Ange Postecoglou has lost the biggest game of his Celtic coaching stint so far, with the Greek Australian mastermind’s side falling to a 1-0 defeat to fierce Glasgow rivals Rangers.
Scottish champions, Rangers, stretched their unbeaten Old Firm run to seven games after a second-half goal by Swedish defender, Filip Helander.
The result left Rangers, who had won five of their previous six meetings against Celtic, third in the Scottish Premiership on nine points from four games after Helander headed home a Borna Barisic corner at the far post in the 67th minute.
Celtic stayed sixth on six points after suffering their second league defeat of the season, having been beaten by Hearts 2-1 in their opening game.
Postecoglou, who has quickly become a fan favourite at Celtic Park after an impressive start to the season, was left to rue early missed chances from his team
The Australian manager was left aghast when Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard missed a close-range sitter in the 25th minute, somehow scuffing his shot wide with the goal gaping.
Postecogou’s first Old Firm derby as Celtic manager ended in defeat. Photo: ABC News / Bein Sports.
“We had the opportunity to grab hold of the game and we didn’t take it. So it’s still disappointing and something we need to make sure that, especially in these big games, when the moment arrives we take it,” Postecoglou said after the match.
The derby defeat is a blow for Celtic, and Postecoglou said he was looking forward to the transfer window closing on Wednesday morning (AEST).
“We’re keen to get to the end of the window so we can settle the squad down and do some work with the players,” he said.
“On the other side of the window we’ll know what squad we have and what players are in the picture for us moving forward and we can build.”
Proud Greek Australian, Kon Vatskalis, has claimed victory in the Darwin Lord Mayoral race with a convincing lead on first preference votes.
While only 56 per cent of votes are counted so far roughly, Mr Vatskalis leads by more than 10,000 first preferences.
Amye Un is sitting in second place but on just 3,405 votes compared to Mr Vatskalis on 15,850 votes.
“Thank you to the residents of Darwin who gave me their trust and re-elected me for another four years to continue the work we’ve done the last four years,” Mr Vatskalis tells The Greek Herald.
The Darwin Mayor says he will now shift his focus to planning for the years ahead, with “more trees, more public works and more construction of public facilities” on his agenda.
His Council has already implemented a number of successful initiatives for Darwin residents in the form of relief vouchers for businesses, stable council rates and even a ‘Green Army.’
“Our council, the last four years, was the only council which not only had to deal with a cyclone but also the pandemic and the challenges were huge. We lost 10,000 trees. We replanted another 5,000 trees and now we will plant another 8,000 during this period,” Mr Vatskalis says.
Kon Vatskalis is thousands of votes ahead of the second-placed Amye Un. Photo: ABC News / Che Chorley.
“We had a ‘Green Army’ of people who didn’t even get the JobKeeper, 100 people, we gave them jobs cleaning our parks, doing jobs we couldn’t do because they were very big.
“We have changed Darwin and transformed it from a city of concrete to a city which is now full of greenery, with trees and flowers.”
Mr Vatsaklis, who says his “culture is purely Greek,” aims to continue these positive changes now that he’s been re-elected.
Tsapatakis was a water polo player when, in 2006, he was paralysed after a motorcycle accident. He has won a silver and three bronze medals at World Championships and two silver and two bronze medals at European Championships since 2013.
“Congratulations to Paralympian Antonis Tsapatakis, who with perseverance and hard work managed to win the bronze in the 100m breaststroke. We are very proud!” Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter.
A Brazilian woman has been sentenced to 31 years in prison for planning the murder of her husband, the former Greek ambassador to Brazil, BBC reports.
In 2016, Kyriakos Amiridis’ charred remains were found in the boot of a burnt-out car in Rio de Janeiro.
His wife Françoise de Souza Oliveira had been having an affair with a military police officer, Sergio Gomes.
Mr Gomes later confessed to killing the ambassador at the behest of his lover, and he has been jailed for 22 years.
