Dutch blessing for BA elders' home

by Elmo Leonard

The Burgher Association (BA), five years in existence has planned to build an elders' home with a donation of $35,000 from Netherlands Embassy. The building plan to house 32 senior citizens, 16 from each gender, was drawn by architect R Vignanatha. The building is expected to cost Rs 20.5 million ($205,000). The BA is expected to request the government to allot a plot of land for the purpose.

Roger Quyn, who heads the senior citizens' health care committee said that a minimum of 40 perches is desirable. The land should be in the outskirts of Colombo, for easy supervision by the BA committee. Donations for the Home will be called for, from here, and abroad, after details are worked out.

The chief guest at the fifth BA AGM, counsellor of the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Ferdinand Lahnstein was a happy man, since his arrival in Sri Lanka, and happier still, with his first encounter with the people of the Burgher race. Lahnstein, had come across people of diverse races living in Sri Lanka, Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays, Burghers and even smaller groups. Each race, bore a culture of its own.

Lahnstein, found that the Burghers were the descendents of the Dutch, Portuguese, British and others of European origin who came to Sri Lanka in sail boats, centuries ago. Those who came along with the Dutch belonged to the Dutch East India Company abbreviated VOC.

Lahnstein thought that the Burghers of today are a mix of European and Asian ancestry. In the past, the Burghers had a clearly woven culture, and they had contributed much to the island's politics, law, medicine, education, sports, to name a few, he said.

Inter-communal strife and good relations has been part of the Burgher culture. Now, many of the Burghers have migrated to the English speaking world, such as Australia, the United Kingdom, even to the United States and Canada, Lahnstein said.

The BA is an example of the attempt of the Burghers to fortify their culture and preserve it, being a challenging task, the Dutchman said.

BA president, Dunstan Kelaart said that the BA had formed a cricket team which would play its first B-Division match in the future.

Among the other highlights for the year include:

The printing and distribution of a quarterly Roots magazine; a Valentine ball; senior citizens picnic; formation of a netball team; a sports day and cricket sixes tournament; pilgrimmage to St Anne's, Thalawila; a youth bash; updated headquarters with high tech equipment and modern furniture at a cost of Rs 350,000 and purchase of an organ for the association.