Pikionis Dimitris is remembered as one of societies greatest modern architects, highly recognised for his work in shaping modern Greek architecture, particularly the streets of Athens.
Dimitris was born in Piraeus in 1887 by parents of Chiot descent. By 1908, he became the first student to be taken by K. Parthenis, a distinguished Greek painter at the time. In the same year, he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and set out to work and study in Paris.
While Dimitris attended architectural composition lessons at the École des Beaux-Arts, his true desire was to work with painting, not architecture.
View of the Saint Dimitrios Loumbardiaris courtyard and the path leading to Filopappou Monument, 1954–58. Photo: Agni Pikioni Archive, Dimitris Pikionis A.M.K.E., Athens
In 1912, in the period of military recruitment for the Balkan wars, he returned to Greece and began to design his first houses from the folk architecture of Aegina. Being limited to designing blueprints for graves in the 1940s and 1950s, Dimitris got his big breakthrough after being given the opportunity to work on the formation of the archaeological site around the Acropolis and Philopappos Hill.
One of his longest projects, it became his most important and famous work that still leaves it’s mark on the city of Athens. He particularly made use of rough-finished marble for his designs, using various shapes that appear irregular, yet are strictly geometric.
The combination of his artistic imagination and structural knowledge in architecture made his work recognised by some of the worlds greatest architects and world leaders.
In 1966, he was elected a regular member of the Academy of Athens (order of Letters and Arts) in the Architecture Chair.
Dimitris died in Athens on 28th of August 1968, aged 81.
Sophie Cotsis, Member for Canterbury, visited McCallum’s Hill Public School to view the stage one completion of the school’s new sensory garden.
The garden was supported by Federal MP Tony Burke and State MP Sophie Cotsis, as well as the Lantern Club in Roselands.
“The school’s leadership and P&C committee shared a vision to convert an unused space and convert it into a spectacular interactive open space which has now been incorporated into school teaching and learning” said Ms Cotsis.
“This is a fantastic addition to the amazing school and will be enjoyed by kids today and into the future.”
“The sensory garden will especially help those students with greater needs and will encourage a more stimulating classroom environment.”
“Thank you to the school’s principal Mrs Georgia Constanti, and P&C President Paul Robertson for their continued dedication to student education and well-being.”
Debbie Waicokacola, General Manager of the Lantern Club, announced the club would donate a further $10,000 to invest into stage 2 of the garden’s development.
Harry Maguire landed in a lot of trouble after taking part in a brawl in Mykonos last week, being found guilty of assault and bribing the ELAS.
Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme, the lawyer who represented two police officers in the assault case says it is “shocking” that there has been no apology from the Manchester United captain and his co-defendants.
“This is what I find quite shocking and quite unsporting. Fair play means when I’ve done something wrong I apologise or at least I say I am sorry for what happened to the other person,” Dr Yoannis Paradissis said to the British programme.
The Manchester United midfielder has defended the actions that led to his arrest in Greece, insisting he has no reason to apologise for the incident, but instead feels regret at causing potential embarrassment to his club.
In this Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020 file photo, England soccer player Harry Maguire leaves a court building on the Aegean island of Syros, Greece.(AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)
“I don’t feel like I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something when you’ve done something wrong or regret. I regret being in the situation,” Maguire said, adding that he is confident he will be cleared in the retrial.
“I have great faith in the Greek law, the retrial will give us more time to prepare, gather the evidence, allow witnesses into the court. And I am really confident that the truth will be told and come out.”
The court on the Greek island of Syros handed the footballer suspended 21-month prison sentence. The 27-year-old England defender, who did not attend the trial, quickly indicated his intention to appeal, releasing a statement saying that he and his family and friends had been the victims.
Paradissis said an appeal would start the trial afresh but that in Greek law some of the accusations could be withdrawn if an apology was given and that “the outcome might be different.”
Maguire was dropped from the England squad for the Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark after initially The impact of Maguire’s conviction is already being felt, with England manager Gareth Southgate withdrawing him from the squad for the Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark next month, having initially selected him.
Australia’s Ambassador to Greece, Arthur Spyrou, met with political leaders in the South Aegean during an excursion to Rhodes yesterday, discussing potential ways to strengthen community ties between Rhodes and Australia.
As part of the Ambassador’s tour in Rhodes, Spyrou met with the Governor of the South Aegean Region, George Hatzimarkos, as well as the Mayor of Rhodes, Andonis Cambourakis.
Discussions with the Governor focused on the region’s strong war and community links with Australia and the potential commercial opportunities that can arise from an EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Ambassador Arthur Spyrou met with the Governor of the South Aegean Region, George Hatzimarkos, in #Rhodes. The…
The Governor thanked Spyrou for his interest in the South Aegean islands and said he was proud that an expatriate represents Greece in Australia.
