Students at All Saints Grammar (ASG) in Belmore in Sydney’s inner south west proudly put on a display of Hellenic culture on Sunday, October 30 at the school’s OXI Day celebrations.
The celebrations began with a Doxology service at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in the morning.
Doxology. All photos by The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
Four students dressed in their school uniforms stood at the front of the church holding the Greek, Cypriot and Australian flags, whilst other students from Kindergarten to Year 12 enjoyed the service from upstairs.
After the Doxology, students, parents and teachers moved to the school’s gymnasium next door for a special OXI Day presentation event.
The event began with a memorial service for those men and women who lost their lives during World War Two fighting for Greece’s freedom. The service was conducted by parish priests, Father Christos and Father Dimitrios.
Memorial service.Official guests.
A number of official guests laid wreaths including the Chair of the Board of Directors at ASG, Mr Ulysses Ntoumbos; The Head of School, Mrs Elfa Lillis; Helen Aresti from the Ladies Auxiliary of All Saints Parish; Steven Mavrakis from the Belmore Youth Group; and Vasiliki Fotiadou from the All Saints Parish Afternoon Schools.
The wreath laying ceremony was followed by a minute silence before a number of ASG students recited poems in both Greek and English. They also gave a small presentation on the history of OXI Day and its impact on Greece and the world.
ASG students who gave speeches and recited poems.
At the conclusion of these official proceedings, ASG students dressed in traditional costumes and gave a Greek dancing performance to loud applause from everyone in attendance.
Ms Lillis told The Greek Herald on the day that she was “immensely proud of All Saints Grammar students and staff.”
“Your enthusiasm today, demonstrates your pride and commitment to our Hellenic Culture and its traditions,” the Head of School concluded.
“I am honoured I can share in the commemoration of ‘OXI’ Day with this wonderful school community.”
All Saints Grammar has been helping shape the lives of students and partnering with families since 1990. Founded by the Parish and Community of Belmore and District, the School was established to support families in their quest to introduce and instil Hellenic values and the Orthodox Christian faith to the next generation of Greek Australians. Today, our School attracts students from many different faiths and backgrounds.
ASG is now accepting enrolments for all entry years for 2023.
The 82nd anniversary of OXI Day was commemorated over the weekend with a number of wreath laying ceremonies, dancing and heartfelt speeches by Greek communities across Australia.
Here’s how the commemorations went down throughout the country:
New South Wales:
The Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales (GOCNSW) held its annual OXI Day celebration at the Greek Community Club in Lakemba on Friday, October 28.
Photos: The Greek Herald.
The event was attended by a number of official guests including the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis; the President of GOCNSW, Harry Danalis; His Grace Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia; the NSW Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure MP; Member for Rockdale, Steve Kamper MP; Member for Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis MP; Parliamentary Secretary for Wollongong and the Illawarra, Peter Poulos MLC; Courtney Houssos MLC; Member for Lakemba, Jihad Dib MP; Press Councillor of the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, Konstantinos Yiannakodimos; Mayor of Waverly Council, Paula Masselos; as well as a number of other Greek community representatives.
Photos by The Greek Herald.
Everyone in attendance on the night was treated to a number of poem recitals and songs by students from the Afternoon and Saturday Schools of GOCNSW, as well as Greek dancing performances by Paroula.
There were also a number of speeches by Mr Danalis, the Consul General, Bishop Christodoulos, Mr Coure, Mr Kamper and Ms Cotsis.
Local churches also held small memorial services and wreath laying ceremonies for OXI Day, including St Nectarios Greek Orthodox Parish in Burwood.
St Nectarios Burwood.
On Sunday, St Nectarios Burwood had students from the Greek Afternoon and Saturday Schools of Concord, Burwood and South Strathfield attend a Doxology service in the morning, followed by an OXI Day presentation led by the Principal Dimitris Kametopoulos. Students recited poems and sang songs.
Elsewhere in Sydney, there were also OXI Day commemorations at Marrickville Town Hall on Sunday in the presence of Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese; an event by AHEPA NSW; and All Saints Grammar in Belmore; among many others.
South Australia:
After Saturday’s wreath laying ceremony at the Adelaide War Memorial, hosted by the Foundation for Hellenic Studies in the presence of Members of the Hellenic Presidential Guard, the commemorative events continued in South Australia on Sunday.
Photos: The Greek Herald / Argyro Vourdoumpa.
Dignitaries and members of the Greek and the wider community, gathered at the Cathedral of Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Franklin Street to attend the doxology and wreath laying ceremony organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA).
