LOLLO's Toast at the RC 125 Dinner - Jan 2016

LOLLO’s Toast at the RC 125 Dinner – Jan 2016

ROYAL COLLEGE OLD BOYS UNION TOAST

LORENZ  PEREIRA

IN HIS INTRODUCTION, KEN REFERRED TO ME OFTEN AS LOLO.

LET ME TELL YOU OF ITS ORIGINS.

YOU MAY FIND IT QUITE DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE BUT IN SCHOOL, I WAS A VERY GOOD LOOKING,

HANDSOME CHAP.  THE GIRLS THOUGHT I WAS QUITE SEXY.

AT THAT TIME, THE INTERNATIONAL STAR WAS THAT EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL AND SEXY ITALIAN

ACTRESS, GINA LOLOBRIDGIDA.

MY FATHER WHO WAS AN ENGINEER AND DESIGNER OF BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS,  MADE THE

LOGICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SEXY MS LOLOBRIDGIDA AND HIS SEXY SON AND NAMED

ME LOLO.

THE NAME HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN SOME

DETERIORATION IN THE PHYSICAL ASSETS OF THE OWNER.

THE HONOURABLE MR RANIL WICKREMASINGHE, PRIME MINISTER OF SRI LANKA, THE PRINCIPAL

OF ROYAL COLLEGE, LADIES & GENTLEMEN,I CONSIDER MYSELF EXTREMELY PRIVILEGED TO

BE STANDING HERE TONIGHT TO PROPOSE A TOAST TO ROYAL COLLEGE ON THIS VERY SPECIAL OCCASION CELEBRATING 125 YEARS OF THE LIFE OF THE UNION.

I THANK THE UNION FOR THIS UNIQUE HONOUR AND TO CHRISANTHA PERERA WHO CONVEYED THE

INVITATION, ON BEHALF OF THE UNION.

IT CAUSED A MAJOR DILEMA AS TO MY ACCEPTANCE, AS I FELT THAT A MERE SPORTSMAN

THAT I WAS, WHOSE CANVAS WAS THE SPORTING FIELDS OF ROYAL COLLEGE, DID NOT HAVE THE

REQUIRED CREDENTIALS TO DELIVER A TOAST BEFITTING SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS OCCASION.

THEN I RECEIVED A CALL, LATE INTO THE NIGHT, FROM MY DEAR SCHOOL PAL AND RUGBY TEAM MATE

AT ROYAL, KEN BALA.

THEY SAY SUCCESS IN LIFE IS ABOUT GOOD TIMING AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT KEN’S TIMING

IN CALLING ME AT THAT TIME, WAS IMPECABLE, AS HE CONVINCED ME, WHILST STILL IN MY DREAM

ZONE, TO ATTEND AND HERE I AM.

I REALISED THEN THAT THIS GUY IS QUITE CAPABLE OF SELLING ICEBERGS TO THE

ESKIMOS.

IF YOU SHOULD ASK ME, WHAT ROYAL HAS DONE FOR ME, I WOULD SAY WITHOUT ANY

HESITATION THAT ROYAL HAS GIVEN ME ALL THE QUALITIES, ALL THE ATTRIBUTES AND ALL THE

LEARNING SKILLS TO ENABLE ME TO MAKE IT HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE THIS STAGE WITH A PRIME

MINISTER OF THIS COUNTRY.

IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE CROWNING GLORY OF MY LIFE.

THANK YOU ROYAL.

MY DEAR FATHER WHO WAS VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PERADENIYA AND A

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNION FOR MANY YEARS AND A ROYALIST PAR EXCELLENCE, QUITE

UNLIKE ME, WILL BE SMILING FROM UP THERE AND CONVEYING A SINCERE THANK YOU TO THE UNION.

STANDING HERE TONIGHT IS A VERY EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR ME.

PLEASE BEAR WITH ME SHOULD I STRAY OR FALTER.

THANKS KEN FOR THAT EXTREMELY FLATERING, GENEROUS AND COMPLIMENTRY

INTRODUCTION TO MY INDULGENT AND CHEQUERED LIFESTYLE AT ROYAL.

IT WAS SCAREY TO LISTEN TO.

HOW DID I SURVIVE AT COLLEGE PLAYING SO MUCH SPORT?

WAS THERE ANY TIME AND EFFORT DEVOTED TO STUDY?

AS PER OUR MOTTO, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED TO DEPART ON MANY OCCASIONS.

