Staff at one of South Australia’s biggest ‘super-spreader’ sites were recently moved to hotel quarantine for their final week of quarantine.
Joseph Vaccaro is a chef at the Greek on Halifax and says he was a week into his isolation period at home when he was contacted by SA Health on Monday.
“We were more than happy to do everything required from our own home, which is exactly what we were doing,” Mr Vaccaro tells Adelaide Now.
He was told he would be transferred to medi-hotel, the Pullman Hotel, despite testing negative for COVID-19.
“It was awkward, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Now it is totally unpleasant.”
A cleaner deep cleans the Greek on Halifax (Left: ABC News/Michael Clements) (Right:Picture by Emma Brasier)
Mr. Vaccaro worked in the kitchen at the Greek on Halifax on the night of July 17 when a positive case of COVID-19 visited the restaurant.
A staff member later tested positive.
Mr. Vaccaro describes SA Health’s move as an “absolute over-reaction” and a “complete farce” and says conditions inside the hotel are poor.
““I’ve been locked in this airtight room since Monday.”
He tells Adelaide Now that the kettle in his room was also replaced multiple times after it tripped the power.
He says the situation has also stressed his mother, who has Parkinsons and for whom he provides care.
About 100 people were moved to medi-hotels on the basis that they had been at high-risk “super spreader” sites.
72-year-old Pauline has been a resident of the Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA) for many years and was shocked when NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, first announced her region would be subject to tougher stay-at-home orders during the current state lockdown.
She wasn’t alone. People from the seven other LGA’s of Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, Cumberland, Blacktown, Parramatta, Campbelltown and Georges River have also joined a growing list of areas subjected to tougher restrictions of mandatory masks and a 5km travel limit, as well as an Authorised Workers Order. This means non-essential workers are prohibited from leaving their local area.
Add to this the other hundreds of thousands of residents across Greater Sydney, but outside the eight LGA’s, who are also still only able to leave their homes for essential shopping, medical care, exercise, or essential work and education, and it’s no surprise that morale is low and frustration with the lockdown is growing.
A higher police presence is expected across south-west and western Sydney today to enforce the tighter restrictions.
“I don’t go out that much and for me it was more about staying at home, keeping safe and keeping my daughter safe,” Pauline, who lives with her daughter, tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
“I am lucky because my daughter does everything. She does the shopping and I mean we’ve cut down on a lot of things. We only go and get the essentials. I say to her, ‘go in and get out and come home’ and that’s it.
“We haven’t seen any family members at all either. We just ring everybody up. I’ll get phone calls from sister-in-laws, from brother-in-laws, my granddaughter and grandson and he writes, ‘I miss you yiayia, I miss you’.”
Separation from family and friends:
This form of separation from family and friends is not uncommon during the recent lockdown in NSW.
In fact, according to Elfa Moraitakis, who is the CEO of SydWest, a leading multicultural organisation servicing Greater Western Sydney, feelings of isolation amongst communities are growing.
“The City’s steadily growing population of older people finds a lot of seniors – especially the ones with no families – totally isolated,” Ms Moraitakis, who is also a Director of Settlement Services International and of the NSW Council of Social Services (NCOSS), tells The Greek Herald.
“At SydWest we run 15 language specific seniors social support groups. Why do we assume that they are all digitally connected and with families? They are suffering.”
Ms Moraitakis stresses there has also been a rise in instances of domestic violence, and more people are experiencing financial distress.
“A large number of individuals cannot access disaster payments because they are receiving some form of Centerlink benefit to supplement their low income,” she says.
“There are frontline workers that need to come in and out of the LGAs in lockdown to look after seniors and people with disabilities, people with severe mental health problems, homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, and they are not entitled to assistance.
“This is the reason why recently we joined ACOSS in urging the government to lift the bar in accessing these payments.”
‘It was a little community effort’:
And what about her thoughts on the recent COVID-19 vaccination messaging by the NSW and Federal Governments?
Ms Moraitakis says a recent survey undertaken by SydWest and NCOSS showed how multicultural communities find public health information “confusing” and they don’t go to government websites for their information. Rather, people are turning to their trusted community leaders for accuracy of information and sharing of knowledge.
“These community leaders are our priests, the leaders of our ethno-specific organisations, GPs and high-profile members of the communities,” she explains.
Some people say they have been confused by the NSW and Federal Government’s vaccine messages. Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas.
“Government and government bodies can utilise organisations such as ours to filter through the messages to community. Our connections on the ground are very strong and our relationships trusted.”
In Pauline’s case, she’s about to book in for her AstraZeneca vaccine at her local GP and she says she heard all about the government’s vaccination program through “word of mouth.”
