Sir Ernest Peter Arnold Fernando, (7 February 1904 - 3 December 1956) was a Ceylonese businessman and mine owner. He was the owner of the

Bogala Graphite Mine Bogala Graphite Mine ( si, බොගල ග්‍රැෆයිට් පතල) is a graphite mine located near the village of Aruggammana in Kegalle District, Sabaragamuwa Province. It is one of the largest graphite mines in Sri Lanka, with c ...

, one of the largest

graphite Graphite () is a crystalline form of the element carbon. It consists of stacked layers of graphene. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on lar ...

mines in Ceylon. A patron of the arts, he gifted the building to establish the first school of national dance, the ''Kalayathanaya'' by Chitrasena. Ernest Peter Arnold Fernando was born on 7 February 1904, the second son of Merenyagé Arnolis Fernando, a graphite mine owner. He founded the Carlton Club Moratuwa, a tennis and social club, on 23 September 1923. In 1927 he married Gymara Wickramasooriya (?-2004), daughter of Jandoris Wickramasooriya and Celestina de Silva. They had a daughter, Sirane (?-2009), who married T. Gamini Perera. Fernando was appointed a

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

(CBE) in the 1954 Birthday Honours and was knighted as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

in the 1955 Birthday Honours for public services. Sir Ernest Fernando Trophy is annually awarded by the

Royal Colombo Golf Club The Royal Colombo Golf Club is the oldest golf club in Sri Lanka. Established in 1880, it is located in the capital city of Colombo at ''The Ridgeway Links'' also known as the ''Anderson Golf Course''. It is home to the Sri Lanka Golf Union, the ...

. His nephew, Gerald Wickremasooriya was responsible for setting up the first major Sri Lankan music label, Sooriya Records.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Ernest Peter Arnold 1904 births 1956 deaths Sinhalese businesspeople People from British Ceylon Ceylonese Knights Bachelor Ceylonese Commanders of the Order of the British Empire