Blue Mountains cafe owner, Dora Tsaroumis, has welcomed the Federal and NSW Government’s new COVID-19 relief measures announced this week, saying the stimulus gives her hope for the future.
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Mrs Tsaroumis, who owns Cafe Leura, said her business is completely closed with 12 staff on annual leave and long-service leave.
“It’s crippling… We provide a dine-in experience and we’re in a high tourist area that doesn’t have a lot of population around,” Mrs Tsaroumis told the SMH.
The owners of Cafe Leura – Andrew and Dora. Photos republished with permission.
“To stay open and try to do takeaway wasn’t going to be a model that worked for us. We decided to close to try to reduce our costs as much as possible.”
Cafe Leura’s average turnover is about $30,000 a week but higher during school holidays, the SMH reports.
Whilst Mrs Tsaroumis says this latest lockdown will see her lose “hundreds of thousand of dollars,” the recent relief measures will be helpful.
“I’m feeling more hopeful [with the relief measures]. It’s not going to be like trading but it will be helpful. How long can you tread water? You get tired,” Mrs Tsaroumis adds to The Greek Herald.
The cafe is known for its delicious meals. Photos republished with permission.
“We’re keen to get back to running our business and doing what we love, not only for us and our team but for our awesome customers as well.”
Among the various relief package benefits, businesses can access grants up to $15,000, a $10,000 federal cash flow boost, as well as receive payroll tax waivers and get protection from evictions.
There’s a short-term moratorium on evictions for tenants in arrears, and commercial landlords are being incentivised with land tax waivers if they provide tenants rental relief. Meanwhile, individual employees who have lost work can access $600 a week in disaster payments directly from the federal government.
Sydney Olympic Football Club today confirmed that three of its star players have been granted permission to depart the club and transfer to Greek club, Xanthi FC.
Mohamed Adam, Fabian Monge and Matthew Scarcella are all leaving the club under agreements entered into some weeks ago between themselves, Xanthi FC and Sydney Olympic.
The players have now departed Australia to pursue the finalisation of a contract and relevant transfer with Xanthi FC and will join pre-season training.
“We wish the players the best of luck and thank them for their contribution to our Club,” Sydney Olympic FC wrote on Facebook.
“We are disappointed to see them leave, as they are exceptionally talented players, but, as a Club we are very happy and proud that we are able to play a role in providing this opportunity to further their careers.”
George Averoff was a Greek businessman and one of Greece’s greatest national benefactors.
Early Life:
George Averoff was born on August 15, 1818 in Metsovo (Epirus, Greece, then Ottoman Empire). He was the youngest of five brothers in the family and his parents appointed him a teacher at the local school. He, however, was a restless spirit and preferred to seek his fortune abroad.
At the age of 22, Averoff went to Cairo to work close to his brother, who owned a textile shop. He quickly spread his wings and initially engaged in agriculture, renting estates near the Nile. He then engaged in the wheat trade in Russia and in 1866, founded a trading and banking house in Alexandria.
George Averoff.
Philanthropic work:
Averoff quickly emerged as one of the richest Greeks in the diaspora, with a fortune exceeding 100,000,000 drachmas.
His first donations were made to the Greek community of Alexandria with the establishment of a high school, a girls’ school and a hospital.
Afterwards, he took care of his special homeland, Metsovo, where he allocated 1,500.00 drachmas for public works.
Averoff was one of the richest Greeks in the diaspora.
With this money:
The Technical University of Athens (NTUA) was completed.
The Military School of Evelpidon (today the Courts of Evelpidon) and the Prisons were built on Alexandras Avenue (in the area where today stands the Megara of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal).
The statues of Patriarch Gregory V and Rigas Feraios were erected at the Propylaea of the University of Athens.
The ancient Panathinaiko Stadium was rebuilt, in view of the 1896 Olympic Games, a technical achievement for its time.
