A 61-year-old disabled man was found crying, hugging his 90-year-old mother in a Kavala neighbourhood two days after she had passed of COVID-19.
The mother and son were diagnosed with Covid and advised to quarantine at home by the National Health Care Organization (EODY).
The son-in-law was concerned about the lack of communication and requested the police to check up on them. The police broke the door into the house and found the two left without care.
With the help of police and an ambulance, the 61-year-old man was transferred to the hospital on Saturday night.
The story was revealed by a doctor of the General Hospital in Kavala. “The disable man was hungry, dehydrated, scared and had high fever. He was crying all the time,” the doctor who was shaken by the drama posted on Facebook.
“The man was in a stage before intubation, his lungs were in very bad condition, he would hardly breathe, had high fever. And he was crying, he was weeping for hours. I think he was weeping for the loss of his mother.”
“His situation remain critical, he needs additional care due to his heavy disabilities,” the doctor wrote on Wednesday.
The Greek Federation of People with Disabilities wrote on Wednesday to Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias, calling him to to immediately investigate the incident and focus on the lack of care for people with disabilities during the pandemic.
“In a welfare state it is not allowed that the help for an adult person with heavy disability relays solely on the family,” the Federation stressed.
“The specific incident, apart from tragic, is also a blatant violation of fundamental human rights,” ESAMEA said in its letter to the Health Minister.
People on social media have slammed the Greek government for doing very little to maintain proper care for disabled people during the pandemic.
Greek police arrested a Syrian Islamic State suspect on Thursday after a brawl at a migrant camp where he has been staying with his wife and children and said he was believed to have been involved in a number of killings.
The 27-year old man, who arrived in Greece in March 2018, was detained after an argument on Wednesday between two groups at the camp, a police official said.
He was arrested on Thursday, accused of being a member of a terrorist group and participating in homicides. He is expected to appear before a prosecutor later in the day, according to a police statement.
Refugees and migrants board a ferry on the island of Lesbos, Greece | Photo: Picture-alliance/AP Photo/Michael Varaklas
Police said such arrests were rare.
Greece, on the front line of migration into Europe, promised on Wednesday to build new reception centres for asylum seekers and cut the maximum stay in camps on its now-overcrowded islands.
The country bore the brunt of a large influx of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015 and 2016, many arriving via its outlying Aegean islands close to Turkey.
The Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI) held its 34th annual awards ceremony last night to recognise and celebrate excellence in the Greek Australian community.
Held at the Hellenic Museum and hosted by Mary Coustas, the digital ceremony experienced a three hour delay due to technical difficulties, yet rolled straight into their awards presentation once all issues were solved.
The ceremony opened up with a special message from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who said although they couldn’t meet tonight, he is grateful that the important event continued to go ahead.
“After all, tonights about recognising the Hellenic Australians who bring our nation together. And who in doing so make our state stronger,” Daniel Andrews said.
The first award of the night was the Bank of Sydney Business Award, awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions to their industry, built a strong brand, and are recognised leaders within their industry.
Melbourne Seafood Centre CEO Barbara Konstas. ABC/David Sparkes
Melbourne Seafood Centre CEO Barbara Konstas received the prestigious award, saying its added some “positivity and normalcy” to the difficult year.
“I was in my father’s shadow as he had a family business in the wholesale fish market and this taught me all about how to run a business,” Barbara Konstas said during her acceptance speech.
The next award recipient was Dr Paul Eliadis AM, who received the Professional Services Award for his incredible 35-year contribution to clinical haematology and oncology.
“I was very surprised to receive the award… the things I do I’ll be doing for many many years, I’ve never thought of awards if I’m honest. I’ve done these things because they seem like the right things to do,” Dr Eliadis said.
Dr Paul Eliadis.
Gadjo Dilo presented their signature gypsy-swing take on beloved Greek songs, from the rooftop of Gazarte, during the award breaks. Also entertaining watchers, performer Fivos Delivorias sent a very special musical message to the Greek Community and to the Chamber.
For the first time this year, the HACCIs presented a new Award; The Innovation Award. It acknowledged an individual who has made significant contribution to their industry through the introduction or improvement of an idea, method, technology, process or application.
The inaugural recipient of the award was well-known Greek Australian researcher Vasso Apostolopoulos, who has dedicated her life to the fields of medicinal chemistry, molecular biology and immunology, being the first in the world to develop the first concept of immunotherapy for cancer in the early 1990s.
Vasso Apostolopoulos receiving her award at the HACCIs.
