IRB funds should not be squandered and the IRB should do their own auditing to find out how thesefunds are spent. These words came from Summa Navaratnam, a former President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union, CR&FC, national rugby player and champion sprinter, who even at the age of 85 still coaches the Royal under 12 rugby players.
“Also the IRB must put its own house in order before complaining about member unions. If the IRB funds to Sri Lanka are stopped for some time, say about five to ten years, it will be the most beneficial gesture to the SLRFU. No doubt it will be like salt water being poured on blood sucking leeches. Then you will find only those who are committed to the game who will be willing to take up positions in the local union. But this will never happen!
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| Summa Navaratnam |
The IRB persons recommending the giving of funds will somehow or the other find ways to have the funds released to the donor recipients. “They are like some Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) where the persons for whom the funds are intended receive a mere pittance, whilst the distributors live it up in grand style. If their old cahoots are not appointed, ways will be found to find new catchers from the newly elected so that the kick back continues.
“It was disappointing to hear that at a recent meeting of the Western Province Rugby Football Union some Founder Member Clubs were deprived of their voting rights due to the non participation in some matches organized by that Union. Some of these Clubs have their hands full whilst participating in A Division matches. Perhaps the Rugby Academics under their purview could feed these clubs with players to enable them to participate in these tournaments in lower grade competitions.
A visibly disturbed Navaratnam asked: “Where have all the IRB funds given to the SLRFU so far gone?”
He presumed that some of these funds had been given to the various Associations and Provincial Unions.
His next question was, “How many New Active Rugby Clubs have the Provinces produced?
Then he wanted to know what had happened to once active clubs such as Dimbula, Dickoya, Uva and Kelani Valley?
Thinking aloud he said, “If only the Press would put a keen enterprising investigating journalist/reporter to delve into the Annual Reports of the various bodies associated with the SLRFU to see whether they are fact or fiction.”
Speaking further on the subject he said that there were some A Division clubs in Colombo who are virtually without funds and were on the verge of bankruptcy. “Why aren’t these clubs being helped by IRB funds?” he queried.
In conclusion Summa pointed out that in his opinion the SLRFU should not have tried to imitate New Zealand Rugby Union and copied their constitution. This came in the wake of Jeff Matheson’s suggestion that the SLRFU should fashion its constitution on the lines of the Kiwis.
Summa pointed out that Matheson had been on a coaching assignment in Sri Lanka some years back and that a constitution like that of the New Zealand would not work for Sri Lanka. In New Zealand almost all, if not all the Provinces have thriving rugby clubs within their borders,” said Summa.
Unfortunately this mistake was not fully corrected when the Constitution was revised last year.”
The Annual General Meeting of the SLRFU is scheduled to be held on March 31.
Summa is a proud product of Royal College Colombo where he shone in athletics and rugby. He was Royal’s champion athlete in 1941, 42 and 43 representing Boake House.
In 1953 he set up a grass track record at the Madras State Olympics with 10.4 secs for the 100 Yards and received an Award and earned the title as being the ‘Fastest Man in Asia.’
He captained CR&FC at rugby in 1954 and the unbeaten CR side in 1955. He also represented Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) at the Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand (1950) and recalls that Duncan White was the only athlete from Ceylon to win an event.
Later he was picked for Ceylon at rugby to play against the British Lions in 1950 and the New Zealand and Australian Colts teams. He was the President of the CRFU/SLRFU when Indrajit Coomaraswamy captained the Sri Lanka team who were runners-up to Japan in the competition held at Longdon Place in 1974.
He was first married to Authoress Rosemary Rogers (nee Jansz) and later to Romaine De Silva (now Navaratnam). He has two girls and a boy from the first marriage and a boy and a girl from the second.
He is now the proud grandfather of six children and has one great grandson. |
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