Greek Australian young gun and Port Adelaide FC player, Mitch Georgiades, has been named the winner of the 2022 Four’N Twenty Mark of the Year at the Brownlow awards on Sunday night.
Georgiades won the award for his actions in Round Sixteen of the 2022 Toyota Premiership Season when he got up on the shoulder of Fremantle opponent Brennan Cox and brought the mark down.
Georgiades beat out fellow finalists GWS Giants’ Toby Greene and Melbourne’s Charlie Spargo.
At a ceremony where the 20-year-old accepted the Alex Jesaulenko Medal and his prize of $10,000, Georgiades laughed as he remembered the hanger.
The winner of the 2022 @fourntwenty Mark of the Year is 🥁
“I was pretty tired at that stage – think it was the end of the quarter,” he said. “I saw the ball come in and just had a jump – lucky it just stuck… Unfortunately missed the goal, but that’s it.”
Georgiades had two entries in this year’s Mark of the Year race, which is voted for by fans.
He’s the second Port Adelaide player to take home the title, after Chad Wingard won back in 2014.
World leaders, royalty and other dignitaries have arrived in London, United Kingdom today as they prepare to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday, September 19.
In an unprecedented turnout – and security operation – to mark the Queen’s death after 70 years on the throne, numerous presidents, prime ministers and royalty will be among 2000 special guests at Westminster Abbey.
Among the attendees are Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese; Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou; Greece’s Crown Prince Pavlos; the President of the United States, Joe Biden; as well as many others.
US President, Joe Biden, pays his respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Getty Images.
Sakellaropoulou’s attendance at the funeral comes after she telephoned His Majesty King Charles III on Thursday and expressed her condolences for the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Albanese also met with the new king and British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, on Saturday and paid his respects to the Queen’s coffin, which he described as “momentous” and “emotional”.
Walking through Westminster Hall for the Lying in state was an incredibly moving experience. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II meant so much to so many. The raw emotion of those attending to pay their respects made this moment one I will never forget. pic.twitter.com/CRJ7FsTpfe
The Queen’s funeral, which involves three separate services over more than 12 hours, follows 10 days of official mourning in Britain, which has featured 24-hour waits and eight kilometre queues as Britons rushed to pay their respects to their monarch lying in state.
The Queen’s final journey will begin at Westminster Hall, before she is buried with her husband Prince Philip and family at St George’s Chapel at Windsor to London’s west.
One of the most iconic actresses of Greek cinema and theatre, Martha Karagianni, passed away on Sunday at the age of 82.
In a statement following her death, Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said her death “marks the end of the ‘golden age’ of Greek cinema.”
“She was a woman characterised by spontaneity and directness. Her presence gave us and will continue to give us joy, beauty, laughter,” Mendoni said.
📌Η ηγεσία του #ΥΠΠΟΑ για την απώλεια της Μάρθας Καραγιάννη:
Λίνα Μενδώνη: «Στον φετινό, δύσκολο Σεπτέμβριο των μεγάλων απωλειών, ο χαμός της σηματοδοτεί το τέλος της «χρυσής εποχής» του ελληνικού κινηματογράφου…»
“I express my deepest condolences to her family and many friends.”
Karagianni was born in 1939 in Athens and grew up in the neighbourhood of Keratsini. She studied ballet and made her first screen appearance in Madame X (1956).
In 1957, she made her stage debut, but her real breakthrough came in the early 1960s when she started appearing in a series of films directed by Giannis Dalianidis.
Martha Karagianni.
Her stage work includes Mikis Theodorakis’ Omorphi poli, Joe Masteroff’s Cabaret (as Sally Bowles), Nell Dunn’s Steaming and many Greek comedies.
In a statement on Saturday, Turkey’s foreign ministry strongly condemned the move and said it would “further strengthen the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigence and negatively affect efforts to resettle the Cyprus issue.”
“It will lead to an arms race on the island, harming peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean,” the statement said, calling on the US to reconsider its decision and to pursue a balanced policy towards the two sides on the island.
In the meantime, both Greece and Cyprus have welcomed the US decision.
