The second consecutive Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Galle Club, a Past Pupils Association from six renowned schools in Galle, took place on the 6th of July 2019 at the Mövenpick Hotel, Colombo. The AGM witnessed the congregation of alumni from the partnering schools for the appointing of the board of office bearers.
Representing camaraderie and connectivity between its members, the Galle Club encompasses of past pupils of St. Aloysius College, Richmond College, Mahinda College, Southlands College, Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya and Sacred Heard Convent.
The AGM 2019 commenced with the registration of current and new members, followed by the welcome address by Mrs. Nilmini Fernando – outgoing Secretary from Sacred Heart Convent – who thanked the distinguished members and guests for sparing their valuable time to grace the occasion. Furthermore, Mrs. Fernando acknowledged the contribution and extended gratitude to the outgoing EXCO for their unstinted support during the first successful term.
Following the welcome address, Mr. Dilith Jayaweera – outgoing President from St. Aloysius College – spoke of the core objective of the club, reviewing the past term and positive outcomes from the events held. He further spoke of the establishment of regional chapters of the club, with the successful inauguration of The Galle Club in Melbourne, Australia.
With the aim to promote union among the past pupils of these Galle schools, The Galle Club brings the community together to practice friendship, collaboration and networking. Comprising of academics, professionals, politicians and businessmen, the club has succeeded in building a firm solidarity among past pupils based in Colombo, Galle and Melbourne, further creating a positive impact towards its member schools.
Following great success during the past term, the 2018 EXCO was unanimously re-appointed to take reign of the board of Office Bearers 2019-2020. The board comprises President Dilith Jayaweera, an old boy of St. Aloysius College; Nilmini Ferdinando re-appointed as Secretary; and Janakie Wijethilake as Treasurer. Furthermore, Sujeewa Rajapakse of Richmond College, D. N. Thilakumara of Mahinda College, Prof. Janitha Liyanage of Southlands College, Sasima Pinidiya of Sanghamitta Balika Vidyalaya and Hasanka Witharana of Sacred Heart Convent were re-appointed as Vice Presidents.
Other office bearers re-elected at the AGM included Chanura Wijethilake (Secretary elect), Sagara Gunawardena (Treasurer elect), Surani Maharage (Editor) and Venya Ranasinghe (Editor elect).
Furthermore, the re-appointed committee members include Lani Gunaratne (Sacred Heart Convent), D. Padmasiri (Mahinda College), Nilmini Prasantha Abeywickrama De Silva (Southlands College), Dilani Sirimanna (Southlands College), Ananda Samarasinghe (Richmond College), Aruna Siriwardena (Richmond College), Shammi Wijetilleke (Sangamiththa BV), Jagath Pushpakumara (St. Aloysius College) and Tissa Gunawardena (St. Aloysius College). Additionally, the three newly elected committee members are Rosemarie Yatawara (Sacred Heart Convent), Takura Gunasinghe (Mahinda College) and Damayanthi Samarasinghe (Sangamiththa BV).
Addressing the gathering, President Jayaweera stated, “Today marks another significant moment for all of us gathered here, as six distinguished schools in Galle assemble under one proud identity. I am humbled to be reappointed as the President of this magnanimous association, which has the potential to take its member schools to greater heights. Together with my fellow office bearers, I hope to contribute more towards strengthening the friendship and solidarity we share with each other, both in the country and overseas. We have embarked on this journey together and we can collectively pave paths towards building a larger community, consolidating relationships and building bridges.”