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History of Ceylon Tea is an industry-service project by Dilmah. Click HERE to read more.
31st March 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

  • Vernon Tissera celebrates his 90th birthday
  • Colonial Galle by Hugh Karunanayke
  • Colombo Tramways - Down Memory Lane by Vinodh Wickremeratne
  • Photo Album of the Month - Ury Estate, Passara
  • Contributor Photo Album of the Month - Simon Kennedy
  • Down Memory Lane - Ceylon tea planter Arthur Dawson with driver, Mrs Dawson and Annie Hannaford - location and year unknown. Photo courtesy of Christine Miller.
  • Blast from the Past - Ceylon Tea Ads
  • Historical Events in 1896
  • Tea Radio by Dilmah

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Renowned former tea planter Vernon Tissera recently celebrated his 90th birthday with close friends and family at Barefoot Gallery Café!


Photos courtesy of Sharon (Tissera) Atapattu.
 

COLONIAL
GALLE

By Hugh Karunanayke

Galle - the operational centre for tea and rubber plantations in the Southern Province

The City of Galle was for many centuries the capital of the Southern Province. Until about the mid twentieth century it was self-sufficient socially and economically. It had its own harbour, railway links, departmental stores, hotels, schools, a hospital, a golf course, a racecourse, and cricket esplanade. There was little reason for people of Galle to travel to the metropolis as the needs of all classes were met locally. Travel from Colombo to Galle by steam powered train was a three-hour journey and quite an adventure with a 15-minute stop for morning or afternoon tea at Aluthgama Station – served by liveried stewards employed by the caterer to the railways, J.A.D. Victoria.

With the development of motor transport and the onset of digital mass communication, the tyranny of distance was conquered, and the quaint city of Galle rapidly assumed a suburban character serving as a satellite to the metropolis. A brief review of the history of Galle during the colonial era may provide some insights into the gradual metamorphosis of Galle from a Capital city to a suburban satellite town.

THE FIRST COLONIALISTS

As early as in 2000 BC, spices such as cinnamon from Ceylon, and cassia from China found their way along the Spice Routes to the Middle East. Other goods were exchanged too - cargoes of ivory, silk, porcelain, metals, and dazzling gemstones from Ceylon brought great profits to the traders who were prepared to risk the dangerous sea journeys. Arab traders were an entrepreneurial class which risked the high seas in often unseaworthy craft to ply their trade and thus formed links between countries which had little connection with others.

The great navigators from Britain, Spain, Portugal, and France made their sporadic links later, but their links were more lasting, with improvements in sailing craft and their ability to travel across the great oceans. It was in the early 16th century that the first conquistadors to Ceylon – the Portuguese, arrived. The eminent historian Dr. Colvin R. de Silva described it thus “if the vagaries of wind and wave brought the Portuguese to Ceylon, the lure of cinnamon kept them here.”

Click HERE to read the full article

FEATURE OF THE MONTH

COLOMBO TRAMWAYS - DOWN MEMORY LANE

 
By Vinodh Wickremeratne

The Ceylon Planters’ Society was involved in the financing and influencing the establishment of the Tramways in Colombo.

The Colombo Electric Lighting and Tramways Co Ltd was a British company represented in Ceylon by Boustead Brothers. The Tramways were ready for operations by 1899/1900.

This company owned and operated the Pettah Power Station at Saunders Place which supplied the 110 volts DC power to propel the trams.

The tramcar Depot was next to the Gas Works adjoining the Pettah Power Station. From the depot the tramcars entered and exited through Gasworks Street on one side joining with Main Street, and on the other with Norris Road (today Olcott Mawatha). Turning right the route went past the Pettah Railway Station, New Fort Railway Station and Old Fort Railway Station. Lower Chatham Street alongside the Central Telegraph Office and the Chamber Of Commerce, took a right turn on to York Street near the Registrar General’s Office, passed Bristol Hotel, Millers/Cargills, Colombo Apothecaries, National Bank, the Victoria Arcade, the P&O Building and terminated near the Grand Oriental Hotel which served as the halt for the Colombo Harbour.

From Prince Street Fort, the Tramway went past the Times Building, Walker Sons, Gaffoor’s Buiding, Chalmers’ Granaries, near the Khan Clocktower and on the side of the Consistory (Kerkopf) Main Street. Near the Old Town Hall there was a choice of turning right to enter Gaswork Street along Edinburgh Market or turn left to enter Dam Street, continue on New Moor Street, continue to Messenger Street, cross Armour Street, join Grandpass Road, join St. Josephs Street and on to Nagalagam Street to the terminus near the old Grandpass Market at the corner with Ferguson Road.


Click HERE to read the full article

PLANTER PROFILES OF THE MONTH

 

(L-R) Anuradha Abeysinghe & Ajit Ratwatte


Click on respective photo to view profile

PHOTO ALBUM OF THE MONTH

 

Ury Estate, Passara - Manager's Bungalow


Click HERE to view the album.

CONTRIBUTOR PHOTO ALBUM OF THE MONTH

 

Simon Kennedy


Click HERE to view the album

DOWN MEMORY LANE!

Ceylon tea planter Arthur Dawson with driver, Mrs Dawson and Annie Hannaford - location and year unknown. Photo courtesy of Christine Miller.

BLAST FROM THE PAST - CEYLON TEA ADS

HISTORICAL EVENTS FROM 1896
In Ceylon
  • Formation of The Colombo Brokers' Association
Overseas
  • The X-ray machine is exhibited for the first time.
  • Walter Arnold in Kent is fined 1 shilling for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h). He exceeded the speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h) and the first speeding fine.
  • The opening ceremonies of the 1896 Summer Olympics, the first modern Olympic Games, are held in Athens, Greece.
  • The first study of the sensitivity of global climate to atmospheric carbon dioxide is published.

TEA RADIO BY DILMAH

The world’s first tea inspired radio station

Tea Radio has developed a global audience reaching over 90 countries worldwide; with the promise of ‘music inspired by tea’, and features news and views on tea, tea gastronomy and more, amidst the music of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.

Stay updated on the latest tips and trends in the world of tea right here. Download the Tea Radio app on the Google play store or the Apple app store, or stream music inspired by Tea on
www.tearadio.com.
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