Cheers of ‘OPA’ could be heard echoing across the Queensland town of Toowoomba on Saturday, September 17 as the local Greek community marched in the iconic Grand Central Floral Parade for the first time in over 30 years.
The parade was part of the month-long Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers and saw the streets of the Garden City filled with roughly 20 brightly coloured floats.
The Greek Community of Toowoomba’s float was one of the brightest on the day, decorated with blue and white flags, as well as an assortment of orange, purple and white flowers.
The Greek Community of Toowoomba float. Photo by Christine Guthrie.
About 20 people from Toowoomba’s Greek community, ranging in age from 7 months old to over 60, participated in the Floral Parade dressed proudly in traditional Greek dancing costumes.
The driver of the float on the day, Helen Levonis, told The Greek Herald it was fantastic to be back in the parade after 30 years thanks to an “injection” of young people in the Greek community spearheading the initiative.
Helen Levonis driving the float. Photo by Christine Guthrie.
“We’re really proud,” Ms Levonis, who is also a committee member of the Greek Community of Toowoomba, said.
“I was on one of those floats back in the day… and this time I drove but you know, we had members who were older than me dancing all the way. We had such a good response.
Members of the local Greek community. Photo by Christine Guthrie.Video provided by Lisa Duncan.More parade attendees. Photo by Christine Guthrie.
“People from the crowd were calling out ‘OPA’ and the look of the men and women in costume was wonderful and even the kids enjoyed it.”
According to the Toowoomba Regional Council Environment and Community Committee chair, Councillor James O’Shea, an estimated 60,000 people were in the city on Saturday to watch the spectacle.
Photos by Helen Levonis.
Ms Levonis said it was great to see large groups of people flocking to their float to get a taste of Greek culture and heritage.
“We had people who came up from Brisbane to Toowoomba for the festival and they came and said hello. I’m talking about not just Greek Australians that we knew, but we also had a Turkish family come up to us and said hi. That was really nice,” she concluded.
“So I’m very grateful for the people that came and enjoyed participating. Not all of our community are Greek origin and we’re okay with that because we live in Australia and we’re multicultural.”
The Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia has called on the Australian Government to condemn Azerbaijan for its “brutal” attack on Armenia, which has killed hundreds and displaced thousands.
In an official statement, the Federation said: “This unprovoked attack on Armenian sovereignty, territory and integrity must be denounced by the international community.”
A meeting of Greek, Armenian and Assyrian community members. Photo: Supplied to TGH
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have recently flared up over territorial claims, transpiring into armed conflict earlier this month.
Both nations have traded blame over the deadly clash.
According to Armenia’s defence ministry, the hostilities erupted on September 13, when Azerbaijani forces unleashed cross-border attacks in the early hours of the morning using “artillery, mortars, drones and large-calibre rifles” that killed at least 49 Armenian troops.
Azerbaijan has denied instigating the fighting, claiming its troops had responded to “large-scale provocations” by the Armenian military, maintaining that Armenian forces had fired at Azerbaijani military positions in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar and Lachin regions.
During an official visit to the Armenian capital on Sunday, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said that the United States deplores the recent attacks by Azerbaijan and called for a negotiated solution.
From America to Armenia, we must have security and freedom to win the fight for Democracy over autocracy. -NP pic.twitter.com/3QwVfpCuFo
The Pontian Federation described the attacks as “brutal,” “unconscionable” and a “modern manifestation of the genocide committed against the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek people over 100 years ago.”
“The recent attacks are a continuation of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides of 1914-1924.” the Federation said in its statement.
“It is no coincidence that the attacks took place on the days when these Christian populations were commemorating the anniversary of 100 years since the holocaust of multicultural Smyrna, when more than 125,000 Greeks and Armenians were massacred by the ideological ancestors, sympathisers and collaborators of the Azeri government.
“Such attacks will not stop until the world unites against this level of aggression and unjustified violence.”
Turkey has issued a navigational warning that it will send it’s research vessel, Oruc Reis, to carry out seismic surveys of an area in the eastern Mediterranean, between Antalya and Cyprus.
The activities will occur over a six-month period, taking place between September 25, 2022 and March 24, 2023.
