Badra Samarakoon was born in Galle and received a distinguished education at Visakha Vidyalaya in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Punjab University, Chandigarh, North India and returned to Sri Lanka to work as a teacher in Nutrition Science. Badra subsequently migrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1976 and raised her family, including her son and daughter.  She had a long and successful career at BHP Billiton as a business analyst, and still works, currently at ComputerShare with over 40 years of combined experience in this role. In addition to a valued career, Badra joined the committee of Buddhist Sri Lankan Association of Victoria (BSAV) in 1997 and contributed significantly and tirelessly to the growth of the Dhamma in the community. She was subsequently appointed the President of this Buddhist Association in 1999, in doing so, becoming the inaugural female president of a Buddhist Society across all states in Australia.