Telecommunications entrepreneur, Michael Omeros, has bought a new weekender at Sunshine Beach in Queensland for $18.75 million,The Australian reports.
The six-bedroom, three-bathroom home was initially listed last April through Tom Offermann Real Estate agent Tim McSweeney.
Marketed as “Sunshine Beach chic,” the home comes with 22 metre beach frontage and 410 square metres of living space.
Michael Omeros. Photo: The Daily Telegraph.
It ranks as the Sunshine Coast’s third-priciest house sale this year.
The dearest sale was a double block development site that fetched $21.5 million, while the second-dearest sale came when mindfulness philanthropist, Kerry Harmanis, spent $19.5 million at Noosa Heads.
Andrew N. Liveris AO has been named as the President of the Organising Committee Board for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Following the announcement, Mr Liveris said he expects his new role will be one of the greatest and most satisfying opportunities to contribute to Australia.
“Brisbane holds a special place in my heart,” the former Chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical Company said.
“I am honoured to have been asked to make an important contribution to our State and nation in this critical role.”
In an interview with The Age,Mr Liveris pledged to showcase Australia’s hospitality to the world with a 2032 Games that will “go down to the ground level of sustainability.”
Mr Liveris has his work cut out for him but he’s not alone.
He’s also joined on the Committee by five new independent directors including Wesfarmers chief executive, Rob Scott, Brisbane Lions deputy chairwoman, Sarah Kelly, Queensland Rugby Union chairman, Brett Clark, and Indigenous leader and KPMG director, Shelley Reys.
Andrew Liveris.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has welcomed these new appointments and said “the Board of the Organising Committee represents some of this country’s most successful leaders who will ensure the 2032 Games are the world’s best ever.”
John Coates AC, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the President of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), agreed and said Mr Liveris “adds tremendous value and international credibility,” to the Committee.
Brisbane will be one of the smallest host cities in recent times, dwarfed by Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, as well as future hosts Paris and Los Angeles.
But this won’t stop Mr Liveris from pulling out all the stops.
The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, visited the Greek-speaking villages of Apulia, in the Salento region of southern Italy, on Saturday.
Sakellaropoulou was accompanied by Greek Culture and Sports Minister, Lina Mendoni, and they were both greeted with songs in the local Griko dialect and traditional dances.
In a speech, the Greek President highlighted the Greek roots of the local residents and celebrated the “brotherly bonds” with Greece.
Sakellaropoulou in Italy. Photo: InTime News.
Sakellaropoulou also visited the villages of Castrignano dei Greci, Carpignano Salentino, Melpignano, Zollino, Calimera, Martignano and Sternatia.
The President was attending festivities marking the 20th anniversary of the Union of Communities of Grecia Salentina’s foundation after an invitation by the President of the Union, Roberto Casaluci.
“The Union’s effort to preserve the Griko language dialect and its cultural richness deserves our support,” Sakellaropoulou said on Twitter after her visit.
Ukrainian soccer club, Shakhtar Donetsk, opened its government-backed “Global Tour for Peace” with a 1-0 loss to Greek club, Olympiakos, on Saturday at Karaiskaki stadium in Piraeus.
According to AP News, the tour aims to raise money for Ukraine’s military in the war against Russia, and also help Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war.
During their match against Olympiakos, Shakhtar players replaced their names on the back of their jerseys with those of cities bombarded by Russian forces, including Mariupol.
⚽️ #FootballStandsTogether 🙌 Every highlight of the charity match between Shakhtar and Olympiacos.
Shakhtar captain, Taras Stepanenko, said “the names of those cities, where so many people died, will remain forever in our hearts.”
This was Shakhtar’s first game since December 2021 and was played in front of a lively contingent of Ukrainians as well as the Ukrainian ambassador to Greece, Sergii Shutenko, and Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias.
Many of Olympiakos’ hardcore fans did not attend, AP News reports. Their official fan club, called Gate 7, boycotted the game.
A small section of seats was also filled with 176 teddy bears and other children’s toys in memory of the 176 children who, Ukraine said on Saturday, have died in the war since Russia’s February 24 invasion.
Toys filling the seats. Photo: IMAGO/ANE Edition.