“Neighbours were ringing me and telling me where I could get it done. It was mostly by word of mouth. All the neighbours go to the same doctor here… so it was a little community effort,” Pauline says.
“My doctor… gives out the AstraZeneca so it’s just a matter of ringing and making a booking, but I’m all for it. I have to get vaccinated.”
If you have symptoms or questions about COVID-19, call the National Coronavirus Health Information Lineon 1800 020 080. If you require translating or interpreting services, call 131 450.
You can also check for your vaccine eligibility here.
Victorian Police are continuing to investigate the disappearance and suspected murder of an Adelaide bikie associate one year on.
Hells Angels bikie associate Kerry Giakoumis, aged 29, was last seen attending the Hells Angels Nomads headquarters in Thomastown on the morning of 10 June last year.
Adelaide Hells Angels associate Kerry Giakoumis in Melbourne four days before he went missing, presumed murdered. Picture: Victoria Police (Photos: Victoria Police)
“It is understood that there are mixed feelings about the disappearance and the issue has caused conflict among high-ranking officials of the club in both states,’’ Victorian homicide squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said.
Mr. Giakoumis regularly spoke with his family in South Australia over these five days after he told them that he was moving with the intention to work as a concreter.
His mother had booked a flight for him to return to South Australia on the day he went missing.
A former gang associate and close friend of Mr Giakoumis urges Adelaide Hells Angels members to assist police.
“Kerry has lifelong friends in the north crew that aren’t happy about it. It’s time for them to step up,’’ the friend said last month.
“If they were his real mates, they would want him found and closure for his family … They call each other bros but if you leave one behind, that’s not cool. You don’t do that to someone.’’
Police execute a warrant at the Thomastown clubhouse of the Hells Angels (Photo: Victoria Police)
What do we know about the investigations?
Victoria Police continue to treat Mr. Giakoumis’ disappearance as ‘suspicious’ and ‘out of character’, with intensive investigations indicating he may have been lured to Melbourne.
Victoria Police believe it is almost certain Kerry has met with foul play following ‘some kind of dispute’ but have so far been unable to establish a motive for murder.
In June last year, detectives from the Homicide Squad and Echo Taskforce executed warrants at a number of properties including what’s known as the Hells Angels’ enforcement arm in Thomastown.
Detectives are yet to locate Kerry or charge anyone in relation to his disappearance despite their efforts over the past 12 months.
They understand that Kerry was not a patched member of the Hells Angels at the time of his disappearance.
Victorian detectives are appealing for anyone who may aid their investigation to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
Greece’s south Aegean islands were marked dark red on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s COVID-19 map on Thursday.
The European Union (EU) agency discourages all but essential travel to and from thirteen islands.
Greek Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias says Mykonos and Ios are “one step” away from restrictions.
Minister Hardalias adds the Ionian islands of Zakynthos, Tinos, Lefkada, Santorini, Paros, and Rhodes, to the growing list of concern.
Minister Nick Hardalias expressed his growing concern for the tourism hotspots following the ECDC’s move to designate islands as dark red zones (Right: ANA-MPA/Yiannis Kolesidis) (Left: Via @ECDC_EU on Twitter)
The dark red zones may help distinguish very high-risk areas to consider testing, quarantine, and vaccination measures.
Crete was added to the dark red zone last week.
The dark red zones on the ECDC map help distinguish very high-risk areas (Photo: ECDC)
Greece has been promoting “COVID-free” islands to boost tourism for the summer period after the industry’s worst year in decades in 2020.
Uncertainty remains over how the season will unfold, despite a strong June in terms of arrivals and optimism from ministers and tourism officials.
“We’re waiting to see how the (tourist) markets will react,” said Manolis Markopoulos, president of the hoteliers association of Rhodes, referring to the decision of the ECDC.
An Australian man wanted by Interpol has been arrested at Mykonos Airport on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old is listed on Interpol’s most-wanted list and is facing charges in the United States.
He is a member of an international drug ring, involved in the importation and trafficking of cocaine, as well as money laundering, according to the police.
(Source: Metrosport.gr)
He appears on Interpol’s “red notice,” which is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
Officers from the Attica Security Police Drug Prosecution Subdirectorate and the Police Department of Mykonos arrested the man.
The man is expected to appear before a prosecutor.
Greece’s mixed doubles pairing, Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas, have been defeated in the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinal tonight by the Aussie duo, Ashleigh Barty and John Peers, 6-4, 4-6, [10-6].
Greek Australians around the country were waiting with bated breath for the game to begin all day and once it did, both sides didn’t disappoint.
