People and events
View(s):All island winner for Prose Reading
Ransika Bandara Seneviratne of Ananda College, Colombo 10 won the All island award 2014 for Prose Reading- 11 years category.
The competition was conducted by Sri Lanka Festival of Music, Dance and Speech. It is affiliated to the British and International Federation for music,dance and speech.
Ransika is a student of Dushanthi Perera.
54th wedding anniversary
Vernon and Marie Wambeek celebrated 54 years of marriage on July 4. They wed at St. Paul Church Colombo in Sri Lanka in 1960. They migrated to Australia in 1988 and now live in Lane Cove where they celebrated the special occasion with their three sons and six grandchildren.
Wellawatte Jaycees on membership drive
The Wellawatte Jaycees, a pioneering club in Sri Lanka, launched a membership drive recently to recruit new members to the chapter (club). Held under Past President Arunika Wickremasinghe, the drive culminated in a special programme for prospective Jaycees at the Kingsbury hotel in Colombo with almost 30 prospective members and many current members and Past Presidents of the Chapter in attendance.
The purpose of the Jaycee movement, which originated in St. Louis, Missouri in the U.S., is to train young people to become leaders of society and communities they live in.
JCI Senator Upali Mahanama giving an inspiring and humorous speech told the youth in attendance that they should know where they are heading and outlined many techniques they could adopt in their careers so that they could reach the pinnacle of success.
Citing the success stories of many Jaycees, he said he would not have been what he was had he not joined the Jaycees.
Elaborating on this point, Past World President of the Jaycees International and himself a Past President of the Wellawatte Jaycees, Sen. Isfahani Sameen said he was so nervous to give his name and profession at General Meetings of the Chapter that he would walk out of the meeting to avoid what he thought was an embarrassing situation. ‘But I overcame my shyness and went on to become World President. I am what I am because of the Jaycees,’ he said.
The Jaycees lay heavy emphasis on personal development. But this does not prevent Chapters and their members from getting involved in community service projects. The Wellawatte Jaycees have carried out numerous such projects such as the week-long Road Safety Campaign. Supreme Court judge Saleem Marsoof, also a Past President of the Wellawatte Jaycees, was in the committee of the project.
One of the guest speakers at the orientation course was JCI Senator Malik Cader, a former Director General of the Securities & Exchange Commission spoke on the Jaycee creed and its emphasis on living a moral and an ethical life. He expanded on the tenets of the Jaycee movement that say ‘service to humanity is the best work of life, that the greatest treasure lies in human personality and that the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of nations’. Citing a few examples of how youth have become better citizens by following the tenets of the Jaycees he pointed out ‘as Jaycees if we put that right step forward we could make that difference the world so sorely needs’.
Peterite Oriental Orchestra first in the island
The Oriental Orchestra of St. Peter’s College, Colombo 04, was placed first in the island in the Folk Music Category at the recently concluded All Island Oriental Music Competition 2014 organised by the Ministry of Education. They also won the Award for the Best Orchestral Music Composition. St. Peter’s College was the only Catholic School to participate in the contest and the orchestra won the praise and acclaim of many who were present
The Orchestra was trained by Shastrapathi Sangeeth Visharadha, Samantha Amarajeewa and Sangeetha Visharadha Nadeeshani Maduwanthi. Music was composed by Mas. Eshan Denipitiya.
Prithipura Communities:50 years of supporting those with disabilities
Diyatha Uyana was awash with blue on Friday, April 25 as over 250 people from the Prithipura Communities took part in a celebratory walk to mark their 50th anniversary. The distinctive turquoise blue t-shirts ensured that the residents, staff and supporters were clearly visible as they made their way along the paths of the nature park. This was an opportunity for those who took part to be out in public showing that it is possible to have a disability and lead a happy, purposeful life.
Around 240 children and adults with disabilities live at Prithipura Communities across four locations in Sri Lanka and are encouraged to develop to their full potential under the specialised care of established carers and teachers.
Thillaka de Krester, Director of Prithipura Communities, and part of the Community since its founding said, “The walk was our way of celebrating this important milestone. We wanted to celebrate in public to show those around us how valued those who live with us are. When Prithipura was founded, the general public perception was that those with disabilities were worthless and had no place in society. Throughout our 50 years we have tried to dispel this myth and many of those with live with us contribute enormously to the work and have made the Community what it is today.”
Prithipura Communities is able to generate an income from farm work at Anandapura and Asokapura Farms where many of those with disabilities contribute to the work. However, due to the high number of people that live at all four locations, long-term funding is always a concern and they would be happy to hear from people who would like to offer their support.
For more information, please contact tel: 011-2930635 or email: Prithi@sltnet.lk, or see their website: www.prithipura.com