Features

Lorenz and old Matara

Published

3 years ago

2024/03/3

Thilina Walpola

Rose Cottage, Matara

by Avishka Mario Senewiratne

“Home interprets heaven. Home is heaven for beginners.”— Charles Henry Parkhurst

From his humble beginnings in Matara to being the most popular man of his day, Charles Ambrose Lorenz lived and owned several houses. Each of these homes has been of some historical significance. Some places and cities acquire considerable importance when celebrated personalities live there or are linked with them. Nazareth might not have been as well known if Christ was not ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. Likewise, some obscure places received unprecedented recognition when people of repute hail from such places.

Where Lorenz is concerned, however, there are so many places and houses that he is connected to and each of them has earned some distinction by such connection to this much-beloved son of the soil. Unlike in England where the ‘blue plaque’ is installed in homes commemorating celebrated individuals who once lived there, no such custom prevails in this country which boasts of 2,500 years of recorded history. Only a few surviving documents and writings can determine where such greats once lived. Fortunately, the subject of this essay is a man whom people of all kinds did not overlook. From the house where he was born to where he died, each house has been recorded in various documents.

The Prussian-born Johan Freiderick Wilhelm Lorenz lived in a well-built house called the “Rose Cottage” with his third wife, Anna Petronella Smith when C. A. Lorenz was born. Lorenz Sr. had lived nearly all of his life in Galle and Matara since migrating to Ceylon. There was a substantial Dutch Burgher presence in Matara at that time. Rose Cottage was situated only half a mile from the Matara Fort and on the right bank of the Nilwala River. This single-storey house has a large compound which extends to the river. It existed well into the 1970s/80s.

In the early 1930s, this house was owned by Edward Buultjens, who used it as his country residence (Van de Wall, E.L., (1933), Ceylon Causerie, June, p. 7). In the mid-20^th century, Rose Cottage was owned by Mr. A. L. B. Ferdinand of the Ceylon Civil Service who was an Additional Deputy Controller of Textiles (Toussaint, J. R., (1956), JDBU, p. 60). However, with the need for newer designs and a change of architectural preference, Rose Cottage which was slowly deteriorating, was demolished never to rise again. Not many in Matara recall this historic home abode any more.

Lodge Harmony

A few years later, the Lorenz family moved to Lodge Harmony, which adjoined the Rose Cottage. A few hundred meters West of the old Dutch Star Fort of Matara, Lodge Harmony, a two-storeyed abode was a large and spacious structure, well equipped with a very large drawing room and several large high-ceilinged and ventilated rooms. How this romantic name was derived was beyond question as J. F. Lorenz had taught each of his children to play various musical instruments and the people of Matara were delighted to hear the sweet music from this house regularly.

Like Rose Cottage, this home sat on top of the grassy banks of Nilwala, sloping down to the river. The front section of the house faces the river while the back faces the main road which now goes by the name Kumarathunga Road (named after the scholar Kumarathunga Munidasa). Between the house and the river exists a detached set of outbuildings, which once consisted of a kitchen, servant rooms, a stable and a well. The style of the architecture of Lodge Harmony is unique and must be studied further in greater detail.

The two levels of the house have considerable variations. Though the structure of Lodge Harmony has an obvious Dutch influence (based on the entrance, inside doors and windows), the French casement window frames indicate that the Lodge Harmony may have been built in the later Dutch period or the early British period. This idea is further strengthened by two veranda rooms on the riverside and the Palladian motif. (cf. Lewcock, Sansoni & Senanayake, (1998), The Architecture of an Island, p. 226) An unusual aspect of the design of the roof is that the slope at the front differs contrastingly from the slope at the back.

Though the exact origins of Lodge Harmony are not known, J. F. Lorenz owned it from the day he moved into it till his passing in 1845. His widow and some of his children, including J. F. Lorenz Jr. continued to live there. Charles Lorenz, who was by then well settled with his sister and brother-in-law in Colombo, never failed to visit Matara and this beautiful house during vacations. E. H. Van der Waal, who was a great admirer of Lorenz mentioned the following in the Ceylon Causerie of June 1933:

“Many years ago, when I was a school-boy in Matara and when teachers and teaching methods were not up to the high standard of modern-day requirements, “meaning books’ were in great demand, The master demanded the meaning of ‘”Lodge” and directed his question at one of the boys, who later attained a prominent position in public life. With a ready smile of assurance, there came the instant reply: “Harmony”! (p. 7)

