South Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Minister for Energy and Mining, Tom Koutsantonis MP, has today put forward two motions calling on the SA Parliament to recognise that September marks the 100-year anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe and that October 28 is OXI Day.
In his notice of motion concerning the Asia Minor Catastrophe, Mr Koutsantonis called on Parliament to formally recognise that Smyrna “burned for nine days between the 13th and the 22nd of September 1922 – destroying the Greek city of Smyrna in Asia Minor.”
Refugees from Asia Minor. Photo: George Treloar
Mr Koutsantonis also requested the House of Assembly remember the “tens of thousands of innocent lives that were lost,” whilst urging the government to call on Turkey to recognise its “deliberate burning of the city and systematic genocide and ethnic cleansing of Greeks and Armenians in Smyrna.”
In the second motion on Greece’s National Day, the SA Minister called for recognition that “the 28th of October is OXI Day – the anniversary of the day the Greek Prime Minister rejected Mussolini’s ultimatum in 1940 and expressed that it would not surrender to Axis powers.”
He also moved that the SA Government share in celebrations for OXI Day in Australia, welcome the visiting contingent of the Hellenic Presidential Guard to Adelaide in October and endorse the unveiling of the new monument at St George Greek Orthodox Church in Thebarton commemorating the Australian‑Hellenic military cooperation in WWII.
The Evzones at the Acropolis in Athens. Photo: Supplied to TGH
The ‘Rich Street Innovation Hub’ in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Marrickville was pitched five years ago as a cultural precinct, seeking to encourage more diverse industries and drive local business and employment to the area.
The former industrial site, once home to a timberyard, was supposed to attract almost 500 artists, creatives, start-ups and designers and feature a community outdoor cinema, studios and pop-up galleries.
However, the 18-hectare development has now been placed on hold by Developer Danias Holdings.
Artist’s impression of the Rich Street Innovation Hub in Marrickville. Photo: Turner Studio
Speaking with The Sydney Morning Herald, Danias Holdings CEO, Angelo Angelopoulos explained the reason behind the pause on works, citing a loss of potential tenants.
“Following approval, expressions of interest were sought from interested creative industry companies looking for long-term leases to locate in the hub. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, all interested companies withdrew,” Angelopoulos said.
“Without a critical mass of tenants committed to long-term leases it is not possible to proceed with construction at this stage. We remain committed to proceeding with building the hub when market conditions improve.
Artist’s impression of the Rich Street Innovation Hub in Marrickville. Photo: Turner Studio
“In the interim, some temporary sheds have been put on the site to provide some activation and improve the local amenity.”
The interim factory sheds are currently serving as food and beverage facilities, including an artisanal gelato production house.
News of the development’s delay has been met with disappointment by some locals, also grabbing the attention of Inner West Mayor, Darcy Byrne, who told The Sydney Morning Herald that a state government panel had approved the creative hub three years ago.
“The landowners promised the local community this would be delivered and they should keep their word and get the hub opened so that artists can make use of it,” the Mayor said.
Members of the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney participated in the 20th National Conference in the Greek city of Kalamata.
The National Conference was held from September 15 to September 18 and brought together representatives from Lyceum organisations across the world.
The three-day conference was themed around the Asia Minor Catastrophe and attendees enjoyed numerous talks from guest speakers, day trips and performances by people dressed in traditional Greek dancing costumes.
Members of the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney.Greek dancing at the National Conference.
In a post on Facebook, the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney said they were “fortunate” to attend the conference and congratulated everyone for organising it.
“Thank you to all who represented Sydney and came so far to support Kalamata with enthusiasm and pride. We met so many wonderful and inspiring women and made many, many new friends,” the Facebook post read.
During the conference, the President of the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, Liana Vertzayias, also gave a small interview to local media praising the Conference, and speaking about the Greek tradition and culture within Australia.
The 21st National Conference will be held in the Greek city of Kavala in two years time.
Greece’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas has proposed that the European Union create a multi-billion-euro fund to deal with the soaring costs of natural gas.
In his letter to the Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans and the Commissioner for Energy of the European Union, Kadri Simson, Skrekas proposed the fund be resourced through the creation of a special levy of 10 euros per megawatt hour on gas consumed by electricity producers.
Συμμετείχα στη Διεθνή Διάσκεψη για το Φυσικό Αέριο στο Βουκουρέστι & παρουσίασα: -Tη στρατηγική της Κυβέρνησης για την ενεργειακή μας επάρκεια -Τον ολοκληρωμένο σχεδιασμό για την επιτάχυνση της πράσινης μετάβασης -Τη σημασία της περιφερειακής συνεργασίας στον τομέα της ενέργειας pic.twitter.com/WxwcUTEbmC
According to estimates based on 2021 consumption rates, the Energy Minister pointed out that an amount of €9 billion could be collected annually across the EU.
