As the General Secretary of the St. Anthony’s College Old Boys’ Association let me present a brief report of our activities and the operations of the Association during the past few Years.

The Old Boys’ Association

The OBA Parent Body throughout the years have evolved from a mere social welfare club to a Government recognised institution directly involved in administration of the College. Government Circulars clearly instruct and recognise only one OBA as the official body representing the Old Boys of a Government School.
Thus the OBA Parent Body has 2 permanent seats in the “School Development Executive Committee” which is the sole Administrative Council headed by Rev. Fr. Principal taking decisions on Governing a Government School.

The SDEC comprises of The College Principal, 08 Staff Members, 08 Parents and the 02 members from the OBA Parent Body as per Government circulars. .

SACKOBA Parent Body has elected and appointed following two officials to represent the OBA in the School Development Executive Council.

• Mr. Mark Stephen
• Mr. Aruna Amunugama

Out of the 08 seats for Parents at the SDEC, SACKOBA Parent Body has elected following 02 Members with coordination of Non Old Boy Parents of College at the SDS Council to represent all Parents of College.

Please bear in Mind that out of the 2100 Students in College, the OBA represents only 25% of total students.
75% of students are of Non old Boy Parents. Following 02 OBA Members represent this 75% Parents of College.

• Mr. G.A. Amodha Galgamuwa – General Secretary of the SDEC
• Mr. Nalin Abeysooriya

The OBA Parent Body has following Branches, wings and Clubs under its wings which is coordinated through the Parent Body involving in specific administrative duties in managing day to day activities of our Alma Matter assisting Rev. Fr. Principal in Administering the College.

Local Branches ;

• Colombo Branch – (Affiliated)
• SACKOBA Defense Forces (Not Affiliated)

International Branches ;

• Old Antonian Social Club Australian Branch Inc. (Affiliated)
• SACKOBA UAE – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Branch (Affiliated)
• SACKOBA Qatar Branch (Affiliated)
• SACKOBA United Kingdom Branch (Affiliated)
• SACOBA Canada Branch (Affiliated)
• SACOBA Maldives Branch (Not Affiliated)

OLD ANTONIAN CRICKET WING

• President : Anjelo Wijesuriya
• Secretary : Samantha Siriwardhana
• Treasurer : Zaharan Liyabdeen
• OLD ANTONIAN RUGBY CLUB
• President : Isuru Herath
• Secretary : Gayan Abeykoon
• Treasurer : Salinda Gunasinghe

ANTONIAN PAST SCOUTS ASSOCIATION

• President : Prasad Mahakumara
• Secretary : G.A. Amodha Galgamuwa
• Treasurer : Aruna Ranasinghe

OLD ANTONIAN CHESS CLUB

• President : Sajeewan Gamage
• Secretary : G.A. Amodha Galgamuwa
• Treasurer : Umesh Nanayakkarawasam

OLD ANTONIAN KARATE CLUB

• President : Devapriya Yapa
• Secretary : G.A. Amodha Galgamuwa
• Treasurer : Dharshana Kumburegedara

ANTONIAN PAST INTERACTORS & DRAMATISTS CLUB

• President : Rojean Bastian
• Secretary : G.A. Amodha Galgamuwa
• Treasurer : Tishan Pieris

ANTONIAN BADMINTON CLUB

ANTONIAN RUGBY BOARD

• Chief Executive Officer : Isuru Herath
• Chief Operating Officer : Arunda Ranasinghe
• Chief Operating Officer : Salinda Gunasinghe

Old Antonian Hockey Club

SACKOBA Groups for active Groups of all age groups

Thus the SACKOBA has evolved to be an organisation with a network of sub organisations locally & Globally with a , Headquarters building including a souvenir shop in College Premises at the entrance and a SACKOBA Sports Club Building which includes a viewing gallery used by Old Antonians to enjoy watching matches played at College Grounds.

Thus managing such a hugely organised body require devoted old boys who need to be groomed step by step throughout a period of time experienced in working with the SDEC, SACKOBA Sub Committees, Branches, Clubs & Groups etc,…

Since 2019 the Current SACKOBA Central Council had to face many obstacles and unusual battles in assisting the College Administration and Rev. Fr. Principal due to many calamities, 2019 “Saharan’s terrorist attack, Catholic Churches and mostly the Lockdown in the Country due to the Pandemic.

