Greetings…from Down Under

Singer Alston Koch, who is still holed up in Melbourne, Australia, due to the coronavirus pandemic, was a guest at the recently held Excelencia Educativa, which took place in Ecuador, on October 15th, 16th and 17th.

However, he was not physically present, in Ecuador, as overseas travel is prohibited the world over. And, in Victoria, where Alston and his family now reside, the 25-kilometre travel zone and the “ring of steel” around regional Victoria, are still in force.

The ‘Disco Lady’ hitmaker appeared, via Zoom video, at this educational event. The rest of the participants, at this event, also did their thing (speeches), using the same format.

Unfortunately, although I checked out the video, on YouTube, I couldn’t understand a word that was said as it was all in Spanish (I believe), with only Alston doing his bit in English.

He had this to say, on video:

“Hi! This is Alston Koch sending you greetings, all the way from Australia. I would like to send you, and the Fidal Foundation, my heartiest congratulations to all the participants in this great contest of educational excellence. What more can I say!

“When I was there, the last time, I really enjoyed Ecuador, and all the surrounding regions. So, it’s great to see all of you, from all over the world, congregate in this one place for this great contest.

“I thank you for inviting me. Sorry, I can’t be with you. And, I will be with you, next year…hopefully. God bless you all. Thank you.”

Alston’s little speech was followed by his video, ‘Try To Make A Change.’ Here again, Alston wasn’t seen singing. The video contained footage, connected with climate change.

The others who spoke, via Zoom, included some of the past international and national contestants (finalists).

Alston certainly has many achievements to his credit – winning some prestigious awards, meeting well-known personalities, etc. But, this year, like most artistes, the world over, Covid-19 hasn’t given the singer the opportunity to travel about and to get totally involved in his profession.

In fact, Australia, is no more his home; the Sri Lankan singer is now based in the States and travels to Australia, occasionally, with stops in Colombo.