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Contact Name :
Ruan Dayananda |
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Address :
No. 68, Abdul Caffoor Mawatha,
Colombo 03
Sri Lanka |
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Tel :
+94 11 2585466 |
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Mobile:
+94 77 7781751 |
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Fax :
+94 11 2554321 |
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Email :
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| History |
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| For many of the Tea Planters, in the old Colonial days, holidays meant, coming down from the mist and the rain, of tea covered hills, to the seas-boats and fishing. |
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| My father, Tommy Thomas, had spent his childhood, on the coast of New South Wales, in Australia, where hooks, lines & tackle, were a way of life. In Ceylon too, when he became a Tea Planter, after the 1st World War, there. were Trout to be hooked, from the well stocked Trout Streams, on the Horton Plains and Mahseer to be fought, in the wild river cataracts, near the tea estate. |
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| But it was the lure of the Marlin, Sailfish and Yellow Fin Tuna, in the deep waters off the island shores, that captured the dreams of my father and many other up-country men. |
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| They kept small boats, anchored in Trincomalee. They were allowed to use the Light House quarters, at Dondra Head, Little Basses and Barberyn Island, by the courtesy of London's Trinity House, which maintained at that time, most of the Island's Light Houses. They built themselves small huts, at Elephant Pass, Round Island, & at Kutchchaveli, to use when they were on fishing trips. |
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With the advent of the Monsoon and the rough weather on that side of the island, they or their boat boys, sailed the boats round to the West coast, to anchor at Barberyn Is. Off Beruwala. And in a hut, borrowed from the Light House authorities, on Barberyn Island, the idea, of a Ceylon Sea Angler's Club, was born.
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| When the 2nd World War put a stop to their fishing, the planters and their boats, were co-opted by the British Navy, to help patrol the waters around Trincomalee, which was the British Navy's Head Quarters for their Far Eastern Fleet. |
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Throughhout the war, the idea of a proper Club House, over on the East Coast, was never far from my Father's mind. The ides of Kutchchaveli, with its excellent fishing, was first thought of as ideal;- building small thatched Cottages- 'rondavels' around a central hut. But the three ferries, that had to be used, to cross the various salt lagoons, were so unreliable, the Kutchchaveli idea was soon abandoned.
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| Soon after the war ended, a building, which had been used by the Dutch Fleet Air Arm, suddenly became a possibility. My father who was back on an estate , planting in the Matale district, rushed to Trinco. Negotiations werecompleted with the Royal Navy and at last, in 1946, the Ceylon Sea Angler's had a Club House . |
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| The buildings were virtually the same as they are now. But completely empty of any furniture. Old fashion, thunder boxes, were the lavatories. Showers were in the open, hordes of stealing destructive monkeys and very often, elephants wandered in the grounds, scratching their back-sides on the walls of the cabins! |
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| Opposite the club, was moored at that time, an abandoned rusty Liberty Boat. She broke her moorings during heavy seas and floated on to the reef at Clappenberg Point and partially sank. Luckily there were members at the club at that time, including my father and Tony Horsfall and we sailed around and boared her, carrying wrenches, hammers and spanners, intent on salvaging anything useful for the Club. The prize booty was, six wash basins and mirrors, which were dragged ashore and hastily clamped to the walls of the cabins. |
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| A life boat from the ship, "happened" to float ashore too and miraculously tied itself up to the Sea Angler's jetty. |
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| Unfortunately, a Commander in the Navy, was drinking at the bar at that time and stormed out, claiming Royal Naval property and no argument could convince him, that it was a boat sent to the Club by God. |
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| For the next year, every member did their bit. They drove to Trinco, in their "planters car" Morris Minor Station-waggons-with pieces of furniture tied to the top of their roof-racks. Wives made curtains & cushion covers. Everyone haunted "Mabel Stores" in the Colombo Pettah. This wonderful establishment traded in everything left behind by the Army, Navy & Airforce. A veritable Ali Baba's cave filled with cutlery , crockery, propellers, bomb disposal units, mine detectors, uniforms, hack-saws, hats, drills, overalls, gasmasks, K-rations, life jackets you name it, in a chaotic mess, Mabel's father had it. |
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So gradually, the old Dutch Fleet Air Arm mess, became a basic, but very agreeable Club and Colombo members began to join.
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Its popularity soared and it was often booked out for the long holidays, so Planters brought their jungle camping gear- bouncing down a rocky track to Marble Bay, toeing their sailing boats and out-door motors. There, they camped, offering wonderful moonlight beach barbecues, to their friends, who sailed over from the club.
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| The fishing was still excellent, with only a few cases of dynamiting, by the local fishermen. Marlin & Sailfish were caught on 3 days trips out to sea, in the big club's converted Life Boat-Tuna |
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| Early morning & evening sorties to Chapel Rock, Round Is and inside the harbour gave many hours of fishing pleasure. |
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In 1956, an Elephant Swan across to Sober Is to live. And fishing boats coming back through the Causeway, in the late evening, often spied. What looked like a swimming rock, beneath the surface of the sea, with a trunk periscope! She stayed on the island six years and actually gave birth to a calf there.
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| Grumment Rock just around the point from the Club, is washed by waves at low tide. The Navy had dynamited it during the war, as it rose up many feet above the water and was thought to be a too obvious land mark, for enemy submarines. It is covered with delicious rock oysters, which when hammered off, provide an excellent appetizer before lunch. |
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For us teen-age daughters, the British Fleet sailing into Trinco harbour, the 2nd deepest in the world, was an unbelievable sight- (or rather the handsome Cadets, Midshipmen and 2nd Lieuts. Were)
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Our long suffering boy-friends, drove us down to Trinco. An enchanting drive, through thick, thick jungle each side of the road. We often had to stop for Elephants crossing the road and sighted leopard and bear. We would often sight the fleet in harbour too and with disgraceful female disdain, turn our backs on our current boy-friends, Dressed to kill, we commandeered the Club boat-man "Blossom", a huge Tamil, with sparkling grin, with skin like ebony, to pilot us out to the various parties on board the Cruisers and destroyers.
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| Fishing trips with our Planter boy-friend? No fear we had sleeker fish to catch! With these memories of the early days of the Ceylon Sea Anglers Club, I congratulate the Club on its 60th Birthday. |
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