THE MOTTO IS QUITE BRUTAL IN THAT RESPECT, QUITE BLACK AND WHITE WITH NO ROOM FOR

COMPROMISES.

STRANGELY, THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY RECORD OF WHO GAVE THE MOTTO TO THE

SCHOOL.

ALTHOUGH, PRINCIPAL TODD (1871-1878) CONSTANTLY REMINDED STUDENTS THAT THEY MUST

LEARN OR DEPART.

A SCHOOLMASTER’S TYPICAL THREAT RATHER THAN AN INSPIRATION TO LEARN.

I NOTE THAT SINCE THE MOTTO HAD BEEN INTRODUCED, NO ONE HAS BEEN ASKED TO DEPART

FOR LACK OF LEARNING.

I AM NOT SURPRISED.

FOR LEARNING IS A LIFE’S JOURNEY.  THERE ARE NO STOPPAGES, NO MEASUREMENTS.

WHEN WE ENTERED ROYAL, WE BEGAN THAT JOURNEY TO LEARN OF BOOKS AND MEN AND

LEARN TO PLAY THE GAME.

WE BECAME INSTANT WINNERS.

THOSE PRECIOUS WORDS FROM OUR SCHOOL SONG, GIVE US ROYALISTS A STATUS SYMBOL, A SORT OF

ELITISM, A DISTINCTIVE COMPETETIVE ADVANTAGE IN BEING A LEARNED GROUP.

I AM SURE THAT EACH ONE OF YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN INSPIRED, INFLUENCED OR

BENEFITTED FROM THOSE WORDS TO SOME EXTENT.

IN MY CASE, I DIDN’T LEARN MUCH FROM BOOKS, - CERTAINLY FROM MEN, FROM MY GREAT MASTERS AT ROYAL AND LEARNT A GREAT DEAL FROM PLAYING THE GAME.

LET ME ELABORATE.

FIRSTLY, TO MY PRINCIPAL MR DUDLEY DE SILVA, WILL REFER TO HIM AS PRINCIPAL

DUDLEY HEREAFTER, WHO TOTALLY CHANGED THE PATH OF MY LIFE.

I WAS AN ABSOLUTE RASCAL, PLAYING SPORT AT LUNCH TIME AND AFTER SCHOOL AND CHASING

GIRLS THEREAFTER.

I WAS DESTINED FOR THE SCRAP HEAP.

THEN ONE DAY I WAS SUMMONED INTO HIS OFFICE.

HE SAID, I AM GIVING YOU A CHANCE TO REDEEM YOURSELF.

I AM MAKING YOU A PREFECT.

MY KNEES COLLAPSED UNDER ME.

IT WAS THAT SINGLE SENTENCE THAT DEFINED MY LIFE, CHANGED MY DESTINY.

THANK YOU ROYAL.

WHEN MY FATHER HEARD OF THIS HE WAS EXTREMELY DISTURBED.

HOW COME HIS SCROUNDAL SON WAS ELEVATED TO A POSITION OF PREFECT OF ROYAL COLLEGE.

BEING A PASSIONATE ROYALIST AND A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE UNION, THE VALUES,

STANDARDS AND TRADITIONS OF ROYAL COLLEGE MEANT MORE TO HIM THAN AN ACCOLADE FOR HIS

HE IMMEDIATELY CONFRONTED PRINCIPAL DUDLEY.

LATER I GATHERED THAT PRINCIPAL DUDLEY HAD PROVIDED SOME VAGUE HYPOTHETICAL RATIONALE

OF EXPERIMENTING WITH THE USE OF REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY IN RESPECT TO MY BEHAVIOUR.

IT WORKED. I LATER BECAME HEAD PREFECT OF COLLEGE AND TOOK THESE SACRED VALUES THAT MY

FATHER STRONGLY BELIEVED IN TO EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS LEVELS.

LET ME EXPLAIN.

MY YOUNGEST BROTHER AND HIS CLASS MATE, PA, WERE REPORTED TO THE PREFECTS ON A

WEEKLY BASIS. TOGETHER THEY CAUSED ME IMMENSE PROBLEMS.

ONE DAY I RECEIVED SOME INSIDE INFORMATION THAT BOTH OF THEM WERE GOING FOR A PUFF AT A

PARTICULAR TIME AT A PARTICULAR LOCATION.

SO I GOT THERE 15 MTS EARLIER FOUND A SECLUDED BUSH AND WAITED IN AMBUSH.

