The Burghers of Ceylon/ Sri Lanka- Reminiscences and Anecdotes – By J. Godwin Perera
Photo Source:Island
“The Burghers were a merry, lot
With song and dance and many a ‘shot’
Were drivers, guards in the Cee Gee Ar
For higher jobs were below par”
This is only partly true. It was a small segment of Burghers who worked in the CGR and as they would have said ‘did a bloody, damn good job.’ But, there were Burghers and Burghers. Let’s give credit where credit is due. Higher in the social hierarchy were the Planters. Many, having been ruggerites in their colleges, it was an easy jump to the central hills where they were appointed as ‘Sinna Dorays’ (SDs) and later Periya Dorays (PDs) in the tea plantations. They had the endurance and intelligence to rule their kingdoms (‘Thottams’), very, very, successfully. Some ended up as CEOs in the head offices of the agency houses which managed the estates in which they worked.
Other than these there were many Burghers who sprouted and blossomed adorning the pages of our nation’s history with outstanding contributions in areas ranging from the academic to sports. These diverse and varied contributions were quite out of proportion to their demographic numbers. In this article there may be errors (perhaps a few ) and omissions (certainly many ) For these a sincere apology is asked for. It is hoped that as you read this it will revive memories of this talented, likeable, sociable set of people.
Unfortunately with the post 1956, cry of ‘Sinhala Only’ and allegations made by political demagogues that the Burghers were breeding a ‘thuppai culture,’ ringing their ears they left for pastures new. Specially to Australia. As someone said ‘they burghered off.’ Sri Lanka’s loss was Australia’s gain. And yet we know that in every Burgher heart there is a place which will forever be Sri Lanka. Once the vicious tentacles of Covid 19 have been untangled and the second wave has been calmed they will come. In droves. To revisit old haunts or what is left of them and be re-united with friends who have not yet descended below the gentle turf. Let’s welcome them with a very warm ‘Ayubowan’
But first a clarification.
The term ‘Burgher’ cannot be loosely used. It was defined by law in 1883 by the then Chief Justice before a Royal Commission by which a Burgher was one whose father was born in Ceylon having at least one European ancestor on one’s direct paternal side, regardless of the ethnic group of the mother or whatever other ethnic groups may be found on the father’s side. This is why true Burghers always have European surnames. Hence you will find names strung along the alphabet from – Anthonisz to Hingert to Ondaatje to Swan to White. However there was one problem with one of these names. Pereira –spelt with an ‘i’ was Burgher. Perera spelt without and ‘i’ was Sinhala. But this problem became a trifle complicated because there was another group of Pereiras who were neither Burgher nor Sinhala. They belonged to the Colombo Chetty community who specialized in retail groceries and cafes.
Let’s now begin this voyage of discovery with the letter ‘A’
, Andre – Donovan. His name and Show-Biz are synonymous. He reigned supreme in the early 1950s. One spectacular show was ‘Holiday on Ice’ where an ice rink was created in this our tropical island. It has been said that on the opening day, the show was delayed because the ice was not properly formed. To avoid any frustration in the crowd Donovan Andre sent rounds of whiskey, wine and soft drinks all ‘on the house’. It was during this time that the Sunday Observer held an Annual Contest – ‘The Most Popular Personality of the Year.’ Voting was done by a coupon in one of the pages of this newspaper. The contest lasted for a few months. Obviously to increase sales of the newspaper. To Donovan Andre winning this was yet another act of showmanship. He was determined to win. So was Sir John Kotelawela. So what did Donovan do ? Every Sunday he sent his men to Lake House and to news agents all around Colombo to buy every copy of this newspaper. Donovan Andre won. He was delighted. So was the newspaper publisher who had unprecedented sales while the completion lasted.
And so to another ‘A’
Anthonisz – Dr P.D. He was the first Ceylonese to obtain both the MRCP and FRCS qualifications. He was a member of the Legislative Council and in this capacity was mainly responsible for the construction of the railway line from Colombo to Matara. A grateful public of Galle erected a clock tower in his memory which is today a landmark within the Galle Fort. His name must not be confused with that of Dr P.R. Anthonis, the ambidextrous surgeon of eminence of much later years. In the ‘B’s,
There was Bartholomeusz – Dr Noel, who very graciously gifted his Colombo 07 residence to the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka. In the late 1960s Dr Noel became a surgeon by day and a patient by night. He had to undergo a dialysis procedure for 12 hours, three days a week in his home. This was done by his wife Nora who was a nurse.
