In front of a sold out audience of 120, the Greek Community of Melbourne presented its second instalment of Hellenic discourse with Mark Bouris as the main speaker.
The president Bill Papastergiadis with the board provided a plaque to Mark to honour his contribution to the community, with Bill noting that Mark’s upbringing and Hellenic background resonated enormously with the audience.
Providing him with the award, Bill Papasteriadis asked Mark what contribution his Hellenic background had on his life and career.
“Everything. It shaped everything. My life up until I was 18 revolved around my greek family with constant weddings, funerals, Easter and Christmas celebrations. As a young kid, I thought my grandmothers backyard was the centre of the Universe,” Mark replied
Asking him about how he understood the Greek Community in Melbourne, Mark stated, “I was asked to go to the dinner organised by president Trump for Scott Morrison. I couldn’t make that dinner. However I made this dinner, and I am here for the Greek community of Melbourne.
“This is one of the few occasions in my life that I am honoured by the greek community, and only in Melbourne and your organisation could this be achieved. Thanks so much for the plaque and tonight!”
Mark Bouris also took part in a 1 hour public interview with George Donikian earlier in the night, discussing his family life and Greek roots.
Mark described how his father decided to make it on his own in Australia and not follow into the family restaurant business. His upbringing is one that saw him have a caring, but sporadic relationship with his father, who worked three jobs a day, six days a week.
No doubt, this work ethic rubbed off on Mark as when he was asked whether he wanted to retire, he responded “what would I do? Play golf with my mates. I want to continue working, not so much to make more money, but because I believe I still have something to contribute to society”.
Mark was an intelligent student at a young age, winning a scholarship to university. He completed a commerce degree, followed by a Masters and a law degree. Whilst working in a city firm, he began to understand how the money markets worked and developed a niche product which would catapult his career, changing the course of financial markets in Australia.
During the Q&A segment of the interview, one person remarked to Mr. Bouris, “you explain complex economic matters in simple layman terms which allows all of us to have a better understanding of our economic lives”.
