Navin de Silva new captain of RCGC, Mahela joins committee
Former Wesley and Sri Lanka Schools cricket captain Navin de Silva has taken over as Captain of the prestigious Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) and roped in cricket legend Mahela Jayawardene as a committee member.
A senior pilot with SriLankan airlines for 35 years, Navin de Silva took over the controls of the RCGC at its annual general meeting held on July 2.
The RCGC celebrating its 140th year, experienced a significant challenge when the COVID 19 crisis froze the holding of the AGM scheduled for the last week of March.
A keen single figure handicap golfer who has won several local and international golf events, Navin de Silva also served as the chairman of the National Golf Selection Committee and held senior management positions of Chief Pilot and Head of Flight Operations in the national carrier.
Captain Navin has at his disposal an Executive Committee boasting an excellent blend of experience and youthful exuberance. Michael Perera Magala, a single handicap golfer and respected past Captain was elected President. Jehaan Ismail, a member of the RCGC Committee for several years takes office as the ViceCaptain of the Club.
Significantly, Mahela Jayawardene becomes the first Sri Lanka Test cricketer to join the ExCo of the RCGC as a Committee Member for 2020/2021 at the invitation of Captain Navin. Former Ceylon cricket captain F. C. de Saram (Derek) served with distinction on the RCGC Committee for several years as the Ground Secretary and his son-in-law Neil Chanmugam who also played Cricket for Ceylon and later toured England and Australia with the Sri Lanka cricket team as manager prior to Sri Lanka receiving Test Status, also served on the RCGC Committee and subsequently served as Captain of the club.
Amrith de Soysa, a five-time winner of the RCGC Club Championship and the youngest in its history at the age of 15, and a leading amateur golfer in Sri Lanka having won 12 Club Championships islandwide, makes his debut in to the RCGC Committee elected as Honorary Marketing and Communications Secretary for the ensuing year.