Major Gordon Burrows of Trinity – An Appreciation-by Kavan Rambukwella

(Written by Kavan Rambukwella and published in Ceylon Daily news on Momday 7 January 1991)

Among things, material Britain exported to its former colonies, they ‘exported’ blackguards as well. But for every blackguard, they also sent ten or more brilliant and dedicated men. some came to spread the gospel with bell, book, and candle. Others like Fraser of Trinity and Stone of St. Thomas Arrived with that missionary zeal selflessly imparted the knowledge they had acquired at home to propagate the colonies with great traditions like in ‘Ceylon’. They even produced men who became more British than the British in body, mind and spirit.

Gordon Burrows was not built in the classical mould of a Fraser or a Stone and was no blackguard either.He had an effervescent manner about him that endeared him to whoever he came in contact with.He was the greatest advertisement for Trinity College then, which he joined first for one year and stayed for over 25 years to serve as Chief House Master and Vice Principal.

He later wrote …..In 1944 I found myself in Kandy, on South East Asia Command (SEAC) Headquarters staff of Lord Louis Mountbatten. I was soon introduced to the princo[pal of Trinity, Mr.Simithararachy who invited me to join the staff after I was demobilised in 1946.

“Against my better judgement (for I had never taught anybody in my life before) I accepted the invitation and the whole direction of my life was changed. Indeed it was apparent to me that fate had pitchforked me into one of the greatest schools in the world”.

He learnt school mastering fast and imbibed the spirit of Trinity from the alumni on the staff. To name a few, R.R. Breckenridge, Jime (Stiffa) Wirasinghe, Major Harry Hardy, Willie Hensmen,’Phillips Bultjens, Sam Elhart, K.L.B. Tennekoon, Hillary Abeyratne and such others as Oswin Wright, Theodore Silva, G.Y.Sahayam and R.L. Kannangara.

Harry Gunatilleka, the organist at St. Paul’s church was the first ‘Ceylonese’ he was to encounter in Kandy. Their families were closely linked in later years. All except Hillary Abeyratne who lives in Australia predeceased him, five of whom succumbed to cancer with which Gordon himself was stricken.

SPARTAN

Gordon soon realised that life in boarding school was spartan, more so than in the barracks. In an understatement he said “It was pretty austere. The food was basic, but miraculously sustained life and vigour. We certainly ate to live than lived to eat”.

He experienced a fiery baptism to housemastership. He was installed as housemaster at Napier House which had the riotous crowd who had even marauded the tuckshop and audaciously written in chalk all over :we raid to eat – midnight marauders”. Concussion at a rugger match led to on of the raiders unconsciously spilling the beans to Mrs. Wadsworth, the matron in the sick room.

On his first night at Napier House, Gordon noticed the red night lamp which was burning bright. This irked him because red signalled danger. The red night was on because it was the colour of Napier House, (Allison House had a blue lamp and Ryde House had a yellow lamp. He threw the night lamp out of the window and demanded one with a neutral colour. He also wanted barracks discipline instilled into the boys and they resisted.

No sooner the lights were out, pebbles were rollled on the boarded floor to hit his wod partition. The noise was akin to rolling thunder. Gordon came out of his room and switched on the dormitory lights. There was no movement from the ‘sleeping’ boys and the eerie silence was deafening.

Ehen he retired to his room and close the door, the rolling stones would start againThis went on several times until he kept the lights on and stood by his room door and  watched his flock ’till morning. The boys did not reckon they were dealing with a man who was on the intelligence staff of SEAC headquarters. Soon the ringleaders were caught and punished and the rioting stopped. Latterly he became one of their popular housemasters.His housemastership at Alison was tame compared to Napier not because the Alisonians were less riotous but that his stint at Napier had taught him many a lesson.

Gordon had a classics degree from Belfast University and later read ecclesiastes at Cambridge, which he did not complete due to soldiering. He excelled in music and the Trinity choir benefited. He raised its standards to such heights, that during his tenureBBC broadcast a festival of nine carols and lessons throughout the world in their Christmas programme. This was his and Trinity’s crowning glory.

He did not neglect the indigenous songs either. He became a Sunil Shantha fan and his favourite was ;Handapane’ which he sanf himself and played regularly on the piano.He even taught Lady Joan Ramsbottom (Lord Soulbury’s daughter) to sing in Sinhala.

