The Trinity College Automotive Society has a great history, with the roots stretching back to the late 1940s.
The Society evolved and thrived for many years before becoming dormant for some time. It was was revived in 2010 by Master Subash Dhanasekara, forming a committee and heading it as the President, under Mr Somasinghe, the then MIC, but the society had faded once again by 2015.
In 2016, the society was revived formally under the presidency of Master M. Premawardhana, and Mr Subash Dhanasekara – now taking up the post of MIC, having joined the College as a trainee teacher for Motor Mechanism.
Since then the society has worked hand in hand with DIMO PLC, a leading company in automotive engineering with many facilities across the island. The society had the privilege of making two industrial visits to DIMO facilities in and around Colombo.
Mr Asela Ratnayake, being the General Manager of Business support at DIMO PLC, an old boy who left College in 2002, saw the potential of the society and the subject, and was instrumental in rebuilding it.
He worked very enthusiastically with the committee and the MIC, and generously worked on getting the society a well refurbished four cylinder engine and a transmission for the purpose of educating the students. His friend, Mr Junias Ranasinghe, who happens to be his batch-mate, has also helped in making this project a success.
Having observed the lack of a permanent learning area for the students to gain practical exposure, Mr Dhanasekara and the College Administration worked on building a dedicated automotive workshop to house the equipment and give the students the opportunity to work on their own on this newly refurbished engine and future projects.
The engine block was formally handed over to the society and the workshop declared open on 24th of May, 2019 with the presence of Mr Asela Ratnayake. The present committee headed by the president Master Gayendra Amarasekara organized the occasion along with the Automotive Society members.
The engine that was handed over was taken from a Mitsubishi van, and is a 2.5 liter (approx) carburetted petrol engine complete with gearbox, alternator, distributor, and other ancillaries. The society plans to start the engine and run it as a demonstration for students in the near future.
During the occasion, citing the future plans, Mr Ratnayake revealed the society will be getting a proper chassis with a working motor and a transmission mounted, and further assistance will be provided.
We wish the society all the best for its future ventures.