“Throughout my career the Greek community has really been behind me and helped me with my research and support me…. and in return I promise I will develop and promote drugs and vaccines against various diseases,” the inaugural Innovation Award recipient said.
Violet Roumeliotis received the Woman of Influence Award at the digital ceremony, recognised as one of Australia’s greatest social entrepreneur’s that has been a champion of diversity, inclusion and social justice. Violet dedicated the award to her 80-year-old mother who still inspires her everyday, along with her late father, Yianni, who “lives in her heart” for the past 30 years since he was lost.
“This award is for all those migrants who arrived on our shores with hope, open hearts, aspirations and dreams,” Violet said upon receiving her award.
Violet Roumeliotis. Photo: The Leader/Chris Lane
The HACCI Sports Award was given not to a renowned sports athlete, but to another individual that is a vital asset in the sports industry. Delly Carr has 30+ years experience of ethics and signature photography and was formally recognised by his peers with his induction as a founding Member of the World Photography Academy.
The Community Award was presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution as a role model for compassion and service. The award was handed out to Lilian Gomatos, who has been an integral part of the Darwin Greek community for decades, working tirelessly to promote Greek culture to the broader community.
Through her leadership, the community established Glenti, the glorious Greek festival that has been running in the Northern Territory for 32 years.
Delly Carr.
Lilian Gomatos.
The Chris Saristavros Young Achiever Award honours young role models who will shape the future of the Greek community, and who more deserving than Natalie Kyriacou. The Founder and CEO of My Green World, Natalie has been endeavouring to drive positive change worldwide, creating inclusive youth education programs and technologies that increase access to wildlife and environmental conservation and sciences.
“My goal has always been to have a positive impact on the world and inspire curiosity and kindness in my own small way. Thanks to HACCI and my supportive family, I’ve been able to have a greater impact than I could’ve possibly imagined,” Natalie Kyriacou said.
Natalie Kyriacou is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree.
As the award ceremony came to a close, the final and most important award was yet to be handed out. The Spiro Stamoulis Lifetime Achievement Award honours those who have had a strong impact on the Hellenic Australian Community of Diaspora throughout their private and professional life.
Nick Polites has been a champion of multiculturalism and a living example of how music brings people together. He was one of the founders of the Greek Australian Welfare Society, which led to him gaining a membership in the Galbally Committee that reviewed Australia’s multicultural public policy in the late 1970s.
Nick Polites.
Mary Coustas passed on her congratulations to all the winners, saying the awards will return bigger and stronger next year.
The head of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Ieronymos, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is being treated with mild symptoms in a central Athens hospital, Greek media reported on Thursday.
Ieronymos, 82, is the spiritual head of the Church in the deeply devout nation of more than 11 million which overwhelmingly identify themselves as Greek Orthodox Christians.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who met the prelate on Nov. 14, has twice in the past seven days tested negative for the novel coronavirus; once before his meeting with the cleric, and a second time before travelling to the United Arab Emirates, an official statement said.
Pope Francis (L) gestures next to Archbishop Ieronymos II on the Greek Island of Lesbos during a visit aimed at supporting refugees and drawing attention to the front line of Europe’s migration crisis in Lesbos, Greece, April 16, 2016. REUTERS/ Filippo Monteforte.
“Taking that into account, experts recommend there is no reason for precautionary quarantine,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas said, adding the government wished Ieronymos a speedy recovery.
Metropolitan Bishop Ioannis of Lagadas, 62, was buried earlier this week after dying of COVID-19. The town of Lagadas near the northern city of Thessaloniki, is in a region currently experiencing the highest rate of infection in a surge of the coronavirus in Greece.
A nationwide lockdown has been imposed until the end of the month in an effort to get the spread under control. Greece, a country of about 11 million people, currently has more than 82,000 confirmed positive coronavirus cases and nearly 1,300 deaths.
Couples across South Australia scrambled to beat a wedding ban which went into effect from midnight last night, tying the knot with just hours to spare.
One couple was Tanya and Stan Kapoulitsas.
Tanya, 41, was doing last minute wedding shopping in Rundle Mall, Adelaide, when she watched Premier Steven Marshall’s press conference slamming the door shut on her planned wedding this Saturday with 300 guests.
”I was sitting on a bench in the Mall and burst out crying,” the Burnside resident tells The Advertiser.
Her fiance Stan Kapoulitsas, 47, rang her and suggested they get married that night, sparking a flurry of calls to suppliers, friends and family.
Tanya and Stan Kapoulitsas were married just before SA’s wedding ban came into effect. Photo: The Advertiser.
In the end, everyone gathered for a full ceremony at St Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Church, Prospect at 8pm.
