The organizing committee headed by Anoja de Alwis promised that on Saturday 19 March 2011, the Sri Lanka Association of New South Wales would turn the Bowman Hall, Blacktown into a Bowman Gama in rural Sri Lanka.

Perhaps it was a ‘village wedding’ attended by the more affluent sections of the village celebrating the union of the young couple with music by the Redemptions and a smorgasbord of Sri Lankan delicacies ala Aquinas Fernando.

The doors opened at 6:30 pm. to reveal a Hall decorated with set of village style huts running halfway up on one side of the hall a band on the stage and a half cart with a bunch of thambili and kehel muwa dangling from the roof of the huts completing the village motif. The village Mudalalie complete with gold watch and chain, a corpulent ‘bundie’ and fierce moustache was seen keeping things moving. Oh it is Nirajan, Mudalalie today and Santa Claus yesterday.

The tables set with ‘Wesak Koodu’ type lanterns, bottles of wine and soft drinks beckoned to those entering the Hall. Not to be out done by the ambiance, the women in cloth and jacket displaying varying extent of midriff and men in colourful sarongs and matching shirts started filling the Hall. The corks popped and the good cheer poured out. An entre of boiled manioc and katta samabal struck hidden chords from Sri Lanka.

The young ones in Sri Lankan attire joined in the scene set by Anoja and the Committee and presented a mix of Sri Lankan attire worn with an Aussie flourish. The band struck up and our compere, the willowy Miss Panadure drew the crowd to the floor

Our Aussie visitors Hon Greg Smith SC, MP, Kevin Conolly MP joined the crowd and Greg Smith enthralled the audience with his powerful and emotive rendering of the Irish ballad ‘Oh Danny boy’

A sumptuous dinner of string hoppers, fried rice, dosa, nan with varied curries and completed with Sri Lankan sweets, wattilappam, curd and treacle, made it impossible to keep the good intention of not over indulging.

Aubrey Joachim conducted the quest for the Village Queen and the Village King – a bevy of Sri Lankan beauties and one adopted Sri Lankan vied for the title. A clutch of Sri Lankan youth challenged each other for the Crown. Gayathri Silva was selected as the Queen with M Rajanayagam and Julia Ratnayake as the runners up. The King was Dhanushka De Alwis

The music resumed and the hall throbbed to the compelling rhythm of the baila and the gyrations of the svelte and not so svelte forms in cloth and jacket kept pace with the sarong and shirt clad partners not the least the ‘young Sumana’ who put many of her younger sisters to shame with her perfect co-ordination of movement to the music. A night that reluctantly had to be drawn to a close near one a.m. while the floor was yet jam packed with revelers.

Click here to enjoy an album of photos contributed by Fred Herft