Aspen Medical provided St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner with workers who were “literally graduates”, with the majority having no experience in aged care.
The contractor was awarded millions to provide surge staff after the Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton stood the home’s entire workforce down on July 22 last year. Professor Sutton is due to give evidence at the inquest next Wednesday.
Neil Callagher, then head of the Commonwealth Aged Care COVID-19 Implementation Branch, said finding staff to attend to frail residents wasn’t easy.
Mr. Callagher told Victoria’s Coroners Court he was under the impression Aspen would be providing experienced aged care workers.
The inquest heard many of the workers never showed up or refused to take the job when learning the home was the site of an outbreak, and those who did were reduced to tears during their time at the home, according to The Australian.
The inquest into the deaths of 50 residents at the home in 2020 – Australia’s deadliest aged care COVID-19 outbreak – continues.
A local artist has taken his geometric style artworks to the streets of Canberra.
Yannis Pounartzis has unveiled his new mural ‘Pedestrian Strips’ on Scotts Crossing at the Canberra Centre.
“…the mural will create conversation and also enliven the space ahead of the expected busy Christmas shopping period,” the ACT Government writes on Facebook.
Yannis Pounartzis has unveiled his ‘Pedestrian Strips’ mural on Scotts Crossing at the Canberra Centre (Photos: yannipounartzis.com)
The mural is inspired by the pedestrian stripes on the road and is a teaser piece ahead of the Surface festival.
30 urban artists will transform the built environment of Braddon and Civic with urban art in March next year.
Yannis Pounartzis is an internationally recognised painter based in Canberra (Photo: yannipounartzis.com)
Pounartzis works in a “distinct style of minimalist abstract with a focus on geometric hard-edge, painted freehand”, his website reads.
His work was featured in the ABC Art Show, A-Z of Contemporary Art.
Pounartzis’ paintings have been exhibited in several international galleries and are held in private collections in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Berlin, and New York.
The Zavros family has been rescued by a police helicopter from the Simpson Desert.
Ori and Linsey, and their two children Zoe and Zane, became stuck in the desert last Friday and spent five days stranded after the roads were flooded by torrential rain.
“We feel safe now,” Mr. Zavros said.
“It’s been emotional, a bit of a rollercoaster but we got through it.”
The family has been on a camping trip around Australia in their customised camper van for the past year.
(Photo via Gabriella Marchant/ABC News)
They activated their emergency beacon last Friday morning when things took a turn for the worse.
“We were concerned that we might have got stuck there for a few weeks, worried about the heat,” Mr. Zavros said, as temperatures began to rise above 40 degrees Celsius.
“After the first couple of days, we sort of realised that we wanted to get out of there pretty quick.”
“Thankful that it’s over now.
Mr. Zavros said they kept their spirits up by eating icy poles and watching Bluey DVDs.
“We had a daily ritual where we would go for a walk in the morning and then have an icy pole at lunchtime and then go for walk in the afternoon when we could,” he said.
Emergency supplies have been air-dropped to the Zavros family, along with a satellite phone (Photo via Sky News)
Ms. Zavros said it had been an “adventure”.
“I don’t regret it, it was an adventure — I wouldn’t do it again,” she said.
“Little mistakes that we made that we wish we didn’t make but we wouldn’t change it, it’s shaped our trip,” Mr. Zavros said.
The couple said they would now have to find a way back to Perth.
“Go to Perth for Christmas and then once the truck has been recovered we will come back out and keep going,” Mr. Zavros said.
“I think we will crack a cold beer and a champagne.”
Maria Sakkari has secured her spot in the semifinals of the WTA in Mexico, while Stefanos Tsitsipas lost out in his opening match at the ATP Finals in Italy.
No. 4 seed Sakkari defeated top seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (8-6), 6-3 on Tuesday in the longest match of the tournament so far.
“It was a rollercoaster match from both of us,” said Sakkari, who had lost in her four previous meetings with the Belarusian.
