South Australian local, Heather Makris, has called on more people to become organ donors this National DonateLife Week.
The 46-year old school principal had liver failure during a routine operation in 2016 and was on the organ waitlist until December 2019 when she received a phone call notifying her of a liver match.
“That call still makes me emotional, I remember every word,” Ms Makris told ABC News.
This personal journey has seen Ms Makris urge more people to consent to be a donor this year.
Heather Makris received a donor liver transplant in December 2019. Photo: ABC News.
South Australia currently leads the nation with 73 percent of the state’s population signing up to being a donor.
The Setting Sun Film Festival is presenting a program of short films from the Athens International Short Film Festival on Sunday, August 21 at The Greek Centre for Contemporary Culture in Melbourne.
Due to a partnership between the two film festivals, Australian cinephiles can enjoy watching award-winning films ranging from drama, documentary and animation, which screened in Athens in June.
The Setting Sun Film Festival is the premier festival of Melbourne’s western suburbs and an international festival that attracts entries from around the world.
Ten films have been selected and showcase talented emerging and established Greek and Cypriot filmmakers.
The programme is as follows:
Beauty: A 20-minute-long drama directed by Thanos Liberopoulos where Callie, an unemployed young woman living with her controlling mother, is looking for a way out through the glittery yet cruel YouTube beauté universe.
Just Like Water: Directed by Manos Triantafillakis, the 12-minute and 54-second film explores the life and experiences of the director’s father, Spyros.
Soul Food: In this 24-minute and 9-second drama directed by Nikos Tseberopoulos, audiences are introduced to 15-year-old Yannis who is moving into his mother’s boyfriend’s apartment. Yannis starts hanging out with Olga, a socially secluded hard rock 40-year-old woman who lives in the basement of the apartment building.
Violetta: After the sudden death of Violetta’s mother, her father is looking for a way to renew their relationship. The dramatic short is 14 minutes and 50 seconds long and is directed by Fivos Smells.
Amygdala: A 22-minute and 21-second horror directed by Maria Hatzakou in which two sisters, Anna and Melina spend the last days of the summer in their vacation house outside Athens.
Vouta: An 18-minute documentary directed by Dimitris Zahos that follows Vouta, a pigeon that flies all the way up to the clouds, then dives at 230 km/h and slows down just before reaching the ground.
1980: Directed by Constantine Venetopoulos, this nine-minute-long drama features a man who looks for love in a dystopian period of time not so different from ours, where fear is the latest pandemic.
Every Sunday: A 3-minute and 38-second documentary directed by Keti Papadema in which a group of Filipino domestic workers in Cyprus prepare for a beauty pageant organised by their community, while a case of a serial killer targeting foreign female workers comes to the surface.
Paradox: In this 10-minute and 15-second drama, director Soultana Koumoutsi unfolds the fairy tale of a woman who goes out for a walk, meets a boy and ends up in a hotel.
Elevator Alone: Across 3 minutes and 38 seconds, the animation directed by Anastasia Papadopoulou features four people and the time they spend in an elevator.
The programme duration, including intermission, is 2 hours and 42 mins.Viewing commences at 5pm on Sunday, August 21, and tickets can be purchased here.
The organising committee chair of the Brisbane Olympics 2023, Andrew Liveris, has said the games will transform the Queensland city into a ‘lifestyle superpower.’
In an interview with The Chronicle, Mr Liveris said the decade-long runway into the 2032 event means Brisbane has the chance to reposition itself as a global city.
“I think we can do a Sydney but we can also take Brisbane to a level that it isn’t mentioned as the third city in Australia, it’s mentioned as the pre-eminent location for investment or leisure and for these golden moments of life… the ultimate location to live,” he said.
Mr Liveris said his inbox is already overflowing with expressions of interest for things such as mascot and medal designs at a rate he’s never seen before.
“We’re going to have to go better than LA (2024), it’s our duty to deliver a net positive games in today’s society,” he said.
The global business executive is insisting though on a steady-as-she-goes pathway, with planning truly kickstarted by the appointment of a chief executive officer for the committee later this year.
Oppenheimer will be working with Antetokounmpo and the remaining members of the Greek squad, and will also provide scouting knowledge centered on other NBA players set to play against Greece in the EuroBasket.
