 Since the 1950s, thousands of South Asian leaders have seized the opportunity to further their knowledge at Australian universities through prestigious Australia Award scholarships. Their new knowledge and skills are improving countless lives in their home countries. We know that in ancient times the kings of Sri Lanka constructed a large, cascading irrigation system with thousands of tanks connected by canals across the dry zone. In these tanks, there was always a certain amount of water that could not be used. During the dry season, that water recharged the wells and provided water for the animals and people's daily use. This is the best system we have as it is in tune with our environment. Sri Lanka's 2,000 year old irrigation system of more than 14,000 interconnected village tanks and canals was so well conceived that for centuries people continued to use it. But modern times have washed away ancient wisdom. Vasantra is among the hundreds of Sri Lankans who have been awarded a prestigious Australia Award scholarship. He says the scholarship gave him a lot. With no specialised subjects in groundwater technology at Sri Lankan universities, the Australia Award scholarship allowed Vasantra to study groundwater technology at Flinders University. And today he is one of the country's few experts in the field. One thing we have noticed is that there is an optimum water level which we need to maintain in the tanks all year round. The level that the environment needs. But because our tank system had fallen into disrepair, that level was filled with silt in many, many places. In 2008 when Vasantra returned from Australia to his hometown in Sri Lanka's dry zone, despite above-average rainfalls during the wet season, water levels during the dry seasons were desperately low. Deep in the jungle, in remote villages like Elappottana, farmers now only had enough water to cultivate annually. I have two and a half acres, but I couldn't make enough money. I left my village in 2009, and I've been away for four years. I worked as a security guard and as a labourer on construction sites. With only three days off every quarter, Narlika often had no time to make the long trip home. He desperately missed his family, but had to continue working in the city. I was able to influence a change in the policy within the irrigation department for excavating the silt and maintaining a certain level of water at all times. Now, in many tanks where we have worked, water is retained. And this methodology is now used by everyone working on the irrigation system. Under Visanta's leadership, the irrigation department in the dry zone became mindful of both surface water and what flows beneath. Today, hundreds of tanks across the dry zone have been revitalised and are recharging the groundwater. Visanta hopes that better groundwater management will also help stem the sharp increase of kidney disease in this part of the country. The cause of this is unclear, but now, for the very first time, groundwater is being regularly monitored. In the Elliputana project, we desilted tanks and built an anacut across a stream. The water that we channel from this stream fills five of the desilted tanks. Downstream in Elliputana, Vijayath says that now they are able to cultivate two seasons instead of one. And he hopes this means he can break the cycle of borrowing cash to sow his paddy. We have hope for the future, because if we are only using our own money, we have nothing to lose. Before, we used to pawn our possessions or give the deeds to our land as a guarantee for a loan. If the harvest was bad, we could lose everything. Now, we have nothing to lose. Now, we have a big, bright, hopeful future. With the anacut, I expect to be able to earn more money and I won't have to return to Colombo. I feel this sense of freedom. I can spend time with my children and family rather than working for someone else. The education that I received was through public funds. Because I got so much from others, I feel compelled to give back. And I'm doing that. I see the success in doing that. And it really makes me happy. Hundreds of Australia Awards alumni, like Vasantra, are using the knowledge and connections they gained in Australia to make a difference back home. And now, with water management in the dry zone following the beat of a different drum, thousands of farming families have been able to improve their lives.