OBITUARY: JASMINE FERNANDO We regret to announce the death of Jasmin Fernando, the beloved wife of Ruwanal and much-loved mother of Amila, Malinda and Dinuka. Jasmine’s funeral will be held on Saturday, February 17, at Mary Immaculate Church, 125 Barnier Drive, Quakers Hill, NSW. The viewing will be from 10.30am followed by Mass and the burial at Riverstone Cemetery, Cemetery  Road, Riverstone, NSW. Jasmine, an alumni of Holy Family Convent, Dehiwela, was a much loved member of her parish and the community. She and her family supported our college functions in Sydney and she will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her. Our sincere condolences and prayers to our fellow Peterites Ruwanal, Amila, Malinda, and Dinuka and their grieving families on this huge loss. OBITUARY NOTICE JASMINE FERNNADO: beloved Wife of Ruwanal, much-loved mother of Amila, Malinda and Dinuka, Loving Mother-in-Law of Dinushi, Jilska and Dinease. Cherished ...

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Hussey and Larsen to be inducted in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Committee, together with Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), has announced Michael Hussey and Lyn Larsen AM as inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. Hussey and Larsen become the 62nd and 63rd inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, established in 1996. Media Opportunity: Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductee Michael Hussey and Australian Cricket Hall of Fame Chair Peter King will be available to media this morning at 8.15am AEDT at the Dennis Lillee Statue at the MCG. Lyn Larsen will be available for interviews upon request. VNR: Click here to download vision and photos of Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductee Lyn Larsen. Michael Hussey Michael Hussey was a prolific batter for Australia and Western Australia and as renowned for his incredible ability ...

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SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE SHINES GOLD FOR DIWALI Monday, 24 October 2022 The NSW Government has added to the hundreds of millions of lights burning brightly around the world for Diwali by lighting the sails of the Sydney Opera House in gold. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure welcomed the lighting up of the sails to officially mark the start of Diwali, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains. “By lighting up the sails of the Opera House, we are sharing in the rich colour, vibrancy and values of Diwali,” Mr Perrottet said. “Tonight also symbolises our unity as a multicultural state, that no matter our cultural background, our faith or the language we speak, Diwali can be enjoyed and experienced by everyone in NSW.” Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said celebrating events like Diwali is about celebrating NSW’s greatest assets, its people. “Thanks to ...

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Welcome to the new Multicultural Youth COVID-19 Ambassadors 2022 The NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) is delighted to welcome eleven dynamic Multicultural Youth COVID-19 Ambassadors to help us engage with young people across NSW. The aim of this initiative is to increase health literacy around COVID-19 amongst young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Research has shown that young people have been significantly socially and economically impacted by COVID-19. MHCS has identified an opportunity to support young people from CALD backgrounds through the co-design of a COVID-19 social media campaign. This social media campaign will showcase videos co-produced with the youth ambassadors on platforms that are relatable and engaging to a diverse range of young people from multicultural backgrounds. This dynamic and diverse group of young people are excited to increase their knowledge and skills to have meaningful conversations with their peers, family and community networks around ...

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MEDIA RELEASE RELIGIOUS AND MULTICULTURAL LEADERS RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINE   More than 30 NSW religious and community leaders have come together to encourage all eligible individuals from diverse faith and cultural communities to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The leaders met with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Health Brad Hazzard and Minister for Multiculturalism Geoff Lee at the mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park. “Thank you to community leaders across NSW who have shown leadership throughout the pandemic and continue to provide trusted information to their communities. It is critical to vaccinate our citizens as quickly and as safely as possible,” Ms Berejiklian said. “There are Cultural Support Workers at the mass vaccination centre who can guide people through the entire process in 25 different languages.”                                                                                                      The mass vaccination centre is now administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to members of the general public aged 50 and over, along with GPs and ...

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Wishing you a safe and happy Eid-Al-Fitr’ – NSW Health and MHCS   Eid Al-Fitr is commonly known as the festival of breaking of the fast and marks the end of Ramadan Mubarak. In 2021, Eid-Al-Fitr will be celebrated in Sydney on Thursday, 13 May. Dates may vary according to moon sighting NSW Health and the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) in partnership with the Multicultural Health Service in Western Sydney Local Health District have produced the ‘Stay COVID-safe this Ramadan’ Video message in English from Religious and Community Leaders – to help remind people to celebrate Ramadan in a COVID-safe way. NSW Health and MHCS have also developed ‘Wishing you a safe and happy Eid-Al-Fitr’ social media tiles in English and multiple languages to remind everyone to please keep the community safe – even if you have mild COVID-19 symptoms, get tested and stay at home until you get a negative test result. It would ...

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Sri Lankan Australians in NSW becoming a credible community.   Early migration of Sri Lankans from their native land to Sydney was in the seventies, with a few families settled in earlier. There were about 30 families in Sydney living in the city and the suburbs, and most of them were professionals, teachers, and a few businesspeople. Meeting most weekends to get together and enjoy a good tasty spicy rice and curry was something that we looked forward, to feel home away from home. We had not collected enough money to purchase cars, but public transport was the mode of travel. So, getting down at the closest railway station, walking along the roadside, until the smell of dhal curry and Basmati boiled rice emanated, and that was the signal to spot the location of the home we were visiting for lunch. We never checked the number of the premises, but ...

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St Peter’s College OBU Sydney AGM     St Peter’s College OBU Sydney held it’s AGM on Sunday the 21st of March, after having to reschedule it from last year due to the pandemic.  Despite the current bad weather prevailing in NSW, we had a great turnout of members. The Following were re-elected: President: Shehan Vilathgamuwa Vice President: Nishantha Perera Treasurer: Ravin Panambalana Secretary: Gus Shiran Viswasam Sports Co-ordinator: Shane Fernando Digital Media: Jude Chelvaratnam Social Secretary: Niresh Wijesiri Editor: Denver Mottau Membership Secretary: Senani Gunasekera Auditor : Aubrey Joachim Here are a few photos from the AGM. Source: Gus Shiran Viswasam Facebook   ...

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Publishing a collection of short stories written by people of Sri Lankan origin living in Australia Calling for Contributions     Publishing a collection of short stories written by people of Sri Lankan origin living in Australia Calling for Contributions The Writers Guild of Sinhalese Cultural Forum of NSW Inc has launched a project to publish a collection of short stories written by people of Sri Lankan origin living in Australia. The aims of the project are as follows. To establish and foster a literary link between the various community groups with Sri Lankan heritage living in Australia To establish and foster a literary link between thepeople of Sri Lankan origin living in Australiaand the multicultural Australia To take diasporic Sri Lankan literature produced in Australia to the global audience It is intended that this proposed collection of short stories is published in Australia first in hard copy targeting the ...

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Important updates regarding student visa arrangements/review of the Working Holiday Maker Program   We hope you are all staying safe and well. Kindly find below some important updates. Updates to Student Visa arrangements Many of you have raised concerns about student visa arrangements throughout the COVID-19 crisis and NSW/ACT Community Engagement thanks you for communicating your valuable feedback to us. We are pleased to bring some important announcements to your attention that were made this week: On 20 July 2020, the Minister for Education announced a number of changes to student visa arrangements to ensure Australia remains a priority destination for international students as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. While the closure of our international borders has been critical to our success in slowing the spread of the coronavirus, and Australia has been a leader in this regard, it has presented challenges to the education sector and students, both here and offshore. These ...

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