TMC celebrates 13th anniversary

The 13th anniversary of The Management Club was celebrated on Saturday 8 August in association with the Galadari Hotel at their Grand Ballroom and in the presence of the senior management of the partner Hotels Galadari, Berjaya Mount Royal Beach Hotel Mt Lavinia, Camelot Beach Hotel Negombo, Hibiscus Beach Hotel Kalutara and associate hotel Ramadia Panadura, together with many of the founder members, new members, guests, corporate and event sponsors and well wishers all well represented. 

It will be an event to be remembered by all for many years to come. It was also an event to raise funds for some of the programs and projects of the CSR arm of TMC, ‘Enable the Disabled’ (ETD). The event was exactingly planned and impeccably executed, that deserves to be lauded, for even the most minute details were not left to chance. 

At the lobby area before the audience entered the Grand Ballroom, there was a well organised cocktail in the midst of two beautiful motor vehicles, Peugeot 508 luxury Sedan and a Peugeot 2008 Cross Over from Car Mart with music provided by the SL Navy bag pipers followed by an elegant welcome address by the current President of the Board of Management of TMC Nasser Majeed. An exemplary four-course dinner was laid out by the host hotel, which was well appreciated by all. Music for the evening and the dancing that followed was provided by Rajeev & the Clan.

The anniversary was also a platform to acknowledge the yeoman service rendered by The Management Club’s CSR arm – Enable The Disabled – lovingly nurtured for over a decade by its Chairperson Charmaine Vanderhoven, ably assisted by Jazaya Hassendeen and their team of dedicated volunteers. The feature event of the evening was a well choreographed series of dances by Kosala Dullewa and members of the Kosala Dullewa Foundation. 

These artistes were no strangers to us as they had performed for us in the past and were part of an organisation supported by ETD. 

It was heartening to hear praise from an Australian, visiting Sri Lanka with his Samoan wife after 40 years from – both specialised workers for over a decade with children with Down Syndrome, Autism and such related disabilities, saying that they had never seen such talented performances nurtured by care givers in Australia.

The event’s success was further enhanced by the presence of well known actor and social worker the beautiful Pooja Uma Shankar who spoke so eloquently on social needs of the needy and the disabled. 

The after dinner speaker – Ramesh Schafter – kept the audience spellbound and in stitches with his very humorous anecdotes, starting off with his parents’ anniversary dinner that he could not attend, due to the fact that it clashed with his daughter’s graduation – from the Montessori school! There was also his reference to cricketers and cricket parlance.

The founder members, ETD volunteers, organisers and sponsors were all recognised and most especially the Founder and President Emeritus of The Management Club Fayaz Saleem, who has been the driving force and the linchpin who has kept TMC together all these years. 

Fayaz graced the occasion with his son and daughter, as if this was the birthday of his youngest offspring, in spite of the fact that he was just recovering from a brief illness.

It was indeed an evening to be remembered with Chairperson of the event Jezaya Hassendeen, Secretary and Coordinator of the event Charmaine Vanderhoven, Camy Fernando and Sanjeeva Gooneratne all of whom played such a great role in the organising of the event supported by a team of members.

The main event sponsors were the reputed insurance company, Continental Insurance, Peoples Bank and Dell. Recognised support was also received from Blue Mountain Properties, Coco Cola, Car Mart, Sponge and many more.