Athens Polytechnic Uprising: 50th anniversary marked in NSW and Victoria

·

Greek communities in New South Wales and Victoria gathered at events over the weekend to mark the 50th anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic Uprising.

New South Wales:

The Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), the Polytechnic Commemoration Committee and the Combined Universities Greek Association (CUGA) held a commemoration event at the Greek Community Club in Lakemba, Sydney on Sunday, November 19.

Athens polytechnic uprising
All photos copyright The Greek Herald.

The event was attended by a number of officials guests including the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis; Georges River Councillor Nick Katris; the President of the GOCNSW, Harry Danalis; and the newly appointed Multicultural NSW Advisory Board Member, George Vardas; as well as other representatives of Greek communities across Sydney and many university students.

Athens polytechnic uprising

The commemoration began with emcee Dimitri Kallos calling for a minute silence followed by the national anthems of Greece and Australia. A wreath laying ceremony was then held at a special cenotaph set up at the front of the stage.

Athens polytechnic uprising
Athens polytechnic uprising
Athens polytechnic uprising
Athens polytechnic uprising

Afterwards, a video titled ‘One week diary of the Polytechnic – by Yiannis Ritsos’ was displayed and this was followed by two speeches from the Consul General and Mr Danalis.

Athens polytechnic uprising

Mr Danalis gave a brief history of the Athens Polytechnic Uprising in his speech. The Consul General said that even though he wasn’t around to witness the uprising, it was important for future generations to be aware of it as it marked an important time in the history of Greece.

Throughout the event, there were also a number of poem recitals by students from the afternoon and Saturday schools of the GOCNSW at Clemton Park, as well as UTS Hellenic.

Athens polytechnic uprising

Victoria:

The Commemorative Committee for the Polytechnic Uprising organised a wreath laying ceremony at the Australian Hellenic Memorial in Melbourne, Victoria to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the uprising and those who lost their lives.

Present at the event were a number of officials, including the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), Bill Papastergiadis.

melbourne polytechnic uprising
melbourne polytechnic uprising

On Sunday, the Polytechnic Memory Committee also organised a commemoration event at the Victorian Trades Hall in Carlton. The event attracted numerous Greeks of all ages, including the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis.

A highlight of the event was a performance by the Alphington Grammar School’s Youth Orchestra, who sang songs by Mikis Theodorakis.

As part of the memorial and tribute actions to the student uprising of 1973, the Greek Community of Melbourne’s Language & Culture Schools (GCM Schools), also published a special edition book titled “Polytechnic 50 years later.”

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Greek PM commits €100m to Mount Athos for heritage and infrastructure works

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged €100 million in funding for Mount Athos during a two-day official visit.

Greek Foreign Minister meets Libyan Commander Haftar in Benghazi

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis met with General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, in Benghazi.

Eric Brown’s viral Epiphany memory unites Greek and First Nations communities

The social media video of Bidjigal Gundungarra Dharawal man, Eric Brown, has captured the hearts of thousands of Greek Australians.

Greek-owned ship attacked and abandoned in Red Sea amid Houthi escalation

Crew members of a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier, Magic Seas, were forced to abandon ship in the Red Sea.

Victorian government launches Anti-Hate Taskforce after wave of antisemitic attacks

A man has been charged in connection with an alleged arson attack on a historic synagogue in East Melbourne.

You May Also Like

Food for Thought Network unveils poignant video against gender-based violence

The Food for Thought Network Inc has announced the success of its recent inaugural Global Women and Hellenism conference held in Greece. 

Iran’s President and Foreign Minister killed in helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister have been killed in a helicopter crash, state media has reported.

Greece, Israel, Cyprus sign deal to link electricity in world’s longest undersea power cable

Plans to connect Israel, Cyprus and Greece with a 2,000 megawatt undersea electricity cable took a key step forward on Monday.