1976 was year of transition for St, John's. In March, Mr. K. Pooranampillai retired after being Principal for 9 years. He was succeeded by Mr. C. E. Anandarajan, who had returned a few months earlier after successfully completing the International Certificate of Educational Studies at Oxford University. Mr. S' Panchalingam and Mr. V R. Amarasingam were made Co-Vice-Principals.

Mr, Pooranampillai had come to St. John's with the reputation of a stern disciplinarian and an excellent administrator. He was specially selected by the College authorities to give efficient leadership at a time when they felt that St. John's needed a vigorous Head. He more than fulfilled their expectations and improved St. John's a great deal in education sports and discipline. He was the second Methodist to serve as Principal of St. John's, the first being Rev. Robert Pargiter (1846-66). It is said about the first Principal & Founder of St. John's that "Mr. Knight strictly examines every scholar monthly, and regulates the pay of the teachers according to the actual proficiency of the Scholars." Mr. Pooranampillai of course did not have to go to that extent, but he had the same effect on all and sundry at the College, as his pet aversions were private tuition and shirkers. He himself led by diligence and example and the others followed. There was not his a single phase of activity in which influence did not pervade and seek to improve in the pursuit of excellence - his motto was "Meliora Semper".

During his period, sports activities increased tremendously, new games like Hockey, Basketball and Badminton coming into prominence and due to his pioneering efforts, St. John's took an early lead over other schools in the North and dominated in these events. His magnum opus of course was the construction of the Ter Jubilee Hall and the connected celebrations. In addition, he was responsible for the construction of a two-storeyed Workshop which he put up when the Government introduced pro-vocational subjects into the curriculum.

Mr. Pooranampillai was a fine upright figure, unbending in his views arid took personal interest and care over all activities of the College. He had the full backing of the Board of Governors and the O.B.A,. and he bestrode the Johnian World like a colossus, that when the time came for him to retire, they were wondering from whence comes such another.

Mrs.Pooranampillai also associated herself with all College functions and was especially helpful in Church, where she played the Violin. Mr. & Mrs. Pooranampillai were a handsome couple and brightened the contemporary scene and St. John's will remember them with gratitude.

The young and energetic Mr. Anandarajan who was appointed as Principal was a worthy successor. He was a true blue Johnian who had had his education at St. John's and had reached the zenith as a student by being made the Senior Prefect. He had also represented the college in Athletics, Volley Ball & Basket Ball, captaining the Volley Ball and Basket Ball teams. After passing the London Inter-Science exam, securing an exemption from the London Ist M. B. he obtained a 2nd class degree from Madras Christian College. Then he joined the staff of St. John's College in 1955, teaching Zoology in the Advanced Level classes and Chemistry and Biology in the Ordinary Level classes. He was known for his strict discipline, both as Head of the Science Dept. and as Senior Boarding House Master. With his new appointment he had reached the zenith in his chosen profession. His father, Mr. G. S. Chelliah had also been on the Staff of St. John's College and had retired as Principal of Kopay Christian College, which he had built up to its present standards. His great grandfather war Mr. Robert Williams who had been Headmaster of St. John's more than a 100 years ago and after whom Robert William's Hall had been named. So it could be said that Mr. Anandarajan had the right of succession to the high post of Principal, St. John's College, Jaffna. He was well known in Educational circles, having been the Chief Examiner in Chemistry for the exams conducted by the N. P. T. A, and also had been a member of the panel appointed by the Dept. of Education to supervise practicals in the G. C. E. Advanced Level Classes in schools in the Northern Province. He had been President of the College Teachers' Guild, Secretary and later President of the Northern Province Teachers' Association and President of the National Union of Teachers. Mr Anandarajan did not confine his activities only to the College, but had availed his services to social work outside too. He had been Secretary of the Rotary Club of Jaffna, and while there had helped in the formation of the Inter-Act Club at St. John's and nursed it to the present efficient level.


