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TGH Exclusive: Alex Papps on 15 years of Play School – ‘I still pinch myself’

The Greek Herald
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TGH Exclusive: Alex Papps on 15 years of Play School – ‘I still pinch myself’

By Peter Oglos.

Recognised as Australia’s most respected, trusted and longest-running children’s series, it was known that if you had made it on the ABC program ‘Play School’, you had made your mark on the television industry.

For Greek Australian actor Alex Papps, being accepted as a cast member in 2005 was a dream come true. Now, 15 years after his debut on screen, The Greek Herald speaks exclusively with Alex, who reminisces on his wonderful experiences on Play School and his Greek heritage.

The “juggling act” of Play School

Since first broadcasting on July 18, 1966, Play School has been entertaining and educating Australian pre-schoolers with music, crafts, stories and games. Every actor dreams of walking in the footsteps of Australian icons Benita Collings, Noni Hazlehurst and George Spartels, who all left their mark on the ABC set.

When the audition day finally came, Papps was in awe of the piece of Australian history he had walked in to.

“I was extremely well prepared and nervous on the day but when I walked into the rehearsal room, there was the director, the piano player, the camera man and the producer, who all greeted me,” Papps said about his audition.

Alex Papps and Rachael Coopes with the iconic toys of Play School. Photo: ABC

“But the main impact was that they had all the toys lined up to greet the auditionees as they came into the room, and that’s kind of amazing to be confronted with these iconic figures that many of us grew up with.”

Since his audition, Alex has evolved his entertainment style, benefiting from an increased level of relaxation and comfort on camera. However, paraphrasing Play School veteran Noni Hazelhurst, Alex still describes it as one of the “best acting lessons you can have”.

“It’s sort of the ultimate juggling act, Play School presentation, because you are presenting hopefully a genuine version of yourself to the camera and to the child.

“But you have to keep a lot of things up in the air. There is a lot of technical aspects that you need to be aware of and lots of interaction with props and remembering song lyrics and keeping a serene, friendly presence, whilst juggling all those things.”

“I still pinch myself I’m part of Play School”

15 years after receiving the job, Papps has shared countless memories with all of his Play School co-workers. However, recording the “Friends All Together” DVD towards the beginning of his career, still has a special place in his heart.

“We did two performances in front of an audience, in order for them to cut together the DVD episode,” Papps says.

“Everyone worked incredibly hard to get this mammoth thing up and running, and I have great memories of that. That was with Karen Pang, Jay Laga’aia and Justine Clarke. And I was still relatively new then.

“I mean I still pinch myself I’m part of play school, but I kind of couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to be part of it.”

Being former co-workers together on the drama series Home and Away, Alex Papps and Justine Clarke shared a special bond on the children’s show.

“We’ve known each other now for 13 years and as you probably know we worked together on Home and Away, so working together on Play School was kind of a lovely for circle for us. We’ve been very lucky with our friendship.”

Alex Papps and entertainment co-worker Justine Clarke. Photo: ABC

A healthy workplace environment on Play School has allowed for Alex to continue to enjoy his time on the program. In Alex’s eyes, a strong relationship with his Play School co-workers is really what has kept the ball rolling for over 50 years.

“With Play School, we all get paired up with different people but we all get along really well and each of those pairings has its own dynamic and identity because we’re all different.

“We all get along really well and have a great time, which becomes particularly important when we go on tour.”

An “enthusiastic respect” for his Greek culture

Coming from a very diverse background, Alex Papps has always had a strong awareness of his heritage. His mother, while born in Australia, is of English and German background.

Alex’s father migrated to Australia when he was only six years old from Cairo, which continues to hold a large Greek community.

“With my yiayia, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago, we used to ask her a lot about her life in Cairo and the Greek culture and food,” Alex says.

“My mum, when she first met my father, went to great trouble to learn how to speak a bit of Greek and cook Greek dishes.”

Alex Papps talking about his grandmother on Play School. Photo: ABC

While describing himself as an “enthusiastic home cook”, Alex never forgets his love for the simple Greek dishes, particularly dolmades.

“I’m immensely proud of my Greek heritage and when all this pandemic hopefully resolves itself…. I’d love to go back as an adult, and hopefully that might happen one day.”

Asked if the 20 year milestone was in his sights, Alex expressed his hope for a long career with the children’s program.

“If it were up to me I’d love that! But it’s not in my hands. I would like to think I could be on play school forever but it’s not up to me unfortunately.

