The Masterpieces of Royal – Part 2 A Royal Tribute-by J. Godwin Perera

Remembered Yesterdays

Note: The Covid 19 pandemic has changed our lives. There is now the ‘new normal.’ Just two examples are -working from home and online teaching and learning. Will we ever get back to the pre- Covid days specially where schooling is concerned? I fear not and I hope I am wrong. Because teaching can never be done through the remoteness of technology. There has to be that personal touch. That eye to eye contact. That combination of both heart and mind. And so it is with a deep feeling of nostalgia that I write this article.

It’s a tribute to two great teachers – Vijitha (Viji ) Weerasinghe and B. St. E. de Bruin ( Bruno ). Despite the numerous tributes paid during the past years to these two Great Teachers, why it may it be asked is it necessary to write about them again? Here is my answer as I quote Shakespeare’s Mark Anthony: ‘Here was Caesar! Whence cometh another?’

So too we can say of these two teachers. And more importantly we can also ask -will there be opportunities in the future for teachers to emulate these two ‘Greats.’ Were they the products of an era which will never come again ?

You came into our lives for a span of a few years. But within that time you left footprints in our hearts and we will never be the same again.’

Let us begin at RPS. Royal Primary School.

At the Rajakeeya Mawatha entrance to RPS is the office of the Old Boys Union of Royal College or Royal College Union (RCU) as it’s called. Inside this office occupying his cubical for 10 years was ‘Mr Royal’ himself – Mr Viji (Vijitha) Weerasinghe, Vice- President and Advisor to the Union. But these 10 years were during the last years of his devoted service to Royal.

Mr Weerasinghe became a Royalist at the tender age of five-years when he began his studies at Royal Preparatory School. And for 14 years he was a student absorbing the ‘Royalness’ that the School and later the College had to offer. ‘Royalness’? Yes. To use the term ‘Royalty’ would be to insult Mr Weerasinghe. Because in his dedication to Royal he was humble as a person. He spurned plaques, platitudes, praises. What he did, he did for the love of it.

For the next 21 years he was a teacher. Later for six years he was Headmaster and then for nine years he served as Deputy Principal. Where else but at Royal? It was here that I had the privilege and pleasure of being taught by him. He did have a nickname – ‘Duckie’. No doubt because at that time he was chubby. But I for one, can never recall any colleague of mine calling him by that name. And it was certainly not due to fear. But because he was so endearing.

In writing this tribute to Viji Weerasinghe I am indebted to Ms. Lakshmi Attygalle – Deputy Principal, Royal College and Malinda Seneviratne an old boy whose in-depth analysis of current affairs is published regularly in the print media and avidly read by many. Both have written tributes to Viji Weerasinghe. From these have I gathered much needed material for my humble tribute. There have been more, many, many more, who have written much more lucidly that I ever can. And it’s only Viji Weerasinghe who can earn such sincere and heartfelt respect.

‘Viji’ Weerasinghe taught us English Literature and Latin (which I skipped ). Other than the prescribed texts he urged us to drink deep from the founts of the masterpieces of English Literature. Authors such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Jane Austin, Emily Bronte. Poets such as Thomas Gray, Oliver Goldsmith, William Wordsworth.

Viji Weerasinghe was teacher, guru, mentor, to students, teachers, principals and even to old boys occupying high office in the public and private sectors. No, he did not crave to be so sought after. It was they who craved to seek after him. His advice to teachers exemplifies the man. ‘do not forget that you yourself were once a schoolboy’ Oh yes! He did have a sense of humor. One small verse he repeated was connected to the suffragettes movement. It went like this-

‘Two inches, two inches, two inches shorter Same are the skirts of both mother and daughter When the wind blows both of them show Two inches, two inches, more than they oughter’

Many, many years after I had left college and was holding a senior position in a company, I was given the privilege of going on an all- expense paid trip to Europe with my wife and son, who was a student at RPS. It was to be a one month trip and I had to obtain leave for my son. This necessitated my meeting Viji Weerasinghe who was Headmaster. As I tapped and politely entered his office he looked up and said ‘Hello JGP, so nice to see you.’ I was amazed that he remembered my name. And this is true of every student. He remembered each of their names.

I explained the purpose of my visit. Leave for my son was readily granted. But being the teacher he was, he instructed my son to maintain a diary of each day’s activities and show this to him after he returned to school. Viji Weerasinghe was Royal and Royal was Viji Weerasinghe. As he once remarked ‘ Scholars need not change Royal. Royal should change scholars’.

And so as the poet has said ‘The moving finger writes and having writ moves on…..’ We come to B. St E. de Bruin affectionately called ‘Bruno.’ He was a brilliant, award winning student at Royal. He should have obtained a First Class Honors degree from the University but did not. And so he returned to Royal as a teacher where he served for 18 years. He was scholar, sportsman, semantic. He taught English Literature. I well remember his classes where he vividly described the very heart beat of Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness. He gave us plenty of homework. He would carry our exercise books ( about 30 of them ) to the Hostel where he stayed. There at night he would correct them, making notes in his neat, distinctive, handwriting and return the lot to us the next day.

Mr de Bruin was also Cricket and Athletics Coach and in both sports Royal led the field. He left our island’s shores in 1960 and finally settled down as Senior Mathematics Master in Cornwall College, Montego Bay, Jamaica. There were probably three reasons as to why he selected that school and country. Firstly both Jamaica and Ceylon had a very similar tropical climate. Secondly, Cornwall College was a public school very much like Royal in which Cricket and Athletics were the popular sports. Thirdly – Coincidence. The motto of Cornwall College and Royal College were the same. Disce Aut Discede.

Here he taught for 35 years, endearing himself to students and winning the highest respect of the Government. He passed away at the age of 79 years in July 2003. The Jamaica Observer had this to say ‘ He gained Cornwall College exceptional examination results. His influence at the institution exceeded the boundaries of Mathematics classes for he coached cricket, athletics, table tennis and rifle shooting.’ Mr de Bruin (How can I ever call him Bruno!) led a very austere life, shunning luxury and was completely unattached to the material things of life.

He was generous. Absolutely so. He used to help students with lunch money, books, school fees and clothes. His comforts and well being came second to the needs of his students. As a teacher at Cornwall College remarked ‘Many students took him as that of a father. Yes, Mr de Bruin gave of his life to his students. Day after day. In every way.

Much can be written about this most endearing person. So it’s best to sum up by quoting Dr.Brendon Gooneratne (To whom I am indebted for some of the material I have used in this article ) ‘He was the human being I knew who was closest to being a saint.’