During his lecture, which was organised by the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, Dr Mouratidis talked about the refugee’s plight on their arrival in Corfu after the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
His paintings were inspired from the interviews from first generation refugees.
At the end of the event, Dr Mouratidis gave the Hellenic Lyceum two paintings from his exhibition.
In 2019, she was named Young South Australian of the Year and received an Order of Australia Medal in 2021 for her dedicated service to AFL as an umpire.
The Kytherian Association of Australia (KAA) and the Castellorizian Association of NSW are holding a joint networking event on Thursday, March 16 at Cherries at Mountbatten Hotel in Sydney, NSW from 6pm.
The Kytherians and Castellorizians are encouraging all youth over 25 years of age to attend the Sydney event to mix, meet and mingle with each other.
President of the KAA, Barbara Zantiotis, told The Greek Herald ahead of the night: “We are extending out reach to other organisations because we’re Greek at the end of the day.”
“It’s nice to extend our reach and we really want young ones over 25 years of age to have a nice time and meet new people,” Ms Zantiotis added.
The networking event begins from 6pm, Thursday, March 16 at Cherries at Mountbatten Hotel in Sydney, NSW.No bookings are required.
Matthew Panayotopoulos from St Euphemia College in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown has been nominated for Australian Teacher of the Year.
News Corp Australia have partnered with ANZ, Teachers Mutual Bank, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Care For Kids, Griffith University and PwC to launch the ‘Australia’s Best Teachers’ series celebrating innovative and inspirational educators.
Mr Panayotopoulos is Director of Learning at St Euphemia College and he was nominated by Theony Nikas in recognition of his work with the school’s Change Makers Project.
Matthew Panayotopoulos.
Launched in 2022, Mr Panayotopoulos and students raised funds to convert a 20-foot shipping container into a library for Lismore South Public School after their library was destroyed in local floods.
The school also partnered with Upschool to raise $10,000 to create a library for Gyan Ganga School in Sambhal, India.
Students of St Euphemia College with Director of Learning, Matthew Panayotopoulos, ICT Coordinator, Elena Koliris, Learning Support Coordinator, Daniela Ifandoudas, Year 6 Teacher, Mary Valavanis and Bearded Baker co-founder, Ameer El-issa. Photo: Chris Spyrou
Following the announcement of his nomination, Mr Panayotopoulos said on LinkedIn that he felt “humbled.”
“None of these achievements are possible without the support of St Euphemia College Principal Reverend Father Peter Mavrommatis and the school board, who give their full support to these wild ideas to bring real change to our local and global community,” Mr Panayotopoulos said.
The Greek Herald spoke with Mr Psaras about the program and the importance of having skills such as interpreting and knowing two languages.
The scholarship was the first time Mr Psaras had applied for an interpreter program. Mr Psaras finished high school in Cyprus and was efficient in the Greek language. But after migrating to Australia and taking part in the NSW Government’s interpreter program, Mr Psaras said he has broadened his language skillset.
“The program was a pathway that would give us a qualification to do work for Multicultural NSW. I was very happy to do it as it’s something that really interests me and in general, I like helping other people with or without pay,” Mr Psaras told The Greek Herald.
As a qualified interpreter for Multicultural NSW, Mr Psaras assists and translates for people in the community. According to the latest census data, NSW has the second largest Greek and Cypriot populations in the country after Victoria, while the Greek language is one of the top ten widely spoken in Australia other than English.
NSW Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure, said the program empowers people to use their language skills as a career and help their communities access government information and services. The scholarship also helps to fill language shortages.
“Everyone who completes the program and attains their certification can join our expert panel of language professionals,” Minister Coure said in a press release.
Mr Psaras found the course to be interesting with a good pace. In particular, he valued the emphasis on the importance of confidentially when working with people as an interpreter, throughout the program.
“A very important thing they stress in the course is the ethical part, which is part of the interpreter’s ethic part,” he said.
