27th Rotaract District Assembly – “Engage Rotaract

The most awaited event in the Rotaract Calendar, the 27th Rotaract District Assembly was successfully held on the 1st of July 2017, at The Blue Water, Wadduwa with the participation of over 500 Rotaractors from the Rotaract District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives.

After the registration of all the participants, the first session of the event commenced with the arrival of the dignitaries and lighting of the traditional oil lamp by the Chief Guest, outgoing District Governor, Rtn. Senaka Amarasinghe, Guest of Honour, outgoing District Rotaract Committee Chair, Rtn. PHF Sanjeewa Fernando, outgoing District Youth Services Chair, Rtn. Selvaraja Maherakanth, Rtn. PHF Krishantha Herath, IPDRR Rtr. PP Mohamed Husni, DRR Rtr. PP Anuradha Senanayake, outgoing District Secretary Rtr. PP Tilani Subasinghe, Chairperson for the Assembly Rtr. PP Punith Gunasekara and representatives from the hosting clubs. After the dignitaries took their respective seats at the head table, the Assembly was called to order by the Chairperson followed by the flag salutation, Rotaract invocation, the four -way test and the Rotaract song.

The gathering was then warmly welcomed by the Chairperson Rtr. PP Punith Gunasekara recognizing the presence of the distinguished guests at the event. Next in line, was the Secretary’s report for the year 2016/17 which was presented by the outgoing District Secretary Rtr. PP Tilani Subasinghe.

Afterwards, the gathering was heartily addressed by the outgoing DRR Rtr. PP Mohamed Husni. In his speech, he emphasized on the initiatives he took in making “Vision to Action” his theme while focusing on Sustainable Development Goals throughout the year. He thanked all those who supported him throughout the year and extended his special thanks to his committee for the unparalleled support given to him. The gathering was then addressed by the outgoing District Youth Service Chair, Rtn. Selvaraja Maherakanth. He recognized the outstanding performance shown by the District in terms of all the projects completed and congratulated the outgoing DRR for a fabulous year thus completed.

Tokens of appreciation were then given away by the outgoing DRR to the dignitaries, the District Committee 2016/17 and the outstanding individuals who have lent their unparalleled support to all the District events and projects. Furthermore, special awards of recognition were awarded to the Rotaract Clubs who have hosted District events and completed outstanding projects that drew the international focus to District 3220.

The District committee went on to give Special awards of recognition to the outgoing DRR Rtr. PP Mohamed Husni and outgoing District Secretary Rtr. PP Tilani Subasinghe for their dedication and hard work that lead the Rotaract Year 2016/17 to end in style.

The gathering was then addressed by the Guest of Honour, outgoing District Rotaract Committee Chair Rtn. PHF Sanjeewa Fernando who recognized the dedication of the committee lead by the outgoing DRR and wished the incoming DRR and the committee for yet another successful year.

Next in-line, was an entertainment item performed by the newly initiated Music Unit of the Rotaract District 3220, followed by the address of the Chief Guest for the morning session, District Governor for the year 2016/17, Rtn. Senaka Amarasinghe. He highlighted the international awards won by the District and appreciated the progress the District had shown under the leadership of the outgoing DRR.

The gathering was then split into groups to participate in the workshops organized to enlighten the newly elected Board members of the Rotaract clubs on their duties and responsibilities. The end of the first session was marked with the breakout of the gathering for lunch.

The arrival of the dignitaries marked the commencement of the second session, which was then followed by the lighting of the oil lamp. The Chairperson set the ball rolling by calling the Assembly to order and starting off yet another chapter in the Rotaract history.

The most crucial part of the day started off with a preface on the story of a great leader who is also a woman with an aspiring vision. The collaring of the incoming DRR Rtr. PP Anuradha Senanayake, was followed by her address to the gathering as the 27th DRR. She made it an opportunity to talk about her journey through Rotaract and how Rotaract made an impact on her life in many ways, such as giving her room to network with Rotaractors who are now her lifelong friends. She then elaborated on the theme for the next 365 days which is “Engage Rotaract, Redefine Friendship”. The plain words which have a vast concept deeply buried within, thus provides an interesting twist in the tale. Each letter in the word ‘Friendship’ has a stance on different areas.

F- Fellowship
R- Reach out
I- Innovation
E- Empowerment
N- Nourishment
D- Discipline
S- Sustainability
H- Hope
I- Inspire
P- Passion

As the new DRR, her first responsibility was to introduce her District Committee for the year 2017/18. She started off by giving brief introductions for each member and handing over their respective responsibilities. RACUOCFMF takes the pride in producing three of the District Committee members for the upcoming Rotaract year.