30 MTS PASSED AND NO ONE TURNED UP.

CAN YOU VISUALISE THAT SCENARIO.

THE HEAD PREFECT OF ROYAL HIDING IN SOME BUSH IN THE SWELTERING MID DAY SUN TO NAB HIS

BROTHER.

IT SEEMS SO DEGRADING, BUT LIKE MY FATHER BEFORE ME, THE COLLEGE AND ITS CODE OF

CONDUCT REIGNED SUPREME.

I LATER FOUND OUT, THAT WHILST I WAS SWELTERING UNDER THE BRUTAL MID DAY SUN, THE

TWO OF THEM HAD BRAZENLY WALKED THROUGH THE MAIN GATE, HAD A SMOKE AND RETURNED

SAFELY.

THE STORY OF PA IS FASCINATING AND INSPIRING.

PA WAS AN ORPHAN BOY FROM A VERY POOR HOME.

IT’S A STORY OF IMMENSE SUCCESS THAT CLEARLY PORTRAYS THAT LEARNING AT ROYAL IS FAR MORE

THAN LEARNING OF BOOKS.

PA HARDLY PASSED AN EXAM AT ROYAL, WAS GENERALLY PUSHED UP EACH YEAR TO AVOID

CAUSING DISRUPTION TO THE FOLLOWING YEAR STUDENTS.

HE WAS FINALLY EXPELLED DUE TO A MISDEAMER IN CLASS AFTER MANY WARNINGS.

THAT WONDERFUL MASTER, MR ELMO DE BRUIN, SOUGHT SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM OLD

BOYS AND SENT HIM OFF TO LONDON.

THE NEXT I HEAR OF HIM IS WHEN HE WAS PICTURED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE LONDON TIMES,

STANDING NEXT TO MARGARET THATCHER, LEADING AN IBM DELEGATION.

SUBSEQUENTLY, HE BECAME CHAIRMAN/CEO OF ONE OF THE LARGEST BANKS IN BELGIUM.

IT CLEARLY SHOWS THAT ROYAL PROVIDES US WITH A WHOLE PACKAGE OF LEARNING TOOLS

TO HELP US ON OUR WAY THROUGH LIFE.

ANOTHER PROBLEM GUY THIS GUY, CALL HIM M, WAS THE FATHER OF ALL RASCALS – THE GODFATHER.

WE PLAYED CRICKET TOGETHER FOR ROYAL IN THE BIG MATCH.

HE HAD THE AUDACITY TO ASK MY FATHER WHO WAS DEAN OF THE FACULTY OF ENGINERING, FOR A

CHARACTER REFERENCE.

MY FATHER ASKED FOR SOME BACKGROUND ON HIMSELF.

I AM A GOOD FRIEND OF YOUR SON, LORENZ.

DON’T TELL ME THAT YOU ARE A BLOODY FOOL LIKE MY SON.

NO SIR, NO SIR, NO SIR, WE ARE ONLY IN THE SAME TEAM, BUT I HARDLY KNOW HIM.

OK THEN AND GAVE HIM A GLOWING CERTIFICATE.

MY FATHER SAW SOMETHING IN HIM THAT NO ONE, NOT EVEN M HIMSELF EVER DREAMED OFF.

MY FATHER WAS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

IN ANOTHER INCIDENT, M WAS ABOUT TO BE SUSPENDED, BUT PRINCIPAL DUDLEY WANTED THE

COURTSEY OF INFORMING HIS FATHER BEFORE HE DID SO.

A MEETING WITH HIS FATHER WAS ARANGED FOR THE FOLLOWING MONDAY AT 9 AM.

AN IMMEDIATE MEETING WITH HIS FELLOW CONSPIRATORS - THE ROYAL MAFIA AT THAT TIME

WAS SUMMONED.

A SUBSTITUTE FATHER NEEDED TO BE FOUND URGENTLY.

AFTER A FEW INTERVIEWS, ONE DRIVER OF A CAR THAT BROUGHT A STUDENT TO SCHOOL WAS

SELECTED.

ON THE APPOINTED DAY, THE DRIVER ALL DOLLED UP IN TIE AND JACKET ENTERED PRINCIPAL DUDLEYS

OFFICE.

HE SAT DOWN WITH M IMMEDIATELY BEHIND.

PRINCIPAL DUDLEY WENT ON A TIRADE OF MISDEAMERS COMMITEED BY M.

