The Eelam Tamil Association enters 25th year of service to Eelam Tamil community in Tamil Eelam and Australia.
The year 2000/2001 has been a successful year for the Association. During this period, the association was very active towards the cause of suffering Eelam Tamils.
The Association organised several fundraising, cultural, humanitarian and lobbying activities in Sydney, New South Wales. The association concentrated its activities around the needs of the Tamil refugees and children orphaned by the situation in motherland and other Tamils living in Australia. It was engaged in lobbying various agencies, politicians and others by organising various activities and functions and through its membership in the Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA).
The year of 2001 had also been a sad one for Eelam Tamils in that the eminent and well respected "Mamanithar" Professor C.J Eliezer AM passed away in March 2001 at the age of 82.
The Association's main activities during the year 2000/2001 are briefly outlined below:

Like in the previous year, the association organised another collection and shipment of used clothes to Eelam Tamil refugees in November 2000. The shipment was again sent with the help of Lions International through the auspices of the Eastwood-Epping Branch of Lions Club. We would like to thank all those who helped in this project.

Originated as a 20th anniversary activity in 1997, the Funfair & Sports Festival has become an annual get-together event for Eelam Tamils in Sydney. ETA had a very successful event. The "Funfair and Sports Festival" event was held on 12 November 2000 at Binalong Park, Toongabbie. Several sports events and tournaments were organised with the assistance of various sports clubs and individuals. The association is grateful to Sydney Tamil Community for making this a success as in the previous years.
Cricket, Tennis, Table Tennis, Netball, Soccer, and Chess were amongst the sports organised during weeks leading to the event and on the day of the festival. Apart from these, over 80 children participated in the Sports and athletic events organised and the winners were presented with gold, silver and bronze medals.

"Ragam Sugaragam", a cultural evening was organised in April 2000. This was held in Ukrainian Hall, Lidcombe. Artists from Tamil Nadu, India performed at this function which was attended by over 1000 people. This was a grand success and the association was able to collect valuable funds for its activities.

Eelam Tamil Association continues to hold "Curry Nights" which are of great importance as part of our lobbying activities. Two "Curry Nights" were organised by the Association to raise funds for orphanages in Tamil Eelam. These "Curry Nights", mostly attended by Australian public, are part of the political and lobbying activities of the Association in an informal manner. Guests at these "Curry Nights" are briefed about the sufferings and struggle of our people in Tamil Eelam. All food and catering arrangements are made by volunteers.

We continue to have our charity chocolate sales and proceeds from last years sales were used to purchase type writers for the blind in Eastern Province in Tamil Eelam.

The Raffle project has become one of our major fundraising events. The Association has once again brought the Tamils living here into the spirit of helping the suffering people of Tamil Eelam. Eelam Tamil Community's commitment in helping to meet the increasing needs of Eelam Tamils reflected in the record sales of raffle tickets. 1500 tickets were sold at $20 each. Monies from this project have been used to fund various projects; Emergency Medical Infrastructure Fund, Eastern Rehabilitation Organisation in Batticaloa, Jaffna University Development Fund, Eastern University Students, "Anbu Illam" orphanage in Trincomalee, Valvettiturai District Hospital, "Valvagam", etc.

ETA's popularity in catering for community functions has been increasing and the Association has been approached by several associations and individuals who want to help the cause of our suffering brethren in Tamil Eelam to cater for functions. Excellent food is prepared by Association's members and supporters who also volunteer for catering duties on the days of the events. Catering brings valuable funds to the Association to continue its service towards the needs of Tamils in Tamil Eelam.

Annual dinner of the Association was held in December 2000 at the Ryde Civic Hall and was well attended. As usual, excellent food prepared by volunteers was served. Several light entertainment events were organised by the association.

The Association continues to actively participate in publicising the plight of the Tamils in our homeland brought about by displacement of people and embargoes by the Sri Lankan Government. Eelam Tamils living in war-torn areas of our homeland continue to look up to the Tamil diaspora for seeking recognition amongst the international community for the Tamil national struggle.
As in previous years, Eelam Tamil Association was involved in various activities at several levels in bringing attention to the plight of suffering Eelam Tamils.
We have continued our support for all lobbying activities undertaken in Australia on our behalf by the Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA).
The Association has been in contact with other sister organisations with similar goals in coordinating our efforts to maximise benefits for the suffering people of our nation.
We continue to provide the hotline news service in Sydney, which is very popular at this critical juncture in Eelam struggle.
The Association's newsletter "Vidivu" (Dawn) was used effectively to inform membership and other tamils in Sydney about important actions taken by the association. Copies of the newsletter were sent to various individuals on our mailing list and Tamil organisations in Sydney. Copies were made available to the public at most Tamil shops in Sydney as well.
Finally, I thank the members and volunteers of the Association and the Eelem Tamil community in Sydney for their continued trust and support towards achieving our objectives and look forward to your continued support and participation in future years.