The newly appointed Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne was felicitated on the 3rd of May at College Premises. He was received at the Boake Gates by the Principal, Past Principals, Distinguished Alumni and the Head Prefect. It must be specially mentioned that in addition to the incumbent commander, two past Navy Commanders, namely Admiral Deshamanya D. Basil Gunasekara and Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, both products of Royal College, honoured the occasion with their presence. Following the Commander’s arrival he was escorted to the Principal’s Office where he signed the school’s guest book. Later amidst the sound of the Last Post by the Navy Bugles he paid his respects at the College War Memorial to the late Royalists who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Commander Wijegunaratne, like every Royalist who is appointed to the highest office in the three armed forces, made a traditional visit to the School Armory where he was received by the Sergeant of the Cadet Contingent. Furthermore, the Cadets presented a Guard of Honour at the Junior Grounds.

Following the felicitation he attended the Induction Ceremony for the Primary Prefects as the Chief Guest.

Having enrolled to Royal College in 1969, leaving in 1980, Vice Admiral Ravinda ‘Ravi’ Wijegunaratne proved himself as a potential leader in College, as a battlefield commander at land and at sea under fire and today, is the 20^th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, the fourth Royalist to be at the High Office.

He was President’s Scout, Lance Sergeant of a Herman Loose Cadet Platoon, Member of the College Hockey team and U-17 Basketball Team, an All Island Junior Athletic Champion and of course a Prefect, during his College time, he later joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1980 as an Officer Cadet. He excelled in academics, was trained in the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, England and became a highly decorated and widely respected Naval Officer who made Mother Lanka proud in many facets including the diplomatic field. The Vice Admiral has been decorated with ‘Weerodara Vibushanaya’; the second highest Gallantry medal in the country, ‘Rana Wickrama Padakkama’ and ‘Rana Soora Padakkama’ and had been commended many times. He formed the Navy’s Elite Special Boat Squadron in 1993 and led the unit from success to success. In the academic field, his success is second to none with a first class pass in Master of Philosophy to his credit.