My memories of the BURGHER RECREATION CLUB – The Number 1 Hockey Club from 1932 to Date – By Dennis de Rosayro Perhaps inspired by the ancient Olympic Games in Greece, the 1st Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. The very same year on 26th December 1896 in tiny Ceylon, the Bambalapitiya Hockey & Football Club was founded by the Burgher community from Bambalapitiya, Colombo South, at a meeting held at the residence of Mr. F.J. Foenander, who was elected as Patron.  Mr. A.W. Raffel and Mr. O.H. Poppenbeck were elected as President and Hony Secretary, respectively.  On 31st May 1915, the Club changed its name to Burgher Recreation Club and its colours changed from “Black-red-Gold” to “Black-Red-Champagne”.   Thus, the B.R.C. completed 125 years on 26 December 2021. My visit to my beloved club on that evening, with my wife and extended family gave me immense joy and ...

Read More →

When discretion is discretionary – the choices in Sri Lanka. – By Aubrey Joachim Pub patronage in the UK is on the decline. Fans at ice hockey and softball games in Canada are declining. Marks and Spencer the leading British high street brand is planning store closures going forward. Instead British drinkers are opting to stay at home and watch their sport on streaming services, so too are the Canadians. People are opting to stretch their wardrobes further rather than indulge in the latest fashion trends. As global inflation marches unabated people are cutting down on discretionary spend. Of course some habits die hard. Last night the Lyceum theatre in London was packed for its umpteenth performance of Lion King. At the end of the curtain-call the lead actor appealed to the audience to contribute generously to support starving children across the globe. Discretion certainly spans a broad spectrum. Discretion ...

Read More →

“GOAL-KEEPER EXTRAORDINAIRE” – by Des Kelly For a tiny Island in the Indian Ocean, formerly called Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, of course, it boasted several Champions in many sports including Hockey. Here, via Dennis Rosayro and Victor Melder respectively, is yet another Ceylon Burgher named Frederick (Freddy) White, this time wielding a hockey-stick, rather than a pen, who turned out to be known as possibly the BEST Hockey Goalie in ASIA, a feat astounding, to say the least. Let me say a big “Thank you” to both Dennis and Victor for this wonderful story of another amazing “Citizen of a Burgh”or Burgher, Freddie White, Hockey GOAL-KEEPER EXTRAORDINAIRE. Desmond Kelly. (Editor-in-Chief) e’Lanka. Superman Freddie White: Asia’s best goalkeeper – BY DENNIS DE ROSAYRO Fredrick White made his debut as a schoolboy versus the Indian Olympic team of 1948. He played for the Burgher Recreation Club in the winning teams of 1948 to 1950. ...

Read More →