Mr. Ralph St. Louis Pieris Deraniyagala, C.B.E., came from a family with his father, Sir Paul Edward Pieris, and Mother, Lady Hilda Obeyesekere Pieris. Mr. Deraniyagala went to St. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia for school before going to England for more studies. He went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he got his Master’s Degree. When he was just 22 years old, he became a lawyer after being called to the Bar by the Inner Temple. He did really well in his career, becoming a Crown Counsel before becoming the first Clerk of the House of Representatives. In July 1947, he became the Clerk of the State Council. He kept doing this job even when the State Council turned into the House of Representatives until he stopped working in October 1964. Along the way, he got some big honors, like the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Mr. Deraniyagala spent seventeen years working for the Parliament. He was the very first Clerk of the House of Representatives and later became its Chief Executive, doing this for over 17 years. He was really committed to his work, always working hard, being disciplined, and paying attention to details. He was very respected and held an important position as the most Senior Clerk in the Commonwealth. Mr. Deraniyagala had to deal with some tough times, especially when there were big changes happening in the government. He helped when the State Council turned into a Parliament and when they started using Swabasha as the language in the House. Even with all these challenges, Mr. R. St. L. P. Deraniyagala handled his job with grace and earned the respect of everyone in the country. His work for Sri Lanka's Parliament was really important, and his memory still inspires people today.
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