Donated land on which the Medical College and the Galle clock tower stands

By Jayantha de Z Gunasekera, PC

Mudaliyar Sampson Rajapakse’s Colombo Waluwwa was “Gatherum” Kynsey Road, Colombo and his country Waluwwa, “Mahakappina Walauwwa” in Balapitiya. His father too was a Mudaliyar. Sampson was educated at Royal College, Colombo.

I produce below an extract from the Ceylon Times dated June 4, 1875 headlined “Prize Day at the Medical School, Extract from a speech by Governor of Ceylon – Sir William Gregory”

“But it would be wrong of me, while taking credit to ourselves on such an occasion as this to pass over the name of a gentleman Mr. Sampson Rajapakse (great applause). Mr. Rajapakse has enabled you gentlemen to carry out the plan in an infinitely better manner it would have been or could have been done had the original arrangements been adhered to.

“This he has done by the presentation of a most valuable and suitable site for the Medical School (applause). He has not only done this but he has given a prize, which I have had the honour of presenting today to encourage young gentlemen of this Medical School in their studies (applause). Nor is this all. In every case where it has been in his power to promote and encourage the advancement of his countrymen, Mr. Rajapakse has been foremost (applause). He has also given an annual scholarship to St Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia which he has been kind enough to associate my name, and he has done much good in that way in attempting to secure for his countrymen, liberal and sound education”.

In the year 2002, the Ceylon Medical College wanted Mudaliyar Sampson Rajapakse’s portrait to adorn its walls. Professor Lalitha Mendis, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, wanted me to secure the portrait. Therefore I requested the help of my relation Jayanath Rajapakse, the great grandson of Mudaliyar Sampson. Jayanath wrote me the following letter.

Dear Jayantha,

As promised I enclose photocopies of the extract of “Ceylon Times” Report, confirming the gift of land to the Medical College by Gate Mudaliyar Sampson Rajapakse, my great grand father and your great grand uncle.

I shall await a call in due course from Prof. Lalitha Mendis, Dean of the Medical Faculty, to discuss the matter of the portrait etc.

Sampson himself was a Royalist (Colombo Academy). The reference to him at the foot of the page concerns his gift of a scholarship to St Thomas’ named after Governor Gregory. This came about because, like any Royalist with the benefit of hind-sight he sent his son Tudor to what was even then the premier school in the island.

With best regards,
Yours sincerely,
Jayanath

Jayanath Rajapakse was Mudaliyar Tudor Rajapakse’s favourite grandchild. He served as a career diplomat retiring as an ambassador.Mudaliyar Sampson’s son, Tudor Rajapakse, too was appointed a Gate Mudaliyar by Governor William Gregory. Mudaliyar Tudor married the sister of Mudaliyar A E Rajapakse of Negombo, both of whom owned vast tracts of coconut and cinnamon land around Negombo, mostly at Katunayake. About 100 acres of this property were acquired by the government for the expansion of the Katunayake Airport with a greater part of the airport now standing on the Rajapakse property.

In 1911 Mudaliyar Tudor Rajapakse was chosen by the then Governor of Ceylon along with Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaiake (Maha Mudaliyar and father of SWRD), Sir S C Obeysekera, W M Dunuwila Dissawe and Hon E Roslin to represent Ceylon at the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, the grandparents of Queen Elizabeth II.

On his return to Kosgoda, his home town, after attending the coronation, a reception was organized by Advocate E W Jayewardene, later King’s Counsel, father of President JRJ and Francis de Zoysa, Advocate, later Kings Counsel and host of other luminaries, and he was taken in a motorcade from the Colombo Harbour to his country residence, Mahakappina Walawwa. Many pandals were erected and the Mudaliyar and his family were received with great affection.

Mudaliyar Tudor and Mrs. Rajapakse built a lying-in-home in Negombo for the benefit of that area. Mrs. Tudor died shortly thereafter. The Mudaliyar was the previous owner of the land on which the De Soysa lying-in-home was built on Kynsey Road. He also owned the land where Aquinas University College and the Archbishop’s Palace stands.

Mudaliyar Tudor had three children. The eldest, Tudor Jr., married the eldest daughter of King’s Counsel Francis de Zoysa. Later husband and wife had strained relation and separated. The second son, Hubert, who was also educated in England sang Danno Buddunge with an English accent. The lyrics of this perennially favourite song were composed by Deva Suriya Sena, son of Sir James Pieris, the first Asian President of the Cambridge Union. Hubert eventually died in the mental asylum.

Their youngest child was Sheilagh Rajapakse. She was raised by a French Governess after her mother’s death. Sheilagh, without the consent of Mudaliyar Tudor married Richard Pieris, who later owned Richard Pieris and Company. It is no secret that this marriage too failed miserably.

Mudaliyar Sampson Rajapakse constructed a clock tower on the ramparts of the Galle Fort, home to the Galle Literary Festival, in memory of his physician Dr. Anthonisz. He imported a special clockwork mechanism which could long withstand the sea breeze and this clock tower still stands after almost 225 years!

(The writer is a Vice-President of the Royal College Union)