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| Sunday, 26 June 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Old Bens : Down memory lane by Elmo Leonard
St. Benedict's College, Colombo, in its 140th year has produced a galaxy of eminent past students. The accomplishments of the Benedictine fraternity including their teachers have inspired many. Ironically, first among my Benedictine heroes is a security guard, Malcolm Kronembers, who in 1958 ran 72 miles non-stop from Kandy to Colombo, beginning at midnight and after over 16-hours, sat exhausted on the steps of Lake House. Second among my heroes is All-Ceylon soccer player Lionel Dabare. In the 1960s this halfback shot a goal from midfield off an airborne pass to give Sunrise Sports Club the island's soccer championship and send the packed crowd at the Sugathadasa Stadium into ecstasy. Rev. Bro. Alexander Cyrillus, who retired as the Director of SBC in 1988 is the most loved Benedictine teacher in living memory. Bro. Alexander, was last in line of great directors St. Benedict's College produced. What stands out most in the life of this unassuming small man is his humility and commitment to eradicate poverty. Even today, the old Bro. Alexander prefers walking, using public transport. Past students say he gets about his tasks along the highways, possibly, with an empty pocket and even on an empty stomach. When this diminutive teacher retired in 1988, an Old Ben bard, picturing Bro. Alexander under the canopy of the school's fabled banyan tree, wrote: Under the banyan tree, The Small Man we see; When in dreams of bliss Mere Benedictines we kiss, That Legend as it sprawls, Upon St. Benedict's walls. Fifteen years later, a five level building along the school's celebrated quadrangle was commissioned at a cost of Rs. 24 million. Fitting, it was named Rev. Bro. Alexander Building. The building coincided with the centenary celebrations of the school's Old Boys' Union when someone said: "It is apt to honour a man in life, than after." St. Benedict's stars in the firmament include the great Buddhist luminaries, Anagarika Dharamapala and Narada Thera. In the late 1920s an Old Ben postmaster, Leo Leonard (1902-1982) who was stationed at a village post office listened to a Buddhist monk preach a sermon at a rural temple. The preacher had said that he had attended a Catholic school in Colombo where its students prayed every hour, thus: "Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God." The preacher was the Old Ben, Rev. Narada Thera. The founder fathers of the OBU are some of the greatest sons the Lankan soil produced, being Sir Marcus Fernando, the first Ceylonese to obtain a doctorate in medicine from the University of London and Sir Thomas De Sampayo, eminent legal luminary. The school's list of Catholic dignitaries are: Rt. Rev. Drs Bede Beekmeyer (first Ceylonese Catholic Bishop) Tiburtius Roche (first Indian Bishop of the Latin Rite), Emilianus Pillai (first Ceylonese Bishop of Jaffna), Oswald Gomis, Archbishop of Colombo; Bro. Luke Gregory (first Ceylonese Director of St. Benedict's) - his brother, Fr. Peter Pillai, past Rector of St. Joseph's College, Colombo and founder of Aquinas University College. Peter Pillai was placed first in the British Empire in the Junior and Senior Cambridge Examinations; Fr. Nicholas Perera (founder Rector of St. Peter's College, Colombo) and Fr. Felician Perera, the present Rector of St. Peter's College, Colombo. The golden era of St. Benedict's College was the '50s and the '60s. At that time one of the boasts of the school was that it had produced by far the most number of doctors. The list of great Sri Lankans, St. Benedict's produced include: Prof. P. B. Fernando (first professor of Medicine of the University of Ceylon); Dr. A. W. R. Joachim (first Ceylonese scientist to be appointed the director of Agriculture); Prof. A. Kandiah (first Prof. of Chemistry of the University of Ceylon and second Ceylonese to obtain the Doctor of Science Degree from the London University; Prof. A. W. Milvaganam first Prof. of Physics of the University of Ceylon; Dr. A. N. S. Kulasinghe a great engineer; C. Nawaratnarajah QC, eminent lawyer. There are many unknown firsts among Benedictines, including, Pius Pietersz, the first Ceylonese accountant in the Ceylon Government Railway. It was the culture within the school which produced men so daring and imaginative. This culture was generated by the La Sallian Christian Brothers who taught in the school and came from all over Europe, even Czechoslovakia; the core of European culture is success orientation. Some of the Christian Brothers who taught at St. Benedict's College hailed from highly cultured and affluent families. Coming to mind is Rev. Bros. Hardy, Hugh Farrington and Lionel. Bro. Farrington returned to England as the Director of a leading school in UK. Another highly cultured and learned past Director of St. Benedict's was Frenchman, Bro. Athanatius. One cannot forget Burmese national, Bro. James. Then, there was Rev. Bro. Edward, the music lover, who left the La Sallian Order to be called Rev. Fr. Joe Vas. Most of the above mentioned religious, lived well beyond 80 and were seen walking miles along the roads of Colombo. The mix of European cultures under which St. Benedict's College passed its first 100 years, gave no bearing to caste or the absence of it. Past Benedictine musicians and actors comprised, Sunil Shantha, Ravindra Randeniya, Vijaya Kumaratunga and Robin Fernando. Few know that late Chandra Babu, the renowned South Indian film comedian and playback singer, used a stage name, Rodrigo during his studentship at St. Benedict's. Also, politician, V. A. Sugathadasa who was an outstanding sportsman and Ossie Abeygoonesekera. Benedictines also produced the highest number of English language journalists, dramatist E. C. B. Wijesinghe stands out. Premnath Moraes shone in the diverse arts of communication including journalism, advertising, broadcasting and movies. Journalist/author E. C. T. Candappa excels in analytical and creative writing. The greatest year for SBC was 1965, its centenary year when the school emerged champions in cricket, soccer, hockey and basketball. The 1964 cricket team was judged the best school team and included the best batsman, bowler, allrounder, wicketkeeper and fielder. Another great Benedictine sportsman was Sunil Fernando who in 1965 with an average of over 80 runs, came near to breaking Jack Anderson's batting record. And, Sunil's brother Ranjith Fernando is now a cricket commentator. Lionel Fernando who established a world record in 1959 by taking all ten wickets in an innings of a match and then scoring 204 runs not out on the same day. Also, Cecil Waidyaratne, Neville Casie Chetty, Hockey and athletic greats, brothers, LP and JP and CP Rayan, and Stanley, Homer and Subash Fernando, Basketball players, Cosmas Perera and Percy Perera who was adjudged the best basketball shooter in Asia and Felix Dias, to name a few. SBC has plans of opening a swimming pool, and Archbishop Oswald Gomis has suggested another branch of the school as the next priority. |
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