Sri Lankan Association Queenstown Christmas event
On Christmas Eve the Sri Lankan community will come together for a Christmas lunch in Lake Hayes. The event is open to any Sri Lankan members of the Queenstown community and is a family-friendly event, which is a great way to build relationships, connect with others of the same heritage and network.
The lunch is a get together for families, friends and members of the community, and will include activities with ample opportunity to meet new people. Some of the activities expected are games for the kids and singing. Currently there is approximately 30 people set to attend the event – the association would like to get the message out there and see this number grow.
“Being part of a community can have a positive effect on mental health and emotional wellbeing. Community involvement provides a sense of belonging and social connectedness. Connecting with each other and being supportive of others will help people to feel better about themselves – with so much stress in the busy world we live in, there’s never been a more important time to help others struggling with their mental wellbeing,” says Lochana Kulasiri, Secretary of the Sri Lankan Association Queenstown.
The objective of the Sri Lankan Association Queenstown has always been to connect individuals and help them to continue to share their culture, which has been passed on for generations. Lochana notes that it can become very easy to feel isolated with one’s own thoughts and feelings, especially at this time of year, and that connecting with others can decrease stress levels. He also believes that “giving and sharing is important for everyone,” which is something the community promotes.
“The reason we started the association was to be able to gather the Sri Lankan community in Queenstown, and also so that we can arrange some Sri Lankan events, all get together and have time with one another. We have a few plans in the future to maybe host a Sri Lankan cricket tournament, hopefully next year, and we also plan to have a Sri Lankan New Year as well. It’s just trying to get the community together – and not just with activities, but in all cases. If anyone’s needing any kind of assistance or help, someone here could provide that.”
The Christmas lunch will be held at Lake Hayes Pavilion on 24 December from 11am until 2pm. It is open to any members of the Sri Lankan community – if you’d like more information you can reach out to Lochana at the Sri Lankan Association Queenstown Facebook page.