“I was up a break, then she was up a break. It was just a matter of who took the chances. I think at the end I just played with my heart and fought well, just turned things around.”
Up north, Tsitsipas lost 6-4 6-4 against Russian Andrey Rublev on Monday in his third appearance at the tournament.
The world no. 4 has promised to turn things around and qualify for the semifinals.
“Despite the loss, I feel I will get more chances. I want to step it up and play better tennis next time,” Tsitsipas said after the match.
Pope Francis will visit Cyprus from 2 to 3 December and Greece from 4 to 6 December.
The Pope will meet with local authorities, religious leaders, attend liturgies and ecumenical encounters, and visit migrants in Lesbos.
On 2 December, he will arrive in Cyprus to meet with priests, consecrated persons, deacons, catechists, and members of Church associations present.
Later, the welcome ceremony will take place at the Presidential Palace of Nicosia, followed by a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic and a meeting with local authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.
The following day, the Pope will make a courtesy visit to His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus at the Orthodox Archbishopric of Cyprus in Nicosia, followed by a meeting with the Holy Synod at the Orthodox Cathedral in Nicosia.
Later in the morning, he will preside over a Mass at the “GSP Stadium” in Nicosia.
In the afternoon he will hold an Ecumenical Prayer with Migrants at the Parish Church of the Holy Cross in Nicosia.
A child kisses the hand of Pope Francis, during a visit at the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece in April 2016 (Photo: Andrea Bonetti/Greek Prime Minister’s Office via AP)
On Saturday the Pope will arrive in Athens for a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Athens.
He will make a courtesy visit to the President of the Republic, meet with the Prime Minister, and then with local authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.
The afternoon meetings include a courtesy visit to His Beatitude Hieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, at the Orthodox Archbishopric of Greece in Athens, followed by a meeting of both leaders with their respective entourages in the “Throne Room” of the Orthodox Archbishopric.
Later that day he will meet with the local Church community’s bishops, priests, religious, consecrated persons, seminarians, and catechists at the Cathedral of Saint Dionysius in Athens. Ending the evening, he will meet privately with members of the Society of Jesus at the Apostolic Nunciature in Athens.
On Sunday, the Pope will travel to Lesbos to visit with refugees at the “Reception and Identification Centre” in Mytilene town.
He returns to Athens in the afternoon when at 16:45 he will preside over a Mass at “Megaron Concert Hall”. In the evening he will welcome the courtesy visit of His Beatitude Hieronymous II at the Apostolic Nunciature in Athens.
On 6 December, Pope Francis will welcome the President of the Parliament at the Apostolic Nunciature and later meet with young people at Saint Dionysius School.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis that the repatriation of the Parthenon marbles is one for the British Museum.
Mitsotakis raised the issue with Johnson in Downing Street on Tuesday, Johnson’s office said.
“The Prime Minister (Johnson) said that he understood the strength of feeling of the Greek people on this issue, but reiterated the UK’s longstanding position that this matter is one for the trustees of the British Museum,” a statement said.
This contradicted Mitsotakis, who said last week the issue was a matter for negotiation between the two governments.
Known in Britain as the Elgin Marbles, the sculptures make up about half of a 160-meter frieze that adorned the Parthenon, a 5th century BC architectural masterpiece. Most of the other surviving sculptures are in Athens.
The British Museum says there are no current discussions with the Greek government on the issue. It says Elgin acted legally when he removed the sculptures from Athens, and they are “a vital element in this interconnected world collection”.
Johnson had told a Greek newspaper in March that the sculptures “were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the appropriate laws of the time and have been legally owned by the British Museum’s trustees since their acquisition”.
Mitsotakis told Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper last week that “the marbles were stolen in the 19th century, they belong in the Acropolis Museum and we need to discuss this issue in earnest.”
Fashion designer, Effie Kats, was ready to showcase her new collection of tailored suits in rich colours and flowing fabrics at Melbourne Fashion Week (MFW) this year until she became a victim of the COVID-19 delivery delays which have recently plagued the fashion industry.
