Greek Australian poet and rapper, Luka Lesson, will launch his new verse novel, Agapi & Other Kinds of Love, surrounded by the Ancient Greek artefacts at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, Sydney, on Saturday, November 12 at 6.30pm.
During the event, Luka will combine the Ancient Greek types of love embedded within the pages of his book with a curated selection of Ancient Greek artefacts in the Museum, in a performance that is set to awaken the spirits lying dormant in the building.
Luka’s new verse novel.
Agapi & Other Kinds of Love is Luka’s first verse novel, inspired by Plato’s Symposium. The reader is taken on a journey through the Ancient Greek types of love, as seen through the eyes of ancient lovers: Socrates and Diotima, and their modern reincarnations: Pavlos and Sophia.
Self-love, erotic love, and the love of the stranger all collide with marble statues of Aphrodite, protestor’s chants and the Parthenon’s steps.
In Agapi & Other Kinds of Love, Lesson draws on his heritage to show us how love prevails despite the trials and tribulations of the ages.
Agapi is the first book to be published by The Future Ancients – Luka’s own production company.
At 11:00 AM on November 11, 1918, the guns fell silent on the Western Front.
German leaders signed an Armistice to end World War I, and subsequently, the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month became associated with commemorating those who passed in the great war.
After World War II, the Australian and British Government changed this commemoration to Remembrance Day, as an occasion for the nation to come together and remember those who suffered and those paid the ultimate price in all wars and armed conflicts.
Unlike ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day is not a public holiday in Australia but on a year that marks the 60th Anniversary of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, President of Melbourne’s Returned Services League (RSL) Hellenic Sub-Branch, Emanuel (Manny) Karvelas, urges the community to take a moment and reflect on the importance of local RSL clubs.
L to R: Members of the Hellenic Military Historical Society Jim Anagnostou (L) and George Kypros (R) dressed in period correct World War two Greek Army uniform and Flight Sergeant Deese Tyris (L) and Warrant Officer Class 2 Ken Tsirigotis. Photo: Supplied
“Many people picture the RSL as very old war veterans’ place or as a place to get a good meal at one of the commercial restaurants. It is a bit more than that,” he says, “some have not even heard of the Hellenic RSL. Some get confused and ask what are Greeks or Greek Australians doing in the RSL?”
For many years, RSL sub-branches across Australia have played an integral role in connecting veterans to services, developing social networks, enhancing support services and providing practical support.
“In the RSL we have veteran members that have served in either the Australian or Greek Military. Of the Australian veterans, we have had veterans that were deployed in World War Two and have veterans that served in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, East Timor and various peace keeping missions,” Karvelas says.
Greek Australian veterans about to start their march down St Kilda Rd on Anzac Day, 25 April 2022. Photo: Supplied
“The Greek Australian War history is quite rich and we are proud of it. Most members of the RSL are well aware of it. People have heard about the Greek campaign, including the big battle of Crete during World War Two.
“However, not many people know that in the Korean War (1950-53) the Australian 3RAR unit received a US Presidential Unit Citation after the famous Battle of Kapyong. During the Korean war, The Greek forces received two US Presidential Unit Citations.”
There were approximately 2500 Greek Australians that served in World War Two in the Australian Armed Forces.
“We know of at least 15 Greeks that served in the World War 1 Gallipoli campaign. One of them, Sergeant Rados, was killed in action,” he explains.
More than four decades after the Hellenic Sub-Branch of the Victorian RSL was formed, Greek-Australian veterans continue to march under their own banner down St Kilda Rd on Anzac Day and do presentations at school assemblies.
“We also support Australian Army and Navy Cadets,” Manny says, reminding people to also show support for the veteran community by buying and wearing a poppy through RSL’s Poppy Appeal.
Medical experts of Greek heritage will arrive in Melbourne, Victoria this year for the Hellenic Medical Society of Australia (HMSA) and Hellenic Diaspora World Congress from November 17 – 19.
The world congress is being co-hosted by The Global Doctors Hippocratic Institute and The Greek Community Of Melbourne (GCM).
It will feature presentations from Australian and international speakers, and will include an interactive dialogue between leaders from diverse academic fields in medicine and science.
On Thursday, November 17, representatives from the University of Melbourne Medical School, the Governor of Athens, Greek universities, the HMSA and the GCM, will meet and hold a round table discussion about potential collaborations in areas such as cardiology, cancer and infectious disease.
An authentic copy of the bust of Hippocrates, which was discovered on the Greek island of Kos and is currently housed at the National Museum in Athens, Greece, will also be unveiled at the University of Melbourne after the meetings.
