The original Wog Boy, Nick Giannopoulos, has confirmed to A Current Affair and on social media, that Wog Boy 3 is in the works.
Giannopoulos has been shooting the third installment of the Wog Boy franchise with an all-star cast in Melbourne. The film will follow the life of main character Steve 20 years after the comedy first premiered in cinemas.
“It’s amazing how many people have said Wog Boy changed my life… This is for the fans more than anything, they keep asking for another one,” Giannopoulos told The Herald Sun.
Vince Colosimo and Nick Giannopoulos in a scene from film ‘The Kings of Mykonos: Wog Boy 2’.
“It’s the most often asked question I get when I’m out and about… People just want to laugh again.”
Writing the script was a passion project for Giannopoulos, who decided to bring the project to life after his beloved father Leonidas passed away in January after a short illness.
“…my dad got ill while I was in the middle of writing the script… I read him parts of it and he was laughing and loving it and he said keep going. They’re memories I’ll treasure for the rest of my life,” he told the media outlet.
In the cast alongside Giannopoulos are original star Vince Colosimo, Home And Away’s Sarah Roberts, Havana Brown, the former LA based DJ who makes her film debut, and comedians Sooshi Mango.
Three Adelaide researchers have been honoured in this year’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Excellence Awards.
The trio from the University of Adelaide are Professor Peter Psaltis, Professor Ian Olver AM, and Professor Sarah Robertson, who were recognised for their work in cardiology, medical ethics, and reproductive health.
Mr. Psaltis was awarded the Marshall and Warren Innovation Award for his research into the cardiovascular disease atherosclerosis; specifically, the role of adventitial haemangioblasts as an ‘outside-in’ driver of plaque growth and stability.
“I am extremely honoured and proud to receive the 2020 NHMRC Marshall and Warren Innovation Award,” he said.
“It’s humbling recognition of the work that my team has done, and continues to do, in pursuing new treatment approaches to tackle atherosclerosis, which is the disease that causes hardening of the arteries and in turn heart attack and stroke, two of the leading causes of death and suffering around the world.”
Photo via The University of Adelaide
Psaltis’s project investigates how unique stem cells on the arteries can contribute to plaque growth and instability to find more effective treatments for atherosclerosis.
“This particular award relates to our discovery of a unique type of stem cell in the wall of arteries. Our NHMRC grant will study how these stem cells cause atherosclerotic plaques to form in arteries, so that we can target them with new treatments for heart and vascular disease.
Peter Psaltis is a cardiologist, vascular biologist, and senior research follow at the University of Adelaide.
He holds fellowships through the Adelaide Medical School, co-leads the Heart and Vascular program and at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
He was awarded just under $400,000 in a Federal Government grant in 2018 to aid his research into how the drug colchicine could determine whether it could help people living with heart disease reduce their chance of a heart attack.
When Professor Leonard George Notaras AO and I sat down for our exclusive interview, I must admit I was in awe. He had just been recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his distinguished service to medical administration in the Northern Territory. A deeper Google search showed that during his career he had also worked closely with former Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, and even Prince Charles.
These are all amazing accolades which make Professor Notaras a true role model and inspiration for any young Greek Australian who wants to enter the field of medicine. But does the man himself agree?
Professor Notaras tells The Greek Herald that whilst it’s a huge honour to have his work recognised, he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of his colleagues and Kytherian family.
Professor Leonard George Notaras AO. Photo supplied.
“I can’t overstate the pride with which I hold all of this, but I’ve also got to say that I never take it for granted. I’m very privileged to have achieved what I’ve achieved… but it is a privilege that I share with the people I have the ability to work with,” Professor Notaras says.
“My father passed away in 1964 and like a lot of other good Kytherians and Greek folk, he ran restaurants and cafes and as a 12–13-year-old, I took over working in those restaurants with my mother… and I had to grow up pretty quickly.
“I guess where I am today, having the privilege of these acknowledgements and having been able to become a doctor and to do other degrees, shows what you can do from relatively humble beginnings in this country and I think that’s a wonderful thing.”
