Reported by – Cicil Fonseka
The last 18 months have been a tumultuous time for all of us, with many wondering what post pandemic festivals could even look like in this new world. Well, this past weekend saw Sydney’s beloved Awards Ceremony in tremendous fashion that offered a glimmer of hope for the future.
The Gala Award Ceremony of the Online Song Competition organised by the Writers Guild of the SCF was held on the 5th March 2022 at 6:30 pm at the Rosely Community Centre.
The contestants, family, friends and well-wishers were present in large numbers dressed in their best costumes. The stage was decorated with traditional Sri Lankan artefacts to suit such an important event.
The proceedings started with the traditional lighting of the lamp by the presidents of the SCF and the Writers Guild and Ramani Gamage to represent the Sydney artists. The puja Dance to follow was presented by the students of the Manuki Ranga Dancing School and very well received by the audience. The president of the Writers Guild welcomed the gathering while the President of the SCF congratulated the winners and all contestants in his speech.
Certificates were awarded to the participants by Mrs Shiro De Silva. The certificates for the “1000 Club” those who scored more than 1000 points in the contest were awarded the certificates of Excellence by Mrs Jayanthi Pieris.
The Second Runner up place with 4,740 points was awarded to Sinidu Pahasa song – lyrics by Deepal de Silva, melody by Kumara Ekanayake and sung by Jagath Dandeniya. Awards were presented by Mrs Priyani Ganewatte.
The First Runner up place with 21,830 points was awarded to the Saraswathie Devi song – lyrics by Malee Dissanayake, Melody by Cicil Fonseka and sung by Indu Prematilake. Awards were presented by Mrs. Chandra Fonseka.
The winner was Hima Kandukaraye song with a massive 23,424 points. The lyrics were written by Edwin Pemjayantha, melody by Hemal Jayawickrama, music by Indu Prematilake and beautifully sung by Ruvee Nimnadi. Awards were presented by Mrs. Pradeepa Rupasinghe.
A special award was presented to uniquely talented Sydney artist, Somaratne Uvage to recognise his outstanding services to the Sri Lankan community in traditional Sri Lankan decorating. A certificate was awarded to Kavindu to appreciate his excellence in Sound Management.
After the dinner a very entertaining evening continued. Saliya and Sriyani started the singing session with a very popular Sinhala song and the highlight was the beautiful dance that accompanied the song. Ari Sitinamaluva, Mihiri Fernando, Yehansa Dahanayake, Upeka Pasquel, Ajith de Silva and Ruvee Nimnadi -all of them popular Sydney singers entertained the crowd well into the night.
The Writers Guild would like to convey a special thank you to the OZLanka Community Site for its support of the Online Competition.
The Writers Guild conveys its sincere thanks to Robin Bosco taking the beautiful photos of the event.
To view the photo album of the event, please Click Here.
