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(Reproduced from The Island of November 3, 2001)By Lankika de Livera The date is Saturday, 20th October, 2001 - I stand expectantly and very happily near the Odeon cinema at Mt. Lavinia, with my 6-year-old- Thomian Son, as expectant and happy. We are waiting along with many, many others big and small, to join the " Thomian Walk" which has commenced from Milagiriya, Bambalapitiya earlier and is already making it’s way to Mt. Lavinia. The scene is of festivity, Juniors in uniform and very orderly in their classroom manner, neatly in lines of four, standing on Dharmapala Road, with a blue and black balloon together in their hands - making it look like a mini Thomian parade at the "Royal-Thomian Cricket Match". Parents happily chattering away to friends whom they have met after years and maybe after the last Royal-Thomian. This morning there is intermittent drizzle, along with sunshine alternating - not the best weather for a long walk. However, everyone is happily armed with brollies and caps while some little ones have already donned raincoats. The much-awaited parade is finally approaching - heralded in by the "papara" band of Royal -Thomain fame and of course the Hewisi band of the college. A gigantic Thomian crest with the motto "Esto Perpetua" written leads the parade. Banners in-hand all the colleges begun under the parent college of Mt. Lavinia parade. S. Thomas’ Mount Lavinia, Bandarawela, and Gurutalawa and behind their banners - all the very patriotic old boys who put aside their work to participate. S.Thomas’ Preparatory School Kollupitiya is the only unmistakable missing branch on this day of great historic importance to St.Thomas’ College.
Myself being a Bishopian with ties with that school too, dating back a few generations added more value and depth to the bond of faithfulness to STC. Incidentally it was my Grand Uncle Edmund de Livera who penned the College Song more than a century ago. It was originally in the form of a poem. He was the Editor of the former Times of Ceylon, and somewhere down the lines, has trickled a bit of his talent to me too. My dream is also to pen something, which would be of value to the only boys’ school I love. Walking amidst all the Thomians today brought back vivid memories of my teen-age days. As a thirteen year old I was one who would parade the Oval grounds with my school buddies, unmistakably all of us clad in blue and black and Thomian flags tied around our waists, blue and black Golliwogs pinned on our shirts. Unmistakable memories of despair flash back, when Royalist bullies would flick our flags. We used to proudly strut about with our blue and black flags. Memory is strong of a very close and dear school buddy Nisha, who once braved one of these bullies and retrieved her flag. So much were our loyalties. Memories of mine go back to my school buddy Ingrid Gunewardena and her faithful Thomian Dad Shelton and her three wonderful Brothers Dilip, Vivian and Ravi. Who really enriched our teen years with the special occasion being of course the Royal -Thomian Cricket Match. A day of tremendous importance to the Gunawardena family. Aunty would prepare loads of sandwiches with different fillings and baskets of other goodies to eat along with bottles of yum iced-coffee and we would set off to enjoy a day of eating, drinking and merry-making. The Royal Thomian rugby match occasions were another event we Bishopians used to faithfully participate as Thomian fans. One of my main reasons for going was because of a great and severe "crush" I had on a relative who was in the first fifteen rugby team, although actually this very good-looking relative Shanaka de Livera was totally unaware even of my existence! For many many reasons apart from family and personal ties and the fact that Bishop’s And St. Thomas’ being sister schools, I should say we Bishopians feel a tremendous bond to the Thomians. However to come back to the Walk, it ended with free hot dogs from John Keells, ice-cream and Nespray milk for the kiddies and a musical show. Rajiv & the Clan, Ronnie Leach and the two Thomian Bands "Stigmata" and "Absolute" were there in a very sporty way. This was all in the Small Club’s grounds. Then I hastened to be present at the Foundation Stone laying ceremony for the historic "Heritage Museum" - the first of it’s kind in a Sri Lankan School. This is the bare area near the Winchester Dormitory, opposite the swimming pool. After a few prayers, David Ponniah the Warden together with faithful old boys buried the foundation stones and cemented them. Into the cavities of these stones were little leaflets folded and stuck inside about the historic walk and the day when these stones were laid down to posterity. This Historic Heritage Museum will hold artifacts of antiquity, valuable to the history of this prestigious school. The Warden made an appeal to all old boys of different vintages to come forward and be generous enough to donate items like books, flags, badges, photographs etc. that would be valuable artifacts to keep intact - the heritage of a great school. I was personally requested to try and retrieve the manuscript of Edmund de Livera’s original College song. The Museum is expected to come up fast - with the generous donations of the ever-faithful old boys. Then I ventured to the OTSC - Old Thomian’s Swimming Club, where sipping a Ginger beer I chatted to the Chairman of the Organizing Committee the very active determined Udaya Guneratne who proudly proclaimed the profits made of the walk - the proceeds which were to be channeled for the Heritage Museum Building. However Janaka Boteju, Nishantha Fernando, Geethika Perera and Renganathan - the other members of the Committee showed their Chairman their appreciation by bodily throwing him into the College pool with a big splash. That was his reward! Udaya was wearing a special commemorative wristwatch that had been turned out for the 150 years Anniversary celebration. It has a black strap and outline of the face of the watch, while the dial is of a white backdrop and on top of it is the Thomian crest. It is very attractive and a beautiful souvenir. Priced at a very reasonable rupees thousand. It is definitely a collector’s item, which all old boys will be proud to possess. These wristwatches are available for sale at the College Office in Mount Lavinia. Then it was time for Lunch. Lunch at the Boarding Dining room - there again hosted by the College. After grace was said we all sat down to have lunch, seated on the long tables and benches. Lunch was yellow rice, pol sambol, pickle, parippu, a cutlet and that oh! so delicious "Mas Curry" - raved about for generations. I, a non-beef eater was tempted to gulp it down and even wanted more! Disgraceful I told myself - but cannot be helped - it was too good to be left on the plate. Sitting and chatting to me at lunch was old boy and former Air Vice Marshall - Paddy Mendis, who had many a tale to relate of his childhood memories of College. He looked around the dining room and sighed nostalgically, "Nothing has changed here for the last fifty years -this was just like this when I had meals here as a schoolboy". I was eating pieces of my beef curry when I remembered that my brother Manjula had said, of course, 31 years ago when he was a boarder in college, how they found worms in some curry - perhaps - that’s what makes things so tasty? But I bet it is the same recipe that is being followed for the beef curry in the kitchen quarters and that is what Paddy Mendis meant when he said that absolutely nothing had changed. Chocolate ice cream was served for dessert. After lunch and with our bellies full and our hearts and minds very happy to be amidst so many friends, everyone stood up to bellow the College song with much gusto "Esto Perpetua" - Yes we re-echoed "Esto Perpetua" - BE THOU FOR EVER!
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