Category: News Archive

Business & Corporate Affairs by Sunil Karunanayake

On  26^thMarch, 2012 Sunil?s maiden publication ‘Business & Corporate affairs’ was launched in the presence of a packed audience at the Auditorium of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Sunil is a well known figure in the Thurstan Community. Long time Treasurer of the OBU, Founder member of the Thurstan Trust Fund, Originator of the Founder?s day Oration, Historian of Thurstan Rugby are many facets of his involvement with Thurstan.

Sunil as some of you know was the Commercial Controller of Unilever Tea Division and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of SL and Chartered and Management Accountants UK and holds a MBA from the post Graduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura  After leaving Unilever he joined the Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL as the project Director of the World Bank funded IRQUE project. He also served as editor of the Institute?s quarterly publication ?The Chartered Accountant?. At present he is the Chief Financial Consultant of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd in addition to being in the directorate of several listed companies. He was a regular contributor to leading Weekly Financial Times

The book launch was simple but elegant, President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Sujeewa Rajapakse introducing Sunil, paid him a glowing tribute elaborating his contribution to the Institute and his professional career, two outstanding personalities Deshmanya Dharmasiri Pieris [ Distinguish Thurstan Old Boy – ? MDD?] respected retired Civil Servant of the  elitist Ceylon service  and  Dr Wickrema Weerasuriya well known legal personality, former Professor of Laws at Monash Australia and former Secretary to Ministry of plan implementation kept the audience on their toes with two outstanding deliveries  elaborating the author as well as the contents.

To quote from Preface

?This book comprises of 5 sections i.e.: Business and Corporate Affairs, Banking and Finance, Economic Affairs, Education and Social Overheads and change and development.  These bring in to focus government policies, deficiencies, achievements and analytical studies covering the period 2005 to 2011. These articles initially elaborating on crisis situations move in to the post war regime with a flurry of economic activity in infrastructure development, capital market development, leisure sector expansion, liberalization of exchange controls, sports economy, etc.  Development of the North and East in the economic process are expected to guide Sri Lanka to sustainable growth, peace and stability?

The books is available at Sarasavi Book Shop, Odel, Lake house Book Shop, Bare Foot Book Shop and the cost is Rs 980/-.

There were many Thurstanites present at the launch, many were his contemporaries in the 1968-69 batch.

THURSTAN RUGBY LOVERS PROGRAMME

We are pleased to inform that Thurstan College Rugby has decided to launch a programme in order to encourage Young Thurstanites to join the above programme to bring the College Rugby to a greater heights and good standard to train the young players and select the best players from the College itself mainly for a good team build up.

The Principal at a recent discussion gave his consent to go ahead with such programme to search good and best players after they are properly trained by the Present Coaches as well as Old Thurstanites who were involved and devoted in Thurstan College Rugby.

Accordingly,we have decided to have a meeting mainly to get  your ideas on how we should we push Thurstan College Rugby to a  greater height by bringing in more and more Rugby lovers and decided to have a meeting under the patronage of the Principal which will  be held on the 10th of March 2012 (Saturday) in the College Hall at 5.00 p.m.

Please ensure your  participation which will definitely help this Young Rugby Lovers Programme.

We shall be pleased if you can inform any Thurstanites who wish to get involved in the development of Thurstan Rugby  please ask them to be present on this day at the College hall to make this event a success.

Regards,
Senaka Kumarasinghe

OBU Functional Secretary – Rugby
Nimmitha Hettiaratchchi

MAS HOLDING WINS PRESIDENT CHALLENGE TROPHY FOR THE FIRST TIME

The fifth Annual Mercantile Swimming Championship for the President?s Trophy organized by the Thurstan College Aquatic Club in Association with the Sri Lanka Amateur Aquatic Sports Union (SLAASU) was successfully worked off on October 16, 2011 at the Thurstan College Swimming Pool Complex.The Following were the Winners and Runner-up

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, perhaps reminiscing his happy childhood at Thurstan and an athlete of Public School fame decided to donate the ?President?s Trophy? to mark yet another memorable chapter in the history of sports at Thurstan. The inaugural Championship in 2007 was a tremendous success with large participation, and was won by John Keels Holdings while Sri Lankan Air Lines became the worthy runners up. The John Keels Holdings continue to dominate the competition in subsequent years as well by winning the coveted Challenge Trophy This year the organizing committee made elaborate arrangements to add many new features to attract a large number of Swimming Enthusiasts from the Mercantile Sector.

Thurstan College was set up as a Government institution in the early fifties to cater to the overflow of admissions to Royal Primary school. It?s founder Principal, Douglas Earle Allan Shockman took lot of pains to instill public school values to this fledgling school. The house system, athletic meet, prize giving etc. soon gave a sense of pride to youngsters, most of whom came over from the adjoining Royal Primary School. This background no doubt saw a remarkable upsurge in the sporting activities of Thurstan and in no time they began hitting the headlines in Cricket, boxing and rugby.

Swimming during this era was by no means a popular sport among the schools and the available facilities were few, with only schools like St Joseph?s College, Maradana and S. Thomas? College, Mt. Lavinia having their own swimming pools. However, Thurstan too took a plunge in to this sport in the early sixties with boys going over to the St Joseph?s, pool for their training in swimming. The task of overlooking of swimming at Thurstan fell in to the hands of a young school teacher, Addison de Silva who later on became a leading icon in the National swimming arena and continued his inspiring addiction to swimming until his sudden demise in the late eighties.

Though lacking in basic facilities, the enthusiasm was high among the young Thurstanites who took the plunge and in 1964 they produced a prodigy in Gavin Amarasinghe who broke in to fame with a record breaking win in the then highly popular annual ?two mile? sea swim and followed up with an equally masterly display to win the ?six mile? event too. Gavin who was Thurstan?s swimming captain in 1964 repeated his championship feats for two more years. Another was Ravindra de Livera (passed away just two years back in USA) who excelled in public schools meets and also represented Sri Lanka.

Thurstan?s landmark year in swimming however was the year 2000 when the College was gifted with a six lane swimming pool with all facilities, by a distinguished old boy, Lion Graetian Gunawardhana who was a fine Rugby player during his days. Ironically, laying of the foundation stone and the opening of the Pool Complex was done by none other than another distinguished past Thurstanite and .a sportsman par excellence, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa presently the President of Sri Lanka.. This is an unparalleled unique event that every Thurstanite could be proud of.

Today, swimming is a very popular sport at Thurstan with the Swimming Pool Complex managed efficiently by an independent legal entity with a Board of Management comprising many distinguished ex-Thurstanites.

Mercantile Swimming Championship 2011 essentially for the Mercantile Sector for the coveted President?s Trophy. It is open to Companies, Organizations & Banks in the Mercantile or Private Sector.The Organizing Committee of ?Old Thurstanite boys? headed by Lion Graetian Gunawardhana, the sole presenter of the Swimming Pool Complex to his beloved ?Alma Mater? and Chairman of the Swimming Pool Complex Management Company which also includes the pioneer swimmer from Thurstan, Gavin Amarasinghe for technical advise and also the present President of the Swimming Pool Complex Management Committee Maj Gen. Dr. Dudley Perera supported by many past Thurstanites from various eras of the existence of the School worked tirelessly to make it a grand event.