Sri Lanka Sinhalese Genealogy Families

Don Davit de Silva – Family 3867

1  Abeydeera Wijewickrema Punchihewage Don Davit de Silva of Ahangama / Gintota + Sister of KC Juanis de Silva of Gintota  (First Wife)

2  Grace Abeydeera + Theodore Gunaratne - Weligama

3        Leena Gunaratne + W. P. de Silva – Beruwela

      4  None

3        Muriel Gunaratne + R. D. Perera  - Galle                                   

4  Drupa 
       4   Rukmani

3   Leonard Gunaratne + Nellie ...................- Badulla

      4   Amara
                                 4   Senath
4   Srinath

3   Sylvester Gunaratne + Sita …………. – Colombo

4   Seelava

3   Richard Gunaratne, + Isla de Silva – Matara

4   Malinga
                                 4  Indralal

3      Felix Gunaratne + Charlotte ……….. – Badulla

                                 4      Chula
                                 4     
Renuka
                                 4     
Not known

 

2      Charles Abeydeera - Bachelor

Charles Abeydeera was registered as a medical student in the UK. However, he returned to Ceylon, without completing his medical studies, due to a nervous breakdown

2      Baron Abeydeera - Bachelor

Was General Manager for India of the firm of Don Davit & Sons

2   Simon Abeydeera – Mt. Lavinia

Was Manager of the Colombo Branch of the firm of Don Davit & Sons.     

Simon Abeydeera +  Not known  (First Wife)

3      Regina Abeydeera (died young)

3       Arthur Abeydeera + Daisy Selena PereraKalutara

4      Chula (died in her teens)

4      Srinath

4      Tilaka

4      Sarath

 

3      Lily Abeydeera + Gratien de Silva – Matale

4      Douglas

4      Leelamani (2 children from Gratien Silva’s  first wife),

4      Chitra

4      Daya

4      Sarath

4      Shiral

4      Srikanthi

Simon Abeydeera  + Lilian de Siva (Second Wife)

    Vere Abeydeera  + Olga de Silva – Colombo

    None

    Eric Abeydeera + Ranjani de Silva – Galle

    Roshan

    Nalin

    Sita Abeydeera + Peter Fernando – Panadura

    Ranli

    Buddhila

    Sandra Abeydeera + Titus Fernando – Colombo

    Manel

    Tilak

    Shanthi

    Chappy

1                 Abeydeera Wijewickrema Punchihewage Don Davit de Silva of Ahangama / Gintota   +  Ms. Ratnaweera of Wackwella, Galle (Second Wife)

2      Henry Abeydeera/Don David + Nora  Peiris - Panadura

    Indrani Abeydeera + Sena Wijeweera – Colombo

    Not known

    Not known

    Not known

2      Porolis  Abeydeera- Bachelor

Died in his teens

2      Louisa  Abeydeera  +  M. W. Martin de Silva - Galle               

3    M.W.Graham de Silva + Not known - Singapore

    Allen

    Not known

 

    M.W.Hector de Silva + Wimala de Silva - Colombo

    None

    M.W.Roland de Silva + Not known - Colombo

    Gamini

    Anura

.

2      Maggie  Abeydeera +  K. Paanis de Silva - Dodanduwa

    K. Nancy de Silva + K. Sam de Silva – Dodanduwa

    Kirthie

    Raja

    Ananda (died young - Gintota)

    K. Bertie de Silva + Malini PeirisEgoda Uyana

    Ajith

    Dr. Shanaka

    Anil.

