Thursday, September 5, 2024

HMDI TO GUIDE GURATALAWA INTO THE DIGITAL ERA

William Rollo Lenden Hayman MA, DPhil (Oxon) MBE; Founder Headmaster of S Thomas' College Gurutalawa, retired in 1963 after an exemplary career in education. He gave up the honourable position of Sub-Warden of Mount Lavinia solely out of his love and passion for Gurutalawa. The longest serving STC Warden, the Rev. Canon R. S. de Saram (1932-1958), continued for 10 years without an assistant, hoping for Dr Hayman’s return to Mt Lavinia as Sub-Warded and become the Warden of STC Mt Lavinia after him. This did not transpire, and Mr Davidson was only appointed Sub-Warden in 1957, shortly before his retirement in December 1958. Mr Davidson became the 11th Warden of STC Mt Lavinia.

Cherished Memories of Gurutalawa back then.

Dr Hayman, Mrs Hayman and Rev Fr Foster continued with the building programme at Gurutalawa. In his last Prize Day speech in 1962 before his retirement in 1963, he expressed his sentiments about Gurutalawa and the building program that needed to continue. A science laboratory, a library, and a school hall were priorities that needed to be considered. The Science laboratory came up in 1970 which Dr Hayman himself declared open, on his 1st visit to college since his retirement. The Rev Foster Memorial Hall and the Library building followed. 

Rev A J Foster Memorial Hall & The Science Laboratory

However, the school that Dr Hayman expected to run in the lines of the British Outward-bound Boarding style with a limit of 360 boys did not see through as Gurutalawa struggled to keep afloat by the late 70s and early 80s. The need for a primary section made the numbers to run over 1000 and a nose dive was imminent. 

The general maintenance of the school infrastructure was no longer a priority and the overcrowding in the dormitories exhausted the drainage systems, which needed improvement. The required finances were immense and the matter was distracted and any progress made was slow. The picturesque Gurutalawa turned gloomy by the year and it became a herculean task for the OBA to source funds to keep Gurutalawa in good shape. Many attempts to revive existing forms of lending and develop new financial programs failed for a variety of reasons.

My friend Thowfeek in attempting to revive such a programme notes the situation at Gurutalawa thus;

When Father Marc B was Headmaster of Gurutalawa, I met him at the Bishop’s House in 2015. At this meeting, I told him, we cannot go around every quarter with a begging bowl asking for funds to repair x, y, and z. When we left College, the School was 25 years old, today it is over 75 years old, and as such the school needs a sustainable source of income every month for maintenance. To that end, I suggested we must build up an endowment fund. It was then I learnt about the R L Hayman Foundation. He told me this fund started with an initial contribution from Mrs Hayman as part of her last will. It was around Rs.200,000. This Fund was formally launched by Father Marc in 2009. I jumped at this and told him I would make a nominal initial contribution and let us start a fund-raising effort. Years went by and nothing really happened. Thanks to high interest rates in Sri Lanka, this fund has now grown to Rs.9 million.”         

Gurutalawa is now 82 years old and in December 2023 the boys of the 1962 – 1974 period reunited for a very enjoyable fellowship in Colombo followed by a trip to Gurutalawa. It was most disappointing when the boys visited STC Bandarawela and found how backward Gurutalawa was in infrastructure maintenance and the general upbringing of the students. The loss of Thomian traditions had led to the loss of the ‘Thomian Grit’.

My friend Thowfeek continued his feelings about the reunion; I met with the Headmaster and the Manager along with Nimal, Wani, Dulip, Rajpal and a few others and presented a financial plan. The objective was simple, to raise sufficient funds in a brief period, say 3 years, when the fund grows to a certain level that will generate interest income that will give the school Rs. One million a month forever and ever, hopefully, grow even more. Our plan included how the fundraising can be arranged. All we asked was transparency and governance be established by amending the article of the Fund. 

Nine months from that meeting, we’ve not progressed an inch closer to reviving this Trust… But despite these gloomy feelings, Gurutalawa sees signs of hope.

The Iconic Chapel & its interior

Mr Kapila Gunawardane, a former Managing Director at Union Carbide Corporation Sri Lanka, who graduated from Guru in 1956 and now lives in Sydney, Australia, is interested in using his savings to help Gurutalawa build a full-fledged indoor sports stadium. This was based on a discussion in October 2023 when Mr Gunawardane met with Mr Nihal Wanniarachchi, the Headmaster Mr Laksiri Perera and Mr Senaka de Fonseka the Manager of the school with the Board of Governors represented by Mr Hiran Molligoda.

Around the same time, Dr Neil Horadagoda, a Veterinary Pathologist and an academic attached to the University of Sydney, a contemporary of my Gurutalawa days, contacted me again from Sydney, Australia, expressing his passion and affection for the old science laboratory building, inquiring how he could assist with its modernization. In addition, Mr Dulip de Silva, my contemporary and a Senior Chef, also from Sydney, was on holiday and was going to Gurutalawa to see the kitchen and see how it could be modernized.

Gurutalawa was to get a facelift of the kitchen and the laboratory by the end of 2023 with the personal funding of Neil and Dulip with assistance from a few other old boys . Dulip also organized 1568 pieces of cutlery (392 sets of forks, spoons, knives and teaspoons) through the Australian diaspora and later 300 stainless steel plates and mugs from the remaining funds from the reunion, supplemented by the support of other old boys.  It was after this visit that Neil met Kapila in Sydney and a digitalization programme for Gurutalawa was discussed. As a result, the Indoor Stadium Project was split; introducing Digitalized Smart Teaching Facilities for the senior classrooms and upgrading the IT Laboratory to an IT Library facility.

