Sri Lanka honors 100-year old Scout troop.

Sri Lanka honors 100-year old Scout troop
To honor Sri Lanka’s first Scout troop – the 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout
Group – the Rajans International Scout Gathering of Centennial or RISGO
Centennial 2013 was held from 18th to 22nd February 2013 at the Lake
View Park International Scout Centre in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Scouting in Sri Lanka began in Christ Church College in 1912 followed by
Dharmaraja College which formed the first Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group

in 1913, with the enthusiasm of the Principal Mr. K. F. Billimoria and Scout
Master J. H. de Saram, who became the first native Chief Commissioner of
Scouting in Ceylon.
The 1st Kandy Dharmaraja Scout Group has been consecutively awarded
as the "Best Scout group in Sri Lanka" from 1993 up to now.
RISGO Centennial 2013, in cooperation with the Old Rajans Scout
Association, the first old Scout union in the island, became the largest
gathering of young people with the participation of 29 countries around the
world from all the six Scouting regions.
Chief Guest at the opening ceremony was World Scout Bureau, Asia-Pacific
Regional Director Abdullah Rasheed joined by other notable government
personalities and regional leaders including the Governor and Chief Minister
of Sri Lanka’s central province; Regional Scout Committee member
Janaprith Fernando, and Sri Lanka Scouts Association Chief Commissioner
Prof Nimal De Silva.