The OBA in UK was inaugurated in the spring of 1986 thanks to the efforts of few old boys living in UK. The aims & Objectives of the Union were to assist the College & its pupils to further the welfare & in the advancement of the education by providing any form of assistance as appropriate. In addition, the Union would foster camaraderie & brotherhood among the expatriate old boys(& girls) living
in UK. The OBA was named as Richmond College Union in UK as a new concept; a new constitution was drafted & accepted by the membership. In addition, the Union would foster camaraderie & brotherhood among the expatriate old boys (& girls) living in UK. Any past pupil or teacher of the College & interested in actively furthering the Objectives of the association would be eligible to be a member. From the small beginnings, the Union continued to flourish from strength to strength. More members were enrolled; regular contributions were made to the College for purchase of sporting equipment, books & various other major needs. At the 2nd Annual General Meeting, Lionel Goonatillake was elected as the secretary & Dr Jeewa Siriwardena was elected as the president. The 1st dinner/Dance Richmond Nite was held in November 1991. Since then this event has become a regular social event creating a wonderful atmosphere for the families of the members & their friends to get together.It also has raised significant funds, which have been donated to the College for educational & sporting developments. At a AGM in 1992, Dr Sena Nanayakkara was elected as the president and Patrick Sonnadara was elected as the Treasurer whilst Lionel Goonatillake was re-elected as the secretary. The 1st Cricket Match & More activities were planned & the inaugural Richmond Mahinda Cricket encounter was held on Saturday 12 September 1992 at Ashton Playing Fields, Chigwell, Essex. Arnold Ardihetty (former College captain) led the Richmond Team whilst Punya Amendra (one of many Amendra brothers) captained Mahinda. Mahinda won with 5 wkts to spare. Since then this encounter has continued to be held as an annual event & has become a very popular annual event. The E.A Wijesooriya challenge Trophy is given to the winners, which was donated by an Old Mahindian. The following year, RCU Committee donated the late Mr.E.R.De Silva Trophy to be given to the "man of the match". The constitution is amended; The original constitution was amended & unanimously accepted by the Union in 1995. The working group requested to review the constitution consisted of Mr. Milinda Abaygunawardena, Mr. Patrick Sonnadara & Dr. Sena Nanayakkara. More sporting events; The RCU became more involved in sporting events participating in the "over 40 cricket Tournament" organised by the Cricket Promoters Association from 1994. This was an annual event but has not been active in the last few years. In 1995, RCU joined the Festival of Cricket (FOC) organised by the Sri Lankan Old Boys Associations in UK. This is the most popular & biggest cricket festival held in the UK & is held annually. RCU is a permanent member. The RCU has continued to hold social & sporting events on a regular basis to provide opportunities for the members, friends & families to meet & socialize. At the same time, more & more regular donations have been made to the College to meet their important developmental & educational needs. A website was 1st started in 1994, by Jayasiri Jayawardena at his own expense & efforts. This created further opportunity to improve our communications locally & internationally. After several years of dedication & commitment, Jayasiri has appealed to the Union to relieve him of this onerous task. The new website was designed and maintained by Wasantha Weerawarna free of charge on our behalf & he will be our webmaster & responsible for the maintenance of the website. Again Jayasiri Jayawardane has very kindly agreed to provide the sponsorship (domain & hosting). This is the 1st OBA of the College started outside Sri Lanka & remains the only one of its kind so far. We are proud of the founder members for their vision & forethought on such a noble effort. The Union no doubt needs support of every Richmondite who is an expatriate in UK. Our appeal goes out to any Richmondite living in other parts of the world USA, Canada, Australia or other Countries. Let's work together as members of the same family. Let's honour the traditions & play your part in whatever way you can to assist the College of ours. Spare a thought for those teachers & the Principals who are no more but who worked with a sense of dedication in order to instil discipline & make you a worthy citizen (wherever you may be). The College needs you & together we can assist our Alma Mater.