Hellenic Basketball Federation, Vangelis Liolios, confirmed the news last week.
“We have a strong coaching staff, of course there are also the trainers, the physiotherapists. We want the National Team to have our respect and support, to create the best possible conditions for the technical staff,” Mr Liolios said in his announcement.
“The only thing certain is that the National Team was, is and will be the official favourite.”
Greece will play in EuroBasket’s Group C, where they will face Estonia, Ukraine, Great Britain, Italy, and Croatia.
Greek firefighters continued to battle a major wildfire in the Dadia National Park near the border with Turkey for a fifth day on Monday, Ekathimerini reports.
320 firefighters, two water-bombing planes and four helicopters were deployed on Monday to contain the fire at the Dadia park, which broke out on Thursday.
Evros Region Vice-Governor, Dimitris Petrovic, said a precautionary evacuation of people with respiratory and mobility issues from the village of Lefkimi at Dadia National Park, was carried out on Monday.
Moderate winds are fanning two fire fronts, Mr Petrovic added, one in the southern part of the national park and the other in the southwestern region.
Firefighters battle a wildfire at Dadia National Park.
The village of Dadia, which was evacuated for the second time in three days on Sunday, was no longer threatened by the fire.
According to maps created by the National Observatory of Forest Fires (NOFFi), over 2,528 hectares of dense woodland have been burnt so far in Dadia park.
Dadia is one of the most important protected areas in Europe, offers ideal habitat for rare birds and is home to the only breeding population of black vultures in the Balkans.
Map of the damage at Dadia National Park. Source: NOFFi.
It hosts three out of the four vulture species of Europe – the black vulture, the griffon vulture and the Egyptian vulture – and 36 of Europe’s 38 species of raptors.
Its varied habitats also support 104 butterfly species, 13 amphibian species, 29 reptile species and about 65 mammal species, 24 out of which are bats.
“It’s an uphill battle, a fight to ensure the survival of this exceptional ecosystem,” Greece’s Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Stylianidis, said on Monday after visiting the affected area.
📍 Σε #Δαδιά#Έβρος κυβερνητικό κλιμάκιο υπό Υπ. Κλιματικής Κρίσης & Πολιτ.Προστασίας@StylianidesEU: Μεγάλες οι προσπάθειες όλων – Στόχος η διάνοιξη αντιπυρικών ζωνών νοτιοδυτικά για πρόσβαση από επίγειες δυνάμεις – Ευχαριστούμε θερμά όσους συνδράμουν
This wildfire comes as emergency crews were trying to contain fires near the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, the island of Lesvos in the eastern Aegean, and in Pella in central Macedonia on Monday.
In Lesvos, the wildfire at the southern part of the island has been contained but the fire is still burning at area of Rogada, where it first broke out on Saturday, and where water-bombing aircraft are still operating.
The Cypriot and Greek communities of New South Wales came together over the weekend to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus with a jam-packed cultural program.
Events kicked off on Saturday, July 23 with a special cocktail party at The Cyprus Club in Stanmore in the presence of the Shipping Deputy Minister to the Cypriot President, Vassilios Demetriades.
All photos copyright: The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
The formal function was attended by over 50 people including a number of dignitaries and prominent community members such as the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, Martha Mavrommatis; His Grace Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis; the Co-Presidents of the Justice for Cyprus Co-ordinating Committee (SEKA NSW), Chris Koulinos and Dr Miranda Adamou; the President of the Pan-Australian Justice for Cyprus Coordinating Committee (PASEKA), Georgia Alexandrou; and the President of the Cyprus Community of NSW, Andrew Costa; among many others.
A number of passionate speeches were given on the night by some of these attendees.
The Greek Herald also spoke with the Shipping Deputy Minister on the night and he gave a strong message to our readers, encouraging them to continue to bring the Cyprus issue to the attention of the Australian Government.
“I’m here in Australia to convey a message from the President and all the political parties in Cyprus that we should not forget. We should continue and make every attempt in order to see a unified Cyprus,” Mr Demetriades told The Greek Herald.
“The Cypriot diaspora in Australia can be our best ambassadors in promoting the Cyprus problem, in promoting our interests… to the government and members of Parliament here in Australia.
“I really want to thank all Greeks and Cypriots here in Australia for their continuous support to Cyprus and of course, to continue having Greek traditions, Cypriot traditions in their heart, in their everyday life, promoting our problem and of course to promote our values to the younger generation.”