He had been President of the Jaffna Inter-Collegiate Christian Fellowship, Secretary and later President of the Christian Teachers' Guild, & Secretary of the Jaffna Branch of Sri Lanka Association for the prevention of Tuberculosis. He was also a President of the Jaffna Y. M C. A. of which he continues to be a member of the Board of Directors. These show where his chief interests lay. The Governing Body, Staff and students, 0. B. A., Parents & Well Wishers were happy that the College was in capable hands. Subsequent events have shown that they were correct in their assessment. Mr. Anandarajan has enjoyed tremendous success as a Principal. Always approachable, with an infectious sense of humour, he had guided St. John's with an unwavering hand to its present pre-eminent position. There is nothing of the College affairs that escapes him and he has an amazing grasp of the details of the students and their welfare, which augurs well for the College.

Mr. S. Panchalingam & Mr. V. R. Amarasingam who were made Co-Vice Principals had both been on the staff for more than 20 years. Mr. S. Panchalingam was an Old Boy who had played football for the College and had captained the Volley Ball team which won the All Ceylon title in 1949. He too had been a Senior Prefect. He had served as a Boarding House Master and Master-in Charge of Thompson House and taught Mathematics and Physics in the University Entrance Classes. He had also taken over the role of cementing Hindu-Christian bonds from Mr. K. Subramaniam. Mr. Amarasingam too had been a Boarding House Master, Master-in-charge of Peto House and taught Biology for the Entrance Classes. He was the Sports-Master during the "Golden Age" of Sports between 1963 & 1969.

The N. C. G. E. Examination which was to gradually replace the G. C. E. (O/L) was held for the first time in December 1975 and the results were out in 1976. 68 of the 99 who sat from St. John's qualified for the H. N. C. E. which was to replace the G. C. E. (A/L). 28 students obtained distinctions in 4 or more subjects and Natkunam Ketheesan got 9 distinctions out of a possible 10. In the G. C. E. (O/L) results there were 49 distinctions and the combined distinctions of these two examinations, was the highest in the North. The December, 1976 N. C. G. E. results were exceptionally good, 118 out of 124 qualifying for the H. N. C. E. One student N. Srikumar got 10 distinctions (Maximum possible) and three others 9 distinctions each. It was as well that when a new Government came into power in 1977, they did away with the N. C, G. E and H. N. C. E. Examinations. The old G. C. E. (0 L) & A. L) examinations were reintroduced and the London G. C. E. (A/L) was also brought back, a welcome change. The new Government also marginally increased the percentage of admissions to the University on merit, and abolished standardisation. The improvement could be noticed in the College results. For example, at the G. C. E. (A/L) Examination held in April 1975, 46 out of 87 students from St. John's passed in 3 or 4 subjects and ultimately only 13were selected to the Varsity. It is noteworthy that K. Jeyapalan was placed 1st in the merit list among Biology Students and that St. John's provided 4th and 6th places among Matbs students in the Island. But in the 1976 A/L. examination, the results of which were out in 1977 19 entered from St. John's out of 62 who had passed in 3 or 4 subjects from a total of 102 who sat the examination. At the 1978 A/L Examination 65 out of 97 passed 3 or 4 subjects and 20 were selected to the Universities. Even though these results were nothing to crow about, it was an improvement on earlier admissions, in spite of the various obstacles placed before students from Jaffna. Whenever merit was the only criterion, St. John's always came to the forefront. At the "Do you Know" contest organised by the Lions Club for schools in the North in 1976, St. John's carried away the trophy and were Runners up the following year. In the English & Tamil Elocution contests held in 1976, both at the Jaffna Circuit contest and the N, P. T. A. organised contest, Johnians swept the board. At the first named contest in English, the College boys won the first place in the Juniors, Intermediates and Seniors and in addition second place in the seniors & third place in the Intermediate and Post Senior Groups. At the latter contest, St. John's won the first places in the Junior and Senior groups and second place in the Intermediate group. In the Tamil Elocution contest for the Jaffna Circuit, the College boys won Ist & 2nd places in both the Senior and Post Senior Groups. At the N. P. T. A. contest they won the Ist place in the senior group. The boys were trained by Mr. S. S. Manuelpillai and Mr. N. Mylvaganam.

