Análisis de la industria: Las 5 fuerzas de Porter .1 Competidores .1 Competidores

The de Kretser name, and the Jansz and Bartholomeusz names, were the commonest Burgher names in Ceylon. The de Kretser families were related, connected and a closely-knit group. Most of the Colombo de Kretsers lived in Bambalapitiya except for a few who had moved 'up- market' to live in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo 7. Burghers said that if one threw a stone in Bambalapitiya the probability was that it would fall on a de Kretser! Burgher social life in Bambalapitiya revolved around the de Kretsers. Here two de Kretser females, who wish to remain anonymous, describe their social life in the 1940s. A similar social life-style occurred in the other Burgher sub-groups, whether in Mutwal, Mount Lavinia or Mount Mary and whether the core was Catholic or non-Catholic.

Most of the Burghers lived around the 'Golden mile' which stretched from Colpetty south on Galle Road to St. Paul's Milagiriya and Havelock Town. Many of us lived in School Lane, Edwards Lane, Lauries Road, Daisy Villa Avenue, de Vos avenue, Dickmans Road and the roads off Dickmans Road like Layards Road, Skelton Road and Anderson Road. The girls attended Lindsay Girls School, Holy Family Convent and St. Paul's Milagiriya. The boys attended Royal or St.Peter's College.

Our young days were centred around the Dutch Reformed Church at Barnbalapitiya. During the day we attended Lindsay Girls School situated in the Church grounds. Ninety per cent of the pupils were Burghers. We were also there at 'Sunday School' and often during the week at special evening services. Here too the congregation were mostly Burghers. On Mondays we went to the `Band of Hope and Total Abstinence Society' meetings where, at a very tender age and at the urging of Mildred and Trilby de Kretser, we signed the pledge.

As children, we were encouraged to sing and recite and take part in the evening's entertainment and this taught us self-confidence. The Church, during our 'teen years, was the place where boys and girls of the various Protestant

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denominations met and where many a romance began...right on the steps of the belfry. This belfry had been erected by the large extended de Kretser clan in memory of the 'dear departed de Kretsers'. Any person with the de Kretser name at the school would monopolise the steps of that belfry. We would only allow our friends the privilege of sitting or playing on those steps. Following the Sunday morning school, we would all meet in de Vos Avenue and one of the fathers would take us, Pied Piper style, to the sea beach for our weekly swim. Some of the boys were good swimmers and members of the Kinross Swimming Club. When we were teenagers, many of the girls were members of the church choir and enjoyed participating in the Easter and Christmas Oratorio.

After Sunday evening service we looked forward to going for a walk along the railway line. This was a few metres inland from the sea shore and trains were relatively infrequent. As it got dark one of the more daring lads would try to hold your hand, the only contact that was permissible in those days!

After school, the boys congregated at Lion House where Bullers Road meets Galle Road. This place was a 'no no' for us girls and we went to Paiva's Ice Cream Parlour or the 'Dew Drop Inn' on the other side of Galle Road and many a gossip session took place there.

With school days nearly over we began to think of careers. We hoped to go to either University or Teachers Training College. The start of the Second World War put a stopper on those plans. Singapore fell to the Japanese and the majority of the bigger schools were commandeered as barracks for the troops, who were suddenly everywhere in Colombo. We girls became Air Raid Wardens manning the A.R.P. posts during the day while the boys did duty at nights. Some of us went on to work in the main Civil Defence Centre too. We did our bit for the 'Send-a-plane' fund, organising concerts, making the younger ones take part in plays and even parties where all proceeds went to the Fund. Our parents were very understanding and supportive and very patriotic.

We did not have cars and it was sometimes hard holding our picture-book hats in place as we cycled everywhere. The bicycle took us everywhere, even to parties and picnics at night and the outer suburbs of Maharagama and Nawala. Many parents were members of the Dutch Burgher Union and the Burgher Recreation Club (BRC) so the sports-inclined among us, both boys and girls, became members of the BRC and played hockey and tennis. The boys were good at cricket and rugby and spent their Saturday afternoons playing sport. Of course we all looked forward to the monthly dances at the DBU and BRC clubs as well as the picnics organised by the grown-ups. We were well chaperoned by our parents who watched goings-on and our experiments with the latest dance steps. The wider circle of Burghers all knew one another and our parents were happy we were meeting the right sort of marriageable male. Marriages were never arranged by parents but we were certainly pointed in the right direction. We were allowed to attend all the social events at the Dutch Burgher Union and the Burgher Recreation Club for this purpose.

