James Clifford Aelian Corea was a Sri Lankan educationist. He was the former Principal of

Royal College Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

Early life

Born in the coastal town of Chilaw in

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in 1904, he was raised by his parents,

Gate Mudaliyar James Edward Corea Gate Mudaliyar James Edward Corea was a Ceylonese colonial-era headman. Early life Corea was born in Chilaw, on the west coast of Sri Lanka, on 2 December 1865. His father was Johannes Christoffel Corea who was a Mudaliyar of the Chilaw Dis ...

and Frances Eleanor Terentia Ameresekera, in Chilaw. His father sent him to Colombo to be educated at

Royal College A royal college in some Commonwealth countries is technically a college which has received royal patronage and permission to use the prefix ''royal''. Permission is usually granted through a royal charter. The charter normally confers a constituti ...

. He then gained an MA in Psychology from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

and a Diploma in Education from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Principal of Royal College Colombo

He became a master at

Kingswood College, Kandy Kingswood College ( Sinhala: කිංස්වුඩ් විද්‍යාලය Tamil: கிங்ஸ்வுட் கல்லூரி) is a public school which offers primary and secondary education for boys in Sri Lanka. The school ...

, and at

Wesley College, Colombo Wesley College, Colombo, popularly known as "Wesley" or "The Double Blues" is a school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka since 1874. Wesley College is a Methodist educational institution. History In 1858, Rev. Joseph Ri ...

. Corea was the President of All Ceylon Teachers' Union and in 1943 was appointed as Vice principal of his alma mater Royal College Colombo. In 1946 he succeeded Principal Bradby as the first Ceylonese Principal of Royal College Colombo in 1946 had held the post until 1953. In 1946 he returned the school to its

buildings A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and funct ...

at Reid Avenue after it had been taken over by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during Second World War. During his tenure he had several infrastructure developments made and implemented the Free Education Scheme in 1947. He was also the first old Royalist (Royal Group of 1922) to become Principal of Royal College Colombo.

Diplomatic career

After retirement he became the Warden of the Ceylon Students Centre in London and served as a senior diplomat when he was appointed Education Officer of the Ceylon High Commission in London. In 1983 the Old Royalists' Association in the United Kingdom was formed under his and Principal Bradby's patronage. His nephews were the

Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...

broadcaster

Vernon Corea Vernon Corea (11 September 1927 – 23 September 2002) was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sr ...

and his brother

Ernest Corea Ernest Corea (1932–11 May 2017) was a Sri Lankan journalist and a diplomat noted for his work to maintain a free and independent press and for negotiations involving Sri Lanka's development programs. Early life Corea was born in 1932 in Col ...

, who was Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States of America. Both were Old Royalists. J. C. A. Corea was also the President of All Ceylon Teachers' Union. Then Vice principal of Royal College from 1943 to 1945. He succeeded as the Principal in January 1946 and held that position until June 1953. The ''J. C. A. Corea Trophy'' is awarded at the annual hockey encounter between Royal College Colombo and

Trinity College, Kandy "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

, in his memory.J.C.A. Corea Trophy
/ref>

Death

J. C. A. Corea lived in

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Finchl ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

in the United Kingdom for many years. He died in North London in 1988. His ashes were flown to Sri Lanka, accompanied by his nephew, Vernon Corea. The Prefects of Royal College Colombo lined the exit of the

Bandaranaike International Airport Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) ( si, බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, translit=Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; ta, பண்டாரநாயக்க � ...

at Katunayake, as a guard of honour, when his ashes were flown to

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, draped with the Royal College flag. Old Royalists such as

Junius Richard Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene ( si, ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන, ta, ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as ...

President of Sri Lanka The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...

Lalith Athulathmudali Lalith William Samarasekera Athulathmudali, PC (; 26 November 1936 – 23 April 1993), known as Lalith Athulathmudali, was a Sri Lankan statesman. He was a prominent member of the United National Party, who served as Minister of Trade and Sh ...

, a Sri Lankan government minister, and dignitaries, paid their respects at the Royal College Hall,

Navarangahala The Navarangahala (''"New Theatre"''), in Colombo, is one of the main national theatres of Sri Lanka. History Built between 1966 and 1969 by the 4 Field Engineer Regiment, SLE as the Royal Primary School Hall, it was specially designed for l ...

. A memorial service was held at

St. Paul's Church, Milagiriya St. Paul's Church is situated in the Milagiriya district of Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is one of the oldest churches in Sri Lanka as now part of the Anglican Church of Ceylon. The Portuguese Era The church was first built ...

References

Bibliography

*''Great Sinhalese Men and Women of History – Edirille Bandara (Domingos Corea)'', by John M. Senaveratna, (1937) *''One Hundred Years of Education in Ceylon'', by J. C. A. Corea, Modern Asian Studies (1969), 3 : pp 151–175, Cambridge University Press (1969) *''Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources'', by A. W. Wright, Asian Educational Services, India; New Ed edition (15 Dec 2007)