The annual general meeting of the Old Boys’ Association (OBA) was held on Saturday, 9th February 2019 at the College hall followed by the Old Boys’ service on 10th February at the College Chapel.
According to Miss Valesca Reimann’s ‘History of Trinity College Kandy’ this tradition of having the AGM and the Sunday service dates back to 1893 when the first AGM was held on a Saturday, and included a cricket match, a tiffin and an evening service followed by a communion service on Sunday. The first AGM was attended by 33 members.
The formation of the OBA started in 1892 when Mr Napier Clavering encouraged the creation such an association as there were many around the island who were proud to acknowledge Trinity College as their alma mater.
The preliminary meeting of the Old Boys’ Association was held in December 1892, at the Principal’s bungalow. Principal was also made the President of the association, while Mr J.H. Sproule was made the Vice-President, and Mr J.W. Wirakoon, the Secretary and Treasurer.
In 1918, the presidency was given to Mr T.B.L. Moonamale who was the first Old Boy to hold the post.
The OBA celebrated its 30th anniversary on 19th August 1922, the date of the College’s 50th jubilee and when the original foundation stone for the Chapel was re-located to its current place. 2017 was the OBA’s 125th anniversary.
From its inception in 1892, the Old Boys’ Association continued to grow, and currently it has branches worldwide, and many generous old boys continue to contribute to the school in various ways.
The Colombo OBA undertook a major project equipping the kindergarten with state-of-the-art smartboards. The entire Junior School is expected to be equipped with smartboards by the end of 2019 through further efforts of old boys.
As well as OBAs, we recently had many batches of old boys sponsoring some major projects in the school including the building the Solar Power system, refurbishing the library and making the Creative Learning Centre, and upgrading the College hall sounds and lighting system.
And many other old boys (in batches, OB Associations, and as individuals) have pledged financial contributions towards the Trinity150 projects.
As the Old Boys’ Association and the old boys together respectfully carries the responsibility of being custodians of Trinity’s values and traditions, we hope to see more old boys joining in to support the school in every possible way as Trinity steps into the glorious celebration of its 150th anniversary in few years time.