Kapila was in Sri Lanka to discuss the ‘modus operandi and a committee was formed with the Headmaster and the School Manager on the 2nd of December 2023. The Hayman Memorial Digital Initiative for Gurutalawa (HMDI) is formed. His Manager at Union Carbide Sri Lanka then, Mr Nihal Wanniarachchi is appointed Chairman of the committee and Mano Gnanaraj, the financial controller. Other members were to join when required.  The main objectives of the project were identified; Full renovation of the Senior School classrooms and making them lockable. Upgrading the existing IT Laboratory with a more spacious arrangement absorbing the sports administration area. Obtain a digital cloud facility from a reputed service provider with all the setup facilities linking other STC schools with Gurutalawa etc.

The upgrade of the classrooms commenced with the input of Architect Shammin Jayawickrame, and it was at this stage that I was introduced to the programme to formalize Project Management and Contract Administration. The Civil Construction work kicked off in mid-December and the proposals for the digitization from Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd (SLT) and Dialog-Axiata are awaited. 

Meanwhile, Neil had been negotiating with the headmaster about his interest in cleaning up the laboratory. The age-old biological specimens from the Hayman era were now a health and safety threat. He arranged for them to be safely disposed of, and the long-delayed maintenance of the lab building was begun with his funds and carried out by his nephew, a building contractor. The dedication and commitment of the building contractor find him entrusted with the implementation of the HMDI classroom upgrading component as well.

The scope of work included the provision of aluminium doors and windows, new ceilings as well as a complete replacement of electrical system. Wooden wall guards were installed to prevent damage to the walls by desks and the outer verandah walls were finished with granite stone drywall cladding.


Classrooms before and after rehabilitation

We are midway through our classroom upgrade programme and have received the proposals from the two service providers. Without going into the details looking at the price proposals we see that both offers charge a whopping sum that is over Rs 500,000 per month as cloud rental. Mano was the first to sound the alarm, saying Gurutalawa could not afford such a monthly fee.

There was no turning back now and alternatives had to be looked for. Gurutalawa had produced many professionals in the 50s and 60s era, and my judgement was to get advice from my classmate Anil Gammampila, an eminent personality in the IT world for over four decades to suggest a sustainable solution for the digital journey in Gurutalawa.  His local company, "Itechro" Pvt Ltd., was instructed to go to Gurutalawa to carry out a fact-finding mission and report and propose a solution

A question-and-answer session on the 10th of January 2024, followed their proposal to have a physical link between the Administration Block, the Senior Classrooms and the Science Laboratory. A central Server in the IT hub area in the Administration Block with sub-servers in the classrooms and the laboratory will manage the total digitization of 12 smartboards and 32 computers.  One of the two available SLT, Wi-Fi connections will be linked to the server with an upgrade on the bandwidth All these buildings will have Wi-Fi connectivity with the servers and the second SLT Wi-Fi connection will be terminated. This way the school will manage the system within a paltry sum of approximately 35 thousand rupees a month. 

Q&A Session-Itechro


Anil's team of experts suggested a fibre optic cable link to the buildings. A Local Area Network (LAN) line from the building servers to several ceiling-mounted Wi-Fi transmitters to link the Smartboards and the computers to the main server. All the equipment for the transmission was shipped in from Australia while the Smartboards, Computers, individual Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) to smartboards, a dedicated UPS for the main server and another for the 30 computers in the IT Library were sourced locally.

The IT Library was to get new individual tables turned out by an old boy from Moratuwa, each of which came with a new swivel chair on casters.

The new IT area was redesigned to the visionary preference of Kapila and Neil. A hands-on hardware assembly unit for student practice, an IT lecture area for interactive learning and discussion, and delivering information to groups. The new IT Library area is positioned on a raised access floor facilitating swift and easy service access for Power and LAN services.

Sourcing a suitable raised floor was not an easy task with the enforced restrictions on the importation of fabricated construction material. However, with my previous contacts, I managed to locate a Contractor/Supplier who had an excess stock of a raised floor imported for a now abandoned project; and I managed to talk over and obtain part of his stock for Gurutalawa. The renovated classroom building and TI library area were completed in seven months.

In the IT Laboratory the new areas were partitioned with Aluminum doors to separate different usages and a new entrance door replaced the old barn-type door into the old sports area.

Project Execution

Three contracts were prepared as per the Government procurement guidelines and CIDA regulations for the Civil construction works in the classroom block and the IT Library. The total package of fibre optic cabling including the relevant civil work and materials was contracted to SLTS Ltd, a subsidiary of Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd. Anil Gammampila himself funded the connectivity construction package including the equipment supplied from Australia. Further, Itechro Ltd will undertake the maintenance of the system for one year after being handed over to the school. The school by then should facilitate an IT specialist to maintain the system and troubleshoot glitches.

 A Digital Vision for Gurutalawa

HMDI will not stop at just facilitating the infrastructure for digital teaching but continue its services in providing the know-how and the technical skills needed for both the teacher and the student.

All the software used in the system is Windows-based and Office 360 full suit and are Licensed Versions. The school is to undertake the annual fee from next year onwards. Initially, 12 packages have been purchased. (10 for teaching through HMDI and 2 by the College for administration purposes). This will provide digital access to 480 students with dedicated email addresses to access the learning process. The number of packages will need to increase to cover all the staff (approx. 35) to gain the full benefit currently it is limited to 12 staff members.

