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Friday, 6 March 2015 00:17 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
From left: Don Susantha Katugampala, Dr. Thanuja Katugampala, Mrs. Pushpakumara, Victoria Sri Lanka Consul General Upul Pushpakumara, Victoria Minister of Sports and Tourism John Eran, Captain Angelo Mathews, Victorian Parliament Speaker Telmo Languiller and the Sri Lanka Cricket team at the Victorian Parliament, Melbourne, Australia
The Sri Lankan Cricket team received a very special welcome at the Victorian Parliament in Australia in the Cricket World Cup tour in Australia end of February.
There were two parts of this memorable event. First, the Sri Lankan team was called in to the Parliament’s Chamber and an official recognition was mentioned by Telmo Languiller, the Speaker of the Victorian Parliament with the sitting Parliament with the Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews.
Five names of the team were mentioned at the Chamber to record in the Hansard: Captain Angelo Matthews, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara as retiring world class cricketers and Tilakaratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga as world class cricketers in the Sri Lankan Cricket team.
The second part was holding a reception with a special visitor, the actual Cricket World Cup physically brought over by ICC to showcase all the attendees and participation of Speaker Langullier, Minister of Sports and Tourism John Earn, Sri Lanka Consul General in Victoria, the entire Sri Lankan Cricket Team and their families and members of the Sri Lankan community in Melbourne Victoria.
In the speeches, the Speaker and the Sports Minister mentioned that this event was held as a honour of gesture for strong relationship between Victoria Australia and Sri Lanka and in recognition of the Sri Lankan community in Victoria and specially mentioned that the contribution of a prominent lawyer of the Sri Lankan community Don Susantha Katugampala for coordinating the event in a very short time.
In the speech by Don Susantha Katugampala, he reiterated that the support needed by the Sri Lankan expatriate community of all backgrounds in Australia to strengthen the relationship between Australia and Sri Lanka in the future for benefit of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Consul General Upul Pushpakumara made the vote of thanks. Everyone wished both Sri Lanka and Australia to be in the finals of Cricket World Cup 2015.
Out of the 14 international teams participate at this World Cup Sri Lankan team is the only one to receive such a recognition and honour in an Australian Parliament. This reflect the relationship between Sri Lanka and Australia and the recognition of the Sri Lankan expatriate community in Australia including Australian political arena.
Australia is an important regional partner for Sri Lanka that can make a great contribution in development, investments, education and training and reconciliation in the future prosperity of Sri Lanka.
Pix by Johan Jayasinghe
