AHEPA NSW Inc held its annual celebration of International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 5, organised with great success by Chapter Antigone.
With live music and dance, philosophy and a range of awards, the event was a genuine expression of gratitude for the diverse contributions of women to AHEPA NSW Inc, to the Australian Hellenic community and to civilisation as a whole.
Amongst the highlights of the event were the performance of the Pontoxeniteas Dancers, the ladies presenting a series of female dances rarely seen in Australia, accompanied by Kosta Papoulidis on lyra and Prodromos Moysiadis on daouli, led by their instructor Mrs Christina Ioannidou.
Introducing the dances, Mrs Ioannidou spoke about her insistence in delivering classes in the Hellenic language, calling on everyone present to speak Hellenic with every opportunity.
The Hon Mark Buttigieg MLC (ALP) delivered an eloquent address, drawing on the forthcoming NSW election to focus on the need for the involvement of women in all levels of politics.
AHEPA NSW Inc President Bill Skandalakis also delivered a message of welcome, while the duties of the emcee were done by Mrs Nia Gitsas.
Professor Edward Spence (Philosophy Department, The University of Sydney) delivered the Keynote Address, titled ‘Antigone Unbound.’ The theme of his address was the contribution of ancient Hellenic women including Hypatia, Anastasia and Sophocles’ theatrical character Antigone, to philosophical movements of ancient Hellenism.
The International Women’s Day Awards were introduced by Chapter Antigone President Mrs Charoulla Themistocleous and presented by Mr Buttigieg and Mr Skandalakis to the following for their efforts in support of the work of Chapter Antigone:
- Mrs Jenny Kapori
- Mrs Evangelia Mouhtaris
- Mrs Olga Kapodistria
- Dr Panayiotis Diamadis
Certificates of Appreciation were presented to the following in recognition of their contributions to the International Women’s Day event:
- Mrs Nia Gitsa
- Mrs Antigone Hatzipanagiotou
- Mrs Christina Ioannidou
- Mrs Effie Kallimanis
- Mrs Effie Marks
- Mrs Toula Moutevellis
- Mrs Nina Savva
- Mrs Anna Skribias
All the dancers and musicians of the Pontoxeniteas Association who performed were also awarded.
Re-inforcing their reputation as the ‘Raffle Prize Queens’ of AHEPA NSW Inc, Chapter Antigone organised 17 raffle prizes for their celebration, thanks to the generosity of the following businesses: Santorini Restaurant, Oxford Street; Sydney City Automotive, St Peters; Eddie’s Hairdressing Salon, Roselands; Aussie Skip Bins, Belfield; CT Translation Services, Kingsgrove; L’Uva Pasta and Wine Bar, MLC Centre, Martin Place; and Macarthur Honey, St Andrew’s.
The celebration closed with a dinner prepared by the members of Chapter Antigone and thoroughly enjoyed by all those in attendance.
The next AHEPA NSW Inc event is the annual celebration of Greek Independence Day on Friday, March 17. The celebration will be divided into two parts, with a flag-raising ceremony being held in the Forecourt of Bayside Council from 6pm, followed by the second part of the program at AHEPA NSW Hall, 394-396 Princes’ Highway, Rockdale from 7pm.