New IT Library /Laboratory on a raised floor

The teachers will be introduced to a Learning Management System (LMS) a robust platform that holds course content, materials and administration in one user-friendly online system. This will allow the teacher easy management of classes and track their student's progress. Highlight areas of strength and weakness for ongoing performance improvement. The LMS will create an environment where students can interact with content, collaborate with other learners and communicate with their teacher outside the classroom. And apps like Google Classroom would make it simple to share these materials.

New Classroom interior with Smart-board & White-board

Neil, a former university teacher, will continue with an initial induction program for all senior class teachers on the LMS with the support of the school IT Teachers. This will be a continuous exercise monitored by him and supported by the school management. 

Therefore, HMDI has created its Vision statement for Gurutalawa as;

"To transform our STCG into a dynamic learning environment that leverages digital technologies to enhance student engagement, foster personalized learning experiences, and equip students with the skills and competencies needed for success in the 21st-century global economy."

This vision statement encapsulates the overarching goals of digitalizing a secondary school by considering the following key components used

Enhanced Learning Experiences: Utilize digital tools and platforms to create interactive and immersive learning experiences that cater to diverse learning styles and preferences. This includes incorporating multimedia content, virtual simulations, and collaborative online projects to make learning more engaging and impactful.

Personalized Education: Implement digital solutions such as learning management systems and adaptive learning platforms to tailor instruction to individual student needs and preferences. By leveraging data analytics and artificial intelligence. Teachers can provide personalized support and guidance to help students reach their full potential.

Digital Literacy and Skills Development: Integrate digital literacy and technology skills development into the curriculum to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary digital competencies for success in the digital age. This includes teaching coding, digital citizenship, information literacy, and critical thinking skills.

Professional Development: Provide ongoing training and support for teachers to effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices and leverage digital tools to enhance learning outcomes. Encourage collaboration and sharing of best practices to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Therefore, HMDI and STC Gurutalawa would work towards a goal for all students from Grade 6 onwards to be equipped with a laptop as the learning device in five years to come. Only then will Gurutalawa become the first school to offer a complete IT learning package in the classroom? However, this could only be achieved if the school administration, managers and the board of governors all have a unified visionary approach in this regard.

HDMI to continue?

Recent efforts to improve facilities and infrastructure in Gurutalawa have had various shortcomings. Most of these programs have been abandoned or not implemented at all. However, to achieve its goals, HDMI adopted a different approach to fund management and project implementation. This is because HDMI had the right to reject or approve schemes outside its scope. The central figure, Mr Kapila Gunawardane, always did this with due diligence and ensured the final decision was taken in coordination with the headmaster and the school administration.

As a result, the relocation of the Hayman Museum into the Old Senior Library area and a new extension to the senior school staffroom with proper ablution facilities were undertaken with the remaining funds. General improvement in the student washrooms is also considered. Anil is to fund and facilitate the connectivity links to the Foster Memorial Hall and the Library building with the central server in the administration block. This is an extension of the scope, peeking the future needs. 

However, since HMDI’s key supporters Kapila, Neil and Anil are from Australia and the efforts of HMDI were well deployed; There is the thought that the Australian-Gurutalawa diaspora may be willing to support Gurutalawa if projects are undertaken along the same lines. For this reason, there is a suggestion to continue the fund as the "Sydney Fund in Support of Gurutalawa". As a result, Gurutalawa may witness many more modernization programs in the future. 

Transferring the HMDI to the school.

The final strength of HMDI is the implementation of the product within the school itself. An elaborate three-day program (2nd October – 4th October 2024) has been planned to transfer the product to the school. The event organized by the HMDI and the school management will be attended by the Board of Governors, teachers, parents and the students. The key stakeholders Kapila, Neil and Anil will share their visionary approach to the digital learning program and identify milestones to be achieved through the process.

Documents relating to Financial Disbursement, Contract Management, Equipment Procurement and inventories with serial numbers, guarantees/warranties will be handed to the school management to be included in the school's assets. A total maintenance manual of the digitalization system is provided with checklists and troubleshooting guidelines. The system maintenance in the first year will be complementary to Anil’s generosity undertaken by “Itechro Ltd”.

Conclusion

Gurutalawa is now 82 years old. This timeline spans three important eras; the Hayman era (1942-1963), the Immediate post-Hayman era (1963-1977), and the New School era when the school expanded to have a primary section. Except for Kapila, who is a product of the Hayman era, most of us in HMDI represent the Immediate post-Hayman era. Both Nihal Wanniarachchi and Mano Gnanaraj saw the end of the Hayman era but their interaction was more in the post-Hayman Era.

We from the Hayman and Post-Hayman eras feel very nostalgic because the facilities available in the boarding schools at that time were luxuries that most homes did not have. Electricity and running water were available only in the townships while most of the boys were from affluent rural families. Hence, parents were willing to let their children go as the amenities available were a relief and it would be a new experience for their children. It is with this understanding that we demand to bring back the tradition and the culture that was once incomparable at Gurutalawa.  

However, one needs to understand that we are also the “Last of the Mohicans.” We could only make our presence felt if we got in the act of bringing back that dream school on the ground again. Just voicing our concerns and criticisms will get us nowhere close for we belong to a disappearing progeny. The present-day old boy is no longer from an era related to Dr Hayman. Therefore, our approach to any modernization or other development needs to blend with the new functions of the school.