Another ‘B’.
Blaze – Edmund. Founder of Kingswood College Kandy, which started as Boy’s High School in 1891 with just eleven pupils. As the school expanded and became Kingswood College, Edmund Blaze was keen to emulate the prestigious public schools of England. He introduced the system of ‘Houses’ and referred to all his students as the ‘Gentlemen of Kingswood .’ It was Blaze who introduced rugby to schools and the first ever inter-school rugby match was between Kingswood and Trinity on 11th August 1906. Fittingly it ended in a Six- All draw. Kingswood was also the first school to introduce rowing, no doubt on the Kandy Lake. and one of the first to have a Cadet Corp. It was Blaze who in 1900 wrote the very first comprehensive history of this country.
And so to ‘C’
We have Collette-Aubrey. He had the knack of transforming serious issues into cartoons which were incisive, satirical and humorous. These appeared in the Ceylon Times and Sunday Observer during the early post independent years. He displayed a deep insight into the foibles and failures of politicians. In fact with his cartoons he played around with the political elite. They in turn were delighted in being featured. And so we come to ‘D’ ( Special Note: This sounds very much like the song from ‘Sound of Music ‘ ! )
There are two in the ‘D’ category.
First comes de Kretser – Oswald Leslie III. His father and grandfather also had the identical names, which was the reason for the suffix III after his name. He was a prize winning student at Royal College and from there after graduation steadily climbed the ladder in the judicial service and ended up as a Justice of the Supreme Court. But in addition to these achievement he has another claim to fame. A species of fish- the mulpulutta kretseri was as you may have rightly guessed, named after him.
‘D’ is also for de Saram – F.C. Lawyer, cricketer and a Colonel in the army. But it was cricket that made ‘FC’ famous. Playing for Oxford University he scored 128 against the Australians of which 96 came in boundaries. He captained the Ceylon team from 1949 to 1954. But alas! Like another all time cricketing great, better known as ‘Satha’ ‘FC’ too had a spell in the Welikada jail. This was because he led a coup in 1962. He and the others involved were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and confiscation of all property. But on appeal to the Privy Council the sentence was overruled. Anyway ‘FC’ will always be remembered as a cricketer and cricket coach. The coup has been long forgotten.
And now to ‘E’
Ephraums – Arthur Edward. His name will be remembered in connection with St Andrews Hotel, N’Eliya, which was bought in 1818 by a syndicate headed by A.E.Ephraums. This hotel has since been re-constructed, refurbished and renewed and is today owned by the Jetwing Group.
And now to ‘F’.
Fernandez –Jacqueline. Attractive. Exuberant. Vivacious. Much in demand in Bollywood. It will be recalled that she together with another Burgher- Alston Koch starred in the controversial movie ‘According to Matthew’ which was based on the true life story of an Anglican priest (his first name was Matthew) who was convicted of murder
Let’s move to ‘G.’
Gray – Eddie. At the London Olympics, Eddie Gray who was the first head of the Ceylon Mounted Police, boxed in the Lightweight Class. He won his first bout but lost in the second on a split decision. But Eddie Gray has to be remembered with a very sad incident four years later. Early morning on March 21st 1952 our first Prime Minister D.S.Senanayake suffered a stroke and fell off his horse while riding on Galle Face Green. Eddie Gray who was also riding on Galle Face Green, was quickly at the PM’s side. He took him to Central Hospital where the ‘Father of the Nation’ as the Premier was respectfully called, passed away on 22nd March.
And so to another ‘G’
Gratien – Noel. Justice of the Supreme Court. In 1955 while watching some energetic and enthusiastic students of St Thomas’s playing on the college grounds he was inspired to convince the Warden – Cannon R.S. de Saram to introduce Rugger into the sports curriculum. And so it came to pass that the Thomians were able to display their traditional grit on the playing fields And now we come to ‘H.
Hingert – Maureen. Whether or not beauty is in the eye of the beholder is rather a moot point. But here we had a beauty who certainly dazzled many eyes and was internationally acclaimed. Maureen Hingert was crowned Miss Ceylon in 1955 and then on 22nd July of that year, became 2nd Runner-Up at the Miss Universe Pageant held at Long Beach California, USA. She won film contacts from Universal International and 20th Century Fox and starred in the popular movie ‘King and I’ – hers was a minor role but the movie was a major box –office winner. This was the first time that Ceylon/Sri Lanka participated in this pageant.