Addressing the attendees GOCSA President, Kostas Papakonstantinou, talked about the importance of OXI Day and cited quotes from prominent personalities on the courage and heroism of Greeks during the Greco-Italian War.
The event concluded with poems and songs from students of the Community’s afternoon schools.
Australian Capital Territory:
In Australia’s capital, 40 Greek flags have been flying around Canberra since Tuesday, October 25 until Friday, November 4.
Greek flags in Canberra.
On Friday, October 28, The Hellenic Club of Canberra, Old Parliament House, The National Carillon Bell Tower and The National Museum of Australia were also lit up in blue and white to mark OXI Day.
The National Carillon Bell Tower lit up in blue.
That same night, The Hellenic Club held a special OXI Day event with dancing by the Canberra Hellenic Dancers in the foyer from 6-7pm, along with finger food from Fillos Taverna + Bar as patrons entered the venue.
Event at the Hellenic Club of Canberra.Speeches at the Doxology.
On Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Community of Canberra (GOCC) organised a Doxology and memorial service at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston, followed by a wreath laying ceremony at the Australian Hellenic Memorial in Canberra.
Wreath laying ceremony. Photos supplied.
In attendance on the day was a number of officials including the Ambassador of Greece in Australia, George Papacostas; the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, Antonis Sammoutis; His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis; and the President of the GOCC, John Loukadellis.
Northern Territory:
The Greek Orthodox Community of Northern Australia (GOCNA) also marked OXI Day over the weekend with a number of events.
On Saturday, October 27, students, parents and teachers of the Greek Orthodox School of Darwin held a small assembly where poems were recited and songs were sung to honour OXI Day. The first half of the event was also dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
On Sunday, October 28, GOCNA also held a Doxology at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Darwin, followed by a number of speeches and a wreath laying ceremony.
In attendance on the day was a number of officials including, but not limited to, the Consul General of Greece in the Northern Territory, John Anictomatis; the Chief Minister for the Northern Territory, Natasha Fyles; the Leader of the NT Opposition, Lia Finocchiaro; the Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling MP; and the Mayor of Palmerston, Athina Pascoe-Bell.
Tasmania:
On Sunday, October 28, the Greek Orthodox Community of Tasmania held a commemorative event for OXI Day at St George Greek Orthodox Church in Hobart.
The community held a ‘Greek Day’ where people enjoyed a Doxology service, followed by a gathering outdoors. People were treated to souvlakia, loukoumades, coffee and traditional Greek sweets.
During their visit, the Evzones will take part in a wreath laying ceremony at the State War Memorial, Kings Park, which will also feature a change of guard and tribute to the Cenotaph at around 1.30pm.
AHEPA is one of the largest and oldest global service organizations of Greek origin. The organisation has chapters in the US, Canada, Greece, Cyprus and NZ and has positively impacted many lives by promoting education, philanthropy and social responsibility through community service and volunteerism.
The National body of AHEPA (Australasian Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) held its annual Convention at Ramsgate NSW from 14th to the 17th October.
The National Convention was very productive and it laid out the organisations future plans. The Convention was conducted in the spirit of mutual respect, harmony and the friendship that characterises the true AHEPA.
The OPENING CEREMONY was hosted by the Grand Lodge and District Lodge of NSW on Friday 14th and was by all accounts a resounding success.
Mr George Lianos, the National President of AHEPA Australia, said that “…at the National Convention our organisation paid homage to the creation of AHEPA in the USA and its 100 years of service…and we celebrated the fact that AHEPA Australia is now 88 years old, having been established on 15 August, 1934, at Werris Creek, NSW… AHEPA Australia represents the true AHEPA members who are dedicated to improving community standards by leading social, educational and charitable initiatives for the common good…”
The official guests who had attended the Opening Ceremony were:
His Grace Bishop Christodoulos representing his Eminence Archibishop Makarios,
The Consul General of Greece in Sydney Mr Ioannis Mallikourtis,
His Excellency Anthonis Sammoutis, High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus,
The Honourable Matt Thistlethwaite MP, member for Kingsford Smith,
Miss Tina Koutsogiannis Partnering Manager, The Australian National Maritime Museum, Greek Bicentenary Fund,
Ms Elizabeth Kaydos, Producer and Researcher, SBS production: “Lemnos: Heroes behind Gallipoli” and representative of the Lemnian Association of NSW;
Mr Panikos Achileos, President of the Cyprus Hellene Club and his wife Thalia.
The officials, the members, their families and guests were entertained and inspired by a real treasure of the Greek Australian community the superb vocalist Ms Helen Zerefos OAM.
