Dick Whittingtons to Vancouver It was time to start engines to fly from Seoul to Vancouver. The aeroplane had come from Singapore and more than two hundred passengers were transiting to continue their journey to Canada. Another lot had boarded from Seoul which had filled the Megatop 747 to the brim, totalling around 400 passengers, all ready to cross the Pacific. The airport ground staff rushed to the flight-deck and gave the bad news. When doing a random check of passenger passports looking for valid visas, they had hit the jackpot. Two young Indians were the offenders. Let alone visas, they had no passports. “Captain, no passports, cannot go!” The ground man blurted. ...

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Jonathan Livingston Pelican   I see him at dawn, as sunlight touches the far bank and paints the river in subtle shades. Jonathan comes gliding gracefully, six feet of spread wings skimming the bamboo bushes and doing a perfect landing on the water in front of my lawn. That sure shames the pilot in me. Then he floats, his long beak stretched, his splayed feet paddling gracefully as he moves regally like a sail-less galleon and shows off to me how great his life is. That is Jonathan, my pelican friend, splendid in flight, majestic in float, full of sense and sensibilities of life where his script is soft and tender and runs from day to day.   The bird life is great where I live, cranes, cormorants, gulls and eagles and an assortment of fish-feeders linger in the vicinity of my home.  Jonathan undoubtedly is the Head Prefect, broad of ...

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Jonathan Livingston Pelican I see him at dawn, as sunlight touches the far bank and paints the river in subtle shades. Jonathan comes gliding gracefully, six feet of spread wings skimming the bamboo bushes and doing a perfect landing on the water in front of my lawn. That sure shames the pilot in me. Then he floats, his long beak stretched, his splayed feet paddling gracefully as he moves regally like a sail-less galleon and shows off to me how great his life is. That is Jonathan, my pelican friend, splendid in flight, majestic in float, full of sense and sensibilities of life where his script is soft and tender and runs from day to day.   ...

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Save the Last Dance for me- By Capt Elmo Jayawardena Source:Island elmojay1@gmail.com A few months ago, I was in Hong Kong, visiting a well-known charity organisation called Crossroads. It was to seek assistance for a project in Sri Lanka. Crossroads has an enormous warehouse filled to the brim with anything and everything; ready to be sent to places where people in need plead. The store surroundings looked familiar. Then I realised I was standing where the old Kai Tak airport was, now pastured and replaced by the glamour of the new Hong Kong International Airport. ...

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Save the Last Dance for me By Capt Elmo Jayawardena   Capt Elmo Jayawardena elmojay1@gmail.com Source:-island.lk A few months ago, I was in Hong Kong, visiting a well-known charity organisation called Crossroads. It was to seek assistance for a project in Sri Lanka. Crossroads has an enormous warehouse filled to the brim with anything and everything; ready to be sent to places where people in need plead. The store surroundings looked familiar. Then I realised I was standing where the old Kai Tak airport was, now pastured and replaced by the glamour of the new Hong Kong International Airport. Yes, I have been here before, many a time at that, bringing jet aeroplanes into land on runway 13, turning at the famous Chequered Board at 600 feet and pointing at the short runway besieged by the sea. The final turn and approach was made between sky-scrapers that stood on either ...

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Kudurai Madiri Pona-by Capt Elmo Jayawardena Source:Island The big jumbo has come from the French land and as the French themselves say it is ‘annus mirabillis’ the miracle year, finally, and finally the wait is over. The world will now see the Big- Bus that we all waited for so long to see. As the years roll by, none would talk of delays regarding the delays on delivery dates and how late the bird flew in. These would be like words written on a blackboard, erased forever. But the aeroplane will grace the sky and, perhaps rewrite all the records of commercial aviation when the mega-miracle A380 dominates the international air-routes. Singapore Airlines went into the record books as the launch customer. Some of my old friends from SIA would fly the A380. Perhaps, Luke would, too, and this story is about him. Luke of yesteryear and how he first ...

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Kudurai Madiri Pona – by Captain Elmo Jayawardena The big jumbo has come from the French land and as the French themselves say it is ‘annus mirabillis’ the miracle year, finally and finally the wait is over. The world will now see the Big- Bus that we all awaited for so long to see. As the years roll, none would talk of delays on delivery dates and how late the bird flew in. These would be like words written on a black-board, erased forever. But the aeroplane will grace the sky and perhaps re write all the records of commercial aviation when the mega-miracle A380 dominates the international air-routes.                  Singapore Airlines went into the record books as the launch customer. Some of my old friends from SIA would fly the A380. Perhaps Luke would too, and this story is about him. Luke of the yesteryear and how he ...

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eLanka Newsletter – 11 April 2021 – 2nd Edition – Sri Lankans In Australia Click here or on the image below to read this week’s elanka Newsletter “VALE’ PRINCE PHILIP” – By Des Kelly Sri Lanka Association of NSW – Seniors Awurudu – Sinhala & Tamil New year Celebrations LION HARRY DE SAYRAH OAM HONOURED BY LIONS CLUBS INTERNATIONAL Caroline Jurie hands over Mrs World Crown| Mrs world 2020| Caroline Jurie Relinquish Crown Sri Lanka Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 turns ugly-by Manoj Rathnayake COVID – 19: A WORLD CLASS PANEL TO INFORM YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW! Text of keynote address by Sunil de Silva – at the 73rd Independence day celebration by Sri Lankan community groups in Sydney, Australia on 06 February 2020 Consul General of Sri Lanka (Sydney) visits Queensland Anton and Bronwen Swan felicitated by the Sri Lankan Community St. Anthony’s College Kandy Old Boys ...

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THE PILOT- By Capt Elmo Jayawardena Source:Island The UNHRC is in full swing. The ‘merchants of Geneva’ are getting ready to shoot their arrows of justice against the offenders of this planet. Of course, it is done democratically, by honourable people in Saville Row suits who sit around polished mahogany tables and determine by a count of votes who is guilty and who is not. That is the show-piece; but the truth could be so very different. Powerful people call the tune, and the theme is “You lend me your mule and I will remember you when it is your turn to take the stand. Then I’ll lend you my donkey.” We must try and remember the beginning of all this when the powers that were initiated the Treaty of Berlin in 1885 to carve out the African continent. The newer version of protecting human rights was born after the ...

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