The most memorable day for St Benedict's College

by Elmo Leonard

St Benedict's College, Colombo, experienced, possibly the most memorable day in its 141-year-history on the recent Saturday of November 4, 2006. For, it was on that wet Saturday that the playground of this boys' school was reopening, following closure for two years, for reconstruction.

The reopening was intended to end over 30 years of the school playground going water-logged, when the slightest rain occurred. When the playground was reopened, hundreds of students swarmed unto the vast green, triggering a spontaneously erupted picnic playtime carnival, the joy of which has never been seen.

The students of this school arrived at the college playground in a cavalcade called the `Benedictine Parade', from the college premises. The cavalcade proceeded, with the cricketers dressed up in their cricketing gear, from under 12, 14, 16 and up to the first XI teams, ready to start play.

The football teams, in different age groups followed, with boots on. The hockey players, came in with their sticks, basketballers with basketballs in hand, and athletes, all ready to show their adeptness. Some students played badminton while others played soft ball cricket, all sans game boundaries, and such was the fun and frolic, no player who struck against another was disturbed.

The playground was also filled with a cavalcade of students who had during the procession performed as Kandyan dancers, low country dancers, then came the percussion bands, and a large group of cyclists.

Every boy seemed to be carrying the green and white Benedictine flag, for which love radiates from the Benedictine marrow. The carnival continued with the arrival of a horse drawn cart, reminiscent of the earlier years of St Benedict's College, up to the 1920s when students came to school in horse and trap.

This horse cart bore the prominence of St Benedict's oldest living cricket captain, Terrance Perera 97, hockey captain, Dennis de Rozairo, oldest soccer captain, Basil Jayawardena and double international, basketball and rugby player, Rohan Gunaratne.

The old boys were also there in their numbers sporting the college tie. And, last but very important, the teachers of the school, and wellwishers. The little olympics continued with a cricket match between the present and past Benedictines, similarly, the young and old Bens were pitted in football, hockey and rugby when no one cared who won or lost but how they played the opening games.

Now, the college grounds has five turf wickets and one concrete wicket.

Benedictines, domiciled all over the world do not want to be left out, and have expressed eagerness to the OBU to know more about that Saturday, Benedictines called `Green Letter Day' by virtue of young human feet waltzing as young ones could, on Mother Nature grass.

Firing that curiosity of the Benedictine fraternity is not just that contributions needed for reconstruction, being Rs 30 million ($300,000) came much from overseas OBU branches and all the kind hearts at home. But, that during the past three decades, the ground went waterlogged, with the slightest rain, and many a scheduled interschool fixture, be that, cricket, soccer or hockey, was cancelled.

That prolonging agony, pang, misery, anguish, torment or hunger of young schoolboy sportsmen led to a deterioration of the college sports activities. In fact, during the past two years, the cricket, football and other team's practices were held in grounds as far away as Veyangoda, which necessitated many lakhs of rupees in expenditure.

How, the Benedictine fraternity, now, running into hundreds of thousands, speckled all over the globe, yearn to see the college saddle into its golden era of the 1960s. Then, this school had produced the most number of medical doctors, legal luminaries and the list can go on and on. Instead, to harp on art and sinew, the college was champions in sports, in every game they played. And, in that era, Benedictines, past and present, cake walked into the national and feeder-national teams.

Amidst the Benedictine playground going back to a mash, in recent years; in 2003, Rev Bro Granville Perera assumed duties as director. The global Benedictine fraternity were asked for their suggestions for the 150th year celebrations of the school.

The call went out to reconstruct the playground at any cost. As a first step, the sewer lines were diverted out of the playground and the then minister of public utilities, old Ben, Mohamed Mahroof, assisted two ways, the other, financially, bearing a great cost.

Old Ben, the now late, Shivanka Abeyratne, provided the machinery and manpower. Also putting their heads together, were, general secretary of the OBU, Ravi Iragulbadara, the then president of the welfare association, Lasantha Rodrigo and stalwart, Felix Dias.

For soil testing, Old Ben Anura Vithanage's name came up. He got together Prof B L Tennakoon and an indepth study lead to the redevelopment of the playground. Another old Ben Dudley Waas was appointed project consultant.

Former test cricketer, commentator and now, curator, Ranil Abeynayake played his advisory part, being a non-Ben, backed by Dr Fazal Sultan Bawa, agro specialist of CIC Fertilisers and D Anura Ranwala, a hydrologist also coming in. Sri Lanka Cricket, backed by Damien Fernando, a member of this interim committee, donated equipment valued at Rs 1 million.

Others who played a physical role include: Kumar Sabaratnam, Srilal De Silva, Festus Perera, Marlon Fernandopulle, Ravindra Randeniya, Nimal Perera, Abeyratne Wanigasekara, Randolph Perera, Jayantha Liyanage, S D V D H Gunasekara, P A Chandrapala and D M P Gnanasena. As part of the project, more land has been purchased to extend the pavillion and a car park for spectators.

The lowest location in Kotahena

The Bloemandhall grounds was a marsh, and continues to be the lowest location in Kotahena, while its ground water level keeps going up with increasing urban development. Rs 25 million was deemed sufficient, but fell far short, due to the complexity of the work.

The chairman of Nawaloka group, and wellwisher, H K Dharmadasa (another non-Ben) bore the cost of widening the roadway from gate to pavillion. Contributions were made by OBU branches in Melbourne, Sydney, New York, London, Toronto, Vancouver, and Dubai.

The Victoria branch even got down our Gypsies musical group, to coincide with their silver jubilee celebrations and raised money. An old Ben resident in Australia donated 4,000 wrist bands printed, "Help build my playground" which were bought up by present and past Bens.

Another memorable day of Benedictines could have been in the 1930s, when the college got a plot of land, for a playground in the adjoining Bloemandhall Road, even though it was a marsh, orchestrated by the greatest director the college had, Rev Bro Luke Gregory.

For, before the 1930s there had been an intense clamour for a playground for the school, generated by its directors, past pupils and wellwishers. Then, all college sports activities up to that time were cramped into the legendary quadrangle of St Benedict's College. But, the Colombo City Fathers, had no solution to offer; St Benedict's College did not inherit the land.

When someone had suggested the Bloemandhall marsh, a diabolic picture came into focus. For, when murders were committed within the city, the dead bodies were often dumped where the present college playground stands. Once, the coroner's verdict on a dissected human body wrapped in a gunny bag, and interred into the watery marsh, was that it was the work of a surgeon. But, the police traced the culprit to a butcher.

Out of a history of marsh and murder, come good things. In the same location, that same Saturday, the foundation stone was laid for a St Benedict's Sports Hotel and Hostel, to complete a little Olympic hamlet. Rs 9 million (rupees 108 to a US dollar) will be needed and Mohamed Mahroof, who donated a sizable sum, laid the foundation.

The first floor will have a dining area for 50 visiting students. The second floor will accommodate 36 beds, for visiting schoolboys to lay their heads.

The third floor will be the viewing gallery. The project consultant is Dudley Waas, the work is expected to begin January and end mid-2007. If you like to further brighten smiling young Benedictine faces, please contact, Ravi Irugalbandara, Hony General Secretary OBU, St Benedict's College, Kotahena, Colombo 13. Or [email protected]

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