Resplendent photographs of the Greek Presidential Guard, known as Evzones, standing proudly in front of renowned monuments such as the Parthenon, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Greece and even the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, were all on display at The Hellenic Club in Canberra over the weekend.
They’re part of a special travelling exhibition titled ‘The Evzones Collection by Nick Bourdaniotis,’ which is being held in collaboration with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the Greek Revolution this year.
The collection by Mr Bourdaniotis, who is a famous Greek Australian photographer, officially launched in the capital city on Friday, February 19 with a special opening night attended by over 100 people.
Many dignitaries and community leaders were present, including His Excellency Ambassador of Greece in Australia, Mr George Papacostas, Her Excellency Mrs Martha A Mavrommatis High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, the Archepiscopal Vicar of ACT and Tasmania, the Very Reverend Prochoros Anastasiadis, President of the Cyprus Community in Canberra, Mrs Georgia Alexandrou, President of the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra, Mr John Loukadellis, Member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas MP, and the Very Reverend Father Petros Kipouros.
Martha A Mavrommatis High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Nick Bourdaniotis, Steve Georganas MP, The Very Reverend Father Petros Kipouros, President of the Cyprus Community in Canberra Mrs Georgia Alexandrou. Photo: George Karantonis.
Following the official speeches as emceed by Elia Economou, Mr Bourdaniotis kindly donated three of his prints to the Hellenic Club for auction and over $15,000 was raised for the local Greek School, which is run by Canberra’s Greek Community and now boasts over 200 enrolled students in its children and online adult education programs.
“The opening night was a great success. Visitors could see the passion in the photos and even non-Greeks were reading the stories and then moving to the photos, and the two together were just drawing them in,” Mr Bourdaniotis tells The Greek Herald, adding with a cheeky laugh that “if you walk in and you haven’t got goosebumps by the third photo, I’d be surprised.”
The exhibition ran for three days until Sunday, with Mr Bourdaniotis saying they experienced strong foot traffic and “high praise and positive feedback from every visitor that walked through the doors.”
“The exhibition was certainly a wonderful reflection of our Greek history and heritage. It was an honour walking around and seeing every facial feature of the Evzones and feeling like we were there in the moment. Such an honour for the Greek youth,” exhibition visitor, Voula Viatos, tells The Greek Herald.
On the last day, students from the local Greek school also attended, along with the teachers and School Principal, to hear about Mr Bourdaniotis’ donation. The news brought a huge smile to the little one’s faces, knowing Greek language and culture would continue to thrive in Canberra for years to come.
If you would like to see ‘The Evzones Collection,’ it’s next destination is Melbourne from March 26 – April 1 at Oakleigh Grammar School Hall.
The exhibition is sponsored by The Kalymnian Association of NSW. It’s contributors include: The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Greek City Times, Image Smart, Hellenic Club of Sydney, Hellenic Club of Canberra, Greek National Day Committee of Victoria, Oakleigh Grammar Victoria, The Greek Club Brisbane, St Nectarios Monastery South Australia, Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan District of WA, and Williams Fashion Logistics.
