Edmund Dissanayake -The Schoolboy, the Teacher, Cricketer and Coach

Edmund Dissanayake -The schoolboy, the teacher, cricketer and coach.

By Peter Casie Chetty

Often in our ripening years schoolmates sit together and reminisce the joyful years of our youth and discuss the teachers we met in the years of seeking guidance and learning. We unconsciously give them virtual marks for various attributes. The popularity of teachers is in every past pupils mind and heart, there can be no denying.

Among my contemporaries the names of Miss Iris Blacker, Mrs Rachel Lembruugen, Mrs Gloria White, Messer’s David Joseph, Edmund Dissanayake and Haig Karunaratne figure prominently as the most beloved.

Afterthoughts are for Messer’s Van Sanden, D’Aberera and David Ondaatje and pour cause; they were specialist in the fields Rugby, Physics and Commercial classes. Not many of us had the good fortune of sitting in their classrooms ever. Others remember the motherly figure of Mrs Sivasubramaniam a lovable lady again not all of us knew her. Mr. Van Sanden, I will remember always for his “Churchillian” insults and massive sense of humour. He was a most lovable man I had a few weeks grace within the first term- Cricket season. He knew I was not part of his class but that did not deter him in allowing me to pose as if I was!

There is good reason for this. As teenagers we liked to be treated as adults. These teachers were able to make things easy, understanding the hyper active the sometimes incorrigible boys yet treating them as responsible adults.

This is about one of our favourite masters; Edmund Dissanayake and I know many will agree. Mr Dissanayake however, is pleasantly surprised. But there is unanimity from all those who crossed his path except those who believe they were better than they in fact were… some “wannabe” cricketers.

When school reopened In January 1960 at thirteen, I sat in a class with thirty one other boys listening attentively to the “welcoming address” given us by 2

Mr. Edmund Dissanayake. His smiling cherubim face was different to one teacher we had had two years earlier. A vile, screaming neurotic wreck who was glad to see the backs of us he called “dayvils” yes everyone, except two effeminates. He could not cope with thirty mostly hyperactive boys. Raju Hensman to me should have been teaching in a girls’ school somewhere.

I am not alone in this opinion must I add?

After we settled in, we realised in no time that Edmund was not just a born educator, he understood youth better than many other teachers. Again that is not just my opinion but that of Darrell Maye one of Wesley’s finest all- rounders at cricket, hockey, rugby and athletics. The opinion of Sextus “Bunny” Taylor another athlete and rugby player now living in Canada who said, “I suppose I can say that he was one of the few masters I loved and respected. The other was “Vannie” Van Sanden”. Evorard Schoorman, Nigel Christoffelsz and Mervyn Hamer all-round sportsmen have all agreed.

Tuan Aniff also a mischievous schoolboy now a computer engineer, father and grandfather in California, USA who says “Edmund gave me responsibility where others would use punishment to change a pupil”.

Azahim Mohammed a retired Shipping Executive and one of the Nagoor Meera “dynasty” said all his brothers and he would pick Edmund as their favourite teacher. It was his kindness.

The constrains of space does not permit me to publish all the accolades but philanthropist William Deutrom another all- round sportsman who nestles in a hill top Queensland bungalow on seventeen acres of snake infested land fondly remembers Mr Dissanayake who was fondly referred to as “Pigeon”. The man has a sense of humour without a doubt and recently explained that a neighbour and a friend had lost a pigeon he was frantically looking for in the Dissanayake compound one week end in Nugegoda. Typical of our “friends” on the Monday hats switched heads and it was Edmund on whom the name stuck. He was never annoyed so it was always with affection that he was called the name and of course behind his back. Billy also known as Kaki Willie tried hard to annoy Edmund when he pointed out at a swooping eagle and claimed it was a pigeon. I knew what he was about to do and swore it was an eagle. Before the next batsman was ready to face us at practice Kaki walked up to Edmund 3 and pointed up to the bird and asked “Pigeon, is it not? Edmund with a sly smile nodded and moved on.

