December 6 - 12, 2023 ◆ COMMUNITY GATHERING: Many gathered at NESLA’s inaugural event to celebrate Sri Lankan culture.
Sri Lankan group formed NORTH East Sri Lankan Association (NESLA) was formed recently in Wangaratta and the association aims to support Sri Lankan Australians living in the North East of Victoria. While based in Wangaratta, the group reaches out to all areas in the North East including Benalla, Bright, Beechworth, Wodonga, Mansfield and Yarrawonga. Group member, Punarji Gunaratne, said the group initially started out with informal meetings but decided to officially start NE-
SLA to gain more opportunities. “Some of us were informally meeting and there were a lot of missed opportunities such as for grants and to organise cultural events so we thought this was the best way to formalise it all,” he said. “We found there’s not enough support
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with MICK
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By CHLOE JAENICKE
mechanisms to support people like us, especially in the North East and regional Victoria.” The organisation aims to support Sri Lankans to maintain their culture, provide networking opportunities, provide support to overcome social isolation and provide mental health support for new Sri Lankan migrants living in the region. “We are planning to work with mental health organisations in the region to organ-
ise professional coaching for mental health especially for those experiencing racism related matters and also social isolation,” Mr Gunaratne said. The association has more than 40 members so far and NESLA president Nimesh Athauda said there has been a positive response to the association among the Sri Lankan community since the association started in mid-2023.
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