Kyriakos Amiridis’ charred remains were found in the boot of a burnt-out car in Rio de Janeiro.
At the end of their three-day trial, a judge described their crime as “bestial.”
Another man, Eduardo Moreira Tedeschi di Melo, who was a relative of Gomes, was acquitted of murder but has already served one year in prison for helping to hide Mr Amiridis’ body.
Mr Amiridis, 59, served as consul in Rio de Janeiro from 2001-04, and returned to Brazil as ambassador the year he was killed.
He married Françoise in 2004 and the couple have a daughter.
Amiridis.
Before his death, Mr Amiridis had travelled from the capital, Brasilia, to the city of Nova Iguacu, north of Rio, to spend the Christmas holidays with his wife and her parents.
Mrs Amiridis first reported him missing, telling police that he’d left their flat without explanation and driven off in a rental car.
The burnt-out car was found the next day under a flyover, with the ambassador’s body inside.
Investigators found blood stains on a sofa in the flat where the couple had been staying, and it’s believed he was killed there before his body was taken away.
Clashes erupted in Athens on Sunday evening between the police and some participants in a protest rally against COVID-19 vaccinations.
Police estimated the participants in the rally in central Syntagma Square at between 7,000 to 8,000 people.
As the last of the speeches denouncing government plans to make vaccinations for health workers and students mandatory were finishing, some youths attacked police standing before the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, next to the Greek Parliament, with bottles, firecrackers and some firebombs.
Police used tear gas, stun grenades and a water cannon to disperse protesters, who shouted obscenities at the police and against Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city to the north, more than 10,000 opponents of vaccinations gathered and dispersed peacefully, police said.
While over 5.7 million people in Greece’s population of 10.7 million have been fully vaccinated, there has been a recent resurgence of cases and hospitalisations, almost entirely fueled by the delta variant and mainly affecting the unvaccinated.
While the number of people on ventilators, at 334, is less than half its peak level, hospitals are feeling the pressure, as former COVID-19 intensive care units have been repurposed for other patients, whose treatment, including surgeries, had been postponed.
Two contentious deadlines loom: September 1st, when all health workers must be vaccinated or be suspended from their jobs, and September 13th, when schools reopen. Schoolchildren, but not teachers, must be vaccinated to attend.
Kyriakos Malathounis has been working with bees since he was five years old. Now 87, he maintains hives in his backyard in Windsor and spends most of his days tending to his garden and of course, his bees.
“I’m like a doctor who keeps notes on his patients and who knows all about them,” Malathounis told Broadsheet.
“I watch my bees and know what they need and when it’s time to build a new hive. Every hive has its own personality.”
Malathounis, who sells his honey under the name Mr Mala, grew up on the island of Imbros, when it still belonged to Greece and had an entirely Greek population. In 1970, it was officially renamed Gokceada and became part of Turkey, eventually leading to a mass exodus of the original residents.
Malathounis is one of seven siblings. His father died at a young age and according to Broadsheet, Malathounis started helping his mother with the bees.
Malathounis’ bees. Photo: Pete Dillon.
She had hives hanging from trees around their property but Malathounis thought there was a better way of housing the bees and set about constructing pine boxes that sat on the ground, had a lid and a series of frames that hung like folders in a filing cabinet.
While the first beehive was almost a disaster, as Malathounis grew older and the years passed, he was working with 350 hives, producing 15 tonnes of honey a year and trading his product across Europe.
Malathounis at home in Windsor. Photo: Pete Dillon.
In the 1960s, the Turkish government – by then in charge of the administration of Imbros – increasingly took measures to marginalise the Greek population, leading to the aforementioned exodus.
According to Broadsheet, Malathounis was in his thirties and decided to move to Australia. When he first arrived, he was unable to make money from selling his honey so decided to work on the production line at General Motors Holden.
Then, having trained as a chef in the Greek army, he cooked at Kaliva in Richmond for 23 years. But he always kept his hives and vegetable garden going.
