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Calls grow for Multicultural Taskforce to help with Sydney’s COVID-19 crisis

The Greek Herald
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Calls grow for Multicultural Taskforce to help with Sydney’s COVID-19 crisis

Western and South Western Sydney Multicultural community leaders have today called for a special
Taskforce to be established to help resolve the Covid lockdown crisis.

The Taskforce would have representatives from multicultural organisations assisting in the decision making process alongside NSW Health, the police, and local, state and federal MPs from the impacted areas.

“Calling for a greater police presence and crack down is not the answer,” SydWest Multicultural
CEO, Elfa Moraitakis, whose organisation represents the multicultural communities in Western Sydney, said.

“You have to remember that many of our residents come from countries at war where police and the
military are feared and mistrusted. There is a better way.

SydWest Multicultural CEO, Elfa Moraitakis.

“We have consistently said that the best way to communicate with people from a broad array of
language groups is through community leaders who are known and trusted, such as doctors, priests or sheiks.

“These community leaders are doing what they can to help get the word out about the COVID-19
lockdown rules and the importance of vaccinations and stand ready and willing to do more.

“I know the Premier has addressed the multicultural leaders and I applaud that; however, we need a
regular seat at the table, using our expert knowledge of multicultural communities and our deep
community connections. After all, this is what the state and federal governments fund us to do.”

Ms Moraitakis also congratulated NSW Health for increasing the availability of translated materials,
which community leaders are using to push out to their communities.

Calls grow for Multicultural Taskforce to help with Sydney’s COVID-19 crisis.

“This is a great start but together we can do more,” she said.

“I acknowledge that in every area there are people who will knowingly do the wrong thing, but I’m
confident that most people in our multicultural communities want to do the right thing, but they need to know what the right thing is.

“As a proficient English speaker, it is hard enough to understand the changing landscape and stay
across all of the different rules, imagine how hard it is if English is not your first language.

“We need a seat at the table and we need to be regularly consulted if we are ever going to get out of lockdown.

“We do not profess to have all the answers, surely though, we understand multicultural communities
both in the West and Southwest as we have been working with them for the past 35 years.

“This authoritarian approach only widens the division between the east and the west of our city and that goes against all of our hard work in building a cohesive Australian society.”

Sydney Olympic FC rises to third place in NPL standings after football rivals penalised

The Greek Herald
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Sydney Olympic FC rises to third place in NPL standings after football rivals penalised

By Takis Triadafillou.

Following an extensive investigation into incidents which arose during and after the NPL match between Rockdale Ilinden FC (RIFC) and Sydney United 58 FC (SUFC) at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on 25 April 2021, Football NSW has laid a number of charges against both clubs for alleged breaches of the Football NSW Grievance and Disciplinary Regulations (Regulations).  

These charges were heard before the Football NSW General Purposes Tribunal (GPT) on 19 July 2021 and the GPT released its determination on 10 August 2021.

In summary, both clubs were found guilty of a number of offenses, including defamatory conduct in relation to their spectators’ involvement in the post-match uprising, and were given the following total penalties:

The brawl which broke out at the Sydney football match.

1. Penalties in the form of fines for both clubs.

2. Subtraction of 6 points from the current championship.

With this decision, Sydney Olympic FC rises to third place in the league standings. 

This news comes just hours before Football NSW announced the cancellation of the NPL season, citing the current COVID-19 lockdown in the state.

On this occasion, we remind all clubs of the importance of providing a safe environment for spectators, players and managers and that NSW Football has a policy of zero tolerance for violent behavior. The sanctions imposed reflect how seriously NSW Football treats such incidents.

Three more LGA’s enter lockdown as NSW records 345 new local COVID-19 cases

The Greek Herald
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Three more LGA’s enter lockdown as NSW records 345 new local COVID-19 cases

NSW recorded 345 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday. Two men in their 90s with COVID have died. One of them had been fully vaccinated, the other had one jab.

The Sydney local government areas (LGAs) of Bayside, Burwood and Strathfield will be subjected to extra COVID-19 lockdown restrictions from 5:00pm today.

There are now 12 LGAs of concern in Sydney.

People in these LGAs must only obtain food or other goods and services, and exercise, within 5 kilometres of their home.

They cannot travel to other areas for work unless they are an authorised worker.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Fairfield and Canterbury- Bankstown were still generating the most cases but seem to be stabilising.

She said the new areas of concern have been added based on health advice.

“In relation to Bayside, the suburbs of particular concern are Bexley, Banksia and Rockdale where additional cases have been identified overnight so if you live in though suburbs in particular, please come forward and get tested,” the Premier said.

