Search
Home Blog Page 1380

Kyrgios family supports Samian Association’s earthquake relief fundraiser

The Greek Herald
-
0
Kyrgios family supports Samian Association’s earthquake relief fundraiser

The Kyrgios family received a message of thanks from the Samian Association of Canberra and Districts for their support in raising money for Samian Earthquake relief fundraiser, which was held last month.

Nick Kyrgios’ brother, Christos, donated signed merchandise from Nick for the fundraisers live auction, which helped raise close to a total of $20,000.

“The Samian community from both Canberra and Sydney came together as well a wonderful turnout from the broader community to raise funds to help our island of Samos rebuild some of its infrastructure after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the island last October,” a letter from the Samian Association of Canberra and Districts, which was sent to Christos, read.

The earthquake brought devastation to the island and neighbouring country of Turkey, with both countries suffering a combined 119 fatalities, also leaving 1,053 injured and 15,000 homeless.

Buildings in Samos suffered severe damage, particularly in Karlovasi where a large church had partially collapsed. Following the earthquake, Samos was also affected by hundreds of aftershocks and flooding from a tsunami, which also rocked the islands of Ikaria, Kos and Chios.

Samian Association President, Eleni Gianakis, told The Greek Herald she was very thankful for the Kyrgios family and wider Greek Australian community in Canberra for their generous donations.

“It was a really good night, the community came together and supported us,” Gianakis said.

“I was very humbled that they came, that local businesses and the Kyrgios Foundation supported us without a doubt. I sent them an email and they got back to me straight away.”

READ MORE: Samian Association of Canberra plans fundraiser to support victims of Samos earthquake
READ MORE: NK Foundation inspiring tennis community with new facility development in Canberra

The Samian Association President said they are now organising where to send the raised funds.

“We’ll know exactly where the money will go. We’re not going to send it until we know it’s going to the people that need it,” Gianakis said.

“We’re just trying to assist in any way we can.”

The donation was made with support of the Nick Kyrgios Foundation, which was set up by Greek Australian tennis star to offer sporting opportunities, support services, education & training pathways, low-cost accomodation and solutions for underprivileged youth.

Kyrgios was born in Canberra to a Greek father, Giorgos, and has previously talked about his proud Greek heritage, having close relations with fellow Greek Australian tennis player Thanasi Kokkinakis and World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“We are proud to have been able to support the Samian Association of Canberra & Districts in fundraising for their relief efforts following the devastating earthquake,” the NK Foundation said in a Facebook post.

“Stay strong, we send our thoughts and prayers to all those families affected.”

The NK Foundation made its first steps as a government funded initiative in September last year after securing funds to develop a Gungahlin tennis facility in Canberra. The Foundation is looking to create more tennis facilities in disadvantaged regions in Australia.

“For the first time, I feel like there is a reason for what I am doing. Tennis is a great life – we are well paid and the perks are pretty good – but it can feel empty if you’re just doing it for the money,” Nick Kyrgios said about his Foundation.

“I now know what it’s all for. When I work on the NK Foundation and our Melbourne facility, I cast my mind forward to all the disadvantaged kids I will be helping. I’m playing for them now.”

Commemorative coins launched for 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution

The Greek Herald
-
0
Commemorative coins launched for 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution

The commemorative coins celebrating 200 years since the start of the Greek revolution were officially launched on Friday afternoon at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Sydney.

The official opening of the collection of coins was announced by the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Mr. Christos Karras, who was the keynote speaker at the special event.

“The Greek-Australian community’s successful integration into Australian society has contributed greatly to shaping Australia’s multicultural character and to the further strengthening of cordial relations between Greece and Australia,” the Consul General said.

Photo: The Greek Herald

“As we commemorate our 200th anniversary, we also celebrate the warm friendship between Greece and Australia, we celebrate our common values that bind us as faithful friends, we celebrate the great contributions that Greek-Australians have made to multicultural Australian society.”

“To honour this landmark bicentenary, the national committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia for the celebration of the 200th Anniversary, has been coordinating more than 250 nation-wide activities throughout the year.”

“As part of these celebrations, 1,821 silver coins and 1,821 bronze coins have been issued and are being presented for the first time today. It is my great honour and pleasure to take part in the official launch of these commemorative coins.”

Photo: The Greek Herald

The coins pay tribute to the clergy and monks who helped preserve the Greek letters in the first centuries of Turkish rule.

The front of each coin depicts the secret school, as well as the phrase “For Faith and Homeland”, in Greek and English. On the back is the anniversary emblem of the Holy Archdiocese, with the flags of Greece and Australia.

