Letter From The Legendry Bryan Claessen

[Sajeeka]

E.B. & C. Claessen,

Post Office Box 130,

Tailem Bend,

South Australia, 5260.

Phone: (08) 85723748

E Mail: bryan...@lm.net.au

13th. November 2009-11-12

To Wesleyites
Around the world
Via the Internet.

Dear Friends,

I want all Wesleyites to know how pleased I am that the “Remembrance
day “ Service held at the College Hall on 11th November at 6pm was a
wonderful success and an “emotional one” on the information I received
yesterday.

When I first received a message that the Remembrance Service was to be
held and of the arrangements that were being made, I realized that it
was to be a time of remembering with gratitude the gallant efforts of
soldiers who died in conflicts. It was a time to think of all those
who lost their life in a very general sense. There was also to be the
specific element of the service in acknowledging Wesleyites, who
sadly lost their lives for their Country.

I also recognized that the College was also taking the initiative of
remembering all Wesleyites who had passed away. In doing so, the New
College Principal Dr Shanti McLelland was to give us as Wesleyites
who are fortunate enough to still be alive, the opportunity of
including our own list of those who were special and dear to us that
had passed on. I am certain that the great majority of “Old Boys”
applaud the step taken by Dr. McLelland in helping us, (especially
those living in distant areas of Sri Lanka and abroad), to become a
part of the Remembrance Day Service.

It was with a measure of alacrity that I sent my list of those who
were very special to me. My list of names included Robin Reimers who
is so dearly loved by us all. The same applies to Lou Adhihetty,
N.A.B. Fernando, Sam Amblavana and several others who were so much a
part of my time at College. I also included the names of C.E. Perera
and M. Sathasivam who were both well before my time at school. For the
sake of completeness let me explain that C.E. Perera who played
Cricket for College in the late 1890s is still regarded as the finest
batsman produced by Wesley. M. Sathasivam is in my view the most
stylish batsman in the world and it would take a proper combination
of the great Garry Sobers ,Barry Richards of South Africa, Tom
Graveney of England, Sri Lanka’s own Lionel Jayasuriya and the
qualities of the finest oriental dancer to produce another “Satha”.
These two Wesleyites are indeed special to me because as a 12 year
old, the newspapers carried stories of me as a promising young Wesley
cricketer who was expected to follow in the footsteps of the great
C.E. Perera and M. Sathasivam. It was a tall order, to follow in the
footsteps of these two great Wesley Cricketers but I regarded that
journalistic assessment as flattering. It is no wonder then that I
wanted to remember them on the 11th of November.

I became a part of the Remembrance Service when I took time off to be
with my thoughts from 11pm ( South Australian – Daylight saving time –
5.30pm S/L time) on the 11th November to remember my special friends
who are no longer with us and to recall some of the great times we
once shared. The disadvantage of this, was that I didn’t actually get
to sleep till 2am.
I ask all Wesleyites to join me in congratulating Dr. Shanti McLelland
and to express thanks to those who helped, for giving us this
wonderful opportunity of remembering our special friends and to think
of all “Old Boys”, Teachers and other staff who have passed away.

I am sure Dr. McLelland will again invite us to submit or resubmit
names to be included at next years Remembrance Day Service. The
current list will naturally become a part of record.

“Bonds of friendship forged in childhood days,
Ties that bind us to our happiest time;
Which in strange and miraculous ways
Keeps alive days that were once yours and mine.”

With affectionate good wishes

(Bryan Claessen)











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