Nick Bolkus, a former federal minister and one of the Australian Labor Party’s most prominent champions, has died peacefully on Christmas Day, aged 75.
The passing of the long-serving South Australian senator was confirmed by South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, who described Mr Bolkus as a deeply respected figure across the political spectrum and a tireless advocate for Labor values.
Mr Bolkus served in the federal parliament for 25 years, having first been elected to the Senate in 1980. He became a minister under Prime Minister Bob Hawke in 1988, before continuing his cabinet career during the Keating government under Paul Keating.
Mr Bolkus served as a minister in both the Hawke and Keating governments.
Among his most significant portfolios was Immigration and Ethnic Affairs, a role in which Mr Bolkus played a key part in shaping Australia’s modern multicultural framework. He later reflected with particular pride on the decision to allow tens of thousands of Chinese nationals to remain in Australia following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre – a move widely regarded as a landmark act of humanitarian leadership.
Premier Malinauskas paid tribute to Mr Bolkus as one of Labor’s “great champions,” describing him as a formidable intellect, a generous mentor, and a committed public servant whose influence extended well beyond South Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also honoured Mr Bolkus’ legacy, noting that he was the first Greek Australian to serve as a federal cabinet minister.
“Nick Bolkus was a passionate believer in democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship,” Mr Albanese said. “He was a powerful advocate for multicultural Australia and a living example of how our nation has been enriched by people of every background.”
Born in Adelaide on 17 July 1950, Mr Bolkus grew up in the city’s West End and remained closely connected to South Australia throughout his life and political career. He retired from federal politics in 2005, having become one of the state’s longest-serving senators.
Mr Bolkus is survived by his wife Mary, daughters Aria and Mikayla, and son Nick. Tributes have continued to flow from colleagues, friends and community leaders, remembering him as a principled leader whose contributions helped shape a more inclusive Australia.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia has issued his Christmas message to the faithful of the Orthodox Church in Australia, reflecting on the challenges of modern life in an age dominated by technology and Artificial Intelligence, while reaffirming that true peace, joy and fulfilment are found in Christ.
In his pastoral address, the Archbishop called on the faithful to cherish time, faith and human connection, as the world prepares to welcome the New Year.
Full message in English:
Most honourable brother, co-bishops and my beloved children,
Few would deny that our era is dominated by technology — particularly internet technology and Artificial Intelligence — with its many possibilities that inspire admiration and awe, but also deep concern.
The “spirit of technology” increasingly influences, or rather intrudes into, our lives. This is evident not only through social media and the countless dating applications, but also in our everyday routine, which is now closely connected — and often dependent — on our mobile phones.
Our Church is certainly not opposed to progress, development or technology. She does, however, express concern about the emergence of a new virtual reality. While we acknowledge the potential of technology, we must not forget that Artificial Intelligence, for example, may be able to compose excellent prayers, but it will never be able to pray. Social media may make life more pleasant, yet they steal the most precious gift of all — especially from young people — time, which passes and never returns. Consider how many hours each day are spent in front of a mobile phone screen.
Modern humanity will search in vain for happiness in these artificial “Paradises”. True joy and fulfilment of life are found in Christ, whom the Church proclaims — Christ who is born once again this year of the Virgin, bringing to a world wounded by wars and injustices the message of peace, hope and joy.
With paternal love, I pray that the peace and joy of Christ may dwell in the hearts of us all, and that the New Year 2026 may bring to you, to your families, and to the whole world the gifts of the Nativity.
By Panagiotis Alexandros Rozakis – International Lawyer (Athens & Toronto)
Greece is entering a historic phase of reform in inheritance law, the most extensive overhaul in nearly 80 years.
Following the recent enactment of Law 5221/2025, which transferred the publication of wills and the issuance of inheritance certificates from the courts to notaries, and the announced reform by the Ministry of Justice on inheritance law, developed by a high-level committee led by Professor Apostolos Georgiadis which aims to modernise succession rules, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has introduced a new draft law on «σχολάζουσες κληρονομιές» (orphaned estates).
This proposal establishes a modern institutional and digital framework to identify, manage, and ultimately resolve estates where no heirs come forward. For Greeks in Australia, the United States, and Canada, these changes are significant.
Many diaspora families own property in Greece, often inherited decades ago through informal arrangements and despite outdated civil records. Under the new system, such estates may be classified as unclaimed more quickly unless heirs verify their rights and update their family information in Greece.
