In the pic above: Skipper, a young Ashan Ratwatte receives the coveted Bradby Shield in the year 1983 from Mr. E. L. Bradby at Longden Place. Photo by Nalin Wetthasinghe (82 & 83) The year 1983 saw a resurgent Trinity swamp all its opposition, to remain undefeated and crowned unofficial champions only to be beaten in the second leg of the Bradby shield encounter! However, Trinity had done more than enough in the first leg, to annex the all-important Bradby for the third consecutive year! Led by the flamboyant Ashan Ratwatte, Trinity was a formidable unit with the skipper leading from front! The fiercest of opposition wilted under the mighty power of the Lions! Ashan took to the game of rugby football at a very young age. From those early days, he was marked and heading for greatness! One was not being prophetic, when prophesying his future success at rugby football – it was there for all to see; a prodigy that progressed steadily to storm past all frontiers with grace and skill! He skippered Trinity at all age grades, from under thirteen, all the way to the hallowed 1st XV, missing out on the under seventeen as he was drafted into the 1st XV that year! In the year before, Ashan was a thorn in the opposition flesh. The season in 1982 commenced with Ashan in uncharacteristically subdued form; but it’s aptly said that form is temporary, class is permanent and so it was no different with Ashan. Trinity was up against a marauding Dharmaraja side in 1982, dictating terms from the kickoff, pinning Trinity deep in their half, time and time again. On one such occasion, Trinity was defending grimly with just five yards separating them from their goal line, on the extreme right near the scoreboard where it stands today at Nittawela. It all happened so quickly, against the run of play, Trinity secured quick ball through their nippy halfback Ratwatte and were set to clear for long touch, but was not to be, as Ashan took the game and the situation by the scruff of its neck, stepping, darting, dodging and outrunning the fastest on the field; jinxing from deep inside and far right he brought play to the Halfway mark, losing a boot in the process, but he just continued to jinx, dodge and step his way without the boot, all the way across the field to score far left, in front of where the new club house is perched now! Phew. What a score!!! Everyone there that day will surely agree that it was one of the finest ever, scored by a Trinitian!!! This set the trend and mood for the rest of the lads to pick up their game and inflict a hurtful defeat on the Rajans! The two Bradby shield encounters are the pinnacle games for both Royal and Trinity, while the rest of the schools look on grudgingly! 1983, witnessed the unprecedented, when the graceful donor of the shield, the late great EL Bradby graced the occasion for the 100th game between the two archrivals! Trinity under Ashan Ratwatte, having secured a thundering win in the first leg, were favorites to take the second leg too! However, Royal led by the graceful half back Sriyan Cooray had other ideas and pipped Trinity to the post, to win the 100th game and give their former Principal a reason to smile! Yet the day belonged to Trinity and their spectacular skipper, who had the singular honour of receiving the coveted Bradby shield from the great visionary EL Bradby himself! This honour and privilege was never to be and never before – the only skipper to receive the shield from the donor himself – Ashan Ratwatte, skipper of Trinity in 1983! This particular Ratwatte pedigree in Rugby football, commenced with Ashan’s dad Dennis, donning the magnificent tricolored Trinity Jersey in the late 40s going on to vice-captain the side in his last year in 1951, manning the pivotal fly half’s position, which in later years, his grandson Tarinda made his own! Following in the father’s footsteps, all four sons took to the game, like ducks to water. Sheran, the eldest of the brothers, had to be satisfied with captaining the 2nd XV since he left school early. The rest of the triumvirate, namely Roshan, Ashan and Dilakshan all played with distinction for Trinity. Roshan and Dilakshan were the vice captains of their respective teams in 1982 & 1984, while Ashan captained in 1983. Roshan was the first in the family to win the coveted Lion in 1981, followed by younger brother Ashan in 1982 and Dilakshan winning his colours in 1983. The story of this Ratwatte family’s indulgence in Trinity rugby continued, with both Roshan’s and Ashan’s sons taking up the sport. Roshan’s son Menendra, played through all the age grades up to the 2nd XV and also indulged in coaching the juniors, while his illustrious cousin and Ashan’s son, Tarinda went on to set many a Trinity record and captained the side in 2014, which incidentally was the last occasion when Trinity won the Bradby Sheild! Tarinda went on to win the coveted Lion in 2014, joining his illustrious father and uncle as the three Lions in the family, which is indeed a rare feat! Ashan & Tarinda were both awarded the prestigious Ryde Gold Medal during their respective periods at Trinity – the award that surpasses all others and bestowed on just that solitary recipient!!! It was only the second occasion, when father and son captained Trinity at the Bradby shield encounters, behind the legendary Sourjah’s- Dr Robert (first Bradby captain and son Rohan) However, the Ratwatte’s are the only father and son duo to win the Bradby shield in their respective years as captain! Ashan conquered the Everest in rugby, representing the country and his son Tarinda emulated him in playing for the country too and went one better, when he became the first Sri Lankan to score a spectacular