“We are proud that an expatriate now represents a foreign country in our homeland,” Hatzimarkos said.
“For us Greeks, the Greek community is a great national asset, with invaluable contribution from those who, serving in positions of responsibility, do not forget their roots. In a period that tests the global community, but also with the historical challenges we face in the “neighbourhood”, it is important for us islanders to feel that there is another Greece that is firmly by our side.
“The Greeks of Australia, at every opportunity show that they always hold for our country, a place in their hearts.”
The Australian Ambassador to Greece also met with Mayor of Rhodes, Andonis Cambourakis, to discuss the island’s wartime connections with Australia, the vibrant Greece-Australia community with links to Rhodes, and opportunities to strengthen trade relations between the two countries.
Spyrou, during his expedition to Rhodes, stopped by the the Commonwealth War Graves Commission War Cemetery in Rhodes to pay respect and honour the ANZACS who served and lost their lives on Rhodes and other islands during operations in the Aegean in WWII.
At the @CWGC War Cemetery in #Rhodes today, I paid my respects to the #Anzacs who served and lost their lives on Rhodes and other islands in the Aegean during WWII. The memory of their service and sacrifice lives on. 🌺 @AWMemorialpic.twitter.com/xXMPupSSdX
Turkey said on Thursday it will hold firing exercises in the eastern Mediterranean on Sept 1-2, the latest in a series of military drills which have fuelled tensions with Greece.
The announcement came hours before parliament in Greece is expected to ratify an agreement with Egypt which defines maritime boundaries between the two countries, a step which Turkey considers an affront.
NATO states Greece and Turkey have been locked in a dispute over control of eastern Mediterranean waters, which escalated after Ankara sent a seismic survey vessel to the disputed region this month in a move which Athens called illegal.
They are at odds over the rights to potential hydrocarbon resources, based on conflicting claims over the extent of their continental shelves.
In this photo provided by the Greek Defense Ministry, warships take part in a military exercise in Eastern Mediterranean sea, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (Greek Defense Ministry via AP)
The Turkish navy issued the latest advisory, known as a Navtex, on Thursday saying it will hold the shooting exercises in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Iskenderun, northeast of Cyprus. It also extended the seismic work of its Oruc Reis survey vessel, southwest of Cyprus, until Sept 1.
As the dispute widened, France said on Wednesday it was joining military exercises with Italy, Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said the deployment of French military aircraft in Cyprus violated treaties regarding the control and administration of the island after independence from Britain in 1960.
Aksoy said that France’s stance was dangerously encouraging Greece and Cyprus to further escalate tensions in the region.
Parliament in Greece is expected to ratify an accord on Thursday evening defining its sea boundaries with Egypt, having ratified a similar deal with Italy.
Greece now plans to extend its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from its coast, from six nautical miles. Turkey has warned that a similar move by Athens in waters east of Greece would be a cause for war.
Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said that Greece’s right to shift its western maritime border stems from the Law of the Sea and it reserves the right to do so in other sea areas, when it decides.
“The tension is not created by Greece, which is ready to contribute in a de-escalation,” he said.
On Wednesday 26 August 2020 the Order of AHEPA NSW Inc (AHEPA) was dealt a blow when the NSW Court of Appeal, comprising three Judges, overturned an earlier decision of a Judge of the Supreme Court and held that a resolution passed by members of AHEPA in relation to a development proposal was invalid.
The proceedings arose as a result of a resolution passed in February 2019 by a majority of members of AHEPA That resolution allowed AHEPA to develop and enter into a 21 year lease in respect of the Bexley [ ].
The validity of the resolution was challenged by certain members of AHEPA NSW and on 3 October 2019 Justice Rees of the Supreme Court of New South Wales rejected the member’s challenge to the validity of the resolution.
The members then appealed the decision of Justice Rees arguing before the Court of Appeal. The members argued that the resolution was invalid because a number of members that voted in favour of it were not in actual fact members that were entitled to vote as the correct procedure for becoming a member of AHEPA had not been followed.
The Court of Appeal agreed with the members’ arguments and held that 127 people that voted on the resolution were not valid members and therefore were not entitled to vote. Since the resolution passed by only 13 votes, the Court of Appeal stated that the outcome of the vote could very well have been different and having established that those 127 people were not entitled to vote, held that the February 2019 resolution was also invalidly adopted.
The press release issued by Mr George Lianos from The Order of AHEPA NSW (Members), who won the appeal, states:
Proposed plans for Bexley Bowling Club now in question
An underlying issue that has increased the tension and motivation surrounding these legal proceedings, is the financial plans of AHEPA NSW INC Committee of Management. The Committee were determined to develop a Hellenic Cultural Centre on a plot of land in Bexley owned by Bayside Council.