“We do our production of suiting off-shore. That was accounting for over 50 percent of the show so we were really reliant on those pieces and unfortunately, they are stuck in a container backlog,” Effie tells The Greek Herald exclusively, just one day after she decided to call off her show.
“We have had challenges the entire way through. Obviously with lockdown, the timeline of the show moving and then for staffing through the coronavirus pandemic… it’s been challenging and it’s been challenging from the get-go. I knew it would be and I hoped obviously, that it would never come to this but it was inevitable.”
Effie says she is ‘devastated’ she had to pull out of her MFW show, which was styled by Deni Todorović and also incorporated a collaboration with jewellery designer, House of Emmanuele. They had created bespoke pieces sewn into classic eveningwear looks and incorporated neon highlights and mesh arm length gloves.
A piece from Effie’s new collection. Photo supplied.
“It’s devastating because I was really excited to have this moment because you know, it’s been a challenging year for retail,” Effie says.
“I know that so many businesses are doing it so much tougher with rentals and overheads and that kind of stuff so we’re very lucky that we’ve got an online [store], but it was going to be a kind of celebration of coming out of the challenging period and I’m really disheartened that we’re not going to have that opportunity.”
Hitting rock bottom:
Of course, having to pull out of a fashion show would disappoint any designer. But in the case of Effie, her cancellation hits even harder as her passion and love for fashion goes back to her childhood when she used to work in her family’s tailor warehouse.
“When I was little, my dad would always have men’s fashion magazines, never women’s, and I had this hobby where I would look through the pages and men’s runways and I would draw the outfits and convert them into women’s outfits,” Effie says with a laugh.
Later, when Effie was older, she would eventually drop out of two university courses and launch her brand, Zachary the Label, with the aim of creating affordable fashion.
“I just called my dad and I said, ‘I’m dropping out of uni and I’m starting a brand. I’ll come into the warehouse, I’ll work for you… whilst I’m getting myself going’ and he was like, ‘alright’,” she explains.
Effie comes from a family of tailors. Photo supplied.
“My grandma, who’s also in the workroom, would say things to me like, ‘you need to give this customer an extra inch on the waist, do it from this side.’ She was showing me where I’ve got to add or take away [fabric]. So I started to develop a basic understanding of patterns.”
Zachary the Label grew quickly and organically from there until Effie involved an investor, which she says was a ‘really difficult lesson’ for her as she ended up having to put the business into administration.
“After Zachary, I had no money. I was essentially starting from scratch… I was at Ground Zero and that really personally, for me, I would definitely call that time my rock bottom,” Effie says.
‘I’m looking to the future’:
And yet the Greek Australian never gave up. She started to realise that consumers like to connect with designers on a personal level and so decided to launch her self-titled business Effie Kats.
Now she focuses on women’s tailoring and designing suits for women which are not only within an affordable price bracket, but also make women feel “amazing and empowered” when they wear them. She also owns Bayse Brand.
Effie makes tailored suits for women. Photo supplied.
“Reconnecting with customers and hearing them and going through that journey of creating a piece that they’ve loved and made them feel so amazing, that was the perfect introduction for me back into the industry,” Effie says.
“It gave me life again after such a difficult time.”
It’s this soldier-on attitude which has seen Effie’s business grow exponentially in the last few years, to the point of even holding a fashion show at the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF) in conjunction with Priceline a few years ago.
The show celebrated women of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities and ages, and she hopes to be able to replicate this again in the future, despite the coronavirus pandemic throwing a spanner in her plans this time around.
“For me, partaking in fashion week has been a dream since I’ve come into the industry. So I was so fortunate to have that opportunity with Priceline, but I was also really excited to do it on my own,” Effie concludes.
“At the same time, knowing that the next one is in March, I’m looking to the future and I’ve already started planning that collection in my mind.”
During Anoula Galettis’ final days of her battle with lung cancer, she was surrounded and looked after by her family and friends, including Martina Clark.
