In the knockout quarter-final, Hellas Melbourne eliminated Alexander 1-0, whilst Clarinda dismantled and sent Oakley home with 4-0.
South Melbourne defeated Heidelberg 1-0 and will now face Kingston City in the semi-finals, who defeated Oakleigh Cannons 4 0.
Also, Olympiakos (East Kew) advanced to the semi finals by beating West Preston 1-0 and Mill Park eliminated Pythagoras 2-1.
East Kew Olympiacos Coach, Dennis Angouras, was thrilled with the win and never imagined being in the position to compete in the four semi-finals.
“Congratulations to the Greek Community and Mill Park FC for putting on this wonderful event for our community. I urge all Olympiakos supporters to come and support us on Saturday wearing their Olympiakos colours,” Mr Angouras said in a statement.
President of Mill Park, Jim Christou, thanked everyone for coming out for an amazing day of Cup football while they prepare for the upcoming finals this Saturday.
“Seeing old faces come together after a very long time was very special and created a fantastic carnival atmosphere, something which has been missing from our community for quite a while now,” Mr Christou said.
After reaching the semi finals of the tournament, Kingston City FC President, Sam Koulos, said in a statement, “Congratulations to the Greek Community for organising such a wonderful event and it reminds me of the old days of the Hellenic Cup when all Greek Clubs used to look forward to participating.”
Senior Football Director, Andrew Mesourouni, was delighted to see the South Melbourne Hellas in the finals of the Greek Cup.
“It will be amazing if we can become the first Greek team to win the Inaugural Greek Cup and I encourage all our fans to come and support the team this coming Saturday at Mill Park,” Mr Mesourouni said.
The teams which qualified for the semi finals are: Hellas, Clarinda, Mill Park and Olympiacos (East Kew). Semi final matches will be held at Mill Park Soccer Club on Saturday, February 4.
Daniel Hasapis and Bonnie Cullen will face court today after a woman they allegedly kept captive for three days in a Wyong unit on the NSW Central Coast escaped and led police to find the body of an allegedly murdered man inside, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported.
Mr Hasapis, 30, was arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping in company with intent to commit a serious indictable offence occasioning actual bodily harm.
His partner, Ms Cullen, 33, was charged with concealing a serious indictable offence.
Daniel Hasapis and Bonnie Cullen are due to appear in court on Monday. Photo: The Sydney Morning Herald.
Detective Superintendent Chad Gillies told reporters on Sunday the woman who escaped had sustained “very serious physical injuries including burn marks.” She alleged she was “detained against her will since Australia Day” on Thursday.
The body belongs to 52-year-old Sean Froggatt, who was a neighbour of the couple on the Central Coast.
Detective Superintendent Chad Gillies
Photo: Daily Telegraph/ Gaye Gerard
Detective Superintendent Gillies said the victims and the two accused were known to each other. He revealed the woman who informed police was there at first of her own free will.
Police are now investigating all potential alleged motives or reasons, have seized a large number of exhibits for forensic examination including devices, and were canvassing witnesses and potential CCTV.
Anyone who may have information relevant to investigators is urged to contact the station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The official 2023 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s and Football NSW Leagues 1 and 2 Men’s competitions were launched today in the presence of players, administrators, and media at Valentine Sports Park.
The theme was clear from the beginning, “Support Your Local Club”, as players from all 47 clubs scattered across NSW took part in the launch hosted by Ben Homer and Adamo De Nigris with support play from Samantha Jurman.
Celebrating his first Men’s competition launch since his appointment in late December, Football NSW CEO John Tsatsimas, was eagerly anticipating a memorable season ahead for all clubs involved.
“2023 promises to be one of the biggest and most exciting seasons yet,” Mr Tsatsimas said.
“Apart from the hot bed of talent we see week in week out at the highest level in this state, a strong emphasis has been placed on the quality of refereeing and coaching which has now further enhanced via the NPL and Leagues competitions.
“2023 will also see the introduction of a playoff for promotion and relegation; the highest possible stakes on the line, which only adds to the drama and suspense this season will bring.