    K. Leslie de Silva (died in his teens – Gintota)

 

2      Muriel  Abeydeera +  M. Simon Salgado - Panadura

    Dr. M. R. P.  Salgado + Surangani Amarasuriya - Colombo

    Ranmali

    Ruwan

    Ranil

    Dr. M. S. L. Salgado + Chinthamani Gunaskera – Galle

    Krishant

    Shamali

    Dr. M. R. I. Salgado + Dr. Elizabeth Christie- Sydney

    David

    Maya

    Samantha

 

2      Alfred Abeydeera  + Alice Clark -

    Ivor Abeydeera (died in his teens)

    Maurice Abeydeera + Justine Constance (Dolly) Menon - Kandy

    Ramesh

    Renuka

    Clifford Abeydeera + Rita GunasekeraBadulla

    Not known

    Not known

    Not known

    Nihal Abeydeera + Not known 

    Not known

    Not known

    Not known

    Gloria Abeydeera + P. K. PereraPanadura

    Shavanthi

    Rajeev

    Ruvani

    Deanna Abeydeera + T. Aloy Perera - Colombo

                                                  + Gamini Jayasuriya – Colombo

    Chrisantha Perera

    Lasantha Perera

    Natasha Jayasuriya

    Natalie Jayasuriya

 

 

EXTRACT FROM TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF CEYLON

BY ARNOLD WRIGHT – 1907

Page 486

Don Davit & Sons

The firm of Don Davit & Sons was founded by A. W. P. Don Davit de Silva in 1875 at Galle, for the importation of spices and foodstuffs from India. At the commencement only a small trade was done but after four or five years the business (continued on page 489)

 

(Pages 487 and 488 contain photographs – see below)

 

Page 489 – (text continued from Page 486)

 

-became firmly established and the importation of rice from Calcutta was also undertaken. By degrees the business was extended, and soon the trade mark of the firm became well known all over the country, and a very large trade was done in rice, imported from all Indian ports, as well as from the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States. Sugar, another article in which the firm deals largely, comes from Austria and Hamburg;  while flour is imported from Victoria and Southern Australia, all kinds of grains and cereals from India, and coconut oil is largely dealt in. Another commodity in which the firm does a big trade is barbed wire for fencing purposes, and they have made a speciality in horse-food, of which they are the largest importers. Some idea of the magnitude of this business can be gathered from the fact that they import, on an average, 50,000 bags of rice a month and 40,000 bags of horse-food a year. In Galle High Street, Messrs. Don Davit have a rice depot and grocery store, and the general store and head office are also situated in that town. They have branches at 49, 51, and 69, Fourth Cross Street, Colombo and at Lower Chitpore Rd. Calcutta, and also at Cocanada.

 

At Galle, the firm has a large yard where coconut oil, which is bought up from various small dealers, is filtered by special machinery, after which it is exported to England, the United States, and the continent of Europe generally. Other articles of export dealt in by this firm are desiccated coconut, citronella oil, cinnamon oil, coir yarn, rope, poonac , fibres, and copra , principally to Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States. At Hikkaduwa, in the Southern Province, the firm owns a large coconut estate.

The founder of the firm was the son of a local merchant , who started business with his father at Tangalle, in the Southern Province. He is an ardent Buddhist, and renewed and equipped the temple at Ahangama, as well as the school at Gintota. He is a great friend of the poor, and is ever ready to help deserving cases which call for the exercise of charity. An admirable feature of the business is that there is a benevolent fund made up from a certain percentage of the turnover, and every year some 5,000 people are clothed and fed on a special almsgiving day. Mr. A. W. P. Don Davit , the senior partner, presides over the Galle house., Mr. A. W. P. Simon de Silva manages the Colombo branch, and Mr. A. W. P. Baron de Silva is general manager for India. The junior partners, who are smart business men, were educated at local colleges and Mr. Simon de Silva is a member of the Theosophical Society , besides being a keen sportsman.

Page 487

Photographs of Don Davit, Simon de Silva, Forage Works Colombo, The Family, Office Staff Colombo

Page 488

Photographs of  The Bungalow at Gintota, Galle; Fort Office Galle, Office Staff Galle, Coconut Oil Yard, Exterior of Store Galle, Interior of Store Galle.

 

EXTRACT FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE WEEKEND NEWSPAPER OF JUNE 24, 1968

 

MIGHTY MUDALALIS OF GALLE   BY WILLIAM PEIRIS

 

Mighty mudalalis flourished in Galle for about fifty years from the last quarter of the 19th century. Their type was rare indeed elsewhere in Ceylon.

