Sri Lankans a great asset

The Sri Lankan community in Australia was highly commended by a top level Government official recently for their contribution in varying fields towards the development of the country.

“Sri Lanka has a tremendously diverse community in Australia and the contribution it makes to Australia’s own multiculturalism is quite extraordinary,” the First Secretary – South and West Asia Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Merrifield said.

Stating that over 170,000 Sri Lankans representing all ethnic groups presently reside throughout the country, he said that they make a major contribution to modern Australia in many areas ranging from business to medicine, legal profession and the arts. 

He was addressing a large gathering at the annual Sri Lanka Festival which the Sri Lankan High Commissioner S. Skandakumar termed as a ‘hat-trick’ having started it in 2016.  The Festival has now become a much-awaited event in the High Commission calendar where a considerable number of stalls exhibit and promote Sri Lankan products and services. The highlight of the festival was the Sri Lankan dances which Merrifield described as “superb cultural performance – dynamic and delightful”. The Thaala Asapuwa Dance Academy of Victoria’s presentation ranged from Kandyan and other traditional forms of dancing to Bhrarata Natya and modern styles. 

Merrifield spoke of the close relationship between Australia and Sri Lanka and praised the initiative taken by the High Commissioner to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries. 

“Australia and Sri Lanka has a broad and deep friendship built on common values and interests. The common values include respect for the Rule of Law and respect for democratic institutions and processes,” he said.  Partnerships span to education, trade, development and defence. 

“The commitment of the two countries to find common grounds has long been a strength of our bilateral relationship which drives us to work for corporate effect together and on challenges,” he stressed. “To complement our traditional ties we are working hard on building a strong economic partnership and in areas of education and opportunities in science, health and energy.” “Australia has stood with the people of Sri Lanka in the past and will continue to do so. We have to play a part in building a bright and positive future for Sri Lanka,” he concluded.

Earlier, in his welcome address, High Commissioner Skandakumar thanked the Sri Lanka Associations in Canberra for being an integral part of the festival. They contribute by operating food stalls, providing publicity and selling raffle tickets. 

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Tea Board and SriLankan Airlines were the main Government partners. SriLankan Airlines offered a return air ticket Melbourne/Colombo as the first prize of the raffle.