Colombo Club, while it may fly under most people’s radars, is one of those rare institutions that is not to be underestimated, for, if anything, they persevere. Originally set up as a gentlemen’s club by the name of The Assembly Rooms Company in 1869, Colombo Club, now an exclusive, private member institution remains a luxurious and discreet oasis in the heart of Colombo.
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Colombo Club coffee table book[/caption]
Colombo Club is steeped in history. Its founding President was then-Governor of Ceylon Sir Hercules Robinson. Its original building is now a heritage site – the old building that is now part of the Taj Samudra Hotel. The Colombo Club itself was inaugurated in 1871 and is one of Asia’s oldest social clubs with a membership of 500 people.
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Colombo Club Chairman Kumar Jayasuriya speaking at the event[/caption]
“Today, the club’s esteemed membership comprises the upper echelons of Sri Lanka’s corporate and state sectors: The club is their second home – an exclusive venue to relax, conduct meetings, and wine and dine in amiable company. It follows that the club can proudly proclaim that many business deals, which have transformed the nation’s business landscape, have taken shape in a private meeting room within its premises,” said Colombo Club Chairman Kumar Jayasuriya.
An even further testament to just how much a part of Colombo’s history the Colombo Club is, is the fact that as its members were several Governors from our colonial days – Rt. Hon. Sir William Henry Gregory, Sir James Robert Longden, and Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon being a few of them. The roll call of Chairmen of Colombo Club reads like a veritable who’s who of Sri Lanka. R. Singleton-Salmon, Mallory Wijesinghe, Ranjan Canekeratne, Trevor Moy, Basil Jesudason, Deshabandu Reggie Candappa, Deshamanya Deva Rodrigo, Tissa K. Bandaranayake, Hemaka Amarasuriya, Richard (Dickie) Juriansz, Sega Nagendra, Manik Pereira, Nigel Austin, to the current Kumar Jayasuriya, all captains of their industries, contributed immensely of their time and effort in maintaining the aura and prestige of the club.
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Renu Samarasinghe reading an excerpt from the special coffee table book launched at the event on Colombo Club’s illustrious history[/caption]
Colombo Club, in its 150-year journey, has been attracting prominent persons of the day, such as Planters’ Association President J.A. Bell, District Judge of Colombo T. Berwick, Municipal Councillor, later Chief Justice of Ceylon Sir Richard Cayley, from its British roots, later attracting corporate luminaries such as Mallory Wijesinghe, who had the distinction of being the club’s first Sri Lankan Chair. He was followed by others who have helmed many of the nation’s leading business houses and professional firms.
In celebration of its 150th anniversary, Colombo Club launched a very special book; a coffee table edition of its illustrious history that re-threads the club’s journey mileposts, will be inaugurated.
The book captures the essence of a bygone era and brings to life the culture and current offering of the club, vividly capturing the fact that the club is not just a relic of Sri Lanka's colonial past but a strong reminder of our heritage and a reassurance of the future.
It takes us on a blissful journey on how the club started in colonial times and traces the economic situation of the era, to what it is today. The story of Colombo Club’s journey over 150 years records the ups and downs, its place in colonial times, and the emergence of a club for all seasons – one which is the exclusive domain of the nation’s crème de la crème in social, professional, and business circles.
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Chief Guest Printcare PLC Chief Executive Officer K.R. Ravindran speaking at the event[/caption]
At an intimate launch event (the club eschewed a grand launch in favour of a smaller gathering given the pandemic), the event’s Chief Guest Printcare PLC Chief Executive Officer K.R. Ravindran shared with the assembly that while many books are published for many reasons, and read in many ways, this 150th anniversary commemorative book at Colombo Club is one book that will be read with the greatest care by its members because of the powerful and intricate history it captures.
And this is certainly so, for the book contains exclusive excerpts from life members – Deshamanya Sohli Captain and Deshamanya Deva Rodrigo – from joining the club as youngsters to seeing it grow to the establishment it is today; the coffee table book is an illustrious and insightful outlook on the indefatigable spirit that sustains the club.
One memorable excerpt from the book was read by Renu Samarasinghe (incidentally, the Colombo Club’s youngest member), highlighting the club’s momentous history: “It has survived the onslaught of two World Wars that ensured the sun set on an empire of which it was once said there would be no end (whether literal or geographic). In addition, there’s the dice of time and chance, not to mention the shifting sands of political and socioeconomic trends. This speaks volumes for its character, spirit, and resilience. It’s a 150-year-old skein worth rereading as the club revisits journey mileposts, reflecting how it fitted into the larger fabric of British Ceylon being transformed from a Crown Colony into a Democratic Republic.”