The couple had dinner at a Greek restaurant at Magill and got home by 11.55am in what Mrs Kapoulitsas describes as a moment out of Cinderella. In a video posted by Mrs Kapoulitsas moments after the happy event, she gives the virus the bird.
Mrs Kapoulitsas says they would wait until life was “back to normal” so they could throw a party to celebrate the wedding.
Impact on the wedding industry:
Kelly Markos, who operates venues Utopia@Waterfall Gully, Glanville Hall and Adelaide Pop-Up Weddings, tells The Advertiser that she has cancelled three weddings this weekend, in addition to other events, due to the lockdown.
She says the future of another seven weddings scheduled from Wednesday were also uncertain, potentially blowing a $150,000 hole in her earnings.
Seven of the 10 weddings were rescheduled from March and April after the initial COVID-19 restrictions.
She believed a lockdown was inevitable but that it would have a “huge impact” on her business and the industry generally which was starting to try and “claw our way back.”
“This was an incredibly busy week and next week we were moving into our main event season,” she says. “I think for many (businesses) this might be the final straw.”
Former CEO of Dow Chemical, Andrew Liveris AO, gave a passionate keynote speech looking at the issues of climate change and Australia’s private and public sector during The Australian‘s Strategic Forum 2020.
On the issue of climate change, Mr Liveris said “the debate is no longer the correct debate topic” and Australia needs to focus on affordable, risk management policies to reach the net zero by 2050 goal.
“This is not coal versus renewables. This is not fossil fuels versus green energy. This is an all-of-the-above energy emissions policy that includes a risk-managed and affordable transition,” Mr Liveris said during the forum.
“We need energy efficiency standards… the optimisation of the fossil fuel mix, the pursuit of safe and reliable alternatives such as hydro, solar, wind, batteries for storage and even nuclear.”
Andrew Liveris. Photo: The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
Mr Liveris added that Australia needs to give a “firm signal to the market” that the country is serious on climate change.
“A signal such as proactively enabling renewables to be a part of a redesigned national electrification market with no subsidies.”
Repurposing Australia’s private and public sector:
Mr Liveris went on to discuss Australia’s private and public sector, saying the private sector “has to deliver on its role in the social contract” and become more aware of its social responsibility to “drive purpose and community as much as profit.”
He later added that Australia struggles with bringing people in from the private sector and putting them into public sector roles.
“This struggle comes at the cost of the quality of public policy outcomes. Many in public service are not well-informed about demands on the private sector and there is resentment between the two sectors as well as ignorance and superstition,” Mr Liveris explained.
“Measures to deal with this include much more exchange between the two sectors and personnel, including swaps and internships at very high and low levels in the organisations.”
Going further, Mr Liveris says Australia has a “long history of high quality policy debate and innovation” and continues to be a “bold experimenter of new policy approaches.”
“This spirit is still alive and it needs to be focused on the redesign of our institutions and the re-invigoration of the policy mindset,” he said.
“The system needs to be designed to reflect the dynamics of technology and science. We need an education system that retrains Australians for meaningful and rewarding work.
“We also need to look at the new manufacturing paradigm… that translates Australia’s brilliant innovation engine into high quality products, jobs and values.”
An ambitious outlook on the future of Australia by proud Greek Australian bussinessman, Andrew Liveris.
The Hellenic Initiative has today launched its online Winter Appeal for Greece to support people facing severe hardship over the coming months.
Funds raised will assist THI Australia’s trusted partner charities in Greece, which face additional challenges supporting the vulnerable and the destitute during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we look forward to summer after an extremely challenging year, the onset of the second wave of COVID-19 in Greece is bringing new challenges for those at risk this winter,” said THI Australia President, Nicholas Pappas AM.
The Winter Appeal for Greece will help organisations such as Emfasis Foundation provide basic necessities and support services to people at risk during this winter, including sleeping bags, hygiene products, face masks, sanitiser, SIM cards, food vouchers and access to psychological support.
COVID-19 has hit just as Greece was emerging from a decade of economic hardship, and the disruption to international tourism in 2020 has already had a severe impact on the local economy.
“This has been a crippling summer for many people, particularly those reliant on the tourist season, and many families will struggle to cover essentials such as food and electricity bills during winter,” Mr Pappas said.
“We are more determined than ever to continue providing financial assistance to our respected partner charities in Greece to ensure they can keep supporting those most in need.
“As Christmas approaches, we are calling on Greek Australians and philhellenes to join our Winter Appeal and help support Greece during these uncertain times.”
If you would like to donate to THI Australia’s Winter Appeal, you can do so here.
