The Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney‘s annual Melbourne Cup luncheon was successfully held on Tuesday, November 7 at The Kyle Bay in what was a medley of fun, fashion, glamour, Greek dancing and fine dining.
On the day, there were a number of official guests present including the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yannis Mallikourtis; the acting CEO of St Basil’s NSW/ACT, Diana Horvatovich; and Presidents of many local Greek community organisations.
Mr Mallikourtis attended the luncheon alongside his wife Christiana, who was experiencing the Melbourne Cup race for the first time. They both expressed their delight at how the luncheon managed to blend the Greek element into an Australian sporting tradition.
The Consul General also stressed the Greek Government’s overt support for the Lyceum’s work.
In a speech at the luncheon, President of the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, Liana Vertzayias, thanked Christina Mitsopoulos for acting as emcee and all the committee and subcommittee for their hard work in organising the event in her absence.
Ms Vertzayias also thanked the Greek Government for the donation of costumes which will be publicly presented for the first time on November 22 at the premises of the Greek Consulate in Sydney.
The luncheon included prizes for the best dressed female and male, as well as an interesting trivia quiz presented by the President which highlighted the influence of Greek mythology on horse racing.
