Surprise for postal worker

By Shaun Inguanzo
A DANDENONG postal employee has earned his Tamil community a $1000 bonus after years of tireless voluntary work within the city.
Wickiramasingham Ramalingam, or Wicki as he is known to friends, is a mail officer at Australia Post’s Dandenong Letters Centre.
Australia Post named him as one of 12 Community Champions this month from its stable of national employees and will donate $1000 to the charity or community group of his choice, while giving Mr Ramalingam a special lapel pin and a $100 gift voucher.
He was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to Australia in 1989 where there was no Tamil community to help him make a new beginning. Mr Ramalingam worked from the ground up to help form the Victorian Tamil Cultural Association, which he has chosen to be the beneficiary of the $1000.
Mr Ramalingam is a board member of the South East Region Migrant Resource Centre, presents a weekly radio program on Dandenong’s 3MDR and also a Tamil-language program on SBS National radio every Sunday.
“I am really pleased to receive this award from Australia Post,” he said.
“The $1000 will go to the Victorian Tamil Cultural Association, towards our continuing work of helping new migrants to make a home and new life in Australia,” he said.
Mr Ramalingam is a qualified interpreter and speaks Spanish, Greek, Italian, Singalese and Tamil.