According to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, on Thursday, September 30, a fire broke out in the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Sydney.
The fire caused significant damage to the interior of the historic and heritage-listed building of the church and in particular to parts of the roof over the holy altar and the chapel of St John the Theologian.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios and his colleagues who were at the Archdiocese at the time were not in danger and did not suffer any injuries, the statement reads.
Sacred utensils and articles that were kept in the sanctuary were damaged by the large amount of water that was used during the fire-fighting operation, while the electronic and microphone system of the church was completely destroyed.
The process of assessing the losses is in progress and there will be a further update once this is completed.
Regarding the cause of the fire, the initial assessment is that it was due to a short-circuit, although this is subject to the completion of the relevant investigation by the competent authorities.
The Holy Archdiocese of Australia conveyed “its fervent gratitude to the firefighters who rushed to the scene to prevent the fire from spreading further and to extinguish it.”
“Our thanks also goes to the police for their immediate mobilisation and assistance in the ordeal of our local Church,” the statement reads.
Bank of Queensland’s chief George Frazis has outlined changes to shake up the bank’s executive team.
Mr. Frazis says chief product officer Chris Screen will replace business group executive Fiamma Morton in October.
“Our mandate to build and support Australia’s small and family businesses has always been core to our strategy,” he writes in a memo to BoQ staff.
“Chris acted as our GE retail banking on an interim basis earlier this year and has been critical in supporting the turnaround program in that division and across the group.”
“Having joined the business bank as the impacts of Covid-19 were becoming more evident in June 2020, Fiamma provided valuable leadership through a challenging period, and we are now well-positioned to ensure BOQ business can capitalise on improving economic conditions.”
BoQ CEO George Frazis says the bank has had a “positive start” to the financial year (Photo: ABC News/Nic MacBean)
Adam McAnalen will shift to the bank’s transformation and integration program while Insurance Australia Group’s David Watts will take over as head of risk early next year.
The first-half results showed the business banking unit experienced a 7 percent drop in net cash earnings, versus the same period a year ago, while the retail unit saw net cash earnings climb 27 percent.
In the memo, Mr. Frazis said BoQ’s financial year was off to a “positive start”, and the leadership changes underscored the bank’s momentum.
Costa Georgiadis is an Australian landscape architect and television presenter. Georgiadis is best known as the host of ABC’s Gardening Australia. Georgiadis grew up as a second-generation Greek Australian in North Bondi on the same street as his grandparents and uncle. His yiayia and pappou fostered his early interest in gardening.
Costa discusses his upbringing, career, and the women who have influenced him.
Occupation: Landscape architect
Age: 56
Relationship status: Single
Best known for: The host of Gardening Australia
My paternal grandmother, Julia, was sent to Sydney from Greece for an arranged marriage. But when she met her intended husband, she refused to proceed as he didn’t resemble the photo she’d been shown. Back then her action was a massive deal.
Julia was a business brain. When she met my grandfather, Constantine, they bought a property in Nyngan, on the Bogan River in central west NSW, and created a market garden. For someone who came from nothing, she had incredible acumen.
My maternal grandmother, Elpida, lived down the road from us in North Bondi. Her love wrapped around me as soon I stepped through her door. It was a place whereas a little one I felt so safe.
Elpida lost her husband, Isaac, when my mother, Anne, was about seven. She raised two children on her own and ran the warm roasted nut stands on Sydney railway stations started by my grandfather. She was an amazing lady.
I see so many traits of my yiayias [grandmothers] in my mum. She had a bottomless capacity to keep everyone’s life in her orbit. Mum made sure us kids did Greek language school, and my two older sisters, Elisa and Julie, went to Greek dancing lessons. Mum passed away in 2002. I feel little warm flushes when I think of her.
My teen holiday crush was Heather. We met while I was at a friend’s weekender at Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney. He fell in love with this girl, and Heather was her friend. But on the drive home, Mum was the voice of reason. She said nothing would ever happen between us, because Heather was from a girls’ school 540 kilometres to the north, near Narrabri. I was 14 and appreciated Mum’s bluntness.
I met Sandra while studying landscape architecture at the University of NSW. She was a country girl from Tumut, and her parents ran their own business, like my electrician dad, Stan. We had great times together and went out for four years, but I’d always said that once I had qualified, I was going to travel. I didn’t expect her to wait for me, so when she found a new relationship I accepted that.