The District Committee for the Rotaract Year 2017/18, is as follows;

DRR: Rtr. PP Anuradha Senanayake
IPDRR: Rtr. PP Mohomad Husni
Asst. DRR: Rtr. PP Punith Gunasekara
Asst. DRR: Rtr. PP Ridwan Shariffdeen
Asst. DRR: Rtr. Asela Wijerathna
District Secretary: Rtr. Shalanka Weerasinghe
Asst. District Secretary: Rtr. Thanushki Adhihetty
Treasurer: Rtr. PP Aaqeel Jiffry
Co – Editor: Rtr. Promodha Weerasekara
Co – Editor: Rtr. IPP Vidyas Gnanasekaram
Sergeant – at – Arms: Rtr. PP Azeeza Najimudeen
Zonal Representative (Northern): Rtr. IPP Sivarasa Ramanikaran
Zonal Representative (Upcountry): Rtr. PP Nemini Wanigasekera
Joint Director – Club Service: Rtr. PP Nuzrath Benazir Farook
Joint Director – Club Service: Rtr. IPP Oshadha Abhayasundara
Assistant Director – Club Service: Rtr. Nirun Lashanga
Director – Membership Development: Rtr. PP Abdul Baasit Sathar
Joint Director – International Services: Rtr. IPP Chamal Kuruppu
Joint Director – International Services: Rtr. IPP Yasas Diyanananda
Joint Director – Community Service: Rtr. IPP Nipun Sachintha Peiris
Joint Director – Community Service: Rtr. IPP Amristar Wickramaratna
Joint Director – Professional Development: Rtr. PP Amitha Bandara Dissanayake
Joint Director – Professional Development: Rtr. Kanishka Wijayasekera
Joint Director – Training and Leadership Development: Rtr. IPP Hiruni Christeena Perera
Joint Director – Training and Leadership Development: Rtr. Amrick Andrado
Joint Director – Sports and Recreation: Rtr. PP Bhasura Perera
Joint Director – Sports and Recreation: Rtr. Thilini Leeniyagolla
Joint Director – Regional Engagement and Clusters: Rtr. PP Nethmini Medawala
Joint Director – Regional Engagement and Clusters: Rtr. IPP Suhirthan John Kennedy
Rotary Family Coordinator: Rtr. PP Vijayadas Devadas
Joint Director – PR and Communications (Digital Media): Rtr. PP Ama Silva
Joint Director – PR and Communications (Digital Media): Rtr. PP Praveen Fernando
Joint Director – PR and Communications (Digital Media): Rtr. PP Parami Fernando
Director – Communication Services: Rtr. IPP Kavinda Bandulasena
Asst. Director – Digital Communication Services: Rtr. Eranga Premathilaka
Joint Director – Special Projects: Rtr. IPP Sasmini Bandara
Joint Director – Special Projects: Rtr. IPP Annapoorna Jayasiri
District Coordinator: Rtr. Mohamed Hyder Mohamed Hiras

Rotaract District Committee 2017/18

Following the induction of the District committee, the District Governor for the year 2017/18, Ven Dr. Bandagiriye Somawansa Thero addressed the gathering and gave his blessings to the new committee for a successful year ahead. Up next, was the address of the District Youth Service Chair for the year 2017/18, Rtn. Satyajit Seneviratne.

Being a Rotaractor is not just a profession but requires a lot of dedication and perseverance without a wage, and the least we could do is to appreciate the heroes behind these great projects. Accordingly, next in line was the recognition of the diligent Rotaractors and their respective clubs.

Awards were given under 23 categories including, community service, community development, club service, international service, professional development, training and development, best blog, #ICT4Dev, public relations, social media campaigning, fund raising, joint projects with Rotary and Interact, District Rotaract Representative’s Special Recognition Award, MDIO awards, annual report, reporting, most outstanding Secretary, most outstanding President and most supportive, emerging, outstanding revival, best chartered and most outstanding clubs for the year were awarded, out of which RACUOCFMF was able to secure 9 of the awards in total including the award for the most outstanding club and the platinum award for the best blog.

Then, the Assembly was terminated after pronouncing of the vote of thanks by the District Secretery, Rtr. Shalanka Weerasinghe.

Some say, Rotaractors are famous for charity service but I must say that they know how to celebrate with a bit of dancing every now and then. The Bollywood themed after party was a great platform to mingle with fellow Rotaractors and provided an opportunity to end a busy day with a bit of fun.

A journey has just begun, “Engage Rotaract – Redefine Friendship”.

Written By –