Leading the NT’s Howard Springs quarantine facility:
National Critical Care Trauma Response Centre Headquarters. Photo- Charlie Bliss Photography.
Speaking of humble beginnings, Professor Notaras says while he was working in his dad’s shop, he studied law until sad family circumstances saw him study medicine as well.
“I did that in part because of my father’s death. He was only 50 and he died when we closed our business one night. I always felt badly, like there was something more I could do,” Professor Notaras says.
“The other reason behind it is that I didn’t know that I could actually do it… It was a privilege to be able to get into the course and to be able to pass it was phenomenal to me.”
Professor Notaras farewelling AUSMATS.
What else is phenomenal is the amazing career Professor Notaras has had ever since he completed his medicine degree. The proud Kytherian has held positions in institutions such as the NT Department of Health, the Australian Medical Association NT and Royal Darwin Hospital.
But the one role he’s most proud of is the one he currently holds as Executive Director of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) in Darwin.
The Centre was set up by Professor Notaras and then-Prime Minister John Howard in 2004 and since then, the Professor has led Australia’s response to disasters such as the 2002 Bali Bombings and the 2019 Samoan measles outbreak. But of course, his most pressing challenge currently is coordinating Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and repatriation.
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison; NT Chief Minister, Michael Gunner; Rhiannon Winter. Photo- Jo Jamieson.
At the start of the pandemic in early 2020, Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, reached out to Professor Notaras and asked him and his team from the NCCTRC to help evacuate Australians out of Wuhan, China.
Later, he also played a key role in supporting thousands of repatriated Australians at the Howard Springs quarantine facility in the NT. This is something Professor Notaras says he is incredibly proud of.
“My team looked at bringing back about 7,100 people with almost 100 cases of COVID-19 and we had no leaks. So we set up the benchmark for the nation and the world in how quarantine should look,” he concludes.
An incredible achievement from a man who deserves to be recognised by the Greek Australian community for his impressive career.
World Olympic Day is celebrated annually on 23 June since its inception in 1948.
Olympic Day commemorates the birth of the modern Olympic Games in 1896 and promotes the role of sport in everyday life and society.
Thousands participate in it’s synonymous Olympic Day Run event.
There’s no better time than just 30 days away from this year’s Tokyo Olympics for The Greek Herald to discuss World Olympic Day’s inception and meaning.
A brief history:
Olympic Day in 2020 was unlike no other.
It was the first digitally-exclusive Olympic workout that provided one way for thousands of people to connect for 24 hours during their lockdowns, but Olympic Day has been celebrated everyday for the past 73 years.
73 years back, in 1948, Greece participated in the London Summer Olympics.
Since then, Greek athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games: 61 competitors, 44 events and 10 different sports.
Olympic Day has a particular significance in Greece as Greece is the birthing nation of the Ancient Olympic Games.
Greece was one of nine National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that hosted a ceremony in 1948 for the day and it promoted sport for all generates and sent a particular message to the younger generation.
Apostle Broikos, who is accused of involvement in two large drug syndicates, has had his charges upgraded.
Apostle Broikos fronted Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday on charges of manufacturing a large commercial quantity of methylamphetamine in Yamba on May 19.
Apostle Broikos is an 18-year-old recent graduate of Saint Ignatius’ College in Athelstone and is being tried alongside his uncle Theodore Broikos as part of the Operation Ironside crackdown.
David Edwardson QC told the court, for Broikos, that he is yet to establish a link between Broikos and a drug lab in Morphett Vale.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege that Broikos delivered cash and supplied chemicals to the lab.
Mr. Edwardson says the possibility that Broikos distributed or sold phones with the encrypted AN0M app installed “is not illegal” and won’t “stand in the way of him getting” the home bail that Broikas has requested.
The AN0M app was responsible for tracking and arresting hundreds of people on a variety of charges in Adelaide as part of Operation Ironside.
Cumberland Council Mayor Steve Christou is waging war on major supermarkets and leading the charge against local trolley dumpers.
The Mayor is responding to the growing trolley dumping blitz in the local council by forcing supermarket giants to start collecting their abandoned trollies or face the penalties.
