History of SJC OBA NSW
The Idea & Initial Efforts
The St John’s Old Boys’ Association (OBA) was founded in 1988, thanks to the efforts of Rajendra Balaretnaraja and his friend Katheeswaran Thuraisingham. Katheeswaran, who had known Rajendra in Sri Lanka, met him at a party in Sydney and suggested starting an OBA similar to the one in Colombo. Although the idea was initially put on hold due to Rajendra’s focus on settling into the country and finding accommodation and schooling for his children, Katheeswaran’s persistence eventually led to the organization of a gathering.
Rajendra leveraged Katheeswaran’s network, which included Dr. Mills, Dr. Ferodo Benjamin Oleagasekaram, and Canagasingham, to reach out to other old boys and prepare a list of invitees.
The first meeting took place at Meredith Church Hall in Homebush in April 1988, with around 20 attendees. Office bearers were appointed, with Katheeswaran as President, Sinniah as Secretary, and Rajendra as Treasurer. Katheeswaran covered the costs of refreshments, which included Mutton Rolls and patties.
A bank account was opened at Commonwealth Bank in the name of the St John OBA. Although Rajendra considered inviting Chundikuli old girls to join, the idea was dropped due to objections from the OGA president of Chundikuli girls. The second meeting was held at a pub in Flemington, initiated by the office bearers, and subsequent meetings were organized, leading to the association’s growth and flourishing membership and activities.
Growth
- Dr. N. Gowripalan took the reins as President of the St. John’s College Old Boys’ Association (SJC OBA) in 1990, serving for over a decade until 2000. During his tenure, significant efforts were made to sustain and build the association. Despite challenges, including low attendance at some Annual General Meetings (AGMs), the OBA continued to thrive.
- From 2000 onwards, the OBA functioned smoothly, with a list of past Presidents available.
Cricket Matches and Sports
- The first SJC-JCC OBA cricket match was played at Up John Park, captained by N.S. Alexander. Although the match was initiated, the sports section of the OBA was not well-established at the time.
- N.S. Alexander and N. Gowripalan captained the SJC OBA Cricket teams during the first 14 years, playing matches at various grounds including Up John Park, Airey Park, and Auburn Grounds. The trophy was named after K. Donald Ganeshakumar, a renowned JCC cricketer.
- In 2012, two SJC OBA teams (Masters and Open) played against JCC old boys, with SJC winning both matches. N. Gowripalan captained the Masters team.
- Participation in the Sri Lankan Schools Old Boys Association Badminton tournament, organized by Colombo Hindu College – SJC OBA emerged as champions in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Athavan Natkuna, Ashokkumar Ponnudurai, and Lal Samuel represented the OBA.
- In January 2020, the inaugural T20 “Unity Trophy” was held between SJC OBA NSW and D.S. Senanayake College OBA Brisbane, in Brisbane. Johnians won the trophy in a super over by just 1 run. Organized by then Sports Secretary Athavan Natkuna.
- On 1st March 2020, SJC OBA played their first cricket match with The Kings School Cricket Club at Doyle 2 ground, Kings School Parramatta. Former President Kittu was the Chief Guest. This match was also organized by Athavan Natkuna.
- In 2020, three teams were formed: Vintage (Over 60s), Masters, and Open. SJC OBA now regularly plays matches against other OBAs, including Royal College, St. Thomas’ College, Mahajana College, Jaffna Hindu, Jaffna Central, Ananda College Colombo, and Hindu College Colombo.
- Soccer matches are also held regularly against JHC and Mahajana College. The first match was played against Jaffna Hindu College at Enfield Park grounds in the early 2010s.
Key Events and Milestones
2009
- Sponsorship of 18 displaced children through the “Displaced Children” program, led by A.E. Manoharan, at the annual dinner dance.
2012
- “Read Smart” program – Donated books to primary schools.
- First combined Carol Service with Chundikuli Girls’ College (CGC).
