Three hundred and thirteen recruit sailors of 228th regular intake pass out in Poonewa
 

Three hundred and thirteen (313) naval recruits belonging to the 228th regular intake of the Sri Lanka Navy passed out at SLNS Shiksha in Poonewa yesterday (11). The Commander North Central Naval Area, Rear Admiral Merril Wickramasinghe graced the event as the Chief Guest and took the salute. The Deputy Area Commander of North Central Naval Area, Commodore Sunil Senarathne, naval officers, senior officers from the sister services and Police, sailors and parents of the newly passed out sailors were also present on the occasion.

At the end of the colorful parade, trophies were awarded to those who were outstanding in various disciplines during basic training period. Recruit KWDS Dayananda was adjudged the Best Recruit of the 228th regular intake and KGCGD Premasiri secured the prize for the Recruit with the Highest Aggregate in all subjects. Meanwhile, Recruit EMGD Ekanayaka won the award for the Best Marksman and Recruit GAHP Kumara secured the award for the Best Sportsman. Udara Division was selected as the Best Division of the 228th intake.

Addressing the gathering Rear Admiral Merril Wickramasinghe extended his heartfelt gratitude to the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne for giving the opportunity to attend the Passing Out Parade of the 228th intake of the recruit sailors, as the Chief Guest. Also, he asked the passed out sailors to recall of the day they first arrived at SLNS Shiksha 6 months before and the day they passed out. As such, he reminded them of that they were passing out as proud batch of sailors who braved the seas, belonging to the Sri Lanka Navy.

Further, the Chief Guest urged them to be mindful of the evolving tendencies in the naval sphere, grab the training opportunities offered by the Navy, motivated for self-improvement and maintain mental and physical strength as well. Besides, he also highlighted the importance of preservation of the hard earned peace and territorial integrity of the motherland and congratulated the 313 sailors passed out to lead their lives being disciplined, efficient naval personnel and well-mannered citizens while upholding the time honoured customs and traditions of the Navy.

Rear Admiral Merril Wickramasinghe also thanked the parents for giving the consent to their beloved children to serve the motherland with a noble resolve. Moreover, he expressed his deep sense of gratitude to the Commandant, Training Commander, officers and all the instructors of SLNS Shiksha for the successful coordination of the aspects pertinent to the Passing Out Parade and thanked the Naval Headquarters, Commanding Officers in the North Central Command and Department Heads for help offered in numerous ways for the successful conduct of this event.