Rare photos of President RW as a toddler and young man

Published here are three rare photos shot at a vintage motor rally at Prince of Wales College grounds, Moratuwa on August 23, 1966 over half a century ago, one featuring Ranil Wickremesinghe. The vintage car photos shows Morris Minor D-3446 with Ranil Wickremesinghe (seated on a wheel), Ananda Atukorala (behind Ranil) and Ruwan Ratnatunga (who established one of the country’s first computer company’s, Wang Computers). The car was apparently owned by Ananda and few others. Ananda who was gifed a copy of the published photo, gave one to Ranil who had it enlarged and framed and displayed in his sitting room.

Ananda is a close relative of Ranil and they are very close to each other. Ananda and and others were involved in the Veteran Car Club of Ceylon (VCCC) in the late 1960s and served in the committee. The Club was formed by H. Chitru Peiris in 1953, who was elected its first President. In 1970 or so Geoffrey Bawa was President for a year and the committee met often at his office in Kollupitiya.

Austin A-3234

He was succeeded by Quickshaws founder and ex-Civil Servant Vere de Mel and the committee met at the Quickshaws’ office in Colombo 5. Vere de Mel was the first chairman of the CTB.Ananda’s father N.W. Atukorala was Secretary to the Governor General and Ananda’s mother was JRJ’s sister. Ananda studied abroad and returned to Sri Lanka working at the Grindlays and Mashreq Banks.The Austin A-3234 was acquired by a vintage car enthusiast in October 1963 at Ratnapura for Rs. 400/-. It needed restoration which was done by its new owner, a young accountancy trainee at Turquand Young.

The Riley Z-2776 was bought by a maternal uncle of the enthusiast in November 1963 from Piliyandala for Rs. 1,250/-. He used it extensively driving in it to his estates in Rakwana among other things. He gifted the car to the enthusiast soon after the vintage car rally who had to sell the Austin for Rs. 2,850/- when he got the Riley. This was because the father frowned on the son owning two cars in his final year as an accountancy student thinking he would neglect his studies. But he later knew he was wrong.Vere de Mel performed a great service towards the retention of vintage cars in then Ceylon by lobbying for the banning the export of vehicles bearing registration numbers from the A to Z series by using his influence and extensive network of contacts. This was gazetted in 1979 after de Mel’s passing in March 1978.