Monty Ranawake
| First name | Monty |
|---|---|
| Last name | Ranawake |
| Country of Origin | Sri Lanka |
| Date of Birth | 4/23/1932 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1974 |
| Submitted by | Siri Ranawake |
Story
A British Governor of the Crown Colony of Ceylon bemoaned in the early 20th century the rise of a new elite – anglicised and western-educated and hence alienated from the ordinary people. Both Monty and Siri’s families belonged to this group- the Sinhalese establishment.
After independence in 1947 the rise of linguistic nationalism. anti-Western sentiment and the rise of socialism caused us great discomfort. A rapidly worsening economic situation, a steady decline in standards of education gave rise to a fear for the future of our 4 children. By the early seventies, institutions of civil society were undermined and soon there was a limitation of critical opinion and dissent. It was against this background that we decided to migrate.
Our family group comprising Monty, Siri and children, Mithila, Manjula, Manisha and Manoja ranging in age from 18 to 10, arrived in Perth in September 1974 with just 100 pounds sterling we had been allowed under the Sri Lankan government’s foreign exchange restrictions. The Australian friend Colin Quinn who had sponsored our entry advanced us the Australian dollars he had in safe-keeping for us so that we could set ourselves up.
In 1974, the White Australia policy was ending and the Whitlam Labour government was in power. We soon found that newly enshrined egalitarianism was a short-hand for a cluster of values and beliefs. In the functioning of society there was a suspicion of difference including a suspicion of intellectuals. This we found strange in a people who were and still are the greatest readers in the world. However, coming as we did from a caste-ridden, class-ridden society we found it refreshing to find people who refused to accord deference simply on the basis of a person’s class, power or social standing.
Coming as we did from a British Colony, steeped in democratic liberal values and a colonial ethos we fitted in easily and from the beginning we felt at home.
Greeted with extreme politeness and decency in public life, even after we acquired citizenship there were shades of non-acceptance of being called “New Australian” with undertones of bloody foreigner.
Monty joined the only Australian petroleum company, Ampol, as a finance clerk and ended his working career as the Chief Internal Auditor of the company. Siri joined the Commonwealth Public Service and served for many years as an Executive Officer in the Disability Services and Aged Care areas.
Eldest son Mithila served as the Finance Director of Telstra, BT and Marconi. He is married to Suzanne Marsden and has a daughter Mariko and son Beau. Daughter Manjula who is a Professor at Macquarie University is married to Ananda Waniganayake and they have a son Amila and daughter, Sarathi. Second son Manisha is a Food Technologist. Youngest son Manoja who is a Design Engineer is married to Michelle Hui-Lee and they have a daughter, Chetana.