Below, I explain what the new draft law proposes, how it fits within the broader transformation of Greece’s inheritance system, and what Greeks abroad must do now to protect their inheritance rights.
A new institutional framework: The foundation for inactive estates
At the core of the reform is the creation of a new public-interest legal entity: the Foundation for the Management and Liquidation of Inactive Estates and Public-Benefit Properties (ΊδρυμαΔιαχείρισηςκαιΕκκαθάρισηςΚληρονομιώνκαιΑδρανώνΚοινωφελώνΠεριουσιών).
This Foundation will assume responsibilities currently shared, often inefficiently, among courts, municipalities, tax authorities, and the Ministry of Finance.
Its mandate includes:
identifying estates where no heir has appeared,
managing such estates until their status is resolved,
investigating whether heirs exist, including abroad,
ensuring tax and municipal obligations are fulfilled,
preserving, leasing, or liquidating properties if no heirs can be found,
and administering dormant public-benefit foundations and endowments.
This marks a major institutional shift. For decades, «σχολάζουσεςκληρονομιές» were handled by fragmented public offices, resulting in delays, unclear responsibilities and a backlog of thousands of properties. The new Foundation aims to centralise this process.
A digital registry that will transform estate tracking
The bill introduces a unified national digital platform that will catalogue all potentially orphaned estates. This system will cross-reference data from:
the civil registry (Ληξιαρχείο),
municipal family registries (Δημοτολόγιο),
the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (ΑΑΔΕ),
the National Cadastre (Κτηματολόγιο),
and the Wills Registry of the Notarial Federation.
This introduces a level of integration that aims to expedite the process. For the first time, authorities will be able to instantly see:
whether a deceased person has registered heirs in Greece,
whether a valid will exists,
whether previous inheritance filings were made,
and whether the property appears in the heirs’ name.
This digital cross-matching is designed to prevent properties from languishing for decades due to bureaucratic gaps.
However, it also means that estates with no registered heirs will move far more quickly into the classification of “orphaned” a critical point for diaspora families.
From court-based to administrative procedures
Under current law, declaring an estate as «σχολάζουσα» often requires a court order. This judicial process can take years, especially if municipal and civil records are incomplete.
The new bill replaces much of this system with an administrative model. The Foundation will conduct the investigation and classification directly, using the digital tools provided. Courts will only intervene when there is a dispute or when legal oversight is required.
This administrative approach means faster resolution which is beneficial for the system, but it places greater responsibility on heirs to ensure their rights are visible to Greek authorities.
Why Greeks abroad are especially vulnerable under the new law
Perhaps the most sensitive aspect of this reform is the way it interacts with Greece’s civil registry system.
For thousands of Greeks who emigrated in the 1950s–1980s, it was unfortunately common not to register major life events in Greece. Many never updated the municipal family registry after marrying abroad or after the birth of their children and grandchildren.
As a result, a large portion of the diaspora remains, in Greek records, as:
unmarried,
without children,
under their parental registries «οικογενειακήμερίδα»
and without any registered heirs.
This has profound consequences. If someone in this category dies abroad, the Greek State may see no heirs at all, even when a spouse, children, and grandchildren fully exist, simply because they were never registered.
With the new digital system, estates with no registered heirs may be flagged quickly, entered into the unclaimed estates registry, and eventually treated as orphaned, allowing the Foundation to manage or liquidate the property.
This does not mean the State is trying to take property from Greeks abroad. But the new efficiency of the system means that outdated family records can possibly lead to real and irreversible loss of inheritance rights.
What happens to orphaned property under the new system
Once an estate is verified as orphaned, the Foundation may:
maintain or repair the property,
collect rental income for the State,
reconstruct deteriorating buildings,
resolve debts and outstanding taxes,
or, where appropriate, sell the property in the public interest.
The goal is not confiscation, but activation of stagnant assets. Still, heirs who appear after a certain stage may face significant legal hurdles, especially if liquidation has already occurred.
What diaspora families should do now
Greeks abroad should take proactive steps to safeguard their inheritance rights:
Update civil records in Greece: Register marriages, births, divorces, and deaths through Greek Consulates or with the Special Registry for Greeks Living Abroad if they fall under its limited authority.
Verify property ownership: Ensure that land or houses left behind by parents or grandparents were formally transferred.