There is another ‘H.’
To give his full name and title, Major General B.R. Heyn. Army Commander from November 1966 to September 1967. He represented Ceylon in cricket and can best be remembered for the One-Day match against the Australians. At one point the score board read – Donald Bradman caught R.L. de Kretser bowled B.R.Heyn – 20 runs. A perfect Burgher combination !
And to another ‘H’.
This time also in the armed services. Rear Admiral D.V.Hunter who was Commander of the Navy from 2nd July 1970 to 31st March 1973. He had the distinction of being within the historic transition when the Royal Ceylon Navy became Sri Lanka Navy on 22nd May 1972.
Skipping ‘I’ we move to ‘J’
Jansz- C.T. (Cutty ) -Commissioner General of Prisons. He was Deputy Commissioner General when the notorious massacre of Tamil political prisoners took place in Welikade on July 1983. He valiantly tried, but could not prevent it. Many years later after retirement as Commissioner General in an interview about execution of prisoners sentenced to death, he stated about the ‘gut wrenching’ experience of having to witness a prisoner being hanged. ‘The whole prison mourns. It becomes a funeral house.’
And now to ‘K’
Keunamen – Pieter. At Royal College he was Leader of the Junior Cadet Platoon, Head of the Debating Team, President of the Literary Association, Rugger Coloursman, Prefect, winner of the Shakespeare Prize and the Dornhorst Prize which was the most prestigious prize at Royal. He had an equally brilliant academic career at Cambridge University where he gained a BA Tripos in History, Sociology and English Literature. It was here that he became an ardent Communist. He was appointed Minister of Housing and Construction in the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Cabinet of 1970.
Sorry, but we have hop over ‘L’ and come to ‘M’
’Muller -Carl. Dismissed from three schools, he ended up at Royal College where he was noted more for his brawn than brain. But he later blossomed to become a prolific and award winning author. It was as if all the emotions pent up within his persona during his school days and during his employment in the Navy, Army and Port Commission had suddenly burst forth into a rushing, gushing, literary torrent. He was a journalist, novelist, poet and a pianist being able to play any tune, any time, by ear. He was also, in spite of or perhaps because of, an unhappy childhood, an adorable and adoring husband, father and grand- father. His writings were exuberant, witty, sarcastic, unapologetic and yes, there was a vein of sexuality in what he wrote. His writings included novels, historical fiction, science fiction, essays, short stories, poems, children’s stories and monographs. Best known for his trilogy of the Burgher community – Jam Fruit Tree, Yakada Yakka and Once Upon a Tender Time. The first was published by Penguin Books and won for him the Gratiaen Memorial Prize in 1993.The State bestowed on him the title ‘Kala Keerthi’.
Once more a little bit of hopping over ‘N’ and over to ‘O’
Ondaatje- Michael. He is a Sri Lankan born and now domiciled Canadian. A multiple award winning, editor, essayist, novelist and filmmaker. His best known work is ‘the English Patient,(1992)’ which won him the prestigious Booker Prize. It was out of this prize money that Michael Ondaatje founded the Gratiaen Trust named after his mother Dorris Gratiaen and from this Trust came into being the annual Gratiaen Award for the best English literary work written by a resident Sri Lankan. The ‘English Patient’ was adapted into a movie in 2018 and won nine Academy Awards. His other notable works include ‘Running in the Family’ (1982) which was about his life in Ceylon which was before our country became Sri Lanka, and ‘Anil’s Ghost’ (2000 ) set in Sri Lanka amidst the political violence of the 1980s and ‘90’s. It was Michael Ondaatje who stated in one of his memoirs in 1983 that ‘In Sri Lanka a well told lie is worth a thousand facts.’ He certainly knew much more and much better about our politicians than some of us do!
And so we come to ‘P’
Pereira – Prof. E.O.E. He was a brilliant student at Royal College where he won coveted prizes for mathematics, science and arithmetic. He was the Founder Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ceylon and quite appropriately referred to as the ‘Father of Modern Engineering Education in Sri Lanka’. He was appointed or may it be said persuaded, to accept the post of Vice- Chancellor of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. It was Prof E.O.E. who was responsible for moving the Faculty of Engineering from its cramped up space in Colombo to a more spacious and salubrious place within the Peradeniya Campus.
