadeen 107.Nigel De Kretser
64. Jafir Dawood 108.Nihal Kodituwakku Mawlana
Wickramasinghe 65. Jahanghir Abdul 109.Nihal. M. D. de Run 145.Shanaka Perera
21. Cedric Jansz Majeed 110.Niroshan 146.Shanka Gunawardana
22. Chaman Ipalawatta 66. Janaka Kodithuwakku 147.Shantha Arangala
23. Chamith Perera 67. Janek Ratnatunga Hewakoparage 148.Shiran De Silva
24. Charavaran 68. Jayantha (Jay) Adihetty 111.Niroshan Serasinghe 149.Shyam Sideek
25. Charith Jayatillake 69. Jayath Jayarathna 112.P.H.(Piloo) Billimoria 150.Soba Ranasinghe
26. Chathura Liyanagama 70. Jimmy Billimoria* 113.Pasan Balasinghe 151.Sonny (Pradeep) De
27. Chethiya Dissanayake 71. Jivaka Fernando 114.Peshan Kurukulasuriya
28. Chinthana Wijeweera 72. Johann Gunasekera 115.Piloo Rustomjee Silva
29. Dammica Wickramaratne 73. Judge 116.Prabodha Kulasingha 152.Stuart Roland
30. Darin Mallawarachchi G.C.Weeramantry 117.Prasad Herath 153.Sudath Gunatilake
31. Darrell Lieversz 74. Jumaan Sheriff 118.Pushpika Gamage 154.Sujeevan Panagoda
32. David Kreltzheim 75. Kandiah Sivapragasam 119.Rad Rasaratnam 155.Sujith Satkunam
33. Deva Corea 76. Kapila Epasinghe 120.Rajeev Peiris 156.Sunil De Silva
34. Devindra Weerasooriya 77. Kingsley Rajasingham 121.Rajkumar Yogalingam 157.Sunil De Zoysa
35. Devine De Silva 78. Kumara Karawita 122.Ralph 158.Tharin Peiris
36. Dhamindra 79. Kumares 159.Tharun Delpachitthra
Sandrasegaran Wickremaratne(Ralph 160.Theshan De Silva
Kahaduwarachchi 80. Kusinara Perera Wicks) 161.Thilina Gajanayake
37. Dhammika Perera 81. Lahiru De Silva 123.Ramesh Nadarajah 162.Timothy Wijesooriya
38. Dhanushka Hettiarachchi 82. Lal Goonewardena 124.Ranga Perera 163.Tissa Galagedera
39. Dhilshad Sideek 83. Lalin De Silva 125.Ranjan Muttiah 164.Tony Anghie*
40. Dick Siebel 84. Lalin Perera 126.Ranjeev Ekanayake 165.Trevor Jansz *
41. Dinesh Chelvathurai 85. Lalith Hewavitharana 127.Ransi Fernando 166.Uchin Alwis
42. Dinesh Perera 86. Lakindu Manawasinghe 128.Reggie de Silva (Cyril) 167.Upula Jayasingha
43. Dr. Channa Wijesinghe* 87. Lilith De Silva 129.Riza Muthaliph 168.Varna Amerasinghe
44. Eardley Lieverz 88. Lochana Premarathna 130.Rohan Wimalasuriya 169.Venura Welegedera
45. Eshan Ranawak 89. Lorenz Pereira 131.Roshan Weerawardena 170.Vibodha Sampath
46. Ethan Imesh Gankanda 132.Sajith Mendis 171.Vijayalingam
133.Sam Lawton
Thiagalingam
172.Vinodh Samarasinghe

The above are the list of members who have proactively renewed their 2016/17 membership as at 06th Dec 2016.
In the unlikely event that you have renewed your membership and your name does not appear, please contact
the membership secretary via [email protected]

* Honorary members