Sadun Kithulagoda, an anaesthetic technician at the Wellington Regional Hospital, received an Honorary Queen’s Service Medal for services to the Sri Lankan community.
Kithulagoda has contributed significantly to Wellington’s Sri Lankan expatriate community for more than 20 years and volunteers with a group of medical professionals who travel to Sri Lanka annually to perform complex surgical procedures and organise shipments of equipment to hospitals.
He was President of United Sri Lanka Association (USLA) from 2013 to 2016 and was instrumental in promoting a generational shift in the association’s membership towards younger migrants.
He was the Programme Director of Lak Handa, Sri Lankan Community Radio for 25 years, creating a fortnightly programme to connect the Wellington Sri Lankan community.
Kithulagoda has been an Events Coordinator for the Sri Lankan Dance Academy Incorporated for 20 years, creating stage sets and backdrops for the dance troupe’s performances at Diwali and multicultural festivals organised by Wellington City Council.
He trained as a traditional Sri Lankan marriage celebrant, volunteering his services at weddings throughout New Zealand and organised the Sri Lankan float at Wellington’s Christmas Street Parade for more than ten years, bringing greater cultural enrichment to the event.
