Lawrence Machado

Families and friends joined the Peterite Old Boys Union in Sydney in dancing their cares away at the Castle Grand on Saturday, June 13.

Even a temporary halt to their party mood by a fire alarm in an unit upstairs could not prevent the sold out crowd from enjoying a splendid night.

A brilliant dance troupe from Cyprus entertained the crowd before inviting audience participation for the highly-catchy ‘Zobra The Greek' theme music.

The show went down a treat with the crowd and was a welcome addition to the evening.

The old boys, who fund scholarships for needy students back at St Peters College, Colombo, raised more money for the worthy cause with auctions for rare items, including a signed picture of the world record-breaking pair of Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara.

The dance, held every two years by the Sydney chapter of the Old Boys Union, attracted several inter-state visitors including five classmates and their spouses from Melbourne. There was even a visitor from Germany who caught up with his classmates after nearly 35 years.

In true sprit of the Lankan culture, old boys from other schools supported the dance and contributed to its success.

President, Gerard Velayuthen and his committee deserve a pat on their backs for a well-organised dance, which included excellent table service and food from Rohan Gamage's VH Catering.

Former Peterites Guinn Ragel, Randy Peiris and Chris Pietersz with Night Shift provided the music. Additional music and entertainment came via the funky duo of Ruchi and Rakhitha.

The Peterite dance would not be complete without a rousing rendition of the college anthem, ‘Lend A Heart and Lend A Hand', which did bring back warm memories for the old boys.

Click here to view an album of over 100 photos submitted by the organisers.