In winter, he makes the hanging wooden frames for his beehives – the same model he designed on Imbros when he was 12. Only these days, the hives are painted cream and burgundy, like his Edwardian-style house. By summer the frames are filled with honeycomb.
“If you get a good summer, you’ll be bringing honey out every week,” he concludes.
Mr Mala honey is available online or through Whisked at Prahran Market.
Stelios Kazantzidis was one of the most beloved Greek music performers of the modern era. The singer was mostly known for his heavy voice which gave a modern spin to the traditional rembetika, seeing him quickly rise in popularity and spark a whole new wave of musicians.
Some of his most well-known tracks include “Afti I Nihta Menei” (“This Night Remains”), “To Poukamiso”, (“The Shirt”) and “Prosefhi” (“Prayer”). Written below are six of the most important facts that you should know about the artist.
1. He was born on August 29, 1931, and raised in the Athenian suburb of Nea Ionia, where he began working at a local factory. One day, his boss, who believed in young Stelios’ vocal skills, gifted him with a guitar for his birthday and that was all it took for his musical career to take off. One day, a local tavern owner heard Kazantzidis play the organ while singing and recommended he come and play at his restaurant to entertain the customers.
2. His first track recording was entirely unsuccessful. It was a song for Columbia Records dubbed “Gia Mpanio Pas” (“You’re Going For A Swim”). It was his second, a song written by Giannis Papaioannou called “I Valitses” (“The Suitcases”) that helped elevate his career as an artist.
Kazantzidi was best known for his modern spin to traditional rembetika.
3. Kazantzidis was also quite popular with the opposite sex. In the late 50’s, he was engaged to fellow musician Kaiti Gkrey, while further down the line he would tie the knot with Marinella. Neither of those relationships were meant to last however, yet his third marriage with Kyra-Vasso, was the one meant to last.
4. At 1965, while Kazantzidis was at the highest point of his career, he made the decision to pull away from all live performances and acts, something that he stuck with until the end of his life. He continued to release albums however, which remained highly successful.
5. Kazantzidis was a musical icon for the people of Israel, with many of his tracks being translated to Hebrew. As some journalists from the country have pointed out, the reason behind this was the performer’s impeccable ability to combine joy with sorrow in his songs. Kazantzidis also sang in Turkish.
6. He passed away on September 14 2001 due to a brain tumor, with the entire nation mourning his loss.
Ancient Greek storytellers were well known for creating myths and fables which usually included one man’s rise through a series of challenges to eventually become a legend who’s name would be sung throughout the land.
Whether these legends were based on reality or they were simply born from within the imagination of their creators, such as the epic poet Homer, we’ll never know. But some of these mythological beings have survived until today and their conquests have gone on to inspire many artists and creators, while a few of them even had Hollywood blockbuster film adaptations!
Written below are ten of the most commonly known figures from Greek mythology, in descending order. We’ll begin our list with our most famous heroes and save some of the hidden gems for the end.
Hercules slays the Lernean Hydra. Source: HowStuffWorks
Hercules/Herakles: Okay, who hasn’t heard of this name? Be it from the famous TV series starring Kevin Sorbo, or via the Pixar film in which he is brought to life thanks to the talents of Tate Donovan, Hercules is a figure that everyone has seen somewhere at least once in their life.
The son of the king of the twelve gods of ancient Greece Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, Hercules was half-man, half-god himself. Due to the irrational hatred of his step-mother Hera, Hercules was forced to go through a number of trials, more commonly referred to as “labours.”
The story of how he was able to overcome these twelve trials, including slaying and capturing a number of mythological beasts, are why Hercules is considered one of the greatest heroes to emerge from the Greek history books.
Achilleas/Achilles: When they ask Brad Pitt to personify you in the movie version of your own life, you know you must be a big deal! Achilles was one of the heroes that Homer brought to life in the first of his two epics, the Iliad.
