St. Anthony`s College: Home
1904-1954
In the year 1906, Fr. Craner was made to relinquish the post of Principal, which
he did with a deep sense of sadness, but with a feeling of discipline
and obedience, as his services were needed elsewhere. He had already
groomed his successor, Fr. D. Philip Caspersz OSB who was already a
member of the teaching staff. After Fr. Caspersz assumed duties as
Principal, his brother, Fr. James came in as Boarding Prefect. These two
brothers, in a comparatively short time changed the status of the
school, making it a College. On 20th of December 1907, the
Annual Distribution of Prizes was held for the first time on a grand
scale. The Rt. Revd. Dr. C. Pagnani OSB - Bishop of Kandy was the Chief
Guest, and along with Fr. D.A. Pancrazi OSB, he distributed 100 prizes amongst a
total student population of 275. The ceremony was held in what was
called the "Big College Hall" measuring 100' x 27'. The programme opened
with a rendering of the chorus 'Over the Hill' by the College Choir and
ended with chanting of the 'Papal Hymn' and National Anthem.
'Electricity & Magnetism' was introduced as a subject of the
'Cambridge Classes' in this year.
Along with Fr. Van Langenberg who was prefect of games,
Fr. Philip would spend most evenings encouraging and cheering on his
students on the playing field at Barrack Square. The 'Cricket, Hockey
& Football Club' (CH&FC) was formed to promote sports at
College. St. Anthony's became the first College to play Hockey, in the
year 1907. 17 matches were played with 10 of them won, 4 lost and 3
drawn. Amongst the opposition teams were the likes of Indian Rajput Regiment,
Colombo Municipality and Bloomfield. Two Football matches were played,
winning one and drawing one and five Cricket matches were played winning
four and drawing one. The first 'Trinity-Antonian' cricket encounter was
played in that same year, with the Antonians emerging winners by 14
runs. The irony of it all was that we lost the use of Barrack Square in
that year, when debarred by the Military authorities. However, in 1908
the Kandy Municipal Council granted exclusive use of the Reclamation
Grounds for College sports.
The roll of students increased to 300 in 1908. Two pupils secured passes in
Senior Division and five in Junior Division 'Cambridge' exams. 'Physiology
& Hygiene' was introduced as a subject of the 'Cambridge Classes'.
Athletics began to feature prominently in the sports arena, with two
Antonian students; D. Vincent Silva and P.M. John, securing first places
in the highest class of the Flat Race and the High Jump respectively, in
the annual 'Empire Day' celebrations held in Kandy on the 2nd
of May 1908. The College Sports meet was held on 4th
December 1908 with a list of events described as follows ; Flat Races,
Putting the Shot, Throwing the Cricket Ball, Kicking the Football, Long
Jump, Three-legged Race, High Jump, Hockey Dribbling, Egg & Spoon
Race, Hurdle Race, Bun-Eating Competition, Quarter Mile Race, Chattie
Race, Obstacle Race, Zoo Race and a Thread & Needle Race for Old
Boys.
Old Red Brick Building 1910 |
The first ever College publication was released as "St. Anthony's
Manual", in 1908, featuring 53 pages of articles and comprehensive
reports on all activities of the college. The old red building
near the Bishop's Palace was soon replaced by new buildings that
came up in quick succession in the area of the coffee store and
the old cemetery.
The year 1909, ended in sadness for the whole school and most of
Kandy, when College was robbed of one of its most promising
pupils; the little 12-year-old Charlie Hamilton, who had
represented the College First XI Teams in Cricket, Football and
Hockey with some heroic performances in that year, before his
untimely death on 5th of
November. The newly equipped Physical Laboratory was specially
dedicated to the memory of little Charlie Hamilton.
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In 1910, Fr. Basil Hyde
OSB, an old boy of the college who was a member of the staff, at
the request of several old boys summoned a meeting on 26th
of December 1910 at the College Hall, where the 'First Annual General
Meeting' of 'St. Anthony's Old Boys' Association' was held. Very
Rev. Fr. Bede Beeckmeyer was elected the first President of the
Association proposed by Fr. Hyde himself. In 1912, when Fr.
Beeckmeyer was consecrated 'Bishop', Fr. Basil Hyde succeeded him
as President of the O.B.A. A total of 152 members had joined the
association in its first two years. The first Branch of the O.B.A.
was formed on 24th February 1912 as the 'Uva Branch',
with Rev. Fr. D.M.Craner OSB elected as President, at a meeting
held at St. Mary's, Badulla. |
Charlie Hamilton 10/12/1896 -
5/11/1909 |
Senior
Division Boarders 1909 |
Hockey
Team 1910 |
Cricket
Team 1910 |
Football
Team 1910 |
In 1911, St. Anthony's College played its first inter-collegiate Football match,
beating Kingswood College by two goals to nil. Boxing was introduced to
St. Anthony's around 1914, at the same time that Royal, Wesley, Trinity
and St. Thomas' took to the sport. The first ever Boxing Tournament in
the Island was conducted in 1914, for the 'Stubbs Shield', and St.