 

Five of them stood in a class by themselves. They neither spoke English nor did they know their own language well. But they possessed great business acumen and made big fortunes. Shady methods they detested. They were honest and honourable men.

 

The entire import trade of the town was in their hands. Regular importers of rice, each of their weekly shipments was 50,000 bags. Their profit on a bag was 50 cents. Sugar , subsidiary foodstuffs textiles, cement, and other building materials , drugs and all kinds of consumer goods they imported in adequate quantities to meet the demand not only of Galle and the district but beyond too. They were both wholesalers and retailers of these commodities.

 

The prince among them was Davith mudalali (A.W.P. Don Davith). He had a branch establishment in Colombo as well in 4th Cross Street. As many as a hundred bullock carts used to call at his store each day for rice and other foodstuffs. A well built man of commanding personality , he wore a white cloth and coat and pair of leather sandals. He had his hair tied in a knot and adorned with a bright tortoise-shell circular comb (nemipana).  His well trimmed moustache added dignity to his handsome face.

 

He did not have the mudalali trait of the closed fist . He spent lavishly and was generous to his friends and relatives. He lived in grand style in a palatial mansion in Gintota and kept a fine pair of horses and an elegant phaeton. When the motor car made its appearance for the first time in the early years of the present century , he was among the first to purchase one. The first class carriage in the train was then the exclusive preserve of the 'white sahib' - the ruler of the land. But Davith mudalali refused to believe that he was inferior to the white man. He always travelled first class , sitting cheek by jowl with the European official and planter , much to the chagrin of the latter. He died comparatively young. His younger son did not carry on the business for long.

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MS Simon de Silva (1885–1958) of Gintota & East Africa
Royal Jeweller to the H. H. The Sultan of Zanzibar in the early 1900s

Mutuwa Sarukkalige Simon de Silva was an astute businessman, a well-known landed proprietor, a pioneer industrialist & a benevolent philanthropist from Gintota. His family name Sarukkalige is an ancient Karawa ancestral name that reflects a strong historical association with naval warriors, seafarers and coastguards.

(The Karava people of Sri Lanka, 17 April 2024, The "Sarukkali" Ancestral Name of Karava families)

Early Life in East Africa

Born at Gintota in 1885, Simon de Silva ventured overseas early in his life and established business enterprises in Zanzibar, Nyasaland (Malawi) and other East African countries. His career as a jeweller and businessman is mentioned in many East African trade journals of the era. Of special mention is his company in Zanzibar which had the distinction of being manufacturing jewellers by appointment to H.H. the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1919 and his company in Blantyre, Nyasaland (now commercial hub of Malawi), that dealt in a large variety of diamond and gem-set engagement rings, necklets and brooches and ebony and ivory carving. Extracts of some of these entries are reproduced below. One of his advertisements appearing in the Handbook of Nyasaland is reproduced below:

Family members have recalled that Simon de Silva owned gem & jewellery business establishments not only in Zanzibar and Blantyre, but also in Mozambique & Madagascar.

His business enterprises employed a large number of people, including Ceylonese. He was closely associated with the Sultan of Zanzibar & was awarded a medal by King George the Fifth for his outstanding business ventures, his contributions to cultural activities and his social services for the local community. An entry in the Nyasaland Government Gazette - Volume 47 - Page 51 shows that his business was still in operation in 1940, managed by William de Silva, MS Edward de Silva, Arnolis RTB, WM Ermanis de Silva etc. Unfortunately, some of the records were lost when the 2004 tsunami affected the ancestral home, but it is believed that his oversea business was in operation from about 1915 to 1945. Documented evidence confirms that Simon de Silva was a successful and highly regarded jeweller & businessman in East Africa. It may be added that there were other Ceylonese jewellers in East Africa at this time, & some of them were : HHM De Silva & Co., B Singho Appu & Co, DB Ranti de Silva & Bros. etc.

