The hard training they were put through by the RCyAF in 1969 at Diyatalawa, moulded them to be hard and tough and resilient enough to withstand all kinds of pressures they encountered in their later lives

The 32nd Batch of the Royal Ceylon Air Force ( RCyAF) commemorated its Golden Jubilee on February 17, at the Galle Face Hotel in grand style with a gala lunch. Berty Widanagamage, being one of the fifty two members in Batch 32 of 1969, had taken the responsibility to sponsor the event along with his batch mates, Nimal Wijetunga and Jayantha Kumara. He is a renowned importer of motor vehicles and the Chairman and Managing Director of Golden Rose Banqueting Hotel Boralasgamuwa. Berty’s batch-mates, had seen each other only occasionally during last fifty years since they completed their battle training at Diyatalawa Air Force training camp. It was an extremely memorable occasion; an opportunity of a lifetime for all of them!   

It was one of the happiest moments in their lives, they admitted, as they embraced each other with hugs, handshakes and brushing of cheeks, with glee and great joy.   

The hard training they were put through by the RCyAF in 1969 at Diyatalawa, moulded them to be hard and tough and resilient enough to withstand all kinds of pressures they encountered in their later lives.   

There were many memories to share, the sad ones and the happy ones. The anecdotes, the jokes and the yarns and recollections of how they built their comradeship, lasting bonds, love and trust among each other, enabled them to spend their time in glorious reminiscences. Although the members of the 32nd Batch had dreamed of such an event occasionally, it had never materialized until Berty along with Nimal Wijetunga and Jayantha Kumara stepped up! With their generosity and dedicated efforts, they made their collective dream come true! Their most difficult task in organizing this event was to locate their batch mates. They left no stone unturned to find their comrades who were scattered in all parts of the island, with their whereabouts virtually unknown. The three member committee formed and led by Berty, with batch mates Nimal Wijetunge and Jayantha Kumara somehow managed to find the mates after a not so easy search of nearly two months. In his opening speech, Nimal Wijetunge mentioned the fact that sadly 15 out of 52 had passed away, while three were living abroad. All the others were present. It was indeed a very nostalgic moment for all who were present to think of their departed buddies and a period of two minutes silence was observed in respect of them before the partying began. A prominent musical band lighted up the event with entertaining music and the singing of favourite, well selected songs of the late sixties. It was a pleasant surprise for all to see the one and only surviving drill instructor of the 32nd Batch at Diyatalawa, Torrington de Silva, sharing the stories with the Batch and thoroughly enjoying the event. The participants’ looks had changes with time. Their hair had turned to ‘silver’ and a few wrinkles appeared in their faces.

Thanks to ‘Mr. Godridge’, some hairs still remained black. Some were doing a shuffle in place of the dance steps they used when baila songs blared out. Their agility had reduced but the spirits of the Batch were very high and intact. Inspite of their advancing ages, they were all quite hale and hearty and it was very obvious to everyone that their hearts were still young, the same as what they were in 1969. Duncan Jayawardena, the 2nd most senior out of the remaining batch mates and Sarath Uduwawela the best recruit of the 32nd batch also addressed the gathering. Berty went a few steps further by awarding valuable mementos to all the participants which they are bound to cherish. The event was a tremendous success which left memories to savour for the rest of their lives. The Batch, in unison, saluted Berty and the team for their extreme generosity and their committed efforts in making their dream come true!