Ms Christine Lynch on behalf of the National Education Fund of AHEPA Australia made two donations. The first was to Mrs Tina Koutsogiannis from Australian Maritime Museum for the Greek Bicentenial Project and the second one to Ms Elizabeth Kaydos for the SBS Documentary production of “Lemnos: Heroes behind Gallipoli”.
The National Convention also featured a round table discussion with the Consul General of Greece in Sydney Mr Ioannis Mallikourtis and his excellence Mr Anthonis Sammoutis, High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus. The discussion touched on topics of National significance that are currently impacting both Greece and Cyprus against the context of a War in Europe, the energy crisis and the impact of a looming global recession. The discussion also evolved around the key priorities for the two countries when it comes to Greek Australian relations. The highlight of the discussion was to establish a more productive framework with key Associations, Business groups and non-for-profit organisations to help the representatives of Greece and Cyprus achieve better co-operation with the Greek Australian Community.
Elections were also held for the new Committee for the following year. The President George Lianos from Sydney and the Vice-President Sophia Notaras from Canberra thanks all those members who took part from all the other States.
The 68th National Convention concluded on Monday with the promise to continue working under the values of the true AHEPA members who are dedicated to community support, volunteering and promoting positive social change for the common good.
We wanted to thank the officials who honoured us with their presence and all the members for their service.
The celebration of 28 Οctober 1940, the day the Hellenic people refused the demands of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, opened with the recitation of ‘The Ode’ by Mrs Margaret McIInroy, New Zealand representative on the Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete and The Greek Campaign, and Mr Peter Tsigounis, President, RSL NSW Greek Sub-Branch, in English and Hellenic respectively.
Poems marking the occasion were recited by students of the Afternoon Schools of the Parish of the Transfiguration of Our Saviour, Earlwood Dimitri Dasakis (Year 2), Danny Petratos (Year 6) and Emanuel Kouzoukas (Year 6).
Artist Angela Konstantinopoulou presented her latest work, titled ‘Convergence of Glory’, a tribute to the three battles of Thermopylae, where the Hellenes and their allies refused to kneel to invaders: August 480BCE, April 1821 and together with the Anzacs in April 1941. The painting brings together diverse threads of Hellenic and Australian history into a uniquely Australian Hellenic work of art.
The tribute to the Anzacs of Hellas included original footage of their arrival in Athens in March 1941 and part of an interview with the last living of the 18,000 Australians and 16,500 New Zealanders who served during the Greek Campaign, Arthur Leggett of Perth.
The Youth Address was eloquently delivered by Angelique Belivanis, President, Cretan Youth Association of Sydney and NSW, followed by a musical tribute by Aris Paraskakis on Kretan lyra and Alexander Mountakis (Vice-President, Cretan Youth Association) on laouto.
The event concluded with a performance of traditional dance by the Rallis School of Greek Dance, who presented a Kalamatiano, a Zagorisio and a Kophto, three dances from the Peloponessos and Epiros regions of mainland Hellas.
AHEPA NSW Hall was full of people of all ages, who before and after the formalities, enjoyed the display of photographs and artefacts related to the heroes of 1940 and the Anzacs of Hellas. It has long been a tradition of the organisation that the Hall be decorated to suit the occasion. Everyone agreed that a truly looking forward to the first celebration of National Day at the new home of AHEPA NSW Inc, the Bexley Bowling Club.
The Combined Universities Greek Association of NSW (CUGA) and the National Union of Greek Australian Students of Victoria (NUGAS) held a National Conference to formalise their partnership and speak frankly on the state of Modern Greek at tertiary level.
The two peak bodies met on the premises of the Greek Community of Melbourne on Saturday October 15 wherein they opened up on methods to support Modern Greek studies and one another.
NUGAS and CUGA have informally maintained a partnership for many years, with this Conference serving as a means to create open communication and facilitate joint initiatives as the culmination of their relationship.
“NUGAS Victoria and CUGA have had an unspoken friendship for many years and so we’re incredibly proud to formalise our partnership and continue supporting each other’s organisations from our home States,” said NUGAS Co-Presidents Billy Battista and James Panas in a joint statement.
“We look forward to working together on initiatives and collaborations and hopefully lead the pathway for future partnership within Australia’s states and territories, an ode to NUGAS’ past as a once national organisation.”
This Conference is the first of many initiatives intended to strengthen the bonds between the two states.
“In the future, we would like to also involve Greek Students Associations in universities from other Australian states,” said UTS Hellenic President and member of CUGA’s executive, Dimitri Kallos.
The main topic of conversation was the current position of Modern Greek studies at our universities, which is only offered as a major at La Trobe University, University of Sydney and Macquarie University.