Anthony's was amongst the teams that participated.
Due to ill health, Fr. Philip Caspersz, who had been Principal for nearly a
decade, was shifted to hibernate within the monastic walls of reclusion, and
a younger man in the person of Fr. Basil Hyde, served as Principal
during 1915, until a more permanent appointment was made. In November
1915, at the close of Fr. Basil Hyde's temporary tenure of office, Fr.
James Caspersz OSB, whose association with the college began as Art
Master before his ordination in 1906, was appointed Principal. He
immediately engaged in the expansion of the College by meeting the long
felt need for better and spacious accommodation. In October 1916 a new
wing of the College was declared open by Mr. E.B.Denham, Director of
Education, thus providing
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adequate laboratory facilities for
Chemistry and Physics. In 1917, the Department of Education
officially recognized St. Anthony's College as a 'Fully Organized
Secondary School'. An Infants Department for children aged 3-6
years was inaugurated. The 'Prize Giving Day' was held on
15th December 1917, after a lapse of three years due the
1st world war, with the Honourable Chief Justice Sir
Alex Wood Renton, presiding. Mr. William Gopallawa, the last
Governor General of Ceylon and first President of Sri Lanka, was
among the students who successfully completed the London
Matriculation Examination during this year. The first telephone was
installed in College during that year. |
Mr. William
Gopallawa |
Jack Anderson |
The highlight of his term of office was the College's performance in
the field of sport. Being a stouthearted sportsman himself, he
chose to infuse in his lads the truest type of sporting spirit
viz; Win or Lose it's how you play the game that matters.
Consequently, in Boxing (the straight lefts), Cricket (the record
breaking Jack Anderson) and Cadetting (the De Soysa Cup), the College
achieved success and recognition.
However, for all the achievements of this era, the one that has stood
the time-of-test is the individual score of 291 runs by the
legendary Jack Anderson, in a match against St. Thomas' College
Mount Lavinia, played at Colombo in 1918. This remains to date the
highest individual score in school cricket. He also scored five
centuries in five successive matches and was the first to score a
century at what is now the International Cricket Stadium at Asgiriya,
besides also being the first to score a century against St.
Thomas'. In Boxing, St. Anthony's who were runners-up in the much
coveted Stubbs' Shield Competition on two previous occasions, won
the trophy for the first time in 1918.Thanks to the likes of
Robert Wright, L.V. Jayaweera, N.H. Keerthiratne and the many other
Boxers produced during this era, the Antonians remained a formidable
force through the 1920's. Though Cadetting had been introduced to
St. Anthony's in 1912, it was not until 1916/1917 that our Cadets
were able to make an impression at the annual Inter-School Cadet
Competitions in Colombo, for the handsome 'De Soysa Cup'.
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In May 1921, Fr. D. Lawrence Hyde OSB succeeded Fr. James Caspersz as
Principal of St. Anthony's, and his administration reflected the
energizing spirit of his strong personality, to open new vistas in
the history of the College. By this time the premises next to the
Cathedral had been fully developed with the student population
topping one thousand. Several representations were made for the
transfer of St. Anthony's from the cramped precincts to more spacious
grounds, but to no avail. Finally, it was in 1927 that Bishop Bede
Beeckmeyer, an old Antonian himself, purchased the old 'Dunuwille
Walauwa', the present premises. The site was eminently suitable
and the beauty of the surrounding scenery certainly enhanced it.
The river, all along one side of the site, views of Hunnasgiriya
and Hantane on two sides and wide stretches of smiling open
country on all sides.
The plague hit Kandy by the end of 1927 and Fr. Hyde obtained the
Bishop's permission to shift at least the junior boarders out of
Kandy to Katugastota. The renovating and reconditioning of the new
premises thus began in November 1927. A mass of kitchens and
stables had to be turned into dormitories, dining halls and common
rooms. With drains all around, outer walls had to be bound to the
grounds, the inner walls removed and replaced by pillars and the roof
supported by trusses - a combined feat of engineering no modern
engineer would attempt. Thanks to Bro. Lysons and the lab-boy
William, water service was installed and Titus lamps provided the
lighting. The classes were housed in a shed made of coconut
pillars, mango rafters, corrugated iron roof and wattle-and-daub
dwarf walls. |
Bishop
Bede Beeckmeyer OSB |
Tiny
Tots at the Boarding House 1924 |
The
E.S.L.C.Class 1924 - 1925 |
Glimpses of the New Building Complex
& Grounds |
The
Occupants of the new Dormitory, which forms the
Background
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On 16th January 1928, the junior boarders were installed at
Katugastota with a solemn planting of trees to commemorate the event.
The verandah of the old walauwa served as a chapel. Odds and ends served
as an altar until one was made on 29th January and the place
was consecrated to the sacred heart of Jesus. Fr. Principal himself
occupied a room between the kindergarten and the study hall.
Rugby Team 1928 |
Rugby Team 1929 |
Fr. Lawrence Hyde built a formidable team of pioneers - Mr.
