Lankan Fest 2025 – Luminary Awards – 16 November 2025 – Crown Riverwalk
Source: www.lankanfest.com.au
LANKAN FEST IS A JOYFUL CELEBRATION OF THE RICH CULTURE AND HERITAGE OF SRI LANKA, OFFERING THOUSANDS OF VISITORS A UNIQUE SRI LANKAN EXPERIENCE THROUGH FOOD, MUSIC, DANCE AND CRAFT.
Lankan Fest 2025 committee is made up of several non-for-profit organisations that share a passion for Sri Lankan culture. We are committed to delivering an annual event in Melbourne that will attract all ethnicity and age groups, represent the Australian Sri Lankan community and showcase the best Sri Lanka has to offer. The committee is made up of members of the following organisations.
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INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED CHEF, RESTAURATEUR, AND TELEVISION PERSONALITY, PETER KURUVITA HAS BROUGHT THE VIBRANT FLAVOURS AND STORIES OF SRI LANKA TO TABLES AROUND THE WORLD. HIS PASSION FOR SHOWCASING SRI LANKAN CUISINE HAS RECONNECTED THE DIASPORA WITH THEIR ROOTS AND INTRODUCED GLOBAL AUDIENCES TO THE ISLAND’S CULINARY HERITAGE. PETER’S AUTHENTICITY, CREATIVITY, AND CULTURAL PRIDE HAVE MADE HIM NOT ONLY A CULINARY AMBASSADOR BUT ALSO A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR ALL SRI LANKANS WHO STRIVE TO CELEBRATE THEIR HERITAGE THROUGH ART FOOD AND STORYTELLING |
A WORLD-RENOWNED ENGINEER, RESEARCHER, AND ACADEMIC, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR BUDDHIMA INDRARATNA HAS BROUGHT GLOBAL RECOGNITION TO SRI LANKAN EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE AND INNOVATION. HIS PIONEERING WORK IN CIVIL AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING HAS SHAPED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS CONTINENTS. THROUGH HIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND MENTORSHIP, HE HAS INSPIRED COUNTLESS STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS, PROVING THAT SRI LANKAN INTELLECT AND INNOVATION CAN TRANSFORM THE WORLD. |
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| A BELOVED SINGER AND COMMUNITY ICON, DR. NITHI KANAGARATNAM HAS SPENT DECADES BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER THROUGH THE POWER OF MUSIC. KNOWN FOR HIS SOULFUL PERFORMANCES THAT CELEBRATE SRI LANKAN HERITAGE AND EMOTION, HE HAS BEEN A CONSTANT PRESENCE AT CULTURAL EVENTS, INSPIRING HARMONY AND JOY ACROSS GENERATIONS. BEYOND HIS ARTISTRY, DR. KANAGARATNAM HAS NURTURED COUNTLESS YOUNG TALENTS AND SUPPORTED MANY COMMUNITY CAUSES WITH HUMILITY AND HEART. HIS VOICE HAS NOT ONLY ENTERTAINED BUT UNITED THE SRI LANKAN DIASPORA, BECOMING AN ENDURING SYMBOL OF CULTURAL PRIDE AND TOGETHERNESS. | WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PRESERVERS OF SRI LANKAN HISTORY AND LITERATURE IN AUSTRALIA, MR. VICTOR MELDER HAS DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO CULTURAL PRESERVATION AND EDUCATION. AS THE FOUNDER OF THE SRI LANKA LIBRARY IN MELBOURNE, HE HAS SAFEGUARDED AN INVALUABLE COLLECTION OF BOOKS, DOCUMENTS, AND ARCHIVES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. HIS QUIET YET PROFOUND CONTRIBUTION ENSURES THAT SRI LANKAN HERITAGE CONTINUES TO EDUCATE, ENLIGHTEN, AND UNITE COMMUNITIES FAR FROM HOME. |
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| DR. LIONEL BOPAGE th 10 ANNIVERSARY DR. BANDU DISSANAYAKE DR. LIONEL BOPAGE IS A DISTINGUISHED INTELLECTUAL AND COMMUNITY LEADER WHOSE VOICE HAS LONG CHAMPIONED JUSTICE, EQUALITY, AND CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING. HIS COMMITMENT TO ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, AND HUMAN RIGHTS HAS EMPOWERED COUNTLESS SRI LANKAN AUSTRALIANS TO ENGAGE DEEPLY WITH CIVIC LIFE AND UPHOLD THE VALUES OF COMPASSION AND FAIRNESS. DR. BOPAGE’S UNWAVERING DEDICATION TO BUILDING BRIDGES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND ACROSS GENERATIONS CONTINUES TO INSPIRE MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE AND PROGRESS. |
A DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY LEADER AND FORMER HONORARY CONSUL GENERAL FOR SRI LANKA IN MELBOURNE, DR. BANDU DISSANAYAKE HAS DEVOTED MUCH OF HIS LIFE TO SERVING AND STRENGTHENING THE SRI LANKAN-AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY. FOR DECADES, HE HAS BEEN A RESPECTED ADVOCATE FOR CULTURAL DIPLOMACY, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AND UNITY AMONG SRI LANKANS IN VICTORIA. HIS LEADERSHIP, WISDOM, AND GENEROSITY HAVE GUIDED NUMEROUS INITIATIVES THAT CELEBRATE SRI LANKAN HERITAGE WHILE FOSTERING CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING IN AUSTRALIA. DR. DISSANAYAKE’S ENDURING COMMITMENT TO SERVICE CONTINUES TO INSPIRE ALL WHO KNOW HIM. |
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| DR. MOHAMED MOHIDEEN OAM JP 10th ANNIVERSARY Lankan Fest Lankan Fest 25 LUMINARY AWARDS SHANAIAH FERNANDO A RESPECTED HUMANITARIAN AND ADVOCATE FOR MULTICULTURAL HARMONY, MR. MOHAMED MOHIDEEN HAS BEEN A TIRELESS VOICE FOR UNITY, COMPASSION, AND INTERFAITH UNDERSTANDING IN VICTORIA. THROUGH HIS LEADERSHIP WITH THE ISLAMIC COUNCIL OF VICTORIA AND HIS EXTENSIVE VOLUNTEER WORK, HE HAS STRENGTHENED BRIDGES BETWEEN COMMUNITIES WHILE PROUDLY REPRESENTING HIS SRI LANKAN HERITAGE. HIS DEDICATION TO SOCIAL COHESION AND SERVICE EMBODIES THE HEART OF LANKAN FEST-BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN KINDNESS AND RESPECT. |
A RISING STAR IN AUSTRALIAN GOLF, SHANAIAH FERNANDO EMBODIES THE TALENT, DETERMINATION, AND GRACE OF A NEW GENERATION OF SRI LANKAN AUSTRALIANS. HER ACHIEVEMENTS ON THE GREEN, COUPLED WITH HER HUMILITY AND DRIVE, HAVE MADE HER A ROLE MODEL FOR YOUNG ATHLETES WITHIN AND BEYOND THE COMMUNITY. SHANAIAH REPRESENTS THE FUTURE A SYMBOL OF EXCELLENCE, PERSEVERANCE, AND CULTURAL PRIDE PROUDLY FLYING THE SRI LANKAN FLAG IN THE WORLD OF SPORT |