After a minute’s silence for the victims of war, the match began with Olympiakos’ forward Tiquinho scoring a goal in the 22nd minute.
“We thank Olympiakos for giving us the opportunity to play the game… We hope we passed our message against war and for peace,” Stepanenko said at the conclusion of the match.
The Delphi Economic Forum is an annual event which gathers leading figures from a variety of sectors, including politics, business, technology and education.
This year’s iteration was held from April 6 to April 9 and featured over 750 speakers who spoke on a number of topics such as the East Med Pipeline, the current energy crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Prespes Agreement.
Greek Prime Minister calls for European response to energy crisis:
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has called for a joint EU response to the energy crisis, saying the bloc should decouple European electricity and gas prices.
Mitsotakis was speaking during a discussion with Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Secretary-General, Mathias Cormann, at the 7th Delphi Economic Forum on Saturday.
Πρέπει να κινητοποιήσουμε ευρωπαϊκούς πόρους για να βοηθήσουμε τα κράτη-μέλη να αντιμετωπίσουν τις αυξήσεις των τιμών ενέργειας. Διαφορετικά θα είναι υπόθεση των κρατών-μελών να δαπανήσουν περισσότερα χρήματα για τη στήριξη επιχειρήσεων & νοικοκυριών. Αυτό θα κάνουμε στην Ελλάδα. pic.twitter.com/Q4wDcbTQzx
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) April 9, 2022
“We need to break the link between gas prices and electricity prices. If we do not do that, we will impose huge economic pain on our citizens and our businesses. I hope we can do this on the European level,” Mitsotakis said.
“If we do not do this, we will allow the forces of populism to re-emerge stronger…”
Mitsotakis also pointed to Greece’s early repayment of IMF loans, the approval of the first instalment from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, and the expectation the country will exit the enhanced surveillance regime in August.
Dendias: East Med in ‘alive and kicking’
Speaking at the Forum on Saturday, Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, rejected the idea that the EastMed pipeline is dead in response to a statement by US Undersecretary of State, Victoria Nuland, during her visit to Athens last week.
“The EastMed is alive and kicking,” Dendias said, adding that the main concerns of the United States with the endeavour are its financial viability and the projected length of the project.
Nikos Dendias. Photo: AMNA.
According to Ekathimerini, Dendias also discussed the recent statement by the US State Department that the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey would serve American interests.
He explained that the US government is pressured by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but that does not mean Greece will cease its cautious approach to its neighbour.
“Until Turkey retracts its casus belli, Greece cannot celebrate Turkish rearmaments,” he said.
Petrovska: Prespes will be respected
In an interview with Ekathimeriniduring her visit to the Forum, North Macedonia’s Defence Minister, Slavjanka Petrovska, said the Prespes agreement with Greece will be respected by a possible new government in Skopje.
Slavjanka Petrovska. Photo: Vaios Hasialis/AMNA.
“This agreement was marked as one of the most significant achievements in the Balkans in the past decades, and I am convinced that, politics aside, all political parties, when in position to represent the government and the country, will oblige to what has been agreed and signed,” she said.
Petrovska was referring to the agreement in 2018 that ended a decades-long name dispute with Greece and paved the way for North Macedonia’s course to NATO.
Referring to North Macedonia’s accession to NATO, Petrovska also insisted it would serve as a shield against the diffusion of the Ukraine crisis in the Western Balkans.
Growing up in Australia, it was rare for me to eat Vegemite. My first encounter with it was at a half sandwich swap in Primary School. It was in Grade 2, sitting with my then three best friends, Sharon, Melissa and Guiseppina. We were on our lunch break, sitting on one of those wooden, park-type bench seats in the large, asphalted school yard, overlooking the tall gum trees and the faded white, weatherboard shelter shed.
Sharon pointed to my sandwich and, in a squeamish way, asked, or rather, bellowed out, ‘what’s that?’. It was tomatoes and egg (ntomates me auya – or kayiana). I was tempted to lie and answer ‘tomato and cheese’, as I just wanted to fit in with my peers which included their usual sandwich fillings.
My sandwich looked nothing like tomato and cheese though, unless I meant (and then would have to justify it as) a squashed, mashed or melted version. Instead, I took a deep breath, and both diplomatically and bravely, offered Sharon my lunch, saying: ‘Why don’t you try it, it’s a traditional Greek food’, while Melissa stared and Guiseppina smiled. It was then that Sharon and I did our swap, and I tried Vegemite for the first time.