Although the ‘Members’ claim they are in full support of building a cultural centre, they believe the proposed plans for Bexley Bowling Club resembles more to a functions hall rather than a venue to promote the Hellenic culture and attract the youth. Concerning for the members is also the logic behind investing in a property that the organisation does not and will not own.
Another reason of concern for the ‘Members’, is the financial management of AHEPA NSW INC, particularly regarding the cost of legal fees that have been accrued over the years, estimated at around $2 million and the fact that pursuing the Bexley Bowling Club project will mean selling the properties AHEPA NSW INC already owns in Rockdale and Elizabeth Street, Sydney.
The ‘Committee of Management’ acknowledge these issues but they go on to believe that they need to give something back to the community after wasting so much of AHEPA’s money on legal fees. Also, they do note that from a business standpoint, while the Elizabeth Street property is bringing in a hefty income, Rockdale is not.
The ‘Committee of Management’ also seem to be certain that Bayside Council will support their community investment into a popular Hellenic area, which will assure them a greater reward from the council in the future.
Under the proposed plans, the construction of Bexley Bowling Club consists of 3 function rooms, a bar, sporting activities and a community hall next door.
“Further minor rulings will be decided within the next two weeks. We hope that this decision will stop this particular group of schismatic individuals creating further problems within AHEPA,” reads the statement issued by Mr George Lianos.
After 61 years of service with the same company, 87-year-old Effie Catsas may well be the most loyal employee in South Australia.
More than 20 years past the normal retirement age, Mrs Catsas still drives 40 minutes to be at the deli department at Munno Para Foodland by 5.30am. She has no plans to quit.
And her secret to lasting so long on the shop floor? “I enjoy keeping my body and mind active and nobody is able to boss me around,” Mrs Catsas said.
“But also you have to like your boss. The new one is young and hardworking; he is a gem. You don’t see that hard work a lot these days.”
87-year-old Effie Catsas featured in News Corp’s Thanks a Million campaign, which highlights individuals who help their community during the pandemic. Picture: Sarah Reed.
Mrs Catsas has been with the Chapley retail group – which owns several Foodland stores across Adelaide – for most of her working life, after arriving in Australia from Greece in 1953.
The only gap in her work for the Chapley family came with a seven-year stint in a cafe she and late husband, Rino, established in Victoria.
Mrs Catsas said work kept her well balanced and helped her through lonely times, such as when her children grew up and when her husband died.
One boss who stood out in her mind was the now Chapley group executive manager, Philip Funnell. Mr Funnell said he had worked with Mrs Catsas since 1981, when he was still at school.
“Her success is just hard work, keenness to come to work and being able to mix well with customers and workmates,” Mr Funnell said.
Mrs Catsas featured in News Corp’s Thanks a Million campaign, which highlights individuals who help their community during the pandemic.
Melbourne mum, Vikkie Triantafyllou, is always running after her two beautiful daughters, Stefanie and Elektra, but she says she ‘wouldn’t have it any other way.’
No surprise there. Although Elektra, 8, was conceived naturally, Vikkie’s journey to have Stefanie, 4, was much more tumultuous. Having developed some medical issues after the birth of her first daughter, Vikkie was left with only one option – in vitro fertilisation, otherwise known as IVF.
According to IVF Australia, IVF is a procedure by which an egg and sperm are joined together outside the body in a specialised laboratory. The success rate of having a baby ranges from 34.9 percent for patients under 30 years old, to 8.7 percent for patients over 40.
Being 39 years old at the time, Vikkie was closer to the lower birth success rate but luckily, that wasn’t the case.
Vikkie’s beautiful daughter Stefanie was born via IVF. Photo supplied.
“We had two full egg retrieval cycles and then we had a number of embryo transfers along the way. We had a couple of miscarriages and then I ended up being pregnant with twins but lost one of them in the early days. In the end, we got one healthy baby out of it and we feel very lucky,” Vikkie tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
But others clearly aren’t as lucky. Something Vikkie says was the trigger behind her idea to donate 20 anonymous care packages to the Melbourne IVF clinic in Mt Waverley, Victoria, for the last four years.
“Every time I would be in the waiting room, I would have ladies sort of attached to me and sharing their stories about financial strains and sacrifices they had to make, like not being able to go to the movies or get a haircut or go to a restaurant, because all their money was going towards the IVF treatment,” Vikkie says.
“And I would come home from every session and I’d be so upset, and my husband would ask, ‘Is it not going well?’ and I’d tell him what was wrong and he said, ‘You need to find a way to help them’.”