Now, between the “Bellas”, the “Ballis” the Bullets and the Boats” the “Parana Coats” “Long Jaw”, “Waduwa” and “Koli Hensman” the boys were innovative in giving masters nick names. All but A.S.Wirasinghe earned one and the reason I believe is that he was not liked by Wesleyites. “Boss”” was a stiff necked outsider as far as I was concerned. I would have liked to refer to him as Baas the more sinister Dutch word for “boss”. Throughout the years he and I had a mutual dislike for each other. But then that was my private complaint. He tried to coach me at bowling and my father ridiculed my efforts at following “Baas” and his instructions. We had no coach in 1965 so he probably thought us gullible enough to accept his advice. I was I must admit.

This is about Edmund Dissanayake.

Edmund was born one of nine children in 1927 in the capital of the southern province - Hambantota - where his landowner father was in charge of the Government Salt Department. Although the road to Colombo was hard and long in those pre-war days, Mr Dissanayake (Snr) wanted his children to have the best education possible. Edmund was sent to live with his maternal grandmother, Mrs J.A.Amerasinghe. He reminisced his first days at Wesley. The caring Mrs Joyce Lembruugen was his first teacher. It here he learned the three “Rs”; reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic. Later this kindly lady was to be my own teacher in 1952.

Lessons learned at home Edmund was immensely liked. Honesty, Integrity and Hard Work his father taught the children held good.

His sister Agnes, brothers Bertram, Chandra and Donald were all in grandma’s care, so home was “transplanted” to Colombo, in a way.

School is where a character is moulded. Edmund’s pride in the school he loved so much grew by day. Together with his best friend, Shelton Peries he followed the instructions of the Principal, Rev James Cartman, to “revive the sagging reputation of the school’s sports”. 4

This was post World War II Ceylon and glaring defeats on the field of cricket had saddened the pair. Edmund and Shelton set about getting a revitalization going in 1946 when he was appointed captain of cricket.

Wesley faced Royal captained by the future international Mahes Rodrigo. “Dark Horse” Wesley was ably led by Edmund who strode in as one of the openers carried out bat with a century to his name. This feat after 27 years! Stalwart R.L.Kannangara had made a century in 1917!

Edmund was given a “princely sum of five rupees” by a former Wesley skipper Stanley Jayasekera and the Royal College magazine congratulated Edmund at this feat they well appreciated. Cricket was the game of gentlemen in “those good old days”.

In 1947, Wesley was to face the predicament of being “coachless”- a rudderless vessel.

The drive of the trainer and tactician cricket coaches are expected to be … Edmund had to take the team practice while he was captain. He had burly Henry Van Buuren at his side to do the tactical side of the “arguments”. The arrangement worked out well and Wesley’s march to glory had been given the kick-start it needed “to ride into the Golden Fifties” as the Clasaen (help spelling) were later described. Together they worked on and defeated Royal and again the Royal Magazine and the newspapers attributed the victory to astute leadership. Wesley defeated their archrivals St. Thomas easily at Mount Lavinia where at, Edmund was to suffer a very serious injury fielding in the “suicide” position very close to the bat. His injury was life threatening and after the match the team my father who had been watching the match, said rushed to see Edmund in hospital. It was “curtains” for his career as a club cricketer at the age of nineteen. I was to suffer a less serious injury 18 years later on the same ground when the team I played in had no coach and crashed to an innings defeat.

Senthil Sinniah skipper of the 1960 team remembers the scathing ear bashing he had from Edmund then the Master- in- Charge when he was caught on the boundary attempting to get a six to make his century against Ananda.” Edmund knew Senthil’s capabilities and was disappointed he did not make good against the strongest opponents Wesley had that year. Senthil left Sri 5

Lanka and continued playing in English leagues with a definite “Wesley style” of batting. It was pure, fluent and orthodox instilled by Edmund as the Under 16 coach. Senthil also remembers the emphasis Edmund paid to fielding, even threatening to drop Lakshman Goonetilleke the best left arm fast bowler Wesley ever produced.