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:4-5 The annual Bishop’s visit and feast of the Holy Trinity Chapel was observed on the 13th of June, 2023. The most significant aspect of this holy day is the confirmation of candidates as they enter into the sacramental body of Christ, making a firm commitment to live and work as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The service commenced with the traditional processional “Holy, Holy, Holy” by Bishop Reginald Herber, where he perfectly describes the beauty of the Trinity without encroaching upon its mystery. Interestingly the tune of this hymn, “Nicaea” by J. B. Dykes reminds us of the Council of Nicaea, where the nature of the Trinity was shaped theologically. The service was presided over by Rt. Rev. Nishantha Fernando: the new Bishop of the Diocese of Kurunagala of the Church of Ceylon. Former and present Archdeacons of the Diocese of Kurunagala Ven. George Melder and Ven. Anton Williams and Rev. Jayanath Pandithratne a former Chaplain of Trinity College graced the occasion with their presence. While the Bishop led the acceptance of candidates for confirmation, the choir sang අති ශුද්ධ (Athi Shudda), and the confirmation candidates dipped their hands in the water in the font and made their foreheads symbolically as a sign of their baptism. The Old Testament reading was done by a confirmation candidate and was followed by a sung “Psalm 8” and Epistle reading. The Bishop delivered the homily where he elaborated on the meaning of the Trinity based on three points. Trinity – complete equality of persons Though we say three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, work equally. Therefore, as the Triune God teaches us, respect each other, respect others and accept others’ dignity. Trinity – teaches us unity in diversity God the Father has one task, God the Son has another task, and God the Holy Spirit has a different task. Trinity College has practised the concept of plurality from its very inception. As Trinitians, unity in diversity should be a part of your daily life. Trinity – teaches us fellowship and self-giving There is a great fellowship among the Trinity. Practicing equality and unity in diversity leads to greater fellowship through self-giving. My dear Trinitians, when you are around there must be fellowship and friendship. That should be the hallmark of Trinitian quality. The clergy fulfilled the rite of Confirmation and affirmation of faith. The choir sang the invocation of the holy spirit, “Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire” and the confirmed students were greeted by the principal and lay officers. The clerical procession recessed towards the West door as the final hymn, “Lead us Heavenly Father Lead Us” was sung in unison by the Choir and congregation. The annual Bishop’s visit and service of confirmation allowed us to offer our praises and thanksgiving to God almighty for his grace and providence and keep alive the memory of the sacrificial mission of our missionary forefathers who ministered to establish our Church to build Christ’s Kingdom in this heathen land. The service manifested the pinnacle of the vision of Trinity, which is to bring the good news of Jesus Christ into the lives of Trinitians so that they may become Christ-like and harvest the riches of salvation and grace through a life in Christ. Review by Samiru Bandara (Web Content Team)
In a modest ceremony held on June 13th, 2023, near the location of the upcoming construction site, the foundation was officially laid for the highly anticipated Science Laboratory Complex. This milestone event marks the 5th achievement of the Trinity150 Infrastructure Initiative. His Lordship Bishop Nishantha Fernando, the Bishop of Kurunagala, graciously presided over the event. Also in attendance were Reverend Father Araliya Jayasundara OSB, the Principal, Reverend Shelton Samadanam, the Chaplain, esteemed members of the College Executive Council, and Mr. Duminda Hulangamuwa, the Chairman of the Advisory & Oversight Committee (A&OC) of the Trinity150 Infrastructure Initiative. The ceremony was further enriched by the presence of dedicated staff members and enthusiastic students of the College. The new laboratory complex, set to be a centerpiece of scientific advancement, will comprise three cutting-edge laboratories, seven spacious classrooms, and a contemporary lecture hall. These facilities will be seamlessly connected by an open rooftop terrace, creating an innovative environment for collaborative learning and research. The Trinity150 Infrastructure Initiative, aimed at transforming the academic and extra-curricular landscape, has been making significant progress in enhancing the infrastructure of Trinity College. The Science Laboratory Complex stands as a testament to this commitment, promising to provide state-of-the-art resources and facilities to foster breakthrough discoveries and academic excellence of future generations of Trinitians. With the foundation now in place, construction is expected to proceed swiftly, with completion anticipated within 12 months.
