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Peter Zaparas named one of Australia’s leading work injury compensation lawyers

The Greek Herald
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Peter Zaparas named one of Australia’s leading work injury compensation lawyers

Melbourne-based lawyer Peter Zaparas, of Zaparas lawyers, has been named as one of Australia’s leading Work Injury Compensation Lawyers (Plaintiff) as part of Doyle’s Guide’s 2020 legal ranking awards.

Zaparas was listed as one of only four lawyers in Australia for the Preeminent award category, recognising the high level of expertise and client care given by Peter. 

“This is a recognition of Peter’s hard work over the past 40 years, to build a reputation in the community as a lawyer who understands the difficulties faced by those who are injured and his desire to empower injured people,” Zaparas Lawyers said in a statement.

Peter’s son, Yianni Zaparas, said he was proud his father was recognised for this prestigious award.

“I’m really happy Dad was recognised as a preeminent lawyer, he has worked so hard for injured clients all of his working life,” Yianni says.

Zaparas Lawyers also received the award for being one of three, Top Tier Leading Work Injury Law Firms, as well as being a leading Motor Vehicle Accident and Public Liability Law firm.

Also named as one of Australia’s leading Work Injury Compensation Lawyers in the ‘Recommended’ category were Jim and Ellis Palmos in Melbourne. This is the fourth year Jim has been awarded by Doyles Guide as leading and recommended lawyer for work injuries, previously receiving the award in 2016, 2017, 2018.

Doyles Guide is recognised as an independent organisation that rates and recommends law firms based on interviews with clients, peers, and relevant industry bodies. 

According to the independant body, the listing of leading firms and individuals creates an environment for a more “accurate recognition” of Australia’s leading lawyers.

‘We will remember them’: Australians pay respect to the fallen on Remembrance Day

The Greek Herald
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‘We will remember them’: Australians pay respect to the fallen on Remembrance Day

On 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Australians will pause once again to acknowledge Remembrance Day: the end of World War I.

Originally known as Armistice Day, November 11 has expanded over the years to solemnly remember all the fallen men and women who have lost their lives in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping efforts.

Acting Veterans Affairs Minister Geoff Lee stood side-by-side with the bugler and RSL NSW acting president Ray James as dozens of red poppies adorned the Sydney Opera House sails, reflecting into the harbour below for Remembrance Day 2020.

More than 60,000 Australians were killed fighting for their country. And today the nation pays tribute to those lost and to those who are still serving.

The Sydney Opera House was illuminated in poppies. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Minister Lee described the moment the Opera House lit up as “spine tingling”.

“This morning was a great scene, the water was glassy, the sun was rising to the east and red poppies were projected onto the white sails of the Opera House in remembrance of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms,” he said.

READ MORE: Lest We Forget: Commemorating the Anzacs who fought beside Greeks in WWII

“It was a strong symbolic reminder of the service and sacrifice made over a century ago which gave us the freedom we enjoy today.”

Minister Lee said it is essential young Australians understand the significant of the day, so schools have been given activity packs for students to make poppies and create stories around those who have served at war.

Bugler Corporal Curtis Willcox, RSL NSW acting president Ray James and Acting Minister for Veterans Geoff Lee and during a special Remembrance Day Dawn Service to light the Opera House. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

“We want to encourage young people to understand the importance of our history and legacy of those who have served our country,” he said.

In Canberra, the Australian War Memorial’s ceremony will be televised nationally and retain traditional elements such as the minute’s silence, laying of wreaths by invited dignitaries and sounding of the Last Post.

A one-off rule exemption has been granted in NSW to allow groups of up to 100 people to gather for services across the state including Sydney’s Martin Place.

Scott Morrison and Kyriakos Mitsotakis join world leaders in discussing vaccine distribution

The Greek Herald
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Scott Morrison and Kyriakos Mitsotakis join world leaders in discussing vaccine distribution

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison were joined by five other global leaders last night as part of the ‘first mover’ group that had successfully managed the first wave of the coronavirus.

The leaders exchanged views on the situation in their countries and discussed the increase in cases, especially in Europe, with the result that many countries have imposed either severely restrictive measures or a lockdown that leaves part of economic activity and schools in operation.

READ MORE: Scott Morrison joins Greek PM and other world leaders to discuss global COVID-19 response

Scott Morrison says that the countries shared experiences about second waves, avoiding lockdowns, and keeping our economies open safely.

“Thank you Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for hosting our sixth virtual meeting since the pandemic began and for the update on how Austria is recovering after last week’s terrible terrorist attacks,” the Australian PM added.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis made reference of the developing COVID-19 vaccine, speaking about the need to coordinate the distribution of the vaccine and the technical specifications that this entails, so that the population can be vaccinated as soon as possible. 

