Sir Samuel Baker remembered

Reggie Fernando

The Britisher, Sir Samuel W. Baker, who during his eight-year stay in 'Ceylon' (1846-1854) introduced livestock farming and cultivation of potatoes and vegetables from the west, was the remembered at a ceremony on Friday at the John Knox International School, Hawa Eliya.

The chief guest was the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Dominick Chilcott who delivered the Sir Samuel W. Baker Oration. Chilcott said; "Nuwara Eliya has changed a lot since the days of Baker.

Its problems are different today, though daunting as the challenges Baker faced when he started clearing the land and planting.

"If there is a lesson from Baker's time in Nuwara Eliya, it is this - that we should hold on to our vision, in good and bad times, provided it is fundamentally sound.

With a can-do mentality and bags of energy, as Baker had, we can turn that vision into reality. Chilcott said that providing affordable, high quality English medium education for the children of Nuwara Eliya, regardless of their background, is a worthy vision in today's circumstances.

Prior to the opening of the Sir Samuel W. Baker library and exhibition by Chilcott, Prabhath de Silva principal of John Knox International school said; "The legacy of Sir Samuel Baker in Nuwara Eliya is clearly seen as we can hardly find a plot of land where the vegetables he introduced are not grown."