Within the story, Achilles is portrayed as the greatest general of the Greek army which had been sent to Troy to help them take over the city and bring back Helen, the queen of Sparta, who had been seduced by the Trojan prince Paris.
After a series of events that resulted in the death of his best friend Patroklos, Achilles was so enraged that even the gods themselves could not stop him from hunting down the man responsible and general of the Trojan forces, Hector. Eventually he is said to have died by an arrow to the heel by Paris, which is how the famous phrase “Achilles’ heel” was born.
One of the greatest figures of the Trojan war, Achilles. Source: Guardiaa
Odysseas: The protagonist who emerged from the pages of Homer’s second book, the Odyssey, Odysseas was also a warrior who had fought in the Trojan wars. After the end of the conflict, he decided to make his way home, yet he would discover that was no simple task.
Going through a number of ordeals including escaping from seductive sirens, fighting with titans and a trip to the afterlife, Odysseas finally made it back to his homeland of Ithaca, only to find his beloved Penelope surrounded by a number of suitors. After casually slaying them, they all lived happily ever after!
Perseus: Before Hercules came along, there was Perseus to take care of man-eating beasts! Son of Zeus and the mortal woman Danae, Perseus also possessed the qualities of a half-god, including the inhuman strength that gave him the potential to accomplish incredible feats.
Most notable among them was the slaying of the Gorgon Medusa, a mortal beast which had the ability to turn all men to stone with merely a glare, thanks to the weapons that were bestowed upon him by the gods.
Hector: A warrior who made a name for himself during the Trojan wars, in which he is said to have slayed over 31,000 men. He was the greatest soldier of Troy and the man who took down Patroklos, Achilles’ greatest friend.
Despite his courage and renowned fame, he eventually met his end at the hands of an enraged Achilles, who eventually caught up to him, butchering him and tying his corpse onto his carriage.
A sculpture of Theseus slaying a Centaur. Source: Highbrow
Theseus: The story of Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most commonly known tales in the isle of Crete. After a battle between the Cretans and the Athenians saw the islanders emerge as the victors, the king of Crete, Minos, demanded a yearly sacrifice for the beast that lived within the labyrinth which was created by Daedalos, the half-man, half-bull Minotaur.
One of the men who volunteered to slay the creature was none other than the king of Athens Aegeus’ son, Theseus. Overcoming the beast thanks to clever strategy and some useful advice from Ariadne, king Minos’ daughter, Theseus returned to Athens to take over as king.
Prometheus: Although Prometheus, the son of Iapetus and Clymene was no mortal, his deeds speak for themselves. Belonging to the titan tribe, he was said to be the one responsible for bringing the humans into existence by using clay and for creating their first civilizations by gifting them with fire, which he had stolen from the gods.
Yet they did not stand idly by after this betrayal. Prometheus’ punishment would be severe as he was tied to a giant boulder with an eagle coming down and eating his entrails, which would grow back the next day, only for the bird to fly back and feed on him once again in an eternal, vicious cycle. He was eventually released by Hercules.
Orpheus: Orpheus was a renowned musician and poet. He rose to mythological status when he travelled to the underworld in an attempt to find his wife, Eurydice, who had been killed by a venomous snake bite to the heel.
As he mourned for her through the sounds of his harp, he was able to soften the heart of even the king of the underworld, Hades, who decided to allow Eurydice to go back to the world of the living as long as Orpheus did not turn around to look at her until after they had reached the surface. Filled with anticipation, the young harpist could not contain himself and lost his loved one for good.
Orpheus attempts to flee the underworld with his beloved Eurydice. Source: Greek Myth Wikia
Jason: Jason was the son of Aeson and rightful heir to the kingdom of Iolcos (today’s city of Volos). When he entered the town to claim his place on the throne from his step-uncle and usurper of the crown, Pelias, he was simply announced as “a man with one sandal.”
