Receiving the Grant

Within a month of sending the application we were notified by letter from the Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission that our application was successful. A ceremony was held in August 1986 at the Commission’s premises situated at Murray Street in the City. There were twenty- two new groups who received a grant of $1000 each.

The writer received a cheque written out to “The Sri Lankan Cultural Society of Western Australia” from the State Minister for Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Mr Gordon Hill.

The Procedure Followed in Setting Up of the Society.
The First Meeting

The writer immediately passed on the news of the successful grant application to all interest people, and it was time to get down to real work. A meeting was called to as many members as possible by contacting them by phone, we had no internet and no smart phones, let alone computers.

Since, to hire a venue would cost, the writer arranged a gathering at her residence to create a sociable atmosphere.

It is worth noting that there were times where negative forces hindered the progress, and not all constructive actions taken to succeed towards our aim were supported by some. As one opined, it was ‘intimidating’ to come to a home for such an important event. Many such unfavourable petty issues had to be ignored and overcome as it was far more important to work towards the big picture – our vision to be accomplished.

It was almost impossible to get consensus on such trivial issues at the beginning, and the writer sought advice from community elders who were willing and empathetic to our cause. One such person was a well- known Sri Lankan journalist, Mr Russell Raymond- Order of Australia, a well-liked personality who had been the President of WASLA on a few occasions. He was indeed always very helpful and supportive of our cause. The writer requested that Mr Raymond chairs the very first meeting at which we could elect a President and a Committee, adhering to the new Constitution, which was also had to be ratified at the Meeting.