For most Rotaractors, a Visit was a long time coming. Following a whole year of virtual projects, pandemics, and economic crises, the anticipation for a Rotaract Fellowship Visit was understandably high. It is no exaggeration that the Club Service Team of the District Steering Committee had a lot depending on them in making the Wayamba Visit possible. To make matters worse, the team was faced with a set of wholly new adversities brought upon by the new environment of the country: transportation, fuel costs, food costs, and overall inflation. However, alongside the Rotaract Clubs of Athugalpura, Kurunegala, and Wayamba University, the Club Service Team was able to make the Wayamba Visit a reality.
On the morning of the 27th of August 2022, the buses departed Colombo Racecourse, carrying a large group of Rotaractors who were equal parts excited, groggy, and irritated due to waking up early. The irritation and the daze gradually subsided as the singing started, which is all but mandatory at a Fellowship Visit. Within just a few hours, the buses arrived at the first stop: Wayamba University. The 4th Installation Ceremony of Wayamba University was one of the highlights of the Visit. The incoming President, Rtr. Navindu Herath, remarked on the challenges going forward, both to his club and Rotaract as a whole. However, he went on to ensure that the trials ahead would only be a test of our resolve, creativity, passion, concluding his remarks on a hopeful note.
Soon after the Installation Ceremony of Wayamba University, the Rotaractors promptly got back on their buses and resumed the journey. Despite a few mishaps in navigation, the buses finally reached Green Serenity Holiday Resort, where the Joint Installation Ceremony of the Rotaract Clubs of Athugalpura and Kurunegala was to be held. Prior to lunch and the installation ceremony, the District Council Meeting for the month of August was also held at the same location, which turned out to be a pleasant departure from the norm. The Joint Installation Ceremony was a grand event, to say the least. The two incoming Presidents, Rtr. Tharindu Wickramasinghe and Rtr. Bruno Karunarathna, had taken great efforts to make the event truly memorable for everyone involved. With a musical performance worthy of a standing ovation and a dancing act that drew loud encouragement, the evening passed swiftly and all too soon. Being Rotaractors, the trip back to Colombo was as boisterous as the trip from. However, amid the songs and the cramped dancing, it was noticeably clear that there was something else in the air that was not present in the morning: a sense of familiarity and fellowship.
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