Sri Lanka Day 2022 – By Jay Weerawardena
Source : Dæhæna – Monthly e-Newsletter October 2022
The Sri Lanka Day 2022 mega food and multi-cultural festival organised by the Federation of Sri Lankan Organisations in Queensland (FSOQ) with its member organisations was successfully held for the second consecutive year on Sunday, 11 September 2022 at Rocks Riverside Park. Like last year, the event was aimed at highlighting and
celebrating the cultural heritage and the culinary tastes of Sri Lanka with the wider multi-cultural community in Brisbane. There were ten food stalls that were dedicated to Sri Lankan food and the cultural programme featured dances, songs, and a cultural fashion show from ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. Invited artists from Indian (traditional and Bollywood), Kampuchean, Portuguese added colour and variety to the multicultural stage. The overall event theme was to support Sri Lanka in challenging times highlighting ‘urgent medical supplies for Sri Lanka’ fund raising campaign that has undertaken by FSOQ. The FSOQ centre volunteers at the event successfully engaged with visitors conveying this message resulting in pledges for donations amounting to around $3000. Overall, this important event provides an avenue to advance the FSOQs vision of securing a prominent place in multi-cultural Queensland through our collective community development projects and by actively engaging with other ethnic communities.
The event was graced by several invited guests. The Lord Mayor and Mt Ommaney State MP Jess Pugh were unable to be present due to protocol relating to the passing of Her Majesty the Queens Elizabeth II. Like last year, the funding support for the event came from the Queensland State Government and the Brisbane City council.
Jay Weerawardena, President, FSOQ