Trinity College Rugby hosted a media briefing on June 7th 2023 at the Napier Multipurpose Learning Space. The purpose of the event was to inform media personnel and organizations about the media guidelines and formalities concerning the Trinity College Rugby team’s participation in the upcoming Sri Lanka Schools Rugby League 2023. The media encounter served as an essential platform to establish clear communication channels between Trinity College Rugby and the media throughout the upcoming rugby league season. With the growing popularity and coverage of school rugby in Sri Lanka, it becomes imperative to establish proper guidelines and protocols to maintain integrity and professionalism. The Principal, the captain and the Vice-Captain shared insights into the team’s strategies, training routines, and the overall approach for the upcoming season. The importance of responsible reporting and accurate representation of the team’s activities were emphasized. The event was a crucial step in establishing effective communication between Trinity College Rugby and the media. With the collective effort of the school, the team, and the media, this initiative aims to ensure responsible coverage of Trinity College Rugby throughout the season. For those who wish to access all media content related to Trinity Rugby and the team, please email promweb@trinitycollege.lk
The Social Service Union dedicated a week off the May calendar to advocate support and bring attention to assisting those who are less fortunate. Dedicated from the 15th to 21st May, this week was aptly named the ‘Social Service Week’ and was organised around the theme “I am, because we are: rediscovering our connectedness”. This appealed to every student to step up selflessly, appreciating humanity with empathy and assisting those in need devoid of age, race and gender differences. This week was organised against the backdrop of the recently completed T150 Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Trinity College, where ‘serving community’ was reiterated as one of the four core value pillars on which Trinity celebrated its 150th anniversary. The activities of the Social Service Week were driven by 06 identified value objectives: Reminiscing history, it is apparent that social service is not a novel concept to Trinity. The words of Mr.Hilary Abeyratne, one of the greatest Trinitians of the last century was asked what defines ‘Trinity Spirit’. He replied with one word; “Service!” Further a Trinity historian looks into the services of former Principal Norman Phillips Campbell, “The word makes deeper sense as one learns more about Norman Phillips Campbell and the work of the Social Service Union. Perhaps, it is not too far-fetched to imagine that David Paynter, who’s murals at the Chapel brought to life the essence the Trinity Spirit of Service, may have been an active member of the Union, or that he may have heard the story about how Norman Campbell and his students had once gotten into faeces ridden drains in the Mahaiyyawa slums to unclog them, while conducting a survey of the slum. Perhaps those stories and experiences inspired him to pick the scenes of the Good Samaritan and Washing of the Disciples Feet with local subjects as models?” The contribution of the Junior School Students from grade 1 to 5 extended their support to those facing socio-economic challenges in various ways. They provided stationery packs comprising school essentials to 404 children who lacked educational opportunities in 5 different schools. The aim was to equip them with the necessary tools for learning and accommodating them to attend school. The number of packs donated and the schools that benefited are as follows: Gohagoda Primary school – 20 packsUdawalawa Kanishta Vidyalaya – 219 packsSenarathgama Primary School – 50 packsYatihalagala Sumanatissa School – 35 packsSivananda Tamil Maha Vidyalaya – 80 packs During that week, the Cub Scouts of the Junior School also made a valuable contribution. They provided the necessary supplies for a newly formed cub pack consisting of 29 cubs at Siddartha School Wattegama. Additionally, 32 Cub Scouts accompanied by 7 Akelas visited the school, engaging in dancing, singing, and games. Through these activities, the young Cub Scouts developed their leadership and teamwork skills, which are invaluable for their personal and professional growth. Recognizing the importance of supporting our wider community, the staff members of the Junior School rallied together. With their collective efforts, they provided lunch and essential necessities to 29 children residing in the Singithi Sevana orphanage in Aruppola. This act of kindness aimed to bring comfort and relief to those in need. Furthermore, as responsible members of the school community, the Junior School did not overlook the socio-economic challenges faced by the families of our support staff members. As an expression of gratitude for their invaluable service to the school, we donated 12 stationary packs to the children of the Support Staff. Social Service Week activities from Middle and Upper School In line with the theme, which is self-explanatory, Trinity strives to instill the value of ‘caring’ as an integral component of all round education. It is with great appreciation that we note that the contribution to this week’s activities were not limited merely to the members of the Social Service Unit but extended to students of both the middle and upper school. The projects carried out from the Upper School Classes are: Similarly, the students of the Middle School gave their helping hand for the success of the week, The Grade 7 classes went with the concept: “Family” The Grade 8 classes went with the concept: “Helping the support staff of the school” We thank all the students and the staff coordinators for supporting the cause and making this first effort of a Social Services Week a success while working alongside the 3rd pillar of the T150 Sesquicentennial Anniversary, “Serving Humanity”. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa Reviewed by Yeshan Ranatunga (Web Content Team)
It is with deep sadness we announce the demise of one of Trinity’s most illustrious old-boys, Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala. The veteran diplomat’s passing was reported yesterday (The 27th May 2023) At the Kandy National Hospital. He was awarded the most prestigious award which Trinity presents, The Ryde Gold Medal in 1956. He was known as a very talented and charismatic school boy who showed significant interest in Sports as well. He was always known as a student who is interested in the peacekeeping of the world, It is made obvious with the fact that at the age of just 17, he won a very respected contest under the topic “The world we want”. Courtesy to this achievement he met then Senator John. F Kennedy – One of the most respected American presidents, and the then president Dwight D. Eisenhower. Dr. Dhanapala’s career as a diplomat was also a very respected one. He was appointed the Ambassador in Geneva from 1984 to 1987, Dr. Dhanapala was recognized to the United Nations and he was appointed the very important position of Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the United States from 1995 – 1997. He was mostly known as the President of the 1995 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference, because of his awe-inspiring diplomacy it was adopted without a vote. However, Perhaps his