GENERAL ARTICLES

Article by KLF Wijedasa** During this Olympic year it is pertinent to remember one of our country’s greatest athletes Major Duncan White on his 23rd death anniversary (July 3). On his way to success, he had to glide over 10 barriers and not break them! 14th August 1948: Duncan White of Ceylon fixes his starting blocks to the track at the 1948 London Olympics. Original Publication: Picture Post – 4582 – Fastest Men On Earth – pub. 1948 (Photo by Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Duncan White was born on the 1st of March 1918 at Lathpandura a rural village 2km from Baduraliya in the Kalutara District. His early education was at Trinity College Kandy. He was the captain of athletics in 1936 when Trinity College won the John Tarbat Challenge Cup and the Jefferson Cup for the Relays. White won the 220yds establishing a new record, 120yds Hurdles and the Long Jump. He was awarded the Trinity Lion for Athletics. On leaving Trinity College, he joined the Medical Department as a Physical Training Instructor and represented the Department at the Government Services Meet. In 1937 he participated in the National Championships representing Ace Athletic Club he returned a time of 52.0 secs in September and further improved it to 50.4secs the same year. Running in the 440 yds Hurdles event he clocked 56.4 secs. In 1940 he returned a time of 56.0 secs in the 440yds Hurdle event at the National Championships. It took 20 long years to improve the record till Nimal Fernando of the CT & FC returned a time of 55.7 secs. In 1944 running for the Ceylon Army Duncan clocked 22.2 secs for the 200m, which was equalled by W. Wimaladasa of the Army in 1964. D.K Podimahathmaya had the privilege of erasing Duncan’s record of 22.2 by .1 of a second after 24 years. In 1938 he represented Ceylon at the British Empire Games held in Sydney in 1938. He was the only schoolboy in the team. He represented Ceylon at the first Indo-Ceylon dual meet held in Colombo in 1940 and at the second Indo-Ceylon Meet held in Bangalore. At the first Indo-Ceylon Meet, he won gold medals in the 400m and 400m Hurdles events and helped win the two relays. In Bangalore, he won a gold medal in the 400m hurdles and won a silver in the 110m hurdles. Ceylon’s Olympic Squad in 1948 After breaking records in the National arena he turned to the wider International arena. He was a member of the first Ceylon team to an Olympic Games. That was the 1948 London Olympic Games. There was a special significance for Ceylon as it was in the year 1948 that we gained Independence from the British Empire. Duncan White won the silver medal beaten by Roy Cochran of the USA by only 7/10th of a second. While Cochran established an Olympic Games Record, Duncan White too bettered the previous record. On the strength of his performance at the Olympic Games, he was awarded a Government Scholarship to follow a course in Physical Education at the prestigious Loughborough College of Physical Education. At Loughborough, he Captained the College for three consecutive years. During his period the College won the British University Athletics Championships. At the 1950 British Empire Games held in Auckland, New Zealand Duncan White won the gold medal in the 440yds hurdles event with a new British Empire Games Record which was only 3/5th of a second outside the World record. On completing his studies at Loughborough College he returned to Ceylon in 1951, took up the post of a lecturer at the Training College Maharagama. In 1960 he took up the post of Athletic coach for the schools of the Department of Education with the approval of the then Minister of Education E.A. Nugawela. He did yeoman’s service to the young athletes of the schools, especially the Central Schools. R.A.C. Hubert of Piliyandala Madya Maha Vidyalaya was one such athlete who did well in the 400m. I am personally aware that he had gone to Gamini Vidyalaya Benthota on three occasions. He also had helped Harris Manikkam at the Christian College Kotte athletic camps. There he had screened his final run in the 400m Hurdles at the 1948 London Olympics. C.W. Pitigala, as a sharp student at that time, had asked Duncan why he had looked back while fixing the blocks. He had commented on his observant nature and answered. “when I was nailing my starting blocks someone had shouted “Hey Ceylon you are late” So he had turn back and said “shut up” and nailed his blocks. While nailing the blocks he injured his finger. He ignored the injury and concentrated on the event. And the rest was history. It is a good lesson for our young athletes not to get ruffled for the slightest thing at the start of an event. In 1964, he left for Nigeria to take up the post of Senior Lecturer in Athletics at the University of Ibadu. Later he settled down in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Duncan White was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1949 and the Helms World Trophy as the Most Outstanding Athlete in Asia. Duncan White married Angela Siebel and they had six children Nita, Marilene, Fiona, Daniel, Maxine and Christopher. His teammates to the British Empire Games held in Auckland New Zealand said that when Duncan White ran the last lap for Sri Lanka in the 4x400m Relay the whole stadium stood up and cheered him because it was a fantastic run. He had overtaken several runners and came fourth. Several officials had asked him why he had not entered for the 400m event. The late Cyril Gardiner, the then chairman of the prestigious Galle Face Hotel, as a mark of respect to Duncan White adorned his name on a plaque at the entrance to the Galle Face Hotel as a distinguished guest of the Hotel. It was at this Hotel that I had