“Our message is clear, get out and support your local NPL NSW and Leagues clubs.
“There’s a fantastic quality of football that exists in our backyard so get out and get behind our clubs in NSW.”
Reinforcing the statement that football is back better than ever in NSW, a strong panel featuring current ex-Socceroo and now Wollongong Wolves coach David Carney, Mt Druitt Town Rangers’ former Socceroos star Tarek Elrich and former A-Leagues sharpshooter and 2022 NPL NSW Men’s Golden Boot winner Roy O’Donovan now with Sydney Olympic, kicked off the chat proceedings.
Various player representatives from each of the leagues also had the opportunity to discuss their views on the season to the audience followed by a referees panel headed by leading Football NSW officials Amber Morris and Michael Weiner.
The NPL NSW Men’s competition kicks off on Friday, February 3 while the League 1 and 2 Men’s competitions commence on Saturday, February 4.
The NPL NSW Women’s and League 1 Women’s Launch will be the next major launch that will take place on Saturday, March 4.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis became on Sunday the first Prime Minister of Greece to officially visit Japan in 17 years, amna.grreports.
The last Greek PM to visit the country was Kostas Karamanlis in 2005.
The Greek leader will hold meetings in Japan until Thursday and said he aims to present the positive development of Greece’s economy despite the obstacles of recent external crises.
“Good morning from Japan! It is an important visit to one of the largest economies in the world and one with which we hope to develop even closer relations,” Mitsotakis posted on Facebook shortly after his arrival in the country.
The Greek Prime Minister said that during the years of the debt crisis, Japanese institutional investors stopped investing due to Greece’s loss of investment grade. This was something that would change, Mitsotakis said.
“Now that we are on the doorstep before regaining it [investment grade], this visit is more than just timely,” he said.
During his visit, Mitsotakis will hold meetings aiming both to strengthen bilateral relations and open cooperation ways between Greece and Japan.
The Greek Prime Minister will meet with Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, Hiroyuki Hosoda, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Mitsotakis is expected to highlight the important role Greece could play as a bridge for Japan to the European Union, NATO, Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.
Greek tennis player, Stefanos Tsitsipas, is determined to see the positives despite his loss in the Australian Open men’s final against Novak Djokovic on Sunday night in Melbourne, Victoria.
In an interview with ATP, Tsitsipas said he was “just happy” to be in another Grand Slam final and is confident a maiden major title and No. 1 ranking are close.
“I want to max out in what I do in my profession. No. 1 is on my mind,” Tsitsipas said. “It doesn’t come easy, I know that. I got to work harder to make that happen.
“There's still a little bit more to add to the whole structure of my game. I couldn't be more excited to be heading towards that path.”@steftsitsipas • #AusOpen • #AO2023
“I am born a champion. I can feel it in my blood… I want to harvest that, make it bloom, make it even stronger and fonder, work hard towards those goals.”
Tsitsipas has lost to Djokovic before in his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in 2021 and despite falling short again on Sunday night, Tsitsipas still produced a strong performance against the Serbian.
The 24-year-old fired 40 winners and had the opportunity to win the second set, squandering one set point on the Serbian’s serve at 4-5.
While the Greek is pleased with his progress and said a player like Djokovic “pushes” him to his limits, he’s still hungry for more.
“I don’t think there’s any reason for me to be affected by today’s loss. It is a step forward. I’m looking forward to scoring more points during this season, making bigger results, fighting for bigger trophies,” Tsitsipas said.
Novak Djokovic has defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the Australian Open men’s final at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria on Sunday night.
The Serbian defeated the Greek in a tense match that lasted close to three hours.
Djokovic’s win comes one year after being deported from Melbourne for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. This is the Serb’s tenth Australian Open victory. He is now ranked no.1 in the world.
After the match and when receiving his runner’s up trophy, Tsitsipas congratulated Djokovic on his win and said “you make me a better player.”
“I would also like to thank the Greek fans because they always make me feel at home here,” Tsitsipas added, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
The Pan-Lemnian Organisation of Australia hosted its annual dance on Saturday, January 21 and Sunday, January 22 at The Lemnos Club in Sydney.
