Thurstan College

Thurstan College Colombo කොළඹ තර්ස්ටන් විද්‍යාලය
Thamaso Ma Jyothirgamaya ("Lead me from Darkness to Light")
Location
Colombo Sri Lanka
Coordinates	6°54′13″N 79°51′36″E / 6.90361°N 79.86000°E / 6.90361; 79.86000Coordinates: 6°54′13″N 79°51′36″E / 6.90361°N 79.86000°E / 6.90361; 79.86000
Information
Type	National school
Established	1950 College Day - 11 January
Founder	Major E. A. Nugawela
Principal	Mr. A.D.M.D Bandara
Gender	Boys
Colour(s)	Blue, Gold & Red
Website	www.thurstancollege.net

Thurstan College is a national school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Situated in the Cinnamon Gardens of Colombo 7 it is in the heart of the educational triangle of Sri Lanka with the University of Colombo and the Royal College Colombo as neighbors.^[1] As a national school it is controlled by the Central government as opposed to the Provincial Council and provides both primary and secondary education.

Thurstan College, has a student population of 2500 and prepare students for the examinations conducted by the Ministry of Education. The facilities at college include science laboratories, computer laboratories and library. The school has more than 30 clubs and societies.^[2][3]

History

Reverend Father A. J. Thurstan started a private technical school in 1859 and maintained it out of his own funds. This institution had been an agricultural and multimedia technical training centre for many years but had to be closed down after a few years. In 1884, with the assistance of the British government, an agricultural school was started in the same place. There is evidence to show that around this agricultural school there had been a flourishing cinnamon cultivation, and today Colombo 7 is known as Cinnamon Gardens due to this cultivation. The agricultural school was started by the then Director of Education Mr. H. W. Green. In 1910 it was closed down.

In the 1930s free education concept brought by scholar and minister of education Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara. A new school was opened by then Minister of Education by Major E. A. Nugawela on 11 January 1950 named as the Government Senior School at Thurstan Road (now known as Kumarathunga Munidasa Mawatha), on one side was the old Royal College Colombo established in 1835 and on the other side was the University of Ceylon which was of established in 1922. It was formed to accommodate the overflow of students from Royal Preparatory School. They were the students who could not gain admission to Royal College. The Government Senior School was later renamed as Thurstan College and 26 students who entered the grade one and 2 of from Royal Preparatory School to grade six.^[4] The principal of the new school was Mr. D. E. A. Shokman. He introduced a house system for sports, student leadership (prefects), cadetting, and literary associations. He named the houses after the four directors of Education during British rule namely Denham, Macrey, Robison and Sandeman.

Houses

Principals

• Mr. D. E. A. Schokman - 11.01.1950 - 31.12.1955
• Mr. M. D. Gunawardhana - 01.01.1956 - 17.01.1967
• Mr. P. M. Jayatilaka - 01.02.1967 - 09.10.1969
• Mr. S. Pandithasekera - 16.03.1970 - 30.04.1974
• Mr. A. K. Waidyasekara - 02.05.1974 - 20.01.1978
• Mr. P. S. Gunasekhara - 24.01.1978 - 31.12.1987
• Mr. H. D. Herman Perera - 01.01.1988 - 20.10.1992
• Mr. R.D.M.P. Weerathunga - 1992 - 28.08.2006
• Mr. R.M Jayasekara - 2006 - 2008
• Mr. W. Gunarathna - 2008 - 2010
• Mr. Daya Bandara - 2010
• Mr. Y. A. N. D. Yapa - 23.09.2010 - 20.05.2013
• Mr. Daya Bandara - 21.05.2013 – to date

Sports

Thurstan College has Junior and Senior playgrounds, swimming pool and tennis courts. Some of the sports played are

Traditional Fixtures

CRICKET: Thurstan-Isipathana

Thurstan plays annual cricket encounter starting the cricket match season of famous schools with Isipathana Vidyalaya called Big Match and it is called Thurstan-Isipathana.

RUGBY
Thurstan's rich and colourful rugby history is over 52 years old. History records that Thurstan began playing rugby in 1957. Thurstan was the second government school to take to rugby and from the inception started playing with all leading teams.

In addition to the "Abdul Jabar Trophy" which is played with the traditional rivals Isipathana two more annual encounters for the "Diyanesh Rajarathnam Memorial Trophy" in 1998 with Wesley College and "Graetian Gunawardhana Challenge Trophy" in 2001 with D.S. Senanayake College were added to the Thurstan rugby fixture.

Societies

Notable alumni

Alumni of Thurstan College are known as Old Thurstanites.^[5][6] They include;

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Mahinda Rajapaksa - Former President of Sri Lanka
• Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama, RSP, VSV, USP - Governor, Eastern Province
• Dixon Dela Bandara - Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Maldives, former Governor, Northern Province
• Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera RWP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc - Commander of Sri Lanka Navy
• Prof Nalin de Silva - Sri Lankan theoretical physicist, philosopher and a political analyst
• Chandra Fernando Former Inspector-General of Police, Sri Lanka Police Service
• Jayantha Wickramarathne - Former Inspector-General of Police, Sri Lanka Police Service
• Saranga Disasekara (Famous Actor)
• Sachith Peiris(Popular Singer

• Major General Dudly Perera Retied Sri Lanka Army
• Major General Jammika Liyanage Retied Sri Lanka Army
• Major General Mohandas Sumanasena Retied Sri Lanka Army
• Major General Rukmal Dias General Officer Commanding Sri Lanka Army
• Major General Sathapriya Liyanage General Officer Commanding Sri Lanka Army
• Brigadier RV Ravipriya Commander of the Presidential Guards Sri Lanka Army
• Brigadie Harendra Parakrama Ranasinghe Commander Sri Lanka Army Special Forces (SF) Defence Attache USA
• Colonel Lal Chandrasiri Commander of Sri Lanka Army 9 Gamunu Watch
• Group Captain Sampath Thuiyakoontha Base Commander of Sri Lanka Ari Force Anuradhapura
• Dr. Narendra Pinto, Orthopedic Surgeon

Notable teachers

Abraham Kovoor - Professor and rationalist

Past head prefects

Past Rugby Captains

Donations

• 

  Thurstan Swimming Pool, donated by Old Thurstanite Lion Gratian Gunawardena in 2000

• 

  Kumar Devapura Building, donated by Old Thurstanite Deshabandu Kumar Devapura in 1996

• 

  Mainhall Chairs, donated in year 2000 By Old Thurstanite Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksa now the President of Sri Lanka

• 

  Score Board - College Premises, donated by Mr. S.T.K Fernando in 1996

Gallery

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External links

• Official website