“We approached supermarket retailers 12 months ago to work with us on this issue but there was no positive response,” Christou said recently.
“It was time to take matters into our own hands so we gave them 30 days to pick up their trolleys,” said Christou.
The Cumberland Council says the move sprung Woolworths into committing to fortnightly collections after the Council turned hundreds of their trolleys into scrap.
“The major retailers, the profits they’re making is astronomical,” Mayor Christou said.
“It’s very minimal to pay someone correctly eight or nine hours a day to round up trolleys.”
The Cumberland Council has crushed over a thousand trolleys, including half of the 1,497 they found between February and May, and received close to $30,000 in collection fees in five months.
The hard-line measure is costing the supermarket giants thousands of dollars, with an average trolley cart from Coles costing from $150 to $200.
Mr. Christou is championing a growing number of complaints from local residents, particularly those living with a disability who struggle to navigate blocked footpaths.
“Nobody wants to walk down their street and see abandoned trolleys, and have their suburb look like a ghetto,” Mr. Christou said.
The Council is pushing for the same powers other Australian states have in fining supermarkets that don’t collect their trolleys.
A supermarket company in Queensland pays above $5500 for failing to collect their abandoned trolleys.
NSW has reintroduced social distancing measures after recording 16 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, bringing the Bondi cluster to 31.
Half of the 16 new cases are linked to a birthday party in Sydney’s south-west.
NSW Health said the restrictions will be introduced from 4pm today for the Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour areas, for one week.
Visitors to households will be limited to 5 guests – including children.
Masks will be compulsory in all indoor non-residential settings, including workplaces, and at organised outdoor events.
Drinking while standing at indoor venues will not be allowed.
Singing by audiences at indoor shows or by congregants at indoor places of worship will not be allowed.
Dancing will not be allowed at indoor hospitality venues or nightclubs however, dancing is allowed at weddings for the bridal party only (no more than 20 people).
Dance and gym classes limited to 20 per class (masks must be worn).
The one person per four square metre rule will be re-introduced for all indoor and outdoor settings, including weddings and funerals.
Outdoor seated events will be limited to 50 per cent seated capacity.
Previous public transport capacity limits, represented by green dots, will be reintroduce.
If you live or work in the City of Sydney, Waverley, Randwick, Canada Bay, Inner West, Bayside, and Woollahra local government areas, you cannot travel outside metropolitan Sydney for non-essential travel.
A Greek government spokesperson has issued a stark caution to the Prime Minister of North Macedonia.
Aristotelia Peloni signalled for the Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev to respect the Prespa Agreement after Mr. Zaev referred to the country’s football team as ‘Macedonia’.
“We demand the full implementation of the Prespa Agreement and its spirit and we call on Mr Zaev to refrain from divisive rhetoric, especially in such a sensitive issue such as football,” Peloni said.
“In any case, the good faith implementation of the agreement is one of the criteria for the country’s accession to the European Union.”
Former Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras and North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev meet to sign the Prespa Agreement in 2018 (Source: Meta.Mk)
Zaev sent out the tweet during the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Euro 2020 football match between North Macedonia and the Netherlands, which the Netherlands won 3-0, at Amsterdam’s ArenA stadium.
“Today, from the stadium in Amsterdam, I offer my strong support to the Macedonian national football team,” Mr. Zaev wrote.
Денеска од стадионот во Амстердам давам силна поддршка на македонската фудбалска репрезентација. 🇲🇰⚽️
Благодарност до холандскиот премиер Марк Руте – @MinPres за поканата заедно да го следиме натпреварот. Без разлика на резултатот од мечот, од денес #MKD и #NED се уште поблиски. pic.twitter.com/ne9WEtd7oC
The journalist-turned-government spokesperson cited the Prespa Agreement in condemning the North Macedonian Prime Minister’s choice of omission.
Macedonia officially became known, domestically and internationally, as the Republic of North Macedonia in the Prespa Agreement name change in 2018.
The name change was reflected in the Macedonian constitution and recognised by the Greek parliament after a long-running dispute dating back to the 1990s.
