Just closer to sunset, there was a hive of activity at the Infantry War Memorial inside the Panagoda Army Cantonment recently where a gathering was present clad in blue and black blazers adorned with pins, medals and crests of schools such as Royal, Trinity, Thurstan, Vidyartha, St. Silvester’s, St. Michael’s, St. Mary’s and St. Mathew’s to name a few and those of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police. They were all Sri Lankan boxers of yesteryear and the faces were mainly from the 60s and 70s.
The felicitation program commenced with a guided tour of the war memorial that touched the former boxers.
The occasion was graced by former Army Commander, Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, Chief of Defence Staff and former Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Brazil, who was himself a champion Stubbs Shield boxer for Royal College during his school days.
The felicitation was the brainchild of former Thurstan College boxer Dushanta Kiriella, who flew down from Bangladesh to see that the event was a success. The current Chairman of the Army Boxing Club and the formal host, Maj. Gen. Rukmal Dias spearheaded the overall fine-tuning of the event. All past boxers can contact Major Mahinda Hettiarachchi for further details on 0714321177.