Tribute Page of Former Group Scout Leader of 39th Colombo Scout Group
Biography
Troop Legend, Former Group Scout Leader of 39th Colombo Scout Group
Mr. Maurice Ernest Weragoda joined S. Thomas’ Prep School in 1967, within the first year of Mr. J.S.L. Fernando’s stewardship as Headmaster. Equally proficient in English and Sinhala, Mr. Weragoda went on to teach Mathematics, Sinhala, Health, P.T., Divinity, and Social Studies. In addition, he was the House Master of Keble House, the Sectional Head of the Middle School, the master-in-charge of Rugby and of the Prefects. His indelible imprint on various administrative functions of the school likely continues to date, including his system of scheduling the time tables and the introduction of the Traffic Warden patrol. He was also known by generations of Prep School boys as the master in charge of discipline (read: caning!) and was seemingly omnipresent in every aspect of School life. His greatest legacy, however, is having revived the 39th Colombo Scout Troop in 1969, which he helped evolve far beyond its previous incarnation to be one of the most active, prestigious, and innovative Scout Troops in Sri Lanka.
Here are Mr. Weragoda’s own words, reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the 1969 revival of the Scout Troop in 1994:
‘It was way back in 1969 that Prep School retained her Grade 5 students to continue their studies in the post-primary section, with the addition of a Grade 6. This practice of ending primary education at Kollupitiya had been the case for most of the past 30 years of the School’s history. Therefore, we see that the J.S.L. Fernando era is significant in Prep School growing to a junior secondary school where the students were prepared for the NCGE Examination conducted by the Education Department, and subsequently for the GCE O.L. Exam.
Along with the expansion of the School, Headmaster requested me to expand the 39th Colombo Scout Group with the addition of the Scout Section, which I carried out in all faith. In September 1969, I enrolled many Wolf Cubs (who were now of Scout age) to the Troop. A good majority of the boys were from the English medium. I remember a few of them from those early years, including Chanaka Amaratunga, David Sena, Sivaprakasam, Suren Wikkramatilleke, Thilainathan, and Matthew, among others.
Having formed the Troop, I found it extremely difficult to convince Headmaster to take the boys out on Camp, which was the most attractive event to a boy doing Scouting. I was asked to conduct such Training Camps within the city of Colombo. The first Patrol camp, therefore, was conducted at the Ladies’ College premises. Another was at Wellawatte. The first Troop Camp was conducted at an abandoned poultry farm in Talangama in 1970. Thereafter, annual Troop Camps were held in all parts of Sri Lanka, except the Northern province.
39th Colombo entered show business as early as 1970, taking part in the Colombo district Gang Shows. As many as 28 Prep Scouts were on stage in the first show, far outnumbering all other Troops in the district.
I gratefully remember leaders such as Bala Navarathnaraja, O. Mendis, and Claude Halpe who gave of their BEST to 39th Colombo to grow in strength and stature.
A difficult period passed by when the Patrol Leader’s Council yearned to have a permanent DEN of their own. “The Den” was on the agenda of every Council meeting of the Patrol Leaders. Our Headmaster, who has a background in Scouting, found us a permanent place in the Fortrose building to identify ourselves. For nearly a decade, the Scouts of the late 70s and early 80s worked hard at various school events and Sports Meets to earn the money to build and equip the Den. The present generation of Scouts should be grateful to those past scouts of the early 80s who toiled hard and achieved their goal.
“Look Wide” is the motto of the Senior Scouts. In the mid 1980s, 39 th Colombo made another entry – this time to International Jamborees in the USA, UK, Australia, India, and Japan.
At the completion of 25 years, the Troop has produced many President’s Scouts who hold responsible positions in public life. The Troop has four Wood Badge holders and Leaders who serve Colombo as District Scout Leaders and Assistant District Commissioners. In the 25th Year, the 3rd Prep Gang Show, produced by a Prep Scout, is yet another achievement for the Group.