“I really hope I’m there for a lot longer, but we’ll see.”

Second Vol. of Castellorizian migration book series brings readers into lives of early Greek-Australians

The Greek Herald
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Second Vol. of Castellorizian migration book series brings readers into lives of early Greek-Australians

The Castellorizian Association of NSW have developed the second instalment of their migrant book series, titled Journey to a New Land Vol. 2, available for pre-order.

The series, broken up into two separate unique volumes, presents over 130 family stories and 700 precious old family photographs, which were produced and self-published by the History and Archives Committee of the Castellorizian Association of NSW. 

The first book released in 2018, Journey to a new land, brought readers into the early life of Castellorizian in their transition into Australian culture.

Castellorizians living in Australia, widely known as Cazzies, migrated to Australia in large numbers mostly during the second and third decade of the 20th Century as a result of political and economic crises on their ancestral home.

Irene Elliott, Victoria Kazaglis- Gallagher, Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, Anna Koutsis, Despina Lucas, Petula Samios and Patricia Sechos wanted to capture memories, experiences and relationships using family stories.

The stories, which provide one of the first, comprehensive studies of Castellorizian migrant memories, are about dislocation, hard work, and fitting in and rebuilding a community.

People can pre-order the second volume here: www.castelloriziansnsw.com.au/shop/

EU launches legal action against Greece and Italy for violating passenger rights

The Greek Herald
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EU launches legal action against Greece and Italy for violating passenger rights

The European Commission on Thursday decided to take greater action in the infringement procedure against Greece and Italy, for violating passenger rights amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two countries on Thursday received a letter of formal notice by EU’s Executive, due to the legislation they adopted, allowing airlines to offer vouchers instead of reimbursement for cancelled flights, with passengers forced to agree to this solution. However, current EU rules dictate that passengers are entitled to a financial reimbursement if preferred.

Greece and Italy are now left with two months to prove they have amended the drawback in their legal framework.

“Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many companies in the transport sector have been faced with unsustainable cash flows and revenue situations. Throughout this crisis, the Commission has consistently made clear that passenger rights remain valid in the current unprecedented context and national measures to support the industry must not lower them,” the Commission wrote.

The Commission encouraged carriers to make vouchers an “attractive” option for passengers who see their travel arrangements cancelled. However, “passenger rights remain valid in the current unprecedented context and national measures to support the industry must not lower them”.

The EU’s Executive move was part of a wider action against ten EU member-states that breached the Package Travel Directive, with Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, France, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia, requested to comply with their obligations under EU law.

Greece was one of the effective European countries in handling the pandemic, containing the spread of COVID-19 infections to 2,770 confirmed cases and 156 deaths.

In preparation for the resumption of flights, Aegean said it has already stepped up precautionary measures, including the mandatory use of masks during flights and aircraft cleaning and disinfection procedures.
April saw Greece suffer a 98.7 percent travel drop, with travel receipts standing at 7 million euros.

George Calombaris caught in fresh debt scandal as backed yoghurt chain refuses to repay $140,000

The Greek Herald
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George Calombaris caught in fresh debt scandal as backed yoghurt chain refuses to repay $140,000

A frozen yoghurt chain backed by George Calombaris has refused to repay a $140,000 debt owed to his collapsed restaurant group which is falling back on the taxpayer to cover outstanding wages, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The knock-back comes despite the taxpayer being called on to cover a $1.32 million employee wage and entitlements bill after the liquidation process failed to raise enough money to cover those costs.

Read More: George Calombaris restaurant empire’s collapse costs taxpayers $1 million

Multimillion-dollar properties owned by Mr Calombaris and his wealthy restaurant backers including former Swisse vitamins boss Radek Sali cannot be targeted to raise funds because the debts are owed by their companies, not the individuals.

Made, which employed 364 staff across a restaurant stable including The Press Club, Hellenic Republic and Jimmy Grants, collapsed in February. Its downfall followed a public backlash to a $7.8 million wages underpayment scandal.

George Calombaris at his Jimmy Grants restaurant at Sydney Central Plaza.

Up-market yoghurt chain Yo-Chi, whose owners include Mr Calombaris and Mr Sali, emerged as the sole Made group restaurant to avoid insolvency. It continues to operate outlets in Hawthorn, Malvern, Carlton and Balaclava.

The latest report from liquidator KordaMentha shows it approached Yo-Chi to collect an outstanding $140,000 debt in April.

