NT Young Australian of the Year 2018 – Kevin Kadirgamar
BY Desmond Kelly ‘the Star of eLanka’
“NT- YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR” Kevin Kadirgamar.
Excellent news. The new “Young Australian of 2018” is still another Lankan/Australian that all of us should be very proud of. His name, Kevin Kadirgamar, grandson of Rajan Kadirgamar, a former Principal of Jaffna College Sri Lanka, and incidentally, a relative of another Rajan Kadirgamar, a former “Captain of the Royal Ceylon Navy from 1960-1970.
eLanka is happy to congratulate Kevin on his recent achievement & wish him all the very best for the future. He left his birthplace (Sri Lanka), to escape the civil conflict there, while still in his early teens &, as a result has a deep appreciation for the fact that, in Australia, through sheer hard work & determination, became a refugee & migration lawyer, and, in so doing, tries his utmost to alleviate the suffering of these unfortunate people.Thus, he did become “The voice of the vulnerable”
As a “law-student” Kevin confounded “Multicultural Youth N.T. Organisation, a youth-led group that promotes harmony and empowers young people to implement the necessary changes in their own Communities.
Now, Kevin, at the still very young age of 28, is a fully qualified lawyer, championing the rights of both migrants & refugees. He has been duly recognised for his outstanding pro-bono work on “high-profile” cases, fighting for the freedom of children & young people who have been held in
“Immigration -detention” indefinitely. A former “Board-Member of many youth-justice & human-rights groups, Kevin mentors both students & junior solicitors through the Charles Darwin University, provides “gratis” migration advice every month, and is also the President of the multicultural Council of the Northern Territory.
Kevin’s indefatigable efforts clearly demonstrate the very important role a lawyer can play in fundamentally changing the lives of others.
Once again, Congratulations Kevin Kadirgamar, eLanka & all Lankan/Aussies salute you.
CONGRATULATIONS KEVIN KADIRGAMAR.
Desmond Kelly: ‘Star of eLanka’.
P.S APOLOGY to the original article, which has now been revised. My sincere apology to young Kevin Kadirgamar.
