Old Boys' Bulletin
Vol 4.1 (2019)PDF 7
18 pagesrevision 420
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PRINCIPAL'S REFLECTION ON THE RE-OPENING OF THE
JAFAR PAVILION AND OPENING OF THE NEW MEMORIAL GROUND.
‘Today marks a newera for the playing of hockey at Aitchison College. It is also the continuation of our commitmentto restoring and preserving
iconic buildings gifted by generous donors and those whose foresight has made Aitchison College the most beautiful and recognizable school in
Pakistan.
When the Jafar Pavilion was first conceived, Mr. Barry reported on Jan 31, 1939:“The Jafar Memorial Fund has already collected 7,400 rupees
for the building of a pavilion.” At the time, these funds were additionally earmarked for six tennis courts and more playing fields. It was
envisioned that a Staff Club might find space within this new facility - and so it did for many years. When eventually Mr. Barry and His Highness
the Nawab of Bahawalpur opened the Jafar Pavilion and the Memorial Ground on March 3, 1942, it was the finest hockey venue inthe country,
and remained so for many years. Old boys have long since extolled the virtues of the billiard-like grass surface that produced so many home-
grown champions. Indeed, we can think of three Aitchisonian Olympians of the eighties, as we do the Jamali Family, whose name is
synonymous with hockey, having produced eight captains and after whom the College's main Hockey trophy is named. On Staff, we boast
former Olympians such as Mohammad Nasir Khan and Mohammad Saalain, the latter our very own Director of Hockey.
This is our national game and we must resurrect it. | feel there is no better place than Aitchison to take on this momentous task. Just as we
recently celebrated the selection of an Aitchison boy in the U 16 National Pakistan Cricket Team, so we will celebrate, in the not too distant
future, the same in hockey. However, we must also educate our boys properly and inculcate the right values of sportsmanship; those same
values espoused and practised by Syed Muhammad Jafar at the pinnacle of sporting competition. Winner of two gold medals in the 1932 and
1936 Olympics, Jafar was more thana fine sportsman. As Mr. Barry remarked: “There can be few who have passed through our doors that have
shown greater promise of fulfillment.....we shall strive to enrich our lives with the spirit that will always be associated with his name.”
Our revival could not be achieved on grass. Change had to come. It is here thanks to many people. In making this very large investment, we are
investing in the promise of youth; not only to raise the best players at Aitchison College but, equally, inspire boys and girls from all over Pakistan
who will share this unmatched facility. | can imagine Messrs. Barry and Jafar nodding in agreement. In this spirit, may the new Memorial
Ground and renovated Jafar Pavilion serve generations of players to come, as proudly and as successfully as it has so ably done since 1942.'