A tribute to an exceptional lady- Ranjini Cecelia Dassenaike – by Nihal de Run
24th July, 1947- 10th May, 2025
The Sri Lankan community in Melbourne came together to pay their last respects to Ranjini Dassenaike (née Kawiratne) on May 26, 2025 at Springvale Botanical Cemetery.
Ranjini was a gracefully commanding, elegant lady, always well attired and resplendent. She was arguably the best Events Organiser in Melbourne. She organised countless fundraising events for the various groups that she supported over the years. Notably, AUSLMAT, the medical aid charity she voluntarily worked for over many years.
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Ranjini had friends and contacts in various corners of business in Australia. She was persuasively warm making her impossible to refuse. She raised enormous amounts of money and donated gifts for the various fundraisers that she organised.
She was a true perfectionist who never settled for anything less than the best. Everything had to be done just right, no matter how many times it needed to be redone.
She travelled at her own expense to Sri Lanka several times to support the charities she worked for and was both loved and respected by all her colleagues. She had the knack of delegating and drawing the best out of her team.
Ranjini herself faced breast cancer, and she deeply understood the challenges endured during treatment and recovery, why is why she was passionate about raising funds for the Otis Foundation, whose respite homes offer comfort and care to those navigating breast cancer treatment and recovery. I worked with her in organising a fundraiser at the Lincoln of Toorak. She was supported by Michael and Dawn Winter and we had the most elegant dinner dance with quality food and music all arranged by Ranjini and we raised over $10,000 for this charity in 2023.
Above all, she was a friend and confidant to many. She listened with care to those often overlooked, offering them a guiding hand and the wisdom of her experience. The throng of people that attended her memorial service was a testament to her popularity as a friend.
Ranjini will be sadly missed by her children- Rajiv, Nilusha and their partners, Carolyn and Colin, her brother Anura and the extended families here and in Sri Lanka and friends all over the world.
May she rest in eternal peace
Nihal de Run
A friend
