{"id":156136,"date":"2025-08-01T02:11:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T02:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=156136"},"modified":"2025-08-01T02:11:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T02:11:40","slug":"a-musical-memory-the-stardust-saga-episode-1-from-shane-bayleys-archives-by-bernard-vancuylenburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/a-musical-memory-the-stardust-saga-episode-1-from-shane-bayleys-archives-by-bernard-vancuylenburg\/","title":{"rendered":"A MUSICAL MEMORY – THE STARDUST SAGA. (EPISODE 1.) from Shane Bayley’s Archives \u2013 by Bernard VanCuylenburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

A MUSICAL MEMORY – THE STARDUST SAGA. (EPISODE 1.)\u00a0from Shane Bayley’s Archives \u2013 by\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Bernard VanCuylenburg<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

A MUSICAL MEMORY – THE STARDUST SAGA. (EPISODE 1.)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PROLOGUE<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was the American Children’s Author and Filmmaker Dr. Seuss Geisel who said “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory”. Sixty years ago, in the beautiful city of Kandy – at Saint Anthony’s College to be precise – young minds at work combined their talents to produce a musical extravaganza which became a memory……One which still lives in the collective memory of many who witnessed the flowering of young talent on the stage not only in Kandy, but in regions beyond. Two Australian song writers and Musicians Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly sum this up beautifully in their hit song “From little things big things grow “.\u00a0 This was the genesis of “Stardust”. Let’s get the show on the road !\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It all began in the year Nineteen Hundred and Sixty when an unassuming and inconspicuous young man had the inclination to stage a musical show “just for kicks”. So, these hundred megatons of energy and initiative went into action. Who was this mysterious young man? He was none other than that “dynamic personality of show business” in the Hill Capital, Eric Labrooy. His first show was a charity performance in aid of The Catholic Students Federation. With very little time at his disposal, his amateur effort was a show titled “An afternoon with music” which hit the stage. And “hit the stage” it did with resounding success from the time the curtain went up for the first act ! The congratulatory messages, accolades and remarks were inevitable. Thus, Eric came into his own, and he decided to do the next best thing – to give show business in Kandy the proverbial shot in the arm. After all, he had the talent and resources at his disposal and an ocean of goodwill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To help him in this Herculean venture he sought the assistance of enterprising people like himself. “Cometh the hour, cometh the man” wrote Sir Walter Scott and many writers quoting the original from The Holy Bible (John 4:23. And there were many who fit this description. There was Mr. Cyril Brown our Music Teacher at college, Willie Weerasekera, Orville Selliah and Steve Morrell to name a few. They gave him unstinted support and soon throughout 1960 there were a series of performances either at the College Hall or at Good Shepherd Convent Kandy.\u00a0 Unfortunately, due to a lack of publicity the majority of Kandy’s population knew nothing about this talented group of artistes.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consequently, progress was slow but steady and sure. In life we take the good with the bad and we experienced the vicissitudes of Show Business. Citing one example, we were invited by the University of Ceylon (Peradeniya) to perform at “The Mr. Campus Contest”.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We performed as we usually did, giving of our best but unfortunately, we were not good enough for the University students ! Result? We had to leave the stage before we intended to do so !! But discouragement only served as encouragement and we strived doggedly on.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The year 1961 heralded a brighter future for the Group. In April that year the show “O Sole Mio” hit the stage facing the footlights at the Good Shepherd Convent Hall in Kandy. The show itself was a success but lacked the colour and flair which a musical deserved. This show incidentally was compered by the versatile Willie Weerasekera and featured artistes like Orville Selliah, “The Stardusters”,\u00a0 Milroy Jayasinghe, Ricky Muthukumaraswamy, and a galaxy of outstanding stars. Mr. Cyril Brown deserves a huge vote of thanks because it was his ready assistance at all times that ensured its success. We were also grateful to Reverend Mother Superior of the Good Shepherd Convent for her patience, valuable advice and all-round support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 7th of July 1961 was the night when dreams and at times wishful thinking turned into reality.\u00a0 The Old Boys Association of College requested us to stage a show to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its existence. Thus, the show “Stars on Parade” took to the stage once again “emceed” by the inimitable Willie Weerasekera\u00a0 with Orville Selliah, Steve Morrell, and Milroy Jayasinghe to the fore.\u00a0 The rest included Neil Wijeratne, “The Little Serenaders”, Ricky Muthukumaraswamy, Bernard VanCuylenburg, and little Dinesh Fernando who made his stage debut with a stellar performance on the Piano Accordion.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Five bonny lassies too made their stage debut that evening. They were Valerie Jaimon, Thecla Pereira, Carmelita Pereira , Marlene Hope and Maureen Paiva. This show was a roaring success and became the talk of the town. At last, we had achieved the impossible – a flawless performance. Even our most severe critics could not find cause for criticism. The success of this show was largely due to Milroy Hepponstall and of course once again, Mr. Cyril Brown.\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the show which was the genesis of THE KANDY TALENT CLUB.\u00a0 It was decided that a Club was necessary to manage the affairs of the performers and other matters associated with staging these musical concerts. It was imperative that a club be formed when glad tidings of prospective bookings in places like Matale and Nuwaraeliya were brought to our attention. Consequently, a set of rules were drafted and a Governing Board comprising Willie Weerasekera, Eric Labrooy, Orville Selliah, and Steve Morrell was appointed. For posterity, I record the names of the Office Bearers. They were:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n