In a moving and stirring moment, the hallowed ground of Campbell Park bore witness to a ground-breaking restoration ceremony ushering in the dawn of a new era for the cherished Wesley College Pavilion on Wednesday November 1, 2023.
The Wesley College Old Boys Union (OBU) led by its effervescent President, Captain Navin de Silva along with the President of the Methodist Church Reverend Ebenezer Joseph, officials and Principal of Wesley College Avanka Fernando officially commenced the Wesley College Restoration Project at Campbell Park.
This ambitious initiative is part of the school’s Sesquicentennial celebration which falls on March 2, 2024. This is another milestone in the progressive journey of the Old Boys Union who has undertaken this project of restoring to its 120 year old Pavilion, probably one the Oldest Pavilions amongst Schools in Sri Lanka.
Heading this Project as Chairman, Ivor Maharoof along with an able team comprising Treasurer S Renganathan, Project Secretary Shehan Sheriff and the Restoration Building team lead by K Dayaparan, Senior Old Boys Lucky Goonathilake, Lalith Wijesinghe, Gerard Fernando, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Wickremeratne, Maj Gen Indu Samarakoon, Maithri Vithanage, Shiraz Jaldin- Wesley Sports Administrator, Architect Murad Ismail, Structural Engineer Ajith Vandebona and Quantity Surveyor Ravi Wijesekera.
The Pavilion’s history dates back to its acquisition by Wesley College from the Tamil Union Cricket & Athletic Club at Campbell Park in 1940. Believed to have been constructed in 1900, the Pavilion is poised to celebrate its 124th anniversary in 2024. The Pavilion was inaugurated on the 19th of January 1940 by the esteemed old boy, G.C.S. Corea, Minister of Labour, Industries, and Commerce at the time.
Throughout the years, Wesley’s Pavilion has been graced by some of Sri Lanka’s cricketing legends, including the iconic Mahadevan Sathasivam and a plethora of Wesley College’s own cricketing greats.
The Wesley College Pavilion Restoration Project is not merely a venture; it’s a significant and heart-warming endeavor that represents a collective call to all the Wesleyites in every corner of the globe.