However, there still can be a similarity or equality of the boarding house which runs in the same lines unique to Gurutalawa. But can Gurutalawa market its boarding school as then to the current middle-class parent? The answer will be a big NO as the amenities in the dormitories are those that were available for us then. But today the average home has tiled floors and attached washrooms comfortable ventilation etc. There had been parents demanding even running hot water in the dormitories. Such is the asking for, at Gurutalawa today.

Therefore, one must realize that demanding a Gurutalawa that we experienced then is no longer a valid demand for two reasons. Gurutalawa needs to be marketed today unlike then. And for this, the upgrading of amenities requires a huge investment. Also, the English-speaking social structure with the adventurous outward-bound culture and the independence that the student inculcated outside school and home when travelling together to and from school by train is no longer an asking.

Gurutalawa has the right to be transformative and marketable in today's competitive field of education. Equally, Gurutalawa is committed to preserving the Thomian traditions that are special to us outside of the academia that most other schools also offer today.

Uditha Wijesena, 
Member HMDI


Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Was it Hunger Management at Gurutalawa?






The most prestigious boarding school in the country, S Thomas' College Gurutalawa is located in the pristine hill country beyond Haputale towards Welimada; a paradise that is both pleasing to the body and mind.

Being a boarding school, the greatest task was to feed the children three meals a day. Starting during wartime when food was scarce it would not have been an easy task for the matron to provide for. This school was a wartime contingency, to relocate the school at Mt Lavinia.

Early records show that it was Mrs Thelma Goonawardane, who was the first food Matron. She was succeeded by Mrs Altendorff who later was running her own boarding house to cater for the overflow from the school boarding. She had her adobe away from the Nine Acre block on the road to Boralanda. Later Mrs. Jayawickrame, the lady who raised us all away from home, took charge. A widow whose two sons were also boarders in the same school and was the last food matron of the school serving from 1960 - 1974.

She was a special lady in school, for her two sons, Eshan and Dasarath, with her four nephews, Eksath, Laknath, Niranjan, and Ravindra Jayawickrame brothers, and S A Perera (SAPA) were also boarders in the school in the 1960 era. Therefore, the school was more like home for her and acted as a mother to all the 350 boys in the boarding. Her accommodation was located in the kitchen area, and she would be up by 5:00 AM and retire for the day after 10:00 PM.

Taking care of the children in Gurutalawa was not a simple undertaking given the political environment in the country during the 50-60 period. The communal unrest that occurred in 1958, as well as elections based on rice rationing, etc. saw the country in an unstable state with respect to food security.   

Every boy who entered the boarding school was required to transfer his rice ration coupons to the school cooperative store. The number of boys in the school enabled the school to have a dedicated school cooperative store and all our rice ration books were registered to this store. There Mrs Jayawickrama was at an advantage in sourcing the staple diet the rice as it came directly to the school from the Multi-Purpose Coop Stores in Welimada.

If Gurutalawa was successful in feeding its students; which was for sure. Then the strategy adopted was “ Hunger Management”, says my friend the late C S Ching.  My friend Dulip de Silva elaborated on this statement to the fact that Ching would say that he was always hungry and never felt full and content after a meal but would only get him out of hunger until the next meal. The portions at Guru then were designed so.

Looking back, you can see that this was partially true. No food was left on our plates, which sometimes looked almost washed and polished. This way there was negligible food squander; however, we would stroll into the following dinner hungry as ever… it was a case of “Hunger Management”  that one could say today.

How did Mrs Jayawickrame manage this herculean task? She was ably supported by an army of cooks and food servers who knew their tasks and understood the temperament of every student.  There was the large cast iron hearth that continued to heat 24/7; fed by two hands that transported coal in deep buckets from its storage. Firewood was also provided when the stock of coal ran out. There was a large kettle on the hearth that provided hot water at any given time and the vessel had its overflow pipe high up over the kitchen roof puffing steam continuously. The servers headed by Manis Appu knew exactly how much to be served to go around with 350 portions. He was an expert in his task and used to say you give me one curried chicken and he would still serve it in 350 portions.

There was a meal plan for the week and sometimes changed for specialities during the month. Sourcing commodities was from Welimada for dry rations and beef which was a principal component in the diet. For this, she would go in the school van with Simon weekly. There would be beef sufficient for the week in the deep freezer while much of the vegetables and the greens would come from the agricultural plots worked out by students and Mr Kularatne assisted by the farm hands. Eggs and milk were fresh from the farm while butter made on the farm was supplemented with a stock of Australian Globe butter that came by train from Colombo every month.  

Breakfast was always five slices of bread that was baked at college initially and was later supplemented by a baker in Boralanda. I can vouch that that was the best bread that I remember having had all these years. There was an inch cube of butter and “pol sambal” served quite lavishly with a soft fried egg sunny side up or both sides fried hard to the choice of the boy. This was chased down with a cup of milk tea. This breakfast was changed twice a week for jam and butter. Again, the jam was homemade with fruits from the orchard but later when the orchard could not cope she did the melon jams with Pumpkin and Ash Gourd (Winter Melon) bought at the Welimada fair. The marmalade she turned out was the best and never had any other taste that good today.

Lunch was always a portion of rice that would just fill us up to the food pipe nothing more. It would consist of two veggies and a beef curry accompanied by a small banana… if they were ripening more quickly than intended. Looking back, we may have got about 250 grams of beef per week and this works out to about 90 kilos of beef per week. That’s a reasonable quantity; prompting that one may have consumed an ox during our five-year stay.

