A former residential aged care facility owned by St Basil’s NSW / ACT in the inner west Sydney suburb of Annandale has sold at auction for $17.255 million.
According to Real Commercial, proceeds from the sale of the property will go towards the refurbishment of St Basil’s existing aged care facilities across Sydney and the Australian Capital Territory.
The property at 252 Johnston Street Annandale has development approval to expand and add an extra level.
252 Johnston St, Annandale, NSW. Photo: Real Commercial.
The auction saw six registered bidders with five active. The winning bid went to a private developer who plans to convert the site into affordable housing.
At the time, the Chairman of St Basil’s NSW / ACT, James Jordan, said the building, which was built in the 1970s and formerly known as Sister Dorothea Village, was “no longer fit for purpose.”
The match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Murray was suspended on Thursday and will continue on Friday afternoon. The Brit leads with 2-1 sets.
Due to the rule that no tennis can be played after 11pm (local time) at Wimbledon, the organisers decided it was in the best interests of both players to call off Andy Murray’s match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at around 10:40 pm, just after completion of the third set.
Centre Court rises for @andy_murray who leads two sets to one.
Tsitsipas had taken the first set, but Murray fought back and won the next two to lead 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2), 6-4.
This will be the fourth consecutive day in which Tsitsipas will have to play, after he had to finish his match with Dominic Thiem in the first round on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In a stroke of serendipity, Nola Radiotis, this year’s Darebin Council Citizen of the Year and CALD Elder Community of the Year, found herself crossing paths with Rocca Salcedo, the dynamic force between Dance and Roll, the wheelchair dance group that earned the title of Darebin City Council’s Community Group of the Year.
Fuelled by their shared passion for dance, both women left the awards ceremony determined to present Greek dancing to the Dance and Roll ensemble.
The wheelchair dance group earned the title of Darebin City Council’s Community Group of the Year.
Nola wasted no time in curating a transformative dance program to transport the wheelchair dancers on a cultural journey through Greece.
“I wanted to give them a taste of diverse dance styles from all around Greece,” she said, putting together a dance workout which incorporated the Zorba dance, syrtaki, zeibekiko, tsifteteli and a whole host of other styles with enlightening descriptions of the dances’ rich history between sets.
The Darebin Arts Centre burst into life as Dance and Roll took centre stage, wheeling through Greek dances. Following the performance, the troupe gathered to savour Nola’s delectable spanakopita and loukoumades. With none having travelled to Greece, they wondered what a trip would be like and what wheelchair-friendly options there would be.
Dancers
“I’ve never been to Greece, but I’ve heard about their celebrations with plenty of dancing,” Karen said, adding she had enjoyed learning about the dances.
“Learning new dance styles like flamenco, tango, Bollywood with different teachers each time, has been incredibly enjoyable. Not only do I enjoy learning the dances, but I also find out more about the history of the places they come from and the people who dance them.”
Wheelchair dancers from around Melbourne come to the weekly Thursday sessions
The dancers present agreed that their favourites of the evening were the Zorba and syrtaki due to the euphoric music and fantastic workout.
Wheelchair dancers from around Melbourne come to the weekly Thursday sessions and even more from around Australia – sometimes even overseas – join in to the online workshops.
Karen said: “There aren’t many opportunities available. Dance and Roll is the only one of its kind in Melbourne.”
“I wanted to establish a space where people with disabilities could connect, make friends and find joy through movement”
Sue, who has arthritis and spina bifida, eagerly seized the opportunity to join the group when she found out about it and has found it to be a valuable source of connection and friendship. The bond formed among the dancers extends beyond the dance classes, with many of them regularly meeting outside of scheduled sessions.
Dancers
Rocca, a wheelchair user hailing from Colombia, expressed her original motivation for creating this extraordinary space in what has been a journey fraught with resilience. The Colombian graduate of International Law at the University of Melbourne had planned to return to Columbia following her studies, but instead remained hospitalised for a year following a car accident that left her in a wheelchair.
“After my car accident in 2001, dancing became a distant dream. But I soon realised that dance holds immense social and therapeutic potential. I wanted to establish a space where people with disabilities could connect, make friends and find joy through movement,” she said.
The dancers present agreed that their favourites of the evening were the Zorba and syrtaki
Nola, inspired by her meeting with Rocca, hopes to continue to offer Greek dancing to the troupe and plans to introduce the participation of ‘Anemones’ dancers to interact with the wheelchair dancers. As with the first session, the lesson will culminate in a joyous celebration, complete with Greek treats.
Nola, inspired by her meeting with Rocca, hopes to continue to offer Greek dancing to the troupe
She is eager to make the experience as immersive and creative as possible to empower the dancers as they embrace the rhythm of life through Greek dances.
