Where service to Buddhist education is concerned, he started the Kalutara Vidyalaya by gifting his private property. A few years later, he started the Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya by gifting his own house and proper. To start with, both schools had been of great service to the area and today, they stand as prominent schools in the Kalutara District, thanks to Sir Cyril.

We are commemorating today the 30th death anniversary of a great National Leader, a pioneering Buddhist Leader: the former President of the Senate, Industrialist, Lawyer and undoubtedly a noble personality unsurpassed, Sir Cyril de Zoysa.

At the end of the 19th century in our country, fortunately several great people were born and they served the country in the 19th Century. The great Anagarika Dharmpala, who pioneered the revival of Buddhism and Buddhist culture, Sir D. B. Jayatillake, Buddhist leader, Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara, D. S. Senanayake, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike naturally comes to mind. They did so much for the country, its people, Buddhism and culture, education and development.

Sir Cyril happened to be one such great person from Balapitiya where the indomitable Venerable Migettuwatte Guananda thero was from.

He was born at Welitara where his father had built his house and lived - in close proximity and almost on the other side of the road leading to Maha Kappina Walawwa, where several generations of Maha Mudaliyars had lived (including Maha Mudaliyars Adrian Rajapakse around 1750 who owned the entirety of the present Cinnamon Gardens, which was in fact his Cinnamon Estate and Maha Mudliyar Tudor Rajapakse who donated the land on which Ananda College, my alma mater is situated today.

His fortunate parents were mother Harriet and father Soloman de Zoysa, a Notary. He was the second eldest child of a family of five, who was destined to excel. As his father then was practicing at Matara, he had his early education at St. Thomas' College Matara and at Richmond College Galle. Thereafter, he entered Royal College - Colombo where among his classmates were: Sir Nichoals Attygalle and Sir John Kotalawela. After completing his Cambridge Senior Examination successfully, he joined the Ceylon Law College and passed out as a Lawyer.

As a young lawyer, he started practicing at Balapitiya Courts. After about an year, having got the bright idea of shifting to a bigger town, he moved to salubrious Kalutare which is closer to Colombo and just 30 km from Balapitiya.

He enjoyed a lucrative practice at the Kalutara Courts and was well known as a able criminal lawyer. Subsequently, he started a partnership with another lawyer. Later on he became a minister. While practising as a lawyer, he embarked on a business venture with a single bus i.e. Swarnapali Bus Service, later transformed into the South-Western Bus Company, a massive transport service in the country. At the same time, he started putting up a wall round the Bo-tree at Kalutara, adjoining the river, Kaluganga - between the Railway line and the highway.

Collections from his buses and other Buddhists, facilitated the upkeep and the development work, as especially it became custom for almost every passenger of a bus on its daily run to contribute his or her mite by way of a tribute to this holy site.

It was well known even then, that every cent was intiliged for this sacred purpose.

The transport business he started around 1930 with one single bus ended up by the nationalisation in 1958 with the largest fleet of buses serving especially the West and the South at a time when South Western Bus Company had a huge fleet of buses including double deckers. However, heavier the workload professionally and in business, he daily looked into the affairs of the Bodhi. He was mainly responsible for the formation of the Kalutara YMBA in 1931.

Around 1940, he was elected Mayor of Kulutra and did a tremendous service to the people in his adopted hometown.

Where service to the Buddhist education was concerned, he started the Kalutara Vidyalaya by gifting his private property and a few years later he started the Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya by gifting his own house and property. To start with, both schools had been of great service to the area and today they stand as prominent schools in the Kalutara District, thanks to Sir Cyril.

By this time, the Kalutara Bodhi had expanded by adding a shrine room and a Pagoda. His idea was to get a land with the hillock on the other side of Galle road, which in no time he managed to obtain. A huge Watada Seya was constructed on this hillock which is not only a landmark in Sri Lanka, but also a unique figure as no where in the world could we see such a magnificent edifice for the Buddhists to worship.

Sir Cyril’s himself prepared the original designs and supervised the construction and saw to it that it was completed before he passed away. Only during the good old days of Anuradhapura and Polnnaruwa periods could we see structures of such magnitude being erected.