On Friday, November 18, the world congress will be officially opened. From then until Saturday, November 19, there will be a number of panels by experts on topics including accessing global health care and new medical technologies.
The world congress will conclude on Saturday night with a Gala Dinner raising money from Pronia and Fronditha Care.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 (FWWC2023) Volunteer Programme was officially launched on Wednesday, November 9 at Marlborough Street Reserve in Melbourne, Victoria.
The launch was hosted by Football Australia and was attended by a number of VIP guests, players from the Commbank Matildas, and the FWWC2023 official mascot Tazuni. This event was the first Australian physical appearance of Tazuni.
Among the VIP guests were Victorian Tourism Minister, Steve Dimopoulos MP; the Head of Marketing, Communications & Corporate Affairs at Football Australia, Peter Filopoulos; the Football Australia Legacy ’23 Ambassador, Kate Jenkins; and the FWWC2023 Head of Sustainability, Dr Sheila Nguyen; among many others.
There were a number of speeches during the event to celebrate the local volunteers from Melbourne who will be supporting the FWWC2023.
Mr Dimopoulos told The Greek Herald exclusively after the event and said he hoped the World Cup would encourage more women to play football.
“In the past, football was predominantly a male sport but this has changed recently as more women become engaged in professional sport,” the Minister for Tourism said.
“In recent years, the Victorian government has funded and continues to fund women’s football development programs and for this reason, together with other states and the Federal Government, we have worked methodically to host and co-organise with New Zealand the Women’s World Cup for 2023.
Peter Filopoulos.Steve Dimopoulos MP.
“This premier event will give all of us a chance to take in the biggest stars of women’s football and of course, the benefits to tourism in Australia will be huge as people visit the country to watch matches.”
Mr Dimopoulos also encouraged Greek Australian volunteers to get involved.
“Greek men and women have volunteerism in their blood… I can remember, from when I was a young boy, how hard they worked on events for their clubs and organisations to be successful,” the Minister said.
“I urge our compatriots to do something similar for the Women’s World Cup as we need volunteers to make this top event a success.”
The Volunteer Programme will have an integral part to play in the success of the FWWC2023 with thousands of enthusiastic people needed to boost the workforce across five Host Cities in Australia over the next 10 months.
These volunteers will be required to help at FIFA Fan Festival locations, stadiums, training sites, hotels, transport hubs and airports.
Red poppies will light up the Sydney Opera House sails at dawn on Friday to mark the start of Remembrance Day followed by a service at Sydney’s Cenotaph to honour the service and sacrifice of Australia’s service men and women.
Minister for Transport, Veterans, and Western Sydney David Elliott said 11 November was a day to pay respect to and remember those who have given their lives in service to our country in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping missions, as well as their families.
“This year will be the first time Remembrance Day services around the state will not be impacted by COVID restrictions so I encourage everyone to either head to the Cenotaph in Martin Place or local community services with families and friends,” Mr Elliott said.
“Free travel will also return this year on most NSW public transport services and will be available to members of the Australian Defence Forces and their carers as well as spouses, children or grandchildren of current and former members.
“For more than a century, red poppies have been used as a symbol of community respect and recognition, marking the end of fighting in the First World War. Poppies have been projected onto the Opera House since 2014 and will light up the sails again at 8pm on Remembrance Day.”
Mr Elliott will join RSL NSW President Ray James OAM, who will recite the Ode before the Last Post rings out across Sydney Harbour, as poppies are projected onto the sails of the Opera House at a special Remembrance Day dawn service at Campbell’s Cove Lookout Circular Quay West.
“Remembrance Day gives the community an opportunity to pause and reflect on the courage, resilience and sacrifice service men and women have shown for our nation,” Mr James said.
“The poppy projection on the Sydney Opera House is a simple reminder for people here, and around the world, to ‘remember to remember’ those who have come home injured or ill, in body or spirit, and all those who bravely serve our country today
Free travel is available for Defence Force members and families all day on Friday 11 November and for those travelling on NSW TrainLink from 10 to 12 November. To access free travel commuters will need to wear: Australian Defence Uniform; display service medals; have a War Widows Gold Card or a letter of accreditation of a branch of the RSL or other recognised ex-services organisation.
Some of the results of the US midterm elections have been announced and with nearly 500 seats in the House of Representatives and Senate, there’s a lot to take in.
The Greek Herald have tried to make it a little bit easier for you with this breakdown of at least six Americans of Greek heritage who have already been re-elected.