Nevertheless the Central Council under the guidance of the Mr. Nath Weerakoon as the President had 13 physically attended council meetings up to date which were very well attended and productive.

Many other meetings of the Central Council and Sub Committee meetings were conducted online using zoom platform through out the pandemic period.

Enrolments:

Shanmuganathan Niroshan, Dilan Tudor, Sivaraj Kumar, P.K.K. Bandara Beligala, M. Lingeswarakumar, Gayan Jayasinghe, Tharange Ranatunge, Mohamed Suhaib, Mohamed Aiss, Samantha Wijendra, Amila S. Pinnaduwa, Nilantha Dinesh, Ishanka D. Weerakoon, Theeksha Gunasinghe, Geeshan S. Edirisinghe, Dharshan Vinith, Fazmeer Mohamend, Umesh T. Nanayakkarawasam, Suthanthiranthan Sudhanath, Muthuveeran Denish Nalinda, Mohamad Rafeek Rizlan Mohamad, Chinnappah Chandy Shane, Anston Cliff Chrishan Samuel, Nadarajah Kumareson, Sudharshana Ananda, Don Damithra Lenard Panditharathne, Esala Bandara Rajaguru, Munasinghe Arachchige Emesh Perera, Anton Chandra Kumar Christoper Surenkumar, Nadaraja Dinesh, Oscar Ernest, Sachith Nishan Nanayakkara, Kasun B.C. Ekanayake, Indrajith Bandara Sangakkara, L.G. Uduman Lebbe Mohamed Zeyaan, M. I. Mohamed Imran, A.R.M. Susantha Dinesh Somarathne, Abdul Basith Shahabdeen, Shane Iroshan Priyamal Fernando, Tharindu Yasas Gregory, Ranil P. Edirisooriya, Sajeewa Milange Bandara, Suresh Indika, Vimukthi Galaboda, Azeem Mohammadu, Najimudeen Saifullah, Mohammed Ashafque, Lal Jayasinghe, Buwaneka B. Wijethunga, Prasanna Jayamaha, Nagoda Liyanage Rukmal, E.B.M. Gayan Nilanka Ekanayake, Nirodha Sooriyabandara, Jude Randika Nauanamina Samuel, Ishara Uditha De Silva, Pandula Mahesh Chandratilake, Lakmal Isuru Dharmasena, Ranjan Baddegama, Julian Anthony Ronesh Raj, Sasika Vidhagdha Karunarathne, Sasika Vidhagdha Karunarathne, Hashir Majeed, Jawadeen Mohamed Fazludeen, Asanka Methpriya Bandara Kulathunge, Shanaka Kalum Prasanna Fernando, Mohamed Rafid Akbar Ali, Thushara Salinda Peter Samarakoon, Hiran Jeewamtha Weerasinghe, Tharaka Bandara Jayasooriya, Mohamed Siraj Kamaldeen, Haroon Mohamed Haneez, Vimukthi Prabath Dehigolle, Kaleel Mohamed Ejaz, Saweeka Fernando, Anjula Fernando, Chamunda M. B. Abeykoon, Mahesh Bandara Abeysinghe

CDC activities:

The CDC – “College Development Committee” has grown from strength to strength throughout the years. As you may recall, the CDC was formed as a proposal by the SACKOBA Parent Body with the intention of forming a forum which consists of all stakeholders of the College; OSB Congregation, OBA, College authorities and School Development Committee (SDC).

The SDC as explained above is the apex body of a government school as per Government Circulars represented by Parents, School’s academic staff and the SACKOBA Parent Body. As one would note, the CDC consists of all major stakeholders of the College and is proving to be a tower of strength in supporting the College.

The SACKOBA Headquarters, the Souvenir Shop and the SACKOBA Sports Club Building

The SACKOBA Headquarters and the Souvenir shop at the College entrance is rising tall brick by brick with generous donations of many Old Boys standing high as the pride of all Alumni.

The Souvenir shop is proving to be a one place where Old Boys as well as school children can purchase many items from stickers, Cloths, Books. badges to souvenirs and many more.

All affiliated Branches, Wings, Clubs and Groups has been offered the opportunity to sell any item through the SACKOBA Souvenir shop as fundraising projects for the respective bodies.

SACKOBA Colombo Branch:

As always, the Colombo branch is a pillar of huge strength to the Parent Body. The close rapport we have with our colleagues in Colombo continues to blossom with their involvement with the Parent Body through the CDC. Their presence in the CDC meetings are held every 3 month in Kandy.