In addition to being a successful businessman, Simon de Silva was a much-loved and respected employer who won the confidence and appreciation of the large number of people who worked for him. This is evidenced by the silver tray and tea set that was presented to him by his employees in 1917 in Zanzibar as a testimony of their gratitude and esteem for his great ability and virtues. The tea set now in the possession of his daughter, Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Lalitha de Silva, domiciled in the UK, is shown below together with the names of the employees.

“This Tea Set is presented to Mr MS Simon de Silva as a testimony of Gratitude & Esteem for his great Ability & Virtues by his employees. 27.1.1917. Zanzibar”

Names of employees: M Girigoris, SK Gorge, K Richard, B Charles, TA Abeynayake, M Hendrick, BP Methew, SK Charles, JA James, DB Davith Hamy, KA Peris Hamy, LB. Davith Hamy, AM Ube Hamy

Extracts from East African Trade Journals

 

1) The South and East African Year Book & Guide - Volume 38

books.google.lk › books

1919 · ýSnippet view

FOUND INSIDE

By Special Appointment to HH THE SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR . MS SIMON DE SILVA ... BLANTYRE, NYASALAND . RICHARD & Co., MAIN ROAD, ZANZIBAR P.O. BOX 109 ... DE SILVA & BROTHERS SOLE PROPRIETOR: DB RANTI DE SILVA, ACACIA AVENUE ...

 

2) A Handbook of Nyasaland - Page xxviii

books.google.lk › books

Nyasaland, ýStephen Samuel Murray · 1922 · ýSnippet view

FOUND INSIDE – PAGE XXVIII

... Zanzibar . M. S. Simon de Silva & Co., MANUFACTURING JEWELLERS, BLANTYRE, IVORY CARVERS, and Dealers in Ebony, Curiosities, Brassware, :: and Ceylon Hand - made Lace . :: A large variety of Diamond and Gem - Set ENGAGEMENT RINGS ...

books.google.lk › books

1922

FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 302

The Directory of East Africa, Uganda & Zanzibar. EDUCATION. In Zanzibar Towr 1. GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS Government ... De Lord, ARP Ismailia Library 50 De Silva, HHM. 20 De SilvaMSSimon & Co. 10 De Sousa, A. C.


3) Nyasaland Government Gazette - Volume 47 - Page 51

books.google.lk › books

Nyasaland · 1940

FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 51

... Blantyre PH Fernandes, PO Box 13, Blantyre Remedios Fernandes, P.O. Box 13, Blantyre Manuel Francis ... De Silva, c / o M. S. Simon de Silva and Co., PO Box 57, Blantyre William De Silva, PO Box 57, Blantyre ...

 

4) Meier's Adreßbuch der Exporteure und Importeure

books.google.lk › books

[Anonymus AC02806168] · 1925

FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 47

... Silva, Ltd., P. O. B. 496 John Orr & Co., POB 17 Eduardo Silva & Co ... Blantyre Barclays Bank (D,C. & O.) (5) Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd ... MS Simon da Silva & Coy. (9, 42) Amarsi Vithaldas (3, 6, 41) Limbe ...

Simon de Silva was also a landed proprietor. He owned rubber estates, coconut plantations and rental properties at Gintota and at other locations in the Galle District. With competing commitments overseas and at home, he travelled from East Africa to Ceylon many times during his business career to attend to personal, property and other matters in Ceylon. His earliest visit back home would have been for his marriage to Nandawathie Wickramasooriya from an illustrious family at Kataluwa in 1917.

Matriarch of the Family

 It also appears that he was back in Ceylon in 1923 as shown by the Register of Voters for the Legislative Council Election for the Southern Province in 1923. His name appears in the Register alongside the name of Mutuwa Sarukkalige William de Silva who is likely to have been his brother. Having voting rights in Ceylon in the early 1920s is a noteworthy distinction because only people who had literacy or owned sufficient property and income were eligible to vote, which amounted to just 4% of the population at the time.( Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 5: Political polarization on communal lines, By KT Rajasingham).

