Vale Desiree, Heaven has a new star – By Lawrence Machado Desiree ‘Deso’ Paiva nee Gomez, was a truly wonderful person whom I had the pleasure of knowing well for more than five decades. Being in the same parish of St Lawrence’s Church, Wellawatte, we grew up together, and our families were closely involved in church activities. We were also related to each other. Deso and I were in St Lawrence’s Youth Club together, and she always contributed to the many social activities we held. Her brother, Jeremy, was my classmate at St Peter’s College. She was a very positive person. She remained true to that, even when she knew her end was nigh. Her faith was tremendous, and in our lovely conversation shortly before her cancer finally claimed her, Deso said she had left everything in the hands of Her Saviour, Lord Jesus. She went through countless treatments and tests, without ...
DECIBEL HITS THE RIGHT NOTES IN PERTH – Classy WA band plays a fantastic range of music – By Lawrence Machado Decibel is a mix of mature and young skilful musicians in Perth, WA, playing a fantastic range of music from 60’s & 70’s classics through to some current hits with sheer professionalism. Their dedication and commitment give them an edge in this competitive music scene. With Decibel, you can expect high-quality vocals and mastery of their instruments. The group never fails to capture and engage their audience to make it a memorable event. It’s one of the reasons Decibel continues to grow in popularity. They specifically target corporate, weddings, anniversaries and private functions and set up the perfect musical stage to take your event to the next level. The line up comprises Dwight Van Gramberg (lead vocals), Sherwin Peries (bass guitar/vocals), Peter Tonon (lead guitar/Bvs), Holly Harrison (keyboards), Gazza Peries (drums/vocals) and Binx Noble (lead vocals). Sri-Lankan born Dwight ...
Exciting Touch Footy Cup Action In Sydney – By Lawrence Machado Organisers are expecting a large turnout for the 5th Touch Footy Cup to be held on Saturday, March 29, at the Penrith Touch Football Fields, Werrington. The exciting competition will be hosted by the Sri Lanka Touch Footy Club Sydney from 8.30am – 5pm. Charith Fonseka, the president of SLTF, said the tournament has grown significantly since its inception. He said they are expecting teams from Melbourne to compete for the trophies this year. “We started the inaugural event in 2021, which featured over 100 players from multicultural backgrounds,” Fonseka said. “From 2022 to 2024, the tournament expanded to include over 40 age-group (Seniors) teams, attracting more than 200 players each year. “This year, we are continuing to grow the number of participating teams, further cementing the event as a key fixture in Sydney’s community sports calendar. “The tournament, run in two categories, also ...
THE DAY WHEN LITTLE-KNOWN DARIUS VISSER SET THE CRICKET WORLD ALIGHT HOW THIS HUMBLE LANKAN-SAMOAN STAR MADE IT TO THE GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS – By Lawrence Machado DARIUS VISSER WITH JORDAN COX AND NICK LARKIN Darius Visser was unknown to most cricket fans until a fateful day in August 2024 when he pulled off one of the most astonishing batting performances to power Samoa to an amazing victory. Visser, the New Zealand-born cricketer of Sri Lankan, Dutch and Samoan heritage, and living in Australia, smote 132 off a mere 62 balls, including a world record 39 in an over. He broke several records on that day. Even more incredible, he did not know he had become a world record-breaker until an ICC official had mentioned it during the innings break. SEE DARIUS VISSER’S RECORD OVER: https://bit.ly/4hbEGmv Called up to play for Samoa in the T20 World Cup qualifiers, Visser strode ...
Peterites Storm Into Semifinals of T10 Cricket Tournament – By Lawrence Machado Unbeaten St Peter’s College OBU NSW stormed into the semifinals of the 2025 Sri Lankan T10 inter-school cricket tournament after dominating performances on Sunday, 12th January. In the semifinals to be played on Sunday 16 February, the Petes will face traditional rivals St Joseph’s while Colombo Hindu face Maliyadeva. The Peterites, ably led by Trevine Nicholas, topped Group B outclassing Maliyadeva, Combined Schools, and Royal in the truncated event at Kareela Reserve, Doonside. The Peterites were strong in their batting, bowling, and fielding departments throughout their first round matches. The Blue, White and Golds started off on the perfect note, beating Maliyadeva by 21 runs in their eight-over game. Batting first, the Peterites made 67/4 against Maliyadeva, who were contained to 46/3. Krishane top scored with 23 not out for the Peterites, while Shervin added 15. Hirun was the ...
