Personalities

THE HISTORY OF MURALI-VAAS TROPHY AND BEYOND by AFZAL LAPHIR When St Anthony’s College Kandy (SACK) host St Joseph’s College (SJC) Colombo next week (30th April & 1st May 2021), the two Saints schools will meet for the 109th occasion, spreading across three centuries. From the time the first game …

By Rehan Kularatne A short tribute to an unsung lady, educationist Hilda Westbrook Kularatne, by one of her grandsons Rehan Kularatne Hilda Muriel Westbrook was born in Dulwich, south London, on 28 November 1895. She was the daughter of W Francis Westbrook, later Chief Registrar of the Colonial Office, and …

By Suhela Abeynaike Conroy Ievers Gunasekara was born an athlete meant to change sports history in Sri Lanka. He was a colossus, a gentleman of the highest order; unassuming and always stood for justice, a hard hitting batsman and a local maestro on the tennis court. Born on July 14, …

By Lorenz Pereira Eustace Bryan Pereira passed away on 3rd April 2019 at the age of 78, quite unexpectedly, but peacefully, with dignity and with no fuss in keeping with his gentle character and laconic lifestyle. Bryan operated in a by-gone time capsule setting his own agenda, quite oblivious to …

By Michael Wille I was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Selvi Perinpanayagam in Ontario, Canada (in 2019). He and I played for Royal for three years (1954-1956). Of those three years we opened the batting for two years. Opening partners often develop a close friendship having been …

Tribute to Lester James Peiris By Algi Wijewickrema To say that Lester James Peiris turned the then cinema industry upside down – if a cinema related industry existed in the 1950s in Ceylon – would be an understatement. At a time when what passed off as cinema craft in Ceylon …

By Felix Dias Appreciation delivered at the thanksgiving celebration of Dr. Michael Emil Joachim in 2018   I consider it an honour and a privilege to say a few words at this Thanksgiving Celebration for the life of our dear friend Michael Emil Joachim.   We have all read the …

Lawrence Heyn was sports editor of the SUN and WEEKEND newspapers in Colombo in the 1970s and early ’80s. He migrated to Australia in 1984 and worked for 27 years as an editor and production editor for a newspaper group in Brisbane. He is a partner in a design company, …

  Affectionately called as ‘Murali’ he is by far the greatest Sportsperson Sri Lanka ever produced in the modern era. Truly a Legend, an icon and an Ambassador. Not only to his alma mater St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota but also to his country, Sri Lanka and for the game of …

BY NEIL WIJERATNE Then came the most exciting phase of the awards ceremony.   The entertainment items, music, dancing and speeches came to an abrupt end. There was a pin drop silence amongst the packed house at the main hall of the BMICH, Colombo 07. The event was the Schoolboy …