The Lemnos Club is the home of The Lemnian Association of New South Wales “Maroula” Club Ltd at Belmore in Sydney’s south west.
The dinner dance saw Lemnians from across Australia, including Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra, attend.
It was a pleasant and emotional weekend for Lemnians. It started with a Welcome Breakfast for interstate visitors on Saturday morning, followed by a Pan-Lemnian meeting with representatives of associations from Victoria, South Australia and NSW.
The dinner dance on Saturday night was attended by close to 500 people, with a lot of second, third and even fourth generation Lemnians and their friends in attendance.
There was also a number of traditional Lemnian folklore songs and dances by Paroula’s Greek Dancing Group. Tassos Lambros and his dad also performed live music on the night.
On Sunday, a luncheon was held at The Lemnos Club.
During the luncheon, attendees watched the film Kehagias: Man of the Land, which was produced by George Komakis, who resides in Lemnos.
At the luncheon, the Lemnian Association of NSW also honoured past Presidents of the Pan-Lemnian Organisation of Australia including Alex Galelis (1987 – 1989, 1993 – 1995); Angelo Lavdaras (1999 – 2001); Con Havas (2013 – 2014); Penelope Panagiotopoulos (2019 – 2022); and Petros Skapetis (2017 – 2018).
The Presidency of The Pan-Lemnian Organisation of Australia is rotated by the three member states of NSW, Victoria and SA every two years. Due to COVID-19, the presidency has remained with Sydney for the past four years with Ms Panagiotopoulos as President.
The Presidency was meant to return to SA this year but they expressed their wish for it to remain in the hands of NSW for the new two years (2023 – 2024).
History of the Pen-Lemanian Organisation of Australia:
The Pan–Lemnian Organisation of Australia was the idea of a Lemnian living in Melbourne, Stratos Sarantis, in 1984. He and the then-President of The Lemnian Association of Victoria, Alex Aggelidis, travelled to Sydney to meet with the then-President of The Lemnian Association of NSW, Jim Halamandaris, and the then-Secretary of the Association, Alex Galelis.
They thought it was important to form this organisation so Lemnians from different states of Australia could meet on common ground once a year.
In 1985, the first Lemnian gathering or picnic took place in a park in Wagga Wagga, halfway in distance roughly between Melbourne and Sydney. It was a one day event. Seven full coaches arrived from Sydney and 10 from Melbourne. It was a very emotional day for Lemnians, most of whom had not seen each other since they left the Greek island of Lemnos.
From there followed a more formal gathering in 1986 in Melbourne’s Albert Park. It was there that The Pan-Lemnian Organisation of Australia was formed and its constitution was also written. The Lemnian Association of SA also joined the organisations and later, the Lemnian Association of the ACT. The first President was Alex Aggelidis from Melbourne.
In 1987, the gathering was held in Sydney and the following year in Adelaide. Since then, until our last gathering in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Pan-Lemnian Organisation of Australia has been meeting yearly at each of the three states, in turn.
In January 2024, members of the organisation hope to again meet in Melbourne.
Despite the extreme heat, Sydneysiders flocked to the inner-west suburb of Marrickville on Australia Day for a traditional Greek paniyiri.
The free paniyiri was held at the Addison Road Community Centre from 11am and was organised by the Greek Festival of Sydney and the Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales (GOCNSW).
On the day, festival attendees gathered around tables and chairs in the shade to escape the heat, as they enjoyed free live music and Greek food such as lamb on the spit and loukoumades.
There were also plenty of activities for the kids with a KindiFarm and painting.
One attendee from Afghanistan, Marwa Moeen, told The Greek Herald on the day she arrived in Australia 16 months ago and she was really excited to enjoy Greek music and try Greek food for the first time.
“I’m enjoying this. Look at the musicians, the people… wow I love it. It’s my first time seeing this event and I recommend people to come every year and celebrate this beautiful day with beautiful people,” Marwa said.
Dennis Miralis and his family were also enjoying the tender lamb on the spit when The Greek Herald asked them how they were enjoying the paniyiri.