Cyprus hailed the decision to lift the arms embargo as a milestone reaffirming increasingly tighter bilateral bonds that serve to bolster stability in the turbulent east Mediterranean region.
Cypriot President, Nicos Anastasiades, tweeted his gratitude to the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez, for helping to lift the embargo.
I also wish to publicly thank @SenatorMenendez for all his work making possible today’s decision, which is in accord with his East Med Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019. Yesterday I spoke to the Senator and once again expressed my gratitude for his friendship.
Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, also welcomed the decision and said it constitutes a “political landmark” in relations between Washington and Nicosia.
“I welcome and express my deep satisfaction for the decision of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the full lifting of the arms embargo by the US against Cyprus,” Dendias tweeted.
Greece, along with Cyprus and the United States will continue its efforts in order to promote security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, always on the basis of respect to International Law and especially the International Law of the Sea.
The US first enacted the embargo for Cyprus in 1987 to prevent a potential arms race from harming peace talks with the Mediterranean island nation’s breakaway Turkish Cypriots.
Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup aimed at union with Greece.
Barred access to US weapons, Cyprus turned to Russia to procure Mi-35 attack helicopters, T-80 tanks and Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems.
Now, the US will assess annually whether Cyprus complies with conditions for the embargo lift, including implementing anti-money laundering regulations and denying Russian military vessels access to ports for refuelling and servicing.
The Federal Member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas MP, tabled a notice of motion on Monday, September 5 calling on the Australian Government tosupport the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
The motion calls on the Parliament to affirm its support for the rights of the Republic of Cyprus and Greece to explore and use natural resources discovered within its exclusive economic zone, and to oppose recognition of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a legitimate State.
The Adelaide Minister also requested Parliament to condemn Turkey’s re-opening of Varosha seafront in Famagusta and express concern at the Turkish military build-up in occupied Cyprus.
The Varosha beach had been closed since 1974. Photo: Nedim EnginsoyGreek Cypriots protesting after Turkish authorities reopened Varosha. Photo: Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Getty Images
In a statement, Mr Georganas said: “It is vital Australia acts to reinforce the efforts of the UN and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.”
“The ever-evolving nature of the situation in Cyprus concerns me greatly, I believe justice is well overdue,” he added.
The September 2022 notice of motion signed by Georganas.
For Mr Georganas, the invasion not only impacts Cypriot communities but also tens of thousands of Australians of Cypriot descent, being a constant reminder of an ongoing struggle for freedom and reunification.
“I have engaged closely with the Greek and Cypriot communities and in doing so I join them in their calls for a peaceful resolution,” he said.
“I am a firm believer that whilst Cyprus is geographically distant, the connections through families, friends, and the vital role the Government of the Republic of Cyprus has played in peacekeeping efforts over the years, reinforces the importance to stand by them in a movement for an amicable solution.”
The High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia – designate Antonis Sammoutis attended a Commonwealth Service at The Lodge in Canberra on Tuesday, September 13 to commemorate the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Mr Sammoutis, along with other High Commissioners and Ambassadors from Commonwealth countries, were welcomed to The Lodge on the day by the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese.
In an informal meeting prior to the service, Mr Sammoutis and Mr Albanese spoke briefly about the Queen and her contribution to the Commonwealth, as well as the Prime Minister’s connection to Australia’s Cypriot community.
“I was very pleased to hear of Mr Albanese’s long standing relationship with the Cyprus community in Australia,” Mr Sammoutis told The Greek Herald.
Mr Sammoutis signing the condolence book.
Following the Commonwealth Service where Mr Albanese spoke about the Queen following her death last week, Mr Sammoutis and everyone in attendance signed a condolence book.
This comes as overnight, Mr Albanese left Sydney to travel to Britain for the Queen’s funeral. Mr Albanese was accompanied by nine other Australians, among them Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott and i4give Day founder, Danny Abdallah.
The High Commissioner – designate said he looks forward to providing his credentials to the Governor-General of Australia David Hurley in the coming weeks and officially meeting with Mr Albanese when he returns to discuss the Cyprus issue.
The IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition (ASC) is considered the most prestigious competition in Australia and is now in its 40th year.