 

An Extract from the Supplement to the Ceylon Government Gazette PART I. No. 7,328 — FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1923.
REGISTER OF VOTERS FOR THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE.
Prepared under “ The Ceylon (Legislative Council) Order in Council, 1920.” GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION, contains the following entries :
520 De Silva, Mutuwa Sarukkalige 254, Gintota, Galle
William
521 De Silva, Mutuwa Sarukkalige 254, Gintota, Galle
Simon

 

Simon de Silva’s family had been an affluent family at Gintota well before 1923. William de Silva’s name is mentioned in 1915 in relation to the last will and testament of Mutuwa Sarukkalige Baron de Silva, deceased, of Gintota. An order issued by the District Court of Galle in relation to this matter is reproduced below:

 

MS Baron de Silva was William de Silva's father. It is interesting to note that two of those who have submitted affidavits were the sons of KC Juanis de Silva who lived at No. 255 & of AWP Don Davit de Silva who lived at No. 264, both of whom were wealthy and leading businessmen of the country.

Simon de Silva had sufficient wealth even as early as 1910 to build a spacious mansion named 'Siri Giri', on Galle Rd, at the turn-off to the Gintota Railway Station, the premises of which extended up to the Galle - Colombo railway line.

His neighbours on either side were K.C. Juanis de Silva towards Colombo, & AWP Don Davit de Silva, towards Galle & he maintained close links with both families. Simon de Silva owned a horse-drawn carriage which he maintained right up to 1948 at a time when most people of means could afford only bullock-drawn buggy carts.

Later Years

 

Simon de Silva returned to Ceylon in his later years and opened a factory almost opposite his home, at Gintota, to manufacture soap for sale and distribution in the Southern Province. It was a significant industrial enterprise and is listed in Ferguson’s Ceylon Directory 1944 and 1946. (Ferguson’s Ceylon Directory 1944 p 387 [Ferguson’s Ceylon Directory 1946 p 366]

Simon de Silva and his wife were benefactors of the Gangathilaka Temple & other temples in the area. On two occasions, they offered alms to one hundred Buddhist monks at their spacious home at Gintota. They also helped the less fortunate people in the area.

Simon de Silva died at Gintota in 1958.

Ancestral Home

Unfortunately, Simon de Silva’s house was one of the houses that was affected by the December 2004 tsunami during which many mementos including photos were lost. A photo of the tsunami affected house & a description appears in the "Preliminary Survey of Tsunami-affected Monuments and Sites in the Maritime Region of Sri Lanka /Part Five: An Archaeological Survey of Tsunami Affected Historic Structures in the Municipality of Galle, Sri Lanka."

The photo & the description are reproduced below:

Tsunami affected Ancestral House – 2005

 *

Simon de Silva’s Family

Family Chart

MS Simon de Silva (1885-1958) of Gintota + Nandawathie Wickremasuriya of Kathaluwa

1. 1 Gnana (1920-2010) + HL Ratnapala d. 1994

1.1.1 Lilamani

1.1.2 Geetha (Canberra)

1.2 Maithripala (MSM) d. 2006 + Helen Ekanayake

1.3 Sirima d. 2006 + WM Weerakoon

1.3.1 Saman (Sydney)

1.3.2 Sandya

1.3.3 Ajith

1.4 Sumana d. 2011+ Reggie Siriwardena d. 2004

1.4.1 Amal

1.5 Piyaseeli d. 2005

1.6 Kusuma d. 2017

1.7 Indrapala d. 2025

1.8 Dr Lalitha +  Gemunu Weerasinghe (UK)

1.8.1 Ruwani (UK)

 

Simon de Silva and his wife had eight children, two sons and six daughters. The eldest Gnana de Silva was born in 1920 and the youngest Lalitha de Silva was born in 1940. They were all educated at St. Aloysius College, Galle, & Sacred Heart Convent, Galle. His horse-drawn carriage was used to take the children to school. The money he invested in his children’s education helped them achieve high academic distinction. Two of his daughters, Gnana and Sumana attained bachelor degrees in the 1940s at a time when girls’ higher education was rare in Ceylon.

