By Rajendra Alwis

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ A special General Meeting and get-together of the newly formed Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya, Canada ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” Ottawa Chapter (AAUPOC) was held on 29 Oct, at the St. Monica Perish Church, Ottawa, Canada. The evening witnessed a large turn up of alumni who studied in various faculties at the University of Peradeniya such as Arts, Science, Medicine, Engineering, and Agriculture. The alumni members gathered here comprised of distinguished senior government officials, professional engineers, research scientists, university professors, medical practitioners and renowned academicians. The assembled alumni and their families responded enthusiastically to the events of the day and it turned out to be a memorable evening to all those who attended. Among the attendees there was a special visiting guest from Sri Lanka, Dr. Lakshman Galagedara, a senior lecturer at the faculty of Agriculture, Peradeniya University.

The evening started with the rich tradition of lighting the oil lamp by several senior graduates that represented respective faculties, followed by the singing of the University Anthem.

Dr. Nimal Ratnayake, the President of the Alumni Association extended a warm and hearty welcome to all those who were present.

Dr. Nimal Ratnayake, the President of the Alumni Association extended a warm and hearty welcome to all those who were present. Setting the tone for the day, Dr. Ratnayake said that during the past six months the AAUPOC Executive Committee spent fair amount of time drafting the Constitution of the Association, setting out its objectives, and launching a website. He further stated that the primary purpose of this SGM was to brief the progress made so far and to solicit membersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ suggestion for the development of a work plan in order to support and advance the academic excellence of our Alma Mater, University of Peradeniya.

Continuing his speech Dr. Ratnayake added that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-all of us are very grateful to the University of Peradeniya and to the people of Sri Lanka for providing us with a strong foundation, through free education, to accomplish our professional goals, career objectives and other professional achievements. There is no doubt that all our Ottawa Chapter members feel a deep sense of obligation to repay our debt of gratitude to our university and to our motherland. Some of the campus pictures were also screened during the presidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s speech, and the auras created therein made the alumni feel as if they were attending an event at the University of Peradeniya.

Soon after the PresidentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s speech, in response to a suggestion put forward by the Executive Committee, a sizable sum of dollars was collected within a few minutes, to be sent to the University of Peradeniya for the benefit of the needy students.

There was also an interesting slide presentation depicting the photographs of some of the alumni members along with their peers, taken several decades ago, during their younger vibrant days. It was nice walk down the memory lane.

One of the aesthetic pieces in the agenda was the musical session and the sing-song party. The orchestra was led by two prominent alumni, Dr. Lakshman Dias, and Prof. Nimal De Silva, supported by Ranjith Wahalwatha, Nayana De Silva and Udaya De Silva. Their performance along with the vocalists from the floor was highly appreciated and enjoyed by the audience and it made the evening pleasant and enjoyable. Sri Lanka style (pot luck) dinner was served and everyone enjoyed aromatic delicious food.

At the end of the meeting, the vote of thanks was proposed by the secretary of the AAUPOC Dr. Jayananda Weerasinhe. His sincere thanks were extended to all those who generously contributed to make this event a success. Dr. Jayananda WeerasinheƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s subtle sense of humor made his vote of thanks interesting.