We needs to skip over ‘Q’ and come to ‘R’
Reid – The five brothers who played for St. Thomas’s College in the 1960s. – Claude, Ronnie, Buddie, Barney and Johaan. This was a unique record.
And then we come to ‘S’ ’
Spittel – Dr R.L. The surname is often misspelt as Spittle. He can best be described as a city surgeon, jungle doctor and wild life conservationist. His knowledge of the varied fauna and flora of our jungles and very specially that of the Veddha community is unrivalled. Of his many entrancing literary works three needs to be mentioned – Savage Sanctuary (1941), Vanished Trails (1950) and Where the White Sambhur Roams (1951). If you drive along Bauddhaloka Mawatha towards Kanatte -the junction not the cemetery, you will see on the right hand side between the turn offs to Jawatte Road and Coniston Place an imposing building named Wycherley International School. Originally it was Wycherley Nursing home in which Dr R.L.Spittel had his practice.
There is another ‘S’
Swan – Eric. One of the best and certainly the most daring of wild life photographers. In Thamankaduwa in the Polonnaruwa district while on a photographic safari with friends there was observed a single elephant detached from the herd. While approaching cautiously to get as close as possible, the elephant turned and curled its trunk. Eric Swan clicked. It was the last photograph he took. it was the last moment of his life. The elephant charged killing him on the spot. The date was September 18th 1951.
And so we come to ‘T’
(Special Note: Sound of Music !)
Thwaites- Jeanne. A photographer of repute whose photos appeared some time ago in Life Magazine. She won the Gratiaen Award in 1998 for her work ‘It’s a Sunny Day on the Moon.’ We now jump over ‘U’ and come to “V’ Vanderpoorten – Vivimarie. Who won the Gratiaen Award in 2007 for her work ‘ Nothing Prepares You. Her work has been described as ‘a gentle, reflective, minimalism which touches the soul’ Vivimarie is currently a senior lecturer in English Language, English Literature and Linguistics at the Open University.
And now to ‘W’
Weinman – Aubrey. He was the first Curator/Director of the Dehiwela Zoological Gardens. He cared for the animals and staff as if they were his prized personal possessions. The Dehiwela Zoo has been and still is a ‘must visit’ for tourists, and for Sri Lankans, specially school children who flock there during week-ends
There is another ‘W’
He is also a Weinmam – Dr Darrel. Eminent Neuro-Surgeon. He was loved by patients, colleagues and staff. It was a sad day for the Hospital Services when he migrated.
And so we come to yet another ‘W’
Wendt – Lionel. He was a lawyer –who did not practice. Painting, music and photography which he practiced. Very much. He was brilliant in all. The Lionel Wendt Theatre or more correctly the Lionel Wendt Art Centre which is dedicated to him was built by his close friend and admirer, Harold Peiris and opened in December 1953.
And yes, yes, yes there is yet another ‘W’. Sri Lanka’s greatest athlete.
White-Duncan.On 4 th February 1948 our Lion flag fluttered proudly in the freedom of newly won Independence. On 31st July of that year the Lion flag fluttered proudly at the London Olympic Stadium when Duncan White skimmed over the hurdles (400M) to claim the Silver medal. It was only 52 years later in 2000, at the Sydney Olympics, that our country won another medal – But that is another story. In fact it’s a story within a story.
At this moment, lest boredom creeps into you and the savory aroma of Sunday lunch distracts you, let’s move on to the Burgher contribution to our cuisine. There’s Lamprais, and Rich Cake also called Christmas Cake, and Love Cake and Patties and Frickadel (meat balls, similar to cutlets) and Breudher and Milk Wine and yes indeed there’s that delicious sweetmeat served during Sinhala Avuruddha called Kokkis. (Special Note : I am sure that many of these delicacies are available in Australia )
Now that food has got your attention remember to visit the Dutch Hospital in the heart of Fort and feast in anyone of the restaurants there. This was built by the Dutch in 1681 and is the oldest building in Colombo. Let not the fact that it housed patients deter you. The ghosts of any who died there have been exorcised by the appetizing aroma of food being served. ( Maybe when you do visit Sri Lanka you can come to this place ).