Seismic surveys serve the purpose of pinpointing and locating the best possible area for oil drilling in the ocean.
The Oruc Reis is currently docked in the Black Sea where it underwent a series of repairs and upgrades. It will sail to the Mediterranean in the next few hours.
During his official visit to the Black Sea port of Filyos on Tuesday, Turkey’s Energy Minister, Fatih Donmez said that the research ship is “capable of performing three-dimensional seismic research.”
Türkiye'nin enerji tarihinin yeni sayfaları Filyos'ta yazılıyor.
Bütün kahramanlar gerçek, hikaye hayatın ta kendisi. Yılların emeğinin, sabrının ve azminin karşılığı. pic.twitter.com/PyW1PDMb0E
The same research vessel had been deployed in 2020 and 2021 to conduct surveys off the coast of Cyprus and in the Aegean, increasing tensions between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey at the time.
On the Greek island of Ikaria, there’s a less than 10 per cent chance that you will develop Alzheimer’s in old age.
Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behaviour. Symptoms eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.
In Ikaria, the elderly are staying sharp and healthy and according to the New York Times bestselling author, Dan Buettner,they have a few ancient secrets to avoiding the disease.
1. The Ikarian Diet:
Ikarians eat the strictest version of the Mediterranean diet in the world. They eat a lot less fish and meat and a lot more wild greens. These wild greens have ten times the artery scrubbing antioxidants that red wine does.
According to dietary surveys conducted by Mr Buettner on the island over time, the Ikarians also enjoy herbal teas. These teas are made with herbs like oregano, dandelion, sage, and rosemary.
In Ikaria, you can’t avoid social contact. People expect you to show up at village festivals, at church, and at celebrations. If you don’t, your neighbour will be pounding at your door wondering where you are.
As a result, Ikarians are much less likely to suffer loneliness and depression. Depressed people are 50 per cent more likely to suffer from dementia.
Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has accused Greece of illegal pushbacks and of pursuing a policy of “political repression and discrimination” against its Muslim community.
President Erdogan made the remarks during his address at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
“Greece is turning the Aegean into a cemetery for migrants,” he said.
Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaking at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Photo: @RTErdogan Twitter.
“In the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, a continued stability and peace depends on the respect of everybody’s rights and interests,” Erdogan said, adding that “we call on Greece to cease its policy of provocations and tension and to respond to the call for cooperation and support.”
“Turkey will defend its rights and interests to the very last in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean and will not be entrapped in the games of those who pursue a strategy of tension for political gains,” he stressed.
Following his address, he took to Twitter writing: “I wish the 77th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to be fruitful in a way that will meet the hopes and expectations of humanity, and to be beneficial for our countries and all humanity.”
Birleşmiş Milletler Genel Kurulu 77’nci toplantısının, insanlığın umut ve beklentilerine cevap teşkil edecek başarılara imza atacak şekilde verimli geçmesini, ülkelerimiz ve tüm insanlık için hayırlara vesile olmasını diliyorum. #UNGApic.twitter.com/1Eub6cWpNf
Erdogan’s inflammatory statements have been slammed by Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, who is also in New York and told reporters: “Turkey’s position is testing the limits of logic.”
“The country that is instrumentalising the issue of migration, endangering tens of thousands of lives, comes here to accuse Greece of crimes against humanity, when in fact it is using false data that has been discredited for over ten days,” Dendias said.
Turkey's positions are testing the limits of logic. The country which is instrumentalizing the migration issue by putting tens of thousands of lives in danger, accuses Greece even of crimes against humanity, using, false accusations which have been addressed ten days ago. pic.twitter.com/0jKmZor21e
“Turkey would be best served to respect international law and to return as quickly as possible to the realm of the rational.”
Directly addressing Erdogan’s comments surrounding the treatment of Muslims, Dendias said: “Greece is a European country that absolutely respects human rights and, of course, the rights of its Muslim community.”
“This is proven by the raw numbers – the Muslim community in Greece is growing, expanding, and prospering,” Dendias said.
“We call on Turkey to answer on what happened to the Greek community of Constantinople and how the thriving – with more than 100,000 members in the community, today numbers less than 5,000 people.”