In the Tamil Singing contest, St John's boys won the group event (Juniors) and their boys were placed Ist, 2nd &
3rd in the individual events. They were trained by Mr.P.S.Arumainayagani, The English Essay prize at a competition in 1976 organised by the N.P.T.A. also was won by a Johnian as was the Tamil Essay Prize organised by the Cancer Society in 1978.

In the sports field too, generally their ascendancy was seldom challenged and rarely toppled except perhaps in Football. The first XI Cricket Team was unbeaten for the four years from 1976 to 1979. In 1976, M. Y. Fowzan scored an unbeaten century against Jaffna College while in 1978, there were two centuries by Johnians, one of them scored by the Captain N. R. Somasunderam and the other by D. M. Ratnarajah, which was the first by a Johnian against the Big Match rivals since 1947. The under 16 and under 14 teams too gave a good account of themselves. In 1976 the under 16 team were runners-up in their group in the North, then beat Dharmarajah College, Kandy and St. Thomas, Mt. Lavinia before losing to St. Joseph's Colombo in the Semi-finals. The under 14 team were group Champions in the North but lost in the pre-quarter finals in the all. island tournament. In 1977 too the under 141ost at the pre-quarter finals to St. Thomas', Mt. Lavinia. In 1978, the tournaments were for under 17 and under 15 and St John's were Zonal Champions in both groups.

The record of the football sides which represented St. John's between 1976&1979 is disappointing. Except in 1978 when they lost only one match, the other years were unsatisfactory for a school which had consistently produced good sides. These were the years when schools like St, Patricks, St. Henry's & Mahajana College were producing crack teams which won All-Island honours.

The Athletic teams, however, held on to their pre-eminent position. At the 1976 Zonal Meet, out of 9 events, the College senior team won 6 first and 6 second places and the juniors won 6 first places. At the Public Schools meet, they won three 3rd places. In 1977, the Zonal Meet provided the College senior team with 8 first places, 19 second and 17 third places. In 1978 they did even better with 23 first places, 21 second places and 18 third places ! In 1978 at the National Schools Meet, E. J. Thanjaratnam secured a 2nd place in the under 17 Pole Vault event and T. Vasanthan won 3rd place in the under 19 Triple Jump.

In other games during the period under review, the College Hockey team emerged as Champions in 1976. The. 1979 team provided 2 players for the Jaffna Schools team. The Basket Ball senior team were runners-up in the Jaffna Schools Basketball tournament in 1977 and the under 17 team were Champions. 1978 was their year of glory when the under 19, under 17 and under 13 sides all became Champions of the North ! The 1979 Chess team was placed 6th in the All-lsland tournament and 2nd among outstation schools One of its members, N. Gnanaseelan beat a Yugoslav International Chess Master when he played simultaneously against a number of boys.

In other activities, the Dramatic Society produced Tamil plays "Meluguwarthi" in 1976 and "Poothathamby" in
1978. The Sea Scout Troop and the Aquatic Club were formed in 1978 & 1979. Pride of place goes to the College Inter-Act Club who helped the 1977 racial riots refugees, collected and distributed old clothes to them and donated blood at the General Hospital. In 1982, to mark the Year of the Aged, they did Shramadana work at the Home for the Aged at Kaithady in cleaning up the building, furniture & compound and planted trees in the Home. This Club also collected about 2500 books and donated them to the Jaffna Public library. They were adjudged the Best Outstation Club in the Island by a committee of Rotarians.

