Sri Lanka Association of NSW, Inc. – A fresh start often brings great energy and effectiveness!
Although I’m now elsewhere, my heart and dreams remain with my friends in Sydney, with whom I’ve shared a beautiful 50-year friendship.
I cherish the bond we built in our early days in Sydney, when we were eager to connect and build a community to combat loneliness and homesickness.
Creating this association after a cricket match among the new settlers at the WH & O Wills company grounds in Randwick really brought us together. It gave us warmth and a sense of belonging in a foreign country, reminding us that we are not alone and that we can find comfort among our own community.
I was thrilled to see the new credible committee being formed on Facebook on December 6th. My warm blessings and heartfelt prayers are always with them, especially after the previous challenges they faced.
These comments I endorsed on Facebook:
Express confidence in the legitimacy of the new committee to reinforce trust and support among members and stakeholders, highlighting that a credible group has now been established, unlike the previous regime, which acted unconstitutionally and prevented the newly elected members from voting for their preferred candidate as president. The new members stepped in, questioned the legality of the previous committee, and addressed unconstitutional behaviour. We encourage everyone to support this credible committee, now in place, with the blessings of God and the Triple Gem.
Commented by Dr Harold Gunatillake, Life founder member, now residing in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
The new president, Saliya, is a close acquaintance of mine from our team’s social events.
I told him, “Thank God you settled in Sydney rather than Melbourne, because we really appreciate talented people like you.”
Before Saliya Days, we only had a microphone, an amplifier, and a music recorder for all our events. Looking back, it was a pretty simple setup, and we didn’t realise at the time how much more we could have hoped for
A man dedicated to raising the Association, cultural, and other events to the highest professional standards, bringing enthusiasm and excellence to everything he does.
Saliya, drawing on his experience as a stage event producer, proudly serves as the Company Chairman for Event Producer, Conceptualiser, and Designer.
He uplifted all Sri Lankan events, including cultural ones, to a very high- tech level. The standard and the celebrations, theatrical events, cultural events, and Seniors’ events became brighter and attracted new members of our community.
So, let me conclude my brief article and convey this praiseworthy message to our new president and team:
Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as the new President of the Sri Lanka Association of NSW Inc. Your exemplary leadership and dedication have always been commendable, and I am confident that under your guidance, the association will reach new heights of success and prosperity. I look forward to working with you and offering my full support for your initiatives that may arise.
Wishing you and the committee a very successful tenure.”
Written by Dr Harold Gunatillake, Founder, Life Member, now retired and living in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
