The finalists of The Voice Australia 2021 were chosen on Sunday night following a tense and emotional semi-final.
The top four artists competing for the crown are Bella Taylor Smith from Team Guy, Arlo Sim from Team Keith, Mick Harrington from Team Jess and G-Nat!on from Team Rita.
G-Nat!on is The Voice’s largest girl band and includes Mateja Sardelis, 16, Isla Ward, 17, Taylah Silvestri, 18, Emma Caporaso, 18, Alessia Musolino, 17 and Rylee Vormelker, 17.
The girls had the audience on their feet with their impressive performance of 7 Rings by Ariana Grande, with Rita ultimately choosing them over Sian.
“Sorry did you say O.M.G-Nat!on?” Rita asked after their performance.
Voting is now open ahead of the final, with Australians now set to decide who will be take home the $100,000 prize money and a coveted recording contact with Universal Music Australia.
NSW is set to farewell 2021 in style, with fully vaccinated residents able to enjoy a large family Christmas meal, nights out with friends, a New Year’s Eve party and proper summer holidays.
According to The Daily Telegraph, while there will still be some restrictions, a continuance of the state’s vaccination pace will deliver freedoms in line with those currently in place overseas.
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has said the national plan to reopen states with 80 percent vaccination would bring families back together.
“Friends can make plans for New Year’s Eve where they can hug and kiss at midnight,” he said.
“And everyone can make plans for a family Christmas. Nobody wants COVID to be the virus that stole Christmas.”
Families can plan to have a big Christmas dinner.
Travel within NSW also looks set to be opened up although there remain question marks over interstate travel.
Queensland and Western Australia have indicated their borders could remain closed until next year, but open travel may be possible between NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Sydney couple, Selina and George Lygoyris, told The Daily Telegraph this would be a relief as their greatest Christmas wish was for their three children to see their 99-year-old great grandfather.
“We are hoping to be able to go to Melbourne as all of George’s family live there and the kids are missing their grandparents and cousins,” Mrs Lygoyris told the newspaper.
If the state borders remain closed the family has the Central Coast as second on their wishlist.
The Weekend Australian Magazine paid tribute to Greek migrants in Australia on Sunday with a special feature looking at how they enjoy a life expectancy that is not only greater than that of other Australians, but also one of the highest in the world.
According to the article, in the 1980s when Australian researchers first examined anecdotal evidence that Greek Australians were living longer, they were stunned to find that the data indicated they were the second longest-lived population in the world behind Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.
It showed that these Greek-born Australians were even outliving their counterparts back in Greece. There have been no recent studies to suggest this has changed.
But what makes their longevity even more mysterious is that this group have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure than the general population.
Helen and Theo Zafirakos. Picture: Julian Kingma.
In 2017, Greek-born Australians had a median age at death of 83.4 years compared with 81.4 for Australians born here, while enjoying a significantly lower mortality rate from all major diseases.
What’s their secret to a long life?
So in their search for answers, researchers such as Associate Professor Antigone Kouris-Blazos from La Trobe University, Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos from Melbourne’s RMIT University and Dr Tania Thodis, who is a dietician, have tried to work out what differentiates this cohort from the rest of the country.
Thodis’s 2019 PhD research found that 75 per cent of first-generation Greek migrants were keeping a vegetable garden into their eighties, while 90 per cent were still going to church and practising religious fasting.
The Mediterranean diet.
The American Heart Association says regular fasting is linked to lower rates of heart failure and improved metabolism, promoting the chance of living a long and healthy life.
According to the article, Greek cuisine is naturally high in antioxidants, with studies showing it also has numerous health benefits including helping prevent gut diseases and strengthening immunity.
“There is something about the way they eat that helps them get away with risk factors,” Thodis tells The Weekend Australian Magazine.
“They are not healthier – they still have higher rates of diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease etc but somehow they still get away with it and end up living longer. Maybe it is something to do with gut microbiomes because they are eating a lot of fibre.”
The Greek migrants interviewed for the article agreed, with most pointing to their Greek diet as well.
Jim and Georgia Stratos. Picture: Julian Kingma.
“I’m living a long time because my wife is an excellent cook, we use olive oil, we eat fish with lemon, we eat moussaka, spanakopita, lamb on a spit,” Jim Stratos, who is a first-generation Greek migrant who arrived in Melbourne in 1952, tells The Weekend Australian.
“Olive oil is the reason why we are still here,” 75-year old, Helen Zafirakos, adds as she sits with her 84-year-old husband Theo near the vegetable patch in the backyard of their home in Vermont South, in Melbourne’s east.
“When I came to Australia from Greece, Australians always used butter. I never liked butter.”
Later, the former factory workers rethinks her answer to why the original Greeks have lived such long and healthy lives in their adopted Australia, saying cheekily: “Maybe it is not the food… Maybe it is laughing. Laughing is always the best medicine.”
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.”