The 1977 Riots is yet another shameful episode in our island's history. As usual, the minority community suffered and suffered alone. After the 1958 communal riots, there was a sense of shock and shame and the large majority of the people were definitely sympathetic towards the victims be they Sinhalese or Tamils, But this sympathy was conspicuous by its absence in the 1977 conflagration, reflecting a sick society. The confrontation between the Tamils & Sinhalese was to grow in the next two years, causing a lot of tension and misery. Thousands of youth felt they had no future and left their homeland and went abroad for greener pastures.

This exodus which had been a trickle in the sixties and early seventies became a torrent after 1977. The rising inflation added to the communal troubles and caused a large number of people to go out even without definite employment prospects. so great was the frustration. St. John's College too suffered along with a number of other schools when a number of teachers left for jobs in African countries and the Middle East. Among them were Mr V. R. Amarasingam, the College Vice Principal who retired after. 27 years at St. John's; Mr. Y Edwin who had taught for a quarter century being a popular & painstaking teacher of Chemistry in the University Entrance Classes and had been a President of the Teachers' Guild and Master-in-Charge of Handy House and was through in everything he did; Mr. T. Thavarasalingam and Mr. J. N. Ponniah both of whom had given loyal service for more than 20 years. Mr. Thavarasalingam had been a successful teacher of Physics in the upper classes and had been Vice Patron of the Inter Act Club and the A. L. Union, and President of the Teachers' Guild. Mr. Ponniah had been an Asst. District Commissioner of Scouting and also a Prefect of Games. It was a hard time for the College to lose such experienced teachers like them and a number of others. Others who retired included Mr. J. R Gnanapragasam, Miss L. S. Thambirajah, Mrs. N. Yogarajah, Mrs. P. Nathaniel, Mrs. T. Thangarajah and Mr. H. W. Canagarajah. Miss. Thambirajah and Mrs. Yogarajah had given the best years of their lives to St. John's, the former helping out the Cub pack and the latter being an incomparable teacher of Grade I children. Mr. Canagarajah had been Editor of the College Magazine and a President of the Teachers' Guild. Mrs, Thangarajah had taught for almost 40 years. Miss. L. G. Thambiah too retired at end of 1982 after giving 38 years of devoted service,

This Chapter will not be complete without a reference to the activities of the 0. B. A. Both, the Jaffna and Colombo Branches had been very active during recent years and a drive had been made to increase the membership, especially life-membership. A very important matter that occupied their attention was the Governing Body of the College. The setting up of a separate Board of Governors for St. John's College had agitated the minds of Old Boys for a long time and repeated requests had been made to the Governing Body for Educational Institutions founded by the C. M. S. in Ceylon. This body finally appointed a sub Committee consisting of Professor C. C. De Silva (Chairman), Mrs. S. Gunawardena (Secretary), Rt. Rev. C. L. Abeynaike, Bishop of Colombo, Mrs. S. Obeysekera, Mr. F. W. Obysekera and Mr. S. Wijesinghe and they met on 14th July 1973 to study the draft constitution submitted by the 0. B. A. Jaffna, 0. B. A. Colombo and the Joint Committee and to submit its report. The Sub-Committee held public sittings at St. John's College on 24th & 25th May, 1974. interviewed delegations from the three Bodies which had submitted drafts and recommended to the Governing Body on 25th June 1976, the setting up of a separate Board for St, John's and submitted its draft constitution. This was accepted by the Board with certain amendments at its meeting held on 16th July, 1976. It was then decided to consult the Board's Lawyers on the draft and Messrs. Julius & Creasey suggested certain amendments which were accepted and the final draft was approved at the meeting of the Governing Beard on 3rd March 1978. It was decided to write to the Ministry of Justice to publish a fresh Gazette Notification amending the earlier Gazette notification which published the Minister's Order made on 18th July, 1960 under Section 114 under the Trust Ordinance so that the name of St. John's College could be omitted in it and a fresh order published in respect of only St John's College. Mr.Wijesinghe undertook to get this done. His illness which followed his retirement as Secretary General of Parliament & subsequent new appointment as Ombudsman had delayed this. Mr. J. M. Sabaratnam who represented the Old Boys on the Board of Governors during this period repeatedly pressed for the appointment of a separate Board & was a member till the draft constitution was approved. He has now been succeeded by Mr. J. G. Aseervatham who was President of the 0. B. A. at that time and it is hoped that he will ensure that the Gazette publication will be done as early as possible. Once the Minister's order is gazetted, the new Board of Governors for St. John's College could start to function.

