W. D. S. Abeygoonawardena

Wijesekera Don Simon Abeygoonawardena (3 October 1907 - 30 December 1975) was a Ceylonese businessman and politician. He served as a member of Parliament of Ceylon for Galle electorate, representing the United National Party.

Early life

Wijesekera Don Simon Abeygoonawardena was born on 3 October 1907, Naotunna, Matara, the third son of Wijesekara Don Diyonis Abeygoonawardena and Gimara Podi Hami née Kaluarachchi. He was educated at St. Aloysius' College (Galle), Mahinda College (Galle) and St. Peter's College (Colombo).

In 1934, at the age of 27, he started the first independent bus service, and by 1945 he was the managing director of the Galle Motor Bus Company. The company had a fleet of 126 buses, most of them were American manufactured Chevrolet buses, which were assembled in Abeygoonawardena's garage located at Pettigalawatte.

Political career

Abeygoonawardena entered politics joining the Sinhala Maha Sabha in 1945, at the request of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, and was the first regional president from Galle District.

He ran for the seat of Galle at the 3rd parliamentary election held in April 1956, where he was defeated by the sitting member, Wijeyananda Dahanayake, by 10,956 votes.
He subsequently defeated the Prime Minister, Dahanayake, at the Ceylonese parliamentary election held on 19 March 1960. Abeygoonawardena received 10,480 votes (49% of the total vote), defeating Dahanayake by 483 votes.
He lost however to Dahanayake a few months later at the 5th parliamentary election held on 20 July 1960, by 444 votes.

Six years later Abeygoonawardena was elected, uncontested, to the Bazaar Ward of the Galle Municipal Council, he went on to become the Mayor of Galle, serving in that position from 1965 to 1970.

In 1970 following the United National Party's refusal to nominate Abeygoonawardena as the party's candidate for the seat of Galle, the chief district organiser of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, W. T. Wijekulasuriya, invited Abeygoonawardena to contest the seat as the party's candidate. He toured the country in the company of Sirimavo Bandaranayake, and his speeches contributed greatly to that party's victory at the general election. He was unsuccessful in the seat of Galle, losing to the United National Party incumbent, Dahanayake, by 1,400 votes.

Social contributions

Patty Mahathmaya was the first to have his bus tickets printed in Sinhala, and his buses, there were special seats reserved for the clergy, from whom, he had issued instructions to his conductors, no charge was made for their travel, no matter what the distance. An ardent Sinhala Buddhist all his life, he devoted a great deal of time, money and attention to Buddhist affairs, and perhaps the most meritorious act he performed was in seeing to the restoration of the Chaitya at Mahiyangana.

He donated a block of land that he owned, and fully funded the construction of the Naotunna Junior School.

Ten years later he entered the Local Municipal politics, winning the Bazaar Ward quite easily.

While he was Mayor of Galle, he organised the Centenary celebrations of the council , at which he made a public request to the Prime Minister, Dudley Senanayake, to solve Galle's acute and long term water supply issues.

Today Galle has no water problem, thanks his devotion and energy. Abeygoonawardena became known to everyone in the country as Patty Mahathmaya of Galle.

Patty Mahathmaya was always ready to help those in need, particularly those who were from poor families. If there was a family quarrel, he would go personally and listen to both sides before pronouncing his "judgement" which was always accepted by those concerned, such was the love and respect people had for Patty Mahathmaya.

Personal life

Abeygoonawardena died in Galle on 30 December 1975, at the age of 68, and his wife died in 2009. They had seven children, the youngest, W. D. Shanthilal, still lives at his fathers house, Inland Hills, with his children and grand children.

References

External links

Galle Motor Bus Company

1907 births
Alumni of Mahinda College
Alumni of St. Peter's College, Colombo
Mayors of Galle
Members of the 4th Parliament of Ceylon
Sinhalese people
Sri Lankan businesspeople
United National Party politicians
1975 deaths

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