NSW recorded 1,281 new locally acquired COVID-19 infections in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday.
There were five COVID-19 deaths in the reporting period.
A man in his 90s from south-east Sydney died at St George Hospital after contracting his infection at St George Aged Care Facility in Bexley, where he was a resident.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant said he had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine but had “significant underlying conditions.”
Greek-Australian’s Lachlan Ilias and Peter Mamouzelos made themselves known to the NRL community on Saturday in the Rabbitohs’ 20-16 win over the Dragons.
The Rabbitohs rested up to 10 first grade players in preparation for the finals, giving their young guns a chance to shine on the field.
One of the new kids on the block was Lachlan Ilias, who has previously been touted by head coach Wayne Bennet as one of the players of the future for the Souths.
However, the Premiership winning coach admitted, whether truthfully or not, that he’d never actually watched Lachlan Ilias play but he had “heard he was good.”
Well, the Greek-Australian went out there and made sure Bennet was watching, with Ilias putting in a first half masterclass.
The 21-year-old kicked a grubber to set himself up for a try in the sixth minute of the match.
“The kid scores on debut. He puts in a kick, he chased it hard and it got it down,” Fox League commentator Dan Ginnane said.
“What a moment for the Ilias family in the inner west of Sydney, they can’t be here but they’re there in spirit. And a very special moment for Lachlan Ilias.”
Despite finishing the match with only 20 running metres, Ilias was clearly eager get involved in the first thirty minutes.
Ilias with Benji Marshall. Photo: Instagram.
Former Greek Australian NRL icon Braith Anasta showed clear excitement for the youngster, saying he has a lot to offer the Rabbitohs.
“This is special, it’s a dream come true. Young Lachlan Ilias, on debut, he gets the ball in his hand, he takes control, puts a beautiful little kick down the short side and chases the play. His first try in the big time… it doesn’t get any better than that,” he said on Fox League.
“He’s a great human, he works his butt off and he’s a good player. It’s just good to get his chance. Keep an eye on him he’s got a really good running game, his kicking game is solid and he’s got a great build for a half.”
Despite not directly contributing to any tries, fellow Rabbitohs youngster Peter Mamouzelos also impressed for the Bunnies on the night.
Peter Mamouzelos. Photo: John Bonanno / Rugby League Review.
The 20-year-old impressed on the defensive front, making 42 tackles and forcing a few Dragons errors.
Mamouzelos has made seven appearances in the NRL this season, scoring four tries.
Composer and politician, Mikis Theodorakis, will be buried according to his wishes in Chania, Crete, on September 9 next to his parents and brother, Greece’s Communist Party said on Sunday.
A family dispute had developed over Theodorakis’ burial place following his death at age 96 on Thursday. His daughter had said he would be buried in the village of Vrahati, near Corinth, where he maintained a holiday home.
But his son said on Friday that the family would respect his wishes. A court had temporarily halted any burial plans, after unnamed Theodorakis collaborators had intervened, citing his expressed wishes and producing notarised documents.
A Greek and a European Union flags fly at half-mast in front of a poster promoting an exhibition of late Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis in Athens, Greece, Friday, September 3, 2021. Photo: AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis.
Theodorakis had written a letter to the mayor of Chania in 2013 expressing his wish to be buried in the cemetery of Galatas, a location west of Chania, where his father hailed from.
“My family does not approve of my wish; however, the law recognises everyone’s right to decide about the disposal of their body,” Theodorakis had written in the letter.
According to the announcement by the Communist Party’s political bureau, Theodorakis will lie in state at Athens’ Metropolitan Cathedral from Monday, starting a day earlier than originally planned. The visiting hours are 3-7 pm Monday, 10 am to 7 pm Tuesday and 10 am to 2 pm Wednesday.
A “farewell ceremony” will take place on Wednesday afternoon and the body will be flown to Crete later that day. The church service and burial will be on Thursday, at a time to be announced.
Tokyo has farewelled the Paralympics after 12 days of competition, and the Games have been celebrated at a musical and emotional closing ceremony.
International Paralympic Committee President, Andrew Parsons, said “arigato” (thank you) to Tokyo, and declared that the Paralympics were not just historic, but “fantastic.”
Greek athletes entered the stadium first, with Nasos Gavelas and Sotiris Garaganis carrying the Greek flag.
The Paralympic flame was then put out, and the flag was handed to Paris to hold until the next Games in 2024.
In total, Greece claimed 11 medals – 1 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze. Three of these medals were won during the last weekend of the Games. Here’s a look back at those incredible moments.
Greek swimmer, Alexandra Stamatopoulou, took home the bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics on Friday in the women’s 50 metre backstroke swimming S4 event.
Stamatopoulou, who has a rare neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome, finished the race with a time of 49.63, earning her the bronze medal.
