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The flag of St. Mary’s flew high and proud at fundraiser in Melbourne.
BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE
For a school small in stature but big in achievement few can compare with the boys from St. Mary’s College Dehiwala.
It’s been a lengthy hiatus from the glory days when the little school tucked away behind St. Mary’s Church grabbed the news headlines in Sri Lanka for their outstanding sporting prowess.
Things have unfortunately gone from then to a low ebb as the ageing school structures have begun crumbling from its 107 year history that gets little support for its upkeep from the government.
Being a public school, the Sri Lanka Government allocates funding through its Education Department for the upkeep of public schools.
But the distribution is either insufficient to keep renovations upto required standards or the allocations are lopsided towards favoured schools which is widely evident.
The result has been a dramatic drop in student intake and it has nearly resulted in the school being shut down. Timely intervention from the church next door has helped them escape extinction.
The OBA of St. Mary’s alerted old boys around the world about the situation and quick response has resulted in funds being raised in several countries including Australia which is channelled to help in its upkeep and renovations.
Millon De Kauwe leads a strong and committed team in Melbourne that has initiated several projects to raise the required funds to patch up a visibly crumbling school premises and it appears help could not have come soon enough.
The new OBU will devise several projects in its ongoing focussed plans to gain continuity in this respect so the funding will not dry out, an informed member close to the committee said.
The OBU launched operation “Rebirth Renewal ” last year, and judging by its popularity and success two years in a row, things are looking bright towards rescuing the school from its sad situation.
Over 400 guests thronged the Palmyrah Receptions venue in Dandenong. The first event at Sapphire Function Hall in Bangholm was also a huge success.
The weekend event drew rave reviews from guests who enjoyed a fabulous night of music and gastronomic delight, a limitless smorgasbord dinner dished up by Jolly J’s, owned and operated by Millon and Sandra De Kauwe.
Country icon Kerrigan LaBrooy a former student of St. Mary’s College together with DJ Damian Weinman also a former student of the school, kick-started the music for the night.
And their contribution to the music was infectious.
It was followed by fabulous Redemption with Shehara and George Rodrigo delivering a entertaining mix of music that had the dance floor packed to capacity for most of the night.
The Marians young and old joined in harmony to proudly belt out the College anthem early in the night.
The lyrics which had in part, ” Our founders we’ll honour, we’ll stand by our school” was a poignant reminder of a commitment that is embedded and carried out in the hearts and minds of those who enjoyed their education at one of Sri Lanka’s oldest schools.
Raffle ticket draws and a wide variety of prizes added to the excitement while boosting the coffers towards a worthy cause.
