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Thursday, 1 February, 2024
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Generous spirit By Ethan Benedicto Mihiri Dissanayake was never one for recognition. She did not provide charity while looking for something in return, or for people to owe her. Giving was an act that came with no second thoughts for the Narre Warren South volunteer. If someone needed something, she was there to provide. From monetary aid to food, medicine and supplies, she had a hand to give, and not just for the Sri Lankan community in Australia, but to anyone in need in the Dandenong and Narre Warren areas. On Australia Day, Mihiri was named as a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, or OAM, for her service to the Sri Lankan community in Victoria. “I’m proud, I’m proud, it’s the biggest award you can get in Australia, isn’t it? “I’m proud to be Australian, and it’s nice to be acknowledged,” she said. Mihiri was born in East Africa to Sri Lankan parents, had moved back to their home country shortly after, and eventually settled down in the UK for roughly 10 years. After meeting her husband Bandu Dissanayake and having her first child there, they eventually came down to Australia on 8 August 1982. Mihiri was an active person, with her mind and her hands, she “never sat still”. “When I put my children in school I always went and did something, like pottery, art, hairdressing, and the lot. ‘’I do lots of craft stuff, big with pottery and ceramics and such but I didn’t make it a business or anything, anything creative, put it that way,” she said. Being creative through and engaging with multiple activities was a key strength for Mihiri, which according to her played a big role with how she was able to and continues to handle her responsibilities. When asked how she managed her roles, she said that “you just do it, and I know how much time I need. “I’m very good at time management, say even now, if I have a thought in my head about an activity tomorrow happening at a certain time, it will be at that time,” she said.
Narre Warren South volunteer Mihri Dissanayake has been awarded an OAM. 384960 Picture: GARY SISSONS While Mihiri’s personal charity did not begin here, the first organisation she had been heavily involved in Australia was the Sri Lankan Study Centre for Advancement of Technology and Social Welfare, or SCATS for short. Having been a member since 1993, Mihiri made steady progress in the organisation, eventually landing the role of president from 2007 to 2008.
She was also the organisation’s treasurer in 2022, and in the same year became the Eastern Region chair. The bigger aspect that played a role in this was that all of Mihiri’s contributions was never work, it was never a thing that needed to be done, Mihiri did what she did because she knew it helped people, and that made her feel good.
“It’s not work when you do something that you like to do. “It’s just giving, I think it’s part of my culture and my family background,” she said. Her involvement with SCATS saw her personally fund and advocate for fundraising in things such as cataract eye surgeries, cultural programs, tsunami relief projects, women’s and youth programs and so on. Mihrri’s grandmother, Grace Jayawickrama had been a devoted charity and community worker, and when the Queen of England visited Sri Lanka in the 1940s, she had been awarded the Member of the British Empire, or MBE, medal for her voluntary work. Mihiri had never seen it as a familial trait, but the more she reflected on it, the more she realised that her family and culture had a large role to play in her charity. “When I give something, it’s never to expect something in return, so I’m just happy. “If you do something that you love to do, since some people have asked me ‘where do you get the time’, it’s never work, you’re just happy doing it,” Mihrri said. However, no matter the impact of her roles and contributions to SCATS, she always credited the organisation’s founder and fellow OAM awardee, Gemini Perera, as its driving force, backbone, and not just hers, but also everyone’s inspiration. Mihiri’s roles also extended to media, taking part in multicultural mediums such as 3ZZZ Radio and Channel 31. With a combined time of roughly 15 years of volunteer service, Mihiri’s roles involved clerical duties, being trained as a programmer to handle children’s programs, and a news presenter; with compiling and reading transcript. A charity that Mihiri feels strongly about, and what she could consider her main avenue, is the Lions Club, specifically their SightFirst program which supports cost-effective and sustainable eye projects. “I’ve personally funded two major eye surgeries for two people, the council in Sri Lanka is poor, not like here, so one of the guys who was going blind and was about to lose his job, I funded the eye surgery for,” she said. The other recipient was a Sri Lankan taxi driver’s mother, who she had heard of and immediately decided to fund the process. Continued page 10
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