Grigoris Polychronidis and team members, Anna Ntenta and Anastasia Pyrgiotis, took home the bronze medal after beating out the South Korean team with a score of seven to one during the bronze medal qualifying match.
Boccia is a precision ball sport similar to bocce, and related to bowls and pétanque.
Polychronidis also won the silver at boccia during his personal event on Wednesday.
Greek athlete, Athanasios Prodromou, claimed the silver medal in the men’s long jump event at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday.
Prodomou’s jump of 7.17 metres broke the athlete’s personal record and saw him win Greece’s 11th and final medal from the Games.
Abdul Latif Romly from Malaysia took home the gold medal with a jump of 7.45 metres, and Nicholas Hum from Australia won the bronze medal with his long jump of 7.12 metres.
During the event, Prodomou was also hailed for his sportsmanship after her rushed to help Romly who was injured during his fifth jump.
Prodomou didn’t hesitate when he saw his fellow athlete hold his leg in pain after landing his jump, and the Greek athlete even rushed to his competitor’s side before the paramedics.
“Congratulations to our Paralympians!” Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said in a Tweet at the end of the Paralympic Games.
Father’s Day is a celebration of fathers, honouring fatherhood, paternal bonds and the role fathers play in society.
Although many families in NSW, Victoria and the ACT celebrated the important day in lockdown, South Australia’s Greek families made sure to get the gatherings going to honour the community’s Fathers and Grandfathers.
The Greek Herald visited the Cyprus Community’s and the Chian Association’s events to capture the memorable moments.
From The Greek Herald with love – Happy Father’s Day to all our special dad’s and pappou’s! While every day is the perfect time to treasure your dad or pappou and show them how much they mean to you, today is just that extra bit special.
To mark the occasion, we asked members of the Greek Australian community to share with us the best advice they’ve received from their dads and pappous.
Sofia Hobson:
As Father’s Day approaches on the first Sunday of Spring, I’m sure there are many of us who no longer have our dad present physically in our lives but have a collection of memories that we treasure. I remember one of my favourite things to do when I was a little girl was to watch my dad shaving and wait for him to lean down and plop a little blob of shaving cream on my face.
It’s the little moments in our lives that become a gift we treasure. I miss you dad. Here’s cheers to all the fathers out there who love and have loved and supported their children. That love and support sustains us throughout our whole life, whether we are young or old, or we live near or far, or if they are not with us anymore. We carry our dads in our hearts.
Leah Pallaris:
My father Nick gave me the best advice that came from Aesop’s Fables ‘The man, the boy and the donkey’ – You cannot please everyone, so don’t try.
Evon Soulos:
The best advice my dad, Charles Soulos, gave me was – Never give up!
Sydney Olympic Football Club has today announced a further five players that have recommitted to the club for the 2022 season.
Goalkeepers, Nicholas Sorras and Christopher Parsons, midfielder, Daniel Dias, and attacking players, Adam Parkhouse and Oliver Puflett, will all call Belmore home in 2022.
They join defenders, Michael Glassock and Ben van Meurs, alongside midfielders, William Angel, Brendan Cholakian and Darcy Burgess, who also agreed to remain at the club for the upcoming season, according to an announcement from the club on Wednesday.
Sydney Olympic goalkeeper, Nicholas Sorras. Photo: Takis Triadafillou.
Sydney Olympic Head Coach, Ante Juric, said he’s ‘very happy’ to have these five players recommit to the club.
“I’m very happy to have retained these quality players at the club, they all played a key and important part in our 2021 NPL season, in addition to playing a part in our qualification to the FFA Cup Round of 32,” Juric said.
“The best thing from a coaches viewpoint is that all these players will only keep improving as players, which is great for the team as a whole for season 2022.”
Greek communities across Australia are today mourning the loss of the legendary Greek composer, Mikis Theodorakis, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.
During his sixty-year career, Theodorakis wrote over 1,000 songs including music for dozens of plays and tragedies, operas and the cinema. He is best-known for scoring the film, ‘Zorba the Greek,’ and for his defiance during military rule.
Here are a number of tributes from the Greek community of Victoria and South Australia, as well as His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
Victoria:
Mikis Theodorakis.
The Greek Community of Melbourne has issued the following statement after the passing of Theodorakis:
“VALE MIKIS THEODORAKIS
The whole of the Greek speaking and philhellene world is reeling from the death of the great composer Mikis Theodorakis who leaves behind him not only an enormous cultural legacy with his musical works, but also from his public life.
Theodorakis created masterpieces that spoke of individual and social struggle of the times in which he lived. He freely imparted his political views and created music that spoke to the masses in his homeland of Greece and also to people around the world.”
The Greek Orthodox Community of NSW have issued the following statement to mark the passing of Theodorakis:
“The Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales is saddened by the passing of Mikis Theodorakis and wishes to express to his family its deep and sincere condolences.