“My parents used to bring us here back when we were young in the 70s and my kids are also very heavily involved in the Greek community and Greek theatre, so it was an opportunity to bring them to a piece of Greek Australia that was very similar to when we were growing up,” Dennis said.
“It’s very family orientated, the music’s very enjoyable, very impressed with the lamb souvla – it’s not often you see lamb on the spit in public places in Sydney anymore. So it’s great.”
Besides the mingling and Greek music, there were also a number of speeches by some of the official guests in attendance.
These guests included the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis; Senator Andrew Bragg, representing the Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton; NSW Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure MP; Inner West Councillor, Marghanita da Cruz; Mayor of the Georges River Council, Nick Katris; President of GOCNSW, Harry Danalis; President of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Nia Karteris; Secretary of GOCNSW, Michael Tsilimos; and Press Counsellor at the Consulate of Greece in Sydney, Costas Giannakodimos; among other representatives of Greek community organisations.
Emcee Themi Kallos introduced some of these guests to the stage to speak. Mr Danalis spoke first and thanked everyone for attending the paniyiri, which was held as part of a larger program of events celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Greek Festival of Sydney this year.
Next to the stage was Mr Mallikourtis who stressed the importance of organising events which celebrate the Greek culture.
“I think that today’s choice to organise such an important event on Australia Day is a clear symbolism of the fact that the Greeks of Australia have become an integral part of Australia,” Mr Mallikourtis said.
Senator Bragg spoke next about the significant role played by the Greek community in Australia.
“I think it is a great thing that you [Greeks] can come to a peaceful, harmonious country like Australia and maintain the culture of your forebears and be proud of that and add that to our great national story. So I want to thank you for your fantastic contribution to Australia,” the Senator said.
Mr Coure also gave a speech and said the NSW Government will “continue supporting Greek festivals into the future” because no one “puts on a better festival than the Greeks.”
Councillor Cruz concluded the formal speeches with her own where she encouraged everyone to enjoy the day and praised the Greek community.
With these speeches coming to an end and with a small drop in temperatures, people slowly stood from their tables out of the shade and moved onto the dancefloor for a few Greek dances. There were smiles all round.
Any funds raised on the day will be donated to the Greek Community Home for the Aged.
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
The evening prayers at St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Kingsford include a Prayer of St Ephraim, a 4th century Syrian monk, which is normally recited in Great Lent and which includes the exaltation “Lord and Master of my life, give me not a spirit of idleness, meddling, love of power and idle talk”. [i]
In 2020, Archbishop Makarios, the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia, published a book called Love and Master of my life: reflections on spiritual alertness inspired by the prayers of St Ephraim.
Archbishop Makarios adopts the petitions in the prayers and urges the reader to eschew idle talk, the spirit of curiosity (or meddling) and, most importantly, φιλαρχίας (the love of power).
According to Archbishop Makarios, love of power is “self-conceit, pride, the pursuit of leadership, thirst for power, anxiety to rule over others, mania to be the first, lust for authority, ambition in seeking high office and love for every kind of governing position.”
Many would agree with the hierarch of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia. At another time, but in a similar context, the English Catholic historian and politician, Lord Acton, wrote a letter to the Anglican Archbishop Mandell Creighton in 1887 in which he famously warned of the risks of abuse of ecclesiastical and secular power:
“I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way against holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” [ii]
Dr Kevin Wagner, a lecturer in the School of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney, wrote a very favourable review of Archbishop Makarios’ Lenten meditations and commented that as readers we need to consider that these words are authored by a man who has been vested with authority and power over two million persons and who is offering a reflection on a spiritual danger he must no doubt be incredibly wary of succumbing to. [iii]
Image: St Spyridon parish. Photo: Facebook.
Why is this relevant today?
On 21 November 2022, a majority of parishioners (in person and many more by proxy) of the St Spyridon Parish and Community of South East Sydney voted, on the recommendation of their Parish Council, to change the name to the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Spyridon Sydney and, more significantly, to adopt a new constitution.