Sacred Heart Convent Galle History, Highlights of the European Sisters Era, January 30, 2023 refers to the girls in the de Silva family from Gintota as a group of sisters who studied at the Convent as follows:

de Silva family from Gintota 

Girls in the family were Gnana, Sirima, Sumana, Piyaseeli, Kusuma & Lalitha. All of them studied at the Convent, & Gnana, Sirima,Sumana, Piyaseeli & Kusuma taught at the Convent for varying periods. Lalitha qualified as a Doctor.

 

1.1 Gnana, (BA Lond.), b. 1920 d. 2010,

 

 

Gnana was a former student and graduate teacher of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle. She was a very popular teacher of the school and taught students like Orlene De Silva, Amelia De Silva, Nancy Rathnavibushana, and Malini Senanayake who later became stalwarts of the school, supporting it with long-term commitment through good and bad times alike. After her marriage to HL Ratnapala, School Principal, she moved to the public school system and taught English, Pali and History. She worked tirelessly till her retirement in 1980, holding free extra classes for her students to ensure they achieved good results at the GCE OL and AL Examinations. She is remembered with love and gratitude by her students as an excellent, gentle and patient teacher.  They had two children, Lilamani & Geetha.

Gnana as a Graduate Teacher at Sacred Heart Convent, Galle.

1.2 Maithripala (MSM), MICE (UK), MIStructE(UK), d. 2006

 

Simon de Silva’s older son, MSM de Silva,, a brilliant Chartered Civil & Stuctural Engineer, who qualified in the UK, made a name for himself among the engineering community and also nationally, as a pioneer in the construction of earth dams during the period 1953 to 1982. He was associated with most of the major development projects undertaken by the state, including the Galoya, Udawalawe & Mahaweli Projects, representing either public sector institutions or private sector construction companies in senior engineering, managerial & consultancy positions. He was also the 1st General Manager of the State Development & Construction Corporation from Nov. 1971 to Dec. 1973. Over 50 years ago, Engineer CCT Fernando & he together established Engineering Consultants Ltd. (ECL), which today is a multi-disciplinary consulting company. He was Technical Adviser, Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs from 1973 to 1977 and Technical Secretary, River Valleys Development Board from 1977 to 1982.

 

Gamini Seneviratne, the then Additional Secretary at the Finance Ministry handling the Accelerated Mahaweli Project, in an article titled Vignettes of the Public Service-The Reservoirs, published on May 10, 2009, refers to the role of MSM as follows: “The big reservoirs were constructed by foreign firms, i.e., apart from Ulhitiya, constructed by the RVDB, incidentally providing MSM de Silva, that vishvakarma among our civil engineers, an opportunity to demonstrate the efficiency of our public sector in this area vis a vis our private sector: the CDE fell way behind with Ratkinda thereby delaying by a year or more the transfer of water from the Mahaweli to the Maduru Oya basin. MSM got that done.”

He married Helen Ekanayake & had no children.

Some of his articles in the public domain are :
Water shortage problems of Uva Wellassa in the South ; Water Resources of the South, Water Resources for Anuradhapura & Kurunegala; Samanalawewa: An Enormous Blunder; Rainfall : An Erratic Phenomenon; Kukule Ganga Hydropower Project

Gnana, Lalitha,  Sumana,  Piyaseeli. their mother, niece Geetha and Kusuma 1973

 

1.3 Sirima, d. 2006

Former Nursery School Teacher of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle, married WM Weerakoon. They had three children, Saman, Sandya and Ajith.

1.4 Sumana (BA Lond.), d. 2011.

Former Teacher of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle, moved to the public school system and later to Musaeus College. Married Reggie Siriwardena, d. 2004. They had a son, Amal.

 

Sumana, known to her friends as Sue, passed away on August 19, 2011 at the age of eighty-five. Born in Gintota, Galle she was a brilliant product of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle. She brought credit to her school at the OL examination by winning the all-island Pali prize. Her performance at the London Matriculation exam was outstanding. She attended Ananda College, to complete her higher studies in Pali, Sinhala and English. She obtained the BA Degree from the University of London and was one of the few candidates in Sri Lanka to offer this combination of languages at the degree level. She got her first teaching appointment at Sacred Heart Convent, Galle.