With the conclusion of our interview and the event itself, everyone in attendance went home only to return the next day for a memorial service in memory of the fallen Cypriot fighters at the Cathedral of The Annunciation of Our Lady in Redfern.
At the end of the memorial service, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia awarded Ms Mavrommatis in recognition of her life-long service to Orthodoxy, and wished her well at her upcoming diplomatic posting to China.
Following this memorial, dignitaries, officials and members of local Greek and Cypriot community organisations gathered at the Cenotaph in Martin Place for a wreath laying ceremony.
The ceremony included a prayer reading by Bishop Bartholomew, the playing of the Last Post and Rouse by Harry from the St George Brass Band, the reading of the Ode in Greek and English by Andrew Kitsos and Peter Tsigounis, and a minute silence.
Finally, the day ended with an anti-occupation gathering at The Cyprus Club and a powerful cultural program which was emceed by Themi Kallos.
The program included a dancing performance by the Cyprus Community of NSW’s dance school, poem recitals, and a number of speeches by Mr Demetriades, Mr Koulinos, Ms Mavrommatis, Ms Alexandrou, Mr Costa and Dr Adamou.
Ms Mavrommatis drew loud applause from the crowd with her speech as she stressed “we will never forget” those who lost their lives during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the refugees and those people who are still missing.
“We will continue fighting until we are victorious,” the Cypriot High Commissioner exclaimed. “We continue our battle because we want Hellenism and Christianity to survive in Cyprus.”
In his speech, Mr Koulinos, the Co-President of SEKA NSW, stressed that the Cypriots and Greeks in NSW will “stand beside” the government of Cyprus in calling for a solution to the Cyprus problem.
Mr Costa from the Cyprus Community of NSW also took to the podium and shared how he was impacted when the bones of a close friend, Costas Roussidis, were recently found after he went missing during the 1974 Turkish invasion.
Mr Costa then read out a speech given to Parliament four years ago by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling on the Federal Government to support Cyprus. Mr Costa urged Cypriots across Australia to continue lobbying the PM to put pressure on Turkey about the Cyprus problem.
At the conclusion of these speeches, a number of gifts were exchanged between the Shipping Deputy Minister and the Presidents of PASEKA, SEKA NSW and the Cyprus Community of NSW.
Official proceedings ended with a singing performance by the Community’s choir, as well as the obligatory official photographs with everyone in attendance.
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
More than 40 multilingual students are set to bolster the NSW Government’s interpreting ranks after successfully completing its Interpreting Scholarship program.
Facilitated by the University of NSW, 42 students have graduated from the NSW Government Interpreting Scholarship program and will now be able to put their new qualifications into practice through Multicultural NSW, where they will also be given additional mentoring and professional development.
Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said the new graduates will be welcome additions among the state’s interpreting professionals.
“Multicultural NSW is Australia’s leading provider of interpreting services, and each of these graduates has a chance to join its ranks and fill shortages in key languages,” Mr Coure said.
Among the key languages the new interpreters will be covering include Filipino, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Macedonian, Nepali, Portuguese, Serbian, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
Mr Coure said with a growing number of people in NSW speaking a language other than English, interpreters are more important than ever.
“The latest census data shows us that more NSW residents are speaking a language other than English at home. Those numbers will continue to grow as more of the world’s citizens choose to find a brighter future in our great state,” Mr Coure said.
Have you ever thought about turning the language you speak into a career?
Our Interpreter Scholarship Program is currently open and we’re looking for people who speak emerging languages in NSW.
— Mark Coure MP – Min for Multiculturalism & Seniors (@markcourelive) July 7, 2022
“This scholarship program is about tapping into the availability of these languages in NSW, where we can create job opportunities for people to use their language skills and in turn help their communities.”
Turkish-Australian student Sena Uzun said she felt the course had prepared her well for community interpreting after completing a bachelor’s degree in translating and interpreting in her former homeland of Turkey.
“I think what Australia is doing in terms of providing support, and services to multicultural and linguistically diverse communities is very important,” Ms Uzun said.
Thai-born Lydia Armour said she felt she was better equipped to support her Wollongong Thai community after the course.