most legendary position would be as the Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations. His position was a challenging one because he had the tough job of re-establishing the Department of Disarmament after the UN reforms of 1997. His tenure was very impressive due to several reasons mainly because of many major increases of arrest which were creating a harm to the society. Later, Dr. Jayantha was appointed as the secretary general of the SCOPP ( Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process ) in Sri Lanka (2004-2005). He was special advisor to several Sri Lankan presidents such as Mahinda Rajapakse, Chandrika Kumarathunga and Maithripala Sirisena, he was also a member of the Constitutional Council of Sri Lanka from 2018 and 2020. Dr. Dhanapala who at time of his passing was 84, was a very distinguished gentleman who often helped Trinity College with many projects, and even featured in the College Digital Magazine lately. We take this moment to appreciate the unprecedented services to the society by Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala and we express our heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace. Nimuthu Pathiraja (Web Content Team)
සශ්රීකත්වයේ යසෝරාවය කියාපාන සිංහල අලුත් අවුරුද්ද ශ්රී ලාංකික ජනතාවට ම ආවේනික වු සුවිශේෂි ජාතික උත්සවයකි. බක්මහ උළෙල, සුර්යය මංගල්යය, සිංහල හින්දු (දමිළ) අලුත් අවුරුදු උත්සවය, ජාතික සංස්කෘතික මංගල්යය යන්නෙන් ද හඳුන්වනු ලබන සිංහල අලුත් අවුරුද්ද පරිසරය හා වෙලී පවතින, ගමට අසිරිය ගෙන එන එකම සැණකෙළියකි. සිරිත් විරිත් කැටිකොටගත් අපට ම සුවිශේෂි වූ අංග රැසකින් මෙම අවුරුදු සමය විචිත්රවත් වෙයි. ඒ අතුරින් ලාංකිකයන්ට ම ආවේණික වූ ජන ක්රීඩා ප්රධාන තැනක් ගනියි. එවන් ජන ක්රීඩා එදා මෙන් ම අදත් ලාංකික හදවත් තුළ මහත් ආශ්වාදයක් උද්දීපනය කරනු ලබයි. ඒ නිසාවෙන් ම මෙවන් ජන ක්රීඩා හෙවත් අවුරුදු ක්රීඩා වලින් සමන්විත වූ අවුරුදු උත්සව ගම්මාන හා නගර තුළත්, විවිධ ආයතන මෙන් ම පාසල් තුළත් සංවිධානය කරන්නට යෙදෙති. එලෙසින් අප විද්යාලයීය කණිටු විදුහලේ සිංහල අංශය විසින් සංවිධානය කළ ‘ගම්මැද්දේ අවුරුදු’ බක්මහ උළෙල මෙම බක් මස තුන් වැනි දින අප ප්රාථමික විදුහල් ක්රිඩාංගණයේ දී පැවැත්විණි. ගරු විදුහල්පති පියතුමා, ගරු කුලාචාර්යයතුමා, ගරු උප විදුහල්පතිතුමා, ගරු සම උප විදුහල්පතිතුමා මෙන් ම කණිටු විදුහලේ ගරු මුල් ගුරුතුමිය ගේ ප්රධානත්වයෙන් පැවති මෙම බක්මහ උළෙලේ ආරාධිත අමුත්තිය ලෙස ඇරයුම් ලැබ සිටියේ ප්රාථමික අංශයේ මුල්ගුරුතුමිය වන ගරු පී.එස්. ද තිසේරා ගුරුමෑණියන් ය. ප්රධාන ආරාධිත ගුරු මව්වරු හා පියවරු ගෞරවාදරයෙනුත් මහත් හරසරයෙනුත් යුතුව සිසු දරුන් විසින් චාරිත්රානුකූලව පිළිගනු ලැබිණි.අනතුරුව බක්මහ උළෙලේ ආරම්භය සනිටුහන් කෙරුණේ සමිඳුන්ගේ ආසිරි පතමින් ගරු කුලාචාර්යයතුමා විසින් කළ යැදුමෙනි. අවුරුදු ක්රීඩා වලට පමණක් ම සීමා නොවුණු මෙම ‘ගම්මැද්දේ අවුරුදු’ බක්මහ උළෙල සිහල දමිළ අලුත් අවුරුද්ද සමඟ බැඳී පවතින පළමු අවුරුදු චාරිත්රය වන ළිප් බැඳ, ගිනි මොළවා, කිරි ඉතිරීමෙන් ආරම්භ කෙරිණි. අවුරුදු උදාවක අසිරිය මනස්කාන්ත අයුරින් නිර්මාණශීලී රංගනයකින් ඉදිරිපත් කරමින් කණිටු විදුහලේ සිසු දරුහු සියල්ලන්ගේ සිත් පිනවූහ. ඈත අතීතයේ පටන් පැවත එන අවුරුදු සිරිත් විරිත් පිළිබඳ දැනුවත් කිරීමේ සැසියකින් අනතුරුව සිසුන් පුල පුලා බලා සිටි අවුරුදු ක්රීඩා ඇරඹිණි. අවුරුදු කුමරා හා කුමරිය තේරිමේ තරගය විවිධාකාරයෙන් විචිත්රවත් ලෙස සැරසුණු සිසුන්ගෙන් වර්ණවත් විය. අනතුරුව අවුරුදු උත්සවයක දී නැතුව ම බැරි ක්රීඩාවක් වු ‘කනා මුට්ටිය බිඳීමේ’ තරගය බක්මහ උළෙලේ තරගකාරිත්වය තියුණු කළ අතර එම තරගය සිසුන් තුළ මහත් කුතුහලයක් දැනවීමට ද සමත් විය. තම වාරය එන තුරු ඇඟිලි ගනිමින් පුල පුලා බලා සිටි සිසුන් ගේ ඒකායන උත්සහය වූයේ කෙසේ හෝ තරගය ජයග්රහණය කිරීමයි. මෙලෙසින් විනෝදාත්මක වු බක්මහ උළෙලට ‘පොල් ගෑමේ තරඟය’ එකතු කිරීමට ද සංවිධායක මඩුල්ල අමතක නොකළහ. මෙහිදි සීරුවට, හනිකට පොල් ගෑම තුළින් සිසුන්ගේ ඉවසීමත්, කඩිසරබවත් මනාව ඔපමට්ටම් කළ බව නිසැකව ම කිව හැකිය. මේ අතර වාරයේ පැවැත්වූ ‘ජන ගායනා තරගය’ බක්මහ උළෙල ගීතවත් කළේ ය. අතීතයේ පැරැන්නන් විසින් මදුර ස්වරයට නැඟුණු පද මාලා ක්රීඩාපිටිය පුරා රැව් පිළි