Archbishop Makarios focused on the characteristics of the coins in his speech, making special mention of the secret school and emphasising that its foundation was the hierarchical conscience of the clergy and monks.

“If it were not for the poor and insignificant priests of the villages and cities, if there were no monasteries and abbotts, there would be no Greek letters today”, he noted.

Archbishop Makarios thanked all special dignitaries who were able to attend the event, including Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, the Archepisocpal Vicar of Canberra and Tasmania, Archimandrite Prochoros Anastasiadis, and the President of the Greek Orthodox Community Canberra John Loukadellis.

Attendees at the event also had the opportunity to purchase collectible coins, which will now be available from the bookstores of the Holy Archdiocese.

Perspectives: If we lose the language we lose everything!

The Greek Herald
-
0
Perspectives: If we lose the language we lose everything!

By Eleni Elefterias

What is it that makes us Greek? Recently in an article on the Quora site someone asked that same question and the answers were interesting.

Is it that they must be born of Greek parents or share some Greek heritage? Do they have to be Greek Orthodox?  Must they partake in some form of cultural activity such as learning the language, dancing the traditional dances and / or cooking the traditional meals?

Though there are people who belong to all of the above categories here in Australia, there are many in Greece who may not be ethnically Greek but still speak the language and even partake in many cultural activities and sometimes even share the same religion. For example, the many people of Albanian background in Greece today, who consider themselves Greek.

There may not be such a thing as a pure ethnic Greek and let it be clear that this issue is far deeper and fraught with all sorts of problems and is definitely not within the scope of this column. However, we cannot deny that if someone feels Greek, whether they speak the language or not, then they are Greek. Also, if someone is ethnically Greek but denies it then that is their problem and they may never know what they are missing out on.

For us here in Australia you know you are Greek when there is a yearning inside you to teach your children the traditions you grew up with or those you missed out on and wished you had grown up with if that makes sense.

For me it is also important to know the language though, as one academic and linguist, who is also a friend of mine, Dr Jill Murray, pointed out is not a necessity in having a Greek identity.

On this day in 1825, Odysseas Androutsos was assassinated

The Greek Herald
-
0
On this day in 1825, Odysseas Androutsos was assassinated

One of the most prominent military leaders of the Greek Revolution of 1821, Odysseas Androutsos fell victim to civil strife during the struggle and was killed by a Greek in cold blood.

Odysseas Androutsos was born in Ithaca in 1788 and was the only son of the famous Arvanite bandit Andrea Verousi. In honour of the Homeric hero, he was given the name Odysseas. 

When Ali Pasha learned that Captain Androutsos’, who had meanwhile been beheaded by the Turks in 1797, left a son, he took him to his courtyard in Ioannina, which was then a great military school, attended by several Greek fighters of 1821. 

He was then sent as a boatman to Livadia, after marrying him to Eleni Kareli. He remained there until the eve of 1821. As soon as the Revolution broke out, he was immediately on the front lines of the struggle and incited the Greeks of Eastern Roumeli to fight.

Androutsos was found trapped with 120 Greek men in what would become the famous Battle of Gravia Inn. Up against 8,000 Ottomans, Androutsos led the Greeks to victory and was proclaimed the military leader of Roumeli.

In 1822, new enemy troops flooded Roumeli, and because Odysseus did not have enough strength to resist, he was forced to surrender to them. It was this same year that he was accused by political opponent Ioannis Kolettis of being in contact with the Turks and was stripped of his command. 

Reconstructed Inn of Gravia. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Kolettis sent Noutsos and Palaskas to capture him. Odysseus, systematically avoiding any conflict with the government bodies in order not to shed precious fraternal blood, withdrew to Lebanon. After some minor skirmishes in early April, he was handed over to Goura on April 7, 1825, with the explicit promise that he would be sent to the Peloponnese to be tried by the Administration.

Gouras, however, did not keep his promise and he was imprisoned in Athens, on the Acropolis. Various fighters rose up for the unjust mistreatment of Androutsos, and because of this Gouras ordered for his execution.

To cover up their crime, they threw his body on the cobblestones of the Temple of Apteros Nike and spread the word that the prisoner tried to escape and was killed. The truth was soon revealed and history restored him morally, placing him among his top heroes of the Greek Revolution.

GCM Seminar: The 1821 Revolution and Greek Village Life Today

The Greek Herald
-
0
GCM Seminar: The 1821 Revolution and Greek Village Life Today

Professor Michael Herzfeld from Harvard University will present the online lecture The 1821 Revolution and Greek Village Life Today, on Thursday 10 June, at 7.00pm, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars, offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.

