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STC Gurutalawa or “Guru”, as it is fondly referred to by Old Boys, is surrounded by natural beauty and even the place names of the vicinity are phonetically pleasing yet meaningful. Nestled in the hill ranges at a shade over 4000ft. it is only a mile to Boralanda ( ‘muddied plain’) and five miles to Welimada ( ‘sand & mud’ - from the Nuwara Eliya hill range). A little further away is Diyatalawa (‘ watery or wet plain’) comes to mind - just a couple of hours walk away - ideal walkabout & return for lunch if you start early. It came into being by sheer
accident, a consequence of the Second World War. When the parent College
at Mt.Lavinia was commandeered by the Royal Army in 1942, the School
split into three units, and though “re-assembled” later at
Mt.Lavinia, only Guru survived to stand tall even today. Though it was
to be a temporary measure, it is to the credit of the Headmaster,
devoted masters and even the student body of that time, that it had
reached such a high level. Therefore, a decision was made that
Gurutalawa will continue, because it functioned as a good exemplary unit
by itself and many a student desired to stay. Over the years, starting from only
five classes from Grade 6 (now Year 7) to the then SSC (now GCE.) and
about 150 boys, it expanded over the years to have a student body of
over 1000 and all the classes from Year 1. But again in order to
maintain the higher standards the College inspired, the numbers have
been reduced to more realistic ones. Originally only a Boarding School,
it is now having as many days boys as boarders. It is the proud boast of the
College that it has produced many who have reached the highest levels in
their chosen fields. In the past 62 years, the College has produced
Scholars, Civil Servants, Administrators, Businessmen of high repute,
Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers - some of whom are well known that to list
them would be another separate exercise. In the area of
Politics, Ministers of the Sri Lanka Government and Provincial
Governors are the order of the day. We salute all these past students
who brought recognition to the College. It has been accepted that if you
say you are from ‘Guru’, it is not the village but the College that
is spoken of - so fondly do the Old Boys refer to their Alma Mater - and
any Thomian from any other ‘brother’ institution or Public School,
knows it. Only a small portion of the nearly
45 acres of beautiful farmland and wooded splendour, is used to house
the institution and is interspersed with Buildings. And it is to get the
best in all areas, that the school has been blessed recently with a
Headmaster who has the special attributes of an Agriculturist, Manager
and an Educationist - as well as a disciplinarian to boot. The Old Boys Association, a vibrant
body giving its maximum support to the School, was founded in 1959 and
this is its 45th year. [Appeared in the Daily Mirror & The Island - November 2004] Natural Beauty just 200 yards away from the Campus |
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This page was last updated on 28th November 2004 |