I was in Europe for three years. While I lived in Vienna, I saw an American girl from Prague. I was living and working across Austria and hanging out with incredible dancers, musicians, and ecologists. I’d aimed for this period for so long that when I was in it, I just flapped around in its pool.
I am not in a romantic relationship at present, as I’m romantically involved with my life. Maybe that has made it a little more challenging to be in a relationship. When you are happy and content, sometimes people aren’t quite sure how to deal with that. They think something is missing and wonder why you don’t have all the “normal” things.
A difficulty with my life is that I can’t guarantee my presence. Given that my time is not necessarily free to create the balance a relationship would require, I haven’t actively pursued one.
Around 65 percent of our Gardening Australia team are women. That’s the realm across everywhere I work and everything I do. I understand why women run sustainability projects, enterprises, and businesses. That female energy has infused the places it’s needed.
The male posturing of conflict and confrontation, “We’re going to beat nature, the bugs and the weather – and are going to win” … the tide has shifted. Female energy, nurture, and caring for country are what’s needed.
I have two chooks, Awesome and Flighty. They are a nice balance in my life. During lockdown, they’ve been roaming around the garden. I open this old wooden window, throw a banana out and they go freaking bananas. They’re my housemates. They keep me grounded and honest.
Gardening Australia airs on Fridays at 7.30 pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
The Greek street magazine “Shedia” addresses a call to the world of imagination, where the joy of visual creation meets the offer.
Picasso said he needed to reach the age of 70 to be able to paint like a child. This is because children’s paintings emit unrepeatable innocence and rich imagination and make us see the world with a colourful and cheerful look.
“Shedia” will not wait for us to cross the threshold of the seventh decade of our lives to urge little friends to taste the joy of visual creation.
Drawing inspiration from the British street magazine “Big Issue”, “Shedia” invites young Greeks aged 5-12 years, who attend kindergarten and primary school in every corner of Australia to dress in colours the word “home” and capture with their brush what this particular so warm concept means for us all.
The sketch that will win the hearts of the jury will grace the cover of the January 2022 issue of the Greek street magazine, while the twenty finalists will see their works exhibited in the House of “Shedia”.
All children who will pass the final stage of the competition will get a school backpack with educational material, painting materials and much more. The starting point of the competition is September 29, while the submission of the creations must be completed by November 1.
The jury consists of: Zoumboulakis Gallery, Director Daphne Zoumboulakis, the cartoonist Michalis Kountouris, the seller of “Shedia” Gerasimos Daskalakis and a student.
The jury will make its decision by December 1. Note that children’s creations can be made on any kind of paper.
THE DETAILS
The idea: 1st drawing competition for children’s street magazine cover “Shedia”.
Theme: A drawing on the word “home”.
Who can participate: All children from 5 to 12 years old have the right to participate. Participants are invited to send age, name and contact information.
Technical specifications: The sketch must be square, so that it can be accommodated on the cover, on any paper, and designed with the material to the liking of the little creator (pencil, felt-tip pen, tempera, etc.).
Dimensions: At least 20 cm. x 20 cm.
Send by mail or email. On the envelope please write “for the 1st competition of children’s cover of street magazine “Shedia””.
The address is: Street magazine “Shedia”, Nikiou 2, Athens 105 60.
If you forward your sketch via email (in artwork@shedia.gr), the file should be in high resolution, 2Mb to 4Mb and in JPG format. In this case, you will be asked, in the new year, to send also the original work (for the exhibition, etc.).
Today is the 61st anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus and to mark the day, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Martha Mavrommatis, has issued a message to the community.
Full message in English:
Dear Compatriots,
This year marks the 61st Anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Cyprus. On this auspicious occasion we pay tribute and honour all those who fought courageously and heroically and made sacrifices to end the British Colonial rule.
The Republic of Cyprus was founded on 16 August 1960 – following the glorious liberation struggle of the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA 1955-1959) – as a result of the Zurich-London agreements. The newly formed state with Archbishop Makarios III as its first President and Turkish Cypriot Fazil Kucuk as its Vice President, begins a period of achievements and great progress. The Republic became a member of the UN and other international Organizations as well as a member of the European Union in 2004.
Unfortunately, the peaceful and prosperous course of the Republic of Cyprus was disrupted with the bi-communal conflict in 63-64, followed by activities by extremist elements, the 1974 treacherous coup and the barbaric and illegal Turkish invasion.
From 1974 onwards we are going through an unacceptable situation, with the violent displacement of 40 per cent of our people (200,000), the ongoing military occupation of 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, with the presence of more than 40,000 Turkish soldiers and the alteration of the demographic character of the Island through the systematic settlement of our occupied territories.
