Royal College 49 Group Celebrates 75 Years. This Group Produced 68% Professionals

In 1949 a group of 96 students were successful in gaining entrance to Royal College having sat an open competitive examination. About 60 of them were from Royal Prep while the rest were from St. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Trinity College Kandy, St.Joseph’s College, St.Peter’s College etc. They were all around 10 years old. They were examined on general intelligence and general knowledge, Sinhalese or Tamil and Arithmetic. Although Royal Prep bore the same name there was no automatic entry to Royal College unlike several years before and several years after.

Royal was founded in 1835 by the then British government mainly for the education of the sons of the British, under the Principalship of Dr.Barcroft Boake , a product of the Oxford University. Though the school was initially called Colombo Academy it came to be known later as Royal College. On the panels of the college hall are the names of those who distinguished themselves in the field of intellect.

Also in the college hall hang the portraits of C.A.Lorenz KC- Acting King’s Advocate, Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan KC –Acting Attorney General and his brother Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam of the Ceylon Civil Service, Dr.C.A.Hewavitharana and sibling Anagarika Dharmapala. Of the politicians of recent times were two heads of State Sir John Kotalawela Prime Minister and President J.R. Jayawardena while H.Sri Nissanka a well known Criminal Lawyer and one of the founders of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party also adorn the hall.

Messrs. D.S.Senanayake, Dudley Senanayake and S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike were products of the school known by Royalists as the school by the sea, namely St.Thomas’ Mount Lavinia.

When I entered the Royal College during the War years the building at Reid Avenue was taken over by the British government and converted to a military hospital. We were about 5 years old and gained entry to what was known as the baby class. The Head Master of Royal Prep was A.F.Desaa Bandaranayake and the Baby Class teacher was Mrs. Keyt. About 15 of us were selected. Royal Prep was at Skelton Gardens where the Lumbini School is now located.

In 1949 some of us were chosen to gain entry to Royal College. Our Principal was Mr.J.C.A.Corea the first Ceylonese Principal after Bradby. Initially most of these boys did not take studies seriously as a large number were from affluent families being children of professionals but once they got into their respective disciplines there was no turning back. Quite a number of them namely 68% became Lawyers, Doctors, and Engineers etc. and reached the zenith of their professions. Royal College is indisputably the best school in the island or so Royalists claim. Parents clamor to get their children into Royal but not all of them succeed. Most think of other public schools as second best. Royal and St.Thomas’ are the most prestigious like Eden and Harrow of England.

This batch being written about came to be called the 49 Group. According to statistics compiled by a former Principal it is perhaps the best batch that Royal produced in recent times. It is said that 32 of them became Medical Doctors most of them Consultants, 7 entered the Legal profession two of them becoming President’s Counsel and two others became Judges of the Supreme Court, three entered the Ceylon Civil Service, one Architect and 18 became Engineers. Four headed top business conglomerates.

Whilst in school each one of these 96 boys fought for the last place in class but when they commenced their respective disciplines they shone over the products of other schools.

Of those who took to the legal profession are two well know President’s Counsel Jayantha Gunasekera ( a former elected Secretary of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka) and top Civil Lawyer Late Chula De Silva . Two other Lawyers Late S.W.B.Wadugodapitiya and Late Punyadasa Edussuriya became Judges of the Supreme Court whilst Late Kumar Ponnambalam, Late T.K.Tilakan (District Judge), Late Alavi Mohamed Barrister. M.N.B.Peiris died a few years ago.

Vipulanandan is still engaged in Law in Australia.

Gamini Seneviratne, Harsha Wickremasinghe and B.S.Wijeweera entered the prestigious Ceylon Civil Service.

Of those 32 who entered the Medical profession several became Surgeons Ranjith De Silva who captained Royal at cricket, Priya Samarasinghe, Geoff Vandendrisen, Gamini Gunatilleke, Late S.R.Ratnapala, whilst the well known Physicians are Henry Rajaratnam Diabetologist well known in his field. There is also an Annual Oration in his name, J.B.Pieris the first to qualify as a Neurologist. There is also an Annual Oration in his name too. J.B. was also the Director of Post Graduate Institute of Medicine, Late Gamini Jayakuru ( Venereologist). Late Dr. Brendon Gooneratne who distinguished himself in Australia. Brendon was one of my closest friends. He lived in Deanstone Place while I lived in Flower Road and the two of us used to walk to school together. His wife Professor Yasmin Gooneratne was Professor of English in Australia and has several publications to her credit. Brendon died two years ago as a result of a fall. Yesterday I read about Yasmin Gooneratne’s death. She was a wonderful wife to Brendon. She was the daughter of Sammy Dias Bandaranaike brother of Justice Dr.R.F.Dias. Another wife of a member of the 49 group is Professor Lalitha Mendis who reached the pinnacle of the Medical Profession. She was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and the Director of the Post Graduate Institute of Medicine. She is the wife of our class mate late Dr.Lalith Mendis.

