To 'Madam' and 'Sir' with love

The '76-ers turn 50 by felicitating their beloved teachers, first!  "The boys who entered the junior gates of Royal College in 1967 have all grown-up, and are an inspiration to us all", enthused the Principal of Royal College, Upali Gunasekara, while addressing the Group of 76 ('76-ers), their teachers and other Royal guests who had congregated at the Skills Centre Building of the Royal College Union, on July 1. The unique and unforgettable Teacher Felicitation Ceremony was held in honour of past teachers who had taught, guided and molded them, to achieving excellence in their chosen sphere of life.

The memorable and heart-warming ceremony was filled with love, laughter and speeches that were witty and humorous. But first things first. One wonders if these mischievous and rambunctious Royalists have indeed grown-up, as during the ceremony 'sparks' of mischief, remembrances of school capers past, escapades, and 'what-not' surfaced in abundance as the 'young' old boys felicitated their beloved teachers, who had molded them to becoming the men of stature they are today.

The theme for the special evening titled '76-ers turn 50' was symbolic of many things 'Blue and Gold', with the 'Golden' bonds of friendship ignited once more, where friends converged from all parts of the world to one Royal location, held fittingly at the Royal College Union auditorium. The building has the distinct stamp of Royal vision, purpose, dedication, team-work and interesting architecture, all rolled up in one, and stands testimony to Royal-synergy.

At the outset of this ceremony, Air Vice Marshall Kolitha Gunetilleke, affirmed that the reason for the Group of '76 to band together in 1982 was to simply remain in contact with one another, and most importantly to repay the 'debt' owed to the College.

The genesis of 'repaying' a debt to the College was in 2002 when the Scouts complex was initiated, and completed in 2004. Symbolically a plaque was unveiled as well, with the Royal College Scouts and Scout Master in attendance.

Speaking on the occasion, Rohan Weerasekera, Scout Leader, said he was extremely proud and grateful that the Scouts have facilities on par with international standards, and noted that whilst churning out Presidents Scouts, what was more important was to produce Royalists who could become ambassadors for Royal College, upholding vales of integrity, honesty and leadership.

The twin project of the Group of '76 was the Skills Centre Building, which was put up with a lot of sweat, love and toil, brick-by-brick. Elaborating on the herculean task set before them, when they undertook the project, Abhaya Amaradasa recounted how the money for the building was raised through donations, musical shows and sheer ingenuity. "We practically spent all our time at the site of the now Skills Centre Building, coming in daily, to make sure the building was up", he said.

The lovely building which Royalists and non-Royalists now enjoy, houses facilities that can boast of a 'debt' well repaid to the beloved Alma Mater.

Since the occasion was mainly to felicitate the beloved teachers of Royal College, it is fitting and touching to describe the genuine and heartfelt manner in which the Group of '76 made their teachers feel like 'Gold'. Reminiscences waved to-and-fro, like a Royal Blue-and-Gold flag. Most memories were etched in Gold, but some were tinged in Blue. Mr.KotteHewa Amaradasa, a past teacher, said he was touched at the gesture of the boys honouring their teachers, and applauded the lengths to which they had taken to locate their teachers and bring them back into the heart of Royal.

Memories abounded, resurrecting 'gems' of incidents. Each teacher was matched by a student counterpart, with specific instructions to be adhered to whilst gifting the tokens, which brought on the applause and the tears of joy. Irrespective of rank or office the old-boys remembered their origins and did justice to the requirements of 'worshipping' their teachers nicely and appropriately.

Ishan Saldin, a former English teacher of Royal College, spoke with pride about the deportment and qualities of his fine lads who had now grown up to become fine gentlemen. From 'rascals' to members of the cabinet, with a whole list of doctors, lawyers and businessman, and a plethora of professions in-between, the '76-ers have done Royal College proud by not only producing the most amount of university entrants after the NCGE examination, for any one given batch at Royal, then, but has produced noble sons of Royal with heart's of Gold, that beat for humanity at large.

Timothy Speldewinde, brought the memorable evening to a fitting close with a witty, humourous and heartfelt 'thank you', to the principal of Royal College, distinguished Royalists, invitees, his fellow class-mates who had criss-crossed the globe, (some were still travelling to get to further celebrations) and very specially to the beloved teachers present, at this milestone event.

Disce Aut Discede( learn or depart), has been refined by the '76-ers turning a smart 50 in the fire of life, and this lot of Royalists have turned both words and deeds into Golden actions.