LONDON MINI-REUNION ON 7th AUGUST 2024

ANOTHER LONDON MINI-REUNION - 7^th AUGUST 2024

Report by Dr Nihal D Amerasekera

Once again, on the 7th of August, Pram hurriedly organised a reunion of our batch of 62 before her return to Sri Lanka. It was held at the iconic Royal Society of Medicine in London. Pram had booked an exclusive room for our lunch, which was elegantly decorated for the occasion. We met at 12 p.m. on a hot, sunny day.  

We looked beyond the grey hairs, the lines and furrows in our faces and the extra pounds to embrace our friends from way back. After the warm greetings and handshakes, we sat down for lunch.

There was never a dull moment. The chatter started straight away, and the conversation flowed freely as we shared our favourite anecdotes and recollections of our faculty experiences. We were so happy to have Indrani Subramaniam’s daughter, Rose, and son-in-law, John Moore, with us. We thank them for making the journey to join us. It was so lovely to have Sakuntala Balakumar and Dhushy Vedavanam with us, who partook in the fun and laughter of the occasion. Dhushy Vedavanam kept the southern end of the table well entertained with her amusing narratives of the trials and tribulations of ageing.

Harshi and Harsha Boralessa have been regulars at our meetings and, as always, wonderful company. Rupa and Susil Attale decided to grace us with their presence all the way from Farnborough. Sirima and Sunil are regulars at our meetings in London, too. Sushila Canagasabay brought with her some interesting stories.  Her experiences on board a flight being called upon to help out as a doctor out of the blue were absolutely hilarious. Being the only medicine available, It seems she doled out diazepam-like Smarties. Sushila has the wonderful ability to relate a story. Her comical tales kept us in stitches. Harsha Boralessa, too, was his usual self with a fund of hilarious anecdotes. 

This was a great occasion and a nostalgic one, which we all enjoyed. After a sumptuous meal and delightful company, it was sad to say goodbye. Every reunion has its own lesson to impart, and we come away deeply grateful to the organiser for giving us an experience we would treasure. Our thanks to our marvellous hostess, Pram, without whom none of the London reunions would have happened. We wish her a safe journey home.

Note from Speedy.

I was sorry to miss this one. Bora and I are planning the next one for SATURDAY, the 7th of SEPTEMBER, at a different London venue (RSM is closed at weekends). The main reason for this is that Chirasri wanted to meet as many of her colleagues as possible during her visit to the UK to attend the convocation ceremony for her daughter Anjali, who passed the finals of the FRCOphth London