Read More: George Calombaris’ restaurants suffered $20 million in financial loss.

“Following correspondence with one of Yo-Chi’s shareholders, the liquidators concluded that it would not be commercial to pursue the outstanding loan balance further as Yo-Chi has minimal cash and recoverable assets,” the KordaMentha report says.

“In addition, Made Establishment’s claim is as an unsecured creditor of Yo-Chi and we are aware of a secured creditor who would rank ahead of Made Establishment’s claim in any formal insolvency process.”

KordaMentha has raised about $820,000 from the liquidation process to date which includes earning $222,000 from an online auction of restaurant equipment and food inventory.

Radek Sali (left) and George Calombaris (right). Photo by Paul Jeffers.

These funds will be directed to CBA – the first ranking secured creditor – with KordaMentha warning other parties owed money not to expect a return.

Among these are Australian Taxation Office, owed $2.3 million, and unsecured creditors such as suppliers and landlords who are owed $1.5 million.

Former Made employees are owed $1.32 million with the overwhelming bulk of this related to annual and long service leave and redundancy and termination entitlements.

KordaMentha has directed them to seek assistance from the Fair Entitlements Guarantee, the government scheme of last resort that covers worker entitlements when not enough money can be raised during an insolvency.

Its report notes there is 28 workers who will not be able to make use of the government scheme as they are not citizens or permanent residents.

Parties close to the liquidation point out Mr Sali or Mr Calombaris cannot direct specific money to former employees as any funds they provide would be seized by the liquidator and directed to the CBA as the secured creditor.

They also note that Mr Sali tipped $11.5 million into the business after he bought in it early 2017 which paid out wage underpayments incurred before he was involved in Made.

Sourced By: The Daily Telegraph

Construction begins in Athens of ‘largest project in Mediterranean’

The Greek Herald
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Construction begins in Athens of ‘largest project in Mediterranean’

Greece’s prime minister on Friday inaugurated the start of construction work on a long-delayed major development project at the prime seaside site of the old Athens airport.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the start of work as a major step in the implementation of what he described as “possibly the largest project in the Mediterranean.” After his brief speech on site, bulldozers began pulling down one of the more than 200 abandoned buildings.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wearing a helmet and plastic glasses stands at the old airport in Athens, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

The development of the 620-hectare (1,500-acre) Hellenikon site was a key element of the privatization drive that was part of Greece’s international bailouts. The country received billions in emergency loans to tackle a catastrophic financial crisis, but had to pass sweeping structural reforms and privatizations in return.

The revamping of the airport has been tied up in court cases for nearly two decades, with critics of the project citing environmental and heritage concerns. Ancient cemeteries and a prehistoric settlement have been found in the area. In 2018, the Supreme Court approved the project.

The old airport site was sold to a consortium led by Greek Lamda Development, which has planned an 8 billion-euro investment, including a park, housing, shopping areas, a marina, hotels and a beach that will be freely accessible.

Mitsotakis said the development would lead to the creation of 80,000 jobs and the project would be environmentally friendly and guarantee access for all residents of the wider Athens region.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, speak as CEO of Lamda Development Odisseas Athanasiou listens him during the demolition of the first abandoned buildings at the old airport in Athens, Friday, July 3, 2020.

“Today we make a start, but there is a long road ahead of us,” Mitsotakis said, noting that it could take 10 years for the development to be completed.

Of the new jobs to be created by the project, around 10,000 are expected to be generated during the construction phase, Mitsotakis said.

“It will be a modern, ecological project that is friendly towards the environment,” Mitsotakis said. “A project that will symbolize the new Greece, as I believe we all envisage it.”

Sourced By: Associated Press

Remembering when Greece won the Euro 2004 Final

The Greek Herald
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Remembering when Greece won the Euro 2004 Final

A day forever ingrained in Greek’s minds. As the full time whistle was called, the weight was lifted off the shoulders of the Greek players in the stadium. That energy was transferred to Greeks across the world, who celebrated Greece as European champions for the first time in history.

Greece entered the tournament as complete underdogs, with not a single football pundit tipping the country for victory.

Drawn in what could have been considered the “group of death”, with Portugal and Spain being heavy tournament favourites, every match was a must-win. From this, Greece decided to show Europe they were a title contender, beating out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in round one.