Making a trip from Colombo to Kandy every 3 months warrants a special thanking to our devoted colleagues in Collombo. The activities carried out by the Colombo Branch is annexed to this report as presented by the Hony. General Secretary of the SACKOBA Colombo Branch.

Additional Grade 01 Class room to College increasing the Number of Children in College including Children of Old Boys

We have been working on getting the Approval for this project since 2019 under many obstructions. I am pleased to announce that the College Administration has promised to add an additional class starting from 2023 intake. This addition would mean more opportunities for your children to enter St. Anthony’s College and may be more importantly, more students to take part in sports and other activities. As of now the College has the required classrooms to house them till grade 5 and within the next 5years we will have to develop the required infrastructure in the upper school. I am sure with all your support we will be able to do the required developments in time.

Junior Committee:

At the 106th AGM, a resolution was passed to form a Junior Committee (JC) of the Parent Body. The objective of JC is to groom the next leadership for the SACKOBA Parent Body.

Its membership is open for the old boys who left college within the last 20 years.

I am happy to report that JC has attracted a set of very capable young old boys who are keen to give something back to their College.

As their first project the JC is launching a job bank for the school leavers. Thereby attract more young old boys towards the OBA while helping them shape their careers.

The Junior Committee has been involved in many projects for the College throughout the years.

SACKOBA Projects and Involvements :

The SACKOBA Parent Body Actively Participates in assisting the College Principal on Administration through following Committees and bodies.

• SDEC – School Development Executive Committee
• CDC – College Development Committee
• Grade one Admission Interview Board
• College Sports Council
• Parent Committees in the Primary Department and the Upperschool
• College Building Committee
• SACKOBA Steering Committee of Assisted School
• SACK Security Committee
• SACK Vision 2023

Securing the College premises after the Saharan’s terrorist attack on Catholic churches ;

Highly Devoted Members of the SACKOBA Parent Body showed their love for their Alma Mater during this hard times by Patrolling the entire boundaries of the College day & night carrying torches and tea with biscuits for the security guards for several months.

A Security Committee was formed by Rev. Fr. Principal with the involvement of the SACKOBA Parent Body, which fenced the entire boundaries of College and placed security huts on necessary check points.
This was a period of hard times in which we could see the heartfelt affection and love of the members of the Central Council and their commitment in assisting and safeguarding the College.

Online Teaching During the COVID Pandemic Period ;

During the COVID Pandemic from 2020 March till now College had to face many obstacles in teaching our children through online platforms.

Through the intervention of the OBA Parent Body Initially we introduced zoom platform but eventually shifted to better platforms.

Thank you,
G.A. Amodha Galgamuwa
General Secretary – SACKOBA (Parent Body)

As the general secretary of the St. Anthony’s College Old Boys’ Association let me present a brief of our activities for the past year. The past year was an eventful year for all of us at the OBA and I would highlight our major activities in this report. In addition to the activities done by the OBA Parent Body many of the affiliate groups were busy with their work towards uplifting the College. The activities carried out by our affiliate groups are annexed to report and where required I highlight them in this report as well.

At the very outset let me place on record our sincere appreciation towards His Lordship the Bishop of Kandy and Very Rev. Fr. Prior; who were always welcoming us to discuss matters pertaining to the College.

Under the leadership of Mr. Nath Weerakoon the Central Council had 10 meetings; as some of you would notice we were unable to have the full set of 12 meetings that we usually have. This was a result of the unfortunate security situation of the country after the Easter Sunday (21st April 2019) bombings. Since that incident the CC members had number of meetings with the College authorities to tighten the security of the College and I am happy to note the dedication of CC members who spent number hours, even at night patrolling the perimeter of the College. CC members aiding the college authorities to check the bags of students and helping with other security arrangements was a common sight during the period. On behalf of the OBA fraternity I would like to thank all the members; not just the CC members but all old boys who came forward to help the college in that hour of need.

As I reported at the last meeting together with the College authorities and OBA Colombo Branch we have been developing a master plan for the college; which is affectionately called as vision 2023. The plan covers all aspects of the College from developing education to new infrastructure. The plan was developed with the help of Mr. Ranjan De Silva who is a prominent old boy who is well known for his Leadership specialist. The plan is completed and the College authorities have submitted the relevant parts of this plan to the education ministry for approval. While thanking the Rev. Fr. Principal for this effort we hope that this plan will be officially put into action from next year. I would also like to mark my gratitude towards all the old boys who helped in developing this plan; in particular Mr. Ranjan De Silva.

