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Ceylon Society - Colombo ChapterIn October 2006, the Committee of the Ceylon Society of Australia decided to explore the feasibility of establishing a Chapter in Sri Lanka after consulting with members who were resident in Sri Lanka. This task was undertaken by Mike Udabage, Daya Wickrematunga and Somasiri Devendra as Chief Convener. Members resident in Sri Lanka were asked about this proposal and an enthusiastic response was received. Foundation Meeting The decision to formally inaugurate the Colombo Chapter was made at a meeting on 14 January 2007. The interim office bearers were Somasiri Devendra (President), Daya Wickramatunga (Secretary) and Mike Udabage (Treasurer). They drafted a constitution and opened a bank account to enable members to pay subscriptions locally. A Membership Committee was also elected to formulate guidelines and procedures for the selection of new members. Those service on this Committee were Lalith Ambani, Brian Elias, Dr Brendon Gooneratne, Prof Yasmin Gooneratne, Dr Ravi Perera and Mohan Rajasingham. The other Founder Members of the Colombo Chapter of the Ceylon Society of Australia are:
First Meeting and Committee The first meeting of the Colombo Chapter was held on 2 June 2007, attended by about 60 people including Hugh Karunanayake, Vama Vamadevan and the late David Goodrich. The Foundation Office Bearers elected were:
Somasiri Devendra delivered the first address on the topic of "Colombo: Capital city and port - Past, Present, Future?" and this was followed by Dr Brendon Gooneratne with his talk on "Robert Knox in the Kandyan Kingdom". Guest Speakers and their presentationsThe Colombo Chapter thanks all the guest speakers that have made excellent presentations since that first meeting on 2 June 2007. |