With the largest suite of prizes, awards, scholarships, educational opportunities, performance opportunities and grants on offer, it is highly competitive and a great accomplishment to progressing in the ASC.
23-year-old Jeremy Boulton, who has Greek Australian heritage, has progressed to the Finals of the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition.
Boulton has music in his blood, with his grandfather, Anthimos Panagiotidis, an avid clarinet player, as his inspiration for studying and continuing the art of classical and opera music.
The 10 ASC Semi-Finalists after their Semi-Final performances at The Independent Theatre. Photo by Mark Sotheran (WinkiPop Media).
The ASC Heats were conducted around Australia in July. The National Adjudicator, highly acclaimed Counter-Tenor and Managing Director of Arts Management, Graham Pushee, with assistance from local Adjudicators, selected ten impressive young singers who competed at the Semi Finals Concert of the IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition on Sunday, August 28 at the Independent Theatre, North Sydney. All ten singers performed with collaborative artist, celebrated pianist Bradley Gilchrist.
At the end of the well-attended ASC Semi-Finals Concert, Mr Pushee, supported by his fellow Semi-Finals Adjudicators (Cheryl Barker AO, Brian Castles-Onion AM, Michael Halliwell, and Nöemi Terracini-Nadelmann) named the 2022 ASC Finalists: mezzo Kristin Astouroghlian (VIC), bass Jake Bigwood (WA), baritone Jeremy Boulton (NSW), soprano Billie Tumarkin (VIC), and soprano Younji Yi (NSW).
The 5 ASC Finalists, and National Adjudicator, Graham Pushee. Photo by Mark Sotheran (WinkiPop Media).
The IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition Finals Concert will take place on Saturday, October 1 starting at 7pm at the Concert Hall at The Concourse in Chatswood, NSW.
Each performer will sing two pieces accompanied by the incomparable Opera Australia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Vladimir Fanshil. The Finals Concert will be recorded for broadcast on ABC Classic.
Generous arts philanthropist, Dr Haruhisa Handa, has sponsored the Orchestra at the Finals through his International Foundation for Arts and Culture since 1997.
The IFAC Handa Australian Singing Competition is open to opera and classical singers under the age of 26, and offers a number of career-building awards making it Australasia’s premier competition. In 2022, entry age has been extended to 28 to accommodate the interruptions caused by Covid-19.
Former Victoria University (VU) Chancellor, George Pappas AO, received an Honorary Doctorate today to recognise his significant contributions to higher education, business, and philanthropy in Melbourne’s West and beyond.
Dr Pappas served as VU’s fourth Chancellor from 2010 to 2019, bringing to the University his vast business experience and networks, and a brilliant strategic mind.
He was a strong advocate of introducing the Australian-first VU Block Model of teaching and learning in 2018, and worked closely with then-Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Dawkins to ensure its proven success in increasing student success, retention and engagement.
As a migrant from the island of Rhodes in Greece who came to Australia with his family at age six in 1952, Dr Pappas displayed a strong belief in the power of education to transform the lives of students, especially those from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds – many of whom were first in their families to go to university.
Dr Pappas and his wife Jill, are generous philanthropists and have contributed widely to VU scholarships for asylum seekers and First Nations students, and to VU’s work with AVID Australia, a whole-school improvement system that supports teachers and school leaders to raise the education outcomes of under-achieving students. They also contributed to VU research appeals and to VU’s 2016 Centenary Campaign, among many other causes.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Economics with First Class Honours from Monash University in 1968, and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School in 1971, Dr Pappas joined the international management consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the USA, before returning to Australia to co-found Pappas Carter Evans and Koop (PCEK).
It became the country’s leading management consultancy before it was eventually acquired by BCG, where Dr Pappas remained as a member of its worldwide Executive Committee.
Dr Pappas undertook a range of State and Federal Government assignments after retiring from consulting in 2002, which included serving as Under Secretary of the Victorian Premier’s Department from 2003 to 2005, and leading an audit of the Federal Defence Budget in 2008.
He was appointed Chairman of the Committee for Melbourne in 2005, leading its efforts to support new and innovative industries, and promote Melbourne as a centre for higher education and biotechnology.