CDC activities: 

As you may recall, the CDC was formed with the intention of forming a forum which consists of all stakeholders of the College; OSB Congregation, OBA, College authorities and School Development Committee (SDC). The SDC is the apex body when it comes to activities of a government school represented by parents, school’s academic staff and the alumni.

As I reported at the last AGM, the OBA signed an MoU with the OSB Congregation to develop the OBA Headquarters. We were able to complete the first phase of this project; that is the development of a canteen and the souvenir shop. Those who visited the College in recently would agree with me that this new construction has added glamor; the new canteen is called the “River Side Café” which should bring nostalgic memories to most of you. The souvenir shop hosts a plethora of memorabilia from T-shirts to books. I would like to invite all of you to visit the newly constructed premises and enjoy what it has to offer. We have also started the second phase of this project which I will report later in this report.

One of the main projects completed by the CDC during the past year is the renovation of the Villa. I should thank the Past Hostellers’ Association for shouldering this project. The project is now completed and the hostellers are enjoying the newly renovated facility.

The CDC met every two months and discussed matters pertaining to the College. The meetings were well attended and there are number of ongoing projects coordinated by the CDC which will bear fruits in the near future. One such project is the construction of the new Rugby ground which got delayed due to number of reasons. With efforts from all the parties involved in this project we now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully at the next AGM you might hear the good news about opening of this facility.

Another project which the CDC initiated is the construction of a new basketball court. As you are aware the basketball court was removed to facilitate the construction of the new building. The only path to take the heavy equipment required for the pilling work of the new building was via the basketball court which rendered the court useless. Now since the pilling work is completed, we can renovate the courts; in fact, the plan is to make a new and a far better court than what we had. This project is shouldered by the Colombo branch. I would like to thank the newly elected president of the Colombo branch for taking up the challenge. The new court will have a viewing gallery which we did not have in the original court and for this we would need bit more space. We are discussing this matter at the CDC and hopeful that we will be able to come to an agreement with the OSB congregation to use some of the land which belongs to them for this new court.

Colombo Branch: 

As always, the Colombo branch is a pillar of strength to the Parent Body. As I mentioned just a while ago the newly elected President of the Colombo Branch and his team is shouldering the new basketball court project. The activities carried out by the Colombo Branch is annexed to this report.

Junior Committee: 

The Junior Council (JC), though in its infancy is shouldering a number of projects. The energetic young team headed by the capable Senior Vice President Mr. Mark Stephen has done number of projects. The car parade during the big-match was talk of the town and would like to thank all the members of the JC for organizing it.

Today, you will witness another project completed by the JC; the SACKOBA Parent Body website. In today’s information driven society a website is a must for any association. The younger generation is well geared and expect all information to be available via the web. The SACKOBA Parent Body did not have an official website; though there were few sites here and there no official site was maintained. The JC came forward to bridge this gap and developed a website for the SACKOBA Parent Body. Today we will be launching this new website which can be accessed via sackoba.lk. In the future we hope to keep our membership updated about our activities via this site.

OBA Projects: 

Over the cause of last year, the Parent Body completed or started number of projects to uplift the college and the general wellbeing of the members. I list some of the important projects here;

OBA Headquarters development

As I mentioned previously in this report the OBA went into an MoU with the OSB to develop the area where the current OBA Headquarters is located. The first phase of this project is completed where a new souvenir shop and a canteen was added. The premises were declared open by the President Mr. Nath Weerakoon on the day of the Big-match. At this point I should report the untiring efforts of Mr. Arunda Ranasinghe that made sure the project was completed on time for the match. The souvenir shop and the canteen was operating during the match and it was praised by all who visited the College. I should thank Mr. Chamila Samarajeewa for looking after the souvenir shop.

Now the OBA is planning on the second stage where three rooms and a meeting room will be added to the headquarters. The rooms, once completed will be available for the members; in particular ones who visit Kandy from outstations or from overseas. The current OBA meeting room is heavily used. Not just the OBA members, but also the College staff use the meeting room for conducting meetings coaching activities for players etc. With the introduction of the new meeting room some of these meetings can be moved to the new meeting room.

We solicit your support for making this project a reality. I would like to place on record our sincere gratitude towards all the members who supported the construction of the first phase. With your kind donations we were able to complete the first phase and expect the same support for the next phase as well.