Death and Legacy:
Averoff died on July 15, 1899 in Ramlech, Alexandria and his grave is in the First Cemetery of Athens.
Averoff is buried in the First Cemetery of Athens.
He left a fortune estimated at 31,000,000 drachmas. Most of it was donated to public purposes such as:
2,500,000 in favour of the National Fleet Fund for the construction of a warship that would bear his name. This is the battleship “Averoff,” which dominated the Aegean during the Balkan Wars.
1,500,000 in favour of the Greek community of Alexandria.
500,000 for the establishment of an Agricultural School in Larissa.
500,000 in favour of the NTUA.
500,000 in favour of the Athens Conservatory.
900,000 in favour of the community of Metsovo.
1,000,000 for the completion of the Panathinaikos Stadium.
The Greek state, as a sign of gratitude to this national man, erected his statue in front of the Panathinaikos Stadium.
There has been a lot of coronavirus news across Australia in the last 24 hours. If you can’t keep up with every press conference, restriction or announcement, don’t stress. This article has the most current updates.
NSW:
NSW recorded 65 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Of these locally acquired cases, 40 are linked to a known case or cluster – 27 are household contacts and 13 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 25 cases remains under investigation.
29 cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and seven cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. 28 cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of one case remains under investigation.
Two major Sydney hospitals have been impacted by coronavirus, with health authorities confirming a fully vaccinated staff member at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital has tested positive to COVID-19.
Sydney’s Liverpool Hospital was also forced to close some of its operating theatres for deep cleaning after a patient returned a positive test on Wednesday.
A number of staff have gone into a two-week isolation, and contact tracing is underway.
Victoria:
Victorians must wear face masks indoors as health authorities try to stop the latest COVID-19 outbreak.
Victoria announced 11 new local cases on Wednesday, with 10 of those being counted in Thursday’s statistics, and more than 40 exposure sites identified.
The state did not add to those 10 new cases on Thursday.
Face masks must now be worn in all indoor settings, including workplaces and secondary schools. Masks will also be required outdoors when social distancing is not possible.
Queensland:
Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has confirmed three new local cases in Brisbane.
Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk.
One is a 12-year-old who recently finished quarantine in Sydney and flew to Brisbane, and another is the child’s parent.
The third is a Brisbane Airport worker who was vaccinated.
Mask mandates and restrictions in Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Logan City, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Gold Coast are extended for another week.
The Premier has warned Queenslanders against travelling to Victoria given its current outbreaks.
Authorities are also still monitoring the outbreak in New South Wales, and say possible border restrictions are being reviewed daily.
South Australia:
People entering South Australia from Victoria will now have to get tested on arrival, and are banned from attending high-risk locations such as aged care homes for 14 days.
Commercial transport and freight drivers entering South Australia are now required to get a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of arrival.
Freight drivers coming into the state will need to produce evidence they have had a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of their arrival.
WA has enforced new border restrictions.
Western Australia:
Western Australia enforced new restrictions on travellers from Victoria on Wednesday afternoon. Those arriving from Victoria must now self-quarantine for 14 days. They must get a COVID-19 test when they arrive, and on day 11 of quarantine.
Northern Territory:
The Northern Territory Chief Health Officer has not announced any new COVID restrictions for Victoria, but he has warned he is closely monitoring the state’s growing number of cases.
New directions were issued on Wednesday night for anyone who has been to an exposure site in the town of Tailem Bend, south-east of Adelaide. Anyone who has been there must get tested and quarantine for 14 days.
Travellers from Victoria are still under quarantine and testing directions that were issued last month.
ACT:
ACT residents will have to check in to shops, takeaways and other venues from 12:00pm using the Check In CBR app. This will be mandatory for anyone over the age of 16.
Check-ins will be required for all retail settings, including supermarkets, department stores, petrol stations, takeaway services, public transport and taxi, hire car and ride share transport services.
Previously, people needed to check in if they were going to be somewhere for longer than 15 minutes, but that condition has been removed.