THEN HE SAID THAT THERE WAS NO ALTERNATIVE OTHER THAN TO SUSPEND M.

THE FAKE FATHER IMEDIATELY STOOD UP AND GAVE M TWO THUNDERING SLAPS THAT SENT HIM REELING TO THE REAR WALL.

PRINCIPAL DUDLEY HAD TO INTERVENE HASTILY AND PACIFY THE FAKE FATHER AND CONVINCE HIM THAT HIS SON WAS REALLY NOT THAT BAD.

IN FACT, PRINCIPAL DUDLEY TOOK THE FAKE FATHER ON A HALF HOUR TOUR OF THE SCHOOL TO COOL

HIM DOWN.

THE GUY BECAME EVEN MORE UNBEARABLE, NOW THAT PRINCIPAL DUDLEY HAD GIVEN HIM THE ALL

I NOTE THAT IN 1946, JCA COREA BECAME THE FIRST SRI LANKAN PRINCIPAL OF ROYAL. SINCE HIS

TENURE, ROYAL HAS EVOLVED SO DRAMATICALLY IN MANY WAYS, SUCH AS SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN

STUDENT POPULATION (NOW ABOUT 7,000), ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, SPORTING SUCCESS, ETC.

YET, NO TANGIBLE RECOGNITION, FOR POSTERITY, IS NOTICEABLE FOR OUR LOCAL PRINCIPALS, SUCH AS COREA AND DUDLEY DE SILVA, AS COMPARED WITH THEIR BRITISH COUNTERPARTS, SUCH AS HARTLEY, HARVAERD, MARSH AND BOAK, AND MORE RECENTLY IN 1970, MR REED.

I HOPE THAT I AM WRONG. IF NOT, I THINK IT IS A REGRETTABLE OVERSIGHT.

WHAT DID I LEARN FROM PLAYING THE GAME?

ABSOLUTELY PLENTY, I DEFINE GAME IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SCHOOL SONG TO BE FAR GREATER AND FAR WIDER THAN JUST SPORTS PARTICIPATION.

TO ME IT ENCOMPASSES THE WHOLE GAME OF LIFE, WITH SPORT BEING ONE CONTRIBUTOR.

I CAN CONFIDENTLY TESTIFY, FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE, THAT THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE

FOR A STUDENT TO LEARN OF THE GAME OF LIFE THAN AT ROYAL COLLEGE.

IN REGARD TO MY SPORT, I WOULD NEVER HAVE ACHIEVED WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED IF NOT FOR:

1. THE INHERITANCE OF SOME GOOD SPORTING GENES. INDEED A GOOD STARTING POINT.

2. BEING AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. THAT IS BEING AT ROYAL.

THE SYSTEM AND THE PREVAILING ENVIRONMENT AT ROYAL AT THE TIME ENCOURAGED US TO

PARTICIPATE AND TO EXCEL.

WE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF HAVING MASTERS WHO WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SPORT THEY

WERE IN CHARGE OF LIKE MR THAMBAPILLAI (THAMBA) WHO WAS A SORT OF DEFACTO FATHER TO

IN ADDITION, THE BEST TEAM MATES ONE WILL EVER WE HAVE REMAINED AN INTIMATE FAMILY ALL THESE TO ME THAT’S THE ESSENCE OF ROYAL – INTIMATE FRIENDSHIPS.

THANK YOU GUYS.

LOVE YOU ALL.

ABOVE ALL, ROYAL WAS AND IS THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME OF SPORTING COLLEGES WORLD

NO OTHER SCHOOL HAS THE SPORTING PEDIGREE THAT ROYAL HAS.

NO OTHER SCHOOL CAN BOAST OF NOT ONE BUT TWO OF THE GRANDEST SPORTING CONTESTS AT

SCHOOL LEVEL – THE ROYAL THOMIAN AND THE BRADBY.

TODAY, THEY ARE NOT JUST SPORTING CONTESTS BETWEEN TWO TEAMS, THEY ARE ICONIC SOCIAL

FIXTURES THAT CAPTURE THE MIND AND SPIRIT OF ROYALISTS WORLD WIDE.

WE SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF THIS.  IT HAS GIVEN US A UNIQUE PATRIOTIC CULTURE, NOT TO BE

FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR THIS UNIQUE HONOUR BESTOWED UPON ME.

PLEASE STAND FOR THE TOAST – TO ROYAL