He also stressed that consistency is needed so that the anticipation of the vaccine does not lead citizens to relax in terms of compliance with the measures.

Speaking about the country’s own situation, the Greek PM said the exponential increase of cases and pressure on the health system led to the imposition of a lockdown for three weeks. He stressed that the next 10 days are crucial and that the goal is for the measures to pay off.

The Greek and Australian leaders were joined in the meeting by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The world leaders first convened via teleconference in May, discussing the most effective ways to “reopen our economies” and considering strategies to manage potential localised outbreaks.

“We swapped notes on the need to reopen our economies safely, including schools, how to manage localised outbreaks, the importance of rigorous tracing and testing, and keeping supply chains open,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said earlier this year.

People seek refuge on rooftops as flood sweeps through Crete

The Greek Herald
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People seek refuge on rooftops as flood sweeps through Crete

Heavy flooding on the Greek island of Crete damaged roads, flooded hundreds of homes, and swept cars into the sea amid ongoing torrential rainfall.

Authorities Tuesday said the worst damage occurred east of the island’s capital, Iraklio, in small towns and villages where schools were closed and residents were advised to stay indoors.

“Since last night and until today, incessant, huge amounts of water have turned the streets into rivers… and unfortunately, the damage is inestimable,” Tassos Kouroupakis, the civil protection governor for Crete, told Greek state television.

The fire brigade said it had received 230 calls to pump out rainwater from homes and help people trapped in the floods move to safety.

In the worst-affected areas, some residents sought refuge on the roofs of their homes as muddy water swept through towns, dragging cars and debris.

It was the third time in less than a month that the area has been hit by flooding. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue through Thursday.

A man stands in a flooded parking area after torrential rainfall in the village of Malia on the island of Crete, southern Greece, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020.(AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

No injuries were reported, but regional government officials said the island’s road network had been damaged, along with homes and businesses, many already shuttered due to a nationwide lockdown in effect since Saturday.

It is the second time in three weeks that the Mediterranean island has been hit by bad weather. A freak storm swept through Heraklion, Crete’s biggest city, on October 20.

Sourced By: Associated Press

‘A great Aussie success story’: Maria Boulas turns 100 years old and reflects on her life

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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‘A great Aussie success story’: Maria Boulas turns 100 years old and reflects on her life

A few months ago Maria Boulas turned 100 years old. 

For some a milestone. For her, just the natural flow of time. 

I ask her how she feels that she’s now officially a centenarian. 

“I feel like a girl,” she says smiling, and although her hearing has naturally deteriorated, she sounds in good spirits.

Mrs Boulas immigrated to Australia from the Greek island of Samos, in 1953, with her husband Aristarchus and her two kids, John and Koula. 

Today, almost seven decades later, with her daughter’s assistance, she retells her life story from her house in Mascot, where she’s lived for a little less than seven decades. 

‘We came to Australia for a better life’:

“We were on the ship and we were starving. John and I were crying from hunger,” Maria’s daughter says, as she recalls the journey to the new homeland, “there was a man who was selling biscuits from the bakery but dad didn’t have any money and he offered him his wedding ring. The man ended up giving us the biscuits for free”.

“We came for a better life. My husband wanted our kids to study and in Samos they couldn’t, due to his political views,” Maria Boulas tells The Greek Herald. 

Aristarchus, Maria’s late husband, had the opportunity to emigrate to the country under the ten pound assisted passage scheme funded by the British and Australian governments. The program was aiming to attract more British to the country, because they were seen to be culturally close to Australians.

However, a great number of migrants from other cultural backgrounds also emigrated during this period. 

It is estimated that between 1951 and 1959, more than 233,000 people came to Australia, principally from Greece and Italy.

Like other Greek migrants, settling into a new country was not easy for the Boulas family who came to Australia with nothing but a bag each. 

“I was running and running from one job to the other. My husband and I were working very hard,” says Mrs Boulas.

The kids often had to go to school very early in the morning and wait for it to open or they would be at home alone with John looking after his little sister Koula.

But for a good reason. 

Five years after they arrived, the family had enough savings to purchase land and build the family home in Mascot and about a decade later, John became a doctor and Koula got a teacher’s scholarship.

“I had a good life but my youth is now gone forever,” Mrs Boulas says selflessly, expressing her pride for her two children who studied and created their own families and successful careers. 

‘Greek immigrants have made Australia a better place’:

Maria’s contribution to her local community and to Australia were recently recognised by NSW Labor politician, member for Heffron, Ron Hoenig.  