The Cyprus issue is an international problem of invasion and occupation and we are diplomatically seeking for a functional and viable solution, based on the relevant United Nations resolutions.
As our President Mr Nicos Anastasiades reiterated a few days ago during his speech at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly “For us, there is only one plan: to reach a settlement on the basis of bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, as set out in relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded.
A settlement that will lead to a functional and viable State, without the obsolete System of Guarantees, the right of intervention, the presence of Turkish troops, or any kind of foreign dependencies. A settlement that will equally benefit all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, fully respecting their human rights and contributing to the peace and stability of the region.”
I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Greek Government, to the Cypriot and Greek Diasporas and our Community mass media for all their support in our struggle to end the Turkish occupation and to reunify Cyprus, the Island of the Saints. Especially I would like to congratulate the “Greek Herald” celebrating this year its 95th Anniversary and express our appreciation for all their valuable contribution to our Community. Furthermore I would also like to express our appreciation to Australia for its ongoing principle stance on the Cyprus issue.
Dear friends, we are currently going through very difficult and challenging times due to the restrictive measures that have been imposed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We are optimist that the measures will be lifted soon and we will again meet with our loved ones, family, children, relatives, grandparents and friends.
Let us hope that next year we will celebrate our Independence Day in a Free and Reunited Cyprus. A Cyprus for all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Latins and Armenians.
Happy Independence Day!!
Sincerely yours, Martha A. Mavrommatis
History:
Cyprus was once under colonial rule and enslaved. It was a colony of Great Britain from 1878 until 1960.
In the early 1950s, some brave inhabitants of Cyprus decided to struggle for the independence of their country from Great Britain. Many wanted to achieve unification, or enosis, with Greece.
As a result, they became involved in a prolonged, and often fierce, battle with the British administration.
The Greek Cypriots fought under the banner of the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston–EOKA), led by Colonel (later General) George Grivas.
EOKA fighters being released from prison in March 1959 after a general amnesty.
Although EOKA included only a few hundred active guerrillas, it enjoyed wide support in the Greek Cypriot community and was able to tie down about 10,000 British soldiers.
Eventually, after raging guerilla warfare for four long years, Sir Hugh Foot, the British governor, read a British proclamation declaring the independence of Cyprus.
The agreement between Greece, Britain, Turkey, and Cyprus was signed in Zurich and finally came into effect on 1st October 1960 – marking Cyprus Independence Day.
Under the agreement, Britain kept two sovereign military bases in Cyprus, which it continues to maintain to this day.
The signing of the Independence Agreement.
Soldiers from Greece and Turkey were also to remain present on the island in a bid to keep the peace.
And, under the new constitution, Greek Cypriots would elect a president from their own ethnicity and Turkish islanders would vote for a vice president from among theirs.
Archbishop Makarios III, who was exiled during the guerrilla war, was elected the first head of the new independent state while Fazıl Küçük became his deputy.
As over fifty percent (53.4%) of eligible Australians are now fully vaccinated and more that 77% have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Australia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Michael Kidd says he feels confident about the vaccine rollout and the vaccination rates across the country.
“We have seen more than 2 million doses of vaccine administered each week to people right across the country and we have more than 10,000 places where you can go to in Australia to get a COVID-19 vaccine… we are very rapidly getting close to that 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates as agreed by the National Cabinet,” said Professor Kidd urging people to keep rolling up their sleeves.
“If we want to be protected against becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19, the way to do that is through vaccination,” he said.
This daily infographic provides the total number of vaccine doses administered in Australia 🇦🇺 as of 28 September 2021 📅
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) September 29, 2021
Protection of elderly Australians a priority
Speaking about the vulnerable people in the community Professor Kidd said that 99% of people working in residential aged care facilities across Australia have received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 82% are fully vaccinated.
“This is a remarkable achievement. We already have very high rates of vaccination coverage of the residents of residential aged care. We’re providing that additional level of protection through the vaccination of the aged care workforce,” said the Deputy CMO.
From 17 September 2021 it is a requirement that residential aged care workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.
Kidd: Vaccine hesitancy continues to decline
Asked on how the government is tackling the issue of vaccine hesitancy in multicultural communities, Professor Kidd said that according to latest figures the percentage of those vaccine hesitant seems to be declining and highlighted the role of multicultural leaders and ethnic media.