Ms Clark tells 9 News how after Anoula’s death in 2015 at the age of 34, she pledged to create a special scheme to help carers of cancer patients.
In 2018, there were 2.6 million unpaid carers in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
“They have the same life as the patient but are not recognised as such,” Ms Clark told the broadcaster.
Martina Clark was inspired by late friend Anoula Galettis to create Carers Couch.
She has since created a website and app called Carers Couch. It aims to connect carers with people who can help make their lives easier.
It can be something as simple as putting them in touch with somebody to mow the lawn or cut their hair at home, as well as putting users in touch with other carers.
“They can go on the app, book experts directly, supporting the emotional, physical, economical aspects, and they can book them 24/7,” Ms Clark said.
Renowned hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation in Melbourne, is now trialling Carers Couch with lung cancer patients.
A damning inquest into Theo Papageorgiou’s tragic death has found that despite attending a Riverland hospital twice in January 2016 seeking to be admitted under the Mental Health Act, he “received no meaningful assistance.”
Speaking to The Advertiser, Theo’s parents, Jack and Poppy Papageorgiou, are now demanding change in South Australia’s mental health system.
“We believe this should never have happened and that our son was failed and we know that it must never happen again,” Jack Papageorgiou told the newspaper.
“The system should have been better than what it was for our son.”
Timeline of Events:
In November 2014, Theo’s mental health had begun to decline. He told his parents he was feeling depressed and not himself.
Theo’s mental health began to decline in November 2014.
He was taken to the Riverland General Hospital and then referred to a local GP who, several months later, placed him on anti-psychotic medication.
In November 24, 2015, Theo was placed on an inpatient order at the Riverland General Hospital after presenting with psychotic symptoms. He was misdiagnosed as experiencing a “first episode psychosis.” On December 1, he was released from the inpatient treatment order a day early.
On January 14, 2016, Theo was taken to the Riverland General Hospital by his parents after experiencing severe depression. He was sent home despite “red flags.”
On January 17, he was taken to hospital a second time, this time after his parents found him “distraught, frightened and highly anxious” in the middle of the night. He was sent home again.
Just days later, on January 24, 2016, Theo was found dead by his father.
Theo passed away on January 24, 2016.
A ‘preventable’ tragedy:
In his inquest findings, Deputy Coroner Anthony Schapel found that Theo’s death was preventable.
Mr Schapel noted systemic failures in dealing with Theo and his parents including that he had been misdiagnosed and there was no communication between the various services in the Riverland.
SA Health said in a statement on Monday: “we are reviewing the Coroner’s findings handed down recently and are considering the recommendation in detail.”
As part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, Greece’s Ministry of Education and Religion announced a competition for students in Greece and abroad titled, ‘1821-2021: 200 years of the Greek Revolution.’
Vasilis Zotos, a 5th grade student from the Greek Community of Melbourne’s (GCM) city school, was distinguished in the competition and will be awarded at the Special Award Ceremony (via internet), which will take place on Saturday, November 27, 2021 from 8pm to 10pm at the Athens Concert Hall.
Vasilis’ artwork.
The Director of the School of Language and Culture of the GCM, Ms Maria Bakalidou, said that “it is touching that a student, who is so far from Greece, has been inspired by the Greek Revolution to paint one of its most important heroes.”
“A big thank you to his teacher, Mrs Katerina Grammenou, who encouraged the children to take part in the competition and a big congratulations to Vasilis for his effort.”
Vasilis Zotos.
The Deputy Coordinator of Education for Australia and New Zealand, Dr Georgia Nikolaidou, stated that “Vasilis’ participation was the only one in all of Australia. The Bureau of Education for Australia and New Zealand, rewards and congratulates such initiatives of children which show their creativity, but also that they are aware of the cultural heritage of Greece.”
The Community Schools support and encourage initiatives of their students that promote Greek learning and the development of the cultural, historical and social identity of their two homelands, Greece and Australia, in order to create thoughtful and active citizens of the world.
