Cissy Cooray

Cissy Cooray, OBE (8 June 1889 - 6 November 1965) was a Ceylonese social worker and the first woman to be appointed to the Senate of Ceylon.[1]

She was a co-founder of the Lanka Mahila Samitiya in 1931,[2] which has since become the country's largest women's voluntary organisation, where she was a member for 35 years and the president for ten years between 1943 and 1953.[1][3] In 1941 she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for her work in social welfare services in Ceylon.[4] Cooray was also active in the Ceylon Social Service League and the Girl Guide movement.[1] In 1948 she was appointed as a member of the Senate of Ceylon a position she retained until 1952.[1][5]

Cooray died on 6 November 1965, at the age of 76.[6][7]


References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gunawardena, Charles A. (Ed) (2005). Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 89. ISBN 9781932705485.
  2. ↑ "Women who excelled in social activities and service in Sri Lanka". Sunday Times. 29 August 1999. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Handbook of the Lanka Mahila Samiti". Central Board of the Lanka Mahila Samiti. 1983: 17–18.
  4. ↑ "No. 35184". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1941. pp. 3281–3302.
  5. ↑ Ratnapala, Neetha S. (8 March 2003). "Women - the race is yet to be won". Daily News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  6. ↑ "Parliamentary Debates". 22 (16–27). Parliament of Ceylon. 1965: 2732.
  7. ↑ "Birth and death anniversaries from November 1 - November 7". Sunday Observer. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
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