Edirimanne Corea Family Union
Encyclopedia
The Edirimanne Corea Family Union (ECFU) is a group set up to 'foster interaction' among the members of the powerful Corea family
in the island of Sri Lanka
. The Corea family is one of the leading families of Sri Lanka. They trace their ancestry to Dominicus Corea
also known as Edirille Rala who was crowned King of Kotte
and Sitawaka in Sri Lanka - Dominicus Corea was born in Colombo in 1565.
Dominicus Corea, the warrior king, rebelled against the colonial Portugese
forces and waged war against them. He was eventually captured by the Portugese and executed on July 14, 1596, at the age of 31 in Colombo
. "Such was the sad end of Domingos Corea, Edirimana Suriya Bandara, the greatest Sinhalese
of his day," said Sri Lankan historian John M. Seneviratna. 'Great Warriors like Mayadunne, Veediya Bandara, Seethawaka Rajasinghe, Vimaladharmasuriya I, Senarath, Rajasinghe II, Nikapitiye Bandara and Edirille Rala who fought the Portuguese to preserve our territorial integrity and kept the Portuguese at bay despite all odds,' wrote Janaka Perera in the Asian Tribune.
group with a history going back to Portuguese rule when they were warriors to Sinhala kings. During Dutch and British rule, members of the family were officials serving the state in various ways and rewarded with titles.Some members of the family took to the legal and medical professions, most notably the sons of Charles Edward Corea (a solicitor), who were active in local politics and in the Chilaw Association which campaigned against British land policies - especially the Waste Lands Ordinance, and for political reforms. The most active of Corea's sons was C.E.(Charles Edgar) who spoke up for peasant rights and was militant in his stand against the government. He was President of the Ceylon National Congress in 1924. C.E.Corea's brother, Alfred Ernest, was a doctor and the youngest Victor Corea was a lawyer who achieved fame for leading a campaign (and going to jail) in 1922 to protest the Poll Tax on all males; he was the first President of the Ceylon Labour Union led by A.E.Goonesinha and was active in th Ceylon Labour Party. While being professionals and political activists, the Coreas were also important landowners. '
The ECFU group according to the Daily News of Sri Lanka was set up in the 1970s. The Corea family that hails from Chilaw and has produced freedom fighters, members of the Legislative Council, State Council, House of Representatives, the diplomatic corps, broadcasting and print media and professionals in many fields, are knit together by an active family union.
Various buildings in Chilaw have been named after Srikuradas Charles Shirley Corea and Harindra Corea
who represented the town as members of parliament. Charles Edgar Corea
and Victor Corea
tirelessly campaigned for the freedom of Sri Lanka - from British rule. They founded the Chilaw Association and were founder members of the Ceylon National Congress.
They were also elected members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
. Mahatma Gandhi
recognising the contribution made by the Coreas to the independence movement in Ceylon, visited Chilaw and stayed with the Corea Family in a house called 'Sigiriya' during his only visit to the island in 1927.
A recent Annual General Meeting of the Edirimanne Corea Family Union and Members' Day-Out was held at the Leisure Lounge of the 'Ambalama' in Hanwella and the old and the young took their chance to meet, greet, unwind, relax and carry home memories of the warmth and intimacy of a family
legacy
. Singing
, dancing and games replete with prizes and surprises filled the air. Nearly one-hundred members of the Corea family met to elect the following Office Bearers for 2010/2011 :
Patron :Dr Vijaya Corea; President: Dr Eugene Corea; Vice Presidents : Nirmali Jayasekera and Surangani Ameresekere; Secretary : Neville S.Weerasekera; Asst Secretary : Patsy Abeyasekera; Treasurer : Suvendreni Y. Weerasekera; Assistant Treasurer : Ranmal Goonetillake; Committee : Gerry de Alwis, Christabelle Aturupane, Priya Samarasinghe, Dukshi Goonetillake, Lilani Corea Dharmaratne, Shiranee Gunawardene, Amal Jayasekera, Wimal Perera; Entertainment Sub-Committee: Gamini de Silva, Shanika Peiris and Nihal Corea.
- Dr. Mirando Obeysekere, Daily News, Sri Lanka.
in the island of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The Corea family is one of the leading families of Sri Lanka. They trace their ancestry to Dominicus Corea
Dominicus Corea
Dominicus Corea also known as Domingos Corea and Edirille Rala, was the son of Don Jeronimo Corea and Anna Corea. Don Jeronimo Corea was also known as Mudaliyar Vikramasinha, Commander-in-Chief of King Mayadunne's army....
also known as Edirille Rala who was crowned King of Kotte
Kotte
Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte , also known as Sri Jayawardenapura or Kotte කෝට්ටේ, is the administrative capital of Sri Lanka. It is located beyond the eastern suburbs of the commercial capital Colombo and is often called New Capital Territory...
and Sitawaka in Sri Lanka - Dominicus Corea was born in Colombo in 1565.