Young Charles Lorenz loved the Nilwala river and in his later days, wrote endearing verses of his various pleasure trips on the river. (cf. Blaze, B. R., (1948), The Life of Lorenz, pp. 2-3). It was in Matara that he came across people from all walks of life. Matara then was a very cosmopolitan town with a strong Dutch influence. This shaped young Lorenz to a better understanding of the people of the country. It is evident that he learnt Sinhala apart from English and Dutch to converse with the Sinhalese of the area. As the years passed by and his success kept growing, the people of Matara came to know of his attainments and were proud that a ‘son of Matara’ was achieving greatness for himself and the country in those colonial days.

Lorenz in turn, never distanced himself from his childhood town. In his writings to the Young Ceylon in the early 1850s, it is clear that he drew much inspiration from Matara and one of its well-known areas, Devundara (Dondra), which meant “the city of the gods”. Whenever he had the time to escape from his busy life in Colombo, Lorenz took a ride to Matara. Visiting Matara after a long interval, he would often take a walk to visit old places and faces familiar to him in his childhood. The following is quoted from John Penry Lewis’ monumental 1913 tome, Tombstone and Monuments of Ceylon:

“No town in Ceylon, not relatively in proportion to its size but absolutely, has produced such a number of distinguished men as Matara,” among them Governor Falck, Sir Henry Lawrence, and C. A. Lorenz. Matara …. enjoyed this reputation for the intellectual superiority of her sons even in the time of the native sovereigns; and though some doubt may rest on the tradition which makes it the birthplace of Kalidasa, there can hardly be any that for many centuries under their own native sovereigns the men of Matara always carried away the palm or literary merit; and even at the present day the Kandyans seem to entertain a pious reverence for the learning Matara.” (Here J. P. Lewis has quoted from the Sir Richard Morgan Biography by Digbv, vol. II., p. 217)

After the Lorenz family, between 1894 and 1900, Lodge Harmony was owned by a kinsman of Lorenz and an eminent proctor called J. H. Ernst. During this time, E. H. Van der Waal who was a master at Royal College spent regular holidays in this house. In his writings, Van der Waal states how he enjoyed fishing and crab catching at the compound behind the house leading to the river. In the early 1900s, a leading businessman in the trade of plumbago, cinnamon and rubber called Endoris de Silva Balasuriya purchased Lodge Harmony for the purpose of a warehouse and office.

After he died in 1915, his widow transferred the ownership to their eldest son Crown Proctor Wilmot Balasuriya, a person involved in Urban politics. In order to raise funds for his political affairs Wilmot had to mortgage Lodge Harmony twice between 1917 and 1934. His mother, who was gravely upset by this, saved the property by lending money on the first occasion. However, in 1934 when the same problem arose, she transferred the ownership to her second son Dr. Garvin Balasuriya (1902-1990). Living in the upper storey, Dr. Balasuriya ran a medical practice and dispensary in this house.

In 1942, during World War II, Dr. Balasuriya purchased the Robert Press in Panchikawatte, moved the printing machinery to Lodge Harmony, and rebranded it as Carlton Press. The machinery included old typographic and letter-press printers which went out of business with the dawn of offset and digital printing. After he died in 1990, the press was transferred to his son Indrajith Balasuriya (1940-2023), a landed proprietor and agriculturist. In 2004, when the Tsunami hit the coastal area of Matara, seawater streamed into the back compound of the house. Indrajith Balasuriya spent a lot to restore the damages. However, in certain parts of the back compound, trees do not grow any more as the soil has been contaminated with salt. Though this historical abode goes by the name Carlton Press and not Lodge Harmony any more, the Balasuriya family must be credited for preserving and protecting it for more than a century.

Though not a house where Lorenz lived, the Dutch Church of Matara was a significant due to the fact that Lorenz was baptized there in 1829. His family were devout worshippers at this Church and through his many letters and writings, we come to understand that Charles Lorenz had a deep affection for the Church. The old Dutch Church is located behind the famous Star Fort of Matara.

