Alles sir visit Black and Gold Victoria

A look back at the founding year of the D.S. Senanayake College Old Boys' Association in Victoria

In 2008, the year Black and Gold Victoria was formed, Old Senanayakians across Melbourne were honoured to welcome the man who started it all: Mr. R.I.T. Alles, founder principal of D.S. Senanayake College, accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Rohini Alles. For an association taking its very first steps, there could not have been a more fitting blessing.

A founder among his boys

When D.S. Senanayake College opened its doors in Colombo on 10 February 1967, it was Mr. Alles who was entrusted with building a brand-new school from the ground up. Over the years that followed, he shaped its character, its standards and its spirit, turning a young institution into one of Sri Lanka's leading schools. To generations of students he was, and always will be, simply "Alles sir".

So when he travelled to Melbourne in the year our Victorian OBA was born, the visit carried a special meaning. Many of the old boys who gathered to meet him had last stood before him as schoolboys in Colombo. Now they were greeting him as professionals, parents and community members far from home, still wearing the black and gold with pride.

The gathering

Old boys, their families and well-wishers came together at [venue] on [date] to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Alles. The evening was filled with warm reunions, familiar stories from the corridors and playing fields of Senanayake Mawatha, and plenty of laughter as old memories were revisited.

[Add details here: who welcomed the guests, speeches made, the College song, any presentations or tokens of appreciation, and the dinner or programme for the evening.]

Mr. Alles spoke to the gathering about [key themes of his address, e.g. the early days of the College, the values he hoped Senanayakians would carry, and the importance of staying united as an old boys' community abroad]. His words gave the newly formed association a clear sense of purpose as it began its journey.

Mrs. Alles, who stood beside him through the years of building the College, was warmly received by all, and her presence made the occasion feel very much like a family reunion.

A blessing for a new association

For the founding committee of Black and Gold Victoria, the visit was an inspiring start. Having the College's founder present in its first year connected the Victorian old boys directly to the roots of their school, and reminded everyone that the Senanayakian family extends well beyond Colombo.

[Add names of the founding President, Secretary and committee members if you would like to acknowledge them.]

In fond memory

Mr. R.I.T. Alles passed away on 28 November 2013. The 2008 visit remains one of the most cherished memories in the history of Black and Gold Victoria, a moment when the founder of our College stood among his old boys at the very beginning of our own story. We remember him, and Mrs. Alles, with deep gratitude and affection.
Black and Gold Victoria, D.S. Senanayake College Old Boys' Association.