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| Sunday, 25 December 2005 |
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Sports |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Playground movement of CMC must be revamped by Leslie Fernando What has happened to the Playground and community centre Movement of the Playgrounds and Recreation Department of the Colombo Municipal Council? The Playground movement was a tremendous success between 1960 and 1980 and the success and achievements of Playgrounds and Community Centres participants in all types of sports was an indication of their response to the council's efforts and was heartening that many National Champions of Sri Lanka received initial training and impetus in the council's Playgrounds and community Centres. Some of the boys and girls who were nurtured in the Playgrounds have not only shown their prowess in contests in Sri Lanka but even on the international scene. The first playground now known as A. E. Goonesinghe Playground (Price Park) was opened in the year 1917 by the late P. G. de Silva, the Chief Playground instructor. He was the pioneer of the Playground Movement and did yeoman service to get the movement off the ground. He was ably associated by R. W. Cammack Physical Director of the YMCA. The movement embarked upon as a service to many children and youth among the poorer folk who were living in cramped and congested surroundings. They had no amenities whatsoever for recreation and suffered in health due to the conditions under which they lived. After Late Mr. De Silva, D. S. Abraham one of the first Ceylonese to graduate in physical education at the College of Physical Education, Saidapet, Madras was the Chief Playground Instructor for 15 years. After the retirement of Abraham, P. W. R. de Silva who was the Charity Commissioner looked after the work as Chief Playground Instructor. Then the Sports Complex of the Colombo Municipal Council, the Playgrounds and Recretation Department (the first state organ for sports in Sri Lanka) led by Late B. A. Jayasinghe, the Municipal Commissioner, launched a sports movement unparalleled in the history of sports in the country 46 years ago which has developed into a national sports movement to raise the standard of performance in sports and make sports a medium to achieve National development. The Council had 33 Community Centres and 43 Playgrounds which provided useful facilities for recreation. Fifty Instructors and Instructresses recruited from among top sportsmen and sportswomen of the country were engaged in training youngsters from the poorer section of the urban society to develop their talents and give rightful places in our society. There were many activities and facilities provided to the up and coming underprivileged youth of the city of Colombo. N. M. Perera, and Jothipala Samaraweera (Table Tennis), M. S. Hassanally and Sarath Wijesighe (Carrom), K. G. Wimalasiri (Wrestling) P. Dayananda (Draughts), Asantha de Mel (Cricket), Tilak Jayaweera and S. A. S. Ravindra (Body building), N. Jayakoddy (Volleyball), M. Z. Maharoof, Shirley Silva (Basketball), L. Diaz (Athletics), Maureen Foulstone, Lourdes Alwis (Netball) are some of them who represented the Country from Playgrounds and community Centres. In addition, most of the Ceylon/Sri Lanka soccer players emerged from the playgrounds and I could name a few famous players like late M. Hasimdeen, late Andrew Fernando, M. Somapala, T. H. Synoon, Rex Foulstone, P. D. Sirisena, Late Densil Wallace, M. Zainulabdeen, M. A. Ameer, Piyadasa Perera. The names of the other soccerites who represented Sri Lanka from the Playgrounds will surely number over 100. The famed cricketer D. H. de Silva who was the Charity Commissioner and Chief Playground instructor combined effectively with late B. A. Jayasinghe, Municipal Commissioner to put the playground Movement on top. Then yet another former Sri Lankan Cricketer and a National Selector Anurudha Polonnowita took over as the Director of Sports of the Playgrounds and Recreation Department in 1985 and continued the good work for some years. But now the playground Movement is losing interest and the present head of the departments main task should be to improve the standard in all fields by way of planning and implementing various new methods. Draw up a constructive plan to enable the lesser fortunate ones in the city to engage in Sports and Recreation daily and reach the top like in the past. |
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