රැව් දෙන්නට විය. විවිධ ආරයේ ජන ගී අපූරු ලෙස ගයමින් එකිනෙකාට නොදෙවෙනි ආකාරයේ ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම් කළ සිසුහු තරගයේ තරගකාරිත්වය තීව්ර කළහ. ජන ක්රීඩා වලින් මදක් බැහැර වු ‘හැන්ද මත දෙහි ගෙඩිය තබා ඇවිදීම’, ‘පොල් කටු මත ඇවිදීම’ සිසුන්ගේ සමබරතාවය විදහා දැක් වූ ක්රීඩා විය. සාමුහිකව ‘බෝතලයට වතුරු පිරවීම’ යන ක්රීඩාව සිසුන් තුළ කණ්ඩායම් හැඟීම් වර්ධනය කිරීමෙහිලා සමත් විණි. කුඩා අවදිය සිහිපත් කරමින් ‘බැලුන් පිපිරවීම’,‘ වට්ටක්කා ඇට ගණන් කිරීම’ වැනි ක්රීඩාවන්ගෙන් බක්මහ උළෙල සිසුන්ට අමතක නොවන අත්දැකීමක් එක් කළේ ය. මෙවැනි ක්රීඩා අතර තරමක අභියෝගාත්මක ක්රීඩාවක් වූයේ ‘බාධක දිවීම’ යි. තම සහයක ක්රීඩකයා සමඟ සමබරතාවය ගිලිහෙන්නට ඉඩ නොදී ජය කණුව කරා හැකි ඉක්මනින් ගමන් කිරීම එම අභියෝගයයි. දෙදෙනාගේ එක් පාදයක් එකට සිටින සේ බැඳ සිටිය දී තම සහයකයා සමඟ නොවැටී එක්ව දිවීමේ මෙම යුගල ක්රීඩාව බොහෝ දෙනාගේ අවධානය දිනා ගැනීමට සමත් විය. කෙමෙන් කෙමෙන් කාලය ගෙවී යමින් තරග ද නිමාවක සටහන් තැබීය. සිංහල හා දමිළ බස හසුරවමින් බක්මහ උළෙල තම වාග් ප්රතිභාවෙන් රසවත් කිරීමට දායක වුයේ කණිටු විදුහලේ සිසු දරුන්මය. අසිරු විනිශ්චයකින් තෝරාගත් අවුරුදු කුමරා හා කුමරිය තරග අවසානයේ දී අභිෂේක ගන්වනු ලැබිණි. කුඩා සිත් සතන් තුටු කරමින් ඔවුන්ගේ උත්සහයනට කළ දිරිදීමක් ලෙස පැවති ත්යාග ප්රදානෝත්සවයෙන් අනතුරුව සියල්ලෝ එක්ව ජාතික ගීය ගායනා කළහ. ‘ගම්මැද්දේ අවුරුදු’ බක්මහ උළෙලක නිමාව එලෙස සනිටුහන් කෙරිණි. පසු විපරුම: සෙත්ලත් දිසානායක විසිනි
“For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” [Mt. 25:35-36] “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” [Mt. 25: 41] Trinity College, inspired by her 150 year-long Christian ethos embarks on another benevolent project, The Social Services Week, practiced from 15th – 19th May, 2023. This project titled, “I am, because we are: rediscovering our connectedness”, aptly resonates the aforementioned biblical dictum. where the Trinity community will reflect and act to “rediscover our connectedness” with those in need. In keeping with the core values of Trinity and the 3rd pillar of its T150 Sesquicentennial Anniversary Celebration – “Serving Humanity”, this social service week has been designed. It is a time the Trinity community comes together as a connected community to make a positive impact on the world around them as they believe that every person has the power to make a positive impact to the society, and through the individual and collective efforts, a meaningful change can be affected to mitigate the many challenges, from poverty and homelessness, hunger and sickness, environmental degradation and social inequality to decaying moral values that threaten the mere existence of humanity. But we also believe that there is hope for a better future. As mother Theresa said, “We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drops were not there, the ocean would be missing something.” By working together, we can take small steps towards a more just and equitable society and resonate the message of collective resilience and hope. During this Social Services Week, the Trinity community will be focusing on social concerns that affect our community and beyond. Through awareness-raising, community service, and advocacy, we hope to promote empathy, compassion, and social responsibility among the students. The Social Service Week, under the aegis of the Social Service Union [SSU] of Trinity College intends to promote empathy with those who face many socio-economic challenges in Sri Lanka. We encourage our students to pursue avenues to alleviate, even in a small way, the sufferings and disenchantment of those who are less privileged. In all the activities undertaken during this week, we incarnate the biblical mandate “love thy neighbour” and constantly remind ourselves that we are “our brothers’ [and sisters’] keeper”. We invite all members of the Trinity community to join hands with the Social Service Union of Trinity College and to get involved in our Social Service Week. Whether it’s volunteering at a local non-profit organization, a Shramadhana campaign at a hospital, attending a workshop or speaker event, or simply learning more about social issues, every action counts. Thank you for joining us in this important work. The world is changed by our actions; not by our opinions. Let’s act together, to make a difference. “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa
The annual schools One-Day cricket encounter the Kandyan community waits in anticipation, the battle between Trinity College and St. Anthony’s College will take place on the 29th of April, 2023 at the Asgiriya grounds. The 41st game of the series for the Sir Richard Aluvihare trophy, will be played under the distinguished patronage of Trinity’s 1st XI captain of 1990/91, Sujeewa Goonetilleke. Trinitians will be led by Rahal Amarasinghe and Antonians by Lahiru Abeysinghe. These two teams have faced each other in 40 one day matches, out of which, Trinity has won 19 (13 at Asgiriya and 6 at Katugastota) whereas St. Anthony’s have come out victorious on 17 occasions (11 at Katugasota and 6 at Asgiriya). One game ended in a tie with both teams making the same total and three games ended without a result due to wet weather (1993, 2003 and 2008). The series that commenced in 1980 at Asgiriya, under the captaincy of Angelo Liyanage (SACK) and former national star Ravi Ratnayake (TCK), has been a regular fixture over the last four decades except for 2001, 2020 and 2021. The Antonians kicked off the series in great style by winning the first nine of the eleven games, but Trinity has fought back since to take the lead, starting with consecutive wins in 1991 and 1992 by the narrowest of margins against formidable Antonian sides, and registering the latest win just last year. Trinity tipped to be the favourites to win this encounter, with their first innings win at the big match last weekend, has been dominating the series over the past seven games without being beaten since 2013 (with seven wins and a tie) with the last Antonian win coming only in 2012 under Kanishka Ranaraja. On that occasion, the Saints turned the tables on the much-colourful Trinity outfit led by Niroshan Dickwella to win by 10 runs. The only tie in the 40 games played to-date came in 2014 at Katugastota, when Trinity’s last batsman was run-out off the second ball of the last over. Apart from the tied game, there were many other close encounters, but none closer than the one-wicket wins registered by SACK in 1989 at Katugastota, and by TCK, just two years later, in 1991. In terms of victories by runs, TCK’s 2-run win in 2011 and their 3-run win in 1992, both at Asgiriya, are the narrowest of them all. The fixtures are played for the coveted Sri Richard Aluvihare Trophy, which was initiated to commemorate Sri Lanka’s first local Inspector General of Police, and a Trinity Cricket lion, who was also the Senior Prefect in his time. Incidentally Sir Richard fought at the Battle of the Somme under service no. 9289 in the 1st World War with 04 other Trinitians. After the war, Richard Aluwihare returned to Ceylon and joined the Ceylon Civil Service, reaching the rank of Officer Class One. He was Government Agent for the North Central Province and the first Ceylonese Inspector General of Police. Knighted in 1948 to become Sir Richard KCMG, CEB, he also served as Ceylon’s High Commissioner to India from 1957 to 1963. Sir Richard passed away on December 22, 1976, just 4 years before the annual cricketing encounter was initiated. Review by Lalanthi Rajapakse
