40TH ANNIVERSARY AT MT LAVINIA BEACH

COLOMBO MEDICS 63 BLOG

This blog is mainly in preparation of the BIG OCCASION - GOLDEN JUBILEE of MBBS (Ceylon) of those qualifying MBBS (Ceylon) the only medical school in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1963. Some would have surpassed the magical 75 years and others would be reaching it in 2013. It is scheduled for the first or second weekend in January 2013. Do we need any other reason to meet and celebrate.

In a blog (=web-log), unlike in a website,  interaction is the key - you can add your thoughts and opinions and it gets updated regularly, with your help. Blogs are informal and you can let yourself loose. You can add articles, photos, jokes, pictures or discuss issues or communicate directly with me at jbpeiris@hotmail.com. This will help us to compile material for the souvenir.

At the very beginning - the 1st MBBS, Faculty of Science, University of Ceylon, Thurstan Road, Colombo 3



This premedical year at the Science faulty doing the same subjects and syllabus as for the University Entrance examination was considered by many a waste of time. For many especially those from Colombo Boys schools and convents it was the first exposure to co-education. Many made good use of the opportunity, some even embarking on life long partnerships!
There were no major highlights during the year except that we had entered the hallowed portals of the University of Ceylon and were taught Physics, Chemistry and Biology by University
University of Colombo, Thurstan Rd/Reid Avenue 

First day at Colombo Medical school

We entered the Medical faculty with the trepidation of having to face the 'rag' with many unsavoury episodes from the past. However, the 'rag' was curtailed to just half a day because of ethnic related riots we faced for the first time in 1958. For the boys (some of us were still in our teens) it was just an unmatching pair of shoes.

The photos of those who entered are reproduced from the admission cards which were obtained from the Archives with the kind curtsey of the Dean. This will give an idea of how youthful and fresh you looked about 56 years ago, with 'Brylcreem' on the hair or 'Lacto Calamine' on the face!
If any photos are not included please send a photo during medical school days.

A-------

    Neil Abeysekara - is a Family Physician in Divulapitiya, and was the President of the College of General Pratitioners a few years ago

S Abeysuriya - not with us

 B J Alexander - DNA (details not available) please add if you know

   Pat Allegacone - DNA (details not available) please add if you know

    Abdul Hameed - consultant surgeon, worked in Sri Lanka and Oman for sometime. Unfortunately no longer with us

S Alahendra - US Psychiatrist - tragic accident in US

    Amarasingham - no details available. Please provide ?no longer with us

  Lalith  Amarasuriya -  DNA - please provide

    Amirthanathan R, -DNA

Arasaratnam -DNA

    Arunachalam - no longer with us

     D Ayaru -DNA

B-----------------

                     

                                                                      

  K BALASINGHAM  in USA

AML Beligaswatta - GU surgeon in Kandy, also Directore, GH Kandy and later Director of the Health Services.

   Piloo Billimoria - consultant Neurologist in Australia ?Melbourne,

  Tony Brough - Anaesthesiologist in Australia (Melbourne?) unfortunately not with us

C---------------

Phyllis Cabraal - Consultant Pathologist, Colombo

Siva Chellathurai (Ketharathas) -

GP,UK

Marius Cooray - DNA

Suneetha Cumaratunga - consultant anaesthesiologist, Sri Lanka

D-------------

Cynthia de Livera - Cons. ENT Surgeon, Colombo

KKVW de Silva - Family Physician, Panadura - no more with us

Chandra de Silva - no longer with us

Cyril de Silva - no longer with us

Dharmawardena -DNA

Lali de Silva - ? in Oz

Malcolm de Silva - Consultant Rheumatologist, UK

WGR (Gamini) de Silva - Physician Sri Lanka

Audrey de Zylva - Private sector, Melbourne -,

Quintus de Zylva -Cardiac Physician, Melbourne

Roland Dharmasuriya - DNA

PLR (Bobby) Dias - Physiologist, Sri Lanka, Oman

Ubhaya Dias - no more with us

E-----------------

AT Ekanyake, DNA

F----------------

Colin Fernando - Oz-

Marcus Fonseka - no more with us

G----------------

Aravinda Gautamadasa- Cons.in O&G - Colombo

Gunaratnam - ? not with us

M Gunaratnam - DNA

Celine Gunaratne - not with us

(Mrs Sydney Kumaranayake)

