The Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association's 64th Annual Convention was held recently at the Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake Auditorium Naval Headquarters to elect Principal Office Bearers to the Association for 2017/2018.
A special event was held to award honourary titles to senior members. Titles of “President Emeritus” and “President Honorius Causa” were conferred to Major General Thilak Paranagama and Capt. (N) Patrick Jayasinghe, two senior members, respectively, honouring their services to the Association for over 15 years.
Capt. Anil Bowatte, a senior serving officer of the Sri Lanka Navy, who donated his ancestral home in Kandy to SLESA for the establishment of a Veterans Home in the hill country also was felicitated by awarding him the Associate Membership and the Life Membership.
He is the first serving Naval Officer to receive the membership with honours. He also requested philanthropists to assist in developing this property.
Life Memberships were awarded to Brig. Ranjan de Silva, K.L. Bandusena of Sinha Regiment Association and K.L.S. Fernando of Sri Lanka Air Force Ex-Signals Association, who have completed more than 10 years of service to SLESA.
A New medal known as “Gauravanvitha Seva Padakkama” to be awarded to members who have done exceptional service to the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association was also introduced to the membership. This will be awarded in the near future.
Award of Poppy Crown, an annual event, was won by the Naval Association for the highest collection of funds during the Poppy season in 2016.
Naval Association President Capt. (N) Asoka Wijegunawardena received the Poppy Crown on behalf of his Association for the second successive year.
Two staff members at the SLESA Secretariat, Chief Accountant
Shyama N. Ukwattage and Admin Officer Nishantha Uduwaka also were felicitated for their 25 years of service.
Very senior members of the association, former Navy Commander Admiral Basil Gunasekara, Major General C.J. Abeyratne, Rear Admiral Jerry Jayasuriya, Commander S. Devenedra, Major General A.K. Suriyabandara, Brigadier H.A.N.T. Perera and WWII Veteran H.G.P. Jayasekere too, graced this occasion.The following Office Bearers were re-elected with the unanimous decision of the membership
Brigadier K.A. Gnanaweera - President
Rear Admiral S.R. Samaratunga - Secretary General
Lieutenant Colonel D.M. Amarakoon - Treasurer
Army Captain K.S.K. Perera, Navy Commander Thilak Weerasinghe and Air Force Wing Commander K.M.S. Wijenayake as Vice PresidentsPresident Brigadier K.A. Gnanaweera, thanking all the invitees and members for the participation and co-operation, invited them to join fellowship and lunch at the end of the convention.
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