By Ethan Benedicto
Mihiri Dissanayake was never one for recognition.
She did not provide charity while looking for something in return, or for people to owe her.
Giving was an act that came with no second thoughts for the Narre Warren South volunteer. If someone needed something, she was there to provide.
From monetary aid to food, medicine and supplies, she had a hand to give, and not just for the Sri Lankan community in Australia, but to anyone in need in the Dandenong and Narre Warren areas.
On Australia Day, Mihiri was named as a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, or OAM, for her service to the Sri Lankan community in Victoria.
“I’m proud, I’m proud, it’s the biggest award you can get in Australia, isn’t it?
“I’m proud to be Australian, and it’s nice to be acknowledged,” she said.
Mihiri was born in East Africa to Sri Lankan parents, had moved back to their home country shortly after, and eventually settled down in the UK for roughly 10 years.
After meeting her husband Bandu Dissanayake and having her first child there, they eventually came down to Australia on 8 August 1982.
Mihiri was an active person, with her mind and her hands, she “never sat still”.
“When I put my children in school I always went and did something, like pottery, art, hairdressing, and the lot.
‘’I do lots of craft stuff, big with pottery and ceramics and such but I didn’t make it a business or anything, anything creative, put it that way,” she said.
Being creative through and engaging with multiple activities was a key strength for Mihiri, which according to her played a big role with how she was able to and continues to handle her responsibilities.
When asked how she managed her roles, she said that “you just do it, and I know how much time I need.
“I’m very good at time management, say even now, if I have a thought in my head about an activity tomorrow happening at a certain time, it will be at that time,” she said.
While Mihiri’s personal charity did not begin here, the first organisation she had been heavily involved in Australia was the Sri Lankan Study Centre for Advancement of Technology and Social Welfare, or SCATS for short.
Having been a member since 1993, Mihiri made steady progress in the organisation, eventually landing the role of president from 2007 to 2008.
She was also the organisation’s treasurer in 2022, and in the same year became the Eastern Region chair.
The bigger aspect that played a role in this was that all of Mihiri’s contributions was never work, it was never a thing that needed to be done, Mihiri did what she did because she knew it helped people, and that made her feel good.
“It’s not work when you do something that you like to do.
“It’s just giving, I think it’s part of my culture and my family background,” she said.
Her involvement with SCATS saw her personally fund and advocate for fundraising in things such as cataract eye surgeries, cultural programs, tsunami relief projects, women’s and youth programs and so on.
Mihrri’s grandmother, Grace Jayawickrama had been a devoted charity and community worker, and when the Queen of England visited Sri Lanka in the 1940s, she had been awarded the Member of the British Empire, or MBE, medal for her voluntary work.
Mihiri had never seen it as a familial trait, but the more she reflected on it, the more she realised that her family and culture had a large role to play in her charity.
“When I give something, it’s never to expect something in return, so I’m just happy.
“If you do something that you love to do, since some people have asked me ‘where do you get the time’, it’s never work, you’re just happy doing it,” Mihrri said.
However, no matter the impact of her roles and contributions to SCATS, she always credited the organisation’s founder and fellow OAM awardee, Gemini Perera, as its driving force, backbone, and not just hers, but also everyone’s inspiration.
Mihiri’s roles also extended to media, taking part in multicultural mediums such as 3ZZZ Radio and Channel 31.
With a combined time of roughly 15 years of volunteer service, Mihiri’s roles involved clerical duties, being trained as a programmer to handle children’s programs, and a news presenter; with compiling and reading transcript.
A charity that Mihiri feels strongly about, and what she could consider her main avenue, is the Lions Club, specifically their SightFirst program which supports cost-effective and sustainable eye projects.
“I’ve personally funded two major eye surgeries for two people, the council in Sri Lanka is poor, not like here, so one of the guys who was going blind and was about to lose his job, I funded the eye surgery for,” she said.
The other recipient was a Sri Lankan taxi driver’s mother, who she had heard of and immediately decided to fund the process.
Alongside these feats, with fundraising for floods and bushfires, Mihiri received the Melvin Jones Fellow award from Lions international for her volunteering efforts.
However, like the OAM, it was never something that she worked towards, but was something she would gladly accept.
“It just makes you happy you know, even the small things,” she said.
Other accomplishments and contributions from Mihiri include the Mihindu Children’s Foundation, providing a helping hand in school canteens, door to door walking with the Red Cross, Meals on Wheels with the City of Monash and the Sri Lankan Women’s Association.
Mihiri has also been a Justice of Peace for Victoria since 2010, or JP for short, and has been a volunteer in acting as an independent witness to documents people use for official or legal purposes.
“I’ve been volunteering at Dandenong City Council and recently Bunjil Library, but I’ve also dedicated time at Dandenong police station, Oakleigh police station, at Springvale and at Knox to name a few,” Mihiri said.
Contributions didn’t remain between organisations however, and using her personal time to cater to others’ needs was something that brought joy to Mihiri.
“I helped with a bypass surgery for a two-year-old in Sri Lanka, they didn’t have money and I helped with the finances,” she said.
She also made multiple donations to the Lady Ridgeway hospital in Sri Lanka, as well as funding for numerous temples, libraries, schools and fellowship programs in Australia and overseas.
“I refurbished a 55-bed hospital ward, the beds were rotting so I asked the Lions Club there for an inspection, and then recently I also funded for a refurbishment of a 36-bed elderly home.
“I don’t publicise the stuff I do, and most of the time, if my husband were to look at the list of things I’ve done, I don’t think he’d know anything about the funding for the beds and such, I’m just happy to do it,” Mihiri said.
The only paid role that Mihiri has is the administrative position for Monash Health, a company which she has been with since 2014.
It is a role which she loves, with being able to help people and interact with them, to a degree where, even when she is eligible for retirement at 65, has no plans to do so anytime soon.
“I’m not thinking of retiring yet, because I’ll be bored to death, but I’ve cut down on work and I’m trying to get the house in a situation where it’s manageable for me,” she said.
Mihiri and her husband, Victoria’s last Honorary Consul Bandu Dissanayake, have since downsized after both their children moved away from home.
With plans to start a cake business after she retires, Mihiri said that “I’m proud to be Australian”.
“It’s nice to be appreciated for what you do, but that’s not what I do it for,” she said.
Now residing in Narre Warren South, Mihiri continues to advocate and lend a helping hand for any in need.
