Australian High Commission
Colombo
MEDIA RELEASE
_________________________________________________________
04 June 2008
ESSAY COMPETITION
AUSTRALIA SRI LANKA RELATIONS
The Australian High Commission Colombo organised an essay competition to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Sri Lanka.
The competition was open to all students in the junior (12-15 years) and senior (16-19 years) age group categories. A large number of entries from around Sri Lanka were submitted in Sinhalese, Tamil and English on the topic of “Australia-Sri Lanka Relations”. The winners were presented with certificates and books by the Australian High Commissioner, HE Kathy Klugman, on 4 June at an event at the Australian High Commission attended by the winners and their parents.
In presenting the awards, Ms Klugman congratulated the students on the in-depth research and effort taken in the preparation of their essays which covered areas such as the Colombo Plan, migration, education, Australian aid to Sri Lanka, sports, trade and investment among many other subjects. The High Commissioner commented that the diversity of the subject matter in the essays reflected the breadth and vibrancy of links between Australia and Sri Lanka. She congratulated the children and their parents. The prize winners in each category were as follows:
Junior (12-15 years)
1st Place: Thilina Kalhara Paduwawala - Gateway College, Colombo
2nd Place: Zeenia Jafeen - Ak/Ayesha Balika Maha Vidyalaya, Akkaraipattu
3rd Place: Fathima Aneeka Hamid - Sujatha Vidyalaya, Nugegoda
Senior (16-19 years)
1st Place: Selestina Winston - BT/St. Cecilia’s Maha Vidyalaya, Batticaloa
2nd Place: Jeehani Madushika - Ferguson High School, Ratnapura
3rd Place: Chritha Madushani Wanasinghe - Royal College, Kurunegala