Between 1763-65, the Fort was built by Baron Van Eck, the Dutch Governor who sacked Kandy in 1765, after the infamous Matara Rebellion of 1760-61. Previously, when the Dutch took over Galle and Matara in 1640, a small rampart was built. The German traveller, Wolfgang Heydt wrote and sketched the Matara village and the fort in 1736. Also featured in the illustrations is the Dutch Reformed Church.

Although the Church is believed to have been consecrated in 1704, tombstones more ancient have been found (the oldest being as early as 1685) in the Church Graveyard (See Lewis, J.P., (1913), Tombstone and Monuments of Ceylon, Government Printer, p. 205). Regarding the architecture of the Church, B. R. Blaze says “It is not so typically Dutch in Architectural style as the Galle church, nor is it imposing in size or appearance…” (Blaze, p. 3). However, R. L. Brohier comments on it as follows: “The building of greatest antiquarian interest in Matara Fort is the old Dutch Church” (Brohier, R. L., (1965), Seeing Ceylon, p. 158). J. P. Lewis commented in 1902 that “The tout ensemble strikes one at once as very Dutch”. Among the many who are buried in the Church’s graveyard is the father of Iman William Falck, the most popular Dutch Governor who ruled the maritime region of Ceylon for 20 years.

When renovations took place in the Church during the twentieth century, it was discovered that the current structure (which was also the same during the days of Lorenz) was built in 1769. However, it is clear that certain parts of the structure were built earlier. The entrance to the Church bears very little resemblance to a Church. R. L. Brohier comments on the structure as follows:

“Architecturally, it is based on the old meeting-house type – yet superior in many respects – with arched windows to each side and a veranda to the south side with masonry pillars and railings in the familiar domestic style prevalent in town architecture, and a massive door in the middle of the southern wall. The veranda has obviously been tacked on to the main structure sometime later. The structure is finished off with a simple form of end-gable.” (Quoted from De Silva, R. K., and Beumer, W. G. M., (1988), Illustrations and Views of Dutch Ceylon, Serendib Publication, p. 184)

When Lorenz was baptised on August 2, 1829, the following was recorded in the Church baptismal records:

“The child born on the 8^th of July to be named Charles Ambrose Lionel. The parents are Johan Frederik Lorenz and Anna Petronella Smith, married. The sponsors are Robert Charles Roosmalecocq, Jacobus Ambrosius Roosmalecocq (brothers of Johan Lorenz’s 1^st wife), Maria Theresa de Leeuw, and Anna Sophia Carolina Lorenz (Johan Lorenz’s daughter from his second marriage.” (Translated from the original Dutch in Blaze, p. 6)

In 2004, just like Lodge Harmony, the Dutch Reformed Church faced the perils of the Tsunami. However, it was well restored to its former glory. The Church remains intact and in service as of November 2023.

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Features

Coercive laws recipe for future misrule

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

by Jehan Perera

The NPP government is going after powerful figures from the past and present who have engaged in corruption, fraud and criminal activity in a way that no previous government in Sri Lanka has done. Former ministers, politicians and senior state officials are among those facing investigations and legal proceedings. The government has placed before Parliament a document listing 50 cases involving corruption, fraud and other crimes. These include not only financial offences but also cases relating to the Easter Sunday attacks, the killings of Lasantha Wickrematunge and Wasim Thajudeen, the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda and attacks on journalists Keith Noyahr and Upali Tennakoon.

The significance of this effort is that it can demonstrate that nobody is above the law, regardless of political connections or social standing, which will help restore public confidence in institutions that have long been distrusted. It could also recover public resources, improve the investment climate and strengthen the foundations for a more prosperous and just Sri Lanka. When criticised for focusing on the past and not the present, the government position is that these investigations were initiated under earlier governments, particularly between 2015 and 2019, and that it is now allowing investigators to proceed to deal with the backlog without political interference.

