SRI LANKA DIASPORA PHOTO EXHIBITION

Victor Melder Citation

DFAT “PLATINUM” ANNIVERSARY

70 long years of outstanding association between Australia and Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, culminates in an anniversary which should afford our diaspora here plenty of pleasure and worthwhile pride in thirteen very special members of “my lovely Island home” who have, in various ways, enhanced the reputation of the tiny Island we called “home”.

Thousands of Sri Lankans now call Australia home, and the majority have “done their old Country proud”, but the diplomatic relations between Australia & Ceylon/Sri Lanka from 1947-2017 would naturally be too vast to be comprehensively “covered” and, as such, the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Australia, in their wisdom, decided to celebrate this special anniversary by “showcasing” thirteen prominent, successful members with Sri Lankan Heritage in a “photograph exhibition” to be exhibited all around this huge Island Continent., a photograph exhibition which will hopefully be seen by as many Sri Lankans as possible.

I do wish that I could have elaborated on a dozen of these worthwhile members but this time I choose to “feature” just one. The 13th of the “elite” who is well-known to me. His name is Victor Melder, already a household name among the Lankan diaspora in Australia, Victor has, for 49 years, been advising everyone of us who has contacted him with everything we needed to know about what was happening in S.L. (at the moment), who has just “passed-away”, who was getting married, etc etc. His “Library”, which he has built up at his home in Broadmeadows Vic., contains “reading-matter” on Lanka that most other Lankans have not even heard about & will, in time, enhance the premises of the Monash University Library.

As I always say, in my opinion, Victor Melder is one of the MOST deserving Lankan/Aussies to be granted this honour and together with the other “S.L.Worthies”, should be warmly congratulated on their effort, for & on behalf of Sri Lanka/Australia relations.

The exhibition will be on display at Parliament House, Canberra for some time, before hopefully moving to Sydney and Melbourne. The exhibition is being simultaneously displayed at the Sri Lanka Parliament.

(Photo Credit: Citation – Mr. Anton Swan, SL Consul, Brisbane, Qld

Portrait – Mr. Nathan Fulton, DFAT, Canberra

Desmond Kelly.

As part of the celebrations heralding the 70th anniversary of Australia – Sri Lanka Diplomatic relations, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Canberra launched a campaign to celebrate the shared benefits that the Australia-Sri Lanka relationship has afforded both nation’s society, culture and economy.

To showcase the significant contribution Sri Lankans have made in Australia, DFAT curated a photo exhibition of prominent and successful members of the community with Sri Lankan heritage, accordingly 13 members of the community were featured. I am proud that the authorities concerned saw it fit that my continuing contributions for 49 years supporting of Australia-Sri Lanka relations, made me worthy of being showcased.

The exhibition was opened by the Hon. Mrs Julie Bishop MP, Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, along with Dr. Harsha de Silva, Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister at Parliament House, Canberra on Tuesday, February 14, 2017.

Photo Credit: Citation – Anton Swan, SL Consul, Brisbane, Qld
Portrait – Nathan Fulton, DFAT, Canberra