Another very happy memory is of the Presbyterian Youth League (PYL) conferences. Rev. Bryan de Kretser was in charge of the first conference which was held at his aunt's rubber estate in Maharagama. Girls were accommodated in the house and the boys slept in a school dormitory some distance away. It was war-time and there was a `black-out' so the boys had a hazardous walk in the night trying to make sure they didn't fall into the open drains that were on

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both sides of the path. Because of the fear of air-raids subsequent conferences were held in Dehiwala as that venue was closer. At those conferences the girls slept in the Manse and the activities were held in the girls' school next door. The boys had their sleeping quarters in the school. Because those attending were from all the six Dutch Reformed Church congregations in Colombo, supplemented by the Kandy, Galle and Matara congregations, our parents encouraged us to attend. We would get to meet other young people of our religious denomination. This was another subtle way by which our parents made sure we met the right partners. We had Bible study in the mornings and then divided into groups. A knowledgable adult was the leader and we spent the rest of the day in discussions and debates. In the evenings we had well- known speakers who addressed us on a variety of subjects. On the Saturday night every district took it in turn to provide a play, a short skit or charade. On Sunday night we ended the conference with a Service of Dedication followed by a candle-lighting ceremony. We each lit a candle and walked around the church grounds singing 'Follow, follow the gleam which is the Chalice of the Grail'. There were quite a few seniors to look after us and make sure we didn't become too noisy or excited. We remember Will and Ninette Stork, Viva de Kretser, Dr. and Mrs. Schokman and the Ingram sisters. We were well chaperoned!

Ceylon became South East Asia Command Headquarters, or SEAC HQ, in 1943. The arrival of troops changed all our lives. Highly paid jobs for Burgher girls suddenly became available with the Navy, the Army and the R.A.F. We took crash courses in shorthand and typing at the Muttukrishna Polytechnic and became expert in six months. We had good jobs as temporary Woman Assistants and soon learned to hold our own with the Europeans.

Even though some of the boys were now working in Government or

mercantile jobs in the Fort or business district, we got together on Saturday mornings, gathered around a piano in someone's home, listened to up-and-coming jazz pianists and sang the latest war-time songs. On many of the Saturday afternoons the girls would be at the matinee shows at the 'Majestic' cinema. This was within walking distance of home. Our pocket money paid for our amusements. We enjoyed watching our favourite movie stars including Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and others and copied their dress fashions. Dress materials were hard to come by because of war-time restrictions but our dressmakers were expert in following the latest fashion trends.

Harris de Kretser lived in the house `Charmaine' in New Bullers Road. The Japanese air raid on Colombo resulted in his family being evacuated upcountry and the house was given to Harriet (Jinks) de Kretser to use as a Christian canteen for the servicemen billeted at the Race Course and Royal College. It was called 'The House by the Side of the Road' but soon became known to the visiting R.A.F. and Army personnel as The hole in the wall'. Jinks de Kretser had been our Sunday School teacher so we were allowed to help. No alcohol was allowed. Only tea, coffee and lime juice were served and, the great favourite, hand churned ice-cream. Drinks were free on Sunday evenings but everyone had to join in hymn singing. We taught many a serviceman to play the game of carrom and even held carrom competitions.

We looked forward to the Christmas and New Year's Eve dances held at the Town Hall and the Galle Face and Mount Lavinia hotels. We continued to go

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out with our old friends and were not allowed to go out with the Servicemen, even though many of them had become our new friends.

Perhaps the occasion we remember best is the fancy dress party in August 1945 held to celebrate V.J. day. It was a spur-of-the-moment affair but everyone managed to come in a costume, varying from imitations of 'Carmen Miranda' to Wee- Willie-Winkie. We had food from the Chinese cafe at the rear of the house and kept increasing the order as more and more people arrived. We had no alcohol, only soft drinks, and lots of dancing and party games. It was good to see how all our old and new friends (we had several servicemen as friends too), got on for 'Those were the days my friends, we thought they would never end'.

It seems strange, but none of our group married one of our crowd though we remained friends through life. Today, most members of our group are here in Australia and even though our partners were chosen from outside our group, we are still

interested in one another's doings.