On the noisy night of March 13, 1996, as Sri Lanka stunned hosts and tournament favourites India in Calcutta to reach the World Cup final, Colombo erupted in firecrackers and street celebrations. Amid the euphoria, two former schoolboy captains watching on television struck upon a bold idea – a chartered flight to Lahore for the final.
Bernard Wijetunga, once skipper of St. Peter’s, and Channa Wijemanne, who had led D.S. Senanayake, both worked at George Steuart. Past midnight, they drove to the home of their boss, S. Skandakumar – a cricketer himself, who had captained Royal, Tamil Union and Colombo University.
Skandakumar was enthused but reminded them of the hurdles. They had just 48 hours to hire a plane, secure visas, buy match tickets, sort logistics – and more importantly sell 300 seats. As cricketers they knew the game’s lesson: to win, you must take risks.
By dawn the plan was in motion. A flight was secured, the Pakistan High Commission set up a temporary visa office at the Cinnamon Lakeside hotel where George Steuart had space and adverts went out in newspapers and radio. Tickets sold out in hours. With the help of SLC treasurer and former St. Joseph’s cricketer Hilary Marcelin, 300 match tickets were secured from the Pakistan board.
Air Lanka’s pilot for the charter was another cricketer, Sunil Wettimuny. But there was drama still. Sports Minister S.B. Dissanayake and Ministry Secretary demanded seats at the last minute. With no one willing to yield, Bernard and Channa, who had masterminded the venture, gave up their own places. Heartbreak, but for them “the customer was king.”
The flight was a triumph. Profits came, yes, but more importantly hundreds of Sri Lankans witnessed history, among them families of the players. The team themselves, initially set to return on a different plane a day after the final, insisted on joining the charter. Fans gave up seats and hours after becoming world champions, the squad landed in Colombo to continue the party.
Next week, George Steuart celebrates 190 years – a company woven into Sri Lanka’s cricketing story. For four decades it has handled the national team’s travel, and not just the players but administrators, journalists, replacements and fans have relied on its ticketing desk.
The challenges have been daunting. For the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, with no local High Commission and scarce flights to Johannesburg, George Steuart found solutions. Four years later the West Indies World Cup tournament proved harder still, staged across eight islands, each requiring visas. Most passports were granted visas on arrival so they had no issues but Sri Lankans were not. George Steuart negotiated a “Caribbean Community Visa,” a single stamp valid across all venues. It was a godsend.
When the Lanka Premier League launched in 2020 amid COVID scepticism, the firm again delivered: flying in players, staff, television crews and owners, arranging quarantine, maintaining the bubble and overseeing testing.
Perseverance and a refusal to give up, has defined George Steuart’s service. It has helped that cricket men have long been running the show at the country’s oldest company, marking 190 years with a legacy tied in no small part to the game itself.
