A promise made more than 20 years ago has come full circle for maritime logistics chef Petty Officer Nandana Abeykoon.
In the early 2000s, Petty Officer Abeykoon migrated from Sri Lanka to Australia in search of opportunity and a way to support his family.
Guided by the Buddhist values he was raised with, he worked as a chef in Sydney and saved every dollar he earned for three months so he could send his mother to Bodhgaya, a pilgrimage site Petty Officer Abeykoon said his mother had dreamed of since childhood.
"When I handed her the money and told her what it was for, she was shocked and could not believe it," Petty Officer Abeykoon said.
"She asked me, 'Don't you want to go yourself one day?'
"I told her that if it was meant to happen, it would happen one day."
Petty Officer Abeykoon said it was a dream for many Buddhists to visit Bodhgaya, the sacred site in India where Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi Tree.
"If money had not been an issue back then, I would have loved to have gone there with her," Petty Officer Abeykoon said.
"But just getting to see how much it meant to her made it all worth it."
After marrying and raising two children, Petty Officer Abeykoon joined Navy as a maritime logistics chef. Between family responsibilities, training and deployments, his own dream of visiting Bodhgaya slowly faded into the background.
'When you do something good for someone, life has a way of giving it back.'
That changed during HMAS Warramunga's recent deployment to India for the International Fleet Review.
The Indian Navy organised several cultural tours for Warramunga's ship's company, and when the attendee lists were released, Petty Officer Abeykoon noticed a destination he never expected to see beside his name - Bodhgaya.
"I suddenly found myself standing in the very place I once dreamed of visiting," Petty Officer Abeykoon said.
"Without planning, without saving and without spending a dollar."
Bodhgaya, with its towering stone spire, intricately carved brick structures and quiet courtyards, surrounds the Bodhi Tree where the Buddha is believed to have meditated.
Colourful prayer flags move gently in the breeze and the sound of chanting carries through the grounds.
Accompanying the tour, Warramunga's Flight Commander, Lieutenant Commander Andrew Kell, said he could see how deeply the visit resonated with Petty Officer Abeykoon.
"As we moved through the temple grounds, you could feel how important the moment was to him," Lieutenant Commander Kell said.
"He spoke about his mother, his journey and the meaning this visit held.
"Hearing it in that setting made the experience even more special."
Petty Officer Abeykoon said the visit carried a deeper message that reached beyond the deployment and into his own life.
"For me it showed that karma is real," Petty Officer Abeykoon said.
"When you do something good for someone, life has a way of giving it back."