“But also of course in Strathfield and Burwood, which are geographically smaller areas but we are noticing relative to the population an increasing number of cases and as a precaution, those additional council areas have been brought into those areas of concern.”

There were a record 151,830 tests completed in the reporting period.

ACT to enter lockdown for seven days:

The ACT will go into lockdown for seven days from 5pm today, after the territory recorded a positive case of COVID-19.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s office said the confirmed case had tested positive to the virus and had been infectious in the community.

But the statement said the source of the infection was unknown and have not yet said where the confirmed case had travelled in the community.

The government said the new case represented the “most serious public health risk” the ACT had faced for 12 months.

It had previously been 105 days since the last case in the ACT —a diplomat in quarantine — and over a year since the last locally acquired case.

It will be the first time the ACT has entered a lockdown of this nature since the early days of the pandemic.

Under the lockdown, Canberrans will be told not to leave their homes for the next seven days except for essential reasons, which include essential employment, healthcare, shopping for groceries or supplies and up to one hour of outdoor exercise.

Canberrans will also be expected to wear masks when in public once again.

General retail stores will close and hospitality venues will be restricted to takeaway only.

Andrew Liveris helps US President, Joe Biden, pass $1.64 trillion infrastructure bill

The Greek Herald
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Andrew Liveris helps US President, Joe Biden, pass $1.64 trillion infrastructure bill

Former Dow Chemicals chief executive, Andrew Liveris, has something to celebrate after the Biden administration passed its historic $US1.2 trillion ($1.64 trillion) infrastructure bill by the US Senate.

“It is a tremendous bipartisan achievement which augurs well for American leadership on the big decisions for this century, especially of the digital and green kind which is vital for the growth of the US economy,” Liveris told The Australian.

Despite living in Australia for the past 18 months, Liveris has spent the past few months leading a business ­coalition working to help the passage of the bill, focusing on key US senators, The Australian reports.

Working the phones from Sydney, Liveris has been co-­chairing Build Together, a group of US business leaders aimed at getting bipartisan support for infrastructure across the US, lobbying and working with US senators to get the Biden bill passed.

Andrew Liveris. Picture: Ryan Osland.

The group includes the chief executives of some of America’s largest companies including General Motors (Mary Barra), Delta Airlines (Ed Bastian), Nike (John Donahoe), Duke Energy (Lynn Good), Raytheon Technologies (Greg Hayes), IBM (Arvind Krishna), Walmart (Doug McMillon), Bank of America (Brian Moynihan) and Procter & Gamble (David Taylor).

“We went to work in the background, pretty quietly, working with the senators… We knew we had to get at least 10 Republicans to make sure it could pass the Senate,” Liveris said.

In the end, 19 Republican senators this week supported the bill along with all Democrats, a rare exercise in bipartisanship backing Biden’s infrastructure plans.

Liveris told The Australian one of the big “tripping points” of the bill was Biden’s initial insistence that the infrastructure proposals were packaged together in a much broader group of social initiatives which includes improvement in funding of childcare, welfare payments and greater access for minorities.

“If you put all that into the bill, it is a $US3-$US4 trillion spend,” he said.

He said one of the arguments of the Build Together coalition to the Biden administration was that the “soft infrastructure” side of the bill – the social changes – should be separated from the “hard infrastructure” to allow it to get more bipartisan support.

“We were trying to keep it as a bipartisan effort, scoping it around real need for rail and public transport and roads and bridges, ports and airports, water and electric power infrastructure, and broadband and charging stations,” he told The Australian.

“Keeping to that scope was ­really one of our biggest contributions. We were more or less a sounding board to say (to the Biden administration), ‘You are not going to get the bigger thing through if you keep bolting on things that end up being very good for US citizens, but if it means the business community gets laden with higher taxes and new costs, it will stop investing. You will end up having the negative effect of having all this social infrastructure and payments, but your revenues will go down as the American business community will stop investing.’

“Keeping it pro-investment and scoping it appropriately was one of the big accomplishments.”

The bill will see billions of dollars invested in upgrading America’s ageing infrastructure, in­cluding roads, rail, and bridges.

It also includes funding for a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, the expansion of high-speed internet access to rural areas and the replacement of all the country’s lead pipes as part of an investment in clean drinking water.

Full Story: The Australian.

‘I lost sight of my husband’: Greek woman shares the fear behind heartbreaking photo

Andriana Simos
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‘I lost sight of my husband’: Greek woman shares the fear behind heartbreaking photo

The Greek woman who was pictured fleeing her burning home in anguish has revealed she lost sight of her husband moments before the iconic image was taken.

