Victor Melder Sri Lanka Library - By Beverley Pinder

HISTORY, BOOK ENDED BY TWO NONAGENARIANS – By Beverley Pinder OAM

Take one bright and sunny Sunday afternoon in Melbourne; add two stalwarts who have given the best part of their lives preserving Ceylon and Sri Lanka culture for readers and those with a fervent thirst for matters antiquarian including the tomes that captured the periods from the pre-colonial days – from the Portuguese to the Dutch to the British and beyond – and you have a great afternoon of acknowledgement and dignified celebration for Victor Melder and Hugh Karunanayake.

At a lunch to acknowledge the gentlemen, the Acting Consul General for Sri Lanka in Melbourne said in a most captivating scenario: “…did they share a pre-planned friendship; were they rivals; or, was it simply a coincidence…that they became such ardent keepers of the island nation’s history in their adopted land?”

Mr Aruna Devendra captured our hearts and our minds as he painted a picture of two soon-to-be-nonagenarians as they each approach a birthday this year where they reach a milestone of years and accumulated wealth with a willingness to share their knowledge in a community service that seems unmatchable. For 50 years Victor has been at it, while Hugh has equally given it a good going. As Victor commented “We are batting on a Sticky Wicket (the famed restaurant owned by David and Kathy Cruse) – while the Aussies are scoring centuries in Galle, we are heading for our centuries at home.”

The pair have shared a common interest in books and, as Acting CG Devendra said: “These two voices are carried in Melbourne, about a distant land in Sri Lanka.”

The Victor Melder Sri Lanka Library which, from its inception, was based in Broadmeadows, has now been relocated to a new community space at1234 Nepean Highway, Cheltenham (a south-eastern suburb of Melbourne) and Hugh’s amazing collection is a treasure trove that also has found a new owner in Camberwell.

With the help of the Friends of Victor Melder Library Group (FVMLG), Victor is rest assured that his collection for the community is in good hands at a new location donated by La Moneta Foundation and the Aultun Group, where administrative tasks will also be handled.

Victor has called for the donation of books to continue: “My hope is that this legacy continues and generations to come will oversee the maintenance and the richness of such a collection dating back to the three eras of occupation from the 15^th Century and comprising a vast anthology of Lanka, Taprobane, Serendib, Ceylon and contemporary Sri Lanka publications. So, if you wish to research, review background, or simply be enchanted by history then make an appointment and drop by.”

The FVMLG has spent three months organising the relocation from Broadmeadows to Cheltenham – including packing, transporting, building shelves, restacking the books and other publications. More work is required to catalogue the collection, and judging by the interest at the lunch we are assured of securing some new volunteers including Chris Drieberg, Jeremy de Lima and Yasmin Wijekulasuriya.

Philanthropist Beverley Pinder OAM said: “With funding required to purchase shelving, cataloguing and a website publishing of a searchable catalogue of these priceless contents, donations at any time will be greatly appreciated, particularly leading into the end of the tax year.”

Hosted by Hugh’s son, Sumal, the afternoon’s most poignant quote came from his father, the former Chair of the Ceylon Society: “You can’t deal with the future without understanding your past.”

All tax deductible donations can be sent to:

La Moneta Foundation,

Ref: VMSLL

BSB: 083166 Account No: 204678470

La Moneta Foundation Ltd is auspicing the receipt of funds and providing tax deductibility for such precious preservation of history.

Further information and visits to the Victor Melder Sri Lanka Library, please contact Hemal Gurusinghe on 0427 725 740 or email hemguru@hotmail.com. All volunteers, visitors and book donors are always welcome at any convenient time.

www.vmsl-library.com