Sing-along with Kings

The SACKOBA Parent Body has organized a sing-along with Kings in aid of the headquarters development project. The event will be held on the 28th of September at Mahaweli Reach where you will be treated to a night of music with the popular band Kings. At the time of writing this report we have about 60 more tickets to be sold. I humbly request all of you to attend the event and support this worthy course, and of cause have some fun. I would like to thank Mr. Samiddha and Dimuth Bandara for their efforts in organizing this show.

Members information system

Over the years the SACKOBA Parent Body kept the membership information written in a book. This caused number of logistic issues; most members had out dated information and tracking the members was difficult. During the past year, we introduced a computerized system for handling membership details. The project is now completed and we urge you to provide us with updated information so that we can be in touch with you. Just to illustrate we found 1000 inactive members – that is members whose postal addresses are no longer valid. We will share the names of these members via WhatsApp or Facebook. If you have the details of any members in that list, please share it with us so that we can update our records. I should thank Mr. Dhammika Samarasekara for handling this project.

The annual family get together

As usual, the annual family get together was organized under the capable guidance of Mr. Chandra Mahawattage and was held at Hotel Thilanka. The event was well attended and organized. I should thank Mr. Mahawattage and Mr. Paldano of Hotel Thilanka for putting up a nice show.

Reintroduction of tennis

St. Anthony’s was one of the very few schools who had a tennis court. However, though the court was consumed by the construction of the new building the OBA had hopes of reintroducing the sport to the College. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Manjula Amarathunge we managed to start a tennis club for school children. For now, the practices are held in the Mahaweli Reach courts and it seems to be gaining popularity with the kids. I would like to thank Mr. Amarathunge for his efforts on this regards.

Felicitation of Mr. Dappula De Livera

Mr. Dappula De Livera, a prominent old boys, was appointed as the Attorney General of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The SACKOBA Parent Body arranged a felicitation ceremony to honor newly appointed AG. The event was held on the 27th July at Mahaweli Reach with the participation of over 100 old boys. The glamorous occasion was graded by Rev. Fr. Stephen and was very well attend. I should thank Mr. Dhammika Samarasekara and his team for arranging a splendid event.

Affiliated groups: 

We have managed to build a very close relationship with the OBA affiliated groups. All affiliated groups are well represented within the Central Council and are highly involved in the OBA activities. Since the reports of these groups are in the annex I take the liberty not to narrate their activities, but thank them for all the hard work.

Concluding remark: 

Let me thank all the members who assisted me in many ways to compile this Annual report by sending necessary information in time. Also, I wish to thank Mr. Dhammika Samarasekara and Mr. Amodha Galgamuwa for all the support given to me to compile and print this report. Note of thanks goes to M/s JS Creations for printing this report within a very short period of time.

Let us be united, let walk with patients towards our end goal of making St. Anthony’s great!!!

Long live St. Anthony’s College!
Thank you,
Dr.Dhammika Elkaduwe
General Secretary 2017/18 SACKOBA (Parent Body)

It is with a sense of pride that I present the Annual report for the year 2017/18 to this esteemed gathering.  At the very start let me state that we had a very eventful year and we have done and or started a number of projects to uplift the standard of our beloved Alma Mater. I would like to place on record our sincere appreciation of all the help given to us by His Lordship the Bishop of Kandy and Very Rev. Fr. Prior; their doors were always open to us and even last moment requests were obliged whenever possible. I would elaborate on these points later in the report. 

The Central Council under the guidance of Mr. Nath Weerakoon had 12 council meetings which were very well attended and productive.

During the past year the College has taken some positive steps towards regaining its past glory. Appointment of very capable Rev. Fr. Araliya Jayasundara as the deputy principal of administration brought about new vibe to the College. Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that College has promised to add an additional class starting from 2019 intake. This addition would mean more opportunities for your children to enter St. Anthony’s College and may be more importantly, more students to take part in sports and other activities. As of now the College has the required classrooms to house them till grade 5 and within the next 5years we will have to develop the required infrastructure in the upper school. I am sure with all your support we will be able to do the required developments in time. Furthermore, the College is also looking into the possibility of starting Technology Stream for AL students which would mean more options for AL students. Rev. Fr. Principal thank you very much for these positive moves and as it has always been the case, you may count on our support for activities that would uplift the College.