Wesley skippers Muthuvaloe and Evorarde Schoorman, School Boy Cricketer of the Year 1963 Darrell Maye all speak very highly of their Under 16 coach. “He would toss the ball and make us use our feet or bounce it half way down the pitch and make the ball rear up for the pull and the hook. He would throw the ball in a way his wards learned to cut late or square. So when batsmen walked out they were equipped with most strokes all from the book!

The fond memories are overlapped by those of a young lady teacher from the Matara Convent who fortunately was a friend of Edmunds sister. It was love at first sight and soon after their meeting they were united in civil matrimony. They are both practicing Buddhists and that they have not been converted despite the Colonial attitude is thought provoking and shows a lot of character. Impossible is not a word she will allow into their lives. “Meditation” he says “is her forte.”

While his wife Amara stood by his side we have to remember the Dissanayake Family’s contributions to Wesley Cricket.

Before Edmund, Bertram his eldest brother was the vice-captain and wicket keeper under T.I.Cassim in 1941 then captained the school in 1944 and 1945.

Nephew Mahendra skippered the side as an all-round fast bowler and a hard- hitting batsman. Mahendra holds the record for the best performance bowling against St. Peter’s having got 8 wickets for? Runs

Danesh Edmund’s son was the youngest player in the Wesley College side in 1984. He continued to make big scores and make a record number of centuries (?) between 1984 and 1989.

I was fortunate to interview my class master and cricket coach when I was on a visit to Sri Lanka and found his memory amazing for detail. He remembers Mr. B.J.H.Bahar an innovative coach who would watch future opponents and make plans for Wesley to counter their strengths. He was a native of Hambantota 6 and captained the side against the Matara team in 1946. He remembers the rotund Mrs Ruth Hindle the kindly Hostel Matron and senior Hostellers sneaking out to “gate- crash” wedding receptions, well-dressed but uninvited “guests”. One of them was my favourite uncle Ashley Casie Chetty - well known for his rather eccentric behaviour Edmund confirmed. He remembers the Caterer old Boy Mr. D.S.Wijemanne who was a benefactor of the cricket team providing the cricketers with free after-noon meals.

His memory of his staff colleagues is impeccable even mentioning their nicknames with a glint of schoolboy mischief in his eye.

Mr. Dissanayake has however the regret about his advice not being followed by Principal A.S. Wirasinghe who appointed a coach with disastrous results. Six innings defeats! Having two great cricketers, in my humble opinion, at his door – Lalith Wijesinghe and Edmund Dissanayake he chose to look elsewhere. This was Wesley scraping the bottom. Wirasinghe’s rebuke “we have done badly… things cannot get any worse” was annoying

The Great Sathasivam who represented Malaysia and Ceylon was quick to point out that Edmund would have been the best coach and I am sure there would have been hundreds of Wesley cricketers who would have agreed wholeheartedly.

Edmunds career as a teacher had to take a turn and following his achieving the Law Exams he turned to appear as a lawyer in the Magistrate’s Courts in 1980.

Wesley was veering off the coast onto the rocks disaster and many a true Wesleyite suffered the same humiliation as Edmund did. The cricket teams however, made their best seasons when they were coached by an old Wesleyite and Milroy Muthuvaloe and Russell Hamer both under sixteen charges of Edmund were able to bring teams along the right track.

In 2005, Edmund was thrown by a three-wheel driver recklessly barging into him while he crossed the street. He has now to walk with the aid of a cane, but his views on education are worth being observed carefully. “The method of teaching English at Wesley should radically be changed. Conversation, picture study, song, drama, poetry and prose should play an important part”. 7

My opinion is that his revered experience must prevail. He is a careful student of life as a student and as a teacher, as a lawyer and as a person. He has been tried and tested. He passes and will pass every time. Our experience at Wesley with the teachers who we regarded as friends must prevail. They put their heart and soul into teaching us. We had no need for tuition classes and we were able to have a mock exam before the real GCE's… meaning the syllabuses were completed. I wonder if principals who followed Mr P.H.Nonis bar Mr Kenneth Lanerolle realised this. I don’t think they did and it is the present old boy and school principal who has forced the horse and cart back on track.