Ever since 1914, the “Hill Country Battle of the Blues” has been a spectacle of epic proportions that has enamored sports fans nationwide. The formidable Trinitians displayed tenacity and mettle, dominating the event until the 1950s and cementing a legacy that has persisted for well over a century. As we conclude the 104th iteration of this exhilarating showdown, it’s noteworthy that Trinity secured an impressive lead with 24 wins with their win this year, compared to Anthony’s 11 – a testament to the intense competition and rivalry characteristic of this momentous encounter. The ”Hill Country Battle of the Blues” trophy is named after one of Trinity’s most pronounced cricketers at the turn of the 20th century, John Halangoda, who was an exceptional athlete, However he not only brought glory to Trinity but also to its formidable and friendly rivals St. Anthony’s College, St. Anthony’s College provided some exceptional battles when John Halangoda was coaching them, Later the winners of this encounter were gifted with the “John Halangoda Memorial Trophy” In memory of one of the greatest cricketers in this eminent battle. Both Trinity and St. Anthony’s College are illustrious schools in Kandy with a long history of academic prowess, good sportsmanship, and cultural refinement. Playing cricket for a trophy for 104 years is a demonstration of the healthy inter-personal relationship the sport has inculcated among the two school communities. The “Hill Country Battle of the Blues” means much more to the students of the schools than simply a sporting competition; it is a tangible representation of a friendly rivalry between Trinity College and St. Anthony’s College. It is the main platform for young and budding cricketers to perform and to reach the final goal of the international cricket. If one were to give a definition to the “Hill Country Battle of the Blues” it is an athletic contest that goes above and beyond simple gamesmanship. It is a contest of passion, tenacity, and glory. It is a sonata that conjures up old memories, a poem in action, a tribute to tradition and cultural history, a symphony of talent and strategy, and it inspires both young sportsmen and cricket fans. This cricket game is a miniature representation of the school’s whole experience, a shared journey that resonates throughout the halls and corridors of these historic institutions and goes beyond the confines of the cricket pitch. Many excellent and renowned cricketers and personalities have played in the “Hill Country Battle of the Blues” which include Kumar Sangakkara, Ravi Ratnayake, Kaushalya Weerarathne, Lakshman Kadiragamar, Lakshman Jayakody, Richard Aluvihare and Niroshan Dickwell from Trinity College, With Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahesh Goonathilake, Piyal Wijethunge, Ruwan Kalpage, Damien Nadarajah, Marlon Vong Hagt, A.H Sheriffdeen, A.C.M Lafir and Sajith Fernando from St. Anthony’s College. There have also been 29 centuries scored in this encounter to date, with 17 belonging to St’ Anthony’s College and 12 to Trinity College. Trinity College last won an outright win against Anthonys in 2012 under the leadership of Niroshan Dickwella, who now plays for the national team as a wicketkeeper and batsman where the Trinitians were able to shower the cricket pitch with their resilience. St. Anthony’s College were the holders of the John Halangoda trophy after the 1st innings win by St. Anthony’s in 2019. The Trinitians showcased exceptional performance this year which steered the team only closer to an outright victory if not for the interruption by the rain on both the days. With only a 1st innings victory The Trinitians managed to bring back the trophy to where it belongs. Review by Nimuthu Pathiraja, Chaniru Senhas & Rehan AnandaKumar