Discussions encompassed trends in enrolments and the lack of awareness in how to access Modern Greek studies, particularly for those that do not attend a university which offers it.
“As a UTS student studying Modern Greek concurrently at the University of Sydney, I have found it far more rewarding than doing any other elective offered by UTS. As Societies, it is our role to support students’ desires to study Modern Greek and show them the ways in which they can,” said Dimitri Kallos.
The National Conference concluded with a list of suggestions for joint actions moving forward which were:
Among the attendees were: Katerina Andrews (UTS Hellenic), Billy Battista (MUnGA), Dean Drossos (SHS), Chris Giannaros (DUGS), Samuel Giovas (MUGA), Dimitri Kallos (UTS Hellenic), Yanni Marathocabitis (UTS Hellenic), James Panas (LUGS), Kosta Plegas (SUGS), Jenna Pletsias (DUGS), Zoë Re (MUGA), Maxwell Reissis (HellSoc UNSW), Marissa Robotis (RUSH), Eve Seferis (SHS).
The universities represented were University of Sydney (SUGS), University of NSW (HellSoc UNSW), Macquarie University (MUGA), University of Technology Sydney (UTS Hellenic), Melbourne University (MUnGA), La Trobe University (LUGS), Deakin University (DUGS), Swinburne University (SHS), RMIT University (RUSH).
A derelict home in Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west has shocked buyers by selling at auction for more than $1.3 million, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported.
The home has been named a ‘house of horrors’ as it has not had any renovations since its original purchase in the 1960s.
The four-bedroom deceased estate had fourteen potential buyers over the weekend, despite the fact the home had rotten flooring, falling ceilings, and an inoperable kitchen and bathroom.
Picture by Julian Andrews.
Dean Vasil of Ray White Earlwood was the selling agent for the property and said that most of the buyers were interested in the property for the land value and taking advantage of the current market downturn.
“It was a great auction. The competition was unbelievable,” Mr Vasil said. “We were very surprised by the price, but even more surprised by the level of interest.”
Auction at Marrickville property. Picture: Julian Andrews
Mr Vasil’s team had advised visitors to stay in the hallway as it was the only stable part of the floor.
“You could not walk through the whole house. You had to be very careful,” he said.
The most realistic estimate, according to co-agent Kieran Gianoudis, was at least $500,000. He said that it was hard to determine exactly how much money would need to be spent on a repair.
“Pretty much everything needs redoing. The brick, the walls, the floors,” he said.
Christodoulou, along with other players from the ParaMatildas and Pararoos, also met with the Federal Minister for Sport Anika Wells and the Federal Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Bill Shorten.
In a post on LinkedIn, Christodoulou said the meetings gave the group a chance to share their stories with the Ministers and speak about the ParaMatildas – Football Australia’s first national team for women and girls with cerebral palsy (CP), acquired brain injury and symptoms of stroke.
“All three members of parliament expressed immense support for our teams and our overall achievements,” her post read.
The footballer also stressed that Minister Shorten “spent time listening to all of our stories, the issues we face everyday as people living with neurological conditions, the benefits of football and how it has helped us develop our cognitive abilities and how we live day to day outside of our football to work and study full time whilst being elite athletes.”
Nicole’s LinkedIn post.
“This was one of the biggest highlights of my life and taking part on my 30th birthday, will definitely be one that I will cherish and remember forever,” Christodoulou said.
“By making our voices heard in parliament, we hope that this helps with driving change to the world and to our country, to continue providing opportunities and inclusivity to our ever changing society for the present and the future generations yet to come.”
Christodoulou joined the ParaMatildas earlier this year. She experienced two strokes at the age of 21 which left her paralysed down the left side of her body. But this never stopped her from achieving her football dreams.
Nobody copped a bigger loss through the group stages of the Rugby League World Cup this year than Greece, but that doesn’t mean the national team’s future is bleak.
Their first World Cup campaign ended with three big losses against France, Samoa and England. In their final match against England, Greece was lucky to avoid conceding a century in their 94-4 loss.
Now, with this renewed exposure and pride in the Greek team across the world, it’s time to focus on the future of the sport. This is something Greece’s head coach, Steve Georgallis, is looking forward to.
“I’m proud and happy and a little bit emotional,” Georgallis said after Greece’s match loss to England.
“I don’t think you get to walk around the field after being beaten by 90 and have the crowd cheering and calling out the name of your country, Greece. I think that just goes to show the effort the players put in.