Edirille Rala, King Dominicus Corea of Sri Lanka
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
forces and waged war against them. He was eventually captured by the Portugese and executed on July 14, 1596, at the age of 31 in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. "Such was the sad end of Domingos Corea, Edirimana Suriya Bandara, the greatest Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...
of his day," said Sri Lankan historian John M. Seneviratna. 'Great Warriors like Mayadunne, Veediya Bandara, Seethawaka Rajasinghe, Vimaladharmasuriya I, Senarath, Rajasinghe II, Nikapitiye Bandara and Edirille Rala who fought the Portuguese to preserve our territorial integrity and kept the Portuguese at bay despite all odds,' wrote Janaka Perera in the Asian Tribune.
The Corea Family from Chilaw
Kumari Jayawardena, the Sri Lankan author, writing about the Coreas observed: 'Unconnected to the liquor trade but making their money on plantation ventures was the Corea Family of Chilaw, an influential govigamaGovigama
Govi, Govigama, Goigama, Goygama, Goyigama, Goviyo is the most influential and the dominant Caste in Sri Lanka and certainly comes as the leading cast in the hierarchy of cast system in Sri Lanka.The term Govi denotes farmer.From time immemorial the Govigama have been the landlords and have been...
group with a history going back to Portuguese rule when they were warriors to Sinhala kings. During Dutch and British rule, members of the family were officials serving the state in various ways and rewarded with titles.Some members of the family took to the legal and medical professions, most notably the sons of Charles Edward Corea (a solicitor), who were active in local politics and in the Chilaw Association which campaigned against British land policies - especially the Waste Lands Ordinance, and for political reforms. The most active of Corea's sons was C.E.(Charles Edgar) who spoke up for peasant rights and was militant in his stand against the government. He was President of the Ceylon National Congress in 1924. C.E.Corea's brother, Alfred Ernest, was a doctor and the youngest Victor Corea was a lawyer who achieved fame for leading a campaign (and going to jail) in 1922 to protest the Poll Tax on all males; he was the first President of the Ceylon Labour Union led by A.E.Goonesinha and was active in th Ceylon Labour Party. While being professionals and political activists, the Coreas were also important landowners. '
The ECFU group according to the Daily News of Sri Lanka was set up in the 1970s. The Corea family that hails from Chilaw and has produced freedom fighters, members of the Legislative Council, State Council, House of Representatives, the diplomatic corps, broadcasting and print media and professionals in many fields, are knit together by an active family union.
Various buildings in Chilaw have been named after Srikuradas Charles Shirley Corea and Harindra Corea
Harindra Corea
Harindra Corea Barrister-at-Law, Attorney-at-Law, was a prominent Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament, who represented Chilaw, he was member of the United National Party of Sri Lanka. Harindra Corea was born in Colombo. His father was the illustrious politician and diplomat, Sir Claude...
who represented the town as members of parliament. Charles Edgar Corea
Charles Edgar Corea
-Early life:C.E.Corea was born in the west coast town of Chilaw, in Sri Lanka. His parents were Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea, a leading lawyer from Chilaw and Henritta Seneviratne. He was educated at the premier institution, Royal College Colombo where he excelled in his studies. He earned a...
and Victor Corea
Victor Corea
Charles Edward Victor Seneviratne Corea was born in Chilaw, Sri Lanka on 29 January 1871 to Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea, a famous lawyer, and Henrietta Seneviratne. He was the youngest out of five children, three boys and two girls, Charles Edgar Corea, James Alfred Ernest Corea, Agnes Corea...
tirelessly campaigned for the freedom of Sri Lanka - from British rule. They founded the Chilaw Association and were founder members of the Ceylon National Congress.
They were also elected members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
Legislative Council of Ceylon
The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of representative government in the island...
. Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
recognising the contribution made by the Coreas to the independence movement in Ceylon, visited Chilaw and stayed with the Corea Family in a house called 'Sigiriya' during his only visit to the island in 1927.
A recent Annual General Meeting of the Edirimanne Corea Family Union and Members' Day-Out was held at the Leisure Lounge of the 'Ambalama' in Hanwella and the old and the young took their chance to meet, greet, unwind, relax and carry home memories of the warmth and intimacy of a family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
legacy
Legacy
-Comics:* Legacy , an alias used by Genis-Vell, better known as Captain Marvel* "Batman: Legacy", a 1996 Batman storyline* Star Wars: Legacy, a 2006 series from Dark Horse* X-Men: Legacy, a 1991 series from Marvel Comics...
. Singing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, dancing and games replete with prizes and surprises filled the air. Nearly one-hundred members of the Corea family met to elect the following Office Bearers for 2010/2011 :
Patron :Dr Vijaya Corea; President: Dr Eugene Corea; Vice Presidents : Nirmali Jayasekera and Surangani Ameresekere; Secretary : Neville S.Weerasekera; Asst Secretary : Patsy Abeyasekera; Treasurer : Suvendreni Y. Weerasekera; Assistant Treasurer : Ranmal Goonetillake; Committee : Gerry de Alwis, Christabelle Aturupane, Priya Samarasinghe, Dukshi Goonetillake, Lilani Corea Dharmaratne, Shiranee Gunawardene, Amal Jayasekera, Wimal Perera; Entertainment Sub-Committee: Gamini de Silva, Shanika Peiris and Nihal Corea.
