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the days of British planters These planters on horse-back, without taking the usual road to the club round the public esplanade, had been riding across it thereby creating a permanent track over the esplanade which became a hindrance to cricketers, footballers and athletes. A permanent injunction was issued against them in court to prevent them from riding acrosss the esplanade, I was told by the late George Aturupane who had been the Chairman of the Urban Council in the late 30s and early 40s. From the early 40s the old membership book shows the club had been opened to locals – lawyers, doctors, senior government officials, senior police officers and judges. Late premier Dudley Senanayake too was a member of this club, since his private property Narangoda Estate, and his Parliamentary seat, Dedigama, were within the Kegalle District. Other former members were Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne, Advocate, who later became the member for Kegalle in the old State Council and Minister of Home Affairs, Sir Richard Aluvihare, a senior civil servant and the Government Agent for Kegalle who became the Inspector General of Police, Tissa Dias Bandaranayake who was a member of the club when he was the High Court Judge in Kegalle and who was later appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court, Asoka Goonewardene, lawyer and District Judge, Ashley Peries and Herbert Fernando, Crown Proctors of Kegalle, Francis Perera, a leading civil lawyer, Dr. D.P. Kannangara, a private practitioner (husband of Wimala Kannangara, former Minister) and L.B. Beddewela, surveyor. No poker table was full without the last three mentioned. Messrs. Mervyn Ondatjie (Visiting Agent) and N.M. (Tiny) Amarasekara (planter), need mention here. Amongst the present members we have Justice Nissanka Udalagama, Judge of the Supreme Court, A.L.M. Hashim, President's Counsel and former Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Saudi Arabia, retired General Cyril Ranatunge, former Commander of the Joint Operations Command and later High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom, Chandra Ranatunge, former Member of Parliament for Mawanella and the Minister of Construction, Messrs. Francis Siyambalapitiya and Terrence Wickremasinghe, both partners in law practice and the Chairman and former Chairman of the Sabaragamuwa Development Bank, Dr. M.G.P. Samarasinghe the Director of the Kandy General Hospital, Wimal Udalagama, former President of the Kegalle Bar Association and Jude Perera, the present Chairman of the Kegalle Urban Council, Daya Udalagama, Milroy Jayawardene and Titus Manatunge, all senior lawyers, Jayampathi Navaratne, President of the Lions Club of Kegalle and Mahinda Seneviratne, the Assistant Government Agent, Galigamuwa. On
the planting side we have Lincoln Fernando former District Governor
of Lions District 306B and former Chairman of the Coconut Cultivation
Board. The club holds regular cricket matches with the Mawanella Recreation Club and matches are also played amongst members. Kegalle has formed a new rugby club and the Planters' club has become the centre for its activities. The billiards table with its "Made in England" label dating back to 1925 has functioned down the years and produced many outstanding players. Kisal Kumarasiri, a leading businessman, is the present Secretary in charge. The club elected a lady as its President this year for the first time in its history of 86 years. She is Dr. (Mrs) Sylvia Perera who is also a Lady Lion and a very active social worker. (The writer is a former President of the Planters' Club and presently General Secretary of the Club having held this post for the past 13 years) |
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