I am very proud to have been elected unanimously to the post of President of Gemunu Watch Ex-Servicemen's Regimental Association for another year with confidence and great expectations. I regard it as the highest possible honour bestowed on me. I take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to all members of Gemunu Watch Ex-Servicemen’s Regimental Association and to make a pledge that I would do my very best for the future development, benefit and welfare of our Association.

In the past year we were able to develop the membership to a very satisfactory level and also to intimate 619 servicemen who had legitimately retired from service. I am of the opinion that majority of them would join us in the near future. It is a pleasure to note that the provincial offices established in Central, Uva, Southern and Wayamba provinces have taken steps to increase our membership.

We were able to develop the financial situation of the society and also introduce some useful insurance schemes for the membership. We also embarked on some special projects for the welfare of those retired as well as those in service. Something note worthy is the improvement of our web site whereby we were able to develop contacts with those retired or resigned from the Gemunu Watch for better pastures all over the world. A very significant achievement of last year was the completion of Head Office building for the Association with assistance of the Regiment. Special mention has to be made about the project sponsored by Brigadier HN Halangoda RWP RSP USP whereby 250 wheel commode chairs and commode chairs were presented to disabled war heroes. We managed to commence the initial work of Monumental Memorial Park Project within the new office premises of the Association which was a proposal by Colonel Anil Amarasekara. I am thankful to all who assisted us in Poppy sale enabling us to improve our finances. I mention here with great pleasure that we were able to provide artificial limbs to 50 disabled war heroes through project “gratitude” initiated by our Mother Association SLESA.

In the forthcoming year I look ahead to increasing the membership in a more rapid scale and organize the Poppy Sale Project Island wide in a methodical way through the provincial offices to improve the financial position of the Association. It is also planned to embark on small projects to improve further the financial situation of the Association. We hope to take necessary steps to expand the scheme of donating wheel chairs, commodes and artificial limbs to disabled war heroes in the passage of time, with assistance of donors. We will be able to develop the confidence and expectations in our Association by the serving members of the Regiment that undoubtedly would increase our membership whereby all would be benefited.

I finally believe that there will be a better response from the membership to the new Death Donation Scheme which we have proposed to introduce through an insurance scheme at the AGM which will bring better benefits to them   than what is prevalent at present.

I pay my respect and remember with gratitude the Regimental Commander, Battalion Commanders and all other officers and men who assisted our Association by their untold support.

I also thank the SLESA our Mother Association for their cooperation in our activities.

May the Sinhala/Tamil New Year be a Happy and a Prosperous one to all with the blessing of the Triple Gem.


Tarry Not. Forward.