“The Best School of All” is a thought that gets firmly entrenched in the golden memories of adult women and men as they look back fondly on happy school days, remembering principals and teachers who left an enduring impact on their lives and renewing the lasting friendships that were forged in childhood.
The Old Girls’ Association of Ladies’ College, Colombo, was formed in October 1909, nine years after the school itself was founded in 1900. On October 24 this year a few hundred Old Girls gathered to give thanks for all that the school had meant to them.
After an inspiring service in the beautiful school chapel, we moved to the ‘old hall’ for a time of good fellowship, during which we also collected our copies of the splendid Centenary Souvenir produced by Dhara Wijayatilleke and her committee.
Rhuani Rambukwella was responsible for the concept and design of an elegant publication that will be a treasured and fitting keepsake that gives the history of the Association’s first one hundred years.
The apt title, “One Family Unbroken”, is a line taken from the School Hymn and is meaningful because LC is indeed a school where pupils of all communities and faiths blended into one strong, harmonious whole.
Beginning with the editorial, the souvenir has pursued the theme of a rich tapestry of many different threads that have been woven together to produce something rich and glowing. Fortunately for us, the OGA launched, quite early on, a magazine called “The Leaflet”.
Five issues of this, published between 1912 and 1917, have been preserved, so articles and early photographs were available for the compilation of this souvenir.
It is exciting for us in 2009 to see a photograph of the school building known as The Fernery, Flower Road, taken in 1910. Similarly is the picture of the members of the OGA of 1915.
Beneath the photographs of three well-known founder Office Bearers of the Association– Louise Peiris (Mrs. G.L. Cooray), who was the first Joint Secretary, Ethel Dias Abeysinghe (Mrs. Stephen Dias Bandaranaike), the first Joint Editor, and Vickie Wambeek (Mrs. V.T. Dickman), the first Joint Treasurer, - we are given details of the generations that followed each of them to LC, - their daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters.
Incidentally, the mother and grandmother of our present principal, Nirmali Wickremesinghe, were also old girls and Nirmali’s own daughter too had her schooling at LC There’s a wealth of delightful photographs taken on different occasions over the years, but unfortunately, none depicting the school’s own centenary celebrations in 2000, which included several noteworthy events.
Interesting walks down memory lane by some in their 80s and others of a younger vintage, will stir nostalgia in their contemporaries who read the articles.
A hilarious episode at “Uplands”, the war-time refuge in Kandy of the lucky LC-ites who made it there, is recounted under the title “The Night the Cupboard Fell”, reminiscent of James Thurber’s “The Night the Bed Fell”.
The active role taken by the OGA right from the start, to further the ideals of the founders and to give its fullest support to the school, so that the students of today may play as worthy a role as did their forebears, is clearly shown in what constitutes a fine record for posterity.
Bringing us right into the 2Ist century is a pointer on the last page to “The OGA Links with the World Wide Web,” so that LC-ites scattered over the globe may click on www.lcoga.lk and be connected to all that’s going on in the OGA today.
I feel moved to quote four more lines from the school hymn:
“The days of old have dowered us
With gifts beyond all praise –
Our Father, make us faithful
To serve the coming days.”
A.A.A.
The book is available at the Ladies’ College office and the Institute of Vocational Studies, priced at Rs. 600. |
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