May 39th Colombo achieve higher goals to serve the BOY and the MOVEMENT’
Maurice Weragoda, Group Scout Leader
(extract from the souvenir of the 1994 ‘Prep Gang Show’)
In the formative years of the early 1970s, Mr. Maurice Weragoda was assisted in building up the Scout Troop by a fellow member of staff, Mr. Bala Navaratnaraja. The wives of these Scouters also played an important role; Scouts of this era recall the late Mrs. Weragoda often attending outstation camps as a chaperone, cook, and a mother to the boys who often were away from home for the first time in their lives. Mrs. Navaratnaraja (also a member of the staff) served as a senior Akela of the Cub Pack.
Mr. Weragoda had previously started a Scout Troop at Cathedral College, Kotahena, and was well networked in the movement. He was initially helped by the ScoutLeaders of St. Benedict’s College, including Mr. C. Pathmanathan, Derek Soertz, and Randy Solomons. Mr. Claude Halpe, a past Scout of St. Joseph’s College, Colombo, and son of distinguished Scout Leader Captain Vernon Halpe, arrived in 1977 and helped Mr. Weragoda propel the Troop to new heights. He was assisted in the late 1970s by past Prep Scouts Suren Wikkramatillake, Devapriya Senanayake, and the late Tissa Wimalasekera (who later met with an untimely death in the USA). It is an interesting coincidence that two former Scouts from the 21st Colombo Scout Troop of St. Joseph’s College, Headmaster N.G. Abeynaike, and, later, Claude Halpe, played such an important role in the Prep Scout Troop at two different stages in its history. Prep Scouts of today should be thankful to those leaders who rendered yeoman service on a purely voluntary basis for a Troop that was not their own. They are among many other unsung heroes that sustained 39th Colombo over the decades.
1995-2005
The period after Mr. J.S.L. Fernando’s retirement in 1994 and Mr. Weragoda’s retirement in 1995 saw several large-scale changes in the administration and running of the Troop. For the first time in its recent history, the Troop was in the charge of the 16 year olds in Grade 11, as there was no qualified Scout Leader on the staff for guidance. These changes did ‘rock the boat’ quite drastically, and the ripples and riptides generated impacted the Troop for the next ten years. It is a testament to just how ingrained Scouting was in the fabric of Prep School that for almost a decade the Troop was able to function under the guidance of only its Grade 11 students, whilst still participating functioning as a regular and active Troop. Credit must also be given to Mr. W.R. Jayaweera, a member of the staff who, although not a Scout himself, volunteered as the teacher in charge in 1995 and eventually worked his way up to winning the Wood Badge award and assisted the Troop to the best of his ability. By 2005, however, the traditions of the past had all but eroded and the Troop was threatening to float astray as an essentially rudderless ship with the upcoming retirement of Mr. Jayaweera. The good intentions with which Mr. Keble founded 39th Colombo must surely have resulted in the continued bouncing back of the Troop, where, in a fortuitous meeting with Headmaster Casie Chetty, Mr. Suren Wikkramatilleke, advised that the best approach to revitalisation would be to invite Mr. Maurice Weragoda to once again play some part in the Troop that he had nurtured for over 25 years. Mr. Casie Chetty, who placed great importance on the role of Scouting in the life of Prep School, readily agreed; Mr. Weragoda had recently fully retired from teaching at his alma mater, Trinity College, Kandy, and had returned home to Colombo in search of his next challenge. The impact of Mr. Weragoda’s ‘return home’, as it were, is best summed up in following extract from the Headmaster’s report of 2006, just one year after Mr. Weragoda was invited back to the 39th Colombo fold, where Mr. Casie Chetty writes:
‘In conclusion, very special mention must be made of the energy, enthusiasm, and dynamism infused into Scouting in the School by Mr. Weragoda. He has made a significant contribution within a brief period and has been instrumental in the revival of Scouting at Prep. School. His impact has been noticeable and I am extremely pleased that his careful planning, methodical approach, and his responsible attitude is transforming the manner in which the boys approach their Scouting. I thank him for his contribution and for making such a difference to Scouting overall’.
Tribute Video
very special mention must be made of the energy, enthusiasm, and dynamism infused into Scouting in the School by Mr. Weragoda. He has made a significant contribution within a brief period and has been instrumental in the revival of Scouting at Prep. School. His impact has been noticeable and I am extremely pleased that his careful planning, methodical approach, and his responsible attitude is transforming the manner in which the boys approach their Scouting. I thank him for his contribution and for making such a difference to Scouting overall ~N. Y. Casie Chetty