Dinner was again the five slices of bread with a peppery beef stew with carrots and leeks and corn starch in it for thickening. Again, the liquid was just sufficient to blot the five slices of bread for easy gulping. This was followed with sliced ripe banana in a cream custard, blancmange pudding, or a piece of bread pudding with custard.

The monotony in the dinner menu did change monthly either with a feed of “Godhamba” rottie with beef and pol sambal or yeast rottie an equivalent to the Paratha.

But generally, we were quite full before dinner as we usually had a feed of string hoppers or ‘Godhamba’ rottie in the coop store when we pooled our pocket money after sports in the evening just before going to the nightly prep in the classrooms. Therefore, we slept tight in the night with a full stomach.

The extra serving was a thing that never came in as we always queued up for our meals to be served with the portions and when the last person was served a timeline of ten minutes was allowed before the head cop would rind the dinner gong indicating that the meal time was over. We would stand and be silent when the head cop would recite “For what we have had may the Lord's name be praised” … I now feel how unfair it was; for it was  Mrs Jayawickrama who provided for us.  

But I must mention that she too had very hard times when she had to improvise for at times. I remember when the red peppers had an import restriction and the commodity went to hiding in the black market she had to churn the pol sambal with roasted curry powder and that was not palatable at all. There were such tough times that she had to manage the wrath of the staff and the boys as well. Well, we all had to tolerate it until things normalized.

Her routine did change at times during the weekend when around 50 boys would be leaving early morning on hikes in the vicinity. Horton pains, Gonagala Hill climbing,  STPS at Bandarawela, movies in Diyatalawa, etc. For them, she would pack a lunch of half a loaf of bread a hard-boiled egg, and a can of mackerel fish for five boys. This would be based on an exact verbatim done granting permission for the hike by Mr Chapman the Housemaster handed to her and the duty master the previous day. 

This unique era of the food matron came to an end with the school changing in 1974. Mrs. Jayawickrame also retired when her two sons and nephews passed out from college. She was from Moratuwa and I guess she went over to her family in Moratuwa. Amal Perera her other nephew who was a year senior to me did reveal last when I met him at the 2023 Dec reunion that she passed away peacefully a few years back. Eshan my classroom friend and swimming companion later joined Royal College and entered Keleniya University and is currently living in Australia. Dasarath is away in the States.

It was Mano Gnanaraj my first Hayman Dorm Prefect in 1967 who once said during a meetup, “We buggers from Gurutalawa are a healthy lot at our age” and the reason he feels is the climate that we grew up in and, the amount of coconut sambal that we took in daily is doing good to our hearts.  

Googling; Is fresh coconut good for the heart? The bottom line says: that coconut meat is the white flesh of coconuts and is edible fresh or dried. Rich in fibre and Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT), it may offer benefits, including improved heart health, weight loss, and digestion. Yet, it's high in calories and saturated fat, so you should eat it in moderation.

Thanks to STCG and those like Mrs Jayawickrame who took good care of us we are still “fit as fiddles” even in these late ages.

 

UdithaWijesena


Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Finally, We Watched the Whale?



Whale Watching is about the youngest Natural History Hobby that came into being around the early 50s in the USA. Bird Watching though is the earliest habit or pastime being the way of enjoying Natural History occurrences. 

Today these hobbies are linked with tourism and therefore countries are dependent on a new industry to support their economies.  

Sri Lanka today is also into Whale Watching in a big way since the mid-90s when migratory Blue whale pods were seen on the Southwest coast off Mirissa.  However, there had been seasonal whale sightings off Trincomalee in the North East and off Kalpitiya in the North West in the island. But it was the regular Blue Whale sightings from November to March off Mirissa in the South East that commercialized  Whale watching in an organized manner.

It’s an expensive pastime with more of disappointment than actual guaranteed sightings unlike in the other Natural History occurrences where luring of the animal is not conceivable.

Also, the strict need to adhere to good practices and a list of don’ts have now been developed for the safety of the large numbers going out to the sea and for the welfare of the whales. The boat operators have separate don’ts while the watchers have a separate list.

Environmental campaigners, concerned by what is considered the "quick-buck" mentality of some boat owners, strongly urge all whale watcher operators to contribute to local regulations governing whale watching. No international standards are set off as the species are numerous with high populations since the international bans on whaling.   The common rules include:

  • Minimize speed/"No wake" speed
  • Avoid sudden turns
  • Minimize noise
  • Do not pursue, encircle or come in between whales
  • Approach animals from angles where they will not be taken by surprise
  • Consider cumulative impact – minimize the number of boats at any one time/per day
  • Do not coerce dolphins into bow-riding. (riding with legs dangling over the side)
  • Do not allow swimming with the dolphins

Some Common rules for Whale watchers.

  • Do show up on time and be ready to have fun.
  • Do communicate your needs to the crew. If your view is being blocked by standing guests or unhappy with your seat, tell the crew so they can help.
  • Do take photos. Just be aware that others want to too and share the view.
  • Do return to your original seat. It’s okay to get up and move around to watch the whales, but please return to where you were first seated.
  • Do not drop food or litter, particularly plastic bags. Those are deadly to many forms of marine life.
  • Do wear smaller-brimmed hats. Sometimes the big brims may block the visibility of others.
  • Don’t forget to look for whales. The crew only has 2 sets of eyes, keep a lookout for whales, you may discover something cool.