Greek national team for 2004 Euros. Photo: UEFA

With fortune on their side, Greece managed to progress to the the knockout stage of the competition, beating out Spain who shared the same goal difference, yet with two less goals scored against their opponents.

The Greek players weren’t able to sit and celebrate, facing off against France who featured the likes of Thierry Henry and Robert Pires. What would prove not to be his final goal of the tournament, Greek forward Angelos Charisteas scored in the 65th minute of the match.

From that point, France grew frustrated with Greece’s solid defensive plays and proceeded to lose the match 1-0, taking Greece to the semi-finals.

Greece beats France 1-0. Photo: UEFA

As if the Greek gods were smiling upon them, Greece were then to face Czech Republic. Yet, victory was not as easy as it may of been foreseen, with the Czech nation also dreaming of an underdog tail. A tough defensive battle between both nations, the match continued into extra time.

Just as the half time whistle was to be blown, centre back Traianos Dellas is delivered a ball from the corner spot to his head, striking home a late victory for the Greeks.

As prophetic as a match can be, Greece were to face their first round opponents Portugal in the Euro 2004 Final. Held in Portugal, the odds were against them. 60,000 Portugal fans flooded the stadium. Greece were forced to draw all their attention on to the field to claim a victory against the home nation.

Charisteas heads the ball in the net in the 57th minute to secure a victory for the Greek national team. Photo: UEFA

World talents Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo attempted to break the Greek defensive line multiple times. While a couple of close calls, no goals ended in the back of the net. Instead, what the Portuguese players didn’t expect was none other than Angelos Charisteas.

As if Greece had christened every corner flag before the match, Charisteas heads the ball in the net in the 57th minute to secure a victory for the Greek national team.

The victory would forever be considered one of the greatest underdog tales in football history, with the Greek team leaving a legacy for the next generation of footballers.

Vasili’s Taxidi: The Incredible Story of ‘Paul’s Famous Hamburgers’ (Part Two)

The Greek Herald
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Vasili’s Taxidi: The Incredible Story of ‘Paul’s Famous Hamburgers’ (Part Two)

By Vasilis Vasilas

Passing down any business from one owner to another is often a delicate matter; despite having an established reputation, the great question remains is how customers will respond to the new owners. Customers have simply established such a strong connection to a business and a change in owners is arguably the biggest change customers must accept. Last week, Vasili’s Taxidi featured one of Sydney’s socio-gastronomic institutions, ‘Paul’s Famous Hamburgers’, at Sylvania, which was established and excelled with the Zerefos family. With the Sinesiou family buying the business in 1998, not only did they maintain its high quality product and service, and its reputation, but ‘Paul’s Famous Hamburgers’ has become such an award-winning business that it is recognised at a national level, and even beyond Australia’s borders. 

The Sinesiou family has an excellent pedigree in small business; over the years, Nikos and Sandra, with their four sons, John, Michael, Chris and Jim, have run everything from delicatessens to fish and chips shops, from takeaway shops to cafes. When the opportunity arose to buy ‘Paul’s Famous Hamburgers’, they knew they were taking over one of Sydney’s iconic shops, which served such reputable, traditional Australian hamburgers that customers flocked to the shop from all over Sydney. 

Asked about the purchasing such a successful business, Nikos frankly explains the risk(s), ‘Paul’s Famous Hamburgers may have been a highly reputable business but we were now the new owners- we would have to work very hard to maintain this reputation. Customers grew up with Paul’s being there; they could have easily walked away from it, if we did not look after it. But I believed in myself; I believed my family could succeed with Paul’s! We have worked hard to maintain the Paul’s brand but we have built on it too.’

With such a successful brand and recipe, the Sinesiou maintained the shop the way it was. As Nick points out, ‘We have elderly customers coming into the shop who were customers when it first opened in 1957. Customers have known this shop for all their lives; they are part of this shop’s story and we wish for them to feel part of it too. People are so familiar with Paul’s Famous Hamburgers that they love the shop the way it is, so we have kept it the way it was.’

The Zeferos family even passed down the recipe, for the tasty burgers, to the Sinesiou family; the meat continues to be minced, marinated and mixed, and then pressed into meat patties, on the premises, ensuring the product remains the highest quality. And it is this high quality that keeps customers travelling great distances for a Paul’s famous burger; as Nikos’ son, John, explains, ‘People love coming to the shop; the love the product. Everything in our shop is fresh; each meat patty is pressed by hand. With the Zeferos family passing down their recipe, we mince, mix and press the meat on the premises. We go down to the fruit market to get our fruit and vegetables. Quality control is fundamental in maintaining our high quality product.  

