Sports journalist Upananda completes 25 years

Upananda Jayasundera, the former Head, Playgrounds Dept. Municipal Council, Kandy who serves as a free lance journalist in the Lake House Group completed 25 years of service in June.

An old boy of Dharmaraja College, Kandy he was an allround sportsman where he captained the Dharmaraja College Cricket team and led his team to an innings victory in the annual Big Match against Kingswood College in the year 1965.

His teammates were Ananda Jayasundera (his twin brother) Harold Ranasinghe, Ajith Gannoruwa, D.D.P. Alwis (later he represented Adastrians for over 10 years in the premier Division Cricket tourney) Siri Ranasinghe, N.K. Ratnayake and P. Mangalaratne to name a few. He represented Up-country at the annual Up country-Low country Schools boxing in the sixties and also won the junior fly weight class at the National Meet.

When Upananda was serving at the Municipal Council, Kandy as a playground instructor he represented the Council at the All Island Govt. Service Meet and came 2nd in the 100, 200 & 400 metres races in the year 1969 and the winner of these events were an Old Benedictine Stanley Fernando, who went on to captain the Sri Lanka hockey.

Upananda was commissioned as a Pilot Officer of the then Ceylon Air Force in the year 1971, along with S.U. Mendis, Vijitha Tennakoon, J.A. Kularatne to name a few. He withdrew his commission due to personal reasons and Re-joined Municipal Council, Kandy as a Playground instructor again. He retired in 2005.

He was instrumental in forming the Sports Fund in the Municipal Council, under the guidance of Dr D.S. Athuraliye who was the then Head of Department. Most of the outstanding sportsmen of the Kandy Municipality Playgrounds & Community Centres were given financial assistance out of this Sports Fund.

Upananda is thankful to Dr H.S.S. Nissanka who was his teacher at Dharmaraja College for helping him to take to journalism when Dr Nissanka was functioning as the Provincial Editor of the Lake House Group in 1985.

Upananda is the brother of Daya and Sarath of police fame and Gamini of the Sri Lanka Army and Ananda and Senarath of Bank of Ceylon and his other brother was the late Parakrama of the CGR.