On 25 April, a beautiful sunny day, St Paul’s Milagiriya (SPM) PPA NSW members, their families and friends gathered together at The Connection function centre in the City of Canada Bay to celebrate the Sinhala & Tamil New Year day, which this year, dawned on 14th April 2023.

The function commenced with the past pupils of SPM singing the School song, lighting the traditional oil lamp and wishing the 150+ guests a “Suba Aluth Avurudu”.

An absolutely delicious buffet lunch including kavum, kokis, kiribath and lots of other traditional Sri Lankan food used to welcome the New Year in, was served.

The sounds of the rabanas and the lovely up-country dances performed by Mr Susantha Gunawardena, Zonal Dancing Director, Department of Education, Sri Lanka and Ms Rachindra Gayanthi were reminiscent of New Year celebrations in Sri Lanka.

The voice of the President of the Sri Lanka Cultural Centre, Ms Maduri Arampath who graced the occasion with her presence and a song, was breathtakingly beautiful.
The various traditional rituals, the delectable spread of Sri Lankan food and the Avurudu games ensured that it was a truly fun event, enjoyed by all.

The exquisite cultural dances performed by the beautiful young ladies .. Akeesha, Nethmi and Tiyara.. from The Sri Lankan Dance Academy of Sydney, choreographed by Ms Thilini Wanigathunga, were definitely a highlight of the afternoon.
The national anthems of Australia and of Sri Lanka were sung and a two-minute silence was observed whilst Lalith Fernando and the Band, Fiesta, played ‘The Last Post’ to mark the revered occasion of ANZAC Day.

Lalith and the Band, with their lively music, had the dance floor packed throughout the event.
It is noted too, that Mr Farrag Rashid did an absolutely wonderful job of recording the proceedings of the day with his camera, and a few of the photographs of the event are shown below.

We take this opportunity once again to say ‘Thank You’ to everyone who contributed to the success of our Avurudu celebrations and to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

SPM PPA NSW Committee

Please enjoy the event photos below.