“Whatever you do and interpret, you’re supposed to keep everything to yourself, so you make people feel more comfortable whether it’s a paid job or as a volunteer.”
Effie Kats has opened up in an interview with The Sydney Morning Heraldabout what she’s learned amid the struggles and failures she has faced in Australia’s fashion industry.
In 2018, Effie’s first brand, Zachary, closed after less than five years in business when she was effectively conned into signing her business away by an “industry veteran.”
“I learnt so many lessons… I had imposter syndrome, I [told myself] I didn’t know best, I didn’t trust my inner voice,” she tells The Sydney Morning Herald.
Designer Effie Kats launched her namesake label in April 2018.
“I was 27, I was facing being sued by [shopping centre owner] Westfield. I lost all my money we had used for the bonds, and the company went into administration, so I had that on my record as well.”
Yet just five months after her first failure, Kats dived back into the fashion scene when she spotted a gap in the market for coloured suits.
“Fashion is commercial as well as artistic, and people can overlook that factor. You need to make your targets and budgets,” she said.
“I am constantly looking at what’s selling, where we need to inject variety. I want my customers to feel and look how they want, without breaking the bank.”
Greek Australian property developer, Makris Group, is in talks with lenders to receive support for its $500 million expansion of Gold Coast’s Marina Mirage shopping precinct, according to a report by Real Commercial.
The South Australian company, led by Con Makris, plans to add a new hotel, 90 luxury apartments, additional retail stores, alongside new dining outlets.
Jason Makris, who is Con’s son, told Real Commercialthat despite interest rates rising and causing challenges across all sectors, they are “confident” in securing a lender.
Artist’s impression of Makris Group’s $500 million redevelopment of Marina Mirage.
“This includes traditional lenders and alternative financing sources,” Jason said.
“We hold strong, long-term relationships with several first tier financiers as well as others and are confident in our ability to secure finance and deliver the project.”
Makris Group said they look forward to the potential of the Gold Coast region and its future prospects.
Almost nine years ago, Dean Giannakis was travelling through Kefalonia – the Greek island where his family originates from. One day, he witnessed Greek donuts – loukoumades – being made at a local paniyiri and started taking notes.
“I thought that maybe I would do a concept like this back in Melbourne,” Dean tells The Greek Herald.
At the time, there were not many dessert food trucks in the capital city of Victoria. There were many Greeks though. A little side business making loukoumades made sense for him.
Although he was working for years in executive positions at corporate jobs, his passion in life was food. His main goal was never to step away from the corporate world and pursue a full-time loukoumades business, but he decided to have some fun with it.
St.Gerry’s is named after Saint Gerasimos, the patron saint of Kefalonia.
St.Gerry’s, named after Saint Gerasimos, the patron saint of Kefalonia, would soon turn into the catalyst of the modern Greek donut craze in Australia.
It all started with a little food truck at the South Melbourne market. During busy summer nights, people from mixed nationalities would come and taste Dean’s loukoumades.
“They were all eating and loving them,” Dean says.
Back then, there were only five flavours served at St.Gerry’s. Today, people will find 18 different flavours – with Honey Cinnamon Walnut, Snickers, Golden Gaytime and Chocolate Oreo standing out as peoples’ favourites.
“In a lot of my clients we see that smile on their face when they are having their first ever bite,” Dean says.
“A lot of them come back with comments or compliments saying that the loukoumades are better than the ones their yiayiades would make.”
St.Gerry’s loukoumades look like nothing they have ever tried in Australia. They are lighter with a thin crispy shell area inside. That is because the dough is made by hand, not with machines.
Today, St Gerry’s continues to grow rapidly. In late February this year, for the eighth consecutive time, the St.Gerry’s truck was at Melbourne’s Antipodes Festival. A new, third shop at 373 High Street in Northcote, has also just opened and the brand is expanding into the franchise business.
There is already interest for three food trucks in Melbourne, a shop in Adelaide, and a potential kiosk in Queensland. Even the idea of the business going international is on the table. Dean believes it’s the right time to continue growing the business in a different way.