“The level of support from Multicultural NSW and the depth of knowledge from lecturers, tutors and the Thai tutor was amazing,” Ms Armour said.
“I’m very invested in my Thai community and this is an important way that I can ensure everyone has fairer and more equitable access to services and information.”
“Interpreting is a very difficult and demanding profession that requires high-level training of competent bilinguals, UNSW is pleased to work in collaboration with Multicultural NSW to extend its course offerings to include more languages as needed in the community,” Professor Sandra Hale said.
“Training opportunities for many community languages have been limited in Australia. UNSW is very excited to work with Multicultural NSW to fill this critical gap.”
Multicultural NSW and the University of New South Wales worked together to develop the 20-week micro credential to help fill language shortages.
Each of the 42 scholarship graduates will now be able to sit a Certified Provisional Interpreter test allowing them to work as interpreters for Multicultural NSW.
Through the 2022-23 NSW Budget, $8 million per year for two years has been committed to boosting the NSW Government’s languages services, including an expansion of its Interpreter Scholarship Program.
Sydney Olympic FC remain in the hunt for the Premiership after they secured a 3-2 win against Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Popondetta Park on Friday Night.
Roy O’Donovan started the lead with his shot bringing his tally to 19 for the season so far all the while giving a beautiful assist to McIllhatton to secure three points.
The hosts pulled one back in the second half through substitute Mabior Garang and then a late screamer from Jack Stewart for some consolation.
The visitors were looking to put pressure on the top two in the league coming into the final week and got the opener through the head of O’Donovan from an Oliver Pufflet cross for 1-0.
— Sydney Olympic FC (@SydneyOlympicFC) July 22, 2022
Mt Druitt Town Rangers tried to respond themselves in the 25th minute through their own sharpshooter Jack Stewart, but his effort was thrashed wide of the right-hand post.
Not content to sit on their goal lead, Olympic kept pushing forward.
Post-match, Mt Druitt Town Rangers coach Stewart Montgomery stated that the game was a snapshot of the Rangers season in 2022.
“It was a snapshot of the season for us,” he explained.
“We had good moments then conceded on the transition against a good Sydney Olympic FC side.
From fluffy robes to silk pyjamas, members of the Cretan Association of Sydney & NSW got into the spirit of National Pyjama Day on Friday, July 22 to raise money for children in foster care.
A total of $1,751 was raised by the Cretan Association for The Pyjama Foundation, which provides mentoring, education and resources to support young children in foster care.
The successful fundraising event was held at the Ashbury Senior Citizen’s Centre in Sydney’s inner west, and was well attended by the dancing groups and members of the Cretan Association.
On the night, “best dressed” prizes were awarded to the different dancing groups of the Cretan Association, as well as a category of members and parents.
The Cretan Association’s Committee ran their weekly kitchen with all the proceeds going to The Pyjama Foundation. Members also made donations on the night, and a raffle and auction were held to support the cause.
“It was great to see our members and dancing groups wearing their Pyjamas and getting involved for such a good cause,” President of the Cretan Association, Terry Saviolakis, told The Greek Herald after the event.
“Despite being such a cold night, the hall was full and we are very happy to have raised so much money for The Pyjama Foundation.”
Irene Stergos has been named as a finalist for the prestigious Viatris Pharmacy Student of the Year by the Australian Pharmaceutical Society.
Irene is currently a pharmacy student at Charles Darwin University (CDU) and her nomination marks the first time that CDU or the Northern Territory has been represented on the national stage of the award.
In an interview with CDU Media, Irene said her dream of becoming a pharmacist stemmed from living in Darwin with her family.
“My grandparents are on medications, and I just wanted to help them out and make sure they understand the medicine and look after their health,” Irene said in the interview.
CDU student competes in national final for Pharmacy Student of the Year!
Pharmacy student Irene Stergos has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Viatris Pharmacy Student of the Year by the Australian Pharmaceutical Society.https://t.co/1c7p8KDakq
The 23-year-old added that she’s excited about the recognition and one day hopes to become a qualified pharmacist in the NT or work in local remote communities.
“I feel that Darwin has big opportunities for pharmacy because there are so many patients from different communities. So, it’s good for them to understand what they are taking,” she said.
Irene will now travel to Sydney to compete in the national final, where the eight finalists will face a real-life clinical situation working with a patient with signs and symptoms or a product request.