“As it was said in the past, Turkey has no right to speak,” he concluded.
The Muslim minority in 🇬🇷 is expanding and prospering. 🇹🇷 should explain what happened to the 🇬🇷 minority in Constantinople and how the once thriving minority of over 100,000 has now been reduced to less than 5,000 people. As it was said in the past, Turkey has no right to speak.
Apart from the academic lectures, wreath-laying ceremonies and candlelight vigils are the gut-wrenching stories of those who lost their homes.
Angela Kalaf started the private group 10 years ago as a place for people to share their stories and connect with friends and relatives who have scattered around the globe.
Since then, it has grown to 4,300 plus members from the USA, Australia, Greece, Canada and the UK, most of the people are aged over 55 and the women outnumber the men.
It is a place to connect and remember.
Adelaide-based administrator James Dandalis told The Greek Herald: “My involvement dates back to not long after the inception of the group and my inspiration was that I was trying to identify with my cultural heritage after growing up in a house dominated by English.”
“My father, who was a child of parents from Asia Minor, identified as a Greek in name only.”
It was the fascination about his heritage that drew Mr Dandalis to the group, first as an active member and later as an administrator.
James Dandalis at Alatsata (Alacati) in 2011 in front of the home of Alexandros Dandalis his grandfather’s brother. Photo: Supplied to TGH
A DNA test in conjunction with participation in the group has allowed him to connect with extended family from Asia Minor in other cities of Australia.
“Although it was DNA which identified the distant relationships, it was the sharing of our shared oral history which identified common ancestors,” he said.
“As a teen, we had a family holiday to Melbourne, where I met my paternal grandfather’s cousin, Tom Drougas.”
Though Mr Drougas was elderly at the time, he was able to recall details from Asia Minor and gave Mr Dandalis a book, “1922: Destruction of a City”. It was this meeting that sparked an ongoing interest.
“One of Tom’s stories stuck in my mind, he was an 18-year-old soldier who remained in Asia Minor after the Greek army had evacuated,” Mr Dandalis said.
“After he had seen blood dripping from ceilings, victims of the Turkish army, he fled to Greece by swimming from the tip of the Cesme peninsula to Chios, and he rested on two islets near the Asia Minor coast and was picked up by a Greek ship around halfway along his journey to Chios.”
On his first visit to Asia Minor, Mr Dandalis took the ferry from Cesme to Chios and saw the two islets. Remembering Tom’s story, he broke down in tears.
James Dandalis in Istanbul with Agia Sofia in the background. Photo: Supplied to TGH
These are emotions that most members of the group share. Through sharing, they support each other and sometimes find a lost relative or two.
Though many of the group’s members have not set foot in Asia Minor, a number of them believe the trauma incurred by their ancestors is real. “While I empathise with their positions, as descendants we did not experience the horrors of war and genocide and will never know the terror that our ancestors felt,” he said.
Mr Dandalis said that it is important to keep alive the memories, but “not just focus on one aspect of our history, as we have over 3000 years of documented history in Asia Minor”. There’s also the culture and traditions, not just the pain, Mr Dandalis said.
The 29th annual Greek-Serbian Orthodox and Cultural Friendship Day was held at the Serbian Orthodox Parish Hall of “St Stephen” in Plumpton, western Sydney.
The Friendship Day began with a Divine Liturgy by Serbian parish priest, Father Aleksandar Ivanovic. This was followed by the hall event where Father Aleksandar welcomed everyone and thanked the Greek community for their attendance and unwavering friendship.
In attendance were a number of officials and prominent members of the Serbian and Greek communities including the President of the Pan-Macedonian Association of NSW, Anastasia Karakominakis; the President of the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Saint Paraskevi at Blacktown, Professor Vlasios Brakoulias; and members of the Association for Greek Australian Teachers of NSW, Queensland and the ACT; among many others.
On the day, all attendees enjoyed a short message sent by the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Christos Karras, which stressed the strong ties between Serbia and Greece in religion, history and culture.
This was followed by a four-hour music and dance program which was curated in Greek and English by Dimitrios Kametopoulos, and by Ilija Glisic in Serbian.