On that first occasion, I found Vegemite to be weird; salty, different, but exciting. It was a new taste, an ‘Aussie’ one, signifying a further sense of acculturation into the Australian society I grew up in and so wanted to feel a sense of belonging to.
Many years after, an Australian boyfriend made me toasted, sliced bread with a lot of butter on it, yet a thin spread of Vegemite. That was the more acceptable, and apparently, most touted and popular way to enjoy Vegemite. It did taste much better that second time.
Since moving to Greece in 2000, and meeting many Australians of my 2nd generation here, we sometimes find ourselves having a good, old Vegemite ‘yarn’. Such conversation serves as a unifier to all things Australian that we tend to miss and perhaps glorify.
We query where to find it here in Greece, we whisper conspiratorially of where it’s cheaper, and in a bigger size. And shock horror if supplies run out! We become more desperate; willing to traverse kilometers to find a supplier. Feeling lucky, we sigh in relief, applauding the few stores that sell it here!
The more frugal, Vegemite seekers among us Greek Australians in Greece have it sent to us here from Australia. We get friends and relatives, or anyone we can in some instances, to mail us a jar or two, or five!
This desire for our browny-black spread, may often lead to imposing upon these complying senders, or even downright begging them, and perhaps even resorting to blackmail and/or threats! What joy when that special package finally arrives, with the perhaps added bonus of some … Twisties or Tim Tams in the package, complements of the wise and empathic sender.
Important question – where can I find #vegemite in #Cambride?? My supply has dwindled.
And don't try to convince me to 'just eat Marmite', because yeah I will, but like, its just not the same. pic.twitter.com/HYRn1WrZwq
I’ve heard of a few frowns and ensuing protestations though, upon opening the much awaited and coveted package containing this Australian icon: ‘Hmm, it’s in a plastic tube’. In these cases perhaps toothpaste comes to mind, referring to Vegemite’s more ‘travel-friendly’ packaging, by some of us fussier, Vegemite connoisseurs.
Some Aussie friends here insist that it tastes better in its original glass jars, hinting that old habits, but also nostalgia, die hard. ‘Plastic tubed Vegemite is simply not what we’re used to, it’s not what we had back in the day, in Oz’, a Greek-Australian friend opines. While, others of us, just excitedly yank that Vegemite tube out of that much awaited, magical, bubble-wrap insert package, and ‘get down’ and squeeze, desperate for a Vegemite hit asap!
Vegemite’s popularity here is obvious, due to the fact that our demand leads to supply, and whether you like the product or not, you know it. You have an opinion about it, it’s a ‘Down-under’ icon of delight, or disgust – for the more fussy or some would argue, honest Greek Australians in Greece.
I don’t think our parents generation either in Greece or even in Australia, express a hankering, or even an opinion, about Vegemite. As one Greek Australian friend in Athens, and obviously a voracious Vegemiter, claimed: ‘Vegemite to us, is what tzatziki is for our Oldies!’
Whether we Greek-Australians in Greece like or don’t like our Vegemite, one thing’s for sure – for us, Vegemite unites.
“Greece with its rich history and culture should become a global educational destination,” said Bill Papastergiadis at the Delphi Economic Forum this week.
Papastergiadis was a speaker alongside Nick Lairgakis and Jimmy Kokotos, which focused on the topic of the contribution of the diaspora to structural change in Greece.
Papastergiadis said: “now is the time to invest in the development of different programs at university level particularly in the humanities areas, which not only will help with Greece’s economy but it will also increase its influence globally.”
Papastergiadis noted that the education sector in Australia at the tertiary level pre-COVID contributed $32 billion to the economy with over 700,000 students and 130,000 people employed in this sector. The contribution of the education sector at tertiary level in Australia is comparable to the value of tourism to Greece which at pre-COVID was $37 billion.
Greece has already made some strides in its tertiary education sector but a concerted effort in developing courses and degrees in the English language that sit alongside the Greek language would be imperative in numerous faculties including science, medicine and architecture.
As is the case currently in Australia, Greece could become a global destination in education given that it has all of the prerequisites needed including its rich culture heritage and its deep history.