Complete pending inheritances: If someone passed away years ago and no acceptance of inheritance was filed, the estate may be at risk, especially if no declaration was made with the Greek Cadastre.
Seek legal assistance in Greece: A lawyer can access registries, update records, file inheritance documents, and prevent an estate from being considered unclaimed.
A reform that modernises the system but requires action
Greece’s proposed reform brings long-overdue organisation to an area plagued by delay and confusion. The creation of a dedicated Foundation, combined with digital integration and faster administrative procedures, promises a clearer and more functional system.
But for the Greek diaspora, it also highlights a reality: inheritance in Greece is not automatic. It must be legally registered, updated, and activated.
The new law aims to strengthen the protection of the public interest, but it also increases the need for families abroad to act promptly, update their records, and secure their inheritance rights before properties fall into the category of “σχολάζουσεςκληρονομιές”.
Need legal help in Greece?
Contact Panagiotis A. Rozakis | Attorney at Law p.rozakis@dvlf.gr | +30 698 092 8817 | +30 2103390080
If you were waiting for a sign to take that leap of faith… this, is it.
Carpet and textile designer turned bestselling author, Kathryn Gauci packs everyone’s bags for an explorative and emotional journey across the Greek islands with her new travel-based book, ‘An Aegean Odyssey – a memoir’.
Destinations: Chios, Lesvos, Rhodes, Karpathos, and Crete. Discoveries – endless, and “embedded” in her “psyche”.
Gauci’s “abundance of dreams” mentality enables a sentimental revival of experiences in the country she once called home for six years, the “old Greece”, worthy of any audience.
Hotel VenetoKarpathos
The author checks in to 2005, Melbourne, right before jetting off to “retrace her steps” in Greece’s beloved capital. While there, readers will board her “treasured” recollections of 1970s Athens where she worked at the famous “Anatolia” carpet company, encouraging us all to “meander” through our own memories – “I can see the studio where I worked… I can clearly see a face at the window … full of the spontaneity of youth. I recognise that face as my own.”
Anavatos
Gauci casts her artistic eye on all that lies under a “dazzling cerulean sky”, preserving the inescapable imagery and “rich heritage of Greek history” that transcends external landscapes and refuses to be lost to time.
From Chios’ “mastic tears” to Lesvos’ Mytilene and its “maze of one-way streets”, audiences will be “zigzagging up the mountainside” in Rhodes before reaching the “pristine oasis” and windmills of Karpathos. As for Crete and its spirit of freedom – “it’s in the air, in their blood, and nothing else will suffice”.
Nea Moni, Chios
Maps, poems, olive wreaths, and recipes “found in Chapter 22” are just some of the literary souvenirs readers are granted as they witness just how this “archaic and timeless land reveals itself”, step by step, sense by sense.
Five islands, five senses. Immersed in Hellenism and “perfumed” with the “unforgettable scent of jasmine and gardenias”, Gauci’s “copious notes” tell a tale that read as a food diary, pocket translator, descriptive journal, and itinerary all in one. A multifaceted masterpiece with a tone where nostalgia “washes over”.
Myrtos, Crete
Relatable travel nightmares also feature in the form of “hair raising non-existent lanes”, “over marketed tourist traps”, “contortionist” toilets, and liberating accommodation escapes.
Karpathos
Legendary figures including “Alexander the Great”, the “Suliot women” and “Laskarina Bouboulina” serve as powerful references showcasing the nation’s unrelenting heroism and identity. In the face of tragedy resulting from several empire dominations, rulings, the Spinalonga leper colony, and the indelible lamenting of the “Asia Minor refugees”, Gauci notes that “forgiveness and love”, and the enduring values of “philotimo” are just as defining – if not more – as these poignant periods.
Milia
The omnipresence of “reassuring church bells”, “ecclesiastical paraphernalia”, and the mythologically inspired blessing from Sappho only highlight the themes of time and dreams further – “Like Orpheus, I have visited the underworld today, and returned.”
Layered in “liquid-gold” (Greek olive oil), “blushed coloured apricots”, “wood-fired penirli”, and the “daily catch of the Aegean”, the author’s attention to detail when it comes to colours and textures is sure to whet the appetite of the harshest critic.