In an attempt to rid himself of him, Pelias sent him on a seemingly impossible quest to find the Golden Fleece, yet Jason readily took on this challenge. He assembled his crew and took to the seas in search of the treasure. Some of the most notable members to join Jason on his mission were: Hercules, Orpheus, Atalanta and the Dioskouroi brothers, Castor and Polydevkis.
Atalanta: Atalanta is one of the greatest heroines of Greek mythology. She is mostly known for being among Jason’s crew members on the hunt for the Golden Fleece, but also for slaying the Calydonian Boar.
However, she was also a bit of a tragic figure as she was said to have incurred the wrath of the goddess Aphrodite for choosing instead to worship Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. This made Aphrodite mad and she inflicted both Atalanta and Ippomenes with sexual desire.
They ended up making love in one of Zeus’ temples, a forbidden act which enraged the king of the gods who responded by morphing them both into lions. During the age of Greek mythology, it was said that two lions could never mate with each other, so this was the ideal punishment for the two, who would now remain forever apart.
New South Wales is in its toughest lockdown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and this has led to the closure of many small businesses and thousands of people losing their jobs and financial security.
In response, Greek Orthodox churches across the state have decided to do their part and support those impacted the hardest by the lockdown. Whether that is through a home cooked meal, food and hygiene packages, or even just offering some form of social connection, every action is making a difference.
Here are some of the initiatives launched by the All Saints Parish and Community in Belmore, the Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Parish and Community in Liverpool and the St Nectarios Parish and Community in Burwood:
Mother Maria of Paris Mission – Belmore:
The All Saints Greek Orthodox Parish and Community in Belmore have been working hard during the lockdown to help those in need through the ‘Mother Maria of Paris Mission.’
Cooks of the Mother Maria of Paris Mission at Belmore. Photo: Andriana Simos.
This mission, which is running with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and under the guidance of His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, sees volunteers from the Parish cook about 100 homemade meals every Wednesday to be distributed to the local community.
“We cook for Riverwood Community Centre, Belmore Youth Resource Centre here and obviously anybody else who needs food,” Jenny Hantzopoulos, who is a volunteer cook, tells The Greek Herald.
“It’s nice to give something back to the community… When you see the young teenagers, the young families and there’s elderly that need help as well, something like this is giving from your heart. It’s fulfilling. You’re just helping people in need.”
Jenny Hantzopoulos (front) and another volunteer. Photo: Andriana Simos.
As part of the mission, the All Saints Parish and Community also deliver food bags and hygiene packs to the local community and youth centres. These bags are full of groceries, tin food and vegetables which are donated by parishioners and a number of businesses such as Oz Harvest, Goods 360 and Bakers Delight in Roselands.
“We probably have a list of about 50 families so far that we’re supporting and the list is growing by the day,” Chris Constanti, a mission coordinator, tells The Greek Herald, while thanking the community and businesses listed above for their support.
“It’s not about Greek people, it’s not about where you live or what colour you are, it’s about supporting people in the community.”
This Mission has been so successful it has seen the Parish coordinate with other churches at St Euphemia in Bankstown, St Therapon in Thornleigh, St Ioannis in Parramatta and St Paraskevi in Blacktown as well. All Saints Grammar School, St Catherine’s in Mascot and the Archangel Michael in Crowsnest also support the program.
If you would like to donate to the Mother Maria of Paris Mission you can contact Belmore church on 02 9789 1659 or 0451 936 868.
Donations at Belmore. Photo: Andriana Simos.
The Cottage Kitchen – Burwood:
The St Nectarios Greek Orthodox Parish and Community in Burwood has been running The Cottage Kitchen during lockdown. This program provides free home cooked meals every Monday to the vulnerable and those in need. Meals are prepared and delivered in the local area in a Covid-safe way by volunteers.
Launched last year as a result of a $5,000 grant from Multicultural NSW, The Cottage Kitchen has since secured a further $10,000 in grants from the organisation, as well as donations from generous community members. This has all helped keep the service going on a regular basis.