The rural village lies at the heart of the Greek national imagination, and undoubtedly played a major role in sustaining a sense of adherence to Greek religious, cultural, and linguistic values over the centuries. At the same time, certain aspects of village life – notably the organisation of family and kin relations, the division of land and other forms of property, rituals of reciprocity and mutual assistance, and attitudes to conflict – have changed in much of rural Greece. It is very easy to imagine pre-Independence Greece through these newer images, but a few places – notably in Mani and on Crete – retain the older characteristics and allow us to understand both the forms of resistance to Ottoman rule and the difficulties that these areas have experienced in accepting the bureaucratic regulation of their daily affairs. The speaker, an anthropologist with long experience of working in rural Crete, will illustrate his talk with examples from his fieldwork.

Michael Herzfeld is Ernest E. Monrad Professor of the Social Sciences in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University, and currently holds visiting appointments at the Universities of Leiden and Melbourne and at Shanghai International Studies University. An advocate of ‘engaged anthropology’, he has conducted research in Greece, Italy, and Thailand on masculinity, artisanship and social knowledge, gentrification and the impact of historical conservation, nationalism, and bureaucracy. Author of eleven books — including Evicted from Eternity: The Restructuring of Modern Rome (2009) and Siege of the Spirits: Community and Polity in Bangkok (2016) – he has also produced two ethnographic films. Just recently Professor Herzfled was also bestowed honorary Greek citizenship for his services in advancing Greek studies.

When: Thursday 10 June 2021, 7pm

Where: This is an online lecture and can be followed on Zoom, Facebook and Youtube

Tsitsipas conquers Isner as he prepares to face Busta in French Open

The Greek Herald
-
0
Tsitsipas conquers Isner as he prepares to face Busta in French Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas has quelled the fire of American John Isner to reach the fourth round of the French Open under lights at Roland Garros.

The fifth seed is one of the favourites to win the title and while he would have hoped facing the big American at night would have made the game slightly easier to handle, he had to think again.

Isner played a brilliant first set both on serve and from the baseline on clay, where his talents have always been overlooked, and, had he taken a break point at 3-3 in the second set the match might have turned out differently.

But Tsitsipas saved it with a gutsy forehand, willed himself first to hold serve and then to break, and eventually wore Isner down with his superior all-round game.

He took the third set on a tie-break and then surged to the finish line against a weary opponent to win 5-7 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 6-1, clinching it with an ace.

After claiming his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Rublev), Tsitsipas has continued to tear through draws in the clay-court season.

Into the fourth round for the third year in a row, Tsitsipas will face 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta for a spot in the quarter-finals. The Spaniard comfortably overcame Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Court Simonne-Mathieu earlier in the day. 

Source: AAP

Onassis family offer Winston Churchill painting to auction

The Greek Herald
-
0
Onassis family offer Winston Churchill painting to auction

Winston Churchill’s 1921 painting, The Moat, Breccles, gifted to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1961, will be offered for sale at Phillips New York on June 23.

Offered from the Onassis Family Collection, the painting is expected to fetch between US$1.5 million and US$2 million at its debut auction.

The Moat, Breccles, depicts a river scene in Norfolk, England, where the cousin of Churchill’s wife, Clementine, lived, according to Jean-Paul Engelen, deputy chairman and worldwide co-head of 20th century and contemporary art at Phillips.

Winston Churchill And Aristotle Onassis on July 29, 1959. Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

“1921 was a year of extremes for Churchill,” Engelen says, after he became Secretary of State for the Colonies in February. “He really got back into politics, however, that was followed by the death of his mother and his daughter later that year.”

The painting was first mentioned in Churchill’s essay, Painting as a Pastime, published in The Strand Magazine in December 1921. Churchill acknowledged in the essay that he sought escape in painting and writing from bouts of depression.

Churchill kept the painting to himself before he gifted it to Onassis in 1961.

“The Moat, Breccles, which Churchill treasured in his own private collection for 40 years, is a gift of warm affection and friendship,” Engelen says.

“When he gave a present to the richest person in the world, obviously, he gave something dear to him and something he was proud of.”

The painting has been held in the Onassis Family Collection since the Greek magnate died in 1975. The offering at Phillips’ 20th century and contemporary art evening auction on June 23 marks its first appearance at auction.

Source: Barrons.com

Greece disappointed after not being invited to German meeting over Libya

The Greek Herald
-
0
Greece disappointed after not being invited to German meeting over Libya

Greece has expressed their displeasure over being left out of the upcoming Berlin Conference on Libya, in which Turkey will participate.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said Greece should have been invited to the second Berlin Conference on Libya on June 23, even as he and the Greek government are trying to deal with Turkey’s plans to hunt for energy around Greek waters.