But there is an aspect of the government’s approach that is less justifiable. While pursuing past wrongdoing by powerful individuals, it is also advancing a triumvirate of draft laws that could give the state sweeping powers over citizens, organisations and dissent in the present and future. The draft Prevention of Terrorism legislation, the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill and the NGO Registration and Supervision Bill raise serious questions about the over-centralisation of power. Each of these laws strengthens the powers of the state while weakening the rights and safeguards that protect people from their misuse and thus questions the basic rights of people in democracy where ‘the power of the people is vested in the government’. This is a recipe for future misrule rather than the rule of law. As the well-known saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Proposed Laws

The real test of system change, for which the government obtained an overwhelming mandate, requires not only a government willing to hold others accountable, but one prepared to subject itself to the same principles of legality, transparency and restraint. The three proposed laws that are particularly important in this regard are the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill and the NGO Registration and Supervision Bill. Each of these draft laws has been presented as serving a legitimate purpose. Preventing terrorism, combating organised crime and ensuring that NGOs do not facilitate money laundering or terrorist financing are proper responsibilities of the state. Sri Lanka has international obligations in these areas, and no responsible government can disregard them. However, the existence of a legitimate objective does not justify every means adopted to achieve it.

The proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill illustrates the problem. Although its definition of terrorism draws on a model developed by a former United Nations Special Rapporteur, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has warned that the definition of terrorism extends beyond the model and could bring legitimate political protest, trade union action and civil disobedience within the scope of counter-terrorism legislation. Its concerns also include prolonged detention, inadequate judicial oversight and restrictions on access to legal counsel. These are objections that go to the heart of the relationship between the citizen and the state. The government cannot credibly promise to protect democratic freedoms while creating powers that could be used to restrict them. It is necessary for the government to reassess the draft through transparent consultation and revise provisions that could criminalise legitimate dissent.

The Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill raises similar concerns. It is presented as giving effect to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, which Sri Lanka ratified in 2006. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has argued that the convention does not require many of the bill’s provisions. The proposed law extends to a broad range of offences, permits detention orders lasting up to a year, makes confessions to police admissible for purposes of legal evidence, and introduces extensive surveillance powers. A law intended to dismantle criminal networks should not create a parallel system of exceptional powers that could be applied far beyond organised crime. Nor should safeguards developed through years of experience with abuses under the Prevention of Terrorism Act be weakened through legislation bearing a different name. The government should review whether or not existing laws could be used effectively to control these crimes or whether each exceptional power is necessary.

Civil Society

The proposed NGO Registration and Supervision Bill presents another test of the government’s intentions. The government may reasonably seek transparency in the finances of organisations receiving public or foreign funds, including measures to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. It seeks to justify its overreach on the grounds of meeting the internationally mandated requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the Asia-Pacific region. But these objectives do not justify placing civil society and NGOs under excessive administrative control when even the FATF ranks them as low to medium risks. The draft bill would require registration and renewal, impose extensive obligations on organisations and empower authorities to suspend or deregister them on broadly framed grounds. It is important to redraft provisions that confer excessive discretion over registration, renewal, suspension and deregistration of NGOs.

Among the concerns raised by United Nations human rights special rapporteurs with regard to the draft NGO law are provisions requiring organisations to align with government policies and restrictions that could affect advocacy, dissent and freedom of association. The implications extend well beyond organisations that engage directly with the government. Community groups, human rights organisations, independent researchers and organisations working on reconciliation or accountability could find their activities constrained by uncertainty over how these provisions might be interpreted. Organisations that criticise government policies are not thereby working against the country. Their freedom to do so is part of what distinguishes a democracy from a system in which the government determines which opinions and activities are acceptable.

The government has generated considerable public goodwill through its pursuit of corruption and criminality. It should not assume that this goodwill gives it an unlimited mandate to strengthen the coercive powers of the state. The NPP knows from its own history that governments can treat dissent as a threat and use the machinery of the state against their opponents. There is still time to correct the drafts through transparent public consultation, narrow definitions of offences, meaningful judicial control over detention and surveillance, and effective remedies against arbitrary decisions. A government that pursues corruption while weakening safeguards against state abuse risks undermining its own achievements. Besides bringing to light the abuse of power by previous governments, the NPP government needs to build a system in which no future government can abuse power in the belief they can get away with it.

Features

Quality assurance without quality enhancement: The irony of university QA

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

By Ramya Kumar

According to the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) of the University Grants Commission (UGC), quality assurance (QA) refers to “the means (i.e. the policies, attitudes, actions, procedures, etc.), by which an institution can guarantee with confidence and certainty, that the standards and quality of its educational provision are being maintained and enhanced”.

An expansive structure has been in place since 2005 to govern and implement QA processes within the state university system. The QAC is the focal point at the UGC that implements external reviews of state universities and institutes. Each university has its own Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA) tasked with performing QA in line with QAC directives. Faculties, in turn, have Internal Quality Assurance Cells (IQAC) performing their own QA; they are answerable to the CQA.