Barty and Peers had a great start by dominating most of the first set and eventually claiming it 6-4 after breaking the serve of Tsitsipas.
The Greeks bounced back to take a 2-0 lead in the second set – but again, the Australians remained calm under pressure. They kept fighting hard, however couldn’t reel back the early break and the Greeks forced a deciding match tiebreak.
As the tension rose in the high-pressure match tiebreak, Barty and Peers produced some brilliant doubles play to race ahead 7-3.
How good 🙌
Superb net play from @ashbarty and @peers to keep Australia's campaign alive. They get up over Greece's Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 4-6, [10-6] to book a spot in the Mixed Doubles semifinals. #Tokyo2020 | #7Olympicspic.twitter.com/RYlrhXQxSl
From there, they closed out an impressive victory to become the first Australian team to reach an Olympic mixed doubles semifinal.
Peers and Barty now play fourth seeds Andrey Rublev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who are representing the Russian Olympic Committee, in the semifinals.
South Australia has its eyes firmly locked on space as it prepares to launch its first, locally manufactured small satellite into ‘low-Earth’ orbit in 2022.
“Isn’t that cool? How good is that?” says Adelaide-based SmartSat Cooperative Centre (CRC) CEO and Managing Director, Professor Andy Koronios, who leads the $6.5 million mission in partnership with local satellite manufacturing firm Inovor Technologies and space data company Myriota.
“Some years ago, we would think that only big governments like the US, China or Russia would be able to do things like this, but technology has come a long way,” Professor Koronios tells The Greek Herald explaining that “the smart watches we wear have a lot more processing power than the computers that guided the Apollo missions to the moon.”
“Our satellite, called SASAT1 -which means SA’s first satellite- will not be bigger than a cereal box but it’s going to be highly impactful and the beautiful thing about it is that it is manufactured in South Australia,” he says.
Very proud to have been paid a visit today by the builders of Australia’s first satellite Australis-OSCAR 5 some 50 years ago! We aspire to carry the flag for a new generation of space activity in Australia pic.twitter.com/85quEYVhhV
Although headquartered in South Australia the CRC is a $245 million national program involving some of the top universities in the country and internationally as well as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Defence Science and Technology (DST).
“We want to develop new generation satellite technologies to help the country secure its defence, telecommunications and monitoring technologies for the future. I really have a burning ambition to get satellites to serve humanity,” says Koronios confessing that he inherited his tenacity and passion to succeed from his ‘Yiayia’ (Greek grandma).
A will to give back to Greece
One of five siblings Koronios was born and bredin Sparta, south-eastern Peloponnese. At the age of two, his parents left him to seek employment in Athens but never returned.
“I was raised by my grandmother and she always used to tell me that I need to become someone better than average. This to me has been my compass,” he says.
L to R: Andy Koronios with his yiayia in Sparta and photo R embarking on the Patris
In the early 1970s and after his grandmother had passed, he came to Australia aboard the Patris with no word of English but an unstoppable ambition to work hard and build a better future.
“I did nothing more than all the Greek migrants who tried hard and persisted to do better,” says the Spartan, encouraging young people to pursue STEM as a career path.
SmartSat has just released the Space Industry Skills Gap Analysis report, identifying 319 space-related skills needed to support future needs of the sector. This study was supported by the @AusSpaceAgency to understand the skills needs of the national space workforce. pic.twitter.com/MMf5Li30DL
“Anyone can be involved in the space industry or in STEM. Have the willingness to really work and be persistent. I came from a little village in Greece and leading a group of people in this area was the last thing I ever dreamed of.”
“I have a passion for helping Greece in some way. I am particularly interested to get Greek start-ups to become global partners in the field and benefit from space technologies.”
Professor Koronios says he is working systematically towards this goal and is currently in contact with the Greek Embassy in Australia, the Hellenic Initiative, the Mayor of Sparta and Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce of Greece (ICC) as well as the University of Patra in order to offer some scholarships to PhD students.
“Giving back to Greece is a priority for me. I want to do something for my home country,” concludes the Greek Australian Professor.
Despina Tanner has always had a strong passion and connection to her Kastellorizian culture while growing up in Perth, Western Australia.
Her father, John Kannis, was 21 years old when he arrived in WA in 1946 with his five older siblings and his parents. They came as refugees who’d been displaced by the war and forced to flee Kastellorizo.
Despina’s mother was born in Perth, but still had Kastellorizian roots from her mother.