Home-made food prepared by The Cottage Kitchen. Photo supplied.
“We are grateful for their support,” Christina Efthymiades, Board Secretary of the Parish and Community, tells The Greek Herald.
“We’re also currently working with Burwood Council who is contacting local grocery retailers to seek support for those in need during this health crisis.
“Shoppers will be encouraged to donate groceries for those who need assistance and our Parish and Community will be one of the local charities that distributes these groceries to those facing hard times. We will be announcing details as soon as plans are finalised.”
Volunteers at The Cottage Kitchen. NOTE: Photo taken prior to NSW lockdown. Photo supplied.
The Parish and Community has also effectively pivoted to online services with Greek School, Youth In Action, fortnightly lectures, fortnightly bible study and Church services, all available online.
Anyone in need, or facing particular challenges, can contact the Parish Priest, Father George Liangas on 0415 124 709 or the Ladies Philoptochos, Christina Scalone on 0418 612 187.
The Ark of Love – Liverpool:
Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene Greek Orthodox Parish and Community in Liverpool are also playing their part during the lockdown with the recent launch of their program, Ark of Love.
The Ark of Love is like a ‘grocery store’ where people in need are given bags containing non-perishable items donated by locals, and a box of fruit and vegetables provided by FoodBank and delivered by the Australian Defence Force to the church grounds.
Food is delivered by the Australian Defence Force to the church grounds. Photos: Facebook.
“The Ark of Love was established about two weeks ago and its purpose was solely to provide assistance to all those people, both Greek and non-Greek, Orthodox Christian or any denomination, any faith system or no faith system,” Liverpool parish priest, Father Asterios, tells The Greek Herald.
“So if you were to call and say, ‘Father I need assistance,’ I would ask one of our members or myself to prepare a box depending on how many people are in the family and what their needs are.
“That is then given to one of our people that is part of the Philoptochos and other volunteers and it is delivered to that particular family… and they create a relationship with that family and look after that family with any needs they have.”
The ‘grocery store’ and food bags. Photos: Facebook.
This personal service is also seen through the Parish’s feeding program, which has been running for three nights a week and distributes about 60 home cooked meals to the homeless and vulnerable people.
Father Asterios says all these initiatives wouldn’t be possible without the support and collaboration of the Parish Committee, Philoptochos and local community, and encourages anyone who wants to donate to reach out.
“My thanks to everyone, not just from the Liverpool district, but everyone who has supported the Ark of Love and continues to. Our Committee and the Philoptochos have been working together so wonderfully to support all people in this very difficult time,” Father Asterios concludes.
If you would like to donate to the Ark of Love, you can contact Father Asterios on 0404 209 844 or email: Father@straphael.org.au.
*Note: This is not an extensive list of all church initiatives available across Greater Sydney.
Greek Australian, Marie Kargiotis, has been named among the top ten best home stylists in South Australia by The Advertiser.
To mark the honour, Kargiotis, who goes by the Instagram handle ‘thestylistloves,’ shared her experience in the industry and some styling tips and tricks to try at home yourself.
1.What makes a good stylist?
Understanding what your client wants and delivering a space that is their personal style elevated.
2. Most lavish project you have worked on to date?
I’ve been lucky enough to work on a few: An ensuite with rain shower and body jets. The shower tap ware alone cost over $7000; A luxury yacht straight from the Paris boat show; A full house renovation for a global supermodel.
The Stylist Loves. Picture: The Advertiser.
3. What are you currently working on?
Two luxury kitchen renovations, a home office fit-out and multiple interior styling clients. Also, my own property. It’s a Mid Century home getting a total renovation in a modern Palm Springs style.
4. What’s your best tip for styling your home?
Always add your personality to your home. Bring out those photos you’ve been wanting to frame, memorabilia, items collected on travels, heirlooms or just those items that represent a personal memory or speak of what you love.
These pieces are a reflection of you and are key to making your house a home. A beautifully styled home is nothing but a display home without your personality added.