Bill Papastergiadis said by bringing together its history from ancient Greece to modern practices and by investing further in the humanities faculties, students will be attracted globally.
In particular, BJP said “research units on the Greek Diaspora should be established in different universities throughout Greece including Athens, Crete and Thessaloniki. These centers in Greece would work with other universities globally and in particular, the new Greek Community of Melbourne Centre for the Hellenic global diaspora at Melbourne University and the La Tobe University Greek program.”
Equally, bilateral agreements are required between Greece and other countries along with its universities so that, there is an exchange of teaching staff and students. It would be important to have for instance, students from Australia studying in Greece who could have that course work being recognised in their degrees in Australia.
Further, Greece should also invest in expanding its teaching programs to include additional courses on Greek language and culture taught in English to attract foreign students.
Using Australia as an example, Papastergiadis noted that the government plays an important role in the development of our multicultural and cosmopolitan society.
Papastergiadis noted Federal and State Government funding on initiatives by the Greek Community of Melbourne including its festivals, educational programs, university initiatives, new cultural centres and the replicas of the Parthenon marbles to be installed in the near future at the Greek Centre.
All of the above demonstrates how Government can work with the community and how now is the time for Greece to embrace its diaspora and work with communities globally. Many of the Greek Communities globally work with their respective Governments on policy matters. This too has been evident in relation to the support of the Australian Federal Government of Greece on the Eastern Mediterranean crisis and recently Agia Sophia.
It was believed that the Greek diaspora may not continue to grow post the second war migration from Greece, but the recent economic crises led to over half a million Greeks leaving Greece and many of them migrating to Australia. This highlights the continued relevance of the diaspora and the need to offer voting rights to citizens no matter where they reside.
The Greek Community of Melbourne will continue to work alongside the Greek Government and repeat its offers to house officers of Enterprise Greece and the Greek Tourism Office in its 15 story Cultural Center.
The Greek Community of Melbourne is also now working with the Greek Government and the Australian Government on a double Taxation Agreement and a Bilateral Health Agreement.
Bill Papastergiadis says: “A connected cosmopolitan world is one which Greece needs to embrace and the diaspora will stand beside it in its journey.”
Eugenia Raskopoulos has always felt the influence of her Greek roots in every part of her life, from growing up speaking Greek with her grandmother, to uncovering new meanings of the language through her art today.
It is something that Ms Raskopoulos discussed with The Greek Herald, explaining how language is “a thread that runs throughout” her whole practice.
Growing up surrounded by languages:
Born in the Czech Republic to Greek parents, Ms Raskopoulos tells us of the long history that she has with multiple languages and the roles they played in her early life.
“There were several languages that I grew up with. Greek was also always spoken in the house. I went to school without a word of English. Then my parents also had this secret language, which was Czech because they were both fluent in Czech,” she explains.
Photo: Kronenberg Mais Wright Gallery.
Ms Raskopoulos then goes on to detail how she experienced a typical migrant upbringing, being raised by her grandparents while her parents worked and her role of translator for her grandmother at a very young age.
“My grandmother looked after us and, you know took us grocery shopping and would ask me to ask whoever in English how much something cost. So, I had the role of translator from a very young age,” she said.
Influence of early life on her work:
All this has influenced Ms Raskopoulos’ new exhibition ‘The Shadow of Language’ at the Kronenberg Mais Wright art gallery in Sydney, which is running until 9th April 2022.
The artist attributes aspects of her work to her bilinguality, in addition to the third language she grew up knowing but not speaking – Czech.
Photo: Kronenberg Mais Wright Gallery.
Walking into her exhibition, you’ll be welcomed by bright pink neon lights affixed to large sculptures and one piece in particular draws your eyes to the artists concept of language.
The main piece of artwork is a bright sculpture with the Greek words ‘ο άλλος είναι στον εαυτόν’ which translates to ‘the other is within the self’.
“I believe that we are not one thing you know, we are made up of others,” Ms Raskopoulos explains.
“It’s something I’ve explored in all my work, and it’s about difference and the accepting of difference.”
Photo: Kronenberg Mais Wright Gallery.