L Gunaratne - DNA

BDP Gunawardena

DUR Gunawardena - Con.Physician, Colombo

H------------

G Harris - Oz

J---------------

K Janaganathan - ?UK

Mahinda Jayasinghe, Cardiologist, USA

KDP Jayatilaka, Family physician, SL

S Jegarajah

K---------------------

D R Karunaratne, Cons. Paediatrician . Ex Director, LRH

Vimala Kanagasingham, Physician, SL 

 N Kandasamy

  D Kandiah, not with us

AGS Karunanayake- no more with us

BAP Karunaratne, Physician, SL

HB Karunaratne, Cardiologist, Florida

NA Karunaratne, surgeon, UK

HIE Katugaha - Family Physicia, Kandy

R Ketharathas - UK Family physician

Krishnathasan, UK

V Kulasekaran, ENT surgeon, SL

   Sydney Kumaranayake, Cons, Gastro Toronto

Chintha Kurukulasuriya, physician,SL

Ilanga Kurukulasuriya, pathologist, UK

L---------------------

Trevor Labrooy, Oz

Lawrence - details not known

Sudassa Lecamwasam - no more with us

Marina Lovell - USA

M-------------------------

HM Mauroof - GP Katugastota

Eric Mendis - no more

Upali Mendis - Cons. Eye Surgeon, former Director VMEH,

Nalini Mendis -Consultant Microbiologist, UK

SI Malalagama

N----------------

N Nadaraja, Prof of surgery, Rochester,USA

N Naganathan, OZ Physician

Stanley Nalliah, GP, UK

Gamini Nanyakkara, Cons. Psych, UK

Nirmalanathan -  Consultant Ophthalmologist,UK

Fowzie Nizar - GP UK

P----------------

     EMC Perera - no more

PAJC Perera Consultant Physiacia, Anaheim, California

D Pakstun - GP, UK

Indra PandithaGunawardena - USA Baton Rouge

C Pathmanathan - Consultant Radiologist, UK

Peiris JB - Consultant Neurologist, exec Director,PGIM, Uni of Colombo, Chairman Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital

Rosemary Peiris - GP, UK

Perera Davy - No more with us

Damayanthi Perera, Wellington, NZ

Manel Perera ?Oz

Norbert Perera, cardiac Surgeon, Toronto

Alfred Perera Forensic Psychiatrist, UK

Remy Perumal, Cons. Physician UK RemPerum@aol.com,

R-----------------

Rajachandran, GP, UK

YS Rajapakse, Community Med. Consultant, Bedford, UK

NRajasekaran, Cons. pathologist, UK

   Family Physician, Colombo - Initiated the Medi-calls in Colombo.

V Rajeswaran - UK - no more with us

K Rajagopal - no more with us

WY Rambukwella, NZ

Nihal Ranasinghe, UK, Psychiatrist, no more with us

DK Ranatunga -DNA

AM Rodrigo - Sri Lanka

Daya Rodrigo, Cons.surgeon, GHC

MRI Salgado, Cons. Geriatrician, Oz

HHR Samarasinghe, Cons. Phytsician, Colombo

  BA Samuel

Sarvananthan, no more with us

S Sathananthan, Cons.Psych. OZ

Sebestaianpillai - Cons.Psychiatrist, UK

Senaratyapa, SL, Not with us

K Shanmuganathan, surgeon, UK

Shanmugarajan, DNA

GSQuintus Silva, Physician, Saudi

B Sivacolonthu

Sivaguru-DNA

Sivakumaran- DNA

Sivanandasingham-DNA

Sivananthan-DNA

Sivanesan ? no more with us

Sivapathasunderam - Cons. Paediatricianm Jaffna - tragic death at hands of IPKF

Sivarajasingham -DNA

Sivasubramaniam - No more

J Solomons DNA

SriSkandaraja -DNA

Ainsley Stanislaus - cons Rheumat and Rehab, Kandy

RL Thambyraja, cons in O&G, Singapore - no more

RSTheagaraja, Paediatrician, UK - no more

Tilakaratne - DNA

V----------------

    MG Vedamuttu

Vickneswaradasan -DNA

Charlotte Vithana

W---------------------------

Ira Wakkumbura

WR Wanasinghe - DNA

Doris Wannigama - Cons. Psych.USA

Susiri Weerasekara - Cons. Ortho. Colombo

Malin Weeratne, Cons Physician, Boston

Siri Wickremasinghe - Cons.Microbiologist, no longer with us

Sumana Wickremasekara, GP,UK

Victor Wickremasinghe - O&G, USA

Manel Wijesuriya, Family Physician, Colombo - no more

Ranjit Wijesuriya - Psych ?OZ/NZ

R Wimalasena - GP UK

Yoganathan - no more

I need the photographs of SKP, Nangi, Other Wijeratne and a few more. Preferably photos from 1958-63 or soon after graduation

--and only memories of .......

