Thurstan College

ary and secondary education.Thurstan College, has a student population of 2500 and prepare students for the examinations conducted by the Ministry of Education. The facilities at college include science laboratories, computer laboratories and libraries, the school has more than 30 clubs and societies. History
Reverend Father A. Thurstan started a private technical school in 1859 and maintained it out of his own funds. This institution had been an agricultural and multimedia technical training centre for many years but had to be closed down after a few years. In 1884, with the assistance of the British government, an agricultural school was started in the same place. There is evidence to show that around this agricultural school there had been a flourishing cinnamon cultivation, and today Colombo 7 is known as Cinnamon Gardens due to this cultivation. The agricultural school was started by the then Director of Education Mr. In 1910 it was closed down. In the 1030s free education concept brought by scholar and minister of education Dr. C. A new school was opened by then Minister of Education by Major E. A. Nugawela on January 11, 1950 named as the Government Senior School at Thurstan Road (now known as Kumarathunga Munidasa Mawatha), on one side was the old Royal College Colombo established in 1835 and on the other side was the University of Ceylon which was of established in 1922. It was formed to accommodate the overflow of students from Royal Preparatory School. They were the students who could not gain admission to Royal College. The Government Senior School was later renamed as Thurstan College and 26 students who entered the grade one and 112 of from Royal Preparatory School to grade six. The principal of the new school was Mr. D. E. Shokman. He introduced a house system for sports, student leadership (prefects), cadetting, and literary associations. He named the houses after the for directors of Education during British rule namely Denham, Macrey, Robison and Sandeman. Houses
DENHAM HOUSE
Deep Blue - Light Blue
Thurstan College Denham House colour.svg

MACRAE HOUSE
Deep Blue - Deep Yellow
Thurstan College Macrae House colour.svg

ROBISON HOUSE
Deep Blue - Deep Red
Thurstan College Robison House colour.svg

SANDIMAN HOUSE
Deep Red - Deep Yellow
Thurstan College Sandiman House colour.svg

Principals
Mr. Schokman - 11.01.1950 - 31.12.1955
Mr. M. Gunawardhana - 01.01.1956 - 17.01.1967
Mr. P. Jayathilaka - 01.02.1967 - 09.10.1969
Mr. S. Pandithasekera - 16.03.1970 - 30.04.1974
Mr. K. Waidyasekara - 02.05.1974 - 20.01.1978
Mr. Gunasekhara - 24.01.1978 - 31.12.1987
Mr. Herman Perera - 01.01.1988 - 20.10.1992
Mr. R.D.M.P. Weerathunga - 1992 - 28.08.2006
Mr. R.M Jayasekara - 2006 - 2008
Mr. Gunarathna - 2008 - 2010
Mr. Bandara - 2010
Mr. Y. N. Yapa - 23.09.2010 - 20.05.2013
Mr. Daya Bandara - 21.05.2013–Present

Sports

Thurstan has a Junior and Senior play ground, a swimming pool and tennis courts. Some of the sports played are,
Cricket
Rugby
Athletics
Tennis
Table Tennis
Carom
Football
Squash
Swimming/diving
Badminton
Chess
Baseball
water polo
Cadet
Archery
Basketball
Boxing
Cricket Cycling
Gymnastics
Hockey
Karate
Rifle Shooting
Rowing
Rugby union
Soccer

Traditional Fixtures

CRICKET: Thurstan-Isipathana
Thurstan play Isipathana Vidyalaya in their annual Big Match and it is called Thurstan-Isipathana. RUGBY
Thurstan's rich and colorful rugby history is over 52 years old. History records that Thurstan began playing rugby in 1957. Thurstan was the second government school to take to rugby and from the inception started playing with all leading teams. In addition to the “Abdul Jabar Trophy” which is played with the traditional rivals Isipathana two more annual encounters for the “Diyanesh Rajarathnam Memorial Trophy” in 1998 with Wesley College and “Graetian Gunawardhana Challenge Trophy” in 2001 with D.S. Senanayake College were added to the Thurstan rugby fixture. Societies
Buddhist Society
ITS TC (IT Society of Thurstan College)
Commerce Society
Chess Club
Debating Society
English Debating Society
Drama Society
Media Circle
Science Society
Sinhala Literary Association
English Literary Association
Environment Society
Electronic and Radio Society
First Aid Unit
Agricultural & Food Technology Society
Traffic Control Unit
Prefects Guild
Information Technology Society
Scout Unit
Western Band
St.Johns Ambulance Cadet Unit
Medical Unit
Eastern Band
Astronomical Society
Young Biologist Association

Notable alumni
Hon.Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka

Alumni of Thurstan College are known as Old Thurstanites. They include;

( This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it)

Mahinda Rajapaksa - Current President of Sri Lanka

Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama, RSP, VSV, USP - Governor, Eastern Province

Dixon Dela Bandara - Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Maldives, former Governor, Northern Province

Prof Nalin de Silva - Sri Lankan theoretical physicist, philosopher and a political analyst

Jayantha Wickramarathne - Former Inspector-General of Police, Sri Lanka Police Service


Notable teachers
Abraham Kovoor - Professor and rationalist


Donations
Thurstan Swimming Pool, donated by Old Thurstanite Lion Gratian Gunawardena in 2000. Kumar Devapura Building, donated by Old Thurstanite Deshabandu Kumar Devapura in 1996. Mainhall Chairs, donated in year 2000 By Old Thurstanite Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksa now the President of Sri Lanka. Score Board - College Premises, donated by Mr. S.T.K Fernando in 1996.