P.B.A.Weerakoon, Bro. Columban Macky, Bro. Joseph, Bro. Lysons and
Bro. Timothy - to set about his vision of transformation that
today seems unbelievable. Fr. D.D. Barsenbach OSB who was
appointed Director of Boarders in 1937 complemented this team.
Classes were started for the boarders and others who cared to come over.
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Two lads came all the way past the Kandy school to be in the temporary classes
and to share in the spirit of the new St. Anthony's College, which was
rising phoenix-like out of the ashes of the old. During the first few
years the school held classes for Kindergarten up to Cambridge Junior,
with an approximate staff of around twelve, gradually increasing the
range to the London Matriculation and an Inter-Arts form. In 1929, Fr.
Hyde had the first permanent set of open classrooms erected alongside
the river, which today houses the primary school. It was here, that in
1934, St. Anthony's obtained the best results in the British Empire with
100% passes in the London Matriculation Examination. Twelve candidates
were presented for the Examination and all passed. Healthy rivalry was
enjoyed by the Katugastota boys with their counterparts from the Kandy
school in the matter of success at the Examinations, and more often than not,
the Kandy youngsters had to congratulate the Katugastota lads on their
performance.
Even in the field of sports, the lads of Katugastota had the better of their
counterparts from Kandy in cricket and athletics, first in the under 16
division and later in the 1st Division. From 1936 - 1938,
more than half the 1st XI cricket team were from the
Katugastota school. The boys from Katugastota belonged in those days to
the Maroon House while those at Kandy were in the Light and Dark Blue
Houses.
The first playing field at Katugastota was the narrow strip of ground near the
entrance on which the present Centenary Hall stands. The old Walauwa too
is no more. It lies buried under the earth of the present playground.
The land around the old Walauwa was thick with cocoa and coconut trees,
where cobras roamed. The boys themselves helped in mopping out
operations and the planning and clearing of these areas for vegetable
cultivation.
In 1935, Fr. Hyde completed the main building block of the school and its
counterpart running parallel to it. They stand tall to this day to his credit.
The hostellers, who had by then increased to about 150, had their
dormitories upstairs in the main block while the Office; Hall, Library
and Chapel were on the ground floor. The smaller section behind which
then consisted of a single storey, contained dining rooms and some
classrooms. The playing field too was gradually expanded to its present
size, thanks to Fr. Van Reyk's share in it. Fr. Robert Perera had the
first Pavilion built at this time.
On the 1st of November 1941, the Kandy branch was officially
separated from St. Anthony's College, now well established at Katugastota, and a
new school under the name of 'St. Sylvester's College' was established
with Fr. Robert Perera OSB as the first Principal.
During his record tenure of 23 years (1921 - 1943) as Principal of St.
Anthony's, Fr. Lawrence Hyde achieved spectacular triumphs in the academic field
as well as in sports. On the eve of his career as Principal, World War
II brought a dark period through the military occupation of the College.
Throughout it all, Fr. Hyde's spirit animated the skeleton that survived
for four years in private houses and cadjan sheds into which she moved
through compulsion. The total student population shrank to about 300 of
which about 50 were boarders. Of all its Principals of the past, St.
Anthony's must be proud of Fr. Lawrence Hyde OSB; not only as it's
architect, but also for guiding with a sure hand it's destinies through
a period of 23 years of stress, strain and turmoil. His tenure as
Principal remains the longest, to date.
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In 1944, Fr. Angelo Rosati became Principal, being nominated by Fr.
Hyde to carry on the task he had begun in a manner that would
raise the prestige of the College as an educational institution of
high standards and also restore the reputation for sports, which
had been sidelined for four years during military occupation of
the College. When the release of the buildings and the playing
field came around 1946, one of the first innovations conceived by Fr.
Theophane Wickramaratne, who led the triumphal return of the boys
to the premises, was the adoption of a cottage system for hostel
accommodation. Fr. Theophane was also either instrumental or
involved in the construction of many other College buildings such
as "The Rainbow Cottages", The Tuck Shop", " The Chapel",
"Mansion"' "Villa", "Infirmary", and "The Refectory". Living in small
groups, in separate cottages had not only provided a homely
atmosphere but also promoted greater fellowship and understanding.
Fr. Rosati immediately reconditioned several military huts into
cosy, comfortable living quarters for the boarders and appointed
school matrons to be in charge of the physical cleanliness of the
boys and the sanitary features of each hostel block. This change had been
so effectual in the achievement of greater performance both in
work and play and led to a remarkable reduction of illness among
the boarders. |
Viscount Soulbury at the College Prize
Giving 1954 |
During his sojourn on the Continent, England and the USA, Fr. Rosati was able to
send sufficient apparatus to equip fully the Physics, Chemistry and
Biology laboratories as well as the Geography room, raising the
educational standards of the College on par with other leading schools
of the Island. The student population grew to a near 1,600 with a
teaching staff of 70, during this period. Classes were conducted in
English, Sinhala and Tamil mediums for all subjects from Grade 1 to
University Entrance.
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