The Zonta Club 1 of Colombo installed and inducted the new President and Club officials for its 23rd Biennium of 2012-2014 at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo following the Annual General Meeting. Zonta International District Representatives for the Biennium, District Governor Dr. Marlene Abeywardena, District Secretaries Chathuri Ranasinghe and Sumithra Fernando, District Treasurer Suzette De Alwis were present.
Also present were Charter Secretary of Zonta Club 1 of Colombo and Past District Governor Mano Candappa, Past District Governors Mala Sabaratnam and Manthri Perera, and Past President Club I and Chair of the Nominating Committee Mrs. Ramola Sivasundaram. The new board inducted was: Professor Chandrika Wijeyaratne - President, Charmaine De Alwis - President Elect, Lalinee Hulangamuwa - Vice President, Chandi Alles and Eshani Wanigasekera - Directors, Charmarie Maelge and Dhanya Ratnavale - Treasurers and Dr. Sanithri Samarakoon and Sarrah Sammoon - Secretaries.
Guest of Honour, Dr. Samitha Samanmalee, a medical intern at the National Hospital, was presented an endowment from the Dr. Cyril Pallewala Trust Fund towards Dr. Samanmalee's pioneering foundation, Surath Paura, to continue the work for spinal injury survivors. Dr. Samanmalee herself is a spinal injury survivor, whose motto is "Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyse you; they are supposed to help you discover who you are".
Mrs. Sumithra Fernando, Chairperson of Young Women in Public Affairs, also presented the YWPA award winners : Club Winner - Rosheni Ratnayake (Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya) who was also adjudged as the District Winner from South Asia for 2012 ; 1st Runner-Up Raaya Gomez of St Bridget"s Convent, Colombo and 2nd Runner-Up Sanchiga Selvaraajah of Neliyaddi Maha Vidyalaya, Jaffna for their presentations on community service. The winner then made a very eloquent speech on "Women of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."
The Chief Guest was Professor Shevanthi Homer-Vanniasinkam who delivered an inspiring oration "In Search of Excellence" which was well received by the audience. Professor Homer-Vanniasinkam is a Vascular Surgeon who achieved her life's ambition in Great Britain. She is Clinical Sub-Dean of Leeds Medical School and also holds an invited Chair in Surgery at the prestigious University College, London. Prof. Homer-Vanniasinkam advised Zontians that the attributes for excellence were determination, resilience, vision and mission in life and the most important factor was hunger for success. She further cautioned high achievers of their potential to wear out those around them, inattentiveness to the needs of colleagues and being burnt out themselves! The message she left Zonta Club 1 of Colombo: "Sometimes in order to look at the future one has to create it in the present".
For the new biennium, President Prof. Dr. Chandrika Wijeyaratne proposed to begin with "Building Bridges" to join hands of women affected by war, both in the North and the South, in the incoming biennium through Zonta. She further plans to join hands with colleagues in the Foreign Service and leading ladies of Negombo to minimize damage to migrant female workers.
For more information about the Zonta Club 1 of Colombo and how to become a member, one could write to < [email protected] > or visit Zonta International at www.zonta.org .
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