  

      S Abeysuriya                               Abdul Hameed                              S Alahendra

   

    Amarasingham                       Arunachalam                          Tony Brough

 

    KKVW de Silva             Chandra de Silva                           Cyril de Silva

 

   Ubhaya Dias                     Marcus Fonseka                     Gunaratnam    

     D Kandiah                          AGS Karunanayake           S Lecamawasam

                

  

    Eric Mendis                            Davy Perera                           V Rajeswaran

   
   Rajagopal                                 Nihal Ranasinghe                  Sarvananthan

      

       Senaratyapa                             Sivanesan                           Sivapathasunderam

   

  Sivasubramaniam               RL Thambyraja                RS Theagaraja

   

   Siri Wickremasinghe            Manel Wijesuriya              Yoganathan

    

 BDP Gunawardena            EMC Perera                         Celine Gunaratne

 

  Kandasamy

 ----and our sympathies with the familiers and friends

(I hope there are no errors)

HISTORY OF THE COLOMBO MEDICAL SCHOOL.

The Ceylon Medical School was opened in June 1870 by the then Governor Sir Hercule Robinson. It was the second European medical school to be established in South Asia. The oldest medical school in South Asia was the Bengal Medical College.

It is interesting that according to the oldest map I could find from the National Archives dated 1876, the lunatic asylum and the jail were situated in close proximity to the medical school. The reason is not clear!

From its inception up to 1942, when it acquired university status, the school was a government department. The institution, which began as “an elementary school” in 1870, was elevated to the dignity of a "College" ten years later and remained so until 1942 when the University of Ceylon was established and it was made a faculty of the university. In 1978, the different campuses of the University of Ceylon received independent university status and the School was made the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Colombo

In 1876, Mudaliyar S. Rajapakse, J.P., donated to the Government the land on which the present medical faculty stands. Other philanthropists donated buildings at this site. These buildings are no more.

In the 1960s, the buildings which stood in the Kynsey road block was the Administration block,

ADMINSTRATION BLOCK OF THE COLOMBO MEDICAL FACULTY – has not changed

ANATOMY BLOCK                                        

The Anatomy block, built in 1913, is the oldest building now. Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology blocks which have remained unchanged till this day

 Physiology block

 Further down Kynsey road the De Soysa Maternity home and the Main Quarters for intern medical officers have stood with little change . Top right floor was Prof. DA Ransinghe’s ward, while below it on the left was Dr Prins Rajaratnam’s ward.

 Dr James Loos was its first principal. Dr. E.L.Koch was the second principal in whose memory the Koch memorial clock tower, which still stands, was built in 1881. In the Ceylon Medical College students had to pay 3 guineas for a term.

The Ceylon Medical College and the University College were incorporated to form the University of Ceylon in 1942, and the Medical College became the Faculty of Medicine. From this time onwards the medical students passing out from the medical college were conferred the degree of M.B.B.S

Our main training in Medicine and Surgery, was in the General Hospital, Colomboand in Obstetrics in the De Soysa Maternity hospital

KYNSEY RD ENTRANCE TO GHC

Charles Henry de Soysa also built some of Medical College buildings.  The grateful public of Ceylon erected a statue in memory of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa, at the Lipton’s circus. This statue shows Sir Charles holding a key in his hand to signify that he was ever ready to open his vault and give to the deserving of all faiths

The only new building on Kynsey Road is the Institute of Neurology,

 which was built from 1981-84, entirely from public donations in a short space of 3 years. This all inclusive building, the result of tireless efforts of man who neither had money nor land but had the desire to achieve his ambition of building an Institute of Neurology. This Institute has encouraged the younger medical officers to take up Neurology as a specialty. From the original, single neurologist for the country, there are now over 30.

Further down Kynsey Road is the Institute of Cardiology which was partly from donations, initiated by the then Cardiologist Dr Ivor Obeysekara.
These two Institutes have encoraged postgraduates to take up the specialties of Neurology and Cardiology, ensuring that Sri Lanka has adequate well trained Neurologists and Cardiologists.

Our teachers

ANATOMY

The Colombo Medical School was opened on the 1st of June, 1870. Dr. James Loos became its first Principal. He also taught physiology and principles and practices of medicine. In addition to Dr. Loos, the school had two other teachers; Dr. R. Andree who taught Anatomy and Surgery and Dr. E.L. Koch who taught materia medica and midwifery.

