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St. Anthony’s College,
Kandy, Sri Lanka 20000
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Monkey Business
Permit me to turn back the pages of time and take our minds back to the third week in January 1951 when Chris Duff-Tytler and I were in “The Rainbow Cottage”. This was my first year in college at 6 years of age. Our warden in “The Rainbow” was Reverend Brother Hugh, in dormitory No.4. Our matron was the dear Mrs. Griffs.
The tennis courts below “The Mansion?” had one sand court and the other was a cement court. Just above the cement court was a little incline with a cage as an added attraction to the garden setting. In this cage was a pet monkey named Mary which proved a big attraction to the boarders. Many boarders at different times would pay Mary a visit and the monkey, in turn, responded with enthusiasm. I think Mr. Saram was in charge of the monkey in the cage!
One day, Chris Duff-Tytler, Tony Maxworth, and I obtained special permission from Brother Hugh to visit Mary, and he approved it. This was necessary because that section of the boarding was “out of bounds” for us tots. Accordingly, during recreation from 3.00 – 5.00 pm after tea we paid Mary a visit. Fortunately, the usual rush of boarders was not there and we practically had the cage to our own. The moment Mary saw us she bounded off her perch and in a flash was facing us on the other side of her cage. While we were “communicating” with her with all types of antics I very foolishly poked my finger through the cage. Mary immediately went on a war footing!
In a flash, she grabbed my finger and gave it a healthy bite! I screamed in horror, Tony and Chris began banging the cage raising their voices at the same time to distract her. This had the desired effect and she let go of my finger instantly. I was in tears more in shock than in pain. Tony and Chris took me to the sickroom, where Mrs. Mulholland arranged for me to pay a visit to Doctor Anthonisz. The good doctor gave me an anti-tetanus injection, attended to the wound, and gave me some tablets which I think were mild antibiotics. He then gave me a letter for Mrs. Mulholland with strict instructions that I give it to her without fail.
I returned to “The Rainbow” the center of attraction for a while because the news of my encounter with Mary had made the “Rainbow” grapevine. Mrs. Griffs took me under her wing and looked after me with some TLC and instructions not to wet the finger etc. That was the last time I visited Mary.
Miraculous Escape
A very painful memory of a near fateful Sunday in 1958. To cut it short, my brother Errol VanCuylenburg, Alexander Duff-Tytler, Norman Thompson, and a few of the juniors were engaged in a game of soccer, while not far away Ranjith Samarasekera was practicing his javelin throws. David Berenger managed to get hold of the javelin when Ranjith took a break and tried his hand at hurling it. And, hurl it he did!
It was Alexander Duff-Tytler who saw the weapon of mass destruction hurling towards Errol and with some quick thinking pushed him aside. If he had not executed this masterstroke, the javelin would have pierced Errol’s neck and severed his jugular vein. Due to his quick thinking, the javelin caught Errol on the cheek ripping it open, and the scar of this horrible wound remained until a few years ago.
I was with Tony Maxworth and Maximus Jayamanne listening to “Sunday Choice” in Brother Columban Macky’s room when somebody came running over with the frightful news. Meanwhile, I think it was Anton Rambukpotha who carried Errol to the college car with a huge crowd following all caught up in the drama of the moment, and I think with Father Rosati’s permission he was taken in all haste to the college Doctor, Dr. Anthonisz. I think he was taken in the blue fiat which Father Rosati used to drive like Niki Lauder !! That day. I believe they got a driver – the driver who normally drove the “Dhakku”, which was a sort of a small truck which took the sick to the Doctor. I believe that evening he broke all speed records!