US ambassador His Excellency Mr. Robert Blake graciously accepted an invitation from the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) to officiate at two opening ceremonies in Seenigama, that of the Outdoor Sports Activity Centre and the Seenigama Diving School and Training Centre.

His Excellency Mr. Blake is the first ever US ambassador to visit the humble village of Seenigama, which from ruin has now been turned into a rural community model with facilities on par, like that which are available to privileged communities.

The two new facilities in Seenigama were opened on 08/08/08 and marked the start to more opportunities for the children and youth of Seenigama and its region.

The US Ambassador Robert Blake opens the
Outdoor Sports Activity Centre Accompanied by
Kushil Gunasekera, FoG’s founder/trustee

The outdoor Sports Activity Centre was opened at 3.30 in the afternoon after which Ambassador Blake took an inspection tour of the facility, guided by FoG’s founder/trustee Kushil Gunasekera. He Mr. Blake, who is also a cricket enthusiast, took first lease of the outdoor nets for some batting practice, as Gunasekera, who has continued to be a part of the cricketing arena, bowled to him.

The US Ambassador tests the new
outdoor cricket practice nets

Also continuing his guided tour of the facility, the US Ambassador met the Seenigama volleyball team and watched them play an inaugural game.

Ambassador Blake at the volleyball area of
the Outdoor Sports Activity Centre

The Outdoor Sports Activity Centre of the Seenigama Sports Complex became a reality thanks to eight kind and generous donors, including the purchase of land.

The donor board of the Outdoor sports Activity Centre

From the UK there are The Surrey County Cricket Club, Bryan Adams, Area 20 Ladies Circle and Leeds Grammar School. Then from Australia there are Bankstown District Cricket Club NSW, Camberwell School Melbourne and Sri Lanka Cricket Association in Melbourne, and from New Zealand Mr. Sarath Vidanage.

Soon after spending about an hour at the Outdoor sports Activity Centre, the US Ambassador visited the Seenigama Diving School and Training Centre to declare it open.

The Seenigama Diving School & Training Centre is opened by US Ambassador Robert Blake

Present to witness this happy and momentous occasion along with Kushil Gunasekera were the facility’s project manager Asiri Suranga, manager of the MCC Centre of Excellence Sampath Viraj, manager operations Podi Sampath, the head coach/trainer A. Alan Sahabandu and his team S.H. Athula, A. Manjula Nalin Nishantha, D.M. Obeysiri and K.K.G.L. Manaram. The first batch of 16 enrolled for the first course (a 3 month course) at the Diving School and Training Centre, also attended the opening ceremony.

This facility covers three areas – 1. Diving School and Centre, 2. Commercial Diving for Professionals & 3. Sports Diving. The first course began on the following day.

The first class gets underway at the Diving School

The Seenigama Diving School and Training Centre was made possible through the kind sponsorship of donors International Youth Foundation and Nokia USA.

We also wish to acknowledge with special thanks the great effort of Mr. Jean Pierre Isbendjian and Ms. Marie Anne Sliwinsky of the International Youth Foundation in supporting our request to establish a diving & training school.

Commenting on the opening of these two new facilities in Seenigama, FoG’s founder/trustee Kushil Gunasekera said “this to me is one of the most significant projects undertaken post-tsunami, especially since that the youth in the region were engaged in the illegal industry of coral mining, resulting in the tsunami waves invading our area 2 kilo meters inland. These youth were natural divers and owing to the complete halt of this environmentally dangerous practice - thanks to the tsunami, they lost their livelihood which had continued for generations. This new facility now would add more value to their talent and skill in being engaged as professional divers to address greater scope in the diving profession. Let me pay a huge tribute to Nokia & the International Youth Foundation for their generous sponsorship originating from the USA and fittingly the affable US Ambassador His Excellency Mr. Robert Blake for declaring open this latest project to be managed by the Foundation of Goodness.”

“To do a good thing in the world,
first you must know who you are
and what gives meaning to your life.”
- Robert Browning

2008.08.25