Venerable Vijitha arrived in Australia in 1993 to serve as a resident monk at the then Sri Lankan Buddist Temple in Springvale, Victoria, which he transformed to be a very successful Sri Lankan place of worship over the next six years. Venerable Vijitha took residence in the new premises in 2001 in Keysborough. He cultivated cordial relationships with most other Temples in Melbourne, particularly with those of the Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese and Thai communities, and also with Buddhist centres interstate. He has provided regular Buddhist services at the Dhammasarana Vihara and has also conducted a very successful Sunday School which has got two sections Dhamma and Sinhala Language and Culture. Sunday school attended by over a three hundred children. His rapport and Popularity with children has been exceptionally noteworthy.
In the year 1999, the Buddhist Sri Lankan Association acquired the current property and under his able guidance, the initial construction and establishment of Dhammasarana Vihara was accomplished, which now serves a very large Sri Lankan devotee population, who are much Indebted and grateful for his untiring contribution to the community.
In January 2003, Venerable Vijitha was awarded ‘Siri Vipulasiri Vanshavathansa Buddha Sasana Pradeepayamana Sasan Shobhana SaddhammaKiththissiri’ honorary title by Sri Lanka Ramanna Maha Nikaya for his outstanding Dhammaduta services overseas.
Venerable Vijitha Thera is the recipient of several awards. Of these, special mention needs to be made of the award of the position of Chief Sanghan?yaka for Australia by the R?mañña Nik?ya. The citation for this award has been made under the hand of venerable Wewaldeniye Medh?lank?ra Thero, on 15 January 2011.