Chris Pappas:
Democratic incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas won re-election on Tuesday in New Hampshire’s first congressional district by defeating Republican challenger Karoline Leavitt.
Good morning, New Hampshire! ☀️
Last night we won a great victory because we put people over politics and listened to the voices of Granite Staters.
Incumbent Pappas, the first openly gay member of Congress from New Hampshire, formerly served in the New Hampshire state House of Representatives and on the New Hampshire Executive Council.
California Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis has been elected for another term, defeating Republican challenger Angela Underwood Jacobs.
Very humbled to be elected by the people of California to serve a 2nd term as Lt. Governor!
Tonight's win is bittersweet without my biggest supporter, my mother. I will strive to always lead with the love, kindness and patriotism that she taught me.
After her victory, Kounalakis wrote on Twitter: “Tonight’s win is bittersweet without my biggest supporter, my mother. I will strive to always lead with the love, kindness and patriotism that she taught me.”
Gus Bilirakis:
Incumbent Republican Gus Bilirakis retained his seat in the US House in Florida’s 12th congressional district, which represents Pasco and northern Pinellas counties.
Bilirakis defeated Democrat Kimberly Walker with 70 percent of the vote.
I’d like to thank my constituents for giving me the privilege to continue serving as your voice in Washington. I'm proud of what we've achieved and look forward to the chance to build upon that success. Please do not hesitate to call my office 727-232-2921 if you need help. pic.twitter.com/6jhE5SSc01
“I’d like to thank my constituents for giving me the privilege to continue serving as your voice in Washington. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and look forward to the chance to build upon that success,” Bilirakis said on Twitter.
Nicole Malliotakis:
Representative Nicole Malliotakis defended her seat on Tuesday against Max Rose.
“This is not my victory. It is truly the victory of the people,” @NMalliotakis said Tuesday evening to supporters after being projected to win reelection in her U.S. House district. pic.twitter.com/QHkqdfyXT4
Malliotakis was widely expected to win re-election in New York’s 11th Congressional District, which encompasses Staten Island and a section of southern Brooklyn, and is the most conservative-leaning in the city.
“This is not my victory. It is truly the victory of the people,” Malliotakis said in a speech.
John Sarbanes:
Rep. John Sarbanes has been re-elected to the state’s 3rd Congressional District, defeating Republican Yuripzy Morgan.
John Sarbanes.
The district consists of parts of Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Howard County, Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County.
Sarbanes has represented Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District since 2007. He is also the chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force.
Alexi Giannoulias:
Democrat Alexi Giannoulias will be Illinois’ next secretary of state after a run against Republican Dan Brady.
With 90% of precincts reporting, Giannoulias had 54% of the vote, compared to Brady’s 44%. This is the first time in 24 years that someone other Jesse White will be leading the office.
After his victory, Giannoulias wrote on Twitter: “Thank you Illinois for placing your trust in me. I won’t let you down!”
Greek tennis stars, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, have confirmed they will join forces for Greece at Australia’s new mixed United Cup event on December 29.
The Greek team, which has been handed the No.1 seed for the United Cup, will also include Michail Pervolarakis, Stefanos Sakellaridis, Petros Tsitsipas, Despina Papamichail, Valentini Grammatikopoulou and Sapfo Sakellaridi.
They will join Australia, Poland, the United States, Spain, Italy and France as the top six seeds in the 18-team event, which will be played in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
World No.1 Iga Swiatek will lead the Polish squad, whilst 22-time slam winner Rafael Nadal will join the Spanish charge.
Nick Kyrgios, Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic will lead a star-studded Australian team at the inaugural event this summer.
Nick Kyrgios will play in the Australian team.
“We are delighted with the depth and breadth of the teams, and we can look forward to many exciting match ups and lots of entertaining tennis,” United Cup Tournament Director, Stephen Farrow, said this morning.
The United Cup, an ATP-WTA event presented in partnership with Tennis Australia, offers USD $15 million in prize money and up to 500 Pepperstone ATP and 500 WTA rankings points.
Brisbane, Perth and Sydney will each host two groups of three countries competing in a round-robin format from December 29 to January 4. Each tie comprises two men’s and two women’s singles matches and one mixed doubles match.
The winners of each group will play off, with the city winners advancing to the United Cup Final Four in Sydney, to be played from 6 to 8 January. The next best performing team from the group stages will complete the quartet.
The official draw will be held later today to reveal the city where each team will play this summer.
Christoforos Papakaliatis’ Maestro will debut as the first ever Greek drama series on Netflix, the streaming platform announced on Tuesday.