1/2 If there is one myth that has been busted by this #RLWC2021 it is that Rugby League fans are "negative". We are overwhelmed by the love we got from fans in Sheffield, Doncaster and beyond! Rugby League fans with no connection to Greece, getting right behind us! pic.twitter.com/NAtzWfCBcq
“With the World Cup and the game now being legal, we’re hoping to get into schools and start from the grassroots and try and get that as part of sport in the country.”
“We’ll never forget our journey, but we’re keen to shed that victim mentality and really push forward with rugby league in Greece and I can’t wait to be a part of it,” Meads told SkySports.com.
People across Greece gathered in their cities and villages on Friday and over the weekend to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of Greece’s National Day (‘OXI’ Day).
In Thessaloniki on Friday, the customary military parade celebrating the anniversary of Greece’s entry into World War II took place.
As usual, the parade was attended by several officials including Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and foreign dignitaries such as US Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis.
Τιμάμε σήμερα μια από τις πιο ένδοξες σελίδες της νεότερης ιστορίας μας, το «ΟΧΙ» στις 28 Οκτωβρίου του 1940 και την ηρωική αντίσταση του λαού μας κατά της φασιστικής εισβολής. Είμαστε περήφανοι για τις Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις, που με αυταπάρνηση προασπίζουν την εθνική μας ακεραιότητα. pic.twitter.com/2OlWu7Gx2K
In a speech after the parade, Sakellaropoulou said: “The ‘No’ of October 28, 1940, to the fascist invasion and our people’s heroic resistance are one of the most glorious moments of our modern history, which we respectfully commemorated in today’s parade.”
“The spirit of national unity forged in the Albanian epic is a precious legacy for all of us.”
Elsewhere, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also attended a commemorative event in the north-western Greek city of Ioannina.
Δικό μας χρέος είναι να παραδώσουμε στην επόμενη γενιά, σε αυτά τα παιδιά που παρέλασαν κρατώντας ψηλά την Ελληνική Σημαία με χαμόγελο, με αισιοδοξία, με υπερηφάνεια, μια πατρίδα πιο ισχυρή, πιο ασφαλή, πιο ευημερούσα, πιο δίκαιη. Είμαι σίγουρος ότι θα το πετύχουμε. Χρόνια πολλά! pic.twitter.com/iLGdX0gbeE
During his visit, Mitsotakis attended a memorial service, laid a wreath and lit a candle in honour of the 167 fallen soldiers whose remains are kept in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
“Our own duty is to bequeath to the younger generation a stronger, more secure, more prosperous and more just fatherland,” the Prime Minister said during his speech.
“Your pappou (grandfather) would be really proud of you,” a lady told her young grandson as he was posing next to an Evzone at Adelaide’s War Memorial on Saturday morning, where the Service of Remembrance for ‘OXI’ Day was held.
And although for some the sight of Members of the Hellenic Presidential Guard marching slowly through Adelaide’s city centre dressed in their ceremonial uniform might have been unusual, for younger Greek Australians who live thousands of kilometres away from their home country, the visit is a way to stay connected with their heritage.
“Events like this give us the opportunity to experience the tradition and learn about the history and the sacrifices our ancestors made for us. This is what keeps us going in our everyday life,” Modern Greek Teacher at Prophet Elias Norwood, Pyrros Radimissis, told The Greek Herald.
Hosted by the Foundation for Hellenic Studies with the support of the SA Government, the Service of Remembrance and wreath laying ceremony honoured the heroism of the Greek people who stood in defiance against fascism and highlighted the bonds between Australia and Greece.
“It is with great humility that I stand by the South Australian War Memorial today to pay my respects to the fallen of the Australian Defence Forces,” said Greece’s Deputy Defence Minister, Nikos Hardalias, who attended the event among many officials, dignitaries and members of the Greek and the wider community.
“I feel honoured and proud. I feel honoured, because this year I have the chance to commemorate OXI Day, one of the most important Greek national anniversaries, in a country whose gallant soldiers fought side by side with ours in many conflicts including the second World War and proud, because today I see the Members of the Hellenic Presidential Guard, our Evzones, so far away from home standing proudly to honour the heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Hardalias.
Representing the Premier, Peter Malinauskas, Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis, recounted the historic collaborations between the ANZACs and the Hellenic Army in the course of history and mentioned that relationships created under challenging circumstances are everlasting.
“The first ever time the Evzones honoured any foreign memorial was here in Adelaide in 2017,” he said and thanked the Foundation for Hellenic Studies for their efforts in bringing the Evzones to South Australia and for keeping the values of Hellenism in Australia alive.
On Monday, Adelaide High School and St George College will host special assemblies to honour the Evzones who on Tuesday evening will depart for their first ever visit to Perth.
