The Men Who Made Royals Scouts -by Ravindra C. Wijesooratne
Without their vision, Royal College Scouting might have remained a forgotten chapter — instead, it became a proud tradition.
by Ravindra C. Wijesooratne
Inspired by an article written about the late Mr. Viji Weerasinghe by our former Deputy Principal at Royal College, Mrs. Lakshmi Ariyagalle, I decided to write this piece about two Scout Masters — the late Lieutenant Colonel M. K. J. Cantly and Mr. Rohan Wirasekara.
According to Royal College history, Scouting began in 1918 during the tenure of Principal Hartley, though few details are available until it was re-established in 1944. As school cadeting had commenced in 1881 under Principal John B. Call, and since Royal College Cadets over 18 years of age contributed to both Great Wars in service to the King and the British Empire, much prestige had accrued at the College. The Principal and teachers at the time may have felt there was no need for a Scout Troop at Royal College.
Brevet Captain MacKusseem James Cantly started his first Scout Troop in 1934 at his hometown school, St. Joseph’s College, Gampola, and later in 1938 at St. Mary’s College, Nawalapitiya. A brilliant teacher, he was transferred to Royal College, Colombo 7, on 13 September 1943.
Major Cantly urged and convinced the then Principal, Mr. E. L. Bradly, to re-establish the College Scout Troop. As an officer of the Ceylon Cadet Corps, in addition to being a skilled teacher, he must have been able to explain to Mr. Bradly the complementary skills developed among young students through both Scouting and Cadeting.
On Friday, 16 June 1944, the Royal College Scout Troop was re-established. According to available records, 25 students enrolled that day and took the Scout Oath.
Under the enthusiastic, dedicated, and hardworking Major Cantly — known as the Group Scout Master (GSM) of the Royal College Scout Troop — Scouting and Cadeting both flourished as extracurricular activities at Royal College.
Popularly known as “Canto” among students, Major Cantly groomed thousands of students to become responsible, patriotic, and respectful citizens of Mother Lanka. He retired on 31 March 1969 to care for his ailing mother in Gampola.
He retired as Brevet Lieutenant Colonel M. K. J. Cantly, E.D., I.P., and Commanding Officer of the 3rd Battalion of the Ceylon Cadet Corps, after 25 years of service to Royal College, Colombo 7. By that time, the Royal College Scout Troop had produced its first Queen’s Scout, R. D. W. Rathnayake, followed by 25 more Queen’s Scouts by the time Canto retired.
Mr. R. K. W. Rathnayake is the beloved father of Kavan Rathnayake and Sagala Rathnayake (Head Prefect and Athletics Captain), and grandfather of the former Head Prefect K. D. W. (Savisha) Rathnayake, son of Kavan. Mr. R. K. W. Rathnayake’s Queen’s Scout certificate is now displayed in the Royal College Archives.
My interaction with this great teacher was in 1977. Another distinguished Scouter and old boy of Royal College, Mr. Rohan Wirasekara, was our Scout Master. Although he was not a teacher at Royal College, he voluntarily devoted his time to the College Scout Troop. He was the first President’s Scout produced by Royal College in 1972 — the year Sri Lanka became a Republic and the country’s name changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka.
We were on a “Patrol Camp” at the Director’s Bungalow, Warwick Estate, Nawalapitiya. Mr. Rohan Wirasekara (Rohan Sir) decided that we should visit Lt. Colonel Cantly, the pioneer Scouter of Royal College. We took a van to Nawalapitiya to Gampola and walked up to the beautiful home of “Canto,” who was then living alone after his mother.
Canto was delighted to see his Scouts with our Scouter, Rohan Sir. He made it a point to write it in all our log books — notes we cherished throughout our Scout days.
From the time I became a Scout in 1977 to this day, Rohan Sir has continued to lead the Royal College Scout Troop. He conducted Scouting sessions on Saturday mornings until he retired from his private-sector career. After his retirement twelve years ago, due to the sheer number of Scouts, he divided the Troop into two groups and began holding sessions on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.
His life is Scouting. He continues to groom young Scouts to become effective leaders, disciplined individuals, and patriotic citizens of Mother Lanka.
His 72nd birthday was celebrated modestly by the senior instructors of the Scout Troop, who arranged a birthday cake while all Scouts sang “Happy Birthday.” Today, the strength of the Royal College Scout Troop (excluding the Gold Troop members who meet on Wednesdays) exceeds 600 Scouts.
Just imagine how many young lives Rohan Sir has guided from 1977 to the present day!
We wish Rohan Sir continued good health and happiness as he carries on his noble work.
As former South African President Nelson Mandela once said, “There is no greater gift than giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.”
We, the Scouts of Royal College — groomed by you and now spread not only across Sri Lanka but around the world — wish you good health and happiness.
Source:-slguardian