One of the greatest Greeks of the post-war period, was world-famous Mikis Theodorakis. We will always remember Mikis Theodorakis as one of the most active fighters, the leader, the composer, the man who made Greece famous around the world. His name is synonymous with “Zorba” and all of us have danced the sirtaki.”
Theodorakis at the Olympic Hall in South Australia.
The Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia has also issued a tribute to Theodorakis, saying they are “deeply saddened” by his passing.
“Mikis of Resistance and Struggle, Mikis of creation and the great arts, is no longer with us. He passed away on Thursday 2 September at the age of 96.
The Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia is deeply saddened and mourns the passing of Mikis Theodorakis, Greece’s most acclaimed composer whose name is directly associated with struggle, exile and music works that have been adored by millions around the world. Mikis’ love for the arts and his musical genius were inspired during the difficult years of exile where he composed music, representative of a whole era. An era during which Mikis Theodorakis not only was an active participant, he was the protagonist, leading a whole generation who shared the same ideals.”
In a message, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia says the work of Theodorakis will continue to be embraced by the Greek Australian community.
“With his melodies he touched the souls of all Greeks and all people around the world. With his struggles for democratic and patriotic ideals, he inspired and became a timeless model for young people of many generations.
With courage and selflessness, he defended to the end his “great utopia of life,” the unity of the Greek Nation. And with deep devotion to the Orthodox faith, a “leading figure and function of our national conscience,” he defended the rights of our Ecumenical Patriarchate and Patriarch Bartholomew, who are “the symbols of Greek Orthodoxy.”
When news first emerged of the passing of legendary Greek composer, Mikis Theodorakis, The Greek Herald instantly thought to reach out to maestro, Themos Mexis, to play a small tribute concert in his honour.
Mr Mexis replied with a resounding yes and it’s no surprise as the Greek, who is also the Musical Director of the National Metropolitan Choir of Australia, has a strong connection to Theodorakis.
Here is a tribute to Theodorakis written by Mr Mexis right after his impromptu concert:
“Last night, I was very much humbled when The Greek Herald called me to ask if I could give a musical tribute to the great man. Impromptu as it was, I immediately replied with a resounding YES. It was an honour to have done so. Last night I wanted to pay my respects through his music. Here now, today, I want to share with you my own personal tribute to the great man, the musician, and what he has meant to me.
Mikis Theodorakis has passed and this has saddened us greatly but his legacy, both in his music and as a freedom fighter, lives on. Theodorakis has played a huge part in my own musical journey, from a very young age.
I was just 16 years old when I went to see the film, ZORBA, in a cinema in George St. When those first few chords were struck by the bouzoukia, I jumped out of my seat, yelling, whistling and applauding madly. That got the rest of the audience engaged, too. That was it: I was hooked; I became a passionate follower and later exponent of Theodorakis’ music, and of Greek music generally.
I lived in Greece, as a student and then as a professional, during the junta period; I was in the throng, as a student, when the tanks attacked and violated the Polytechnic, November 1973; I joined many other musicians in boites, playing his music, as our stand against the junta for imprisoning Theodorakis and banning his music.
Themos Mexis (left) with Mikis Theodorakis (right).
Yes, Theodorakis has certainly been very much a part of our Greek psyche and identity, a great influence on my music and that of many other musicians. His music has and will continue to strike a chord with us all.
Today we grieve, but his songs will lift our spirits and remember the great man. ETERNAL BE HIS MEMORY.
The above photo is from a concert we gave in 1995, in the UN Year of Tolerance, in honour of Mikis Theodorakis, organised by the then-Federal Government and Minister Nick Bolkus, at the Refectory, University of Sydney. The program was made entirely up of Mikis Theodorakis compositions, arranged and conducted by myself, performed by the Mexis Orchestra and Choir, and solo vocalists Mary Yiakoulis and Sandy Constantopedos.
The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alex Hawke MP, has issued a message to the Greek Australian community to mark the passing of legendary Greek composer, Mikis Theodorakis.
Full message below:
Today I extend my condolences to the Greek-Australian community and the Greek community around the world on the passing of composer Mikis Theodorakis.
As Greece’s most illustrious music composer, Mr Theodorakis wrote classical and popular pieces with wonderful melodies, contagious dance rhythms and the ever‐present unique sound of the Greek bouzouki lute.
Mr Theodorakis leaves behind a rich legacy of wonderful art, service and a resounding passion for justice and freedom. Having produced a staggering number of musical works, encompassing both symphonic music and Greek folk music, from which he drew most of his inspiration, has made his sound instantly recognisable. He gained worldwide recognition with iconic music scores he composed for films including Zorba the Greek (1964) and Serpico (1973).
Mr Theodorakis lived a full life transforming his experiences into music, becoming part of the musical history of the Greek nation and the world himself.
Mr Theodorakis and his music transcends and his impact and influence on the Greek-Australian community cannot be measured.