“I think the time is now, being almost a nine-year-old business. The branding is recognised, we have a good name and people recognise the logo,” he says.
The further expansion of the business will give owner-operators the opportunity to have a well-established and trademarked brand, even opening up multiple shops or food trucks, with Dean being there to support them.
“I understand it’s not that easy and if people are asking for assistance or help, I give it to them,” he says. “I am not closing the door.”
St.Gerry’s is also expanding when it comes to collaborations with other businesses. He is creating a St.Gerry’s loukoumades candle with Thematikos and is partnering with a new coffee brand called Melvourni, which he stocks and serves in his shops and at events.
And so, since St.Gerry’s quality stands out, Dean sees all the similar Greek donuts in Australia as a form of flattery. After all, having mastered the creation of Greek donuts for years, he couldn’t see it in another way. One bite is enough for loukoumades lovers to recognise the quality, the unique flavour and the emotions St.Gerry’s Greek donuts bring.
In a special series, The Advertiser is taking a look back at some of the state’s most iconic fast food outlets and Pizza Haven has featured.
Pizza Haven was established in 1984, when the sons of Cypriot migrants, Evan, Louis, Bill and Gabriel Christou, found an empty shop in the South Australian suburb of Glenelg and took out a $24,000 mortgage on their parents’ house.
Less than a year later, they had gained popularity and introduced home delivery, something that was still a novelty at the time.
“From the very outset, we opened the restaurant with a view to expanding. It was never our intention to open just one restaurant,” Evan Christou said in a book.
Louis and Bill Christou after securing rights to sell pizzas at Football Park in July, 2000.
By 1985, the second restaurant opened in Christie Downs and by 1986 they’d opened their seventh restaurant at Enfield. In the following years, the restaurant would expand to Sydney and Melbourne and New Zealand.
Eventually the pizza chain was taken over by Dominos in 2005 and more recently Pizza Hut in 2016.
Renowned historian James McDonald is scheduled to host a seminar on March 16, 2023, at 7pm at the Mezzanine Level of the Greek Centre in Melbourne, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM).
The seminar aims to debunk myths surrounding the life of Xenophon, one of the major historians of ancient Greece.
Volumes have been written about Xenophon, the historian who continued the narrative of the Peloponnesian War where Thucydides left off, taking readers through the events of the fourth century BC and concluding with the Battle of Mantinea in 362.
Xenophon was a student of Socrates, dabbled in philosophy, and was one of the leaders of the Ten Thousand, who embarked on an ill-fated expedition to help Kyros the Younger take the Persian throne from his brother, Artaxerxes II.
Renowned historian James McDonald.
While Xenophon’s life was certainly eventful, much of what has been written about him has been invented, as evidenced by the 532-page life of Xenophon full of myths written by Édouard Delebecque in 1957.
Dr James McDonald, who has a long and impressive history in the study of Greek history, will seek to debunk some of the myths surrounding the life and works of Xenophon.
McDonald has an impressive academic background in Greek history, having convened Greek history at the University of Sydney and the Australian National University in the 1990s. He continues to edit Doug Kelly’s posthumous commentary on Xenophon’s Hellenika, with the second volume to be released in early 2024. The final volume, edited by Oxford academics Christopher Haddad and Ellen Ryan, will be released in 2025.
McDonald’s interests have varied significantly over the years. He wrote libretti for Nigel Butterley and is publishing a five-volume history of Canberra, with the first two volumes due to be released in early 2023. He currently works part-time as the Director of Board Relations and Constitutional Reform with the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
The seminar, which will be in English, provides attendees with the opportunity to engage with McDonald and other participants.
Admission is free, and the event promises to be enlightening, as it seeks to unravel the myths surrounding the life of one of the major historians of ancient Greece.
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the contributions of Xenophon to ancient Greek history and the extent of the myths that surround his life and works.
Full Details:
Date: Thursday 16 March 2023.
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Greek Centre (Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne)