‘And my brothers and I all work together: for our ‘prep’, Chris makes up the meat mixture and I form the meat patties in the mornings. Michael and Dimitri do all the cutting of vegetables. And we all share the cooking!’

Like so many successful Greek businesses, the importance of a family sticking together is such a recurring ingredient to its success. And Nikos emphasises this, ‘My whole life is poured into this shop. I am lucky that I have my sons and their families involved in this business. Family is so important to me. My children, John, Michael, Chris and Dimitri have grown up around me; there are no words to describe the joy of having all my children next to me… in this business… 

‘The real hero in our journey is my wife, Sandra; she was always there, next to me, in all our shops. While I just focused on our businesses, it was Sandra who had to juggle working in our shops and bringing up our four sons. To think we have worked together in so many shops, for so many years… that is a truly special relationship…’ 

With over sixty years of history, John explains why tradition and history are important parts of Paul’s Famous Hamburgers, ‘Our customers still remember their first Paul’s hamburger; they introduce their children and grandchildren to our hamburgers. Customers have proposed to their partners and have taken wedding photos at our shop. So many customers’ memories are attached here. Paul’s Famous Hamburgers is an important part of people’s lives!’

TGH Exclusive: George Moulos emerges from lockdown to film the quiet streets of Greece

Andriana Simos
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TGH Exclusive: George Moulos emerges from lockdown to film the quiet streets of Greece

As an Online Business Broker and entrepreneur, George Moulos’ frequent travels to different parts of Europe are just a usual part of his everyday life and job. One unusual thing the Greek Australian didn’t expect however, was to find himself stuck in Barcelona for three months during the coronavirus lockdown.

It was a situation he describes as “throwing a spanner” in his plans for 2020, especially when he was repatriated to Greece and forced to stay inside his cousin’s house in Athens as the beautiful summer season kicked off around him.

“My plan was to spend two to three weeks in Barcelona for a quick marathon… but the marathon was cancelled and I was stuck in Barcelona for three months instead. I was in an Airbnb there which wasn’t fun but returning to Australia wasn’t really an option for me. So I just bunkered down for three months, working from my room,” George tells The Greek Herald.

“In the end, I had a flight booked to leave for Greece on May 29 but that was cancelled. So I emailed the Australian Consulate in Greece saying, ‘can you tell me which flights are going through,’ and they told me there was a repatriation flight the next day and that they would get me on it.”

  • George Moulos with Balu, the dog who kept him company in Barcelona. Photo: @georgemoulosofficial.
  • Barcelona City Hall. Photo: @georgemoulosofficial.

“It’s weird seeing Greece manage COVID-19 so well”:

When the 21-year-old Kytherian landed in Athens on May 17 he was exhausted but relieved. He had made it to a country which he says impressed him with the strong precautions they were taking to limit the spread of COVID-19. In fact, George was actually one of the first tourists to arrive in Greece who were subjected to the coronavirus test upon landing.

“I did the coronavirus test at the airport, that swab at the back of the throat. It’s pretty uncomfortable. They swabbed us and then took us to a hotel in Omonia. I was there for only a day,” George explains.

“The authorities told me, ‘your test results have come back negative so you can go home, but you need to stay home for two weeks. Give us your address, your mobile number, your email and we’re going to check up on you. If you’re not there, it’s a 5000 euro fine and you’ll be prosecuted.’ It was a weird thing seeing Greece manage something really well and most people were sticking to the rules.”

George also stuck to the rules, staying at his cousin’s place for two weeks in the Athens suburb of Victoria.

Filming the deserted streets of Greece:

Ultimately however, George marked the end of his quarantine with some pretty spectacular vlogs (video blogs) in the empty streets of Athens, followed by Rhodes and Lindos. He says the vlogs helped to “keep him accountable to lead an interesting life.”

“I upgraded all my gear. I bought a new phone and new camera. It definitely made me feel a bit better about publishing the vlogs,” George laughs.

He definitely had nothing to worry about though. If you take a look at George’s more recent vlogs, you’ll see beautiful drone shots of the blue water of the Aegean Sea, the world-famous Parthenon, the Corinth Canal and even the ancient ruins of the Acropolis of Lindos. The one thing that’s missing? The thousands of tourists that visit Greece every year during the summer season.

