Bradman Weerakoon (1930-2025) – Tribute to a civil servant par-excellence who served nine heads of state – By Upali Obeyesekere
Deshamanya Robin Bradman Weerakoon, one of Sri Lanka’s eminent and enduring civil servants passed away on 7 July 2025 at age 94 in Colombo. Born under the astrological sign of ‘Libra’ on 20 October 1930, his parents named him “Bradman” after the legendary Australian cricketer Don Bradman set foot in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) on the day of his birth. Seems a fitting ‘first name’ given at birth to the boy who would later become an iconic ‘Bradman’ to the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) as it was called then.
The Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) was established in 1802. It was the premier civil service of the British colonial government in Ceylon and continued to function in the immediate post-independence period. The CCS was later restructured and renamed several times, becoming the Ceylon Administrative Service in 1963 and then the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in 1972. Ceylon was a Dominion within the British Commonwealth, gained its independence in 1948. It must be stated that in the 1950s, the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) recruited skilled public servants who shaped the destiny of our island nation. Several prominent civil servants in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) played key roles in shaping the nation’s socio-economic development and its administrative framework. Some notable figures in that era were C.P. de Silva, Sir Kanthiah Vaithianathan, Sir Arthur Ranasinghe, Cathiravelu Sittampalam, and others.
Bradman Weerakoon earned respect due to his intellect, work ethic, diligence, discretion, and commitment to excellence in the public service. Weerakoon was not merely a revered bureaucrat, but an institution in himself—operating for decades at the highest levels of power – yet showing a calm demeanour in the background of a volatile and frequently turbulent political landscape during post-independence period in our island nation of Sri Lanka.
According to archived records available online, we learn that young Badman was educated first at Holy Cross College, Kalutara, S. Thomas’ College, Gurutalawa, and finally at S. Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia. We also learn that young Bradman was a fine cricketer himself and as a fiery batsman chased a target of 116 in 65 minutes in the 1949 Royal-Thomian big match, receiving a standing ovation on his return to the pavilion. P.T. Shanti Kumar captained the Thomian team that year while his deputy was none other than former Sri Lanka cricketer C.T.A. Shafter. Others who played in the team included legendary cricketer Clive Inman’s father Roger Clay Inman, C. Chellaraj, T. Jayalingam, G.V. Tissera, C.A. Barrow, D.S. Jayawardena, C.M. Samarasinghe, K.C.E. Perera, and Bradman Weerakoon.
His mother was on the teaching staff at Princess of Wales College, Moratuwa and father was Edmund R. Weerakoon. Bradman was married to Damayanthi Gunasekara until her passing in June 2007. They had one child – Esala, who also became a senior civil servant and a diplomat. Esala married Krishanti, the daughter of another well known Sri Lankan bureaucrat and diplomat, Bernard Tilakaratna.
Bradman Weerakoon obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with second-class honours (upper division) in Economics and Sociology from the University of Ceylon. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study at the University of Michigan in the U.S. for one year, where he completed his MA in Sociology. Upon his return from Michigan, Bradman Weerakoon joined the Ceylon Civil Service (CCS) in 1954 and was assigned as a ‘CCS Cadet’ to the Anuradhapura Kachcheri as an understudy to the Government Agent (GA) in the same town. Following this assignment, he spent a year in Jaffna where he learnt to read, write, and speak Tamil. His work ethic, intelligence, and diligence spoke volumes in the fledgling CCS and sparked interest among the political hierarchy of the country.
Served as secretary to nine heads of state
Over an extraordinary career, he went on to serve as Secretary to all elected Prime Ministers and Presidents until 2002, working under 07 Prime Ministers and 02 Presidents – an unparalleled contribution to Sri Lanka’s public administration. Starting off life in the Government Agent’s office in 1954, Bradman Weerakoon later served as secretary to a record seven prime ministers – probably a world record! He was secretary to Sir John Kotelawela, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Wijayananda Dahanayake, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Dudley Senanayake, Ranasinghe Premadasa, and Ranil Wickremesinghe. In 1953, Bradman Weerakoon was handpicked by Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawela and appointed Assistant Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He later became the secretary to the prime minister and continued after SWRD Bandaranaike became the prime minister in 1956. After his death, he served Wijayananda Dahanayake and Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Thereafter he worked for Dudley Senanayake although some in the UNP felt uneasy about his presence. After Sirimavo won the election again in 1970, he was transferred as Government Agent of Batticaloa and later Ampara in the Eastern Province. In 1977, J. R. Jayawardene appointed him as the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation. In 1980, he joined the Prime Minister’s office once again as secretary during the tenure of Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa. Following the ethnic riots of 1983, he was appointed as Commissioner-General of essential services with wide-ranging administrative powers. In 1984 he rejoined IPPF as its secretary-general in London for one year, which entailed a great deal of travel from China to Africa to Mexico. Following President Premadasa’s assumption of office he was appointed presidential advisor on international affairs during a period when Indo-Lanka relations were at their lowest, following the expulsion of the IPKF. After Premadasa’s death, he continued as the advisor to his successor DB Wijetunga and resigned in 1994 when Chandrika Kumaratunga became the president. After Ranil Wickremesinghe became the prime minister in 2001, Weerakoon was reappointed to his previous position of Secretary to the prime minister. He was an influential figure in Wickremesinghe’s administration, especially in the peace process between the government and the Tamil Tigers.
Deshamanya Bradman Weerakoon’s death marks the end of an era for a public servant who dedicated his life to serving the country through various high-ranking positions under nine presidents and prime ministers. Weerakoon’s contributions to the nation were monumental, as he played a vital role in shaping policies and governance during a transformative period in Sri Lanka’s history. His mortal remains was cremated at the new Crematorium, Borella Cemetery on Wednesday, July 9th. This quintessential civil servant has left a legacy in our island nation’s political and administrative landscape. May his precious soul Rest in Eternal Peace!