His role as a board member spanned bodies in government, medical research and sport — and included service to his beloved Western Bulldogs Football Club from 2001 to 2013, where he was made a life member. Dr Pappas received the Order of Australia (AO) in 2016 for such wide-ranging and highly successful contributions, and for the strong commitment and dedication to all he does – which continues to be highly valued by Victoria University.
Films or movies serve as entertainment, as escapism and as art – hopefully encompassing all of these aspects. Films as art can get tricky. What is an ‘art’ film, which is more often than not an independent (indie) film?
These are among the many themes clarified in my interview with the independent film maker of Greek-Australian origin, Mr Bill Mousoulis. Now 59 years of age, Bill has been making movies since he was 19.
From short films on his hand-held film camera, to feature films, to films in Australia and even films in Greece, Bill Mousoulis’ filmography incorporates over 100 diverse movies. With mainly non professional actors, he has written, directed, edited, funded and self promoted almost all of his films.
One of his feature films, ‘A Nocturne’ (2007), for which he won the Best Film award at the Melbourne Underground film festival – led him to be invited to European film festivals for screenings. This included Athens in 2008.
I asked him why as a Greek Australian he hadn’t considered visiting Greece before 2008 (when he was 45 years of age)? He tells me that he was so preoccupied with his filmmaking passion in Australia, that he just didn’t have the time.
“Although I was contacted by the Athens Film Festival regarding my three (Australian) feature film ‘My Blessings’ in 1997 to go there. But, being an independent filmmaker, I didn’t have enough money to be able to make a second copy of the film (pre advanced technology) and send it to them,” he laughs.
A scene from ‘My Blessings’
I ask Bill, how could a budding filmmaker make a film now, on hardly any money?
“Well nowadays, you can make them on your phone, because film has become so expensive, and phone cameras are good. Just film around your reality. For example, my first films were shorts, where my cousins were the actors!” he says.
He also advises: “Unfortunately many think more about awards and their profile, but start first with the joy of making art, and when you’ve made something you like – enter it in film festivals, but also stream your film online!”
“Everyone tends to think primarily in money terms more these days. They’re not as independent, due to social structures; a deeply entrenched capitalism. For example in the 80’s there were film co-ops where people worked together for the love of the art predominantly. Now it’s changed and is mainly big money oriented to mainstream films, where artistic integrity usually suffers in the process.”
After having watched quite a few of Bill Mousoulis’ films, I am in awe of his creativity and artistry, but also of a professional path whereby he seems to innately stay true to himself and to his humanistic values. I ask him which films inspired him as a child, and to my surprise he tells me:
“I was never really into movies until I was 19. My mum would take me as a kid to see Disney movies on school holidays at the pictures, and I enjoyed that. I also later appreciated Spielberg and Hitchcock movies for example, in their staging and editing, but it was at 19 that I discovered European Cinema, and then I decided I was going to be a film-maker,” he says.
Bill goes on to mention Rossellini and Godard and the French New Wave of films as really inspiring him as a true art form – in their creativity and social realism.
“Compared to mainstream films, I was in awe of their deep humanism and more complex artistry in regards to life’s injustices. I also found this sentiment in Greece, more so than Australia and so I spent quite a bit of time there, interspersed between 2008-2017,” he explains.
The main character in ‘Wild and Precious’
He made two feature films in Greece: ‘Wild and Precious’ (2012) – about an expat filmmaker in Greece, who had to often leave his wife and child behind to follow his creative passion, including working as a documentary of the Greek economic crisis for an Australian journalist in Athens. The film has a semi-documentary as well as a dramatic style, testament to Bill Mousoulis’ eclectic, individual approach which varies in each film.
“Actors Jennifer Levy and Alessandro Figurelli with Bill Mousoulis, shooting Wild and Precious”.
His other Greek feature film, ‘Songs of Revolution’ (2017) – with English subtitles, shows a sub culture of musicians who are politicised due to the socioeconomic context of their lives in modern Greece, and use their music as an artistic outlet. Bill tells me that he met most of the film’s participants in cafes in central Athens and was impressed by their talent and radical, philosophical voices.
He also made a shorter version of the same film – ‘Songs of the Underground’ which is condensed but just as moving and entertaining.