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Condolences:  

Last year Mrs. Amarasinghe; a teacher who served St. Anthony’s for a long while left us. The OBA Parent Body express their heartfelt condolences to her loved ones.

While apologizing for possible omissions, with sorrow I report the demise of the following Antonians during the course of the year: M/S. Tony Vandercone, Sunil Sahabandu, Hughbert Fernando, Willi Fernando, Nishan Senevirathna, Thusith Ranasinghe and  Desmond L.White.

Enrollments:  

Over the course of the year, 34 new members joined our ranks. They are: M/s Mohamed Nayeem Ejas Ahamed, Raja Lutharshan, T.M.S.S.B Malagamuwa, Sanoj Kumarasiri Jayawardana, Mohamed Shameer Munas, Herath Mudiyanselage Nadike Ariyaratne, D.T.M.S Kodithuwakku, G.R.D.S.I. Radalage, R.N. Wijesooriya, E.D. Berenger, M. K. B. Munasinghe, T. N Sooriyabandara, M. H. Anisdeen, K.A.C. Nishantha Dissnayake, Asitha A. Devasurendra, S.D.P. Aravinda Premarathne, C.T. Danushke Waidyarathne, D.M.M. Chandima Kumara Dissanayake, S.M.C.S De Alwis, R.M.D. Rathnayake, D.N.S.S. Goonawardhana, A.J.M. Irshan, E.M.J.B. Ekanayake, L.M.D.T.L.M Hettige, R.M. Rimsan, M.A.R.M Ashkar, S.A.R.D. De Silva, M.G.M.D Gunawardhana, V. Pathirana, Nevil E.D. Edirisuriya, A. Mohamed Teshan, Prasad R. B. Jayawardhana, W.M. Samantha Wijesundara, R.B.W.M.R.E.H. Senevirathna, Uditha Gayan Wickramasinghe. Thameez Ahamed Nazeer, Neville Edirisooriya, Abousalih Irshad, Prasad Jayawardhana, Samantha Wijesndara, Hasthika Senevirathna.

CDC activities: 

The CDC or the College Development Committee has grown from strength to strength. As you may recall, the CDC was formed with the intention of forming a forum which consists of all stakeholders of the College; OSB Congregation, OBA, College authorities and School Development Committee (SDC). The SDC is the apex body when it comes to activities of a government school represented by  parents, school’s academic staff and the alumni. As on would note, the CDC consists of all major stakeholders of the College and is proving to be a tower of strength in supporting the College. 

One of the major activities that the CDC completed last year was the renovation of the College hall. The idea was first proposed by the OBA and the CDC approved the project. Within a short period of time the Hall was renovated and now anyone entering the College via the main gate is mesmerized by the majestic building standing tall in front of you. I would like to thank Mr. Srilal Mendis for his untiring efforts to make this project a success. 

It was a long held dream of the OBA to upgrade its headquarters. The current premises in the banks of Mahaweli just near the main gate is insufficient for all the activities. With the formation of the CDC and with the blessings of Very. Rev. Fr. Prior the OBA entered into a MoU with the OSB congregation to develop the premises. The proposed building and its features will be discussed later tonight. At this point I would like to express our sincere gratitude towards Rev. Fr. Shamindra Jayawardhan the Conventual Prior Major of OSB Congregation for entering into this MoU with us and Mr. Srilal Mendis for doing the necessary ground work to make this a reality. 

St. Anthony’s College campus is well equipped with all the amenities to make a well-rounded citizen.  The swimming pool, college hall, hostel, cricket ground, gymnasium etc. all within a single campus is something that most others schools envy. The newest addition to this illustrious list would be a Rugby ground thanks to the initiative taken by the CDC and a generous old boy who prefers to remain anonymous. The initial work for developing the new ground is nearing its completion and with the blessings of St. Anthony, our Patron Saint budding Antonians will have a Rugby ground as well. 

Success Drive 2023: 

As the old saying goes “a goal without a plan is just a wish”. Our collective goal of making St. Anthony’s the most sought-after school will be just a wish if we do not have a proper plan. During the course of last year; via the CDC all stakeholders of St. Anthony’s got together to develop a comprehensive plan for the development of the College. My dear gentlemen, for the first time in the recorded history of the college we had representatives from the OSB congregation, OBA, teachers, College administration, parents and students in one forum discussing a way-forward plan. We were very well aided by Mr. Ranjan De Silva – another quality product of our Alma Mater; who is a well recognized success coach and  leadership specialist. We had two sessions with Mr. De Silva; the first session was held in Hotel Earl’s Regency and the second was at Mahaweli Reach. Currently under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Araliya Jayasundara we are developing an action plan for execution. At this point I would like to thank the Colombo Branch for shouldering the bulk of work in organizing the sessions and sharing the cost with Parent Body.   

