On Saturday, November 9, the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW held its annual dinner dance commemorating the 158th Anniversary of the Holocaust of Arkadi Monastery. The night was held at Hermes Lounge in Kogarah and was attended by more than 400 people.
The night also marked the 65th anniversary of the Cretan Association and was a celebration of everything the association has achieved.
To mark this auspicious occasion, present on the night were 12 members of the Folkloric Dance Group “Tzanidakis,” including its lead instructor Christos Tzanidakis, who are travelling to Sydney and Melbourne for the commemorations of the Holocaust of Arkadi and also to hold dance workshops with the Cretan dancing groups in Sydney and Melbourne.
Also present on the night were musicians from Crete, Mihalis Petsakis, Stelio Stamatogiannakis and Kosta Kakoudakis, who were accompanied by George Ganakas from Sydney.
Emcee Hara Vamianakis started the evening with a recognition of the distinguished guests present including: His Grace Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia; Anastasia Christofilopoulou, First Secretary for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney; Senator Dave Sharma; Sophie Cotsis MP; Mark Buttigieg MLC; Emmanuel Mountakis, President of the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand; Nick Markogiannakis, Former President of the World Council of Cretans; Peter Tsigounis, President of the Greek Returned Service League; as well as Cretans from Brotherhoods and Associations in Victoria and Queensland.
Bishop Christodoulos gave a blessing and also conveyed the best wishes of fellow Cretan, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
Emmanuel Vitetzakis, President of the Cretan Association, addressed everyone present and thanked all previous presidents, committee members, dance teachers, dancing groups, parents, grandparents and all volunteers who have helped the association grow become what it is today.
“Tonight we reap the rewards of the efforts and sacrifice of the last 65 years,” Mr Vitetzakis said.
The 12th Annual Megalonisos award was then presented. The Megalonisos award recognises the contributions and sacrifice of a longstanding member of the Cretan Association to further the Cretan cause in Sydney. This year the award was presented to an emotional Mihalis Spanoudakis who humbly accepted the award surrounded by his family.
Next, the Tzanidakis dancing group were welcomed warmly and lead instructor Christos Tzanidakis addressed everyone present.
The Cretan Association’s junior and intermediate dancing groups performed for attendees on the night.
Minister Cotsis gave a warm and impassioned speech, congratulating the Cretan Association on all its achievements over the last 65 years. She also highlighted that just like at the Holocaust of Arkadi in 1941, the Cretans also proudly fought for their freedom in the Battle of Crete alongside the ANZACs.
Senator Sharma conveyed the best wishes of the Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton MP and reflected on his personal visit to Crete and the Monastery of Arkadi. He also highlighted the close links between Australia and Greece and congratulated the Association on its achievements over the last 65 years.
Mrs Christofilopoulou conveyed a message from the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis. She also highlighted that events like the Holocaust of Arkadi, and later the Battle of Crete, show that the Cretans are always an example in history. She said the achievements of the Cretan Association over the last 65 years and the presence of so many guests showed that they continue to be a proud example in Sydney today.
Mr Buttigieg, a Philhellene, addressed everyone present firstly in Greek, much to the delight of attendees. He also reflected on the proud sacrifice of 1866 for faith, freedom and independence. Seeing the Greek flag proudly on the Cretan Association’s logo, he mentioned that the stripes on the Greek flag represent the motto of the Greek War of Independence “Freedom or Death.” He highlighted that the motto of the Cretan revolt was the same and that their sacrifice was inspiring.
After a performance by the Cretan Association’s senior dancing group, the international guests from the Folkloric Group Tzanidakis sung a moving Cretan Rizitiko song about the Holocaust of Arkadi.
The highlight of the evening was the Folkloric Group Tzanidakis whose dancing performance was an emotional moment for many members present. In addition to well-known Cretan dances, they danced many of the so-called “forgotten” dances of Crete that are either regionally specific or have fallen out of use over history.
Following their performance, a gift exchange took place with the guests. Attendees concluded the night by celebrating and dancing until the early hours of Sunday morning.