The big question is whether this all-encompassing top-down QA system, that in many ways undermines the internal dynamics of university governance, actually supports universities to enhance the quality of education. This article highlights some concerns.

Top-down check-box activities

The QAC conducts external reviews of universities and degree programmes. A review team appointed by the UGC (who may or may not have experience in the institution/programme in question) examines the self-evaluation report submitted by the said institution/programme. The team then conducts a site visit to verify the claims made in the university’s self-evaluation report, clarify issues identified during the desk review, and examine how QA procedures operate in practice. The team holds meetings with the university administration, members of the Council and Senate, Deans, Heads of Departments, academic and non-academic staff, students, and others. Following the visit, a draft report is submitted to the relevant institution/programme for comment before final publication. The reviewed institution/programme then prepares and publishes an action plan addressing the recommendations, with subsequent monitoring of progress.

There are some worthy QA initiatives under implementation, such as improving facilities for students with disabilities and strengthening mechanisms to address sexual- and gender-based violence. However, for the most part, QA activities have little to do with improving the quality of education. They are mostly preoccupied with monitoring faculty and department websites, digital transformation, student feedback, subject evaluation, course evaluation, peer evaluation, and, more recently, staff appraisal. These activities, which consume an inordinate amount of time—so precious at understaffed universities—have become check-box activities completed to generate evidence for the next review. Below is an excerpt of a conversation between two academics (1 and 2) that conveys how QA plays out at universities (reproduced with permission).

1: … .it’s like social media you know, like posting things on Facebook or twitter or Instagram. When people do a lot of social media, everything they do, they do thinking, “okay I’m going to post it in this way… this I have to put on my Instagram.” QA is a little like that… everything is considered in light of, “ah we can use this for the review, as evidence… for example very recently we were encouraged to have all the things that we do in our department in the faculty newsletter so then they can put in the review. Every little thing has to be noted down….

2: And with pictures and all…

1: At the very least it has to be written so that you have written evidence .. you can’t be doing something for the sake of doing something or because it is good for the department … and sometimes people tell me “oh yea that’s a good idea we can fit that under this x, y section of the review..”

2: Yea, and nobody really thinks about the actual outcome… whether it’s actually helping anyone..

1: I also find that a lot of the words that we used in different ways have now been co-opted to the QA discourse ..including quality.. I can’t actually say what I want as an “outcome”, for example, that the outcome of this workshop is that my students “think about” … then I am told “ah but no that’s not one of the Bloom’s taxonomy words, “think about”.…

2: And the worst part is these medical and agriculture people, these types of people go around spreading it like some kind of gospel!

1: Yea, this cookie cutter way of doing things, they think is the height of innovativeness or creativity, when actually it is so mundane … for me the most awful thing about it is like some fungus of mundanity has taken over through QA reviews.

2: yea, when you say QA, my mind closes off immediately and I stop listening…

Auditing everything but power

QA leaves out crucial aspects of university governance. For instance, there is no review or assessment of the “quality” of university administrations under Criterion 1 or the integrity of procedures governing the promotion of academic staff under Criterion 6 of the institutional reviews.

The majority in the Council—the university’s executive and governing body, which is responsible for selecting the Vice-Chancellor (VC)—are appointed in ad hoc fashion. Apart from the Ex-Officio members in the Council (VC, Deans, etc.), and the two members elected by the Senate, the remainder are appointed by the UGC with no formal consultation or vetting procedure. The VC appointment process described in UGC Circular No. 03/2023 exemplifies how an ostensibly technical process can become entangled in political sycophancy. The Registrar invites applications for the position of VC through advertisement. Applicants must submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of vision for the university and supporting documents. The University Council appoints a three-member Search Committee of senior academics to encourage “eminent persons” to apply, while the UGC appoints a former VC from another university to “observe” the selection process.

A Special Meeting of the University Council is convened. Candidates are interviewed and must make a presentation to the Council Members, followed by questions. Each Council member “gives marks” for seven prescribed criteria: strategic focus (20%), effective leadership (20%), holistic thinking/conceptual skills (10%), academic and research excellence (15%), personal integrity (10%), professional communication (10%) and managerial competence (15%). Marks are averaged, and the Council recommends three candidates to the UGC in rank order. The UGC-appointed observer separately submits a confidential report on the selection process.

