Mollie Dunuwila Senanayake

Mollie Dunuwila Senanayake (née Dunuwila), was a Sri Lankan public figure, she was the wife of Don Stephen Senanyake, who became Prime Minister of newly independent dominion in 1948. Her son Dudley was the second Prime Minister of Ceylon, in 1952.

Mollie Dunuwila Senanayake
A middle-aged South Asian woman's face, from a 1950 newspaper. She is wearing beads around her neck and dangling earrings.
Mollie Senanayake, from a 1950 publication.
Born
Mollie Dunuwila
SpouseD. 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 an officer in the Ceylon Civil Service and had served as the District Judge of Kalutara.

Marriage

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.[1]

Mollie Senanayake became the wife of the premier of Ceylon, when the country became an independent dominion of the British Commonwealth in 1948. She hosted a dinner at the official residence, the Temple Trees, as part of the independence celebration.[2] 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."[3]

A faded sepia-toned wedding portrait from Sri Lanka; the groom is standing in a long frockcoat; the bride is seated in a white gown and veil, with a large bouquet on her lap.
Wedding of D. S. Senanayake and Mollie Dunuwila in 1910

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. Wijenayake, Walter (March 22, 2010). "D. S. Senanayake: A leader with extraordinary vision". The Island. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  2. Hankinson, W. C. (1948). "Ceylon Independence Celebrations". British Documents on Foreign Affairs: 178. ISBN 9781556557682.
  3. Hain, Gladys (March 29, 1950). "In Ceylon They Take Their Politics Seriously". The Argus. p. 10. Retrieved November 29, 2019 – via Trove.
  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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