Being a student or an old boy from Wesley College Colombo brings you a unique identity. Belonging to a school that has an enriched history and a carried out legacy brings a humble pride to its students. Especially when the school is about to celebrate its Glorious and successful hundred and forty-seventh birthday…
Laying the foundations to the College
The origins go way back to Great Britain. It was Samuel Wesley who made the pathway to establish this College. He was a founding member of Methodist. And under that different groups and churches began to establish. The roots of Methodists that grew in London started to spread across the world very soon.
Methodist came to Sri Lanka with Dr Coke’s crew. He died on his way to Ceylon but the rest of the members landed in Eighteen Fourteen in Weligama harbour. They spread across the country and built colleges and churches in those locations.
It all started when Rev William Harvard landed in Sri Lanka in Eighteen Fifteen. He created the first-ever Methodist church in Asia on a Dam street land in Pettah. Even though it is called a chapel it also consists of two houses, a schoolroom, a printing area as well as a warehouse. And this schoolroom became the first location of Wesley College Colombo.
The college got its name from John Wesley who established the Methodist church. On a fine Second March in Eighteen Seventy Four, they had the 1st class of Wesley College. The founder of the college Rev Henry Pereira also became the first principal of the college. This became the school premises until the year Nineteen hundred Seven. Since then, the school’s current location became the new school premises.
Building new milestones
The College got a large sum of money to develop the school further in Nineteen hundred four. They bought the current land and built the buildings with that money. Mr Cash is one of the memorable teachers in Wesley College history. He taught zoology and also obtained funds to construct the science laboratory. He took the first steps to build the boarding house in Nineteen Ten. Also, he is the pioneer of initiating the fourteenth troop of Boys Scouts. And Mrs Cash helped the students to identify their abilities in singing and even to win awards for their skills.
The college entered the Cambridge examination list in Eighteen Ninety-Two. And Eighteen Ninety-Five was a significant year for the college. It was the year that a Wesleyite won the Ceylon University Scholarship for the first time.
The college also formed a cricket team and had the first couple of matches with Royal College and St. Thomas College. They also built a Cadet Team and mold great soldiers who even participated in the Great War supporting France.
The School Crest
The school crest is a significant icon for every student in every school. And every crest is designed differently. Wesley College’s crest is very unique.
They have used all religious symbols to create the crest. The twelve shells of voyaging Pilgrim, the shield of faith and the rugged Cross combined with the school motto became the crest’s combination. They printed the crest in the documents in the nineteen hundred.
When Rev John Dalby was the principal he added scallops around the shield. This is the crest that you will see in school blazers, books and even in the uniforms of the students.
The school motto is a wording obtained from Benedictine monks. It is in Latin “ Ora et labora” which means pray and work.
The School Song
The Wesley College’s school song was the first school song in the Sri Lankan schooling system. The principalship of Rev Henry Highfield in Eighteen Ninety-Eight is the first occasion where the school song was sung. The words came from an honourable old boy called H J V I Ekanayake. Melody was an idea of Robert Burns.
The School Chapel
The concept of building the school’s own chapel came up with Mr Dunstan Fernando. He became the principal in Nineteen Eighty-Nine. Building this glorious chapel did not happen within a night. The old boys across the world helped the principal to make that dream come true. And the chapel was open for prayers in the year Nineteen Ninty-Three. And the first sermon was done by The Bishop in Colombo Rev Kenneth Fernando.
Today, Wesleyites are in higher positions performing in an outstanding manner bringing glory to the school that they have learned. Some of the famous Old Boys that Wesley College dedicated to the Sri Lankan society are Kamal Addaraarachchi, Brendon Kuruppu, Jeffrey Vadersay and Farveez Maharoof. I could go on the list on and on…
We wish all the very best to the school and may Mother Wesley have the blessing to mould more young and talented young gentlemen to Sri Lanka who can make this country a better place. http://wesleycollege.lk/