Over 1,200 local football fans turned out to the VALO Football Centre in Angle Park on Wednesday night to witness Adelaide Olympic crowned Federation Cup Winners for 2021 after beating Adelaide City 2-1.
The first ten minutes of the match were cagey, as both City and Olympic were feeling their way into the game and unable to sustain possession.
From there, City started to stamp their authority on the game and were creating chances through their young forward line – as Ayoubi and Kasumovic’s silky-footwork was causing headaches for Olympic.
Twenty minutes in and it was still 0-0. On the odd occasion, Olympic were making in-roads, but only through the means of the occasional long-ball.
Photo: Football SA.
City continued to push forward for the remainder of the half, but both teams went into the sheds at 0-0.
Through their talisman Nic Bucco, City took the lead seven minutes into the second half.
Olympic surrendered a free kick on the edge of the box after a misunderstanding between Olympic’s centre-back and keeper – who picked the ball up after a direct pass back. Bucco stepped up and capitalised, as his shot struck the wall and went past the keeper’s right-hand side to give the Black and White’s a deserved lead.
However, despite City’s dominance, Olympic fired themselves back into the Final with a cracker.
Photo: Football SA.
A moment of absolute individual brilliance from Olympic’s Jason Konstandopolous as he controlled the ball on the right wing, cut in and curled his effort into the far left corner-post and in.
With ten minutes remaining, Olympic pounced again after an astonishing, pin-point over-the-top through ball from one of Olympic’s centre backs, saw captain, Fausto Erba, kick a goal. As City’s keeper came to meet it, Erba delicately chipped it over his head and sent the Olympic faithful into hysterics.
From there, it was back and forth, City were desperately surging forward and could have had a penalty. Despite City having the run of play, in the end it was Olympic’s night.
Former police sergeant, Frank Caridi, who attempted to thwart the Bourke St massacre by warning his bosses of James Gargasoulas’ murderous intentions, has launched a high stakes legal battle against Victoria Police.
According to the Herald Sun, Mr Caridi is suing his former employer for negligence claiming he continues to suffer nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder, and will never work again as a result.
In a statement of claim lodged in the County Court this week, Mr Caridi said he has been unable to work since the January 2017 tragedy in which six people were killed and 27 were injured after Gargasoulas deliberately drove his car into the busy CBD mall.
James Gargasoulas and the Bourke St massacre. Photo: ABC.
Mr Caridi, 56, told the Herald Sun he believes lives would have been saved if his calls to arrest Gargasoulas – over the attempted stabbing murder of his brother the night before – had been acted on earlier.
Instead, he said he was given “ridiculous excuses’’ as to why the critical incident response team (CIRT) would not respond.
“I know the outcome would have been different and lives would have been saved had we acted earlier,’’ Mr Caridi told the Herald Sun.
Frank Caridi. Photo: Jason South.
Court documents state Mr Caridi was aware that Gargasoulos was “erratic, psychotic and had the propensity to cause injury or death” if not immediately arrested, the Herald Sun reports.
Mr Caridi claims Victoria Police was negligent in failing to act upon and disregarding his warnings and he has suffered anxiety and depression as a consequence.
Mr Caridi also said he was treated poorly by Victoria Police in the lead up to giving evidence to the Coronial Inquest into the Bourke St rampage, and has been targeted and vilified for not protecting the “brotherhood” of the police force.
He is claiming compensation for damages and loss of future earnings.
Thousands of anti-vaccine demonstrators protested in Greece’s two largest cities Wednesday against plans to make coronavirus vaccines available to children 15 and older.
The protests took place outside parliament in central Athens and in the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Greek authorities have blamed a recent increase in confirmed virus cases on crowded entertainment venues.
We stand with our brothers in Greece who are against compulsory vaccines and Vaccine passports. Are you waking up people to what is happening. You wont see this on the news.
Under new restrictions, leisure facilities will only be open to people who are vaccinated. A mandatory vaccination policy is planned for workers at care facilities and hospitals.
