Scouting District Commissioner Bids Farewell after Five Years of Service
View(s):Many volunteer their hard work and effort in order to make the world a more peaceful and happier place. The efforts around the world to help the elderly, differently abled, women and children, and all living creatures is a service of immeasurable value. While among them are wolves in sheep’s clothing, there still among are those who dedicate their effort, time, strength and funds to serve another with a pure heart. Once such individual is a leading entrepreneur, a civil engineer by profession, a movie producer, and someone who has served with distinction in the scout movement. For the past five years the Colombo Scouts District Commissioner’s service has been immense. His name is Amil Abeysundara, and he is a past pupil of D.S. Senanayake College.
Q: What are your thoughts on the last scouting camp help during your term?
We were able to complete it with great success, truly. Although we had some rainy weather, our young scouts faced everything with optimism and cheer, doing everything in the camp and scouting activities with great interest. Scouts especially have the ability to set up camp efficiently during bad weather conditions such as wind and rain, and learning to overcome obstacles is part of what we train our scouts to do.
Q: What challenges did you have to face during this situation?
We had some challenges with a few parents who didn’t have a clear understanding of camping. However, there were also parents, teachers, principals and many others who did recognise its importance, and helped us greatly. We were able to complete our camp with success because of their strength, understanding, willingness, and support.
Q: What are some of the differences between scouting of then, and now?
Scouting is something that is constantly evolving. I think that’s why we have been able to be relevant and remain standing for hundreds of years. Unlike our times, children of today are very busy, and we have to consider their needs and how they have changed with time, use new technology, and make changes moving forward.
Q: The Colombo District is a massive administrative effort, with 15,000 scouts, more than 500 scout leaders, including from some of the most prestigious schools in the island. To be District Commissioner here requires an exceptional talent, would you agree?
Colombo District Commissioner is honestly an administrative role. I had an amazing team to work with. We also have an executive committee for the Colombo District, and often have discussions with them, and with their support, we’ve been able to achieve a lot of success. My management skills were a great help in all of this. I have exercised it a lot during my educational activities and operating businesses, where I often have to work in management roles. These all helped me immensely in doing my best in this post. Also, I’ve been involved in scouting since my younger days, and it has been something that I have a great understanding of.
Q: You’ve also been working on your doctorate, haven’t you?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, and after three years of coursework, I was able to graduate with First Class Honours from the South Bank University in London. I later followed a Master’s degree in the same university. I’m specialised in construction project management in the civil engineering field. I was also able to graduate with a Business Management degree from Cardiff Metropolitan University. Right now, Like you said, I’m following my Doctorate at S.M.I University, Malaysia. I’m currently working on the final stages of completing it. Honestly, all my work in scouting caused some delays in completing it.
Q: Tell us about your family
My wife, Heshini Samarakoon, has been an immense source of support to continue what I’m doing. My first son Adithya, and my second Ayuka both study at D.S. Senanayake College. Ayathna, my daughter, is a student at Ladies College, and all three of them are active participants in Scouting.
Q: Do you prefer being introduced as an entrepreneur, or engineer?
I honestly prefer entrepreneur. My father owned a few businesses including a construction company which he founded even when I was young. He always said that before I join the business, I need to acquire the right knowledge and become qualified. That’s why I honed my theoretical knowledge first, and then began contributing, being part of the business. Also, the field on my doctorate is focused on building houses with low-costs. It’s also part of my thesis. I hope to do my best to serve my country using this.
Q: You’re also a movie producer
My father is one. We even used to have a unit to produce tele-dramas and movies. After seeing it all, I also had a huge interest in being involved in the industry. More than forty years ago, a friend of mine suggested us to start doing something along the lines of this, and afterwards I produced two movies. Asu received many awards from film festivals, including the Tokyo Film Festival, and had a successful theatrical release in Sri Lanka. Also, Vihanga Premaya also won numerous awards. We aim to release the movie in cinemas this year.
Q: What are some of the proposals you made for the betterment of young scouts?
I did my best in the past five years to do all I could for our scouts. I was able to complete about ninety percent of what I first envisioned. Especially the fact that parents are now able to log on to a website and see their child’s progress. Things like this has made it easier to continue scouting activities. Before, we had to take notes of it all in books and scout leaders needed to make a lot of effort. New technology has relieved a lot of this burden. Parents are more engaged, and actively follow what their children are learning and doing. All the information they need is now available on the Colombo Scout website.
Q: As District Commissioner, you didn’t allow the progress of your scouts to stall even during lockdowns
It was only a month after I became District Commissioner in 2020, that the lockdowns started happening with the covid pandemic. We had to change a lot of the things we had been doing for hundreds of years as scouts because of that. Children were stuck at home, and we wanted to use scouting to help them with a relief from it all. As the Colombo District, we began a webinar series, and did everything we could using online platforms. We showed Sri Lanka and the world how, as scouts, we are able to face obstacles. As for the future, I am always ready to step forward to dedicate myself for the benefit of Sri Lanka’s scout movement.
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