Colombo Branch: 

As always, the Colombo branch is a pillar of strength to the Parent Body. The close rapport we have with our colleagues in Colombo continues to blossom. Their presence in the CDC meetings which were held every month until recently is note worthy. Making a trip from Colombo to Kandy every month warrants a special thanking. The activities carried out by the Colombo Branch is annexed to this report. 

Junior Committee: 

At the 106^th AGM, a resolution was passed to form a Junior Committee (JC) of the Parent Body. The objective of JC headed by the Senior Vice President of the Parent Body is to groom the next leadership for the SACKOBA Parent Body and its membership is opened for the old boys who left college within the last 15 years. 

I am happy to report that JC has attracted a set of very capable young old boys who are keen to give something back to their College. As their first project the JC is launching a job bank for the school leavers. Thereby attract more young old boys towards the OBA while helping them shape their careers. 

OBA Projects: 

Over the cause of last year the Parent Body completed or started number of projects to uplift the college and the general wellbeing of the members. One of the main projects that we started last year is the development of the OBA headquarters. We did the groundwork for this project last year by entering into an MoU with the OSB Congregation. More details of our plans for the headquarters will be presented later. 

Some of you who are seated here today may recall the good times at the old OBA club house which was located at the College grounds. The old club house was a sanctuary to meet old friends while enjoying a cricket match played at the College grounds. However, when the ground was expanded we gave up a part of the club house for the betterment of the College and with that lost the one place where old boys gathered to watch matches. Last year we discussed the matter with the College authorities and with the blessings of Rev. Fr. Principal developed a viewing gallery in the 3 story building which occupies the old club house premises. The development was done using removable partitioning in such a way that the premises can be used as classrooms when needed and during matches it will be used by the old boys. I invite all of you to come join us in the viewing gallery during a match. I would like to thank Rev. Fr. Principal for the support given to us with regards to this endeavor. I will fail in my duties if I do not note the efforts of Mr. Arunda Ransinghe and Mr. Amodha Galgamuwa during this project. 

The “Touch of life” is another project which the OBA started last year to beautify the entrance of the College. We managed to gain the support of number of OBA groups for this project. In particular group 83, 95 and 99 made monitory contributions towards the project while few other groups have pledge their support. As a start, we widened the main gate and created a separate entrance for pedestrians so that the traffic jam near the gate will be lessened and students will have a safer entrance to the College. Further, with the help of the government and the college authorities we managed to tarpet the entire road network within the College. A special thank goes to Mr. Aruna Amunugama for coordinating the efforts with the Ministry. 

The annual family get together was organized under the capable guidance of Mr. Chandra Mahawattage and was held at Hotel Thilanka. As always the event was well attended and organized. I should thank Mr. Mahawattage and Mr. Paldano of Hotel Thilanka for putting up a nice show. 

Affiliated groups: 

We have managed to build a very close relationship with the OBA affiliated groups. Most of these groups are represented within the OBA Central Committee and are highly involved in activities. Further, the Junior Committee has served as a catalyst to attract younger groups towards the activities of the Parent Body. Most groups have found their flagship projects; for example group 95 is sponsoring the Colours Night and group 96 is sponsoring the Idu Abhiman a cultural show done by the College. Since the reports of these groups are in the annex I take the liberty not to narrate their activities, but thank them for all the hard work. 

Concluding remark: 

Let me thank all the members who assisted me in many ways  to compile this Annual report by sending necessary information in time. Also, I wish to thank Mr. Amodha Galgamuwa and Mr. Dimuthu Bandara for all the support given to me to compile and print this report. Note of thanks goes to M/s JS Creations for printing this report within a very short period of time.

This marks the end of an eventful year. An year in which we have started a number of activities that would bring glory to this hallowed institute. Let us be united, let us understand each other without prejudice and walk towards our end goal of making St. Anthony’s, the most preferred school in Kandy. 

Long live St. Anthony’s College!
Thank you,
Dhammika Elkaduwe
Hony. General Secretary
2017/2018