From his speach,

We are a very small community and it is important that we make a significant contribution to a country
which we have now decided to call "Our Home". This is where our children, grand-children and future generations are
going to take shape. IT is important that we make a strong statement on what the Tamils are all about. When anyone
talks of Tamils, they recognise us as very successful and harworking and excellent citizens. Lets us hope that one day, in the next 20-100 years we can record the great achievements the Tamil Community has done, not only in Queensland but to the rest of this country. We are as a race, very energetic and hard working and ambitious who believe in achieving something for ourselves and our children. Our children ought to be the torch bearers and once who can learn from our very strong background from which we come.

Mr&Mrs Maha Sinnathamby
[ File Photo/TCB23 ]


Can I say, this is a country with unlimited opportunities. I mean unlimitted opportunities. There are so many opportunities in Australia with such as fair government that we ought to make the best out of it whilst we call this "Our Home". I am very strong believer that we ought tointerwineourselves within this wider community and be recognised as a group that canadd value not only to ourselves but also to the overall community. We must get involved in the wider community and may be we ought to have politicalrepresentation to the highest level.

We have many cases of Tamils and Indians who have gone overseas and unfortunately due to lack of their connections within wider community, have lost in a very big way. e.g Fiji, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. In Malaysia and Singapore where I come from, the Sri Lankan Tamils dominated the countryseventy years ago. Unfortunately, we lost it as our parents had divided loyalities and they always felt Sri Lanka was their home whilst they lived in Malaysia.

This was one of the mistakes my parents made. Hopefully, we can learn from these mistakes and drill into our children that whilst we maintain our heritage and culture, we must beable to play a very strong part in the future direction this country moves. Let us not be part of thiscountries future - let us have the "hands" on the lever that drives this country in the right direction. As Swami Vivekananda says "you are whatever you want to be" so let us go and make a BIG.

I will finish off by saying - be "Proud to be a Tamil". Be proud to be a part of this great country and can I say what unites us is far, far greater than what divides us - so let us join hands and work together.