Panayiota Noumidi, 81, has explained to Star.gr that she could not find her husband as flames engulfed their home on the island of Evia because he was helping battle the wildfires, causing her to cry out for help. 

“At the moment of the photo, the flames were coming towards us and my husband ran with the bucket to throw water behind our house where the fire was. I lost sight of him and cried, ‘help, help!’,” the 81-year-old told Star.gr.

Mrs Noumidi explained she could not find her husband (pictured) as flames engulfed their home.

Mrs Noumidi was later reunited with her husband and taken to a hospital for treatment, but was discharged because she wanted to return to Gouves, her home of 34 years, and inspect the damage. Her home was saved.

“At the hospital they kept telling me that nothing had happened to homes, only the forest burned. Why should the forest burn? Is it not a sin?” Mrs Noumidi said.

When asked by the reporter how she feels that the iconic image has gone viral around the world, in typical Greek fashion, Mrs Noumidi said that “didn’t interest her.”

Mrs Noumidi running from the flames.

“I’m interested in getting up one day and seeing everything again as I knew them to be. I didn’t want publicity. What will I do with it? I’m interested in people showing interest in Evia which has been completely burned down,” she concluded, visibly upset.

Greece has for over a week been ravaged by wildfires which, fanned by strong winds, have torn through forest dried out in a blistering heatwave. 

Hardest-hit has been the island of Evia, where flames have now raged for nine days – racing from one side of the island to the other, reducing everything in their path to ash, and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.    

Source: DailyMail.

Multinational force works to tame wildfire flare-ups in Evia and near Ancient Olympia

The Greek Herald
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Multinational force works to tame wildfire flare-ups in Evia and near Ancient Olympia

Hundreds of firefighters from across Europe and the Mideast worked alongside their Greek colleagues in rugged terrain on Wednesday, trying to contain flareups of the huge wildfires that have ravaged Greece’s forests for a week, destroying homes and forcing thousands to evacuate.

The spread of the blazes has been largely halted, officials said, but fronts still burned on the large island of Evia and in Greece’s southern Peloponnese region, where several homes were on fire, according to state ERT TV.

Small pockets of wildfires continued to burn in areas of the Ancient Olympia township, in Ilia, western Peloponnese, Deputy Regional Director of Ilia Vassilis Yannopoulos said.

READ MORE: Mytilineos sources helicopters and crew from Australia to fight fires in Greece.

A firefighter from Slovakia tries to extinguish a fire in Avgaria village on Evia island. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Karadjias.

Firefighters and heavy machinery also still remain at the administrative borders of Ilia and Arcadia prefectures to prevent the fire in Gortynia, the region east of Olympia, from spreading into Ilia.

“Although the danger of rekindlings in the fire fronts has not yet been alleviated, we are speeding up our efforts to register damages immediately,” Yiannopoulos said.

The fires broke out last week after Greece had just experienced its most protracted heatwave since 1987, leaving its forests tinder-dry.

READ MORE: Greek government defends response as Evia wildfires burn for eighth day.

A burnt forest in Agia Anna village on Evia island. Photo: AP Photo/Michael Varaklas.

Greece’s fire service said 900 firefighters, including teams from Poland, Romania, Cyprus, Ukraine, Serbia, Slovakia and Moldova, and 27 aircraft were working on Evia, Greece’s second-largest island which is linked to the mainland by a bridge.

Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, spoke on the phone Wednesday with top officials from Ukraine, Qatar and Romania to “warmly thank them” for their contributions. The three countries sent 340 firefighters and 24 vehicles in response to Greece’s appeal for help.

Two Egyptian Chinook helicopters fly over Elefsina Military Air Base, providing firefighting assistance in Greece, August 11, 2021. Photo: Louiza Vradi/Reuters.

Evia’s northern part, which has forests entwined with villages and small seaside resorts, has suffered the greatest damage, with an estimated 50,000 hectares (123,000 acres) lost and dozens of homes burned.

Retiree Maria Roga said although her house in Pefki, a village on Evia, was saved from the flames that burned a neighboring home, she still worries about flare-ups.

“I’m still afraid. I’m afraid,” she told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “(But) I can’t complain. I am very grateful, I am one of the lucky ones.”

Source: AP News.

Erica and Andreas Karageorgopoulos changed their lifestyle and lost over 100kg together

Andriana Simos
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Erica and Andreas Karageorgopoulos changed their lifestyle and lost over 100kg together

Melbourne couple, Erica and Andreas Karageorgopoulos, were on a family holiday in Greece when they first received comments from concerned family members about their weight.