A number of Greek dancing groups such as Kimata Dance School, Sizmos, the Cypriot Community of Sydney & NSW, and the Cretan Association of Sydney & NSW, performed traditional dances of Cyprus, Macedonia, Thessaly, the Aegean and Crete.
The Serbian dance groups also impressed with their colourful costumes and the diverse traditional sounds from the north of Serbia and the province of Vojvodina in Central Serbia.
The celebration ended at 6pm with those present leaving enthusiastically after the already strong relations of the Greeks and Serbians were strengthened.
Sydney University SFC’s Stephanie Augoustis won a Golden Boot in the 2022 National Premier Leagues NSW Awards on Friday, September 16.
Avgoustis received her award during a formal dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Sydney, which was attended by a number of players, coaches, officials and other high profile guests.
These special guests included former Socceroo legends Rale Rasic and Les Scheinflug, Football Australia Project Manager Community, Robbie Middleby, former Charles Valentine Medallists and Football NSW Life Members, along with the Football NSW Board.
The Club Championship awards were one of the first awards of the evening with Sydney University wrapping yet another one in the NPL NSW Women’s category, while for a record-breaking 16th time, Blacktown City were top of the trumps in the Men’s category.
Referees were honoured soon after with Hassan Jomaa taking out the NPL NSW Men’s category after a sterling season which also saw him earn a spot into the 2022/2023 A-League Men referees panel. Mikayla Ryan clinched top honours in the NPL NSW Women’s category and she too caught the attention of the W-League this time, pushing her cause as a fourth official which was an amazing honour.
The announcement of the Player of the Year and Golden Boot winners in the Under 20/Reserve grade competition were up next.
Augoustis took out the honours in the Women’s Reserve grade notching up 21 goals, while Mt Druitt Town Rangers’ Mabior Garang took out the 20 Men’s scoring 18 for the year.
The Player of the Year awards were up next, and Football NSW Institute’s Siena Arrarte grabbed all the plaudits for an outstanding year in the 20’s, while Sydney FC’s Luka Smyth stood out from the rest of the pack in a big season. No doubt these two players will be knocking on senior club doors in both the men and women NPL competitions and beyond.
Goalkeepers were next on the awards block, and it was Sydney University’s quality shotstopper Courtney Newborn who took out the NPL NSW Women’s category in what was an impressive year for the gun custodian. Manly United’s Jack Greenwood was next up and clinched his respective award after he assisted in the Northern Beaches fantastic run into the finals this year.
The Golden Boot award winners were announced soon after.
The ‘Debbie Tait’ Award for the NPL NSW Women’s Golden Boot was awarded to APIA Leichhardt FC’s Shea Connors who scored 15 goals for the year.
Finally, in the NPL Men’s category, it was a tight contest, but Sydney Olympic’s Irish and former A-League star Roy O’Donovan came through on the final day of round 22, scoring 21 goals, one more than his nearest rival in Rockdale Ilinden’s Alec Urosevski.
It was onto the NPL NSW Men’s ‘Goal of the Year’ award and after 22 rounds there was only one clear winner. In what was a stunning year for goals it came from Manly United’s Brazilian maestro Bruno Mendes that went viral against the Sutherland Sharks in round 14 of the competition.
The Coach of the Year category was next with Sydney University’s quality manager Emily Husband getting the nod from her fellow peers in the NPL NSW Women’s category. Manly United’s outgoing coach Adam Griffiths took out the Men’s category after a splendid season that saw the Northern Beaches narrowly miss out on both the Premiership and Championship.
The time had come for the Player of the Year awards in what was the crucial part of the evening as the suspense was at boiling point for all players involved.
Once again, the clubs voted in a 3-2-1 system after each team put forward their best two players for the 2019 season.
Things were tight in the NPL NSW Women’s category however, it was Sydney University’s US star Rola Badawiya who was quite simply outstanding and a shining light for her side grabbing the evening’s top honour. The ace striker notched up 13 goals and played an integral role in Sydney University’s Premiership victory.
Badawiya beat the likes of Macarthur Rams’ Mel Caceres, APIA’s Shea Connors and Northern Tigers’ Ashlee Brodigan for the top accolade.