 

She married Regi Siriwardena d. 2004 her English Lecturer at Ananda College, in 1949. He was a University Academic, Journalist, Literary Critic, Script-Writer, Translator, Poet, and Playwright. She spent the next few years being a housewife and mother. The love she had for languages motivated her to study French in her spare time at the Alliance Francaise de Ceylan and once again she excelled. She translated a well-known French children’s book into Sinhalese.

 

1.5 Piyaseeli, d 2005. Remained a spinster.

 

1.6 Kusuma, BSc (Cey), GradDip (Ed), d. 2017.

Former Teacher of Sacred Heart Convent, Galle,​ later moved to Mahamaya Vidyalaya, Kandy,​ and to Sanghamitta Vidyalaya, Galle, where she served as Head Teacher, Science. Remained a spinster.

 

1.7 Indrapala, BSc (Cey), d. 2025.

 

 

 

Former Teacher of Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya, remained a bachelor.


1.8
Lalitha MBBS (Ceylon), FRC (Psych) UK, DPM UK

Worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist and a Specialist in Eating Disorders in    the U.K. She worked in a large Health Service Trust in Berkshire and also had a private practice in Harley Street, London. During her career, she made major contributions to the health service in the UK in academic, advisory, managerial and clinical roles, and was awarded a silver award for her exceptional services .

 

See her career details below

Lalitha MBBS (Cey), left her medical career in Sri Lanka and moved to the UK after her marriage to Gemunu Weerasinghe, a resident of the UK. She obtained MRC(PSY) and D.P.M in the U.K and was awarded the fellowships of FRC(PSY) and FRSM by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal Society of Medicine. Lalitha made major contributions to the health service in the UK in academic, advisory, managerial and clinical roles,

 

Lalitha was a Senior Tutor for medical students and junior doctors, and set up from scratch a training programme for junior psychiatrists. She was a Senior Examiner for the Final Specialist Examination in Psychiatry and was a Regional Advisor for Continuing Professional Development of senior psychiatrists. She also published papers in international journals and gave national and international presentations.

 

Lalitha served in a Regional Advisory role for doctors in the Oxford region, in a Senior Advisory role for the British Medical Association, and in a Senior Advisory and Assessor role for the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

 

Lalitha served as the Departmental Head and Clinical Director for a large public health care trust, and as the Medical Director for a private psychiatric hospital for many years.

 

Lalitha was the first female medical specialist in Eating Disorders in the Uk, and set up a comprehensive service from scratch for one million people in Berkshire, the first non-academic specialist unit in the UK. Through government-sponsored working parties and committees, she also contributed significantly to the development of regional and national services for eating disorders.

 

Lalitha won a silver award for her exceptional services in the UK.

 

 

L. Geetha, Lalitha, Sumana  Piyaseeli, their mother, Gnana & nephew Amal

R. Sandya (niece), Lalitha,Piyaseeli.Sirima and their mother

 

Memories of Family Members

 

Family members have fond memories of Simon de Silva and his family .

 

1) Lalitha’s memories of her father

When I was born as the youngest child of the family, my father, Simon de Silva, who had established several successful business enterprises in East Africa dealing in gold, silver, gems and ivory, had returned home to look after his domestic assets. Although he had left East Africa, I can still recall clearly the many stories he told us about his time there and about his travel back and forth between East Africa and home.

 

One of his fondest memories was his close association with the Sultan of Zanzibar, who invited him to his palace very often. On the Sultan’s recommendation, he was awarded a gold medal by King George the Fifth for his outstanding business ventures, his contributions to cultural activities and his social services for the local community. He proudly showed us the medal many times and told us he was only permitted to wear it if he was meeting officers appointed by Royalty, and that he wore it once when he had to be present in Court. Unfortunately, the medal was pinned to his coat when he died and was lost in the cremation.