COMMON TOUCH

Gordon moved with kings but did not lose the common touch. Bosses of the mercantile world sought his recommendations for recruits and several school leavers benefited. Today top men in the sphere of planting and mercantile service owe their livelihood and position to him

His good friend Lord Soulbury, allowed him the use of the King’s Pavilion swimming pool until Trinity built her own later. Latterly he was unofficial consultant to Presidents and Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka. On retirement from Trinity he was responsible for briefing members of Her Majesty’s Government before they were sent to Commonwealth countries on assignment. This was performed at Farnham Castle in Surrey close to where he lived.

Gordon had another side to his life.He was given to jesting.I remember ne volunteered to chauffeur the vehicle which was to the chief guest to a fancy dress rugby match at Asgiriya between the staff team led by Jim Wirasinghe and the College 1st XV led by that redoubtable scrum half S.B. Pilapitiya.

The college Chaplain, the Rev. Wood was the chief guest and arrived in the guise of ‘Admiral Nelson’ and Gordon was his chauffeur dressed appropriately for the occasion in sarong and shirt and a handkerchief tied around his head. As the car came to a halt, instead of opening the door for the ‘Admiral’, he scurried to a corner of the road sat on his haunches and pretended to ease himself in true Sri Lankan fashion.

The large crowd of men, women and children witnessing this prank screamed hilariously. On another occasion he changed place with the college rickshaw man Ponnasamy, and dragged him all over the town much to the consternation of the local policemen who thought it was an ‘apparition’ they were looking at.

When the British Lions played in Colombo in 1950, he drove three of us budding rugger players in his beloved ‘Matilda’ (Vauxhall) to see the match, a gesture we appreciated very much, especially because it was a school day. After the match he introduced us to Jack Kyle, the world famous Irish stand-off who was his contemporary at Belfast University. We returned to Kand, burt not before a midnight sea swim at Mt. Lavinia in the moonlight. Three of us were fast asleep on the return journey, but Gordon, who suffered from insomnia fortunately was wide awake at “matilda ‘ wheel.

PIANIST

Whenever the chapel piano was heard deep into the night it was obvious that Gordon was giving vent to his insomnia and tickling the ivories, besides he had not been allowed access to any of the staff bungalows on the premises because of his ‘chats’ at night.

Gordon was an accomplished pianist and gave regular concerts with Valesca Reinman, another teacher in Trinity. The starved Kandy connoisseurs appreciated these performances much and flocked to hear them. We students at the boarding had an early baptism to music as Jim Wirasinghe also played his classical records at night and we slept to the strains of Bach and Beethoven fromGordon and Jim.

Apart from music, Gordon also forayed into Kandy Sports Club rugby. He was fond of repeating the story about the match against CH & FC which ended disastrously for his team and himself. He was selected to play full back for Kandy against the powerful CH & FC side at the racecourse. Not only did they lose the match getting a sound thrashing, but he also buckled his knee in the process of endeavouring to stop the regular onslaughts on his goal line.

Driving ‘Matilda’ back to Kandy was an ordeal and a painful exercise. As if all that punishment was not enough, the newspapers had a paragraph on him the next day on how he ‘assisted’ his opponents to win the match!

Gordon later married a most charming Irish lass and when they returned to College and Alison House after their honeymoon, the whole boarding school lined the chapel drive on either side in the late evening with brightly lit coloured lanterns.It was a simple but glorious welcome to them and thrilled them so much that tears streamed down their cheeks.

Mrs. Pat as she was to be called by all got on like a house on fire with everybody in school after having initially got over the Irish home sickness. She was a lovable foil to Gordon. Sometimes he used to bully her into treating the boys who were studying late into the night with cookies and cocoa.

While at Trinity they raised three children and named them Peter Ananda, Michael Rohan and Alison Sriyani. They are all in the UK, very much part of the Burrow’s family and doing extremely well.

When Gordon knew that he may not last till Christmas, he had told Pat and the children that the Christmas cheer must go on and they have gone along with his wishes. He did not want the hours wasted in sadness and sorrow.

A Thanksgiving Service on January 12 at 4:30 pm will be held in his memory at the Cathedral of Christthe lLiving Saviour at Bullers Road. According to his wishes, all who attend should wear casual dress. This was typical of the man. He gave much to life and did not exact more than a fair return.

Gordon will mostly live in the memories of those numerous people whom he helped and those lives he save from drowining in the Governor’s pool.

To Pat, Peter Ananda, Michael Rohan and Alison we offer our heartfelt condolences and say to them –

Ah make the most of what we yet may spend.

Before we too into dust descend,

Dust into dust and under dust to lie,

Sans wine, sans song, sans singer and sans End!

Kavan Rambukwella