Mastic pies, Chios
Her creative observations and appreciations extend to photography, poetry, Nikos Kazantzakis, Melina Mercouri’s “spellbinding” Never on A Sunday performance, the “folk art” and “shop signs” around “kafeneia”, “mosaics”, the “architecture of hammams”, all the way through to the “picture postcards” displayed on the walls of tavernas.
Kyria Maria. Hotel Veneto
She invites everyone to tune in to the melody of her mind, though music, her “most constant companion”, where the “immortal voice” of Callas, Haris Alexiou, Dalaras, and Demis Roussos’ “Forever and Ever” echo alongside the “exiled” Mikis Theodorakis.
view from Sivritos
Arguably the most significant sense explored in the memoir is the tapestry of touch, apparent in all her adventures and interactions with the characters she meets, and with the people she cherishes, especially her husband, Charles.
Mesta Limani
Meaningful, methodical, and written with “zeal”, the exquisite interplay of past and present timelines ultimately remind us to “savour the taste of ouzo” as life can be “fleeting”, and that “the real world has its limits, the imaginary world is infinite”.
Greece has been named one of the most generous nations worldwide, according to a new international study that defines generosity as a daily attitude rather than a purely financial gesture. The country placed seventh globally, recording an average generosity score of 47.62 out of 60, and is one of four European nations to feature in the top 10, according to tornosnews.gr
The research, carried out by Remitly, surveyed more than 4,500 people across 25 countries. It used the Interpersonal Generosity Scale, a scientifically recognised psychological framework that assesses generosity through behavioural patterns rather than charitable giving alone.
Instead of focusing on donations, the study examined qualities such as empathy, patience, kindness, emotional support and the readiness to prioritise others. Participants rated how strongly they related to statements designed to capture generosity as a social and cultural trait embedded in everyday interactions.
South Africa topped the ranking with a score of 51.57, followed by the Philippines and the United States. Greece ranked just behind countries including Portugal and the United Kingdom, while Ireland and Canada placed slightly higher. In total, four European countries made the top 10, underscoring the importance of social bonds and mutual support across the continent.
The findings highlight that high-ranking countries are not always the biggest financial donors, but those where people routinely show care and solidarity in daily life. Greece’s strong performance is linked to long-standing traditions of hospitality, close family ties and an emphasis on personal relationships-values that have endured despite years of economic and social pressure.
The first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s large-scale film adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey has been released online, offering an early look at the director’s latest epic, according to The Guardian.
Matt Damon stars as the legendary Greek hero Odysseus, with the trailer featuring a series of shots showing a bearded Damon on his journey home following the fall of Troy. Over the images, his voice declares: “After years of war … no one could stand between my men … and home … not even me.”
Viewers also catch brief glimpses of Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Odysseus’s long-suffering wife, and Tom Holland as their son Telemachus, as the hero battles violent seas and other dangers on his voyage back to Ithaca.
The trailer’s release follows a six-minute preview that screened exclusively in cinemas on 12 December. Earlier, a different theatrical trailer debuted in July but was later leaked online. This newly released version appears to differ significantly from the earlier footage and comes after Nolan revealed he shot the film using 2 million feet of IMAX film.
The Odyssey is scheduled to premiere in Australia on 16 July 2026, with UK and US releases following on 17 July.
In a dim sea cave in Greece’s northern Sporades, a massive shadow shifts in the darkness. From a boat offshore, binoculars confirm the sight: a Mediterranean monk seal, among the world’s rarest and largest seals, reaching nearly three metres long and weighing more than 300kg.
The seal has hauled out on Piperi, a tightly protected island within the National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades, Greece’s largest marine protected area and a vital breeding site. Access is restricted to authorised researchers only. According to the guardian.com, with fewer than 1,000 monk seals worldwide, the species is listed as vulnerable, downgraded from endangered in 2023 after long-term conservation success. Greece hosts about half the global population, giving it an outsized responsibility for their survival.
While historic threats such as hunting have faded, others persist, including fishing gear entanglement, pollution and habitat loss. Conservationists warn a newer danger is escalating fast: unregulated marine tourism. The seals are highly sensitive to disturbance, and growing boat traffic is undermining their fragile recovery.
Recent measures aim to reverse this trend, including a national awareness campaign and new exclusion zones around key habitats such as the islet of Formicula in the Ionian Sea. Two large-scale marine protected areas have also been approved, though their management remains unclear.
