It is with great delight I write this message as the 7th President of PeMSAA Australasia. I am deeply honoured and would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for the trust put upon me for this prestigious position by the Alumni of PeMSAA Australasia. Special thanks also to the New South Wales members.
Needless to say, the growth of PeMSAA Australasia is all thanks to the selfless efforts and collective contribution of the past Presidents, Executive Committees and loyal members. Therefore, I use this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone involved for the tireless assistance, despite their very busy schedules.
I am deeply grateful to the outgoing President, Dr N Lekamge, and the members of the Executive Committee for their outstanding performance during the past term. I am inspired by their commitment to PeMSAA and their professionalism and creativity in organising a very successful and high-level Congress in Adelaide 2018.
Unfortunately PeMSAA Australasia conference to be held in October 2020, in Sydney had to be postponed to October 2021 due to unprecedented global Covid-19 Pandemic situation with various implications on gatherings, meetings and travel band, domestically & internationally.
The situation has extended now nearly for two years and after many considerations we have taken the challenge to proceed with the PeMSAA conference and happy to announce our new dates being set at October 8-9,2022.
We have witnessed a significant increase in our Lifetime Memberships over the last two years, thanks to active promotion done by our outgoing President and Committee. I, with the new Executive Committee in Sydney, are hoping to take it further. In addition, PeMSAA Australasia was able to launch its new website with much improvement in line with today’s technology. This is a great milestone for PeMSAA.
PeMSAA Australia began eleven years ago in Sydney with an enthusiastic group of people and has grown into a successful organisation today with members from Australia and New Zealand. This is what prompted our rebranding into PeMSAA Australasia. I am proud to say that the founder of PeMSAA Australsia, Dr N Sivathondan and some of the initial executive members who served 11 years ago have joined me to further strengthen PeMSAA in satisfying the demands of today’s generation.
With the continued support of the members of PeMSAA, I am confident that we can provide leadership and guidance to our juniors and seniors in building networks amongst each other and their alma mater. PeMSAA also provides a platform for us to recreate nostalgic memories from our university days and connect with fellow alumni.
As you all know, one of the highlights of our calendar is the Scientific Congress held every two years in either Australia or New Zealand. Our first Congress was held in Sydney, and after 14 years, I am very excited to announce that in October 2022 the event will once again return to this iconic city.
I would like to take this opportunity to formally invite PeMSAA alumni from all over the world to attend our 7th Congress in Sydney. I am sure you will enjoy our Autumn weather and all the sights and sounds of our beautiful city. I, along with the rest of the Executive Committee, am looking forward very much to seeing you all in 2022.
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Thank You,
Dr Anura Thalagala
President PeMSAA Australasia 2019-2022
Sydney