Mollie Dunuwila Senanayake

Mollie Dunuwila Senanayake (née Dunuwila), was a Sri Lankan political matriarch. She was the first First Lady of Ceylon, when her husband Don Stephen Senanyake became Prime Minister of newly independent dominion in 1948. Her son Dudley was the second Prime Minister of Ceylon, in 1952.

Mollie Dunuwila Senanayake
Mollie Senanayake, from a 1950 publication.
Born
Mollie Dunuwila
Known forfirst First Lady of Ceylon (1948-1952)
Spouse(s)D. S. Senanayake
ChildrenDudley Shelton Senanayake

Early life

Mollie (or Molly) Dunuwila (or Dunuwille) was the daughter of R. R. Dunuwila and Grace Jayatilaka. Her father was in local government, serving as police magistrate and later as Secretary of the Colombo Municipal Council. Her maternal grandfather, Frederick Jayatilaka, was a judge.

Career

Mollie Senanayake became the first First Lady of Ceylon when the country became an independent dominion of the British Commonwealth in 1948. She hosted a dinner at the family's residence, the Temple Trees, as part of the independence celebration.[1] In her message to the United National Party, she wrote, "Let us devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the service of our motherland in the useful sphere of our homes, and build up a nation physically, intellectually, and morally second to no other nation in the world."[2]

Wedding of D. S. Senanayake and Mollie Dunuwila in 1910

Personal life

Dunuwila married D. S. Senanayake in 1910. They had two sons, Dudley Senanayake (1911-1973) and Robert Parakrama Senanayake (1913-1986). She was widowed when D. S. Senanayake died in 1952, in a riding accident.[3]

Her elder son succeeded her husband as Prime Minister.[4] Rukman Senanayake, a current Sri Lankan politician, is one of her grandchildren.[5] Wasantha Senanayake, also a current Sri Lankan politician, is one of her great-grandchildren.[6]

In the Sinhala film Nidahase Piya DS (2018), a biographical film about D. S. Senanayake, the character of Molly Dunuwila was played by actresses Thisuri Yuwanika (as a young woman) and her mother Susantha Chandramali (as an older woman).[7]

References
  1. Hankinson, W. C. (1948). "Ceylon Independence Celebrations". British Documents on Foreign Affairs: 178.
  2. Hain, Gladys (March 29, 1950). "In Ceylon They Take Their Politics Seriously". The Argus. p. 10. Retrieved November 29, 2019 – via Trove.
  3. Wijenayake, Walter (March 22, 2010). "D. S. Senanayake: A leader with extraordinary vision". The Island. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  4. "Senanayake's Son Accepts". Sydney Morning Herald. March 26, 1952. p. 3. Retrieved November 29, 2019 – via Trove.
  5. "Rukman Senanayake | The Senanayakes'". Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  6. "Vasantha Senanayake (1973) | The Senanayakes'". Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  7. soma (2018-07-11). "Biopic on first prime minister of Sri Lanka is a well crafted Sinhala film". newstrails.com. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
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