The Old Royalist Cadet Association held their “Past Cadets’ Night” on February 25, 2022 to mark 140 years of cadetting at Royal and honour Admiral Basil Goonasekara, 7th Commander of the Navy being the senior most past cadet and also having been a Corporal of the 1946 Royal Platoon. They also marked the 20th anniversary of the association.
The well represented large gathering with senior Royalists was graced by Sanath Jayalath, Principal Royal College, Dr. L. A. W. Sirisena, Consultant Gynaecologist (Company Sergeant Major - 1963), Commodore G. E. S. De Silva former Commanding Officer of Volunteer Naval Force and Financial Director Van Rees Ceylon Ltd. (Senior Corporal – 1967), Chanaka Wijesinghe former British Petroleum UK and USA (Sergeant – 1968), Sarath Piyaratne Former CEO HSBC Bank (L/Sergeant – 1970), Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe 16th Commander of the Navy, former High Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand and President of the Cadet Association (Regimental Sergeant Major - 1973), Senior DIG M. R. Latiff former STF Commandant and Vice President Cadet Association (Corporal – 1976), Admiral Ravindra Wijegunarathne 20th Commander of the Navy and former Chief of Defence Staff (Lance Sergeant - 1979), Major General Udaya Nanayakkara Chairman UDA ((L/Corporal – 1980), Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayaratne Chief of Staff and Acting Commander of the Navy (Cadet - 1984) and many other distinguished past cadets, invitees from Royal College tutorial staff, Royal College Union, Regimental and Battalion officials of Cadet Corps.
The youngest past cadet who joined the Principal and veteran cadets was Keshara De Alwis – Commercial Bank (Sergeant – 2019).