Forty years on when we think of times olden …

by Nanda Pethiyagoda

Barring Committee Members who organized the event, it was much more than 40 years of remembering for many of the invitees and for a few, closer to double that number.

The event? Afternoon tea at the Galadari for Old Girls of Girls’ High School, Kandy, aged 75 and above, organized by the present committee of the KHS OGA (Colombo Branch) on Saturday November 12. Longevity sure is a given in Sri Lanka, judging by the smartly turned out women who gathered to enjoy a heavily subsidized tea. Subsidizing was the first generous consideration of the present Committee, apart of course from thinking up this gesture of graciousness to older members. Many more generosities followed; like arranging transport for those living in the suburbs of Colombo.

I remember at least four years ago Sylvia Wijekoon, now Prez of the Association, telling me she was very keen on having an afternoon gathering for the older Old Girls who miss out on evening fund raisers, dinner-dances and even annual picnics. My callous reply was: It’s their look-out. Why should you and the younger ones feel it’s your responsibility to give us an earlier, smaller and less ’loud’ party? But now here was Sylvia, with Covid restriction lifted, rounding up her most efficient and obliging Committee to organize an event for the over 75s.

Recollected was how thrilled with success we were when in the Committee a decade or two ago we collected two or three lakhs with our fund raisers. The Committees got more and more efficient and thus their collections were and are in the millions. The extent of financial assistance, refurbishment and new purchases donated to KHS, other schools in remote areas and hospitals is extremely vast. The mother school was gifted a fully equipped, large computer lab, chemistry lab, domestic science room; and the hostel and school toilets were made new. Innumerable scholarships, trophies and prizes were awarded to gifted students. Assistance has been given in the way of specialized equipment, furniture and linen to base hospitals and larger ones including the General Hospitals of Kandy, Kurunegala, Maharagama Cancer and Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital.

Evocative School Song

My title is the first line of the Kandy High school song. It continues thus, registering how we felt on Saturday: Mem’ry will picture our girlhood’s bright years

Forty years on in the dim distance golden,

Laughter still ringing, forgotten the tears.

Comments such as: My word, don’t tell me you are ninety! You look no older than 70.

You look just like you were in school, though not in the KHS white uniform with tie and badge.

Glam aney! You look super, just like when you were newly married. And to the young committee members: Don’t tell me you have grandchildren. When you said you wanted to ring your daughter-in-law I thought it was ma-in-law you meant. I just

cannot imagine you having a married son.

And so ‘the do-you-remembers’ went along with reminiscences of good and not so good teachers, pranks played and punishments received. The then H

hostelers could not stop retailing stories of Mama Kaule – much respected and with hindsight much appreciated – Hostel Matron.

Particularly poignant to me are the lines of the second verse of the school song

Meeting with zest our opponents at netball/Those were great matches we played on the pitch.

Greeting the goals scored with cheers that rang loudly/ Watching the passing with joy or with fears

Carmen de Zylva, my co-shoot in the First Netball Team way back when, is in Australia and another player in Kandy, temporarily back from living in London. Other team mates – dead or disappeared. I was a fourth former in the team: youngest, shortest and flat-of-chest and not moving much out of the goal area. We played a match in Badulla with our sister school over there, where Miss Allen, our beloved principal, was transferred when she returned from furlough in Ireland.

She got us down for a weekend. That day I was in full form and scored well and had honey poured in my ears with shouts of Well done Baby! Fine shooting, Baby! Disaster however followed soon after with losses in Kandy to Hillwood, Mahamaya and Kundasale Agriculture School, where we were routed. Principal Miss Grace Paul blamed the shooters roundly at Assembly. Carmen and I penned our resignations from the team only to be pooh poohed and sense dinned in by Games Teacher –Miss Paranagama.

Yes, remembered were:

Dancing and games and debates in the school hall/ These be the mem’ries that we’ll recall proudly,/ As we look back through the dim distant years. Debates were doubly exciting if Trinity or Kingswood constituted the opposing /proposing team.

Remembered Mrs, Jonklaas’ ballet on the front grounds with us seniors draped in off one shoulder, pastel shaded chiffon Grecian dresses and one half of the three circles having to lie down and lift legs high!! There was an unofficial audience along a drive running parallel to the netball grounds, invaded that day by boys!

And on Saturday, notwithstanding age or rheumy legs, many moved to the space in the Galadari hall and tripped the light fantastic. I have always thought how graceful and enchanting a woman in a sari draped Kandyan style looks on the dance floor moving her bum modestly and holding her head high with its long hair in konde or other fashion. So this Saturday we had the oldest Old Girl Evelyn Samarajiva on the dance floor along with sari clad Manel Dissa and Ira Gops having retained their demure mode of moving to music.

Chatting of the past was often stopped by Patron, Ranjini Seneviratne, organizer of games, She had us join in competitions, one being group singing with her talented son managing the music. Choice of songs was left to each table group. Prof Lalitha Mendis – ex Dean/Faculty of Medicine and once acting VC, Colombo University, requested a song about an Australian woman. Music maestro had not heard of it. The Professor was not to be denied. She got a mike and belted solo a limerick-like song about an Aussie woman’s top and bottom. A mildly risqué song well sung, doubly us in peals of laughter.

Generous gestures

Mentioned earlier were two acts of consideration and kindness introduced that day. Others followed. At the reception desk each Oldie’s wrist was encircled with a lovely bracelet of gold hued, decorative beads. Finger food and sweets were scrumptious and served to each with tea or coffee, so no toddling to buffet tables. Each table had a Committee member to help matters move smoothly; you only had to stand to have a young beauty approach you asking whether you wished a washroom visit and she would help you along.

And so the evening came to an end with the much loved School Song sung lustily. Thank you was voiced on behalf of all present to Sylvia, Ranjini and the Committee with heartfelt appreciation for a superb evening of togetherness, fellowship and sheer fun and laughter – sure fire preventives of Alzhiemer’s.

When we look back and forgetfully wonder

What we were like in our work and our play.

Then, it may be there will often come o’er us

Glimpses of notes like the catch of a song;

Visions of girlhood shall float then before us

Echoes of dreamland shall bear them along.