Monitoring around Piperi suggests protection can work. “We often see the seals resting on this beach,” says marine biologist Angelos Argiriou. “The fact that they feel safe enough to haul out [rest] here in the open is a really good sign that the protection measures are working.”
Elsewhere, enforcement gaps are more worrying. As one researcher warns, without effective patrols and investment, even these last refuges may not be enough to save one of the Mediterranean’s most iconic mammals.
The Australian dollar is tipped to keep climbing through 2026, offering a boost for overseas travellers and major ASX-listed companies. Analysts expect the currency to benefit from diverging interest rate paths between Australia and the United States, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The AUD currently trades at about 66 US cents, up from 61 cents in January. Forecasts suggest it could rise by anywhere from 10 to 40 per cent next year, largely due to shifting central bank policies. While the Reserve Bank of Australia cut rates three times earlier this year, rising inflation and stronger economic growth have reduced expectations of further easing.
Instead, markets are increasingly betting that RBA Governor Michele Bullock will lift rates by 0.25 per cent at the February meeting, a view now shared by CBA and NAB. Inflation remains elevated at 3.8 per cent annually, above the RBA’s target band. As Bullock recently noted, “It is very uncertain what [inflation] is temporary and what is persistent.”
By contrast, the US Federal Reserve has begun cutting rates and may do so again, a divergence that could favour the Aussie dollar. “Just like in share markets how earnings are one of the surest predictors of share price moves, in currency markets, interest rate differentials are a similar predictor,” says Michael McCarthy of Moomoo.
McCarthy expects the AUD to reach 72 US cents in 2026, while AMP’s Shane Oliver sees it hitting 73 cents. UBS is more bullish, flagging a possible surge to as high as 92 US cents, citing strong foreign demand for Australian government bonds and historical precedents.
A stronger dollar would benefit travellers and importers but could pressure exporters, particularly major miners. Commodity price falls or a global economic slowdown could also curb the currency’s rise.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a US-based Greek food chain founded in Las Vegas in 2011, will open its first Australian restaurant in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, by mid to late February.
The fast-casual restaurant will seat around 100 people and be located in the TC Beirne building on Brunswick Mall.
The chain has nearly 100 outlets across the United States and is being brought to Australia by Brisbane-based Surjit Salwan and business partner Chirayush Patel, under an international area developer agreement with parent company United Franchise Group.
“Chirayush and I were exploring different business concepts and came across the master franchise opportunity for The Great Greek,” Salwan said.
“We loved the idea of being able to build a network of restaurants across the region and build a brand.”
Salwan said the partners plan to expand cautiously, with two or three restaurants expected to open in 2026 before accelerating growth across South-East Queensland and along the coast.
The menu is based on original Greek-Armenian family recipes from the first Great Greek Mediterranean Grill in Las Vegas, using dishes passed down through generations in Greece.
Salwan said the restaurant will target health-conscious diners seeking Mediterranean-style food in a quick but elevated dining setting.
“All of our food is prepared fresh on site daily,” he said.
“We stay true to our authentic, third-generation Greek recipes.”
McGees’ Liam Ghietti, who secured the tenancy, said the venue will feature both indoor and outdoor seating, adding that the deal was “a significant win for the TC Beirne Building” following years of high vacancy.
Each autumn in Laconia, when the long summer finally breaks with the first hard rain, something ancient stirs. Farmers rush to the groves with pickup trucks, nets drop to the earth, and the presses glow through the night.
“From November onwards, there’s a communal aspect to it in the lead-up to Christmas,” says Scarlett Athanasia, soaking in the ritual with a reverence she never expected to develop.
The Mauritius-born, Greece-based consultant has carved out an unusual niche for herself: a meticulous curator and importer of early-harvest extra virgin olive oil.
For the last decade, Scarlett has returned each winter to the olive-draped hills surrounding her partner’s ancestral village in Laconia, near Sparta. She rolls up her sleeves and controls every detail, sourcing what she calls “liquid perfection” for only a handful of tables, mostly those fortunate enough to call her a friend.
What began as curiosity evolved into obsession, discipline, and something close to a calling. Greeks have a word for that: meraki, the soul-deep devotion poured into something done with love and purpose.
But as she puts it, “I’m not a producer. I’m part of a process that’s much bigger than me.”
This year, with word-of-mouth quietly spreading, she finally decided to give her labour of love a name: Athanasia’s Fields, a label designed by a childhood friend. Yet the branding hasn’t changed her philosophy.