 

He also told us other interesting stories about his stay in Africa – about mangoes which were very big and tasty, how he celebrated the New Year and Wesak, and how he helped the local community. He also mentioned how he used to take jewellery to cruise ships to sell them. Among his many stories of travel by sea, an amusing one is how he left for Africa on the ship’s deck but returned home first class.

 

My father was a knowledgeable person. He was very well informed about international politics and current events. He used to talk to us about the Titanic and the Korean War. He was also interested in health and was keen for us to eat healthy food. He encouraged us to eat boiled cabbage for dinner in addition to other curries and also made us take cod liver oil to maintain good health. Every evening, he would drink a cup of hibiscus tea made from fresh flowers.

 

My father was an open-minded person who liked to adopt food from other cultures. He showed us how to make sandwiches, and omelette at a time when they were barely known in Sri Lanka. He also made puhul dosi, milk toffee and maldive fish which involved quite an elaborate process.

 

With an innovative mind, creative ideas and an adventurous spirit, my father was a true entrepreneur. With his inborn business acumen to take calculated risks and create value, he started soap manufacturing as a new business after returning home from East Africa. He set up a soap factory at Gintota just across from his house and his soap manufacturing business became a great success. Visitors to the factory recall how he used to show them around explaining things in English. Having studied at Mahinda College, Galle, up to 16 years of age, he was fluent in both speaking and writing English.

 

Being the youngest child in a family of eight, I was only a teenager when my father passed away. However, his creativity and his love of trying out new things left a lasting and unforgettable impact on me, making me create new systems and innovate new ways of doing things throughout my medical career. 

 

 

L. Kusuma, Piyaseeli, Lalitha and husband Gemunu

R. Sirima her husband Weerakoon and her daughter Sandya and grand daughter Thakshila

 

2) Geetha’s memories of her grandfather’s family

I have only faint memories of my maternal grandfather, Simon de Silva. My only clear memory of him is his funeral, which was an impressive event attended by a large number of people. However, what remains ingrained in my mind to this day are my memories of my maternal grandmother, Nandawathie Wickramasooriya. Hailing from an illustrious family at Kataluwa in the Galle District, my grandmother was an intriguing character - resilient, persevering, sensible, fearless, and strong - and I remember her as the hub of the family. She was firm but kind; thrifty but generous; formidable but comforting; practical but warm-hearted. In short, she was ‘Mother Courage’ to us all. I also have clear memories of the rest of the family with their distinctive personalities. I remember Sirima as the fire brand, MSM (Merl) as the daredevil, Sumana (Sue) as the trend setter, Piyaseeli as the dove, Kusuma as the rationalist, Indrapala (Ivan) as the entertainer and Lalitha as the baby and the pet of the family. In spite of these differences, they were a united family and were there for one another whenever help was needed.

 

In the 1950s, when my sister and I were growing up in Galle, my mother, Gnana, used to visit her family at Gintota every weekend. We would go there on Saturday morning and return home in the evening and sometimes stayed there overnight too. The sprawling house with its two sunlit courtyards, terracotta tiled floors, beautiful ebony and marble furniture, and various fancy curios from Africa is still vivid in my memory. I can still remember the two yards on either side of the house – the larger one called ‘Loku Watta’ bordered by ‘Juanis Mudalali’s’ house and the smaller one called ‘Punchi Watta’ bordered by the Railway Station Road. There were plenty of nooks and crannies in the house to play hide and seek and plenty of spots in the big yard for imaginative play. Falling asleep at night to the gentle sound of the waves lapping in the distance is still a soothing memory I cherish to this day. The daily offering of alms to the Buddha in the fragrant shrine room, the annual alms-giving at the house on grandfather’s death anniversary, and getting up before dawn to make offerings to the colourful Katina Procession are some regular activities inseparably associated with my grandfather’s house and his family.

 

 

Gnana, her mother & daughters, Lilamani and Geetha

Today, my grandmother and most of the family have passed away and the splendid house my grandfather built is no more, but my memories are still fresh and alive as if things happened just yesterday.

Sources: Lalitha de Silva, Geetha Premaratne, KK de Silva