“We were so embarrassed and uncomfortable…” Erica tells The Greek Herald exclusively.

“I always looked after myself fairly well, but when we were newly married and started a family, I had put on over 30kg post pregnancy. We were very comfortable and got into the habit of eating the wrong foods.”

This, as well as a medical diagnosis of diabetes, high blood pressure, reflux and fatty liver, saw the pair make their biggest lifestyle change yet. They decided to become ‘diet buddies’ and joined the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan.

“We were able to support each other through various temptations and motivated each other. It was a lifestyle change that we needed to have,” Erica says.

Psychologist, Jemma Doley, encourages group fitness.

Psychologist, Jemma Doley, specialises in health coaching and she says Erica and Andreas’ decision to lose weight together was a great choice because it can keep couples accountable and on track.

“Going on a weight loss journey together increases our psychological commitment to them and makes it more likely that we will succeed. It can also decrease temptation, particularly couples who generally prepare meals together,” Ms Doley explains.

“Working on a goal with your buddy can also help keep you both accountable and on track. It’s also beneficial to build small “micro-habits” together.”

Erica agrees and says although she and her husband faced daily challenges during their weight loss journey, they were still able to achieve their goals because they supported each other.

Erica and Andreas are much happier now.

“It was difficult but because we were doing it together, we kept each other accountable and motivated. The biggest challenge was when we had family dinner or special occasions. All of the delicious Greek food was always in abundance in front of us and with our Greek families always pushing to fill our plates up, it challenged us,” she says.

“[But] one of the advantages of doing the 1:1 Diet was that there is very little physical activity required. Andreas did go for his walks in the evening which helped him lose the weight faster, whereas I did minimal exercise and continued to lose the weight.”

In total, Erica says the pair lost over 100 kilograms together and their medical issues have completely resolved.

“It has been nearly two years since we started our health journey and we feel amazing,” Erica concludes. “We feel healthier, energetic, more confident and just generally feel more alive overall.”

Cooking his way through life: Meet The Real Greek Chef

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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Cooking his way through life: Meet The Real Greek Chef

Giannis or The Real Greek Chef not only has a place in our homes with the scrumptious authentic recipes he generously shares through his social media channels but also a place in our hearts for his authentic personality.

After making an impact in the Melburnian culinary scene for two years with his Reservoir restaurant ‘The Real Greek Chef of Melbourne’ he is now embarking on a new journey in Adelaide, the home town of his wife Fotini -who is also the creative mind of the business.

Kayla Itsines with The Real Greek Chef and her ex-fiancé Tobi Pearce. Picture: Facebook/The Real Greek Chef

A story of hard work and resilience

An immigrant to Australia since 2017 Giannis is passionate about authentic homemade Greek dishes and also good hospitality and customer service.

“No matter how many courses I have attended I always revert back to basics. Back to what I learnt from my mother and my yiayia. I was always around the kitchen alongside them when I was growing up,” Giannis tells The Greek Herald as he unfolds his life’s journey.

Born in Larissa in the mid-seventies, he decided to leave the small city and try his luck in Athens where his aunt was living at the time.

“I was only 14 when I told my parents I wanted to go to Athens. They told me they had no money to help me so I borrowed the funds from a cousin of mine,” he says.

Picture: Facebook/The Real Greek Chef

Giannis went to Athens and lived with his aunt for the first six months where she then helped him rent his first home.

“I finished school and went to Uni where I studied Economics and Business on my own. During the day I was going to school and was practicing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) on a professional level and at night I worked at night clubs,” he says.

At the age of 19 he made his first entrepreneurial steps as one of the three partners of ‘Frangelico’ Live Music Venue in Athens, a move that would carve the path of his future endeavours.

“With the money I had saved, my aunt asked me if I wanted to invest in land or start my own business and although I knew what a business and partnerships entailed, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of building up successful businesses despite the risks.”

From 2003 to 2014 Giannis ended up with various businesses and more than 500 employees.

“In 2014, days before I was preparing to get into a major franchise partnership I had a motorcycle accident,” he says.

Picture: Facebook/The Real Greek Chef

Rebooting his life

“The accident left me with multiple bone fractures, internal bleeding and unable to look after myself and my businesses. It was a miracle I survived,” explains Giannis.

He remained bedridden for a year and when he finally was able to stand on his two feet and started recovering, his body couldn’t produce blood. For six months Gianni was having blood transfusions every 20 days.

“Due to the forced inactivity, I gained a lot of weight and was in a bad mental state. From business owner with 500 staff and professional athlete I was now in bed unable to do anything and there was a point where I didn’t want my life,” he confesses.

