By S. Thomas’ College Old Boys’ Association – NSW/ACT
A sense of difference was in the air notwithstanding being a Friday, that change from tradition, didn’t deter the steady flow of guests arriving early sensing fun frolic and a long night ahead. Ladies and gents in their glamorous best, mostly matching the ‘blue & black’, with a hint of that mystery attached to the theme “ Misty One Night in Sydney”, were stopped by an enthusiastic photographer who considered it fit to capture the story yet to come that night. The main Sponsors of the event with their stalls engaged with the quests making their presence subtle in the Showroom foyer.
The welcome to the enchanting “Hornsby Showroom” ambiance with its tasteful décor, thanks to Hemal’s meticulous designing, we saw the guests settling-in, with loud ‘hi there’, ‘hey mate’ ‘after so long, no’ ‘ Kohomada’, with a glass of sparkling wine, was sharply and timely interrupted by the Host, the Master of Ceremonies, the Emcee, the Duke, with a nostalgic ‘down the memory lane’ pictorial of STC Mt L, with a poignant rendition of the College song. With that, the stage was set for the most anticipated moment when ‘Misty’ emerged and the guests were eagerly ready to get on the floor. The dazzling light show, crystal clear sound and the kaleidoscopic backdrop from Event 360 complimented the vibrant music of Misty. From that first song it was a delightful rise to a mix of a repertoire that kept the dance floor packed.
The sparkling freshness of Misty’s entertainment with its leader, Rajitha’s engaging personality, on stage energising performance, upbeat and scintillating music, held the night in a seamless style that did justice to the program with regular breaks for the STCOBA President, Sanjiv Vivekanandan’s welcome speech, introduction of his team and the enthusiastic singing of the College song with gusto by Thomians, young and old nostalgically, remembering their schooldays at the school by the sea.
Sanjiv, keeping his speech short and ‘ad punctum’ emphasised the contribution of the OBA committee members in making this event possible, significant and valued partnership of the Sponsors of the event, contribution from the well-wishes and presence of the esteemed guests who made it to a yet another remarkable B B &B ball. Rajeeva taking the mantle to organise the event with the stakeholders and his collaboration with the Venue management, in planning and execution of details for the evening, seen by the exceptional service delivered was a credit to Hornsby ‘Showroom’ as a sought after, much in demand venue, and of course Rajeeva’s inclusive expertise, an inicio to the OBA team.
The menu was well selected and preparation was scrumptious, with a three course buffet, guests spent time selecting their dessert with a choice from an array of chocolate mud cakes and cheese cakes.
Raffle prizes and the draw, arranged with precision and care by Rishantha & his team, were highly attractive given the rapid sale of tickets, from Air Tickets from one of the main Sponsors SriLankan Airlines, Hotel Vouchers from, Hilton Colombo, Cinnamon Grand & Lake side, Ramada Hotel, Mt Lavina Hotel, Victoria Golf Resort, Club Hotel Dolphin from Browns Hotels & Resorts, a voucher for a 3 day Tour from Aitken Spence, a Beauty Pack and Voucher from Harvey Norman.
So, Misty rolled-on with their hip swaying songs, keeping a packed dance floor throughout the night, from all the known genre ‘well loved’ oldies, pop, rock, disco….. and of course baila baila baila, then eventually taking request towards the final stages, ending in that Bohemian Rhapsody movie classic, “radio Ga Ga”, so well sung and choreographed by Misty’s Rajitha, with a rare impersonation of the great Freddie Mercury.
Start was Misty, end was Misty, so let it remain that way …..
From the plethora of positive feedback we received so far we believe that all enjoyed a memorable evening of fun frolic and fellowship in true Thomian spirit.
With overarching thanks to All our very valuable sponsors OBA looks forward to the other events planned for 2023 and indeed another B B &B ball in 2024.
We wish to make special mention of the Sponsors who supported us to make this event a success; (in no particular order)
Commonwealth Bank
SriLankan Airlines
Blue Ocean Group
Rams Home Loans
Peninsula Motor Group
Cinnamon Grand Hotel and Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel
Victoria Golf Resort by John Keells Properties
Mount Lavinia Hotel
Club Hotel Dolphin by Browns Hotels & Resorts
Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt) Ltd
Harvey Norman
BMICH Conference & Education Centre, Sri Lanka
Hilton Colombo
Ramada by Wyndham Colombo
Dilmah Australia
Tania Jayasinghe
Kingsgrove Sports