The Kalutara Bodhi Trust was established around 1951. All those works had been undertaken and managed by this Trust with Sir Cyril as the Founder President. The services rendered to the Bodhi and to the District especially through the Dhamma schools and temple are being managed today by the Trust where his nephews, Kingsly Wickramaratne as Secretary and Deshabandu Tilak de Sozya and Ajitha de Zoysa providing able leadership as President. The massive preaching hall by the side of the Watada Seya provides facilities for thousands to observe ‘Sil’ on poya days in addition to preaching.

The grateful public has erected a statue of Sir Cyril in the vicinity of the Kalutara Bodhi, and also in the Balapitiya town.

After the demise of Sir Ernest de Silva, Sir Cyril became the President of the Colombo Y.M.B.A. As a gogetter and leader Sir Cyril placed the affairs of the Y.M.B.A. on a firm footing. He personally contributed a lot especially by constructing at his own expens and gifting a well equipped hall to the institution in Colombo in memory of his parents.

The multi storeyed Y.M.B.A. building in Fort, came up mainly due to his efforts while his personal financial contributions was of great help to complete the project. The magnificent shirine room next to the building constructed at his own expense had also been a gift to the Buddhist people of this country.

Building projects generate an income for the upkeep and the activities of the organisation due to his farsightedness. The grateful members of the Y.M.B.A. decided and named this building in Fort as 'Sir Cyril de Zoysa Building' in order to honour and perpetuate his name.

The reconstruction of the historic Katagama Kirivehera, did not succeed despite efforts made by many. Sir Cyril headed the restoration committee and work progressed steadily and was crowned with the pinnacle. He got the Chudamanikayaya from Sam Wimalaratne and handed over the successfully renovated Kirivehera to the Buddhists in Sri Lanka.

He admired the Mahasangha and understood their difficulties too, helping them in their educational affairs. The morning meals for the monks at Saddharmakara Pirivena, Pinwatte, Panadura was supplied daily over a period of five years (1954-1959) at his expense. He also contributed vast amounts out of his wealth for the upkeep of institutions like Vidyodaya Maha Pirivena Maligakanda, Jayasekararamaya in Kuppiyawatte, Vajiraramaya in Bambalapitiya, Gangaramaya in Hunupitiya, Kandeviharaya in Alutgama, Rajamahaviharaya, Bellanwila, Aranaya Seasanaya, Morogalle and Gangathilaka Viharaya, Kalutara. Pilgrims rests in Kataragama and Polonnaruwa were constructed for the benefit of Buddhist pilgrims, was also one of his generous acts in addition to the elders home in Kalutara.

For the propogation of Buddhism in the west, he helped construct the London Buddhist temple, and the Berlin Buddhist temple.

He admired and respected his religion and likewise respected other religions. He was once invited to participate at the centenary celebrations of the church at Kalutara, where he was invited by the custodians of the church to take over the premises and give them a suitable land for the construction of the church. He promptly turned down the offer saying that the church had existed for a century and should not be demilished.

In his farther’s house and property he started a textile factory and gave employment to over 1000 people in the area which was a great consolation to the needy people of the area.

Sir Cyril was appointed to the Senate in order to contribute his experiences for the good of the country. He was Vice-President of the Senate for a period of five years and President of the Senate for eight years.

Qualities of a Anathapindika i.e. a great benefactor with unlimited generocity and a Parakramabahu, men of action, determination and vision was found in Sir Cyril where he could be called a Bodhisatva or a Mahapurusha.

Considering his valuable services to society over a period of time, he was knighted in 1951. The entire country especially the Buddhists, honoured him for the services rendered to the country.

He was Chairman of the CNAPT and headed the Scouts Movement.

As Chairman of the Law Society for over a decade, he was responsible for putting up a three storeyed building for the benefit of lawyers at Hulftsdorp.

His improachable conduct, far sightedness in business and also in religious affairs, self confidence and determination, fearlessness, extreme faith in religion, were some of the main characteristic featheres. He had Sraddha and Pragna in abundance.

A great personality, known over the country as the ‘double deckar personality’, he inspired many business personalities as well. He chaired several big companies on invitation.

He was born on 26th October 1896 and passed away on 2nd January 1978.

During the last stages in his life, Sir Cyril in an interviews with the press had said: "Now I am a free man. All that wealth is empty. I was born without any wealth and shall die without any. The happiness and consolation is Buddhism. As long as I live Gods will protect me". Lord Buddha has said even self is not to the self.

Continuity increases the glory of him, who is striving and is mindful, pure in deeds, restrained well considered, righteous and heedful.