A Trophy in Memorial to Mr. A C M Laffir.....?

Dulip & Rajpal de Silva brothers... both belong to the Post Hayman Era at Gurutalawa.... they have been very generous to host an annual fellowship for the collogues during their time in Gurutalawa....

This year the fellowship was held at Panadura their hometown and the night was dedicated to felicitate Mr. A C M Laffir the games Prefect in Gurutalawa.

The below speech was delivered by Bandula Vithanage reminiscing the boarding life and of Mr. Laffir ....the event was a success and attended by many ...

Ladies & Gentlemen

Guru days

We have gathered here today at the invitation of Dulip and Rajpal brothers… their second fellowship to a group of Gurutalawa Thomians…. who share the same interests in being students of the immediate post-Hayman Era.  Dr Hayman left Gurutalawa in 1963 all of us here today belong to the 1964 -1974 era. The school continued to run on the guidelines and traditions laid down by its founders Dr Hayman and Fr Foster during this period.

Gurutalawa was a special school being the first-ever outbound school in the country. We were all in this school when there was ample time for activities that worked like clockwork, unlike today’s child who is fighting for time to get himself organized for a day’s work.

There was time to roam about the countryside on weekends…. Go hiking to Horton Plains, climb Thotupola Kanda and Kirigal Poththa. Go camping to Yala and Lahugala during the Holidays. We were a set of students that grew up with nature. We saw how the trees in the orchard blossomed with the seasonal fruits. We knew of the months the mandarins in the orchard could be raided. We knew almost all the migrant birds that came into the orchard during a particular period.

There was time for mischief-making and there was even time for punishment when caught …. We had time to write 100/ 200 lines for the prefects. There was time set aside for detention at 11:00 in the classrooms on Sunday when even the duty master was also punished indirectly having to supervise our punishment.

It was a time when we only had to act to the timetable laid down from the time, we woke up to Bell Simons wake up bell until lights out when we retired for the night again when Bell Simon would lock us up in the dormitories.

Our soiled linen was taken care of by the school, Timely haircuts were organized by the school, Mending our footwear was also the responsibility of the school while filling our ever-hungry tummies was the primary task of Mrs. Jayawickrama.   

The school took a complete change by 1977 when it had to introduce a primary section when the Post Hayman Era to which we belonged came to an end. Therefore, we happen to be the last generation brought up in the traditions of the Hayman Era.

Gurutalawa in the Post Hayman Era continued with its unique traditions thanks to a dedicated staff who also resided with the students being boarders in the same school partaking of the same meals enjoying the same limited resources and going through the hardships during the cold monsoon rains when we all got ducked coming to the dining hall from nightly prep in the classrooms. But then it was all fun and that was the way in this outbound boarding school in the Uva hills.

Dedication to Mr. Laffir

The school had a committed set of old boys who took to teaching as a profession and as administrators in running the school. Among them, Mr. A K Chapman was an authority in the English medium section while he was also the caretaker Headmaster. Mr. O. E. J. de Soyza also a pioneer student taught English. Mr. Benjamin Fernando and Mr. John Marasinghe took up the administrative duties of the school being the Bursar and the Headmaster’s Secretary. Mr. A C M Laffir a distinguished old boy was the Games Prefect. Mr. Kadurugamuwa too later joined the Sinhala medium teachers.

Further to these old boys who continued from the Hayman Era. There were Mr. J. de S. Jayasinghe, Mr. Chinnaiah, Mr. Kularatne, and Mr. Amarasinghe, who were not-old boys but dedicated their whole life to the school continuing their service from the Hayman Era.

There were other noteworthy staff who joined the school during the post-Hayman Era who did devote their life and time to Gurutalawa. We cannot forget Mr. S.K. Gananamuththu, Mr. Lekamge, Mr. Pathiratne, Mr. Nirodhiwardane, Mr. Cyril Perera, Mr. Bandusena, Mr. Chanmugam, Mr. Dhanaraj, Mr. Fassy, Mr. Geethal Mendis, Mr. Jayaraj, Mr. O N Peris, Mr. Gray, Mr. Sunil Premathilake, Mr. Hubert, Mr. Tulin Ratnam, Mr. Dharmasiri, Mr. Punchi Banda, Mr. David, Mr. S. P. Dharmawardane, Mr. S. S. Selvendran, Mr. Thayagaraja and Mr. Ratnasingham are fondly remembered. The only lady teacher then was Mrs. Loreta Jayasinghe. Headmaster Mr. Frank Jayasinghe’s wife who substituted to Mr. O E J de Soyza who left college.

However tonight we are here to commemorate the services of one staff member who was absent in the classroom but was most actively present on the playing field. He is non-other than the only Games Perfect the school has ever produced... Mr. A C M Laffir.

A. C. M. Laffir was born on the 28th of October 1932 in Nawalapitiya. He had his primary and middle school education in Jaffna and later joined S Thomas’ Gurutalawa in the year 1945.

While at school he was an average student in academia but an exceptional one on the playing field. A star-class football player; an "Ambipedal", one who could use both his legs equally good in kicking and passing. Hockey was his other favourite game and he played in a leading position in both these field games and obtained College Colours. His other favoured games were Squash and Badminton.

Mr. Laffir too fancied for a carrier in planting just as most Gurutalawa boys did after their S.S.C Examination. But fate acted differently for him. His coach and mentor Rev. Father Canon A J Foster requested him to join the school and take charge of the sports at Gurutalawa. It was difficult for him to turn down Father Foster’s request and he had to take the hard decision to take charge of sport at Gurutalawa.

This short-statured gentleman in an open collar sport shirt with a whistle cord round his neck would herd everyone to the playing field after tea. Those preferring the racket games took up position at the respective courts while the rest ended up on the grounds and took part in Hockey practices and football practices until it was time to get back for a wash and evening prep.

Rainy days when no field games were possible… it was cross-country running…  barefooted drenched in rain and mud splashed from the dirt roads.

Mr. Laffir had the vision to produce the best hockey team in the Uva Province. The initial preparation of his ambition with Sarth Serasinghe leading the team had to be delayed for Sarath joined Ananada College and later captained Sri Lanka. However, he did achieve his ambition by producing that super undebatable team in the Uva Province in 1972.

Mr. Laffir continued to serve the school even after many of his contemporaries had left the institution by 1989. However, he too could not continue long, when he had to make allowances for his failing health. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had to call an end to all his commitments at Gurutalawa and come back home to Nawalapitiya. He passed away peacefully and was laid to rest on the 26th of October 1994 in Nawalapitiya with a solemn Janasa attended by the close family.

It was an early call, and he was only 62 years of age.

Today as a mark of respect and gratitude to this humble gentleman who always sported a genuine smile and was loved by all…. Dulip and Rajpal de Silva brothers would dedicate a trophy in memorial to be presented to the Best Hockey Player of the year at the Annual Prize Giving.

(Call upon Dulip & Rajpal to hand over the trophy)

Esto Perpetua