Rotary Club of Colombo celebrates 75 years in Sri Lanka
DN Tue Dec 2 2003:
In February 1929 the Rotary Club of
Colombo was inaugurated at a Dinner Meeting held at the
Galle Face Hotel, introducing Rotary to Sri Lanka. The first
District to which Ceylon was attached was No. 89 which
covered Afghanistan, Burma, India and Ceylon. Over the years
the district was re-grouped many times till July 1991 when
District 3222 was bifurcated, forming District 3220,
comprising only of Sri Lankan clubs.
In its 75 years of service Rotary District
3220 has been responsible for:
* Established the Ceylon National
Association for the prevention of Tuberculosis
* Established the Ceylon Cancer Society
* Helped 2000 destitute children through
the Sevana Sarana Foster Parents Scheme
* Upgraded and refurbished the ICU of
Matale General Hospital
* Facilitated Audiology Centres in Kandy,
Anuradhapura and Rajagiriya
* Donated fire engines to Kandy Municipal
Council
* Renovated the District Hospital at
Balangoda
* Constructed a Jaipur Foot Workshop and
Transit Hospital in Kundasale
* Gifted CAT scanner to General Hospital
Badulla
* Gifted mobile stomach cancer screening
unit to the Ministry of Health
* Gifted mobile oral cancer screening
X-ray unit to the Ministry of Health
* Donated Emergency Care Unit equipment to
the General Hospitals in Kandy and Peradeniya
* Provided 200 beds and mattresses to
hospitals islandwide
* Established the Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics
Association (SLANA)
* Donated a mobile media unit to General
Hospital Colombo
* Provided annual scholarship for a
student to follow postgraduate studies in the West.
* Scholarships in Medicine, computer
Science and Accountancy
* Leaderships training programmes for 150
youth
* Provided Vocational Training Centres in
the island
Rtn. Dick Spittel was elected President
during the most difficult year 1932-1933. In his review he
states: "The outstanding feature of the year was the spate
of resignations. It spread like an epidemic and at one time
it almost looked like wrecking the club." This was due to
the depression. However, the year ended with a membership of
78.
In the year of Bishop Carpenter Garnier's
presidentship, 1934/1955, Rtn, President Hill of Rotary
International visited the Club. Rtn. A. Mamujee and Rtn. P.
F. P. Deraniyagala attended the first District Conference
held in Bombay.
The Club Anthem was adopted and the
Director with Rtn. President Ken Taylor in the chair decided
that the tune should be "Will Ye No Come Back Again". The
club's donations to Community Service activities besides the
usual items such as support to the Deaf and Blind school,
gifts to the Crippled Children's Society, Mallika Home.
House of Joy, Boy Scouts Association.
Hospital Supply Depot, De Soysa Maternity
Waiting Wards, Negombo Life Boat Fund and Polish Relief
Fund. The Refugee Committee raised Rs. 7,000 and undertook
much estimable work. 1940/41 was the year of the most
spectacular results. It was the year when Rtn. H. S. Perera
was President, Rtn. P. de S. Kularatne, Secretary and Rtn.
R. Doresamy, Treasurer.
The most striking achievement was the
London Calling Carnival organized by Rtn. A. Gardiner with
Rtn. K. Vaithiananthan as Hony. Secretary when Rs. 124,000
was raised for the War effort. The Club Bulletin was issued
in its present form and named "Contact" at the suggestion of
Rtn. Gibbs. Every member was for the first time put into
some Committee or other. The Colombo Club sponsored two new
Clubs - Jaffna and Galle.
Rtn. Stewart Orr became President in
1944/45 when Colombo won the Rama Rau Rolling Shield for the
best Club in the District, which was repeatedly won the next
4 years with the result that the Shield was won outright in
1947/1948.
Rtn. Dr. J. H. F. Jayasuriya, President
1947/48, was mainly responsible for the Club sponsoring the
CNAPT at a great meeting at the Colombo Town Hall under the
Chairmanship of His Excellency Governor Moore. Another
important event was the celebration of Independence Day by a
largely attended Banquet.
The strength of the Rotary spirit in the
club can be judged by no less than eleven instances of
fathers and sons maintaining the family tradition of
membership. They are S. M. and Ruzly Hassen, Mansoor and
Majid Cader, Clarence and Senaka Amarasinghe, Culam and Ejaz
Chatoor, Mustan, Shiraz and Yusuf Jeevungee all three of
whom were Secretaries of the club and each of whom received
the Best Secretary's award for Sri Lankan Clubs, Cyril and
Mike Masilamani, Emmanuel and Amrit Muttukumarana, Fairlie
and Lalith Pedris, K. Selvanathan and his son Hari and Carl
and Derek Wijeyeratne both of whom became President of the
club.
There are also three cases of three
generations of the same family being members of our club -
H. Esufally, his son Nordi and grandson Abbas, R. A. Nadesan,
his son Kumar and grandson Ravi who is our President Elect
for 1987/88 and Sir Para, his son Park (both of whom
District Governors) and grandson Mario Swaminathan all three
of whom became President of the Rotary Club of Colombo.
In addition Past President Ismet Macan
Marker is the nephew of a Charter Member of our club Sir
Mohamed Macan Markar.
Provided by Rotary Global History committee member
Florence Hui
24 March 2006