Both of them instilled in their children not only a rich cultural heritage of recipes for traditional Kastellorizian sweets, but also music, dance, and Greek Orthodox traditions which were celebrated with relatives and the larger Kastellorizian community in Perth. It’s clear the Greek language was also always present.
Despina’s great-grandmother with her husband and children, in a photo taken on Kastellorizo in 1924. Photo: Greece Is.
“At home, I spoke Greek with my father, my grandmother and my aunts and uncles. My siblings and I went to a special Greek school once a week and we also attended Sunday school,” Despina told Greece Is.
Moving to Kastellorizo:
Despite being so immersed in the Kastellorizian culture from such a young age, Despina says the moment which truly cemented her pride in her roots was when she visited Kastellorizo with her father in 1973.
“We took the boat from Rhodes, arriving in the middle of the night. The waters of the harbour were calm and the town was quiet. As he disembarked, my father made the sign of the cross and kissed the ground,” Despina tells Greece Is.
A photo taken with her father, John Kominos Kannis, in 1973. Photo: Greece Is.
“This vacation was life-changing; coming here as a descendant of the island was very emotional and a pivotal experience. I fell in love with the place and from that moment onward dreamt of renovating a house and living here where my ancestors had lived for centuries.”
At the time, that dream wasn’t possible as Despina returned to Perth, opened her own gift shop and cafe called Boucla, and had to deal with the death of her father and two years later, her only brother.
“We spent years in mourning. I feel blessed that I had this heritage to hold on to, and the supportive network of my family. With my father’s death, my love for Kastellorizo grew,” Despina says.
Eventually, Despina returned to Kastellorizo with her mother in 1981, with her husband and son John in 1989 and then, in 1990, her daughter Evana was conceived on Kastellorizo.
“I really wanted to buy a house but, as it turned out, we didn’t get back to the island for another 15 years. When we finally did, our son and daughter, by then 18 and 15 years old respectively, fell in love with the place as I had,” she tells Greece Is.
Despina Tanner and her Australian husband Brian Tanner in their home on Kastellorizo. Photo: Nikos Pilos / Greece Is.
“We bought a plot of land and, in 2007, we built a house. From 2008 onwards, I came back every year and then, in July of 2018, my husband and I started our newest adventure and moved to Kastellorizo.”
Since then, Despina and her husband have been enjoying life on the island by going on morning hikes to Avlonia, exploring old farms and gardening. Despina’s husband is also a devoted bread maker and has sourced a biodynamic-grown ancient grain from Crete.
“The greatest beauty of the island lies in its the landscape. It’s strange, but this rugged beauty is similar to that of Australia,” Despina says.
“I feel blessed to have two homelands, Kastellorizo and Australia, two places which, at the end of the day, are not as far from each other as you might think.”
On July 29, 1982, then-Minister of Culture in Greece, Melina Mercouri, addressed the World Conference on Cultural Policies organised by UNESCO in Mexico City.
At the conference, Mercouri seized the opportunity to address the issue of the repatriation of the Parthenon Marbles to a global audience and demanded they be returned to Greece.
In her speech in front of other Ministers of Culture who attended the conference, she urged for the support of the global community to Greek people’s claim. As she stated in her speech:
“It is now some six months since I dared make the suggestion that these marbles ought to be returned to Greece. Since then a small storm has been raging. But what I find most interesting is the fact that, following an interview with the BBC, I had hundreds of encouraging letters from individuals and organisations in Britain. I detect in these letters the English people’s love of justice and beauty,” Mercouri said.
Mercouri called for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece at a UNESCO conference.
“We are not naive. And we well understand that the museums cannot be emptied. But I insist on reminding you that in the case of the Acropolis marbles we are not asking for the return of a painting or a statue. We are asking for the return of a portion of a unique monument, the privileged symbol of a whole culture.”
After this enthralling speech at the UNESCO conference, Mercouri immersed herself further in a battle for the repatriation of the Marbles and she wasn’t alone.
Her vision received wide public acceptance in Greece by academics, middle and working class people, politicians, artists, business circles, as well from other countries.
Melina Mercouri.
In 1981, the year before Melina’s speech, the International Organising Committee – Australia – for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles, was established. The committee was the first in the world to campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
In 1983, the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles was established. Shortly after this, and following correspondence between the Australian committee and Mercouri, she visited Australia. While in Australia, she asked the inaugural chair of the Australian Committee, Emanuel J Comino, to extend support to the newly formed British Committee.
Following the continuously expanding influence of the campaign, on October 1984 the Greek government made its first claim for the return of the Marbles and soon received its rejection from the British side.
Since then, the issue of the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles has been in the political and cultural agenda of all consecutive Greek governments.
