Event 1: Formation of the Press Club
In the latter part of the 1940s, an idea mooted by the Founder of the Lankadeepa D.B. Dhanapala that a “Press Club” with an underlying motive of transferring it to an Organization be established received the backing of Tarzie Vittachchi, the then Editor of the Observer and Reggie Michael, the then Chief Reporter of the Times.
Event 2: Establishment of the Ceylon Branch of IOJ
The Ven. Udakandewela Siri Saranankara Thera, after visiting several socialist countries, decided to establish a Journalists Association in Sri Lanka. Supporting this idea, General Secretary Noblock proposed that the new Organization be called the “Ceylon Branch of the International Organization of Journalists”.
Event 3: The First General Congress
A few months later, the Ceylon Branch received an invitation to nominate a representative to attend the International Journalists Organization’s General Congress to be held in 1956 in Helsinki, Finland. The representative would not be called upon to bear any expenses.
Event 4: The Second Anniversary
During the second anniversary of the IOJ branch held at the Polytechnic Institute in 1957, the name of the organization was changed to the Press Association of Ceylon. The International Organization in Prague approved the affiliation to continue.
Event 5: The Grand Dinner
For the Anniversary celebration for the year 1959, a grand dinner was organized at the Grand Oriental Hotel in Colombo. Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was invited to be the Chief Guest and made a historic speech on Media Monopoly.
Event 6: The Second World Congress
The Press Association of Ceylon received an invitation to assist with the arrangements for the IOJ Second World Congress to be held in Baden, Vienna. The IOJ organized the Second World Congress and invited one representative whose Air ticket fare would be met by them.