“I’m not just buying olive oil. I’m part of the process. I see the olives, I smell them, I watch them pressed. That’s the only way to truly honour it,” she says.
The call of the Peloponnese
Scarlett didn’t grow up imagining herself in groves. She spent her childhood in Mauritius and South East Asia, surrounded by travel and exquisite dining; but never once thinking about the importance of olive oil on the table.
“I’d always appreciated olive oil,” she admits, “but coming to Greece opened my eyes to its true character.”
Everything changed when she began visiting Greece with her partner, Kostas, her pethera (mother-in-law) Niki and her petheros (father-in-law) Panagiotis.
“We’d go on road trips around the Peloponnese, trying oil from people’s homes, at oil presses and small secluded taverns. Those little experiences gave me this urge to be part of it,” she explains.
Soon she was in the fields… literally.
“I worked with my friends and my godfather, carrying 30- to 50-kilo bags of olives. Everyone freaked out seeing me lift them, but I thought, ‘No, I need to be part of this. I’m a Spartan now, by marriage.’ That’s when I understood how special this tradition is,” she says.
A quest for perfection
Scarlett Athanasia’s approach is unusual, even in a region famous for obsessive standards.
“My job is identifying the trees, the groves, the producers. I go to the press, I look at the olives, I make sure they’re green, not bruised, not starting to rot. I test acidity myself until I get as close to 0% as possible,” she says.
Some years her oils reach below 0.2% acidity, extraordinary by Greek standards.
“It takes me weeks. I don’t mix batches. Everything is single origin. It’s not about quantity; it’s about perfection. That’s what makes my oil different,” she says.
She notes, gently, that many exporters never witness the pressing.
“They send their relatives to pick it up. But when you’re not part of the process, you don’t know what’s happening. Oils get mixed, batches get swapped. To me, olive oil needs respect, love, patience, and care,” she says.
Then she adds, laughing, “And I’m the only person in the Peloponnese crazy enough to be doing it this way.”
Refining palates – and processes
Ten years in, the land itself has become her teacher.
“People think every year is the same, but no. Trees don’t produce the same quality each year. Sometimes the best oil isn’t from the same trees or my own trees at all. That’s why I drive around Laconia, because somewhere, there’s a single origin that’s perfect for that season,” she says.
And when she finds it, she moves fast. “I always have empty tins in my car. When I discover the oil, I buy it, fill it on the spot, and organise shipping to Melbourne.”
Shipping, she says, is an adventure of its own. “You need high-quality tins to preserve the quality of the oil on arrival.”
More than business: Olive oil and life
What draws her back to Laconia each winter isn’t business, it’s belonging.
“I live in the ancestral home of my partner’s family. In this house my husband’s grandparents and children survived the Second World War famine with just a few spoons of olive oil a day. That tells you everything about its nutritional value,” she says.
Her petheros told her how villagers traded olive oil for chocolate with the occupying forces. “Hearing these stories in the house where they happened… it made me realise olive oil isn’t just tradition. It’s survival. It’s our history.”
This past year deepened that connection even further.
“When I was baptised Greek Orthodox in Sparta in 2024, we used olive oil that I had picked and pressed with my Spartan godfather. Seeing that oil blessed… it was incredibly humbling. One of the most powerful days of my life,” she says.
She pauses, then adds quietly: “Olive oil is the elixir of Hellenism. It fuelled mythology, it fuelled Christianity, it fuelled families. And now it fuels me.”
Authenticity in every drop
Although Scarlett insists this is “just a hobby,” her reputation is growing.
“I always have a little bottle with me,” she says. “And when friends or even strangers taste it, they can’t believe the quality.”
Chefs describe her early-harvest Koroneiki oil as bright, peppery, and intensely fruity, proof of her fastidiously controlled process.
Two Melbourne restaurants now use her oil. She has no desire to scale quickly. “I want to share it with people who have the same philosophy as me. People who love Greece the way I do.”
After a decade, her oil has become more than a product. It is heritage. “It represents my connection to Greece, to faith, to family stories, to the land that shaped me in ways I never expected.”
She hopes that when Australians taste her oil – however limited the quantities may be – “they feel the history, the simplicity of the village, the traditions that continue year after year.”
Then she adds, almost whispering: “I think a little taste of my olive oil can give people a little taste of Hellas.”
