COLLEGE SONG

At the 5th January re-union, when the guys sang the College Song, after greeting birthday boy Sam, I broke out in goosepimples. I was hearing the song after 40 years. At first I could not remember the words, then it all came rolling back. It was an unforgetable experience. I extracted the cotent below from the Royal College website.

School of our fathers
Thy spirit first to life awoke
In eighteen hundred and thirty five
Beneath the sway of Marsh and Boake
Thenceforth did Lanka's learning thrive

Refrain
School where our fathers
Learnt the way before us
Learnt of books and learnt of men,
through we will do the same
True to our watchword
"Disce Aut Discade"
We will learn of books and men,
and learn to play the game

Within thy shade our fathers trod
The path that leads to man's estate;
They have repaid the debt they owed;
They kept thy fame inviolate.

Refrain

And we their loyal sons now bear
The torch, with hearts as sound as oak;
Our lusty throats now raise a cheer
For Hartely, Harward, Marsh and Boake.

History of the College Song
Royal College the oldest public school in Sri Lanka lagged behind other Colleges without a college song until Principal H.L.Reed composed and set to music the SCHOOL OF OUR FATHERS in the Third term of 1927. The music was later revised by S. Schmid.
In the following year when Royal College won the MEADEN SHIELD in the schools singing compition for the 8th year in succession, SCHOOL OF OUR FATHERS presented at the competition was a 'hit tune'. Much credit for the magnificent performance of the college choir goes to Mrs. H.L. Reed who was assisted by R.C. Edwards. The college song made its public debut on 13th July 1928.

A college song provides inspiration, fervour and attachment to one's old college. To the old boys its nostalgia, of the years that were, the happy carefree boyhood days. To the young 'Uns' who now bear the torch the college song is something for every conceivable occasion. They sing themselves hoarse. They sing with pride their own "anthem". One has to witness them rendering the college song with gusto, there's happiness written on their faces.
In 1968, a shorter version of the college song in Sinhala was again composed on the instructions of the Principal by the same combination which composed the first song Messrs W.A. Wickramasena and S.J.F. Dissanayake.

courtesy: www.royalcollege.lk

Founder of Royal College

Sir Robert Wilmot Horton (Governor of Ceylon) 1831-1837
Sir Robert Wilmot Horton, Baronet (B.A.) was born on 21st December 1784. Educated at Eton College and Christchurch College, Oxford. Member of Parliament for Newcastle (1818-1830) Under Secretary of State for Colonies (1821) in the Liberal Government of Lord Liverpool. Knighted on 22nd June 1831. Governor of Ceylon 1831 to October, 1837. Resigned as Governor an year before his term expired. He succeeded to the Baronetcy on the death of his father Sir Robert Wilmot. Governor Horton died on 31st May 1841 at Sudbury Park England.
Sir Wilmot's wife Anne Beatrix-according accounts was one of the most beautiful women of that time had a poem written about her by Lord Byron. The first few lines of "SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY"
She walks in beauty, like the Night,

Of cloudless climes and starry skies,

And all that's best of dark and bright,

Meets in her aspect, and her eyes.

Sir Robert Wilmot (Jr.) was the only son of Sir Robert Wilmot, Baronet of Asmaston in Derbyshire by his first wife Juliane Elizabeth, second daughter of Hon. James Byron. Sir Robert Wilmot (Jr.) married Anne Beatrix, eldest daughter of Eusebius Horton of Catton, Derbyshire. Anne Beatrix the beautiful heiress was a cousin of Lord Byron the famous Poet. Sir Robert Wilmot assumed the name Horton by Royal licence on 8th May 1807 in compliance with the Last Will of his farther-in-law. M.Wilmot, Horton's half-brother by his father's first wife was in the Ceylon Civil Service before Horton's arrival as Governor. He served as Government Agent Southern Province. Horton's cousin E.P.Wilmot was a District Judge.

Governor Horton, a liberal according to the standards at that time, originated many new measures recommended by the Colebroke-Cameron Commission. These included :
Inauguration of Ceylon's First Legislative Council and Executive Committee (all nominated by the Governor). The first meeting of the Unofficial Legislative Council is dated 1st October 1833 presided by the Governor Sir William Horton.
Abolished Compulsory Labour - abandoning Governments claims to free service.
Right to private property and temples were left untouched.
Abolished government's monopoly of the Cinnamon Trade (1833) (which came down from Dutch times).
He ruled that Moors and Malabars (Tmails) had the right to own houses and land in Fort & Pettah (forbidden earlier by the Dutch).
Started the First Newspaper (Colombo Journal) published in 1832.
Started the FIRST MAIL COACH in Asia-the passenger and Postal Service to Kandy (earlier carriage was by palanquin and Bullock Carts).
Government interest in Higher Education took concrete shape with the formation of the Schools Commission (1834) and he instituted the First Government School in the Island- THE COLOMBO ACADEMY.
Ceylon Savings Bank established.
Cricket Club formed in Colombo (1832).