“The €9 billion in revenue could be combined with a low-interest loan from the European Investment Bank of €80 billion, which would be serviced by the annual revenue of the special levy,” he added.
According to Greece’s Ministry of Environment and Energy, the revenues collected in the fund will be used to: support vulnerable households and businesses affected by rising natural gas prices, decrease dependence on Russia for energy needs and encourage a move towards greener energy.
Attacking midfielder Dimitris Pelkas opened the score line early, with a 14th-minute header giving Greece a 1-0 lead.
However, the equalizer came from Shayne Lavery just four minutes later, securing Northern Ireland a 1-1 half-time result.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, Giorgos Masouras, assisted by Anastasios Bakasetas, reclaimed Greece’s lead after executing a right-footed strike from the centre of the box.
One minute after Northern Ireland’s Alistair McCann was shown a yellow for a bad foul in the 79th minute, Greece’s Petros Mantalos delivered a stunning long-range shot, bringing the final score to 3-1.
Greece finishes this edition of the Nations League at the top of its League C group, having scored a total of 10 goals and keeping a clean sheet for four of its six games.
With this morning’s victory against Northern Ireland, the national team ends the competition with 15 points and a promotion to the B tier for the next iteration of the competition, where they will face considerably better opponents.
“We believe in the inviolability of borders and I am referring to the incidents that happened just a few days ago, after the shelling of Armenian territory, including populated areas, by the Azeri (Azerbaijanis) military forces,” Dendias explained.
“I am here to express our solidarity with the Armenian government and the Armenian people. The historical relations between our two countries date back many centuries. The significant Armenian community in Greece, which includes thousands of Greek citizens, is a strong link.”
The Greek Foreign Minister went on to describe the Azerbaijani attack as evidence of a revisionist policy attempting to redraw borders.
“I would like to send a clear message to countries that seek to redraw borders. And my message is that revisionist policies will fail,” he said.
“Speaking of revisionist forces, let me refer to one of them, Turkey, which is trying to take advantage of the recent turmoil to undermine, either in the Caucasus or in the Aegean, peace and stability.”
I would like to send a clear message to countries that seek to redraw maps. And my message is that revisionist policies will fail (statement following my meeting with Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan). pic.twitter.com/9hR5Ou29yJ
“We believe that humanitarian issues must be resolved immediately and that International Humanitarian Law must be respected,” he added.
In his statement, Dendias also highlighted that the pair had the chance to review Greece and Armenia’s “excellent bilateral relations”, adding that the two nations are tied by “historical tragedies.”
“We are united by historical tragedies. The Greek Parliament recognised the Armenian Genocide in 1996. The Armenian Parliament recognized the Greek and Assyrian Genocide in 2015,” he said.
Minister Dendias went on to meet with Armenia’s Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan and Defence Minister, Suren Papikyan later in the day.
With her paternal side migrating to Australia from the Peloponnesian city of Corinth and her maternal side belonging to the Dharug people of Sydney’s west, it comes as no surprise that Katrina’s upbringing was dominated by family.
“I come from a really big family and have grown up always being around a lot of people,” she says.
“Because of that, I knew from young that I wanted to work with people and give back in some way. That’s how I decided to do social work.”
Katrina and her family. Photo: Supplied to TGH
However, the 24-year-old does concede that growing up with mixed nationality isn’t without its challenges.
“There’s always that confusion of trying to navigate who you are. I look like my father, so I look very Greek and not Aboriginal,” Katrina says.
“It took me a lot of years to realise that I’m not one or the other or that I’m ‘more Greek’ or ‘more Aboriginal’. I am both and I’m blessed to have that.
“I’m always going to be questioned about my identity but I think the more confident and strong you are in your knowledge of yourself, the more people accept that. You are who you are and that’s enough.”
Creating a ‘safe space’ for ATSI people:
Katrina currently works as a clinical manager at NSW-based, Gunawirra, a community-led organisation where advisers and therapists work together to provide culturally appropriate and specialised healing services to ATSI people and families.
Gunawirra currently supports over 1500 Aboriginal families and 26 preschools in regional NSW.
Katrina specifically manages the weekly Young Aboriginal Mothers Program and works on the new Clinic on Country program that connects rural preschool children to health care by flying in speech pathologists, art therapists and occupational therapists who have expertise in intergenerational trauma and Aboriginal culture.
