The Australian Institute of Macedonian Studies (AIMS) is organising on Friday, July 11, at 6.30 pm in the Lyceum Hall of Alphington Grammar School, a Philological Memorial dedicated to the work and contribution of the late Panagiotis Jasonides, who in August 1986 was the founding Secretary of AIMS.
The organisation of the Memorial was undertaken by the President and members of the Board of Directors in close collaboration with the management of Alphington Grammar, and the dance department of the Pontian House.
The program will be essentially a celebration of the life and contribution of Panagiotis, who for more than forty years served with passion and dedication to everything that was Pontic and consequently Greek.
The event will be attended by the Principal of Alphington Grammar School, Dr. Vivian Nikou, who will refer to her family ties with Panagiotis and his paternal family.
It will be followed by a 20 minute lecture in English by the historian and coordinator of the AIMS Archives, Stavros Stavridis, on the topic “The Displacement of Pontic Hellenism from the Black Sea (1921-1922)”.
Stavridis is a specialist historian on issues of Asia Minor Hellenism and the suffering suffered by the Christian populations of the region in the first 30 years of the twentieth century by Turkish irregulars and soldiers.
Afterwards, Simela Stamatopoulou, second-generation leader of Pontian Hellenism in Melbourne and former President of the Federation of Pontian Associations, will refer to the contribution of Panagiotis. This will be followed by a short speech from the President of AIMS, Professor Anastasios Tamis, who will focus on those aspects of Panagiotis’ life and contribution that establish him as an authentic model and example to be emulated, an Australian-born leader.
The event will close with a 15-minute musical and dance performance curated by Yiannis Pilalidis, presenting musicians and a group of dancers from the Pontian House in rhythms and dances that appealed to Panagiotis.
In order to honour the memory and celebrate the contribution of Panagiotis, the AIMS will give attendees, free of charge, the now-rare collective volume entitled Ancient Macedonia, which was edited by Professor Peter Connor of the University of Melbourne on behalf of the AIMS.
The volume includes rare articles by European, Greek and American academics and researchers from the monumental International Conference on Ancient Macedonia organised by AIMS in 1992, under the scientific responsibility of the late Professor Dimitris Pandermalis. Panagiotis’ participation in the Conference was essential.
A reception will follow, jointly organised by Dr Nikou and the Vice President of AIMS, Christina Kotsifaki-Sarri. The event will be covered via video by Michalis Porphyris, edited by Platon Denazakis.
The technical coordination of the event has been undertaken by AIMS executives, Nikos Papakonstantinou and Georgios Lioukas, while the role of Master of Ceremonies has been assigned to teacher Dimitra Flessa.
An invitation to the Memorial is open and all those who wish to experience these moments of remembrance for one of the most distinguished executives of the Greek diaspora are welcome to attend.
Peter Jasonides (4 August 1960 – 2 July 2024)
In Memoriam
Panagiotis Iasonidis (Jasonides, Peter) was born (4 August 1960) in Melbourne to Greek immigrant parents, George and Anatole; he was trilingual in Pontian, Greek and English. He married Helen Sofianos, and they raised two children, Anatole and George.
He studied economics and political sciences at La Trobe and Melbourne Universities and was awarded post-tertiary accreditation in translating and interpreting. He served as a Secretary of the Hellenic Club at La Trobe University, vice-president of Melbourne’s Greek Club and inter-university liaison officer and President of the National Union of Greek Australian Students (1984-1986), a post which was also held almost twenty years later by his daughter, Anatole.
Over the years he was awarded titles as Honorary President and Life Member by community organisations recognising his loyal contribution to community issues and Pontian Hellenism. In 1999 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace of the State of Victoria.
He was elected Treasurer of the Greek Australian Professionals’ Association; Secretary-General of the Central Pontian Association of Victoria “Pontiaki Estia” (1984-1986); Chairman of the Greek Festival of Melbourne (1986-1987); founding Secretary of the United Association of Greek Orthodox Communities and Parishes of Melbourne and Victoria (1986-1987); Secretary of the Australian Institute of Macedonian Studies(1988-1989); President of the Pan-Macedonian Association of Melbourne and Victoria, twice (1995-1997; 2016-2017); National President of the Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia (2005-2007); Alternate Secretary of the International Confederation of Pontian Hellenes (2007-2012), and Victorian and National Co-ordinator of the Australian Hellenic Council (2010-2012).
He embarked on a professional career as a public servant, consultant, interpreter and translator, educator, social welfare and community education CEO until 2007, when he established and became Managing Director of the ITHEA (Institute of Tertiary and Higher Education Australia), a Registered Training Organisation for vocational education and training, with an intake of local and international students, a post that he retained until his exit from this earthly life.
Lest we forget.
 is organising a Memorial dedicated to the work of the late Panagiotis Iasonidis.){kind=link}