Sir Robert Wilmot Horton was a great statesman, who made his mark in England particularly on the question of emigration of the poor of the British Isles to the England Colonies in the North Americans and Southern Hemisphere. In Ceylon, there was only the Government Gazette to read, so the Governor started the "Colombo Journal" which was printed at the Government Press. Letters in this paper singed "Timon", "Liber" and "pro Bono Publico" were from Sir Horton's pen. He also wrote Political letters in 1832/33 under the pen name "Philalethes".

The converting of Marsh's Private Hill Street Academy to a Government School was solely due to the efforts of Sir Wilmot Horton. He paid personal attention to the welfare of the school, promptly appointed a 2nd teacher from the Colonial Secretary's Office. He even attended the First Examination held at the Academy on 29th June 1837 some time before his premature retirement from Ceylon later that year

Royalists PAST & PRESENT owe a debt of gratitude to His excellency Sir Robert Wilmot Horton a founder of our college.

Courtesy: www.royalcollege.lk

Chaman Janaka Amarasekara - the C'man

Rafil's pix - Jan 05, 2007 reunion

Rafil's pix - Jan 05, 2007 reunion

4-month reminiscence on Jan-05, 2007 reunion

Twenty-four of the 36 guys belonging to the Royal College English Medium 61-Group meet in the evening of Friday, January-05, 2007, at Firoze Nathani’s home ironically located at Royal Gardens in Rajagiriya. It is decidedly the climax of what began on Jan-11, 2006, when thirty-one guys were networked via email, prompting a continual communication thereon re-starting with a bang!

Overseas Guys
Four champions come from overseas – Rifky Mackeen from New Jersey, Rafil Hamid from Karachi, Dr Shaheed Jawahar and A. Balachandran from Chennai. The remaining nine guys overseas remained: Don Michael Lloyd Walpola and David Loos from LA in the U.S; Lee Samad, gallivanting in Australia but sadly missing out on a stopover in SL, and Bev Paul in Toronto, Canada; the three musketeers Down Under: Roger, Peiter and Lye. Imtiaz Sariffo’deen in Riyadh, KSA, still striving to send us his new email address! Last not least there is a unique guy in that crowd: Eric Manny in distant Vancouver, east of snowbound Alaska, who is really in spirit with the 24, when he has the inclination and heart to make that memorable telephone call to Firoze-N’s mobile and talk to every one of the two dozen guys, the mobile being passed around from hand to hand! That was a great gesture of friendship, dear Eric, notwithstanding the cost you had to bear vis-à-vis connecting with guys with whom you grew up. Eric is really with us making up 25 present.

Local Guys
Of the locally based 23-guys, three keep away for reasons known to themselves: Jaldeen absconds; Abdul simply doesn’t attend, gives no excuse; Munam was reported by his family as sick. He made a postdated comment in red ink on the attendance sheet. Anyway, all is forgiven and we still love them all. If they had come, it would have been 27 out of 36 or 75% attendance, but we enjoy 2/3rds or 67% which is marvelous.

40-Year Hiatus
Some of the guys are meeting here face to face after a gap of forty-years! Chaman Amarasekara, Habeebullah-Moulana, Vernon Kern, Hamish Woutersz, I.M. Zafideen, etc. are rare entities who turn up and are to meet and greet. Of the 36-guys, thirty one have been in email contact for almost a year since Jan-11, 2006: so much of shared and common reminiscences, ideas, events and experiences have already been exchanged during twelve months, and the grand finale is this reunion on Jan-05. Although plans are suggested for a 2011 redux, the chances are - to be a little pessimistic – a little remote in view of the factors of age, ever-changing psyches, physical ability to move, longevity, illnesses and operations, distance pertaining to especially guys overseas, locally-based guys who have excuses not to attend, etc. Anyway, let’s hope for the best.

Interaction & Discourse
Guys attending sign on a register, making their respective comments, mostly depicting their immediate feelings of the divine moment. This vital document is posted somewhere down this site. The original, laminated one will be in the possession of our generous host, Firoze Nathani. The interaction amongst the twenty four is not only heart-warming but reminiscent of a lost era which begins way back in Jan-1955 and for some in Jan-1961 and ending sometime in 1967/68. The varied drinks, dinner and dessert are grand and sumptuous. My wife arranges for and sends a cake carried by Jawahar to be cut in advance of my 57^th b’day come Monday. It is absolutely hilarious to hear the guys singing “happy birthday to you,” while I blow the candles, followed by the rendition of the college song ending with the opening strains of the national anthem.

Memorable Reunion
Several photographs are removed by a couple of the guys who have come armed with their digital cameras. Most of the shots are now posted in this site for posterity. It is a superb six hour shindig which takes off at seven o’clock and comes to a pleasant close well past one. The spacious, grassed patio affords the guys to mingle, sit and chat about anything and everything. It is as if we are all suddenly catapulted into minus time and are back in our classroom! A really memorable event which will be relived with ecstasy time and again. A beautiful evening.

Thanx
Last but not least, special thanx go to our generous hosts, Firoze and Shahnaz Nathani, for having entertained us all in their grand, spacious, well-architectured home.

Luv n tc
Sam