“Once work is on the wall, you’ve moved onto the next thing”
After this exhibition, the artist has some other exciting ventures that she is working on as well. She was able to tell us of her next step, which is a project that she received a grant for by The Australian Council, titled ‘And the beat goes on’.
The project will include the recorded heartbeats of 96 women all aged over 47, along with the image of their cardiograms and sections of those cardiograms transformed into neon work.
“The reason I have used these numbers is that my grandmother’s heartbeat stopped when she was 96, I was 47,” Ms Raskopoulos explains.
Photo: Kronenberg Mais Wright Gallery.
She goes on to detail how the work will be a diverse piece including women of all backgrounds to create a “minimalist harmony.”
Although this piece is just one thing that she is working on, Ms Raskopoulos plans to keep her vibrant and youthful energy forever.
“The idea of a woman maturing is not for me,” Ms Raskopoulos says,
“I want to keep learning till the day that I die, I want to keep making until the day that I die.”
Ten years ago, Katrina Tsaftaropoulos was faced with the unimaginable reality that she would be spending her birthday without her middle child George.
In 2012, 27-year-old George Tsaftaropoulos took his life, leaving behind a 15-page farewell detailing the depression he had suffered from a young age.
“I felt like I was losing everything. My son, my family, my sanity, my sense of security – the ground beneath my feet was shifting,” Katrina told the Black Dog Institute in 2020.
“People acted and treated me differently. They judged his death, not forgiving or understanding of his suicide. The taboos and stigma in society were alienating me.”
Katrina Tsaftaropoulos with a shrine of photographs in her son George’s room. Photo: Justin Lloyd/ Daily Telegraph.
A decade on and Katrina has made it her mission to raise awareness of mental illness and be a loud voice for suicide prevention.
“I go on marches, do interviews with papers, online forums, petitions, presentations. Anything to break the taboos and remove the stigma,” she told Black Dog Institute.
Having volunteered with Lifeline and raising over $35,000 for Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute, Mrs Tsaftaropoulos firmly believes early intervention and education are the solutions.
“We need more counsellors in schools. Why let it get to the stage when it’s too late and the damage is done?” she told The Leader earlier this week.
“It’s like shutting the gate when the horse had already bolted. We have to get into youth because that’s where mental health starts festering.”
The Allawah mother has been actively visiting high schools and giving mental health presentations since her son’s passing.
“I haven’t stopped. Even through the pandemic I did online presentations,” she said.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, over 3000 deaths by suicide occur each year in Australia, with males being 3 to 4 times more likely to take their own lives than females.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among young Australians, representing 31% of all deaths in young people aged 15-17 and 39% of all deaths in those aged 18-24.
If this story has caused any distress The Beyond Blue Support Service is available via phone 24/7 on 1300 22 4636 or via beyondblue.org.au/get-support for online chat (3PM – 12AM AEST or email responses within 24 hours).
Professor of History at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, Alexander Kitroeff, will present an online lecture about the Greek Orthodox Church of America on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 7pm.
The Greek Orthodox Church is the largest and most influential institution in the history of the Greek presence in the United States. In so being it distinguishes the dominant role of the Church in the life of Greek America in comparison to all other Greek diaspora communities around the world where community organisations (koinotites) are also important.
This presentation is based on Kitroeff’s book The Greek Orthodox Church in America: A Modern History which explains how this hegemony was achieved under Archbishop Athenagoras in the 1930s and consolidated under Archbishop Iakovos in the 1970s and 1980s.
Alexander Kitroeff was born in Athens and educated in the United Kingdom where he received his doctorate degree in modern history from the University of Oxford. He is currently a Professor of History at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.
Source: Cosmos Philly.
His research focuses on identity in Greece and its diaspora in a broad range from politics and sports, on which he has published extensively.
His most recent books are The Greeks and the Making of Modern Egypt (2019) and Greek Orthodoxy in America: a modern history (2020).
He has also collaborated with film director Maria Iliou as a historical consultant in several documentary films including The Journey: the Greek Dream in America, Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of a Cosmopolitan City and Athens Between East & West, 1821-1896 which is the first of a 5-part series on the city’s modern history.
Kitroeff is currently working on two book projects: a history of AHEPA, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association to mark the organization’s centenary in 2022, and a History of Greek-owned diner restaurants in America.