“Like so many other Greeks, Maria and her family are a great Aussie success story – they came to this country with nothing but the clothes on their back and a will to work hard. They succeeded and made a new life for themselves and their children”.

“There are countless stories of families like Maria Boulas’s, about Greek immigrants who came to this country for a better life and who have made Australia a better, more prosperous place to live,” Mr Hoenig concludes. 

Do you have a similar community story? Email us at: greek@foreignlanguage.com.au

George Kambosos Jr eyeing ‘biggest fight in Australian history’ after huge sacrifice

Andriana Simos
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George Kambosos Jr eyeing ‘biggest fight in Australian history’ after huge sacrifice

Greek Australian, George Kambosos Jr, has set his sights on taking down Teofimo Lopez’s lightweight IBF world title.

He has what it takes – hunger, discipline and above all, sacrifice.

In fact, speaking on Sky Sports’ Big Sports Breakfast this morning, Kambosos explained just how much of a sacrifice he had to make to achieve his boxing dream.

He had to leave his young family behind for about seven weeks to go up against, and ultimately beat, Lee Selby in an IBF lightweight world title eliminator in the United Kingdom.

RELATED: George Kambosos Jr’s big win earns him world title shot.

“I left Australia six, seven weeks ago for Miami where my training base is,” Kambosos said on the podcast.

“I left my family in the middle of a pandemic to fight in the US, prepare there and then fly to another danger zone where the pandemic is really bad in the UK to get the job done on enemy territory.

“It’s a tough time to be away especially when you have two kids at an early age. My young son he took his first steps and I wasn’t there but that’s the sacrifice as a fighter. I’m taking risks. I’ve now had seven fights in a row abroad and I truly deserved to be in the position I’m in.”

George Kambosos Jr has set his sights on taking down Teofimo Lopez’s lightweight IBF world title.

After his victory against Lee Selby, Kambosos is now expected to fight Teofimo Lopez in early March to April next year, but insists he would get in the ring tomorrow if he had the option.

“If it could be tomorrow I’d take it tomorrow, I’m still on a high, I’ve been training non-stop in quarantine and doing as much as I can do in a hotel room,” he said.

And after several fights abroad, Kambosos Jr. is firm on wanting to keep this fight down under, describing it as “the biggest fight in Australian history.”

“Our priority is Sydney or Melbourne, it all depends on Melbourne with the COVID. If we can pack out 50-60,000 people, this will be the biggest fight in Australian history. A unified title fight,” Kambosos can he heard saying.

“I know a lot of people will doubt me but I love that underdog mentality. I thrive on being the underdog. This is a big opportunity for myself.”

There’s no doubt the rising boxing star believes it is his time and he will be willing to sacrifice it all again.

Stephen Fry calls for the UK to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece

Andriana Simos
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Stephen Fry calls for the UK to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece

Stephen Fry has called for the UK to ‘stand on the right side of history’ and return the Parthenon Marbles to Athens from the British Museum.

Fry shared a petition on Twitter called, ‘Lost My Marbles,’ demanding the return of the Marbles to their country of origin and supporting the call for the British Museum ‘to accept repatriation requests.’

“Please sign the Reunite Marbles petition to give power to the Trustees of the British Museum to consider their reunification #LostMyMarbles,” Fry wrote in the Twitter post.

At the time of writing, over 2,000 people have signed the petition.

The Parthenon Marbles have long been the subject of dispute over their home in the London museum. They have been on permanent public display there since 1817, when they were stripped off the Parthenon by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, and transported to the UK.

The Acropolis Museum in Athens, which has the remaining sculptures that were left in Greece, has left space empty for their return.

Multiple Greek governments have called for their return since the 1980’s and their continued presence in the British Museum has been touted as a possible sticking point in negotiations between the UK and the EU on their future trading relationship.

READ MORE: Australia takes the lead in demanding the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.

Greek authorities arrest father of child killed during capsizing of refugee boat

The Greek Herald
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Greek authorities arrest father of child killed during capsizing of refugee boat

Greek authorities have arrested a refugee whose son died while attempting to reach a Greek island from the nearby Turkish coast on suspicion of endangering a life, a crime that could carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

The 25-year-old man and his 6-year-old son, both Afghans, were among a total of 25 people who were found on the shores of the eastern Aegean island of Samos early Sunday.

RELATED: One child dead, six refugees missing as boat capsizes near Samos island.

The coast guard said the body of the 6-year-old boy was found with one woman on a part of the coast that was particularly difficult to access, while the others were found in small groups elsewhere.