The changes were welcomed by Archbishop Makarios who had urged the members to pursue a “secure Pathway to spiritual salvation” and to adopt a constitution that would conform to the “Laws of the Land and the Holy Canons of the Church.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had also supported the changes according to the preamble to the new constitution, wanting the parish and community to transition to a parish in order to “secure its future ecclesiastically.”
And, finally, the Parish Council claimed that the new constitution would “follow the canonical protocol of Church Order” and would align with modern standards of corporate governance for charitable corporations.
However, a close analysis of the new constitution reveals some changes which have started to appear in constitutions being adopted by Greek Orthodox parishes in other parts of the country.
There are a number of provisions that have raised eyebrows within sections of the community and media.
In the just-adopted St Spyridon constitution, a parishioner can now be removed from membership by the Archbishop in his absolute discretion and the Archbishop does not have to provide any reasons for the decision to remove the member. At the same time, any democratically-elected Parish Councillors can also be removed by the Archbishop.
On 25 September 2022, a number of parishes around the country, including the parishes of St Stylianos at Gymea and St Nicholas at Marrickville, the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Parish of Hobart and the parishes of St Raphael East Bentleigh and St Raphael Athelstone, saw new “charters” or constitutions adopted in almost exact terms which have conferred additional wide powers on the Archbishop.
For example, the Archbishop in his absolute discretion may remove a Committee Member from the Parish Administrative Committee, including any Office Bearer, and is not required to give reasons or any cause for that removal.
I am not a theologian or a religious scholar although I am aware that the “Holy Canons” of the church are too numerous to codify. But as a participant in, and observer of, the local Greek community for almost five decades, I am concerned that these recent changes in the (secular) constitutions of parishes such as St Spyridon are not in the true spirit of the Church’s canonical tradition.
The well-regarded historian, Alexander Kitroeff, in his 2020 book The Greek Orthodox Church in America: A Modern History has noted that by the end of the 1930s community secular and religious activities in the US had been subsumed under the parishes which in turn were accountable to the centralised administrative structure of the Archdiocese. Significantly, over the course of the 20th century this hierarchical structure gained such financial strength and influence that Greek Orthodoxy in America increasingly came to be represented by the person of the archbishop.
This development has been mirrored in Australia, first with Archbishop Ezekiel in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to form new community organisations that were always subject to the undisputed authority of the Archbishop, and followed after 1975 by Archbishop Stylianos who was adamant that new parishes be registered in the Archdiocese Property Trust to avoid the disputes and arguments of the past.
Whilst it is understandable that the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia wishes to mould the Greek diasporic identity and at the same time strengthen ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, it is important to recall the words of St Ephraim and the warning to guard against seeking power for its own sake.
One of the first books I ever read on the Orthodox Church was by the famous English theologian of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Kallistos (Timothy) Ware. He reminds us that the Orthodox Church is a hierarchical church and although the Hierarch (or archbishop) has a special charisma it is always possible that he may fall into error. According to Bishop Ware, the divine element does not expel the human. The Archbishop remains a man and as such he may make mistakes. The Church is infallible but there is no such thing as personal infallibility.
The vesting of wide discretionary powers in the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia must not be allowed to lead to a potential abuse of ecclesiastical power.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the first Greek to reach an Australian Open final after defeating Russian Karen Khachanov at Melbourne Park today.
Tsitsipas defeated Khachanov 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 3-6 in the packed Rod Laver Arena this afternoon.
Tsitsipas, who will become the world number one if he wins the title, eventually booked his place after recovering from Khachanov saving two match points in the third-set tie-break.
A sizzling semifinal ends in Greek glory 🇬🇷 @steftsitsipas overcomes a valiant Karen Khachanov to reach his first #AusOpen final.
Another tight forehand saw a third chance disappear in what proved to be the final game, before he regained his composure to convert his fourth with a service winner.
The Greek is now through to his first ever Australian Open final.
Tsitsipas will take on the winner of Novak Djokovic and Tommy Paul with the Serbian heavily favoured to progress through to another final at Melbourne Park and get one step closer to a record-extending 10th Australian Open title.