James Gargasoulas’s murderous Bourke Street rampage was helped by a “perfect storm” of police deficiencies, which led to a “confluence of events” that worked in the killer’s favour, a Victorian coroner has found.
Gargasoulas is currently serving at least 46 years in jail for murdering six people and injuring 27 others by driving a Holden Commodore through the Bourke Street Mall on January 20, 2017.
Coroner Jacqui Hawkins delivered her findings following an inquest into the deaths, and said “poor planning, a lack of assertive leadership [and a] lack of adequate resources,” combined with “inflexible attitudes,” allowed Gargasoulas to roam across Melbourne before speeding through the lunchtime crowds in Melbourne’s CBD.
James Gargasoulas’s murderous Bourke Street rampage was helped by a “perfect storm” of police deficiencies, a Victorian coroner has found.
Ms Hawkins said a plan to persuade Gargasoulas to surrender was destined to fail. She said a formal pursuit should have been called, and a failure to do so led to a lack of oversight.
But the coroner said she was unable to determine if the murders would have been prevented if any circumstance had been different, saying stopping moving offenders was “incredibly difficult.”
‘Strategy never had a chance of succeeding’:
Gargasoulas had been pursued by police since the early hours of the morning of January 20 after he stabbed his brother Angelo.
Gargasoulas is serving at least 46 years in prison for killing six people and injuring 27 others. Photo: AAP/Stefan Postles.
A search for him began about an hour after the stabbing, but police failed to stop him until after his deadly attacks at about 1:30pm.
About half an hour before the killings, Detective Murray Gentner, who had several previous interactions with Gargasoulas including at his bail hearing six days earlier, tried to negotiate for Gargasoulas to surrender.
“The strategy never had a chance of succeeding,” Ms Hawkins said.
The coroner noted police came agonisingly close to stopping Gargasoulas as he drove towards the city, but said police were fearful of the consequences of ramming his car.
She said police had done much “soul searching”, and that a number of changes to policy on pursuits had already been made, limiting the need to make drastic findings.
Out of respect for the families of the dead, Ms Hawkins did not use Gargasoulas’s name when delivering her findings.
A Greek candlemaker has come up with a novel way of highlighting the need to wear a mask to curb the spread of the COVID-19 – putting them on his Santa candles.
Alexios Gerakis, in the northern town of Thessaloniki, has made decorative candles featuring Father Christmas with a big blue surgical mask covering his white beard.
A Greek candlemaker has put masks on his santa candles.
“Because of the times, we are trying to convey a message that health comes first, then everything else,” Gerakis, 37, told Reuters Television. Snowmen are also sporting a mask.
Thessaloniki has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in a second, more aggressive surge which resurfaced in the autumn, forcing Greek authorities to reimpose a nationwide lockdown which expires at the end of November.
“We are trying to convey a message that health comes first,” Greek candlemaker, Alexios Gerakis, told Reuters.
Greece registered a further 3,209 cases and 60 deaths on Wednesday. It has reported a total of 82,034 coronavirus infections since February, and 1,288 deaths.
“Christmas is a bit of a question mark for all of us this year I think, we don’t know how this will end. We have to be optimistic, but it’s uncertain what will happen,” Gerakis said.
Greece, on the front line of migration into Europe, promised on Wednesday to build new reception centres for asylum seekers and refugees, and cut the maximum stay in camps on its now-overcrowded islands.
The country bore the brunt of a large influx of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015 and 2016, many arriving via its outlying Aegean islands close to Turkey.
The flow has since ebbed significantly, though more than 90,000 migrants remain in Greece, of which about 19,000 live in filthy temporary camps, some for months or years.
Refugees make their way into Kara Tepe camp on the island of Lesvos, Greece. Photo: Reuters/Elias Marcou/File Photo.
Authorities will have finished the construction of better-equipped camps on the islands of Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos by the autumn of 2021, Migration Minister, Notis Mitarachi, said. None of the asylum seekers would be on an island for more than six months.
“In 12 months from today we should not have any of the legacy reception system we are seeing today,” Mitarachi told a news conference called to present the country’s migration strategy over the next two years.
Authorities were restructuring the asylum service to introduce remote and digital applications in order to faster process a backlog of about 87,000 asylum requests, he said.
In September, a fire razed Greece’s largest migrant camp on Lesvos, leaving about 12,000 people stranded. Most of them have now been moved to a temporary tent camp.
The conservative New Democracy government, elected in July 2019, has taken a tougher stance towards migration than its left-wing predecessors. It has placed limits on an appeals process which previously took months or years to navigate.