Dance and Roll classes take place on Zoom on Mondays from 5-6pm and at Darebin Arts Centre every Thursday from 6-7pm. For more information, call Rocca on 0408 523 742.
Sue Chrysanthou, SC, an in-demand defamation barrister in Sydney, has been given a formal reprimand for unsatisfactory professional conduct by the NSW Bar Council.
Adelaide Writers’ Week director Jo Dyer, a friend of the deceased woman who accused Porter of rape while they were teenagers and a potential witness in the case, sought a court order restraining Chrysanthou from acting for him on the basis that the barrister had already advised her.
Former Attorney General Christian Porter.
Chrysanthou was restrained by Federal Court justice Tom Thawley from acting for Porter, a decision upheld on appeal last year well after the original defamation case was dropped.
Dyer made a separate complaint to the NSW Bar Council against Chrysanthou’s acting for Porter, with the barrister’s reprimand decided at a meeting in June.
Chrysanthou has a period of 28 days in which to seek an appeal against, or review of, the Bar Council’s decision.
The Justice for Cyprus Co-ordinating Committee (SEKA NSW) has announced its program of events to mark the 49th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus this year.
Starting in July in Sydney, the events include a wreath laying ceremony and anti-occupation gathering. Here is the full program of events:
Sunday, July 16:
SEKA NSW is inviting people to a fundraising lunch at the Cyprus Community Club at 58-76 Stanmore Road, Stanmore on Sunday, July 16 at 12.30pm. The lunch will include a documentary screening. All takings on the day will go towards the expenses of the commemoration for the 49th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Tickets are: $60 for adults and $35 for children under 12. For bookings please contact: Cyprus Community Club on 9557 1256, Chris Koulinos on 0404 876 331, or Dr Miranda Adamou on 0417 440 978.
Sunday, July 23:
SEKA NSW has organised a full program of events to commemorate the anniversary on Sunday, July 23.
Starting at 10am, a memorial service will be held in memory of the fallen and prayer for the missing persons at the Cathedral of The Annunciation of Our Lady at 242 Cleveland Street, Redfern. From 1.30pm, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Martin Place cenotaph. This will be followed by an anti-occupation gathering with speeches and cultural program at the Cyprus Community Club in Stanmore at 3.30pm.
The Deputy Spokeswoman of the Republic of Cyprus, Doxa Komodromou, will be present at the commemorations.
Free buses will be available from the Cyprus Community Club at Stanmore to Martina Place. Busses will be leaving between 12pm and 12.45pm. For more details please call 9557 1256.
The stylised character next to a “hail bus” message on Adelaide bus stops has been questioned by the Jewish community, and will be reviewed by the South Australian Transport Department.
According to The Advertiser, the design uses a male character standing in the middle of a road, on the wrong side of the bus, hailing it through the driver’s window with a straight right arm and hand. The words “Hail bus” are next to the male character.
Historically, the Nazi salute was a similar pose and was accompanied by “Heil, mein Führer!” – referring to Hitler during WWII.
Long standing Jewish community leader Norman Schueler said: “Any form of reviving or glorifying Nazism is abhorrent and in poor taste to say the least.”
Norman Schueler. Photo: ABC News/Evelyn Manfield)
“We have some survivors in Adelaide, and if they saw these reincarnations, I can imagine what they might think.”
SA Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis immediately asked the department to review the complaint. As the child of Greek migrants, Mr Koutsantonis has been a fierce defender of European minority groups.
He said whilst the signage has been in use for three years with no complaints to his department or office along similar lines, he was “concerned” by the interpretation raised by Mr Schueler and asked his department to review it.
The players who led the national team and Greek football to the greatest success in its history at the 2004 Euro Cup reunited under the Acropolis in Athens, Greece this week.
It was July 4, 2004 when the Greek team with the goal of Angelos Charisteas defeated Portugal and accomplished a football miracle by rising to the top of Europe.
Euro 2004 legends
This week marked 19 years since Greece conquered Euro 2004 and to celebrate, members of the Greek football team dined together with a view of the Acropolis in Athens.
The Greek legends uploaded a photo of their meeting to social media, and the trophy is featured in a prominent position.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis plans to legalise same-sex marriage in Greece, a huge step forward for LGBTQ rights.
“Same-sex marriage will happen at some point and it’s part of our strategy,” Mitsotakis said on Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Athens. “Greek society is much more ready and mature.”
Like the majority of countries in the European Union, Greece currently recognises same-sex unions in some form but stops shy of supporting full marriage.
