The Odyssey Greek Festival, one of South Australia’s biggest annual events hosted by the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA) and supported by Bank of Sydney, kicked off on Friday, October 4 at the Olympic Hall in Adelaide, with over 150 people in attendance, among them a number of special guests and leaders of multicultural organisations.
“The Odyssey Greek Festival, incorporating the Film Festival and the inaugural Grattan Street Paniyiri, showcases our rich history, traditions and talent. It honours those who paved the way for us and encourages young people to share their cultural heritage, build ties and cultivate friendships,” GOCSA President Peter Gardiakos said.
“Our Odyssey Festival uses the power of food, music, song and the arts to unite people and to promote understanding, respect and acceptance within the wider community.”
The Opening Night featured an Art Exhibition displaying pieces of art created by local visual artists who participated in this year’s Odyssey Art Prize sponsored by Guardian Insurance Brokers, artwork created by students of the Community’s Greek Language Schools, migration stories from a recent collaboration project between Adelaide High and Neoléa and an impressive traditional dance performance by GOCSA Dance Academy’s senior group.
During the evening, the 2024 Odyssey Art Prize winners were presented by Owner and Managing Director of Guardian Insurance Brokers, Mr Evan Jackson. The winning artists were Maria Tsounis, first prize for her artwork ‘The Departure’; Helen Kari, second prize for her artwork ‘In a World full of Fish, be a Mermaid or a Dolphin: Adventurous and Free’; and Victoria Arvanitakis, third prize for her work ‘I’ll meet You at Mum’s’. Winners were awarded $1000, $600 and $400, respectively.
Addressing the attendees, the Hon Mira El Dannawi MLC, representing the Premier of South Australia the Hon Peter Malinauskas MP and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs Hon Zoe Bettison MP, said that “the Odyssey Greek Festival is one of the highlights of our state’s multicultural calendar” and reiterated the Government’s commitment to strengthen the state’s community language schools by investing $4 million over four years.
Speaking at the event, the Hon Jing Lee MLC, representing the Leader of the Opposition Hon Vincent Tarzia MP, said that the festival inspires people to think about culture, arts, language and food, and reflect on everything that bring us together as a community.
Federal Member for Adelaide Steve Georganas congratulated GOCSA for another great festival and said “it is a great showcase of Hellenism and of all the things that make us Greek.”
Newly appointed Consul General of Greece in Adelaide, Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou, praised GOCSA for being a beacon of Hellenism in the diaspora for over nine decades and said the situation unfolding this period is “historic for the Greek community in Adelaide and future generations.”
In attendance were also: Hon Chris Kourakis, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia; Hon Connie Bonaros MLC, State Member of the Legislative Council; Cr Mary Couros, representing the Lord Mayor of Adelaide; Dr Mehmet Aslan, Member of the South Australian Multicultural Commission; Mr Lenard Sciancalepore, President of MOSAIC; Dr Philip Donato OAM, President of the South Australian Italian Association; and Ms Anna Amirkhanyan from the Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC).
The event concluded with the attendees enjoying local wine and delicious Greek delicacies.
With a family-orientated and engaging programme, the 2024 Odyssey Greek Festival has something for all ages and backgrounds. For more information, visit https://gocsa.org.au/odyssey-program/ or follow Odyssey Greek Festival Adelaide on Instagram and Facebook.
