Kingswood Union celebrates 120th year
View(s):Kingswood Union celebrated its 120th year with a gala dinner dance, the best in recent times in the Central Province.
But in fact it has been 124 years if we count from the time the seed was planted for an Old Boys union by none other than Principal Col E H Spencer who joined Kingswood from the Anglican School of Agra, India.
Kingswood Union was not built on roses and it had its trials and tribulations. Once Governor General William Goppallawa said at a prize giving at a Kandy school “There is no angry new generation, but a generation who seeks new pastures.” Those words are true even now.
True to the personality of Col Spencer, with a winning smile, he rounded up a few Old Boys, when the school was only nine years old and formed a Union. The first task for the new Union members was to foot the expenses for the school annual sports meet, which they did with gusto.
Old Boys cutting the 120th birthday cake, with President Suranga Abeysuriya heading the team
But it was only on September 30, 1904 that the first Union was established after the first sports meet, having met soon after the meet at Kingswood Hall.
The Kingswood Union president is elected by name and not by office. As a past principal said: “The principal of the school should not be the president of the union.
Colonel E H Spencer the creator of The Union
There were 44 members on the first list and office bearers were elected with the founder L B Blaze as president. He continued till about 1954, when he found it difficult to come from Colombo for the meetings. Proctor M B Abeykoon the oldest old boy at the time took over from the founder without any dissent and he continued till he retired. The elections at that time were never contested, but a spontaneous selection. After two years they move out giving way to another. Then the motto was “Only new hands would see the cobwebs”.
The committee of 9 was enlarged to 15, later outstation members were also included.
This is not the first dinner arranged by the Union. Though Wesleyan principles did not encourage dinners and dances then, yet Spencer did arrange a dinner and scholarships for the needy.
The annual general meeting was soon after the prize giving. At that time when everyone was tired, they did little more than elect office bearers.
There was only a simple constitution for election of office bearers and they did it well by selecting the correct people for the correct service which was needed to maintain the spirit of Kigswood. The entire prize giving and sports meet was sponsored by the Union at the time, including the prize day books. The personal contribution of members for the prize giving ranged from Rs300 and not more than Rs800. That was the responsibility of the Union.
As a very, very Old Boy said at a prize giving: “There is nothing at that time we withheld doing if by doing it we could help Kingswood.” That was the spirit of Kingswood then and even now.
It is the same great love and veneration any Old Boy feels, whether new or old, when he passes under the portals of the Main Gate.
- L B Senaratne
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