According to bnnbloomberg.ca, Greece also saw a jump in a 2023 ranking of LGBTQ rights among European countries after the government banned genital mutilation on intersex children last year.
SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, which legalised same-sex civil unions in 2015, commented on Mitsotakis’ latest statement.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
According to amna.gr, the party said on Wednesday that Mitsotakis’ pledge to legalise same-sex marriage has arrived one year after SYRIZA’s proposal to the same effect.
The main opposition party noted that it tabled its proposal for legalising gay marriage and adoption rights in June 2022, “when Mitsotakis had said that ‘this is not the right time’.”
Together with the LGBTQI+ community, SYRIZA “will continue to exert pressure every day to see this necessary and self-evident step be immediately implemented,” it added.
LGBTQ groups in Greece have long campaigned for members of their communities to have full family rights and sought the tougher enforcement of anti-discrimination laws.
Same-sex marriage is recognised across most of western Europe, but not in Italy and Greece where civil partnerships exist, along with most other EU members in eastern Europe.
Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday battled past former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in a roller-coaster five-setter played over two days at Wimbledon.
Despite trailing by a set overnight — the match was suspended due to rain on Tuesday seven games into the second set — Tsitsipas played well upon the resumption on Wednesday, while his opponent faltered.
According to ATP, Tsitsipas was up two sets to one and a break point in the first game of the fourth set, but he was made to overcome a spirited comeback from Thiem to escape 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6 (10-8) after three hours and 55 minutes.
“It felt forever. Obviously super glad that it went my way,” Tsitsipas said after the match.
The Greek will now face a second-round Wimbledon showdown with two-time champion Andy Murray.
Maria Sakkari knocked out:
The No.8-seeded Maria Sakkari was knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round by Marta Kostyuk 0-6, 7-5, 6-2.
The Greek won the first set 6-0 but her momentum was stalled by a trio of rain interventions as she lost the next two sets.
A simply remarkable turnaround 🤯@marta_kostyuk stages a brilliant fightback against the No.8 seed Maria Sakkari to make her way into the second round, 0-6, 7-5, 6-2 👏#Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/zGieUfKTLz
This year’s Canterbury Bankstown Local Business Awards have been handed out and a number of Greek-owned businesses in Sydney’s south west have won in their respective categories.
Taking out the win for ‘Business of the Year’ and ‘Specialised Retail Business’ was Miloway Wines at Earlwood. The family-owned business was established by Harry Ipermachou over 40 years ago and is one of Australia’s largest Greek wine, beer and spirit importers and distributers.
In a post on Facebook, the owners of Miloway Wines thanked everyone for their support.
“Thank you all for your support and loyalty, helping us achieve these awards!” the post read.
In the ‘Outstanding Restaurant’ category, Nieo’s Grill in Earlwood snagged the win. The restaurant was founded by Theo Georgoulopoulos and Nick Xenofos, and provides a wide range of homemade gourmet food for dine-in or take away.
The owners of Nieo’s Grill said they were “stoked about winning the local business awards.”
Elsewhere, Kouzina Catering won ‘Outstanding Specialised Business’ at the awards. Owned by Nick and Angela, the business is committed to providing homemade style food and the finest service at affordable prices.
“We did it. Thank you to all our clients and staff who voted for us. We love you all,” Nick and Angela said on Facebook after their win.
In the ‘Professional Services’ category, Mortgage Navigators at Earlwood won ahead of other finalists. Founded by George Massouridis in 2000, Mortgage Navigators is now one of the leading finance brokers in Sydney and NSW.
“So proud and grateful for all the love and support shown by all our staff, clients, friends and strategic partners,” George said after the win.
Hair Appeal and Beauty Connection at Revesby took out ‘Outstanding Hairdresser’ at the local business awards. The hair salon was established in 1988 by dynamic husband and wife duo George and Lucy (nee Petrou) and provide hair and beauty services for all ages.
Gramelis Attorneys won in the ‘Outstanding Legal Services’ category. Eugene Gramelis founded the general practice law firm. At its heart is a strong focus and reputation for acting in complex, high-level family law and commercial law litigation matters.
The team said on Facebook they wanted to thank everyone for their support.
“We couldn’t have done this without you all!!” they wrote.
To top it all off, Maria’s Fresh Flowers at Padstow won ‘Outstanding Florist / Gift Services.’ The business is Greek-owned and provides flowers for all occasions.
The Canterbury Bankstown Local Business Awards acknowledge the drive and dedication required to succeed in business and recognises the best in local industry across over 25 categories.
*Please note: If you are a Greek-owned business who won in the Awards, please send us an email to info@foreignlanguage.com.au
