President Chief Guest at Dartmouth passing out parade
Watches son among the new batch:
President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the Chief Guest at the passing out
parade of the new batch officers of the Britannia Royal Naval College at
Dartmouth last morning.
The President attended the event at the invitation of Britain’s Naval
Chief Admiral Jonathan Band. President Rajapaksa and First Lady
Shiranthi Rajapaksa were accorded a warm welcome with all the formal
trappings unique to the occasion, when they arrived at Dartmouth in
Devon.
An interesting feature was the President’s second son Yoshitha who
completed one year’s training, being among the officers who passed out
at Dartmouth.
This is the first occasion where a Head of State attended a passing
out parade at the Britannia Royal Naval College as the Chief Guest. It
was a unique occasion for the President and the First Lady.
After observing the parade for nearly two hours, President Rajapaksa
was seen mingling with the parents of the newly passed out Naval
officers and sharing in the pleasantries.
Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Navy Commander Vice
Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda were also present.
The Britannia Royal Naval College was established in 1863 with the
aim of training personnel who would be able to face the tough challenges
confronting the Naval Forces and is among the foremost training
institutes of its kind in the world with a proud history. Those vying
for selection have to undergo the most stringent testing.
It is also one of most modern state-of-the-art facility which aims to
turn out the best and most efficient Navy personnel for the future. The
Britannia Royal Naval College trains both members of the British Royal
Navy and overseas recruits. |