Bernard VanCuylenburg

  THE LIAM DODDRELL STORY  –  A SAGA OF CRICKETING BRILLIANCE – By Bernard VanCuylenburg Since his prodigious feats with bat and ball at the tender age of six on his home turf of St.Clair in Sydney, Liam Doddrell is a name that has been attracting wide attention for lovers of cricket over the years. Following  my articles about Liam a few years ago when the cricketing world sat up and took notice of this promising youngster while the press eulogized his prowess out in the middle, it appears that this consummate young cricketer has     the potential to make the jump to senior international cricket today. It wont be wrong to surmise that this could be his next big move. His meticulous and promising talent, his skill in every aspect of the game, his precision with bat and ball which is free – flowing and very easy on the eye, and his ...

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    A WORLD OF FRIENDS – By Cam Lucadou – Wells The following article was published in THE DANDENONG STAR JOURNAL of the 31st March 2020.(ref:https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/entertainment/2020-03-23/a-world-of-friends/ The well travelled Bernard VanCuylenburg’s worldly interests dont only span five languages but millenia of history. For two decades, the 76 year old multi linguist has volunteered as an English language tutor for migrants and new arrivals at the AMES School in Dandenong. His students have landed from as far away as Afghanistan, China, Sudan, and Vietnam. Each a window to history and culture, each a friend to Bernard. Such is his dedication, he learned Mandarin – thanks to AMES in recent years, to better support some of his Chinese students. “You get more than you give because you meet many different cultures”, Bernard says of his role as a Volunteer Tutor. “They have got so much to teach you It is a ...

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  THE GLORY DAYS OF ANTHONIAN CRICKET – BY Bernard VanCuylenburg       It seems that we are reliving the glory days of Anthonian cricket thanks to Tilak and now Frankie Amerasinghe, who have taken us back to that great College by the mighty Mahaveli where “we had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun” to quote the lines from a hit song of yesteryear. Recently Tilak and Frankie sent me interesting information of cricket in the mid fifties which I am forwarding to you. I am sure it will be appreciated by cricket enthusiasts and all true blue Anthonians.  ...

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  STRANGE BUT TRUE – THE UNWELCOME VISITOR – By Bernard VanCuylenburg.   As an introduction to the crux of this story, I have to part the veil of time and go back to the early sixties in Ceylon, when a friend of mine and I went to the Trio Cinema in Slave Island to watch what was then rated as one of the best horror movies of its time  – “Cult of the Cobra”. Directed by Francis D.Lyon, this film was about six GI’s stationed in India, secretly photographing the arcane rituals of a group of Cobra worshippers ! In the film which the GI’ s were making, the bizarre climax was that some of the cult worshippers participating in these rituals turn themselves into snakes ! What was more horrifying was  the High Priest of this cult of snake worshippers, catching the GI’s red handed in the act ...

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  MURDER ROUND THE BEND – By Bernard VanCuylenburg   A beautiful city with a fortified Dutch Fort, world heritage site buildings, fine beaches with broad expanses of silver sand, and restaurants and hotels to cater to the most fastidious tourist is what comes to mind when one thinks of Galle.  All this and more is what the discerning traveller will experience when visiting this port city. One conjures up visions of a land with all the charm of the South –  the ubiquitous coconut palms, fishing, soaking up the sun on a sun kissed beach,and savouring the delights of a tourist haven. But Galle is not the focus of this article. In the spotlight today is a township known to residents of the area but not very familiar to the wider world, which lies in the district of Galle  called  Talgaswella. Talgaswella is situated twelve miles from Galle. Travelling ...

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    MURDER AT MIDNIGHT – By Bernard VanCuylenburg In May 1941, the Nuwaraeliya district was rocked by the news of the dastardly murder of the Superintendent on Stellenberg Estate Pupuressa, Mr.George Pope. In an article which I wrote about ten years ago titled “Tales from the Thotum” I wrote about this crime in detail. I subsequently changed the title to “Marked for Murder”. His murder, the quick work by the police in arresting the accused, and the subsequent trial which followed which was heard by one of the most eminent judges of the time Justice Soertsz, made its way into criminal records as one of the most dramatic and brutal murders of the time. Seventy seven years later, the aftermath of this crime still casts a dark shadow particularly on Stellenberg estate, and its memory lives on in the minds of some retired labourers of an older generation as ...

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GEORGE WALL – THE LION THAT ROARED – By Bernard VanCuylenburg A few months ago I wrote an article titled “David and Goliath” which featured a young English tea planter Mark Anthony Bracegirdle, who rocked the colonial establishment when he sided with the workers and the unions, by demanding better living conditions for  the estate labourers on the plantations. His colonial masters were dumbfounded and furious to find that it was “one of their own” who by the courage of his convictions, proved to be the proverbial thorn in their side. This story is about another hero George Wall  – an Englishman – a philanthropist who fought for the rights of the Ceylonese in the days of colonial rule almost a hundred years before Bracegirdle. I wonder how many will remember the Town Hall end of the De Soysa Circus in Slave Island, Colombo. There was an ornate fountain here ...

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TO SIR WITH LOVE – Bernard VanCuylenburg PROLOGUE The history of any business enterprise will reveal that success was possible due to the will of the entrepreneur, tenacity of purpose, and defiance in the face of any challenges or adversity. Sri Lanka recently lost a doyen of entrepreneurship who strode the business world like the proverbial colossus. His passing leaves a void in the  business ranks of the nation, and an even bigger void in the hearts of his family and all who knew and love him. On my shoulders fell the task of writing and delivering a tribute at the memorial Mass held for George Ondaatjie on the 4th February at St.Mary’s Church, Bambalapitiya. He was a man who believed in the phrase “From little things big things grow” and brought it to fruition with a lifetime of achievement. The world is a poorer place for his passing. P.S. ...

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THE SPIRIT OF ONE – MR GEORGE MACKY – By Bernard VanCuylenburg Rather late on the road of an Anthonian journey, I take my place in line, pen in hand as I endeavour to pay tribute to a gentleman whose name now dwells in the realms of legend in the Anthonian community and beyond. I am at a distinct disadvantage  because, although I was a student of that venerable institution St. Anthony’s College Kandy, I did not study under the great man and in my entire eleven years of life as an  Anthonian, never had any conversations with him particularly about the things that matter in life. We crossed each other many times and apart from the customary greeting, went our separate ways.   One of the disadvantages of being an ‘Arts’ student !!  However, his second son Louis and I were classmates from the 2nd Standard in 1951 right up to ...

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Kumaradhatusena – the great unknown – By Bernard VanCuylenburg PROLOGUE   “Cometh the hour cometh the man” from John Chapter 4 Verse 23 in the Holy Bible, signifies that the right man will arrive at the right time. However, I may stand corrected on this, as there are varying interpretations of this saying. But it is an appropriate introduction to a great unknown in Lanka’s ancient history who is seldom spoken about, unlike some of the better known heroes of Sinhala royalty. Prince Kumara Dhatusena in his brief reign of nine years ruled the island with a firm but just hand and won the loyalty of his subjects by his meritorious deeds. Sadly, after his death there followed a period of violence, greed, treachery and murder, so often a feature in ancient Lanka’s history and in the history of many lands. His name in the chronicles is recorded as one ...

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