In 1977 two loyal Old Boys, Mr. M. W. Rajasingam and Mr. M. Vijayaratnam gifted Rs. 10,000/- for the construction of a Cricket Score Board. This Scoreboard is one of the most informative Score Boards in Jaffna to-day. That year the Jaffna 0. B. A. conducted a raffle which netted Rs. 25,000/- and in 1978 originated a "Rupee Fund". The Colombo Branch of the 0. B. A. organised a beat show called "Showbiz Spectacular" which earned for the College Rs. 5,000/-

1979 marked the 75th Anniversary of the 0. B.A. of the College. The O.B.A. Jaffna led by its President Mr. Rajaratram and Secretary Mr S. Paramananthan with the Committee organised a 3 day celebrations to mark the Diamond Jubilee. The celebrations commenced on Ist June with a Thanksgiving Service, followed by a fellowship breakfast. A limited over Cricket Match was then played between the Old Boys and the Present Boys. Then a well
attended lunch was held where covers we re laid for over a hundred. In the afternoon, Basket Ball and Volley Ball matches between the Past and Present were held. This was followed by a grand variety entertainment.

On the next day, a ceremonial opening of the College Agricultural Farm at Nallur took place, the Chief Guest being His Excellency A.Borthwick, High Commissioner for Australia. This farm was to be a mixed one with Dairy, Poultry and Food Crop cultivation for Vocational training in Agriculture. The Norwegian Organisation for Regional Development donated Rs. 15,000/- to start this Project. Mr. Borthwick presented a Film Projector and Day light Screen on this occasion.

Later in the day, a Cricket Match between the 0. B. A, Jaffna and 0. B. A, South Ceylon was played. The Annual General Meeting was held at 2 p.m followed by the Principal's tea, after which the Old Boys and Present Boys engaged in a Foot-ball match. The celebration culminated with a grand dinner at which the Australian High Commissioner was again the Chief Guest. The 0. B. A. South Ceylon was well represented at these functions, led by their President Mr. P. T. Sivapragasam.

1977 saw the demise of perhaps the most distinguished Old Boy St. John's has produced, Mr. S. J. V, Chelvanayagam. His unimpeachable character, his noble intentions, his brilliance as a Lawyer and his great self-sacrifice for the Tamil people few will dispute. Hew as unique, in the sense that even in the hurly burly of politics, his honesty and integrity was never in question and his reputation remained untarnished and unsullied. He was loved by his people, respected by his opponents, trusted by all and to the end remained the undisputed leader of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. He was a Vice Patron of the St. John's College 0. B. A. (Colombo Branch) and St. John's is justly proud of having nurtured him.

Two others who died in 1978 were C. T. E. Mills and Deva Canaganayagam two of the greatest sportsmen St. John's had produced. C. T. E. Mills , an all round sportsman will be remembered as the Soccer Wizard who led the College unbeaten soccer teams to Championship honours in 1929, 30 & 31. Deva Canaganayagam was a brilliant bat, probably the best the College produced in the first half of this century.

The seventies was a decade of unrest and tension. In Ceylon it began with the Youth revolt in the south and ended with violence in the north. The rapidly rising cost of living made many people to go abroad. Undoubtedly most of them will solve their material problems, but a number of children left behind by parents & in charge of their relatives can ultimately create psychological problems. Paradoxically, when the time comes for our repatriates to return home, due to avenues abroad being closed, as sooner or later it must, the problems will increase. This is a socio economic problem to which schools must address their minds, sooner than later.