In Athens, protesters chanted “Hands off our kids” and held up a banner reading “We say no to vaccine poison.”
Just over half of Greece’s population has received at least one vaccine dose. Starting Thursday, people as young as 15 will be allowed to book a vaccination appointment with parental consent.
Nearly two months ago after a cabinet reshuffle, Upper House MLC, Natalie Ward, was called by NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, to serve as Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans taking over from acting Minister Geoff Lee.
As Sydney is bracing for a lockdown that could stretch for weeks and the state is facing the biggest challenge since the pandemic started, the newly appointed Minister for Multiculturalism spoke to The Greek Herald and thanked the Greek community for their continued cooperation with COVID-19 restrictions in NSW.
I am humbled to have been asked to serve as Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans in the @GladysB Government. Best birthday present ever, from the best Premier in the world.
TGH:NSW is currently going through turbulent times. What is your message to the state’s multicultural communities?
It is an honour to be the NSW Minister for Multiculturalism and to serve the diverse communities of NSW. I want to thank all of our diverse community leaders for their role in keeping NSW safe over the past 18 months.
These have been, and continue to be, difficult times, but we have also seen the best of human nature.
We have seen people come together across cultural, faith and linguistic backgrounds to support those most vulnerable in our community, in particular our newly arrived migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
We have witnessed the incredible generosity of so many volunteer-run multicultural community organisations, providing direct emergency relief and support to members of the community who need it most.
Although we are still navigating challenging times, we know that as a community we are stronger and more resilient when we unite and work together.
TGH: The NSW Budget was handed down nearly a month ago and some parties have criticised it for the lack of specific support to multicultural communities. What is your opinion on this?
The NSW Government continues to invest in support of multicultural communities through our agency Multicultural NSW.
In the 2021-22 NSW Budget we announced $8.5 million over three years to continue important support programs for refugee, new and emerging communities.
Additionally, the NSW Government announced $1 million to revolutionise digital-based interpreting services and improve accessibility in remote areas.
To celebrate #RefugeeWeek, we were thrilled that our Minister @natwardmlc announced $8.5 million over three years to support programs that will help refugees, newly arrived migrants and emerging communities to thrive! pic.twitter.com/qvJPX8p3ck
Last financial year, the NSW Government invested $20 million through Study NSW for international students in response to severe financial and existential hardship during the pandemic. Further, a total of $10 million was invested for new and emerging communities with specialised supports for vulnerable temporary visa holders, and for the continuation of refugee programs and emergency relief for asylum seekers.
Last year, Multicultural NSW provided $1.1 million to support more than 220 grassroots multicultural community projects responding to COVID-19. These are some of the initiatives we are undertaking.
TGH: In your inaugural speech, four years ago, you mentioned that your “work as a lawyer exposed you to the reality of the hardships faced by people from many different cultural and social backgrounds.” What are the hardships you were referring to and how are you planning to change things for the better?
Financial, mental health, family and social hardships cut across all facets of our community, regardless of your background.
However, we know newly arrived migrants can face special challenges. These challenges come with settling into a new country, adjusting to a new language, financial hardship and in some instances, managing trauma from war and political conflict overseas.
We have seen COVID-19 exacerbate existing hardships for many members of our community.
The NSW Government will continue to listen to the needs of our diverse communities to understand how we can best support them.
TGH:During the pandemic ethnic newspapers have been the lifeline for first generation migrants as they connect them to their respective communities and keep them informed and engaged with the news in Australia. Do you see a role for community papers in the future?
I commend the vital role of multicultural media outlets in our society. Multicultural media outlets are sources of credible news and information, and represent hubs of connection for our diverse communities.
This has been especially apparent during the pandemic. Multicultural media outlets have been critical in sharing vital public health information with their audiences and communities.
These audiences often represent demographics more vulnerable to the effects of the virus and who speak languages other than English, which has made communicating with these audiences through multicultural media even more important.