Vikkie sends 20 anonymous care packs to families stuggling with IVF every year. Photo supplied.
Cue Vikkie’s mad dash to contact a few different businesses, hoping to put just a ‘small care package’ together. But ultimately, she says she was ‘absolutely overwhelmed’ by the response she received.
Donations ranged from 20 signed books by actress Mary Koustas, to shoes from Crocs Australia, haircut vouchers from Just Cuts and care products from Chemist Warehouse, just to name a few.
From there, her idea only continued to flourish and now her anonymous care packages have put a smile on the faces of at least 80 families.
“The care packages are given to couples that the nurses decide are probably having a little bit more of a rough time than most couples,” Vikkie says.
The clinic receptionist gives Vikkie a number of thankful letters from people who have received the care packs. Photo supplied.
“So they could go to couples that are close to giving birth but have had a really bad struggle, or couples that have not been successful.
“By coincidence, I’ve also had people I know receive the packs over the years. I saw a care package on my friend’s kitchen counter one day and I had no idea she was even going through IVF.”
Vikkie says this encounter was ‘mind blowing’ as it made her realise people are still too scared to talk about IVF openly.
“IVF is definitely a taboo topic and something that people are scared of. Especially in the Greek community where some people are like, ‘what’s wrong with you if can’t you have a baby’,” Vikkie explains.
Vikkie is grateful her care packs are helping others talk about IVF. Photo supplied.
But at the end of the day, she’s still hopeful her care packages are encouraging people to start conversations about the sensitive issue.
“I have received letters that were given to the clinic receptionist to hand to me, and they’re just beautiful. People are blown away that someone has gone to the trouble to care about them,” Vikkie says.
“So I think the care packages have allowed people to open up a lot more and talk about their journey, and that’s just fantastic.”
If you would like to contribute towards these care packages, please contact Vikkie at vikkie@giftwrappedup.com.au.
The National Museum of Australia has rescheduled the planned British Museum exhibition, Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes, for December 17, 2021.
The international exhibition was due to open in Canberra in December 2020, but logistical challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prompted the rescheduling.
The exhibition is part of a partnership between the British Museum, the National Museum of Australia, the Western Australian Museum and the Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
The National Museum of Australia is renowned for its international exhibitions.
National Museum director, Dr Mathew Trinca, said he looks forward to bringing Ancient Greeks to the capital in December 2021.
“We are delighted to bring Ancient Greeks to east coast audiences next year – I know they’ll be mesmerised by the stories of competition in the ancient Greek world and by the beautiful depictions of athletes, the ceramics, sculptures, armour and jewellery featured in the show,” said Dr Trinca.
Featuring some 170 objects which explore the theme of competition through sports, politics, drama, music and warfare, Ancient Greeks will open in Western Australia before starring at the National Museum (17 December 2021 – 1 May 2022), as the show’s only east coast Australian venue.
The exhibition will then conclude its Australasian tour with a final stop in New Zealand.
Dr Trinca thanked the partner institutions and said the unique three-way collaboration is a model for future agreements, allowing cultural institutions to pool and leverage their resources, to bring world class shows of this type to their audiences.
“The National Museum is working creatively with its partners to pool resources to our mutual benefit and bring high quality exhibitions to our audiences as a result,” said Dr Trinca.
Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes is the fourth in a series of British Museum exhibitions that have featured at the National Museum of Australia.
The other three include: Rome: City and Empire (2018), A History of the World in 100 Objects (2016) and Encounters: Revealing Stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Objects from the British Museum (2015).
The Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria in conjunction with the Greek Archdiocese and all Cypriot Communities and Organisations of Melbourne, are conducting a coordinated collection of non-perishables for all the needy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Running from Monday, 24 August, 2020, to Wednesday, 2 September, 2020, the Community is asking people to donate items such as canned and dry foods, as well as long life milk.
The initiative was launched after Father Evmenios from the Archdiocese informed the Community that food stocks are running very low, and many people who are unemployed are struggling to keep their families fed at the moment.
“During the Melbourne lockdown, it’s hard for people to get outside and we decided that we need to support them as much as we can during this difficult time,” President of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Stelios Angelodemou, tells The Greek Herald.
But due to the current restrictions in Melbourne, volunteers needed to be granted a special permit authorising them to pick up food donations from people’s homes.
“We have four to five people with the special permit, but also other people who are allowed to travel within a 5km radius from their home. So everyone is helping,” Mr Angelodemou says.
“So far the response has been unbelievable and this gives us the strength to continue helping.”
If you would like to make a donation, you can contact any of the following people in this post:
FOOD COLLECTION NOTICEThe Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria in conjunction with the Greek Archdiocese and all…