The stage was set for the final award of the evening and that was the NPL NSW Men’s award for 2022, the Gold Medal.
After 22 rounds the award was presented to Sydney FC’s young gun Jaiden Kucharski, who collected his second award of the evening.
After a two-year hiatus, the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney will reopen to the public on Wednesday, September 21 following an extensive heritage restoration to reinvigorate the beachside venue.
The stunning $38 million restoration includes an updated art gallery, flexible cultural spaces including the new Bondi Story Room digital heritage space, a welcome centre and box office, two dining venues, a larger Pottery Studio including a second kiln and new toilets, showers and a family and accessible bathroom and change space.
All other existing rooms inside the Pavilion have also been refurbished and upgraded.
Aerial view of the new Bondi Pavilion. Photo supplied.
Features outdoors include landscaped internal courtyards, a new grand entrance to the north and creating additional east-west connections through the Pavilion, better connection from Campbell Parade to the beachfront, terracotta roof tiles in the original 1928 cordova pattern and 220 solar panels that will power 70 percent of the building’s energy needs.
Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, told The Greek Herald the Council’s restoration retains the Pavilion as a community hub and cements its place as a leading arts and culture venue showcasing leading artistic and creative programming.
Mayor Masselos inspects the Bondi Pavilion restoration works. Photo: Waverley Council.
“The building is a showcase of how you can take an old building, making it a 21st century building, keeping the integrity of the building but repurposing it so that it will be again around for another 100 years,” Mayor Masselos said.
Head contractor Buildcorp Managing Director, Tony Sukkar AM, said the team has enjoyed delivering creative solutions that have brought the Pavilion’s new spaces to life and conserved its many heritage features.
“Alongside our sustainability initiatives, we have created community connections and opportunity during the build, adding to the positive legacy of the project,” Mr Sukkar said.
Outside sign. Photo: Construction Photography in Sydney.
Lead architect, Peter Tonkin of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, said designing the Bondi Pavilion restoration was among the most inspiring projects of his career and relished the challenges that come with restoring an old heritage building.
“The Bondi Pavilion is a fine example of how an old building located in a hostile coastal environment can be reimagined through ingenuity and innovation in design,” Mr Tonkin said.
For more than 90 years, the Bondi Pavilion has been a central part of life for residents and visitors to Bondi Beach, providing opportunities that fuel the full spectrum of human emotion and a space for those to engage, create, and curate memories where culture, art, music, ideas, and creativity hum.
Amenities. Photo: Construction Photography in Sydney.
The Bondi Pavilion all-ages community launch will be held at 6pm on Wednesday, September 21 and includes a concert in the courtyard, pop-up exhibitions and activities throughout the building and food and beverage offerings.
“We are delighted to welcome back the community to our beloved Pavilion and for the public to discover and explore all that it has to offer, not just on opening night, but for years to come,” Mayor Masselos said.
The event is free though registration is essential. To register or view the full details of the event, visit the Bondi Pavilion website.
The Foreign Ministers of Greece Nikos Dendias, of Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulides, and of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, held a tripartite meeting on Monday during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
During the meeting, the three foreign ministers discussed a number of security issues related to the South Caucasus and the Eastern Mediterranean.
For his part, Minister Mirzoyan briefed Dendias and Kasoulides on the current situation resulting from the recent Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia.
In response, the Cypriot and Greek ministers expressed their solidarity and support to the Armenian people.
New York | In a 🇬🇷🇦🇲🇨🇾 meeting on the margins of #UNGA, I discussed with #Cyprus@IKasoulides & #Armenia@AraratMirzoyan FMs the escalation of Turkish rhetoric, prospects for solving the Cyprus issue, recent shelling inside Armenian territory by Azerbaijan, EU-Armenia relations. pic.twitter.com/vZJthHHfwy
“Any revisionism, no matter where it comes from, no matter what country it starts from and, in fact, with an attempt to use the energy situation as a weapon against certain states to try to change things on the ground, will meet our resistance,” Dendias said.
The foreign ministers also expressed readiness to continue active contacts within the trilateral format in order to bring it to a qualitatively new level and expand the scope of cooperation.
