The Stepping stones to the formation of SLCSWA

While most of us were settling comfortably in the newly adopted country it was hard to ignore our collective feeling of overwhelming homesickness and for some, even grief. These feelings created a large vacuum in our hearts and minds, and it was felt that something needed to be done.

In early 1980s, in Perth there were only about 75 Sri Lankan Sinhalese) families that were in close association with each other many having young children. A few families were also residing in the outer towns such as Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Port Hedland, Karratha etc. which are situated far away from Perth.

While these compatriot families gathered in each other’s homes during weekends to fulfil the above- mentioned vacuum, an idea was born, and a strong collective desire was expressed to formalize ourselves as a group. This strong need, to be connected with our compatriots in almost every new migrant was (and is), has been a key factor in forming the Sri Lankan Cultural Society of WA.

An equally important factor was the need to celebrate our cultural traditions, listen to Sinhala songs, dance to the rhythm of our Baila, beat a rabana, share a plate of kiribath with ‘katta sambol’ and ‘ambul thiyal’, and to maintain our own, comfortable cultural identity for the benefit of our children. We all had the strong desire to create opportunitiesto do so.

The Sri Lankan Sinhala and Hindu New Year in mid- April has always been the most important event in our Calendar, and the Vesak Poya in May for the Buddhists. Then follows the Sri Lankan Independence Day which falls on the 4th of February, along with the Christmas which are observed collectively by all Sri Lankans.

A shared view prevailed that there was a vacuum that needed to be filled. There was no actual entity, an organization which profoundly embraced and embodied diverse cultural traditions of Sri Lanka. In our daily lives back home, the vastly omnipresent multiculture reflects our multiple ethnicities, and is a fact of life.

Accepted is the fact that Sri Lankan Nation consists primarily of 70% Sinhala who are either Buddhists or Christians. Next, the Tamils, mainly Hindus and Christians, followed by Muslims. The Burghe rs who are mainly Christians, have become a smaller minority. As stated previously, this is due to the fact that most have migrated to other countries.

It is a long- held tradition in Sri Lanka to value and celebrate various religious and cultural activities. The significance of this widely accepte d practice as a nation is that it reflects the true human nature of our people.

The writer acknowledges here the role WASLA played in serving the earlier migrants by providing their membership ample opportunities to enjoy a Dinner Dance and an occasional Champagne Breakfast. However, the ‘new migrants’ were not quite adept at joining in ballroom dancing or to sip Champaign with their kiribath at breakfast. They were keener to listen to a Sinhala Song or two by a veteran artist (recorded) playing in the background, while chatting to each other mostly about politics back home, in their mother tongue.

The pioneers also identified the strong necessity of the newly migrate d families who had the hard task of adapting and integrating into a new society with a whole set of new values and rules, at the same time holding on to our own familiar traditions of bringing up young children.

We also saw the new student populations starting to grow in late 1980s. Australia opened its gates to Overseas Students Programmes. Many came to study in tertiary institutions.

Those young students were quite lonely, and Sri Lankan families embraced them immediately and many took over looking after them as they could by providing them occasionally with a home cooked meal. Once the SLCSWA was formed it became the umbrella organization for many students to seek shelter from. Many became actively involved in helping out in our Food Fares and cultural performances.