2013
- Hostel Bathroom project sponsored by Lesly Gunaratnam.
2014
- Contribution of approximately Rs. 1,000,000 towards the Technology Building.
2015
- Launch of the book “Jaffna Boy” by Bernard Sinniah on March 25th.
2018
- First ever Hoppers Night with CGC.
2020
- SJC OBA initiated a blood donation session, arranged by Dr. Gogulan with RedCross.
- Summer Night (Kodai Kaliyaattam) – a Johnians-only annual event with DJ and Jaffna authentic Pittu & Mutton, initiated by then Social Secretary Dileepkanth and Marino.
- Memorial service was organized at Toongabbie Church for the late Vice Principal V.R. Amarasingam.
2021/2022
- Collection of Rs. 12 million towards the Bicentennial Williams Hall Project.
2024
- Allocation of $10,000 for the Lab Improvement project.
Special Guests and Events
- In 1998, SJC Principal Mr. N.S. Thanapalan and Mrs. Thanapalan attended the SJC Dinner Dance in Melbourne and Sydney as chief guests. During this time, the SJC OBA NSW provided financial assistance to the college after its relocation to Kilinochchi during the civil war (1995-96).
- 2006: Visit by respected teachers Mr N Mylvaganam and Mr S Antonypillai as guests at the Eagles Night annual dinner dance, held at Ryde Civic Hall, Ryde on September 9th.
- 2013 Visit by Principal Rev N J Gnanaponrajah.
- 2023 SJC OBA Sydney has organized a fellowship dinner for Johnians to meet and greet our Principal Mr.V.S.B Thuseetharan on the 7th of September 2023 at Wentworthville.
SJC Hall of Fame
- Introduced in 2019 under the presidency of Sutha Siva, the SJC Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding contributions in two streams: Sports and Community Service.
- Awardees are listed in Lists 2 and 3, respectively.
Recent Developments
- July 2025: “Johnians Sports Club” was registered under OBA, fostering camaraderie, sportsmanship, and lifelong connection to St Johns College among its members. This allows the OBA to invite members and kids to participate in cricket tournaments and other sports activities such as tennis and basketball.
- July 2025: “Kothu Night” was organized between SJC OBA and CGC OGA Sydney.
- September 2025: A new website was launched for the SJC OBA NSW — a comprehensive site with archives, events, history, and more.
- September 2025: An annual Blood Donation campaign was initiated.
Past Presidents of SJC OBA NSW
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Dr Kethieswaran Thuraisingham | 1988–1989 |
| Dr N Gowripalan | 1990–2000 |
| Kulasegaram Sanchayan | 2001–2003 |
| Sam K Sabesan | 2004–2007 |
| Dushy Visvanathan | 2008–2010 |
| Jeyaram Kanagaratnam | 2011–2013 |
| Peter Benedict | 2013–2014 |
| Packi Rajakone | 2015–2016 |
| Delano Sinniah | 2017–2018 |
| Kittu Rathakrishnan | 2019 |
| Sutha Siva | 2020 |
| Pulendrarajah Dileepkanth | 2021 |
| Jeyaram Kanagaratnam | 2022–2023 |
| Charles Singham | 2024 |
| Mynthan Shiva | 2025 |
Hall of Fame of SJC OBA NSW for Cricket
| Name | Year |
|---|---|
| Dr Nadarajah Gowripalan (Eagle 1) | 2019 |
| Mr Vishnu Ratnam (Eagle 2) | 2019 |
| Mr Kiruban Thayananthan (Eagle 3) | 2019 |
| Mr Sabaratnam Thirukumar (Eagle 4) | 2022 |
| Mr Neville S Aleander (Eagle 5) | 2023 |
| Dr S Sivaramakrishnan (Eagle 6) | 2024 |
Hall of Fame of SJC OBA NSW for Community Service
| Name | Year |
|---|---|
| Dr Kethieswaran Thuraisingham (Eagle 1) | 2023 |