Canterbury-Bankstown Councillors have voted to fly the Greek flag in recognition of the annual OXI Day celebrations.
Councillors unanimously endorsed a Notice of Motion at last night’s Council Meeting (Tuesday, October 22) to fly the flag at Bankstown, Campsie and Earlwood.
Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek said Greek culture is a meaningful part of the City’s rich diversity.
“We’re lucky to have so many different cultures to celebrate in CBCity and we’ll be raising the Greek flag in honour of our wonderful Greek and Cypriot community,” Mayor El-Hayek said.
“The Greek community has contributed so much to the City. It’s a community that thrives on hard work and a commitment to family and boasts some of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs, businessmen and academics.”
Observed each year, OXI Day (also referred to as Ohi or Ochi) is also known as “Day of No.” The day commemorates General Ioannis Metaxas’ refusal to Italy’s Benito Mussolini to give free access for Italian troops to invade and occupy strategic areas of Greece during World War II. This ultimately led to Greece’s involvement in the war on the side of the Allies.
OXI Day is a cherished national holiday celebrated on October 28 annually in Greece, Cyprus and by their ancestral communities worldwide, which sees streets and homes decorated with the Greek flag and communities observing parades and services.
Mayor El-Hayek said Greek Australians make up the seventh-largest ethnic group in the country, with more than 22,000 calling Canterbury-Bankstown home.
Earlwood boasts more than 7,000 residents of Greek ancestry, one of the largest Greek communities in Australia.
