By Mary Sinanidis
The naming of Kalamata Place at Darebin was initially the idea of former minister John Pandazopoulos, however touchdown was scored when Cr Emily Dimitriadis revived the idea in Darebin Council after it had gone cold. She pointed to a “group effort” and told The Greek Herald that Saturday’s official launching of Kalamata Place in Thornbury would not have been possible had it not had the backing of prominent Greek Australians, including former minister Jenny Mikakos, who spent many a night planning with Cr Dimitriadis.
After years in the making, Kalamata Place was cause for celebration. It wasn’t an easy venture and required a lot of campaigning and collaboration. Ange Kenos told The Greek Herald of his experience when he tried to change the name of Heffernan Lane to a Greek placename at the time when he was executive director of HACCI. He wrote letters, talked to people, got the backing of Melbourne City Councillors but it fell through due to a lack of collaboration. “One businessman in particular said that ‘if it helps my opposition, who are also Greek, then I don’t want it’,” Mr Kenos said.
“Hats off to all those who worked together for Kalamata Place.”
The official launch brought together not only prominent Greek Australians but a large Greek delegation, including Kalamata’s Mayor Athanasios Vasilopoulos, Greece’s Deputy Defence Minister Nikolaos Hardalias, and a bevy of army officials and photographers. Australian officials also came to support the move, including Ged Kearney MP, Federal Member for Cooper, Sheena Watt MP, Lee Tarlamis MP and Kat Theophanous MP who also reiterated the state government’s $20,000 funding for the Papaflessas Brotherhood, and of course Darebin’s Mayor Lina Messina.
They all admired the symbolic mural whose creation Jenny had suggested at the 63rd Annual Dinner Dance of the Papaflessas Brotherhood to commemorate the 81st Anniversary of the Battle of Kalamata.
Papaflessas Brotherhood’s President Steve Gotsis had to stop a few times to wipe away tears during his heartfelt speech. “For our community, the naming of this laneway represents the struggles our parents endured. And in this unfamiliar country, but with a strong family and worth ethic they managed to blend and assimilate in Australia and the Australian way of life,” he said.
“Kalamata Place will be a reminder to everyone and our children that from the Fifties, our forefathers contributed to the evolution of Australia. But the naming is also another connection between this area and Greece. It was from the many streets and lanes from these surrounding suburbs that many young Australian men and women answered the call in the dark days of the 2nd World War, the war that would take many of them to Greece in April and May 1941.”
Syd Grant, was one of those men, and his son Robert was present to celebrate the naming of Kalamata Place. His father was a private in the 2/8th Battalion who travelled from Victoria’s western district to take part in the defence of Greece. He was one of the diggers who suffered numerous air attacks as they moved south from the Aliakmon River to Kalamata to await embarkation to Crete.
Robert said his father named his farm Kalamata, and he would travel to Thornbury to buy Kalamata olives to remind him of Kalamata and its people.
What’s next?
Now that Kalamata Place has been launched, The Greek Herald’s initiative for the City of Kalamata to reciprocate with a Darebin placename has already been met with enthusiasm. At the cocktail party following the launch, The Greek Herald brought together Darebin Mayor and Kalamata’s Mayor to discuss the idea.
“I love the idea,” Mayor Messina said. “How can we make it happen?”
Kalamata’s Mayor was all too happy to make suggestions. “The Papaflessas Brotherhood would need to submit a written request giving reasons as to why we should have a Darebin Square in Kalamata. Point to the Australian links in Kalamata, the ANZACs who fought there, the migration, the fact that there is a Kalamata Place in Darebin,” Mayor Vasilopoulos said. “And we will consider it.”
Ms Mikakos listened carefully nearby, not saying much but soaking it in while pondering her recent trip to Greece and visiting the Australian War Memorial in Kalamata. And soon Papaflessas Brotherhood’s President Steve Gotsis was drawn into the conversation just as it gained momentum. “Maybe Greek Australian MPs could hop on board,” said another bystander.
Should the idea gain traction it would be a huge honour that Kalamata could bestow on heroes like Syd who defended Greece, the many migrants who left Kalamata and made the city of Darebin their home and, in this way, Kalamata Place would not just be a happy ending following lots of campaigning but the start of more to come.
*All photos by The Greek Herald/Mary Sinanidis
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