WATCH former AFL player Adam Goodes and others speak about the role of Gunawirra in the community and the importance of the Clinic on Country:
Pointing to the mothers program, Katrina says it is all about empowerment and confidence building.
“A lot of our mums are quite young and isolated, so we form a safe space where they can come each week and share and connect with other women,” she explains.
“It’s just been awesome to see mothers who might have a disconnect with their own child start to flourish and really take on that role, and for others to find who they are outside of just being a mum.”
Having been named Westfield Sydney’s 2022 Local Hero earlier this month, Katrina was awarded a $20,000 grant which will allow Gunawirra to fund much-needed additional clinician time and invest in further training.
As for the way forward from a national lens, Katrina says there needs to be “alot more listening to the Indigenous community.”
“I don’t think there’s enough recognition of how much colonisation actually impacts lives today,” she says.
For Katrina, the effects can be seen in an increased need for health care.
“At Gunawirra we have found that seven out of 10 Aboriginal children have hearing loss and that’s something that not only affects their attainment of an education but ultimately how they go through life,” she says.
“A lot of people within the Indigenous community feel isolated and alone, especially those who might not feel comfortable reaching out to services and getting support.
“Those are just some examples, but I think it all just comes down to being supported and being heard.”
New South Wales Labor Leader, Chris Minns MP, has announced today that Courtney Houssos MLC will assume the role of Shadow Minister for Natural Resources.
This new role will be in addition to Ms Houssos’ current role of Shadow Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation.
In a statement following his announcement, Mr Minns said Ms Houssos “is an outstanding member of the Labor team holding the Government to account on important issues including building and construction in NSW, as well as taking up the case of the Mascot Towers residents.”
Ms Houssos was promoted to the NSW frontbench for the first time by Mr Minns back in June 2021, along with fellow Greek Australian politician and Member for Rockdale, Steve Kamper MP.
In her role as Shadow Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation, Ms Houssos has worked with authorities to push for the removal of flammable cladding from high-risk apartment towers across NSW.
Students, staff, parents and friends of St George College (SGC) in Adelaide, South Australia gathered on Saturday, September 17 to celebrate their Annual Greek Dance.
The dance was attended by over 400 guests including a number of officials such as His Grace Bishop Silouan of Sinope; the Consul General of Greece in Adelaide, George Psiachas; Federal Member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas MP; SA Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Tom Koutsantonis MP; City of West Torrens Mayor Michael Coxon; and parish priest Father Diogenis Patsouris; among many others.
All these attendees were treated to a three course meal at the event, and also enjoyed a number of Greek dancing performances by students from the College’s junior and senior campuses.
In terms of formal proceedings, there were a number of speeches on the night by College Principal, Peter Karamoshos, Bishop Silouan, and the President of the SGC Parents and Friends Committee, Kosta Barkoukis.
These formal proceedings concluded with live music by Greek band, Oneiro, and everyone gathering on the dancefloor to dance the night away.
After the event, Mr Barkoukis told The Greek Herald it was a fantastic night and it was “an honour to be part of the school and Greek Orthodox Community.”
“Through dedication and team work, our community is growing and our vision is to be the elite school in the western suburbs,” Mr Barkoukis said.
“The Greek Dance is testimony to the fantastic leadership of the school, the St George parish and the magnificent work of the Parents and Friends including Angela Drouganis, Marie Kartsonis, Despina Pastrikos, and Athena Wallbank.”
School Principal, Mr Karamoshos, also told The Greek Herald it was amazing to see everyone’s passion on the night for celebrating the Greek culture.
“It really was a wonderful reflection of our Greek culture and traditions,” Mr Karamoshos concluded.
The launch of Return to Anatolia‘s photo exhibition on the Smyrna Catastrophe was held on Sunday, September 25 at the public library in Preston, Melbourne.
The event was well attended by over 45 people with a number of special guests including the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis.
On the day, keynote speaker, Stavros Terry Stavridis, gave an overview of the main events leading up to the Smyrna Catastrophe in 1922 and the subsequent refugee crisis to hit Greece.
Mr Stavridis also explained the importance of the photo exhibition in preserving the historical memory of the Smyrna Catastrophe.
The emcee of the event, Kris Pavlidis, then introduced the Consul General to the stage for a small speech.
In his speech, Mr Kakavelakis described the symbolic meaning of the destruction of Smyrna to the Greek people and stressed that the historical event should never be forgotten.
For her part, the President of Return to Anatolia, Sofia Kotanidis, thanked everyone for attending the event, as well as the Darebin Ethnic Communities Council for making the exhibition possible.
The photo exhibition will remain at Preston Library until October 22.