Here’s to Colombo Club’s next 150 years of weaving themselves into Sri Lanka’s many-storied historical fabric.
Colombo Club coffee table book[/caption]
Colombo Club is steeped in history. Its founding President was then-Governor of Ceylon Sir Hercules Robinson. Its original building is now a heritage site – the old building that is now part of the Taj Samudra Hotel. The Colombo Club itself was inaugurated in 1871 and is one of Asia’s oldest social clubs with a membership of 500 people.
[caption id="attachment_178390" align="alignleft" width="258"] Colombo Club Chairman Kumar Jayasuriya speaking at the event[/caption]
“Today, the club’s esteemed membership comprises the upper echelons of Sri Lanka’s corporate and state sectors: The club is their second home – an exclusive venue to relax, conduct meetings, and wine and dine in amiable company. It follows that the club can proudly proclaim that many business deals, which have transformed the nation’s business landscape, have taken shape in a private meeting room within its premises,” said Colombo Club Chairman Kumar Jayasuriya.
An even further testament to just how much a part of Colombo’s history the Colombo Club is, is the fact that as its members were several Governors from our colonial days – Rt. Hon. Sir William Henry Gregory, Sir James Robert Longden, and Hon. Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon being a few of them. The roll call of Chairmen of Colombo Club reads like a veritable who’s who of Sri Lanka. R. Singleton-Salmon, Mallory Wijesinghe, Ranjan Canekeratne, Trevor Moy, Basil Jesudason, Deshabandu Reggie Candappa, Deshamanya Deva Rodrigo, Tissa K. Bandaranayake, Hemaka Amarasuriya, Richard (Dickie) Juriansz, Sega Nagendra, Manik Pereira, Nigel Austin, to the current Kumar Jayasuriya, all captains of their industries, contributed immensely of their time and effort in maintaining the aura and prestige of the club.
[caption id="attachment_178391" align="alignright" width="257"] Renu Samarasinghe reading an excerpt from the special coffee table book launched at the event on Colombo Club’s illustrious history[/caption]
Colombo Club, in its 150-year journey, has been attracting prominent persons of the day, such as Planters’ Association President J.A. Bell, District Judge of Colombo T. Berwick, Municipal Councillor, later Chief Justice of Ceylon Sir Richard Cayley, from its British roots, later attracting corporate luminaries such as Mallory Wijesinghe, who had the distinction of being the club’s first Sri Lankan Chair. He was followed by others who have helmed many of the nation’s leading business houses and professional firms.
In celebration of its 150th anniversary, Colombo Club launched a very special book; a coffee table edition of its illustrious history that re-threads the club’s journey mileposts, will be inaugurated.
The book captures the essence of a bygone era and brings to life the culture and current offering of the club, vividly capturing the fact that the club is not just a relic of Sri Lanka's colonial past but a strong reminder of our heritage and a reassurance of the future.
It takes us on a blissful journey on how the club started in colonial times and traces the economic situation of the era, to what it is today. The story of Colombo Club’s journey over 150 years records the ups and downs, its place in colonial times, and the emergence of a club for all seasons – one which is the exclusive domain of the nation’s crème de la crème in social, professional, and business circles.
[caption id="attachment_178393" align="alignleft" width="279"] Chief Guest Printcare PLC Chief Executive Officer K.R. Ravindran speaking at the event[/caption]
At an intimate launch event (the club eschewed a grand launch in favour of a smaller gathering given the pandemic), the event’s Chief Guest Printcare PLC Chief Executive Officer K.R. Ravindran shared with the assembly that while many books are published for many reasons, and read in many ways, this 150th anniversary commemorative book at Colombo Club is one book that will be read with the greatest care by its members because of the powerful and intricate history it captures.
And this is certainly so, for the book contains exclusive excerpts from life members – Deshamanya Sohli Captain and Deshamanya Deva Rodrigo – from joining the club as youngsters to seeing it grow to the establishment it is today; the coffee table book is an illustrious and insightful outlook on the indefatigable spirit that sustains the club.
One memorable excerpt from the book was read by Renu Samarasinghe (incidentally, the Colombo Club’s youngest member), highlighting the club’s momentous history: “It has survived the onslaught of two World Wars that ensured the sun set on an empire of which it was once said there would be no end (whether literal or geographic). In addition, there’s the dice of time and chance, not to mention the shifting sands of political and socioeconomic trends. This speaks volumes for its character, spirit, and resilience. It’s a 150-year-old skein worth rereading as the club revisits journey mileposts, reflecting how it fitted into the larger fabric of British Ceylon being transformed from a Crown Colony into a Democratic Republic.”
Here’s to Colombo Club’s next 150 years of weaving themselves into Sri Lanka’s many-storied historical fabric.