About us.

This section will give you a heads up on what Hashing is about and some great background into the Hash in Colombo. As with all rowdy groups, we need some level of guidance. That’s what the Mismanagement Committee is for, and no, that wasn’t a typo.

THE MMC

The Hash in Colombo has a colourful origin story. The Hash is all about fun, laughter and merriment. We have a saying on the Hash; once you come for the Hash and you don’t like it you never come back but if you do, then you’re a Hasher for life!

OUR HISTORY

How it started…

Hashing originated in December 1938 in Selayang Quarry, Selangor, then in the Federated Malay States (now Malaysia), when a group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British paper chase or “hare and hounds”, to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. The original members included Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignatius “G” Gispert, Cecil Lee, Frederick “Horse” Thomson, Ronald “Torch” Bennett, Eric Galvin, H.M. Doig, and John Woodrow. A. S. Gispert suggested the name “Hash House Harriers” after the Selangor Club Annex, where several of the original hashers lived and dined, known as the “Hash House”.

Hashing died out during World War II shortly after the Invasion of Malaysia but was restarted in 1946 after the war by several of the original group, minus A. S. Gispert, who was killed on 11 February 1942 in the Japanese invasion of Singapore, an event commemorated by many chapters by an annual Gispert Memorial Run.

After World War II, in an attempt to reorganize in the city of Kuala Lumpur, they were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a “group,” they would require a constitution. Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the trail, harriers reaching the end of the trail would partake of beer, ginger beer and cigarettes.

The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the club registration card dated 1950:

To promote physical fitness among our members
To get rid of weekend hangovers
To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

In 1962, Ian Cumming founded the second chapter in Singapore. The idea spread through the Far East and the South Pacific, Europe, North America, expanding rapidly during the mid-1970s. Cumming was widely credited with bringing hashing to the United States and lived outside of New York City, where he continued to hash until his death on August 21, 2015.

At present, there are almost two thousand chapters in all parts of the world, with members distributing newsletters, directories, and magazines and organizing regional and world hashing events. As of 2003, there are even two organized chapters operating in Antarctica.

The future is bright.

The Hash in Colombo is as strong as ever and we always welcome new members All you need is a good sense of humour, be reasonably fit and enjoy putting back a few beers on occasion. Join our mailing list to get weekly updates on the runs, as well as other useful bits of information.

Rs. 1,000

Run Cost

Active Members

Runs per Year

About us.

How it started…

The future is bright.

Quick Links

Tags

Categories

Get fast, secure web hosting