The chair in Anatomy was created in 1927. Since then many distinguished men have been appointed to the chair in Anatomy. They were Dr. A. Gordon Smith (1927 - 1929), Dr. W. C. Osman Hill (1930 - 1944), Prof. P.K Chanmugam (1945-1960), Prof. M.J. Waas (1960-1967), Prof. F.L.W. Jayawardene (1967-1975), Prof. P.S.S. Panditharatne (1975 - 1998) and Prof Rohan Jayasekara (199 to date)P



FIRST REUNION IN SRI LANKA

Probably the first reunion of MEDICS 63 in Sr Lanka in 1986 at Hotel Intercontinental - one of the few hotels at that time in addtion to Galle Face and Taj Samudra.

From L to Right: DUR, Beligaswatta, Katu, Daya Rod, Paltha de Abrew, HHR, D R Karu, Gamini Karunananyake#, Gamini de S, Neil Abeysekara (# = deceased)

ON FLOOR: Upali M, Bongo Raj, Neil Abey, D R Karu, JB, GSQuintus Silva, Gamini de S

SEATED: Bobby Dias, Nalini Rodrigo, Senatyapa, Phyllis Cabraal, Manel Perera, Suneetha K, (?spouse),(?spouse), Cynthia, Manel Wije, (?spouse)

STANDING: Sobitha Panditharatne, Spouse Jayasuriya, SAQW Gunawardena, Gamini Karu, Ganegoda(souse), HHR, DUR, Daya R, Beligas, Stanislaus, Palitha de A, Katu, (?0, (?),(?), Lalitha Katu, Mrs DUR, Rose Peiris, (???? spouses) 

FIRST REUNION - WELCOME SPEECH JB

NEAR TABLE : Stanislaus, Suneetha, HHR, Beligas

More from first reunion

KKVWijesoma de Silva, Upali, Bobby, Day, Katu 

Bongo Raj, JB, Gamini K, Stan, Palitha's back

Naughty, Naughty - what is he upto with the shy Swarna Senaratyapa!

Daya, JB, Thamby, RSB - sadly only left half remain

yeah the girls - Manel, Phyllis and Swarna have to be looked after

two men making different points, obviously!

Bongo Raj trying to be funny

Manel, JB, Cynthia, Beli

   Gamini de S, Palitha A, D R Karu, Gamini K, HHR, Upaliu M, DUR

SILVER JUBILEE 1988 - OCEAN VILLA, WADDUWA

Cake cutting - Celine K (Canada), JB (SL), Sumana (UK)

  NEIL, GAMINI AND MARCUS

Celine, Vimala, Shelton A, Gamini

Marcus and Hameed with Lalitha Katugaha

 D R with son, HHR, Raj

sing a litlle louder!

Chintha, where is your swim suit?

chew a little harder, Wijesoma

Hey, medics 63 produced mostly girls!

40 TH ANNIVERSARY

 AT MT LAVINIA BEACH WITH SPOUSES

 

SEATED: Shoiba Hameed, Gamini Nana, Rose Peiris, Chinta K, JB, Padma Rajapakse#, Sriyani Samarasinghe, HHR, Rynee Mendis,

STANDING: Perera (Chinta's), Manel W#, Susiri W, (?), Abdul Hameed#, Mrs Neil Abey, (?), RK Thas, Lalithya Katu, Neil Abey, (?), Rajasekaran, Siva Chellathurai, YS Raj, Mrs Susiri, Gamini Karu#.Shelton Atta, D R Karu, Upali M, Katu, Sobitha Panditharatne#, KDP Jayatilaka.

FIRST COMBINED REUNION OF MEDICS 63,62,64 (2003)
                                             OUR BATCH

 FLOOR: KDP JAYA, Bertie Perera, Katu, Susiri, SKP, Stanley, D R , Malcolm
STANDING: Beligas, Shelton, Muthucumarana, Doris, Quintus behind her, Daya, Upali, Bal, Ilanga, JB(behind her), Vimala, Audrey, Thas, Phyllis, Hameed, Marie, Chinta, Siva, Manel, Pat, Ayaru

SECOND  COMBINED REUNION OF MEDICS 63, 62 AND 64

                                          OUR BATCH ( IN 2007)
Thas, Upali, Siva, Chinta, Vimala, Pathmanathan, Colin Fernando, JB, Raj, HHR, KDP jayatilaka, DR, Gamini Karunanayake, Neil, Susiri

prof. Rohan W. Jayasekara (1999 to present