Quotes about the Edirimane Corea Family Union
'The Corea Family Union was formed with the descendants of Dominicus Corea, alias Edirille Rala who had rendered a immortal service to protect the country from Portuguese invasion. It is notable to write that the Corea Union is open to all the descendants of Dominicus Corea.'- Dr. Mirando Obeysekere, Daily News, Sri Lanka.
See also
- Dominicus CoreaDominicus CoreaDominicus Corea also known as Domingos Corea and Edirille Rala, was the son of Don Jeronimo Corea and Anna Corea. Don Jeronimo Corea was also known as Mudaliyar Vikramasinha, Commander-in-Chief of King Mayadunne's army....
- Charles Edgar CoreaCharles Edgar Corea-Early life:C.E.Corea was born in the west coast town of Chilaw, in Sri Lanka. His parents were Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea, a leading lawyer from Chilaw and Henritta Seneviratne. He was educated at the premier institution, Royal College Colombo where he excelled in his studies. He earned a...
- Victor CoreaVictor CoreaCharles Edward Victor Seneviratne Corea was born in Chilaw, Sri Lanka on 29 January 1871 to Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea, a famous lawyer, and Henrietta Seneviratne. He was the youngest out of five children, three boys and two girls, Charles Edgar Corea, James Alfred Ernest Corea, Agnes Corea...
- James Alfred Ernest CoreaJames Alfred Ernest CoreaDr James Alfred Ernest Corea was a Sri Lankan public official. He was born in 1870. His father was Charles Edward Bandaranaike Corea who was a Proctor of the Supreme Court. His mother was Henrietta Seneviratne. J.A.E Corea's father died in 1872 when his youngest son Victor was just one...
- Gate Mudaliyar James Edward CoreaGate Mudaliyar James Edward Corea-Early life:Gate Mudaliyar James Edward Corea was born in Chilaw, on the west coast of Sri Lanka, on the 2nd of December 1865. His father was Johannes Christoffel Corea who was a Mudaliyar of the Chilaw District....
- Gamani CoreaGamani CoreaDeshamanya Gamani Corea is a Sri Lankan economist, civil servant and diplomat. He was the former Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1974 to 1984, Ceylon's Ambassador to the EEC, Belgium, Luxembourg and...
- Claude CoreaClaude CoreaSir George Claude Stanley Corea was a Sri Lankan politician and diplomat.-Family background:He was born on 29 January 1894 to a well known Ceylonese political family hailing from the Western seaboard town of Chilaw. His father was Alfred Winzer Corea who was an officer in government police and his...
- Ivan Corea
- Vernon CoreaVernon CoreaVernon Corea was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation...
- Ernest CoreaErnest Corea-Early life:Corea was born in Kurana, Katunayake in Ceylon.His parents were Reverend Canon Ivan Corea and Ouida Corea, and was the brother of Vernon Corea a pioneering broadcaster with Radio Ceylon/SLBC and Ethinic Minorities Adviser to the BBC. Rev. Corea was Rural Dean of Colombo in the Church...
- Vijaya CoreaVijaya CoreaVijaya Corea is a radio and television broadcaster and one of Sri Lanka's most well known media personalities. Corea is a household name in Sri Lanka, synonymous with broadcasting and show business for over four decades, and has often been referred to as Sri Lanka's #1 Compere.-Early life:He grew...
- J.C.A. CoreaJ.C.A. CoreaJames Clifford Aelian Corea was a Sri Lankan educationist. He was the former Principal of Royal College Colombo.-Early Life:Born in the coastal town of Chilaw in Ceylon in 1904, he was educated at Royal College Colombo, then gained a MA in Psychology from the University of London and a Diploma in...
- Mahatma Gandhi's visit to Chilaw, Sri LankaMahatma Gandhi's visit to Chilaw, Sri LankaMahatma Gandhi the 'Father of India,' paid a historic visit to Ceylon in 1927 on his first and only visit to the island. He was invited to Chilaw by the famed freedom fighters of Sri Lanka, Charles Edgar Corea and his brother Victor Corea....
- List of political families in Sri Lanka
External links
- Edirmanne Corea Family Union Facebook Page
- The ECFU Youth Club Facebook Page
- Dominicus Corea - King of Kotte
- Veediya Bandara Seeks Refuge - reference to Edirille Rala, Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
- The End of Edirille Rala (King Domingos Corea, Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
- The Fall of a Warrior - Edirille Bandara, Book Review, Daily News, Sri Lanka
- Facebook Public Figure Page on Edirille Rala - King Dominicus Corea
- Vernon Corea The Golden Voice of Radio Ceylon
- Blog on Vernon Corea 1927-2002
- Mahatma Gandhi and the Corea Family of Chilaw
- References to King Dominicus Corea in Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon by Arnold Wright
- Reference to Edirille Bandara in Lanka Library
- The Family Gatherings of Sri Lankan Society By Dr. Mirando Obeysekere, Daily News, Sri Lanka