“Greece has a direct line of communication with Libya. Despite this we are extremely disappointed that Germany, obsessively sticking to its strategy, did not invite us yet again to the Libya summit,” he tweeted.

Angela Merkel and Libya’s Fayez al-Sarraj in May 2019.

The minister also contacted Jan Kubis, the UN Special Envoy on Libya, to notify him of his displeasure.

Both the German Ambassador to Athens Ernst Reichel and German Foreign Office Spokesperson Maria Adebahr responded on Friday to the displeasure expressed by the Foreign Minister.

“The basis for the second Berlin Conference on Libya is to include everyone who participated in the January 2020 conference and the subsequent follow-up process,” stated Adebahr.

She added that Libya is “an issue that justifiably is of interest to many international organizations and countries and that is why the government has a great interest in co-operating as closely as possible, both within the European Union and the United Nations.”

Reichel stated that the goal of the conference is to include countries that have been militarily engaged in Libya and stressed that the issue is not “German” but is an issue for the United Nations.

Source: ANA-MPA

Rabbitohs re-sign Greek Australian talents

The Greek Herald
-
0
Rabbitohs re-sign Greek Australian talents

The South Sydney Rabbitohs announced on Thursday the contract extension of six young stars, including Greek Australians Lachlan Ilias and Peter Mamouzelos.

The pair extended their tenures with the Rabbitohs until at least the end of the 2023 and 2024 seasons respectively. Blake Taaffe, Davvy Moale, Terrell Kalo Kalo and Josiah Karapani all also extended their contracts with the South Sydney club.

“We’re really excited to have re-signed Lachie, Blake, Pete, Davvy, Terrell and Josiah. We see them as playing key roles in the future of our NRL squad at this Club,” Mark Ellison, Head of Football at South Sydney, said.

Peter Mamouzelos signing a contract extension for 2021. Photo: The Daily Telegraph

“Lachie, Blake and Pete are all best mates, inseparable at training and outside of footy, and they have similarly strong combinations on the field as well having played and trained alongside each other for the past three years.”

“They have learned a lot from the senior members of our squad and will continue to do so as they put in the hard work to earn first grade debuts at our Club.”

Ilias, 21, is a halfback or five-eighth that joined the Rabbitohs in 2019 after representing the Australian Schoolboys in Rugby Union in 2018. In 2019, he helped lead the Rabbitohs’ Jersey Flegg under 20s side to the premiership. Ilias has been training full time with the Rabbitohs since November last year and has been playing in the Club’s Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup teams so far in 2021.

Watch Ilias’ highlights reel: https://bit.ly/3iijyzE

Mamouzelos, 20, is a South Sydney junior from the Maroubra Lions that has been a mainstay in the Rabbitohs’ Jersey Flegg side throughout 2019 and 2021. He is quick out of dummy half in the Damien Cook mould and has represented Greece in seven matches including World Cup Qualifiers throughout 2018 and 2019.

Watch Mamouzelos’ highlights reel: https://bit.ly/3chK0FG

New Helen Moursellas cookbook ‘to bring family and friends around the meal table’

The Greek Herald
-
0
New Helen Moursellas cookbook ‘to bring family and friends around the meal table’

A proud Greek Australian, Helen Moursellas has launched her brand new cookbook called ‘Food Connection’.

Inspired by her background and passionate about home cooked meals prepared with simple and fresh ingredients, Helen believes that feeding the whole family is “a nurturing, generous, and valued thing especially in our hectic, stressful and often disconnected world.”

https://www.facebook.com/helen.moursellas/posts/5877881892236744

“Nothing tastes better than a home cooked meal – particularly one that has been handed down from generation to generation. Bringing family and friends around the meal table reflects our love and care,” Helen tells The Greek Herald.

A wife to Nicholas, mother of two and recently a grandmother Helen’s cookbook aims to encourage more people to plan and prepare nutritious meals.

“Whether you’re starting out or just pressed for time or inspiration this cook book is the answer for hassle-free, confidence-building home cooking that family and friends will love,” says Helen who aims to share her love for connecting food and people.

“You can do it too,” she says.

*Helen’s book ‘Food Connection’ includes 88 classic recipes made modern. To find out more visit: www.foodconnectioncookbook.com

1...1,3791,3801,381...1,796Page 1,380 of 1,796

Stay connected:

Other

© 2024 The Greek Herald. All rights reserved.