Royal College Class of ‘72 celebrates Golden Jubilee

In 1835, Rev. Joseph Marsh established a private school called the Hill Street Academy for 20 students from the upper-class community. Sir Robert Wilmot Horton (Governor of then Ceylon 1831-1837), was an Old Etonian. Eton College, a public school for boys in Berkshire, England, founded in 1440, is one of the highest in prestige. Referred to as “The Nurse of England’s Statesmen,” Eton has educated prime ministers, world leaders, Nobel laureates, and generations of the aristocracy. 

Rev. Joseph Marsh’s private school was made into a public school by Sir Robert Wilmot Horton, who modelled the Colombo Academy based on the ideals AT Eton, and integrated the principles of his alma mater to the school that would become the Eton of Sri Lanka as Royal College Colombo, the first Public School in Sri Lanka. Rev. Marsh became the first headmaster of this secular school, with the motto Disce Aut Discede, which means ‘learn or depart’ developed during the regime of Principal Todd (1871-1878).  The past pupils of Royal College, referred to as Old Royalists, have the distinction of going on record with a vast majority having learnt and departed bringing credit to the College by occupying apex positions in public administration, professions and businesses in Sri Lanka and overseas.

Royal College Class of ‘72 is unique for being the largest single batch of 850 students to enter the college under the two-tier system where Royal College (grades 9 to 12) was administered separately from Royal Primary School (grades 1 to 8). The Royal College Class of ‘72 combined two batches of students from grade 8 of the Royal Primary who commenced their college-life on 8 January 1972.

The Class of ‘72 is the first Old Royalists Group to have a written Constitution in 1987, which has been emulated by other Old Royalist Groups. Among other significant achievements as paradigm pioneers, the Royal College Class of ’72: 

• Initiated the Royal College Sports Complex with several of its members becoming Founder Life Members
• Funded the construction of the Squash Courts and the Boxing Ring at RC Sports Complex, Colombo
• Initiated and continued for several years, provision of school bags, books and stationeries to all the new entrants to Grade 6 at Royal College.
• Felicitated the Past and Present Teachers of Royal College, and thereby recognising their noble services.
• Launched an Information and Communication Centre at Royal College.

Royal College Class of ‘72 also excelled in social service, helping deserving and deprived schools and communities:

• Provided school bags, footwear, exercise books, and caps to deserving children from all communities in Vavuniya and Ampara Districts worth millions
• Constructed a Community Hall and a Water Purification Plant to a deserving school in Point Pedro, Jaffna
• Constructed a water supply facility to the farming villagers in Padaviya in Anuradhapura
• Donated over 40 standard bicycles for deserving citizenry in Mannar to encourage and initiate self-employment
• Little Heart Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Operations for children at Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Colombo.
• COVID Wisdom Fund established in 2021 to alleviate hardship caused by the pandemic to people from all walks of life.  

In celebration of Royal College’s 175th anniversary, the Class of 72 embarked on a fund-raising dinner on Board the Jetliners Cruise. 

Established a Jubilee Trust Foundation and Jubilee fund benevolent assistance scheme which is provided to Class of ’72 colleagues. 

In keeping with the saying “charity begins at home,” recognising the welfare of its own members, Class of ‘72 is the first Group to launch insurance schemes for members and families with Ceylinco Insurance, Suwa Sampatha, and Critical/Serious Illnesses, with yearly premiums being paid by the Class of ‘72’s administration, which has continued uninterrupted with monthly meetings of President and Executive Committee, elected every year according to its constitution.

The bedrock of success of the Royal College Class of ‘72 is owed to trust, loyalty, friendship and fellowship, continuing with unity in diversity. The Committee for Interfaith celebrated the anniversary of the day Class of ‘72 began on 8 January 2022, where a Unity Song in Sinhala, Tamil and English was launched, entitled “Always Loyal to. Royal.”

The culmination of a golden journey of 50 years and the beginning of the next phase of friendship and fellowship will be the cause for a gala celebration at the Monarch Imperial Dining and Convention Centre in Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte in the evening of Saturday 12 March.