The Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis, held an official reception on Monday, March 27 at the University of Sydney’s Great Hall to mark Greek Independence Day.
The event was held in the presence of a number of official guests including Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, Governor of New South Wales; Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Archimandrite Christophoros Krikelis; Sophie Cotsis MP; Courtney Houssos MLC; Mark Buttigieg MP; Inner West Councillor Zoi Tsardoulias; Randwick City Councillor Alexandra Luxford; the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), Harry Danalis; the Sir Nicholas Laurantus Chair in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at USYD, Professor Vrasidas Karalis; and other Presidents of local Greek community associations.
In attendance were also a number of diplomats from Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Lebanon, New Zealand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States, among many other countries.
On the night, Hellenic Lyceum dancers wearing traditional costumes stood proudly at the entrance to the Great Hall as guests arrived. The Australian Hellenic Choir also sang the National Anthems of Greece and Australia.
Former University of Sydney students, Sophia and Antonia Komarkowski, emceed the event and started the official proceedings which included speeches by the Consul General, the NSW Governor, Archimandrite Christophoros, Professor Karalis and Mr Danalis.
In his speech, Mr Mallikourtis stated his appreciation of Australia and how its people embrace the celebration of Greek Independence Day and Greek culture more broadly.
“Greeks in Australia can freely speak and learn their language, exercise their religion, maintain their traditions and customs without being forced to make a choice or to view their two identities as mutually exclusive,” Mr Mallikourtis said.
In her speech, the NSW Governor made a special reference to British historian Mark Mazower and his book The Greek Revolution of 1821.
“He says that the Greek War of Independence is significant not just for the liberation of the Greek people, but also for its impacts on the geopolitical shaping of Europe, ushering in a fundamental change in the way Europeans could see themselves and in particular, expression of identity through the self determined nation state,” Ms Beazley said.
“It is truly a seminal moment in the history of modern Europe.”
At the conclusion of official proceedings, people were able to mingle amongst themselves and share their thoughts on the 1821 Greek Revolution.
