The late Vivi Germanos-Koutsounadis has been posthumously recognised for her lifelong contribution to multiculturalism, named among the 2026 inductees into the NSW Multicultural Honour Roll at the Premier’s Harmony Dinner on Thursday, March 26.
Held before more than 1,600 guests, the flagship event celebrated individuals and organisations driving social cohesion and community harmony across New South Wales.
Ms Germanos-Koutsounadis leaves behind a profound legacy within both the Greek Australian and wider multicultural community. A founding figure of the Ethnic Childcare, Family and Community Services Cooperative (now Ethnic Community Services), she also played a pivotal role in establishing the Ethnic Child Development Unit.
In 2000, she became the first woman to serve as President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, breaking new ground in community leadership. Her decades of advocacy were recognised during her lifetime with the Human Rights Medal and the Medal of the Order of Australia. Her Honour Roll induction now cements her enduring impact.
She was one of five individuals inducted posthumously into the Honour Roll, alongside Father Chris Riley AM, Mr Ali Karnib, Mr George Bartolo OAM and Mr Syed Atiq ul Hassan.
The evening, hosted by Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper, also recognised 13 recipients through the 2026 Multicultural Community Medals.
Among the major awardees, Reverend Bill Crews AM received the Community Harmony Medal for his decades of service supporting vulnerable communities, including providing more than 200,000 free meals annually. Ken Habak OAM was honoured with the Lifetime Community Service Medal for 55 years of volunteer work, including founding an Arabic language school and leading multicultural organisations in the Illawarra.
Other recipients included Marta Barany BEM OAM, recognised for her lifelong work as an interpreter supporting refugees and shaping multicultural policy in NSW, and Khushee Gupta, who received the Best Report in Multicultural Media award for her podcast Don’t Talk Back, tackling taboo issues within the South Asian community.
Additional winners spanned a wide range of sectors: Gargi Ganguly (Regional Unity Medal), Leo Tanoi (Arts and Culture Medal), Monica Njoroge-Eaton (Community Languages Teacher Medal), CASS Care Ltd (Multicultural Health Medal), Chinese Australian Forum (Multicultural Not-for-Profit Medal), Adina Dawod (Multicultural Youth Support Medal), NRL’s In League In Harmony program (Sports Medal), Indian Link (Multicultural Publication of the Year), and CulturalPulse (Multicultural Marketing Campaign of the Year).
Minister Kamper said the awards recognise those who “quietly make an extraordinary difference,” highlighting the everyday efforts that strengthen the state’s multicultural fabric.
Multicultural NSW Acting CEO James Jegasothy added that the event brings together “proud custodians of their culture,” demonstrating how inclusion and community connection continue to shape modern Australia.
The evening also included a tribute to the 15 lives lost in the December Bondi attack, with one of the heroes of the tragedy, Ahmed Al Ahmed, honoured with a Community Hero Award for his bravery.
