MCPO (GI) Rathnatunga passed away on 26 July 2026 at the age of 80. His funeral, with full naval honours, was held in Gampaha today, marking the end of a legendary Gunnery Instructor and Seamanship teacher. We, his students in the Navy, convey our deepest condolences and respect to his grieving wife, his son, who lives in Australia, and his daughter, who now lives in Italy.
Mr Rathnatunga (sailors who hold the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer are also respectfully addressed as “Mister”) joined the Royal Ceylon Navy in 1966. His intake, known as the ’66 Batch, was recruited after a gap of 10 years and holds the distinction of producing two Navy Commanders: Admiral Thissera and Admiral Sadagiri. Mr Rathnatunga served in the Sri Lanka Navy for 22 years before retiring in 1988. Soon afterwards, he joined the Royal Oman Navy Naval Academy as a Gunnery Instructor.
I first met him on 2 November 1980, when I joined the Navy as a Cadet, 45 years ago.
He was the “Commander-in-Chief” of the parade ground at the Naval Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee. In 1978, he was trained by the Indian Navy at INS Dronacharya, Fort Cochin, India, as a Gunnery Instructor. He served as the Chief Drill Instructor and Chief Gunnery Instructor at the NMA. He was the undisputed authority on the parade square, supported by several junior drill instructors.
Living in the Senior Sailors’ Married Quarters next to the parade square with his young family—his wife and two children—he spent most of his time on the parade ground. His noble duty and responsibility were to transform civilians joining the Navy into smart, disciplined naval officers and sailors. As an exemplary drill instructor, he knew both his authority and its limits. Although he would strike trainee sailors with his drill instructor’s baton to correct them, he never struck officer cadets. However, his verbal reprimands to us cadets were often more painful than any blow.
He made our batch exceptionally good at drill and smart on parade. As a former Corporal of the Royal College Cadet Platoon, which won the Herman Loos Award in 1980 as the best school cadet platoon in the country, I was already proficient in drill and had an excellent voice of command. Mr Rathnatunga took a special liking to me.
Being a smart and somewhat cunning cadet, I took full advantage of this. I would volunteer to be the Parade Commander during the morning parade training, much to Mr Rathnatunga’s satisfaction.
After some time, I realised that the Parade Commander was not inspected for the polishing of his boots or the brass and web equipment on his uniform. While my batchmates worked late into the night polishing their boots, I would go to bed early and simply volunteer to be the Parade Commander the next morning. This continued until I was caught red-handed by Mr Rathnatunga for failing to polish my boots, which earned me one hour of “extra drill” as punishment.
At the end of that punishment, Mr Rathnatunga gave me a piece of advice that has stayed with me ever since:
“Cadet Wijegunaratne! There are no shortcuts to the top! Work hard! You have a very good future in the Navy.”
More than 45 years later, those words still reverberate in my mind.
The happiest day for Mr Rathnatunga was the day we passed out as Midshipmen from the NMA. He was the first to congratulate us as we stepped off the parade square as newly commissioned Midshipmen.
After retiring from the Navy with honour, pride, devotion and an unblemished 22-year career, he returned from the Royal Oman Navy Naval Academy and joined CINEC Maritime University, where he trained aspiring Merchant Navy cadets in Seamanship. His instructional skills, teaching methods and command of the subject were outstanding. Through his dedication, he helped shape generations of Merchant Navy officers for our nation.
Sleep well, dear Mr Rathnatunga. You did your duty to the Navy and to the country. The countless naval cadets who passed through your hands on the NMA parade square became fine naval officers and gentlemen because of your guidance.
“There are no shortcuts to the top.”
I salute you, dear MCPO (GI) Rathnatunga.