I have been trying my luck in setting my eyes on a whale in Mirissa since March 2015 with no luck but disappointment; but dolphins in plentiful. However year (2023) was to be different when my friend Anil Gammampila called me on November 26th to say he had booked a boat from Mirissa for the 27th Monday for Whale watching for his sisters and cousins and we were welcome if free and interested.

My hopes of seeing that whale this time were suspicious to be sure I felt, as the invitation came out of the blue and the offer was accepted without any hesitation. The next morning, we were at the Mirissa pier by 6:00 a.m. and everybody were on board for the boat to leave around 7:00 a.m. The boat was southbound off the coast of Dondra with several other boats also with the same prospects of seeing the cetaceans. After about an hour of riding the calm waves against a rising sun, we encountered the dolphins they bobbed on all sides and passed under the boat as well but this was not that much excitement today as we had encountered them on many a trip looking for the illusive Blue one in the last eight years.

Nobody in the team was seasick as the sea was very favourable and calm and the crew was content that they had shown us the dolphins for the least to keep up the joyful momentum a packed breakfast with a bottle of water was served and the boat proceeded deep south now nearing the international shipping lane off the south of Sri Lanka.

The crew in all the boats were all traversing at the same speed towards a location best known to them as all previous sightings are now recorded in GIS mapping that all boats are facilitated with. The show line is a speck now and we have reached almost beyond Tangalle in the shore we see another boat in the close far off. Nearing this boat the crew is informed that a Blue Whale had surfaced and they were waiting for the oncoming breather blow that was around 15 to 20 minutes when they were not deep diving.

My suspicion of a sure sighting was going to come true after eight years was bubbling in the back of my mind but a potential day of doom was also lingering; what if it had decided to go deeper and away? Just then the crew spots the blow at a distance and much of the don’ts listed above was taking place naturally. The crew were in to sudden wake speed, the watchers all on their feet rushing to one side of the boat straddling dangerously to balance on a speeding rocking boat. No wonder there are always more don’ts than do’s too general self-centered human behaviour.






The whale though was cool and showed off its antics for almost 2-3 minutes cruising the surface and tail fluking before it took a deep dive. A tail fluke happens when the whale bends its hind quarter to reach the deep and as a result, the dorsal fin and the tail protrude above the water and the large spade-like tail spills the water it held over the rim in spouts and droplets. This is the most spectacular showpiece or display of whale watching and the   Whoa…. and the clapping of all in the boats around was to say thank you Mr Whale you are so adorable.

My friend Anil was busy with his state-of-the-art equipment clicking away watching every action through an eyepiece; and exclaimed ‘Oh Dear’…. he was positioned perfectly for the tail fluke but came to a heartbreak when his memory card in the camera was full and the click would not go all through. That was the end of the show thought everyone with the deep dive displayed. Many boats left after having given the client the best potential display of the blue whale. But our boat did hang on with a few others who had rented the boat for the day. We were glad and honoured the association of this whale blowing off many a time coming out on either side of the boat but not any more of the tail fluking.


We were now drifting beyond Tangalle and closing in to Hambantota said the skipper and everyone thought it was enough and we headed back all happy and content with a fruitful day of watching whales off Mirissa.

Back home the elation did not end I was on the WEB browsing whale watching around the world and it is news that Mirissa is one of the latest locations for Blue Whale sighting in the world. Their occurrence close to the show is economical advantage when compared to most other locations that need excessive travel with overnight stays. Mirissa therefore is ideal with the locality being a tourist habitat already and the logistics in place.

However, further browsing on the species it is noted that the Blue Wale that was thought to be that frequented Mirissa is now thought to be a Sub-species of the Blue Whale … the Pygmy Blue Whale.

The Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safaris Website highlights facts on the Pygmy Blue whale based on research conducted by the Oregon State University USA.      

1. How many different types of blue whales are there? Currently, there are thought to be up to five:

  • the North Atlantic/Pacific blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus musculus) 
  • the Northern Indian blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus indica)
  • the Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) 
  • the pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda)
  • the Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus unnamed)

 2. When was the pygmy blue whale discovered? In 1966, records and observations of differences with other blue whales led to the confirmation of the pygmy blue whale as a separate subspecies. 

3. Where does the pygmy blue whale live? Pygmy blue whales are seen in the Southern Hemisphere, mainly in the Indian Ocean such as off the coast of Sri Lanka. Research has expanded the knowledge of that range in recent years to other areas including Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and of course, right here in New Zealand!

4. Pygmy blue whale vs true blue whale  – what’s the difference?

       Physical comparison

  • The Antarctic or ‘true’ blue whale can grow up to 33m in length and weigh up to 200 tons (which is about 30-40 African elephants). True to their name, pygmy blue whales are slightly smaller, growing to around 24m and weighing up to 90 tons (so about half that of the Antarctic blue whale).

       Observation

  • In the field, it is slightly harder to tell the two apart as a juvenile true blue whale could be mistaken for a fully grown pygmy blue whale. So, we rely on the knowledge and research of the two species here in New Zealand to determine which one we are looking at – more on this later on.

5.  What is the life cycle of the pygmy blue whale?

Sexual maturity is thought to be between 5-15 years and whilst the lifespan is unknown, it is estimated that it would be likely similar to Antarctic blue whales which is 70-90 years.

6. What is the pygmy blue whale’s diet?

They feed almost exclusively on krill but can also eat plankton which is what they have been feeding on here in the Hauraki Gulf. Researchers have confirmed a valuable feeding ground for the pygmy blue whales in the South Taranaki Bight.