Last year, the NSW Government awarded multicultural media grants of more than $250,000 to recognise the vital work of multicultural media outlets and recognise the strain they have been under during the pandemic.
TGH: Apart from your role as a Minister you are also a mother of two, a wife and an advocate for women in sports and in politics. Why would you encourage more women to enter the political arena?
I believe diverse representation is very important in all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life, as this reflects the make-up of society.
In order to truly understand the challenges, experiences and perspectives of the people we serve, we need to have representation from all voices.
When diverse groups participate and are engaged in discussions and decision-making in any sector, it ensures greater responsiveness to community needs and better accountability to all groups. It’s also required to inspire younger generations with role models they can relate to and see themselves in. Ultimately, diverse representation helps to create inclusive, well-functioning societies.
📣 Share COVID safe information in #Greek to keep your community safe
— NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (@mhcsnsw) July 9, 2021
TGH: Is the anything you would like to add?
I would like to thank the Greek Herald team for your important contribution to our Greek Australian community in NSW.
Now more than ever, we need to continue hearing from diverse voices in the Australian media. With almost 100 years of history, the Greek Herald continues to make a rich contribution to our community.
I also want to thank the entire readership of the Greek Herald and the wider Australian – Greek community for their continued cooperation with COVID-19 restrictions in NSW.
With the support of all members of our community, we will be able to continue navigating our response to the pandemic in the best interests of all people of NSW.
As multicultural communities continue to face unique challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSW Government is providing much needed support through COVID-19 Community Support Grants.
Grants of $5,000 are now available for organisations providing essential services to culturally and linguistically diverse groups.
This funding aims to support a broad range of culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse stakeholders who are looking for ways to continue or start community programs to provide food, transport and language support to vulnerable cohorts.
Applications must address how they are providing one of the following:
1) Immediate community care support – to provide culturally appropriate care to vulnerable and isolated people. This includes programs that focus on seniors, mental health and building community connection.
2) Overcoming language barriers – to enable volunteer and charitable organisations to overcome language and cultural barriers to connect with essential support services available to the community during COVID-19.
Grants close this Thursday, July 15 and you can apply HERE.
Peter Poulos is the owner of Christos’ Pizzeria and recalls his experience as one of the first cases of COVID-19 in NSW’s current outbreak.
Mr. Poulos was having dinner with his father-in-law and wife at his pizzeria in Sydney’s inner-west suburb of Paddington one Monday on June 21.
Little did he know that NSW Health would call two days later to advise that he and his wife were close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case and to self-isolate immediately.
“We didn’t think it was going to happen to us,” he tells the Sydney Morning Herald.
Poulos closed his pizzeria that day and ordered his staff to do the same – get tested and self-isolate – but it wasn’t until Saturday that things would turn for the worse when he woke up with a dull headache.
Christos’ Pizza in Sydney’s Paddington got caught up in the Delta outbreak late last month (Source: Google Maps)
“I don’t get headaches,” he says, recalling that he thought, “‘That’s strange’.”
“And then I started getting the fevers and chills.”
His wife, suffering the same symptoms, spent half the day in bed.
His 89-year-old father-in-law coughed so incessantly that he wound up in hospital on an oxygen tank within a few days.
It was a rough time for Poulos: getting his temperature, oxygen levels and heart rate measured daily by doctors at NSW Health.
A cough developed after about two weeks but disappeared within a few days along with the rest of his symptoms.
His father, Christo, who founded the pizzeria 35 years ago in 1986, died from other causes during the first lockdown.
Emotional support visits are hard to maintain during a lockdown and Mr. Poulos is no stranger to the difficulties of these restrictions, but he continues to support his widowed 92-year-old mother without complaints.
“It is what it is,” he said.
His business has taken a significant hit since the pandemic began 18 months ago.
In accordance with NSW Health advice, he and his wife emerged from isolation three days after their symptoms disappeared. Then they went back to work.