“My friend and I went to the ancient ruins of the Acropolis of Lindos and we were the only two people there. The drone shot that I included in my vlog really shows that there’s no one there. It was unbelievable,” George says.

It’s these unbelievable moments that George always loves to capture. He says they make his vlogs into a kind of “modern photo album” of all his favourite memories.

“As a kid, my mum would keep meticulous records of photos of us on holidays and stuff. I loved that. So my vlogs are like a modern photo album. I love the memories of everything I do and that’s how I put the vlogs together. I put the music I was kind of listening to at the time, trying to capture the vibe of the people I was with and the place I was at,” he says.

“The vlogs really do keep me accountable to lead an interesting life. To continually do something new, whether it’s once a week or every two weeks. To go check out an ancient city or a new museum.”

The next step in his travels:

When George isn’t checking out the next ancient ruin or museum in Europe, he focuses on his business Ecommerce Brokers. This business takes him all around Europe but for now, he says he has plans to settle down and set up a base in Copenhagen for the next six to twelve months.

“During all this corona craziness, my business blew up. There was a huge influx of people buying into ecommerce because they wanted to move away from the traditional brick and mortar stores. I’m kind of the person to guide them through that and show them what businesses to buy,” George says.

“But constantly moving places every two to three months has limited my workability. That’s why I’m setting up my base in Copenhagen. Hopefully I don’t get the three month itch that I usually get, especially cause it’s really cold there with not much sun.”

We hazard a guess that George will return to Greece in no time to capture its beauty once again.

Moreland mayor calls on Daniel Andrews to ‘do more’ for struggling Melbourne businesses

The Greek Herald
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Moreland mayor calls on Daniel Andrews to ‘do more’ for struggling Melbourne businesses

Moreland mayor Lambros Tapinos, in Melbourne’s north, has called on the Premier to “do more” for businesses that will be forced to close their stores for the second time.

Speaking to ABC News Breakfast this morning, the Greek-Australian mayor says many residents were still recovering from the initial lockdown earlier in the year. 

“They’re upset that they can’t see family and friends and of course our local businesses, many of them recovering from the first shutdown, had to close their doors again,” he said.

“But they understand this is the best way to stop the virus.” 

Lambros Tapinos speaking to ABC News Breakfast this morning. Photo: ABC

Mr Tapinos said he wanted Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, to do more for those “left behind” especially in the arts industry.

“I welcome the Premier’s announcement of a $5000 support grant, but it’s just not going to be enough,” Tapinos said.

“Every level of government needs to step up.”

The mayor also announced a $4.8 million community support and relief package for the Moreland region.

“A lot of that money will be tailored towards our local economy and supporting our local businesses.”

Dr Antonios Meimaris to give online lecture on history of ‘randomness’ and probability

Andriana Simos
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Dr Antonios Meimaris to give online lecture on history of ‘randomness’ and probability

Dr Antonios Meimaris will present an online lecture entitled ‘A Brief History of Randomness: From divination and gambling to modern Probability Theory & Statistics,’ from the Greek Centre on Thursday, 9 July 2020 at 7pm.

The lecture is part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.

SYNOPSIS:

Mythology is filled with stories in which the outcome of a game of chance determined the course of events. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades split the universe through a game of dice.

King Nala, as depicted in the Mahabharata, played a game of dice and gambled away his wealth and kingdom, and Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of science, gambled with the Moon and won some moonlight in a game of dice.

Humans create gods in their image. Thus, gambling dominated people’s minds from the first years of their existence on Earth.

However, it is only in the late 15th century that the science of randomness begins to develop. This seminar focuses on the history of randomness and the first attempts for its rigorous mathematisation that led to the current theory of probability and statistics which is now used in most scientific fields.

READ MORE: Seminar series on Greek history and culture to resume online this week.

ABOUT DR ANTONIOS MEIMARIS:

Antonios is a final year PhD Candidate & Teaching Associate in the Department of Econometrics & Business Statistics at Monash University, and a member of the Stochastic Engineering Dynamics Lab at Columbia University, USA.

His research involves working on stochastic problems with applications covering a wide array of disciplines ranging from the physical-mechanical spectrum to fields such as chemistry, biochemistry and ecology with clear connections with Quantitative Finance.

He has been awarded the Postgraduate Publications Award (PPA) for his doctoral research and subsequently, the Teaching Excellence Award (Best Ph.D. Teaching Associate) for his teaching.

More details about the lecture will be announced soon.

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