Ceylon & the Church Missionary Society The period immediately following the fall of the Kandyan monarchy was one of rapid changes in Ceylon in general and Kandy in particular. A new community was emerging along the island’s beaches, nourished by the British monarchy and the Christian faith. However, as freedom conflicts raged in the newly conquered hill country, this new era took its time to permeate across the entire island. Following the upcountry subjugation of Kandyan Chiefs in 1815, the British took control of the Kandyan kingdom, and one of the measures of this new government was to create new Christian roots within the center of the island. This task was to be handled by the many missionary societies which arrived at Ceylon such as the London mission and the Baptist mission which were among the major societies who were keen on spreading their teachings in Ceylon. The Church Missionary Society (CMS) was well established in India by 1814, with interests in new lands such as Ceylon. The new opportunity in Ceylon piqued their interest, and the first two CMS missionaries were sent here but were later reassigned to the India mission. CMS again assigned four missionaries to Ceylon in 1817. These four missionaries were tasked with staying and carrying on the work of the previous missionaries who had been restated. Names of many famous and well-loved missionaries came to be recorded over the years, but in the Central Province, evangelistic agencies were only able to be properly established in the year 1853. However, prior to this, the CMS occupied Kandy as a mission station in 1819. The Kandy mission and Rev. William Oakley Sir Robert Brownrigg was the then Governor of Ceylon, and he was well-known for his efforts to keep the Central Province under control during this period. However, thanks to him and the initiative of a few missionaries, a mission station in Kandy was established to carry out the society’s work. Although a few missionaries who circulated among other mission stations took care of the Kandy mission in the coming years, the most connected name to Kandy is the Rev. William Oakley. Establishing the Reverend’s lineage is an impossible task because there have been a staggering number of William Oakleys in recent years, and misinformation is unavoidable. The Reverend William Oakley, husband of Frances Mary Oakley, is the William Oakley in discussion. The Reverend Oakley arrived in Galle with his wife Mary on September 21, 1839, to begin his work as a missionary in Ceylon. Few sources claim that he was tasked to serve in a few missions before moving to the Central Province, but the clearest records show that the Reverend was immediately tasked to the Kandy mission, where he and his wife were well-loved by the local congregation for their work and commitment to their mission. The CMS’s vision has always been to bring the Christian faith to the local community in a practical yet precise manner. Recognizing this, Rev. Oakley turned to the local language and conducted worship services in Sinhala and English languages. This drew a sizable crowd of Kandyans to his congregation. The Oakley’s Church Rev. Oakley was a devout Christian who never considered returning to England during his 32-year tenure in the Kandyan mission. In 1855, he worked in the Kandy mission, taking the initiative and laying the groundwork for one of the town’s most well-known churches, the Holy Trinity Church. However, because Rev Oakley was the founding father of the church and his devotion to the church, it became known as “Oakley’s Church.” Following the formation of a well-nurtured Christian community, the Rev. William Oakley was transferred to other missions such as Nuwara-Eliya after his loving wife Mary Oakley died in 1859, and he continued his work as the secretary and counselor of the Ceylon CMS for another twenty years. His work in Kandy was later delegated to a number of clerics, including native priests such as Rev Cornelius Jayasinha. Birth of the Kandy Collegiate School As Oakley’s Church served its purpose over the years, the Rev. John Ireland -Jones arrived with the idea of establishing a Christian-centered school of education in Kandy. Rev. Ireland -Jones opened the Kandy Collegiate School on the same grounds as the Holy Trinity Church because the atmosphere was conducive to such an endeavor and because of Rev. Oakley’s assistance. This new institution existed for a few years with the support of the local Trinity Church congregation and was attended by the sons of local chiefs, but it was forced to close in 1871. Trinity College Kandy, the school we know today was founded when the Kandy Collegiate School was reopened by the Rev. Richard Collins, and it would not have been possible without the assistance of Oakley’s church and its congregation. Despite the formation of a new school, Oakley’s church was the front face of the compound, and the College sought a place of worship in the Church. In certain cases, the College was even referred to as Oakley’s College. Many generations of Trinitians and local Christians have spent time in the Oakley’s church. The church was home to everything from weekly Holy Communion services to daily morning prayers and evensongs! However, with the expanding Kandyan Christian community and the ever-improving Trinity College, Oakley’s Church needed to expand to fulfill rising demands. In the early 1920s, the church was nearing the end of its life as a historic structure. Many people expressed dissatisfaction with its restricted capacity and unmaintainable interior. It was Rev. A.G. Fraser, Trinity’s Golden Era Principal, who chose to build a new place of worship for Trinity College. The Oakley’s Church was demolished in 1939. Reminiscing the Past and Looking to the End There is no definite record of what happened to Reverend Oakley after he served as the CMS counselor. While some sources claim that he returned to England at the end of his term, other sources say that he passed away and was buried in Nuwara Eliya Mrs.