Last month several former ICCROM course participants from Sri Lanka met at the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology to hold a networking event and form an alumni group. The Institute’s Director, Jagath Weerasinghe, who himself participated in ICCROM’s Mural Paintings course (MPC) in 1985 and returned in 2008 as a research fellow, was elected President of the alumni and has committed to ensuring that the group remains active.
ICCROM’s Director-General Stefano De Caro was on mission in Sri Lanka at the time and participated in the meeting. Appreciative of the efforts of the Sri Lankan alumni, he indicated that as members of the “ICCROM Family”, they can play a major role in the future development and activities of the organization.
Among the participants was distinguished conservation professional, Roland Silva, who attended the Architectural Conservation (ARC) course in 1967 and later became President of ICOMOS International from 1990 to 1999. He was also the Head of the Department of Archaeology of Sri Lanka and a recipient of the Piero Gazzola Prize in 1999.
