Standing seven feet tall, Tharjini’s extraordinary height has shaped almost everything in her life. It gave her a reason to expand her horizons far beyond Sri Lanka’s remote Jaffna Peninsula, and it now allows her to travel the world. It has also earned her the title of tallest netballer on the planet.
Meet Tharjini Sivalingam, also known as Genie. Born and raised in Sri Lanka, she is a champion netballer who has been playing for her country since 2009. She has been recognised as one of the most successful shooters of all time! Tharjini has played in two World Cups and six Asian Championships. During the 2019 Netball World Cup, Tharjini made her 100th international appearance for Sri Lanka, becoming the first Sri Lankan to do so. She was the tournament’s top scorer with 348 goals in 375 attempts (scored in seven matches)!
In 2017, she received a scholarship from the Australian City West Falcons netball club and migrated to Australia to play for the City West Falcons club, becoming the only Sri Lankan to play for a foreign netball club. She also received Best Shooter of the Year Award as well as Fairest Player of City Falcon Award 2017 for her impressive performances for the club in her debut season.
In recent times, her goal has been to improve her English whilst she is living in Australia. She has been learning English at Yarraville Community Centre (YCC) within the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). The AMEP program provides free English language lessons and information about Australian society to eligible migrants. YCC has helped her to become more confident using the English language and she has already made good friends with her peers and has felt well supported by her teacher Fabian. “The small classes and friendly environment have made me feel very welcome,” she says.
Tharjini’s plan for the future is to work within the community in Melbourne. She is considering studying a certificate course in community services at YCC, which will lead her to further university courses in the future. Tharjini is a true inspiration, her future is bright and YCC looks forward to helping her achieve her goals.
www.ycc.net.au/funded-education