This procedure is expected to guarantee quality, but does it? Applications are submitted to the Council Members, who have been appointed on questionable bases, and who are expected to review the applications and give scores, based on objective assessments. But, in reality, most Council Members are manipulated by VC candidates, who often have personal ties with them. The UGC-appointed observer usually has no genuine interest in the outcome. And there is no way for anyone to actually question the Council’s decision once it is made. Although the highest-ranked candidate may ultimately be appointed, the selection remains a political decision made by the President, who retains the discretion to appoint any one of the three.

External reviews also do not look into the promotions of academic staff, except to scrutinise whether there are policies and procedures in place to govern promotion. Academic staff may apply for promotion to Professor once they satisfy the prescribed eligibility requirements, which typically include the period of service, academic qualifications, research and publication achievements, teaching experience, and contributions to the university and wider community. Applications are evaluated against specified criteria, with research output and academic contributions assessed through documentary evidence and expert evaluation. Under the UGC’s scheme for Professors, two experts from outside the applicant’s institution assess specified aspects of research and knowledge dissemination. Again, beneath this technical process, which is externally evaluated, lies a problematic points-based scheme that can be manipulated and abused with impunity.

Rethinking university QA

Like the VC election process and the schemes of promotion for academic staff, QA reviews are open to manipulation. Before a review, there is a chaotic rush to complete evidence gathering and reporting. Academics leave all other work aside, including at times their teaching, to focus on completing documentation and preparing reports. The standardised criteria in the review manuals and scoring sheets often do not reflect differences in disciplines and institutional contexts. But this does not really matter because any serious problems experienced by institutions or programmes are hastily brushed under the carpet to conceal any evidence that could taint the review. The goal is to obtain an A or at least a B grade at whatever cost.

QA may result in positive change if it moves beyond top-down check-box activities towards internally designed and owned processes encompassing all aspects of university governance, led by departments and faculties, and supported by adequate resources. The current QA system needs to be dismantled and replaced by procedures that are accountable, not to the UGC, but to our students and the communities we serve.

(Ramya Kumar is attached to the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna)

. Kuppi is a politics and pedagogy happening on the margins of the lecture hall that parodies, subverts, and simultaneously reaffirms social hierarchies.

Features

Down Memory Lane — the Grand 20th Edition!

Published

17 hours ago

2026/10/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

Down Memory Lane: Ready to sing again

Yes, Down Memory Lane, the beloved Sing-Along concert series that first struck a chord, way back in 1997, returns for its landmark 20th edition this Saturday, 17th October, at the beautiful Bolgoda Grand Resort, Moratuwa town centre.

Having celebrated its glorious 25th anniversary with the show in 2023, this milestone 20th concert promises to be even more special.

The organisers, the ever-popular Moratuwa Arts Forum, are pulling out all the stops to present yet another unforgettable evening, brimming with camaraderie, fellowship, and pure nostalgia.

Get ready for two-and-a-half hours of non-stop singing as veteran vocalists, from the Moratuwa Arts Forum, will take the stage to lead and inspire the happy audience to sing, sing and sing to their hearts’ content.

The repertoire? Absolutely magical, according to the organisers.

Veteran Arun Dias Bandaranaike: Will handle the evening’s proceedings / Priya Peiris: Event Conceptor

Around 40 golden oldies — from timeless English vintage evergreens and hits from the 50s to the 90s, to toe-tapping calypsos, soulful American plantation melodies, rousing cowboy and Dixieland favourites, aa well as cherished Sinhala standards. All to be sung with much gusto!

This year’s dedicated organising committee comprises Brian Coorey (Chairman), Priya Peiris (Event Conceptor), Hiran Fernando, Suranga Fernando, Viranjan Perera, Hemka Fernando and Neelesh Silva. Guidance and support comes from Moratuwa Arts Forum President Sarana Guneratne and Secretary Chandani Silva.

Adding his signature charm to the evening, as Master of Ceremonies, will be the veteran Arun Dias Bandaranaike.

Don’t miss this landmark celebration of music and memories!

For further details, contact Hiran Fernando on 0772636446 or WhatsApp 0783636446.