A Year in Sri Lanka 2009 - 2010
Colombo and Kurunagala being companion link Dioceses with Ripon and Leeds

Following a full year, serving in the Diocese of Kurunagala, Sri Lanka, Christine Jack will be giving a series of illustrated talks about her experiences in this beautiful but somewhat battered island set politically and geographically in the volatile region of South Asia.
Christine's main remit was to work alongside the Boards of Christian and Religious Education in the Church of Ceylon, Diocese of Kurunagala, where she was also licensed as an Anglican Reader with permission to officiate. She was able to visit, preach and meet with 17 of the 24 different parishes in the Diocese, urban, rural and plantation. She was also able to travel the country more extensively as roads opened up following the cessation of the 25 year civil war in May of that year.

A series of talks with illustrations will be given beginning on Sunday 6th June at both the 8am and 10am services and then on Sunday evenings on the 13th and 27th June and 4th July, at 5.45pm before the 6,30pm evensong service.
a) Life in post war Sri Lanka
b) Faith and Culture
c) Working in the Diocese of Kurunagala
d) Pearl of the Indian Ocean

Many people have shown interest in the historical time-line behind modern day Sri Lanka. So, here goes:

HISTORY AND POLITICS
• C.2400 BC the native Veddhas forced into the mountains by Sinhalese settlers
• 437 BC Sinhalese founded Anuradhapura, the capital and centre of Theravada Buddhism
• 700 AD arrival of Tamils, Sinhalese forced South
• 1505 arrival of Portuguese (and Roman Catholicism)
• 1658 Portugese lands passed to Dutch East India Company
• 1802 Ceylon became a Crown colony
• 1815 Colonial settlers developed the plantations
• 1948 Ceylon gains independence
• Declaration of Sinhala as the official language and beginnings of re-establishment of Buddhist-Sinhalese culture, English seen as favouring Tamils
• violence flared between Tamils and Sinhalese
• 1972 Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri Lanka
• 1983 Start of the war. Army and Tamil separatists fought a long conflict involving air raids, roadside blasts, suicide bombings, land and sea battles
• More than 70,000 killed
• 2002 - Ceasefire is signed but violence escalates in 2006
• 2008 - Ceasefire ends, renewed fighting erupts
• 2009 - Government forces re-conquer all rebel held territory