A rare video clip of the Colombo Law Faculty’s mid-1972 trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya
Posted on January 15th, 2026
A rare video clip of the Colombo Law Faculty’s mid-1972 trip to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, has been shared on Facebook.
The video is available on a Facebook group for those interested in memories of the University of Ceylon, Law Faculty. A post from May 19, 2020, includes the footage and describes it as a “rare footage of a trip undertaken to the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens by the students and staff of the Colombo Law Faculty in mid – 1972”.
You can likely find this video by visiting the original Facebook post. The post describes the clip as reviving nostalgic memories and mentions several individuals whose youthful features were captured on film.
Punsara Amarasinghe is with Dilan N De Silva.
Moderator
· 19 May 2020 ·
https://www.facebook.com/groups/710326056409598/posts/729522534489950
Those who want to see Prof. Shcareenguivel in her youth may see this rare footage.This a rare footage of a trip undertaken to the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens by the students and staff of the Colombo Law Faculty in mid – 1972 revives nostalgic memories of an era and landscape that are no longer visible. In particular the very last frame of the clip shows the main building of the Colombo Campus and in the background faintly visible the Law Faculty of that era next to the canteen. The sight today is vastly different.Several of the subjects whose youthful features are captured on film in this video are no longer among the living.We take this opportunity to pay a silent tribute to their memory.They are, namely, Priyani Tennekoon, Krishanti Wijetunga, Asoka Karunaratne and Jayantha de Almeida GunaratneThe impeccable fresh faced images of Maithri Panagoda, Anil Vitarana, Jayantha Weerasinghe, Digen de Saram, K.T. Chitrasiri, S.K. Thambipillay, Selvaraja, Sellathambu, Paul Ratnayake to name a few, add much colour to this short filmThe last but not least are the ladies beginning with the charming Beverley Wallace (later Mirando) whose broad grin adorns the opening frame of this clip. The unforgettable Vajira Cabral, the beautiful Chandrika Gunasekera (who won the beauty contest and was crowned Miss Lawnite in 1972), Sharya Soysa ( later to return to the Law Faculty to serve as Dean for some time), attractive Priya Ponniah, and a host of other young ladies whose presence brought colour and lustre to this occasion.
Beautiful Miss Chandrika Gunasekera who was chosen
as the Beauty Queen at the Lawnite celebrations of the Colombo Law Faculty
in 1972 being congratulated on stage by Senaka Weeraratna, President of the Law Faculty Students’ Union.
Photo – Wilfred Perera, Senaka Weeraratna and Harold Wijesena in front of the Octagon Pavilion(Paththirippuwa) at the Dalada Maligawa (1972)
This photo was taken on the occasion of the excursion to Peradeniya Gardens and Kandy sponsored by the Law Faculty Students’ Union (LFSU) to welcome the freshers of that year to the Faculty in the year 1972. Senaka Weeraratna was the President of the Law Faculty Students Union of that year (1972).
Photo – Wilfred Perera, Senaka Weeraratna and Harold Wijesiri in front of the Octagon Pavilion(Paththirippuwa) at the Dalada Maligawa (1972). This photo was taken on the occasion of the excursion to Peradeniya Gardens and Kandy sponsored by the Law Faculty Students’ Union (LFSU) to welcome the freshers of that year to the Faculty in the year 1972. Senaka Weeraratna was the President of the Law Faculty Students Union of that year (1972).
Video
Law Faculty, Colombo Campus, University of Sri Lanka, trip to Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in mid 1972 as part of the welcome extended to the new entrants (freshers)of that year.
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