Vale YC Chang, a true Sri Lankan Rugby Legend – By Lawrence Machado The 1972 Sri Lankan Rugby Asian squad: Captain YC Chang, seated fifth from left. Fellow prop Hadji Omar is on his right with Anton Benedict on his left. YC Chang, one of the legends of Sri Lankan rugby, passed away on Wednesday, January 22. A massive and colourful presence on and off the field, YC, as he was better known, had a long successful stint as a player, coach and administrator at Sri Lanka and the international level. YC said under his leadership at SLRFU, Sri Lanka became the first country in the world to make rugby a professional sport, which earned the ire of IRB for some time. As a prop forward, he was fearless as they come and a powerful player who could terrorise his opponents. Remarkably, despite not playing for Trinity College first XV, ...
Australian medical teams support the Pioneering 1990 Suwa Seriya – By Lawrence Machado A team of dedicated Australians and Sri Lankan-Australians have regularly given their time and skills to 1990 Suwa Seriya, the pioneering free ambulance service in Sri Lanka. From 88 ambulances when it was launched in 2016, the service now has nearly 300 and services the entire island, providing unparalleled service. 1990 is the toll free call service in Sri Lanka. Ian Hutchinson, a retired paramedic with NSW Ambulance, was one of those who volunteered their time and money to provide expert training and guidance to the Suwa Seriya team last year. The Australian team was led by Sanj Fernando, an aeromedical-based consultant at Liverpool, NSW. He started a collaboration project with Suwa Seriya in 2016 to build a service from the ground up. Ian said he was very impressed with the commitment and skills of the paramedics he ...
The Incomparable Roger Menezes Back To Regale Sri Lankans Usher In The New Year With The Maestro – By Lawrence Machado Roger Menezes is one of Sri Lanka’s most talented and popular entertainers who has been regaling his many fans in Australia and Sri Lanka for many years. His wide repertoire and stage personality makes sure everyone in the audience is covered music-wise. The charismatic Roger, who was born into a very musical family, has performed with some of the most famous groups in Sri Lanka, including the iconic The Jetliners before emigrating to Australia. He and his family members attended St Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya where naturally music was their favourite subject. He began performing while in college and was soon showcasing his skills in many bands. He plays several instruments, including the drums, guitar and saxophone. The wonderful news is that Roger is returning to his Motherland for the ...
Peterite Class of ’74 Magical Reunion In Melbourne – By Lawrence Machado It was a day most of us thought would never come: Meeting classmates 50 years after sitting for our Ordinary Levels at St Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya. It was a truly one of those magical evenings to remember, providing us with many grand memories for the rest of our lives. Organised by our classmates (ably marshalled by Bertie Paiva, Everard Perera, Melroy Christiansz and Herman Bastian) in Melbourne on November 16, the Class of ’74 Reunion was something we had dreamed of but never thought would materialise because of so many variables. I would not be truthful if I didn’t mention that I had to look very closely at a few classmates trying to guess who they were because we have all changed so much since we left St Peter’s. I am sure others look closely at me too! For ...
St Peter’s College OBU & Holy Family Convent PPA Hold Emotional Memorial Service – By Lawrence Machado St Peter’s College OBU NSW and the Holy Family Convent PPA Sydney remembered their late classmates, schoolmates, family members and staff of the two schools at a solemn and emotional All Souls’ Day Mass on Saturday, November 3. Even though the years may have gone by since they left this world, reading out their names during our All Souls Day service at St Agatha’s Catholic Church, Pennant Hills, still brought a tear to many of us. It’s always emotional hearing the names of our late college mates, family members, sports mates, priests, nuns, teachers and loyal staff as many evoke long memories of our days back in school and beyond. The list keeps growing each year, but we never grow weary of reading them in the presence of families and friends. The mass readers ...
