Thomians “Break Free” by a whisker!!
Overcoming unfamiliar challenges of the Pandemic and weary from a non-event year in 2020, the OBA committee was enthusiastically raring to “break free”.
Martin Luther King Junior once said," The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. True to this revelation, a bunch of young and novice OBA members, infused by those with experience, got down to facing a challenge that was not seen before. They succeeded in the face of uncertainly from a ‘new normal’, emphasised clearly by Master of Ceremonies veteran Duke Ramachandran from the podium, after his signature opening ritual for a Thomian event of ‘ringing the College bell’. This set the scene for a much-anticipated exhilarating night that fitted the theme “Break Free 2021”
On arrival, guests in their winter casual best were warmly ushered in to the formalities of the ‘new normal’ with sanitation, temperature and QR code, conscientiously arranged by the committee in accordance with Covid regulations. Numbers were restricted in keeping with Council regulations, which was the reason for much disappointment for many who were eager to join the event, but missed out. The OBA committee extends a sincere apology to those who expressed their desire to join but had to be denied due to Covid restrictions. We look forward to welcoming you in the future.
The hall was arranged tastefully. Elegant table décor, Red and White wine with the compliments of Dimbulla Estate, and tea mocktail from Dilmah Tea, filled the warm and cheerful environment on a cold and windy winter night. The tables were arranged with plenty of space for movement and dancing in front of the stage. Following the formalities, it was Errol Earl opening the night with his fantastic repertoire of music. The reaction was instantaneous with the floor overflowing and some guests exhibiting their dancing skills, others just letting themselves go. Errol entertained throughout the evening with favourites, ballads, pop & rock, with interludes by Sydney’s leading DJ Shanaka sounding his best with baila, retro and local favourites, leading the never-ending dancing, on the dance floor and other conners of the hall, right to the end of the evening… even the hopper makers were dancing while turning out hoppers to Shanka’s ‘break free’ music.
Keeping with the theme of ‘Hopper Night’, another challenge for the organisers was handled with a plan given the natural perception of the ‘time factor’ that goes into the preparation of this hot item. In the outside foyer area of the hall at practical and efficiently arranged hopper stands, hopper makers served guests table by table to a sumptuous ‘hopper feed’ including egg hoppers, and all the usual accompaniments. This was followed by Watalappam, ice cream, and chocolate cake. Listening to guests patiently lining up, we heard some saying that waiting in the queue built a good “hopper-tite”.
A surprise ‘skit’ was a highlight in the program. Devised scripted and crafted by Chitran ‘rocket’ Duraisamy, the chat ‘in the Old Thomian Swimming Club’ took us back many decades, drawing memories of battles fought, plots hatched, arguments matched and then when there was no result, take it to the Chapel grounds for the ultimate ‘do or die’. Kumar Rasa playing the fiddle and Graham Massa edging them on with ‘toddy’ in his ‘about to fall sarong’ gave the wrapped audience a delightful “walk down memory lane”. The ‘skit’ was followed by the singing of the ‘College Song’ that always evokes nostalgia of our Alma Mater wherever, whenever, the Blue Black and Blue for ever is sung.
Whilst the adults were doing their thing, for the first time in Thomian events, a ‘Kids zone’ was organised with Chandaka taking a lead role, putting on his kids shoes to turn the adjoining room into a mini kids carnival with movies, X-box games, treats at every corner and much more, giving the parents a breather to relax and enjoy the thumping of Errol and Shanaka going wild on the stage.
An attractive ‘place card’ during “Raffle” time saw all the guests thoroughly engaged looking out for that elusive ‘prize’. A well-designed process, planned and executed by Rajeeva, an attractive collection of prizes and an anticipated draw was evident by the keen interest of the punters going through the mysterious lucky six-digit numbers. A luxury getaway holiday, the latest smart TV, and many more attractive prizes were carried away, making it a very special night for some.
Whilst acknowledging the meticulous planning and sustained ‘team effort’ by the committee, headed by Kulasiri Jayasinghe, each member contributed in a multitude of ways to bring the program to a head. Moreover, it is with great gratitude and particular appreciation that we recognise the immense value of our Sponsor’s sine quibus non this event would not have been possible.
Our sincere “Thank you” to our generous Sponsors:
Rams Chatswood (Avinder Paul)
Yates Security(Edward Gnanaratnam)
Dimbula Wines (Dilip Kumar)
Vista Business Services (Dilruk Wasalage)
Open2View (Dinesha Fernando)
Sanjaya Kapuwatte (Sanjaya Kapuwatte)
Guardian Realty (Harrsion Mahaffie)
21st Century Group (Glen Wambeek)
Well Wishers - Class of 93 Prep
SAS Water Services (Prasanna Jayaweera)
Sydney Freight Forwarders (Maala Subramaniam)
BQE Software Pty Ltd
Finagle Lanka Pvt Ltd (Mahinda Ranasinghe)
We also wish to express our grateful thanks to our generous well-wishes who contributed with attractive prizes to make the Raffle Draw a success:
Hotel stay for two - Oaks Port Stephens Pacific Blue Resort
Prestige Fragrance & Cosmetics set
Beauty Pack
Anura Tennakoon's Autobiography "Passionately Cricket" with a personal letter
Dilmah Gift pack
Chivas 18year old and classic Bathrobe
A taste from home courtesy of Finagle - Food gift packs
Turramurra Fresh Produce & Gourmet Market - Gift voucher
Johnnie Walker Gold Ultimate 18 year old
As our beloved teachers at College used to drill into us “to the end of everything” ‘usque ad finem omnia’, what matters most ‘decretorium’ is to thank the Thomian fraternity for their faithful and staunch support. That belief carried the OBA committee through and made this another memorable ‘mark’ “pone cor tuum” in the books of STCOBA NSW/ACT.
We thank you for the many accolades and acknowledgments flowing in, post-event, which is a humbling recognition of what teamwork can do and achieve. Take a bow STC NSW OBA organising committee.
“The end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal either. A parable.” - Nietzche
ESTO PERPETUA!
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* Link : Up Coming Events