Musicians Antouan Parinis and Dimitris Poulikakos in ‘Songs of Revolution’
Bill is now working on his film in Australia, titled ‘My Darling in Stirling,’ which he tells me is a musical, and that the ‘Stirling’ part is related to the name of a place in Australia in the Adelaide Hills. “It should be out mid next year” he says.
As to Greece beckoning: “I plan on going next year with my wife, but I don’t have any plans for making another film there.”
In closing, I ask Bill what he hopes to convey to the audiences of his films, within his own passion for film-making as a creative outlet.
“I want to convey an appreciation and wonder of life and its mystery and complexity. I want to show that people can own their own lives and be fulfilled, and be fair and connected to others. I’ve always been a realist and thus express and capture life; this helps people have a connection. I want to provide a little sense of something real and valuable. To have done some good in the world,” he concludes.
Bill Mousoulis: An admirably talented artist, and an admirable Greek-Australian and human being with integrity.
You can find out more about Bill Mousoulis and his films, as well as watch them through his website www.innersense.com.au including watching each of his films on Vimeo for free.
This September, host of Gardening Australia and Landcare champion Costa Georgiadis is joining forces with Junior Landcare to ask Aussie kids ‘What’s in your backyard?’
Junior Landcare understands that children can’t be involved in caring for the environment if they don’t love it – and one way to do this is for children to get their hands and feet in it. Throughout National Biodiversity Month and the school holidays, children are encouraged to grab a camera, or use a mobile phone camera, to capture photos of the flora and fauna in their backyard, and then share them with Costa and Junior Landcare, explaining why their backyard is important to them.
“We’re calling on all Aussie kids to get outside and explore their local environment,” says Costa. “Your backyard might be a garden. If you live in an apartment, your garden could be plants on your balcony. You may live near a park or bushland area, or a river or wetland. You may live on the coast close to the sea, or on a farm – these could all be your backyard!”
Children (via their parents, carers and educators) can submit photos to the Junior Landcare website, under one of four themes including biodiversity, food production, First Nations perspectives and waste management, to be in the running to win one of nine cameras (RRP $250), book hampers and other great prizes. One school or youth group will also win a visit from Costa to check out their environmental projects.
Joining Costa as a campaign supporter and host of Channel 10’s The Living Room, Barry Du Bois, says that he wants his ten-year-old twins, Bennett and Arabella, to experience the same sense of wonder around nature that he had when he was young.
“As a young boy, I loved exploring the creeks, beaches, animals and secret hiding spots in my own backyard, and I want that for Bennett and Arabella. There’s something magical about nature, and the ‘What’s in your Backyard’ campaign will help kids to find that magic in their own backyards.”
‘What’s in your backyard?’ is a key activity of Junior Landcare’s Learning Centre. The online platform features fun, easy-to-use learning activities developed by education professionals to help children be aware, empowered and active in caring for their local environment.
The resources have all been designed to help children build knowledge and deeper connections to biodiversity, where their food comes from, recycling and waste management, and First Nations perspectives.
This year, together with First Nations educator, Wiradjuri man Adam Shipp, 10 new First Nations learning activities have been developed by Landcare Australia to teach children and educators about how to have a connection to Country.
“Young people play a vital role in caring for our environment, which needs all the help it can get! Junior Landcare gives children – no matter where they are across the country – the opportunity to understand nature, connect with it and take action to protect the world around them. With Junior Landcare, we are educating the next generation of Landcarers – and this starts with parents, carers and educators encouraging simple moments outdoors,” says Costa.
The ‘What’s in your backyard’ campaign opens on 6th September, as part of National Biodiversity Month, and closes on 31st October, so grab a camera, get outside, and snap photos of the flora and fauna in your backyard to share with Costa and Junior Landcare. Find out more atwww.juniorlandcare.org.au/WIYBY.
About Junior Landcare:
Junior Landcare provides children the opportunity to play an active role in ensuring the safe future of their environment. Activities in the Junior Landcare program helps young Australians to develop skills, share knowledge, create experiences and foster connections with place and community. Junior Landcare encourages continuous participation from childhood to adulthood so that the children of today, become the Landcarers of the future.