“We’re seeing vaccine hesitancy continue to decline around the country. About 5% of people are saying that they won’t receive a vaccine. And then there are others who say that they’re feeling hesitant, but they think that they probably will,” he said.
“Working with the leaders of the various cultural and linguistically diverse communities across Australia has been really important, because these are the people who understand why there might be hesitancy amongst different groups within the community, and can through their leadership roles assist us in getting messages out to everybody.”
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd
Paediatric vaccination and booster vaccines
With regards to pediatric vaccination Professor Kidd said that Australia is prepared to provide vaccines to children under the age of 12 once “we have vaccines which have been shown to be safe and effective”
“Any vaccine has to go through the assessment process of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and then will be reviewed by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ATAGI),” he said.
When asked about booster vaccines, the Deputy CMO said that Australian Authorities monitor the response of a number of countries that started their vaccine rollout earlier than Australia and clarified that some groups of people may need a booster dose of a vaccine for ongoing immunity.
“People who are immune compromised, may need a third dose of a vaccine in order to get a strong sustained protection,” he said and added that further variants of the virus may also require additional doses.
“There may be further variants which appear where the vaccines may not be as effective. In that case, we’ll need booster doses. At the moment, we don’t have approval for booster doses in Australia.”
Did you know we have information about #COVID19 vaccines 🛡️available on our website in 63 languages?
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) September 20, 2021
How can we make sure that once the borders reopen, they will remain open?
Rolling lockdowns across Australia and the closure of state and international borders have taken a toll to community members who can’t see their families overseas but Professor Kidd is adamant that for families to reconnect safely vaccination targets need to be met.
“I know this has been very challenging, our lives have been very disrupted by the pandemic and my thoughts go out to those of your readers who have been separated from family members, loved ones and friends,” Professor Kidd said.
“Once we open up our international borders, we will have COVID-19 outbreaks occurring right across Australia and people who’ve been vaccinated will have good protection against becoming seriously unwell and at risk of losing their lives but people who have not been vaccinated will be at very significant risk.”
“We don’t want to see people losing their lives if we can prevent that from happening through vaccinations. So, we’re very keen to get as many people vaccinated in Australia as quickly as possible so that we can open our borders safely.”
💻 Book your vaccination today so we can all get back to doing the things we love. Let’s do this, NSW: https://t.co/y4kUpeQT19
— NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (@mhcsnsw) September 18, 2021
In NSW unvaccinated residents will get freedoms. Why should we get vaccinated?
At Monday’s COVID-19 update the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian revealed the state’s three-stage plan out of lockdown which outlined the restrictions set to be relaxed at 80 per cent double dose vaccination.
The Premier revealed unvaccinated residents would be subject to stay-at-home orders until December 1 but said they will be able to visit places of worship once the state reaches 80 per cent double dose vaccination.
In a question on why people should get vaccinated if they will eventually get freedoms, Professor Kidd said that the purpose of vaccination is to “protect yourself against becoming seriously unwell, and at risk of dying if you are infected with COVID-19. By getting vaccinated you are less likely to catch COVID-19, and you are less likely to transmit COVID-19 onto other people.”
“We’re getting vaccinated to protect ourselves, our family members, our loved ones, and the wider community.”
*To find out more about the COVID vaccine or for translated resources in Greek visit: www.health.gov.au
Architectural practice Scott Carver has won the Design Excellence Competition to reinvigorate a precinct in 197 Church Street Parramatta.
“The opportunity to participate in such a transformational project is a humbling experience, which can only be topped by the win itself,” director Nicholas Bandounas says.
The studio has developed four key design principles to celebrate the Burramattagal people in the heart of the city.
A through-link between the city’s three busiest streets called the ‘Ngara Nura Way’ – between Marsden, Macquarie, and Church Streets – is just one of the efforts to incorporate the Dharug culture.
Awabakal man and creator Matthew Fellingham is consulting the studio on ways to incorporate First Nations principles in the building’s design.
“Working with the team at Scott Carver allowed me to interject cultural knowledge passed down from my Ancestors,” he says.
“As an integrated design team, we workshopped the Connecting Country Framework to develop the design principle of, ‘listening to an Aboriginal voice first’, for place names, wayfinding and meeting places.”
Bandounas says these principles “are equal parts physical and philosophical, driven by geomorphology, contextual history, community, and the urban framework”.
Parramatta is in the geographic heart of Sydney and shapes up as a ‘second city’ as it undergoes constant citywide development.