The drama series will air in Greece and Cyprus on December 19, 2022 on Netflix. It will then premiere for the first time to audiences worldwide in early 2023.
“I hold Maestro very close to my heart and I feel deeply honoured and happy that this story will travel around the world through Netflix. I’m looking forward to this journey,” Papakaliatis, who wrote, directed and starred in the series, said.
MEGA TV, who produced the Greek series, also welcomed the Netflix decision and posted a tweet cheekily asking the platform about their level of Greek proficiency.
Maestro consists of nine episodes and is a fascinating story of passion and conflict.
The main character, Orestes, travels to a small Greek island during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to set up, from scratch, a music festival.
Confronted with the island’s small society, he finds himself involved in a passionate love story that will act as the catalyst for the manifestation of all the social problems that plague an entire group of people. The characters are all connected to each other and in a way complicit in what comes next.
Workers walked off the job in Greece on Wednesday for a nationwide 24-hour strike against rising inflation and cost of living.
The strike disrupted services around Greece, with ferries tied up in port, severing connections to islands, state-run schools shut, public hospitals running with reduced staff and most public transport grinding to a standstill.
Thousands of protesters also marched through the streets of Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Protesters hold banners during a nationwide day of strike, in Thessaloniki, Greece, 09 November 2022. Photo: EPA / Achilleas Chiras Greece Out.
Brief clashes broke out at the end of demonstrations in both cities, with small groups of protesters throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
The clashes were over within minutes. Police said one officer was injured in Athens, while two people were arrested in the capital and another eight arrested in Thessaloniki.
One employee at a landscaping company in Athens, Stergios Nikolopoulos, told The Guardian that the low wages in Greece make it difficult to adjust to the rising cost of living.
“We don’t just want to survive, we want to live, and that’s what we’re demanding today,” the 34-year-old said.
BREAKING: Rain of molotov cocktails in front of the Parliament in Athens.
Tens of thousands demonstrate across Greece in general strike against soaring prices #inflation 🚨 🚨 🚨
Unions called for bolder measures to tackle inflation, and an increase in salaries and in the minimum wage, which is just over 700 euros per month for salaried workers.
The rallies are being described as the biggest since 2015 when Greece received emergency bailout funds from the EU and the IMF in exchange for punishing reforms and austerity.
They come as Greece is grappling with an inflation rate of 12 percent, one of the highest in the eurozone, despite the Greek economy being forecast to grow by 5.3 percent thanks to stronger than expected tourism.
The NSW Government has today introduced the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Amendment Bill 2022 into Parliament which will amend the Point to Point Transport (Taxis and Hire Vehicles) Act 2016.
Minister for Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney David Elliott said the Government has acted on its commitment and introduced the Bill to complete the deregulation of the NSW Point to Point industry and facilitate the final financial assistance scheme for owners of ordinary taxi licences.
“The NSW Government has presented the country’s most generous assistance package worth $905 million to NSW taxi licence holders.” Mr Elliott said.
“The Bill we’ve introduced today will see the delivery of much-needed financial assistance to taxi licence holders and will ensure families who paid out their hard earned cash are not left with the burden of debt.”
The NSW Taxi Council unconditionally accepted the Government’s final assistance package to NSW taxi licence holders.
Minister for Regional Roads and Transport Sam Farraway said if the Bill passes by the end of next week, the funding will be in the bank accounts of taxi owners as soon as possible.
“I am very pleased the NSW Government was able to offer a fair deal to plate holders to recognise the disruption caused to the Point to Point market by the introduction of ride-share,” Mr Farraway said.
The NSW Taxi Council will work with Transport for NSW concerning the Capital Gains Tax treatment arising from this package for each plate owner. The NSW Taxi Council will be responsible for working with individual taxi plate owners on Capital Gains Tax treatment.
Under the Bill:
Taxi licences will be available on application for an administrative fee and be able to operate anywhere across the State
There will be a seamless transition process for existing taxi licence holders to the new licensing system
After the new licensing system has settled in, taxi operators will be able to set their own fares for rank and hail journeys
Financial assistance will be offered to the owners of ordinary perpetual taxi licences, which will have zero value as a result of these reforms, and will be cancelled.
The new package provides $150,000 for every Sydney metropolitan taxi licence holder with a cap of six plates. Each regional taxi plate will be paid between $40,000 and $195,000, with no cap on the number of plates.
The industry assistance package is funded by the ongoing operation of the Passenger Service Levy for every Point to Point transport journey. The Government’s latest cash injection will see the levy increase by 20 cents to $1.20 and will finish in 2030.