According to the coast guard, the refugees said they had come across from the Turkish coast in a dinghy. Authorities said it was unclear what had happened to the boat, and exactly how the child had died.

The coast guard said Monday a 23-year-old who had been identified as having driven the boat was arrested on suspicion of smuggling, while the boy’s 25-year-old father was arrested on suspicion of violating endangerment laws.

Greece is one of the most popular routes for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and hoping to enter the European Union. The vast majority make their way to eastern Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast.

Although the distance is small, the journey is often perilous, with smugglers frequently using unseaworthy and vastly overcrowded boats and dinghies that sometimes capsize or sink.

Although it is common for Greek authorities to arrest whoever is identified as having steered a refugee vessel to Greece, in the cases of shipwrecks it is rare for the surviving parents of children who die to be charged with criminal offences.

“These charges are a direct attack on the right to seek asylum and it is outrageous that a grieving father is being punished for seeking safety for him and his child,” Josie Naughton, founder of the aid organisation Help Refugees/Choose Love, said.

“Criminalising people that are seeking safety and protection shows the failure of the European Union to find a solution to unsafe migration routes that forced thousands to risk their lives to seek protection.”

READ MORE: New EU taskforce set up to deal with refugees on Lesvos.

JobSeeker will be extended until the end of March 2021 but at a reduced rate

Andriana Simos
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JobSeeker will be extended until the end of March 2021 but at a reduced rate

The Federal Government will extend the JobSeeker unemployment benefit — at a lower rate — until the end of March 2021.

The $815 a fortnight payment will be reduced to $715 a fortnight from December.

The Government added a coronavirus supplement onto the JobSeeker payment at the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

That fortnightly supplement, initially $550 and currently $250, was due to expire at Christmas but will now be extended by three months.

“Today’s announcement… will see more and more businesses and Australians graduate from the economic supports that were so essential over these many months,” Mr Morrison said.

The coronavirus supplement is also paid to people on parenting payments and eight other income support payments, including Youth Allowance and Farm Household Allowance.

The JobSeeker payment replaced the former Newstart unemployment benefit.

Having faced years of criticism for the pre-pandemic rate of about $40 a day, the Government is yet to announce a new permanent rate for JobSeeker.

Mr Morrison said the Government would consider a new permanent JobSeeker rate “at a later time.”

“What we are focused on right now is the emergency measures that need to be in place for the pandemic,” he said.

Mr Morrison said the supplement extension would cost the budget an extra $3.2 billion.

Greek PM: Greece will emerge victorious from the coronavirus pandemic

The Greek Herald
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Greek PM: Greece will emerge victorious from the coronavirus pandemic

During the opening of the 5th EU-Arab World Summit on Monday, Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, expressed his belief that Greece will emerge victorious from the coronavirus pandemic.

“I am sure the Greek economy will experience a very robust recovery once a coronavirus vaccine is found,” Mitsotakis said in an online discussion with CNN journalist John Defterios.

READ MORE: Greek CEO of Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective.

“In Greece, savings are increasing, which means that people will want to spend when the pandemic is over. And businesses will want to invest. And smart companies are already investing.”

Mitsotakis mentioned a primary interest in the hotel and tourism sectors and beyond, as in the investments of Abu Dhabi Capital Group LLC in fish farming and state-of-the-art food technologies.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke during the opening of the 5th EU-Arab World Summit on Monday.

He also spoke of investments by Microsoft in building three large-scale data centers in Greece and by Volkswagen in turning the Greek island of Astypalea into a smart e-mobility model.

READ MORE: Microsoft plans $1 billion data center venture in Greece.

In addition, he noted, financial institutions have expressed interest post-Brexit in establishing a presence in Greece.

“We offer enough incentives to allow them to do that. Greece must turn into a financial hub for the greater region,” the Prime Minister said.

The pandemic has created investment opportunities at European level as well, he added, as the EU now “borrows as a supranational entity to strengthen the member states.”

Mitsotakis said the EU recovery fund will also assist in the recovery, which will be accompanied by investment and increased consumption after the vaccine becomes available.

READ MORE: EU recovery fund deal hailed a ‘national success’ as Greece to receive €72 billion.

“The coronavirus pandemic will have winners and some losers. I’m convinced of that. And I am pretty sure that Greece will be on the side of the winners,” he said.

Regarding Greece-Turkey relations, the Prime Minister said Greece is ready for a discussion aimed at resolving problems in the context of international law.

Responding to a reporter’s question on whether Greece would be willing to share energy resources with Turkey, he clarified that “this is not something under discussion” and reiterated that the two countries first need to define and delimit maritime zones in a fair manner.

Source: Ekathimerini.

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