The 33-year-old Greek pilot who confessed to murdering his British wife, Caroline Crouch, faces life in prison pending trial on Tuesday.
Babis Anagnostopoulos was led to the Athens Police headquarters on charges of two felonies, murder and animal abuse, and two misdemeanours, including giving false testimony.
“I am sorry,” he was quoted as saying in extracts of his testimony cited by the Greek media.
Anagnostopoulos was escorted by Greece’s anti-terrorist squad passed dozens of onlookers into court while handcuffed and wearing a bulletproof vest.
“Rot in prison, you monster”, one onlooker yelled as spectators watched the Greek pilot be escorted to his fate (Photo: AP)
The court heard that Crouch was suffocated for “five to six minutes” and died “an agonising death”.
Anagnostopoulos’ lawyer, Vasillis Spyrou, resigned moments before the hearing.
Supreme Court prosecutor Vassilis Pliotas has also ordered an investigation into leaks of Caroline Crouch’s personal diary, saying it’s publication is an “affront to the deceased’s personality and may even contribute to generating a favourable climate for the defendant over the course of the criminal process,” Pliotas said.
A seperate hearing in juvenile court is due to decide 11-month-old Lydia’s custodial arrangements within 90 days.
Crouch’s parents, Susan and David Crouch, are appealing for custody over Lydia.
Mr. Anagnostopoulos originally maintained that he and Crouch were the victims of a burglary-gone-wrong in the moments leading up to her murder on May 11, before forensic examinations and incompatible evidence led him to be the prime suspect.
It was at Crouch’s memorial service in Alonnisos when Greek Police transferred Anagnostopoulos to Athens Police Department to interrogate him for five hours.
He confessed to the murder and staging a crime scene.
“No one would have thought that I could harm a dog,” Anagnostopoulos allegedly told police, as Greek media reports.
Court officials ordered that Anagnostopoulos be detained in Greece’s high-security Korydallos jail pending trial later this year.
An Adelaide teenager shot in the abdomen by his brother has told South Australia’s District Court he loves his sibling and knows he did not intend to harm him, ABC News reports.
Dimitri Gatis, 23, shot his younger brother Alex, then 16, through the window of their family home in Lockleys in Adelaide’s west — while their parents were away in Greece — in July 2019.
Alex was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Dimitri Gatis’ initial attempted murder charge was dropped after lengthy negotiations and he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of causing serious harm by criminal negligence in January this year.
He has also pleaded guilty to offences including possessing a prescribed firearm without licence and trafficking in a controlled drug.
Dimitri Gatis, 21, was charged by police after his brother Alex, 16, was shot.
Remorseful after cutting drugs:
During sentencing submissions today, Dimitri Gatis’ lawyer, David Edwardson QC, told the court his client’s age at the time of the offending should be taken into account and his guilty pleas were consistent with contrition and remorse.
“Your honour will have regard to the very positive aspect of severing drugs and a drug addiction which plainly was the catalyst behind the commission of all these offences,” Mr Edwardson said.
Mr Edwardson urged Chief Judge Michael Evans to allow Dimitri Gatis to serve a sentence in home detention, saying he had already been subjected to a harsh penalty of custody since July 2019, he had the support of his close-knit family and he had been rehabilitated while in prison.
In an affidavit partially read to the court by Dimitri Gatis’ lawyer, his brother Alex also said: “I believe that Dimitri should not serve his sentence in prison but should instead be released on a home detention order.”
Nick and Natalie Gatis, the parents of Dimitri and Alexander Gatis, outside court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe.
“I’ve known and lived with Dimitri for the majority of my life — we both resided with our parents at the family home at Lockleys… Throughout that time, we have always enjoyed a loving, good relationship as brothers. There was no history of violence, animosity or aggression.”
But prosecutor Taryn Amos said certain paragraphs in Alex’s affidavit should be disregarded because they were irrelevant and inappropriate.
“There are a number of areas covered in this affidavit that are, in my respectful submission, irrelevant,” she said.
The judge ordered a comprehensive home detention report to be provided to the courts. If given a home detention sentence, Gatis would reside with his grandmother.
Gatis’ case will return to court in August for further submissions.
