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| Saturday, 13 December 2003 |
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Charlie of Havelocks is no more by Y.C. Chang On the 3rd instant Ethelbert Charles was as usual on his favourite stool, glass in hand, in his accustomed corner of the bar. He has done this as far as I remember from the time Cutberth his brother played as my co-prop at the Havies. Charlie was no famous ruggerite. His love for the game stemmed from the love of watching his brother play. From there it blossomed to a love affair with the club after Cutberth left for the UK for a lucrative appointment with an oil company. Charlie loved the Havelock Sports Club, so much so that he virtually lived there until very much late in life he fell in love with Ramani and settled in Maharagama. On that fateful day, he spent his time into the evening and travelled by bus to Maharagama. Whilst crossing the pedestrian line he was knocked over by a hit and run vehicle. That was the last of poor Charlie, as than knock was severe enough to break his neck. We always remember of legends in rugby that have performed in the field in Charlie would like to remember him as a legend int he supportive role. He was one with the ear to the ground. He knew every player by his name although he never familiarised with them. He would watch them practice every day and on match days he suffers the worst when his club team fails to win. If the club won his happiness carries him through till dawn with the tumbler in his hand. If you did not know Charlie you would mistake him to be an introvert. He had a very silent demeanour about him. He was a person who managed his own affairs that he carried it to extremes. I say this because I have seen him at all matches on his own. It can be in Uva, Dimbulla or Darawella, rain or hail storm the man is there commuting on his motor bike to support his club all alone. Being an Engineer for the Irrigation Department he could be stationed in Nedunkerni up north or at Mirrissa down south, he would somehow ride his way to watch the Havelock Sports Club play. He was tough and resilient as the saying goes for men of this calibre. Having retired from service Charlie was not letting up on his life style. I had a hidden admiration for this person who could not say no to coming to his club even when his leg or an arm broken or for that matter when he had an abdominal operation. Charlie was at the club as soon as the plaster cast was fitted to his limbs or even before the stitches were removed from his abdoman. He had a deep love for the Havelocks so much so that he went to extremes rearing cats and dogs. His deep love for animals was indeed endearing to watch. His daily arrival at the club would not be without food for his loving pets including Poya days when the club is closed. Members who frequent the club regularly will surely miss him, so will his beloved kith and kin. If not for the fact his death was tragic and that his departure was premature, I would say that he is now in place we all yearn to be. What better place than with your MAKER. One evening last week whilst I was about to leave the club who drops in? C.H. Seneviratne all the way from Darwin. Accompanying him was Derrick Munaweera. These two missed the opportunity of meeting their other erstwhile friend Gamini Fernando who had left the club just before their arrival. My departure was stalled for another few hours, as I had no heart to leave such good old friends. CH or Chandra is now in politics in darwin and represents the minorities in the Northern Territories. He is here in Sri Lanka helping out the Australian Cricket Board with Sri Lanka's tour itinerary. The team will in the Northern Territory throughout the tour and will be playing all their matches in and around Darwin I speculated as to why CH was brought to Sri Lanka. I could only think that he was brought over to tell our boy's that crocodile meat is sumptuous and that it may be served regularly as steaks for dinner. He rejected my speculation as an alarmist. When Trinitians met it will always end them reminiscing their schoolboy days. On this day too it was another episode of the mischievous that kept their teachers at tethers end throughout their school carrier. Teachers of the calibre of R.I. Kannangara, Major Hardy. The Janzse's Vernon and Ivon, Theodore Silva, Nanjijam Jocob, G.Y. Sahayam, Rev. Elliot and Suderamaniam can never ever be emulated by the modern. For them teaching was a vocation. Inspite of the fact that they were strict disciplinarians they always enjoyed the impish mischievousness of students. They reconciled to the fact that they were growing up to be leaders some day. Their love for the students was in their hearts but never on the exterior. Recently, I read an article in this paper by Ranjan Abeysekera of our beloved Sunderamanium, who was also my maths teacher. Oh! how I truly relished his classes where it was a never ending ducking of the duster or running ahead of him round the class to avoid his cane. Yes it was about Trinity that our conversation came around to. Trinity has found a Principal and that from a foreign land. He is an Englishman, well educated and currently head of a Public School in India. He is Rod Gilbert. There seems to be among the Old Boys some who are despairing that a local had not been appointed Trinity has had its fill of locals. Over the past three decades I have yet to see Old Boys sincerely appreciate any one of them. I have however found that Principals from the Church of England, who served the school always being revered. If this was to be the only statistic to go by then please do accept it and give this new man a chance to bring back the glory of Trinity that has long disappeared. He takes up the appointment from the first of January and as far as I am concerned I shall give him all the encouragement to succeed and pray that Trinity does not have to go through more lean periods, in education or in sports. |
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