7. What are the threats to the pygmy blue whales?

Just like Bryde’s whales, these guys are not exempt from human impacts including being struck by ships.

8. How many pygmy blue whales are in New Zealand and do they migrate?

The latest research suggests there are approximately 718 individuals living around New Zealand. We are proud to have played a small part in this research by contributing our data and photos to the researchers. They are also showing signs of presence in our waters year-round.

Researchers at Oregon State University have determined this by three methods:

Hydrophones – pygmy blue whale calls were recorded on the underwater hydrophones throughout the year. If the population is migratory then researchers would expect to only hear them at certain times of the year.

Photo-ID – dorsal fin photos used to identify individuals showed that certain individuals were being seen throughout the year in different areas of the country. To further support the idea of a non-migratory population, the researchers compared their dorsal fin photos of individuals to dorsal fin photos of whales in Australia and Antarctica but did not find any matches.

DNA sampling/genetic testing – skin samples compared to those in Australia and Antarctica showed there wasn’t much genetic similarity to New Zealand whales suggesting that the whales found here may not mix with other populations.

9. When do we see blue whales in the Hauraki Gulf?

Pygmy blue whales are visitors to the Hauraki Gulf. Before 2017, we had only had a handful of sightings of these whales. Since 2018, we have sighted them every winter. Sightings can occur anywhere between May and November.

So this then could be concluded by speculating … if the Mirissa Whales are Pygmy Blues Whales occurring from November to March it could be these that migrate to Auckland seas to be seen from May to November giving the month of April for transit.

Finally, that episode of Whale Watching has now concluded thanks to Anil my dear Friend!


Monday, December 25, 2023

Golden Memories & (Happy) Silver Tears

It was Jim Reeves who sang about a Brilliant Moon and Silver stars; of an old relationship that finished in agonizing recollections amid silver tears.

However, that was not the case on the eve of December 16, 2023, when a special group of guests flocked to Summerfields in Pannipitiya to reminisce about their school days. There wasn’t a brilliant moon nor the silver stars in a cloudy stormy sky. The banquet had many sparkling stars accumulated for the most extravagant Fellowship of the year, organized by the Gurutalawa Thomian fraternity

A thought that blossomed in the minds of Nimal Fernando in California was supported by the Dulip & Rajpal de Silva brothers from  Australia and ably assisted by Nage (Nagalingam) and Somasundaram near us. It was for the immediate Post-Hayman Era brotherhood that graced college from 1964 to 1974.


Gurutalawa the Siberia?

Even though wars cause pain and suffering, some of the decisions that are made as a result of war have turned out to be good and had the potential to be good.. S Thomas’ College in Gurutalawa was one such decision taken during WWII to locate a branch of S Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia in the Uva hills.

Gurutalawa in 1942 resembled the Siberia… it was in a very remote location not known to many in the city … access was by train until recent that took almost 12 hours to get to.  Parents kissed and bid goodbye to the children on the platforms of the Fort railway station where they were entrusted to the care of a teacher. Three months later they would reunite with their parents on the same platform at the Fort Railway Station. This practice would continue for five years until some would enter the school in Mt Lavinia, venture into other institutions or be absorbed into professions that were specially reserved and waiting for Guru pass-outs.

The period from, 1942 – 1963 was named the Hayman Era dedicated to the philanthropic founder Headmaster Dr Rollo Hayman and the immediate period from 1963 – 1974 was termed the Post-Hayman Era … continued with the staff recruited by Dr Hayman, abiding by the Hayman traditions adopted and honoured until the school had to change with the need for a junior school.

The call for a fellowship and an excursion to the schools in Gurutalawa and Bandarawela was a requirement before many of us would not be able to travel the globe. Most members of the Hayman Era are no longer with us, and many of us Post-Hayman Era members are now over 60.

The Count Down Begins

In April 23' the siblings Dulip and Rajpal were here and together we went to Gurutalawa on the 2nd of May for a preliminary investigation on the revamping of the Dr  Hayman memorial laboratory for Neil Horadagoda and on the uplifting of the facilities in the school kitchen for Dulip de Silva. On the way up we checked on possible lunch and breakfast stops for the planned event in December around Belihul-oya. The  Silver Ray at Lellopitiya was also a possible stop over.  Our night stay was at the Olympus Plaza Hotel Haputale owned by our own schoolmate Sumith. In the morning while at breakfast we met Sumith who had travelled the night before and the preliminaries of the trip to Gurutalawa and Bandarawela were discussed and lodging at Olympus was a possibility. 

By the end of May, the date for the fellowship was announced and all expatriate members were informed to make early reservations. A month later the location of Summerfields in Pannipitiya of MPDP fame was finalized and the ticket fee was announced with a pay-up period till end October was announced with banking details etc. The WhatsApp group STCG administered by my contemporary Nage was dedicated to announcements and the euphoria for the event was so high that strict guidelines on comments and posts had to be introduced.

Come August the Citrus Kalutara was booked for those who were to leave for Guru and Badarawela with concessions and special provisions arranged by another Guru boy ARH Fernando. The enthusiasm was so high by mid-September the list was over the 250 mark and by the end of October the numbers crossed the 300 limit. In November the late-commers were looking for tickets and Nage had a time reconciling those who were not going to attend and making way of their slots to others; finally came the 16th of December and the Summerfields banquet was a hive of activity.

