Major Lionel Victor Gooneratne, ED (1893-1971) was a Sri Lankan educationist and a municipal councillor. He was the Chairman of the

Dehiwala Dehiwala is a suburban area in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It lies within the administrative boundaries of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. It is known for the zoo which houses thousands of animals and hundreds of species. 2019 Easter Sunday a ...

Urban Council The Urban Council (UrbCo) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Servic ...

and the first

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Dehiwala - Mt Lavinia. Educated at

Royal College Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janu ...

, Gooneratne entered the Training College English School before taking up a teaching position at Royal College Colombo. He served as Master at Royal College for 25 years from 1917 to 1942. Having been a cadet in his school days, Gooneratne was commissioned as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in 1923 in the Ceylon Cadet Battalion which was at the time part of the

Ceylon Defence Force The Ceylon Defence Force (CDF) was established in 1910 by the Ceylonese legislation ''Ceylon Defence Force Ordinance'', which reformed the Ceylon Volunteer Force (CVF) that existed previously as the military reserve in the British Crown colony ...

and was later promoted to captain. He served as Commanding Officer, Junior Cadets of the Cadet Battalion. In 1942, after retiring from Royal College, he joined the regular

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

on secondment, promoted to the rank of Major and served as the Deputy Recruitment Officer, Ceylon. He was award the

Efficiency Decoration The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twe ...

on completion of ten years of service.Forgotten war veterans of World War II
/ref> He was a Justice of the peace. Gooneratne was elected to the Urban Council of Dehiwala and served as its chairmen until 1961 when the council was upgraded to a

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

. He became the first Mayor of Dehiwala - Mt Lavini and served in the post until his death in 1971. Gooneratne was a council member of the Royal College Union and served in the Board of Governors of the Royal College Hostel. The'' Major L V Gooneratne Mawatha'' (Avenue) in Dehiwala was named in his memory, as well as the ''Major L V & Mrs Rhoda Gooneratne Memorial Endowment'' was established at Royal College. His younger son C. V. Gunaratne was also elected to the Dehiwala Municipal Council and later became the Cabinet Minister of Industries Development.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goonaratne, L. V. 1893 births 1971 deaths Mayors of places in Sri Lanka People from Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Ceylonese military personnel British Army personnel of World War II Ceylon Cadet Corps officers Sinhalese teachers Sri Lankan educational theorists Sri Lankan Christians Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Faculty of Royal College, Colombo Sri Lankan justices of the peace