But a born fighter, Giannis slowly managed to overcome this difficult period in his life and started from scratch.

“In 2016, a year before I came to Australia, a friend gifted me a dog. This is what saved me. I had suicidal thoughts and he was the one who once prevented me from taking my life.

“He gave me motivation. I started taking him out for walks and later-on returned to the gym. I soon returned to being my old self again. In September 2017 as I was ready to leave Greece and go to England, I met Fotini and I decided to come to Australia with her.”

After Gianni cooked a Greek Pastitsio for Fotini, she encouraged him to start The Real Greek Chef and she is the one who’s been recording his cooking videos.

Now Giannis works as a restaurant consultant and does on-demand online cooking classes while an e-book with Authentic Greek Recipes is also in the works.

“Cooking is part of our Greek culture. With a few ingredients and olive oil you can create a mouth-watering dish,” Gianni says.

The recipe to a good life is similar. A few exceptional ingredients. Love and teamwork is what makes it flourish.

Stay up to date with recipes and news from The Real Greek Chef by following him on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube

NSW Premier replies to 7-year-old boy’s letter who couldn’t celebrate birthday in lockdown

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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NSW Premier replies to 7-year-old boy’s letter who couldn’t celebrate birthday in lockdown

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has responded to a 7-year-old boy’s letter expressing his feelings about the fact that he was not able to celebrate his birthday due to the lockdown.

A few days before his birthday, George Vrahas wrote to the Premier to let her know “he was really upset that he can’t go to school, can’t go out and can’t celebrate with his family and friends.”

“Mum, we need to sit down and have a serious discussion. I need you to write a letter to auntie Gladys to tell her how I feel,” George told his mother, Christine.

“He was overwhelmed and concerned with the lockdown and wanted to write the letter because he knows the Premier would read it and reply to him,” Christine said.

George Vrahas and his 4-year-old sister Elizabeth holding the letter from the Premier. Photo: Supplied

Last year, during the first lockdown with another letter to the Premier, George inquired whether the Easter Bunny would be able to visit and he received a reply along with a bag of Easter eggs.

In her recent correspondence with the young Greek Australian, the Premier says that “while it’s disappointing that we are not able to celebrate special occasions with family and friends, it’s important that we follow the health advice to keep us all safe during this time.”

Closing with a handwritten P.S. note, Berejiklian signs as ‘Auntie Gladys’.

“He’s happy he got an acknowledgement from someone we see on the news,” said Christine stressing that this lockdown has been difficult and draining especially for parents with multiple children who work and homeschool.

“The children are also suffering and I’m glad George took the initiative to speak to me about it and to have a voice that is being heard. We always worry about our mental health but we often forget about the kids,” Christine said.

Asking George if he has a message to share with other kids who also have to hold off their birthday celebrations until the lockdown ends, he says “it will be okay.”

Greek Australian Dialogue Series continues with Enterprise Greece executive Betty Alexandropoulou

John Voutos
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Greek Australian Dialogue Series continues with Enterprise Greece executive Betty Alexandropoulou

The Greek Australian Dialogue Series continues next week with a zoom conference with the executive director and board member of Enterprise Greece, Betty Alexandropoulou.

Hosted by the trade commissioner of Greece in Australia at the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Katia Gkikiza, and director of the Business Leaders Council, Paul Nicolaou, the session will include topics such as how have Greek exports changed during the COVID pandemic and how Enterprise Greece has helped companies sustain, grow, transform, and develop.

Ms. Alexandropoulou comes with vast experience in senior leadership roles within government as well as private-sector multinational organizations, and several years abroad in countries such as Switzerland, Argentina, and the United States.  

Formerly a Senior Commercial Advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce at the U.S. Embassy in Greece, her portfolio included Healthcare and ICT sectors and the SelectUSA global program which facilitates U.S. foreign direct investment. A seasoned professional in managing global projects and teams, she specializes in international market expansion as related to trade promotion and investment attraction, as well as business transformation. 

She has served in business associations such as the Propeller Club and the American Chamber of Commerce and has participated in various conferences and industry forums as a keynote and panel speaker.

Following her presentation, there will be an opportunity for a Q&A session with Ms. Alexandropoulou.

DETAILS FOR THE VIDEO CONFERENCE:

Date:    Monday, 23 August 2021

Time:   3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (AEST – NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas, Qld)

Link:    Zoom link will be forwarded to you after you RSVP

To RSVP, please email paul.nicolaou@australianchamber.com.au as soon as possible to secure your place in this video conference.

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