 MPDP of Summerfields

By now everybody knows of Summerfield and our senior colleague M P D Perera. We had had a few fellowships at this venue before and I was once with Bandula Vithanage discussing with MPD about hosting a lunch for Fr Goodchild’s 94th birthday. However, this never materialized cos Farther opposed to the idea thinking we the old boys would only be partying on his account… finally, we organized a home service for him with the local parish. But at this discussion, MPD spelt out an interesting anecdote that he had to undergo at college. Those of us who were in college knew MPD well for his initials were symbolic on almost every tree, desk bench you name it. I still wonder how this habit of carving initials came about in those days. It was Mr Frank Jayasinghe's era and discipline was at its highest and punishments were harsh and painful. MPD says he was a terror and it so happens that Frank J thinks enough is enough with MPD’s pranks and decides to pack him off to his parents by train. Frank took him in his car personally to Haputale and stayed till the train pulled off. MPD knew of his fate if he went home so he quietly slid out of the moving train onto the siding track on the opposite side and went to a safe home as planned. Later the parents came over and the matter was settled with Frank and MPD continued in school possibly with conditions laid down known only to him. 

Today MPD is in the hospitality industry and many other businesses and still loves Gurutalawa and is available at its calls of need.  That is the calibre of personalities that Gurutalawa produced.

The programme commenced with gates opening at 6:00 P.M. with the registration of members, wrist tagged as when you are a full board guest and very wisely thought-out name tag pasted to your chest pocket for identification. We sure have changed very much of what we looked like 50 years ago. It sure was a WOW when someone read your name and held your hand and hugged.

Individual photographs were taken then came the time for the group photo. A single group photo was never possible with the total number so several groups were taken.


Everyone was called by tables for the photo. Our Old-Salt Capt. Dr Suresh Markandan was active as when he blasted orders from the top deck in his seafaring days. The staff members were given firm orders not to leave their seats until all the photos were taken and they had to obey him. From then on it was all reminiscing old-school times. Credit goes to Nage for coordinating the largest gathering of our Tamil brothers ever since the unfortunate recent past in this country.

Many had changed and grown during the 50 years. The lofty hefty Gihan Perera (elder brother of Channa Perera of White-water Rafting fame) was called “Gulliver” among us Lilliputians then at college; Gulliver had stopped growing since he left college, but we Lilliputians had caught up with him and were seen talking with him at eye level.

Naidu sees his name in the
 role of honour for All-round
Scholar 1970 for the first
time after 50 years
 
There were but a few specials that we encountered only after 50 years. Charles Santosam of Luckyland Estate Udapussellawa was exceptional while Peter Jacotine who was in college with his elder brother Michael who with Mano Gnanaraj was our cops in the Hayman Dorm in 1967. We are sorry to miss Michael who left us very early in a tragic way…not forgetting the most brilliant and studious student ever to be produced by Gurutalawa Ram Naidu from Badulla now domiciled in Houston. 

There were also Kamal and Budhilal Nilaweera brothers, Towfeek and Rassak siblings, Broodie and Sri Kanakasabai duo and many others who were our seniors in 1967.

The staff of the era was represented by Mr Charles Seneviratne, Mr K Bandusena and the most loved personality Mr David Jeyasingh a long-standing English teacher. Past Head Masters Warden Billimoria, of STC Mt Lavinia, Fr Nihal Fernando now Headmaster of STPS Kollupitiya and the present Headmaster Gurutalawa Mr Laksiri Perera graced the occasion.



Song Dance & Wine

The spirits for the event were initially decided that one would carry his own as BYOB… but the enthusiasm of those that graced the occasion coming from overseas was generous enough to supplement the requirements through duty-free facilitation. There were ample and sufficient stocks to maintain a continuous flow. The finger food went round and had a great demand.

The chatter and the singsong went on with popular numbers of a bygone era being revived by those able singers who proved they could still keep the audience tapping their toes. There was no gender barrier on the dance floor that went on in at a nonstop beat.

They had to be reminded that there was dinner for all and the ladies were ushered to a sumptuous buffet followed by the gents and the event came to an end around midnight. But some find it difficult to compromise and I was told that the doors were closed only around 3:00 A.M.


Visit to Guru and Banda

Sunday was a resting day for those listed for the trip up to college at Citrus Kalutara. On Monday a bus took them to Gurutalawa for a boarding school lunch and walk through the campus. Unfortunately, it was the rainy season in the hills and I’m sure many would have remembered our cross-country running in the rain then. Some had commented of the carefree children going about in the rain just as we would have done 50 years ago. 

The overnight stay was at the Olympus Plaza Haputale and the following Tuesday they visited Prep School Bandarawela the comments were of mixed feelings about the improvements and the well-maintained infrastructure at Bandarawela to the sorry state of affairs at Gurutalawa.


Much ado has been discussed on the social media platforms of STCG since the visit to college, on how to bring back the glory that was to be at Gurutalawa.  One must understand that the school that we attended at Gurutalawa is no more and the current school is being run on a different standard and status. Today it is in line with any ordinary school that starts at  7:30 in the morning and closes at 1:30 in the afternoon. There aren’t any staff that live among the students unlike during our time just as us boarders. The limited staff living on the campus occupy the married quarters and seem to be independent after school hours.

There is much to be done including a big change in the social structure in the school linking sports and extra-curricular activities.

However,  in conclusion, it could be said that the event that was actually for a fellowship to gather the last of the Post-Hayman Era members before we turned out to be invalids restricted from long-distance travel has now turned out to be tasked with finding ways to bring back a school to acceptable standards both in academia and sports.

The school is gravely in need of you for its continuation.

Esto Perpetua



Some Photo Records Of The Event