The other Physicians are Dr.Disampathy Subasinghe who practiced as a Physician for over 50 years in the U.K., Dr.N.T.De Silva who also practiced in the U.K. for over 50 years, Tissa Cooray (formerly of the WHO), Danilo De Krester, H.S.Karunasekera, Lesly Muthukuda, Late Dan Perimpanayagam, Yasa Rajapakse (UK) , V.Dharmapalan (New Zealand), Late R.S.B. Wickremasinghe was the Director of Medical Research Institute.

Of the Engineers that come to my mind are Bandu Yatawara, Late Prof. C.L.V. Jayatilleke who died of COVID 19, he was the Vice Chancellor of Peradeniya, Dr. Susantha Goonetilleke who secured a first class, Channa Amerasinghe former G.M. of the Electricity Board, Sri Bavan Sri Skandarajah who staged a fast in Canada in support of LTTE, Late H.S.B. Abeysundera, Late L.H.Meegama, C. Ramachandran and Late Beverly Vandergert.

Perhaps the cleverest of them all was Late. Chelvanayagam Vaseeharan a Maths prodigy who was to be appointed as Professor of Maths.

In this class were several businessmen who headed companies namely Cambridge educated Late. Upali Wijewardena of the Upali Group and the owner of the Island Newspapers, Late. Lal Jayasundera Chairman of Hayleys , Late. Ratna Sivaratnam Chairman Aitken Spence, Godvin Perera Chairman Ceylinco Life whist Late. K.Manikavasagar was the Director Glaxo. Arjuna Hulugalle is one of the most well read apart from being the son of H.A.J.Hulugalle Editor of the Daily News and Upatissa Attygalle are successful businessmen. Nihal Weeratunghe who was Secretary to Late President J.R.Jayawardena was also a Director of a company.

V.H.Nanayakkara and P.H.J.S.Ariyapala both Bachelors of Science took to Teaching and Nanayakkara was on the staff of Royal and also the Hostel Warden till he secured lucrative employment in Seychelles and now he lives in Australia.

There was one member of the 49 Group who distinguished himself as a clever Investigator in the Police. If he had not joined the Police he would surely have been on the other side of the law. That was none other than Rahula Silva. He was charged in several cases of violence. In all these cases he was successfully defended gratis by me his class mate.

There was Late Brigadier Kingsley Jayawardena trained at Standhurst Military Academy UK. He would certainly have been a General and the Army Commander if he curtailed his intake of liquor. During the JVP riots of 1988-1989 he protected many of his classmates.

There is also a well known and very talented Architect K.L.Guneratne. Late Lucky Senanayake an Artist of repute who worked closely with Lawyer cum Architect Geoffrey Bawa. A.A.Wijetunghe and K. Sivapragasam became Senior Assessors in the Inland Revenue Department.

Late. Bimal Padmaperuma functioned as Chairman Engineering Corporation and Late Daham Wimalasena who was the Secretary of the UNP was appointed Chairman Petroleum Corporation. T.D.S.A. Dissanayake a prolific Writer served in the UN and later as our Ambassador in Indonesia.

There were two members of this group to whom life was a ball. They were Late Aru Sellamuttu and Late Ranjith Kiriella.

Nimalasiri Fonseka a bright spark in school practices as a Chartered Accountant and now lives the life of a squire in England.

The Late Lionel Almeida and the Late Tyrell Mutthiah took to Planting and were Ruggerites in school. Late W.K.N.De Silva was a Proprietary Planter. The Late Bobby Perera was one time Director of Qucikshaws. Mahinda Gunasekera domiciled in Canada and does much for our country by countering LTTE propaganda.

These classmates have now dwindled and about 50% are no more. Though depleted we get together at the Royal Thomian Cricket match and Bradby Shield encounter. Sometimes we meet more often to welcome classmates coming from abroad. It is at such gatherings that they reminisce about their school days some wild and some even wilder. Only the pleasantest memories remain and old yarns are told and retold with salt and pepper added. It is amazing that there isn’t a tinge of jealousy and each one is proud the others’ achievements.

As the college song goes “they learnt of books and leant of men and learned to play the game”.