Sydney’s Greek community came out in full force on Sunday for a traditional wreath laying ceremony at the cenotaph in Martin Place to mark Greek Independence Day.
The ceremony kicked off with the Greek and Australian National Anthems, followed by a small memorial service conducted by Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
All photos copyright: The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
The Archbishop as well as the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW) Harry Danalis, then gave small speeches.
In his speech, Archbishop Makarios stressed the relevance of the Greek Revolution today and said Greek Australians are “privileged” to be able to call Greece and Australia home.
“Within the body of a multicultural nation, we continue to share the values of justice and liberty. These principles are as relevant today as they were two centuries ago. This is why we can stand together, remember and honour our ancestors and follow their example,” Archbishop Makarios said.
Mr Danalis spoke next and stressed the importance of Greek Australians coming together every year at Martin Place to honour the memory of the heroes and heroines who fought and lost their lives in the war.
After these speeches, the Last Post and Rouse was played, the Ode was read in Greek and English by NSW Greek RSL members Andrew Kitsos and Peter Tsigounis, and a minute silence was held. A student from the GOCNSW Greek School also recited a poem.
Prominent members of the Greek community, Greek organisations and politicians, later laid wreaths at the Martin Place cenotaph.
These included the Press Counsellor at the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, Costas Giannakodimos; Matt Thistlethwaite MP; Tony Burke MP; Sophie Cotsis MP; Steve Kamper MP; councillors from Randwick, Bayside, Georges River and Inner West Councils, students from St Spyridon College, All Saints Grammar and St Euphemia College, among many others.
The wreath laying ceremony was concluded with attendees being thanked by the event organisers, followed by a number of youth standing proudly in Greek costumes for photographs.
The Hellenic Club of Canberra has announced their new development plans for their Woden office space. The announcement comes with a two-stage development plan in order to properly deliver the vision the club has for the future.
According to the newly released plans, the existing building will get the ultimate facelift. A 16-storey office tower will be situated right next to 12-storey, 15-room hotel with a new auditorium donning a 2000-seat theatre.
Earlier this month, The Greek Herald spoke with the President of the Hellenic Club, Andrew Satsias, and he spoke about the future plans for the club and its goal to become a precinct.
“We’re in the midst of strategic planning… It’s a reality that has to take place quickly because poker machines, which have been our primary source of income for some time, are declining in support from the politicians here,” Mr Satsias says.
“As part of that, there’s a number of things we’re looking at as to how we can generate that alternative income for the Club and that includes greater entertainment, potential office, and commercial space.
“We want it to be a new precinct.”
The Club has mentioned that the current facilities will remain but would likely be revamped to match the rest of the new club plans. Plans are in place for construction to start in late 2023.
Racing legacy, Debbie Kepitis, has been placed in the top 20 of Sydney’s most powerful and influential people in 2022.
Debbie is the daughter of legendary racehorse owner-breeder Bob Ingham and is continuing her father’s legacy in business and racing.
Trainer Chris Waller with Winx. Photo: AAP Image/Julian Smith
On the list, Kepitis is joined by Harvey Norman founder Gerry Harvey, Penrith Panthers coach and co-captain, father and son, Ivan and Nathan Cleary, Belmore-based medical doctor, Jamal Rifi and many more.
Debbie and her husband, Paul are co-owners of the racing champion Winx, who is trained by the nation’s leading trainer, Chris Waller, who takes third place on this list.
Greece has signed a new arms deal with France worth over $4.4 billion to buy three navy frigates and six additional Rafale fighter jets as Athens increases its armed forces in response to rising tensions with Turkey.
France’s defence minister joined the respective defence minister from Greece, Nikos Panagiotopoulos at a signing ceremony on the eve of Greece’s national day aboard a 112-year-old battleship that also acts as a floating museum.
“It is with solidarity that we address the threats that face our nations and our interests,” minister Parly said.
The three FDI-class French frigates will be built by Naval Group, a defence contractor located in western France that is set to be delivered by 2026.
One of six agreed Rafale fighter jets landed on the island of Crete on Friday, where it will be based as it begins a series of operations in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was extended an invitation to address Greek Parliament by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a phone call on Friday March 25th. This address will likely take place via teleconference.
Zelenskyy has already made multiple addresses including to the US, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan in an attempt to rally support to the Ukrainian cause following the Russian invasion.
Mitsotakis’ invitation reflects Greece’s clear condemnation of the invasion and support for the Ukrainian nation. Greece was among the first countries to send aid to the country ranging from military aid and humanitarian aid.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. photo: The Economist
Giorgos Katrougalos, a foreign minister during the SYRIZA government tweeted “The invitation to President Zelenskyy to address the Parliament is a positive gesture of solidarity.”
“Greece, as a country of peace and soft power, must play a leading role in diplomatic efforts for an immediate end to the war,” Katrouglas said.
Θετική κίνηση αλληλεγγύης η πρόσκληση στον Πρόεδρο Ζελένσκι να μιλήσει στη Βουλή. Η Ελλάδα πρέπει να πρωταγωνιστήσει στη διπλωματική προσπάθεια για άμεσο τερματισμό του πολέμου, ως χώρα ειρήνης κ ήπιας ισχύος.
In efforts to send continuous aid to the Ukraine during this invasion, French President Emmanuel Macron has also announced he will be working with Greece and Turkey to help people get out of the city of Mariupol and convince Russia to allow the evacuation of the population.
Macron told reporters after an EU summit in Brussels, “There was a concrete discussion today with the Mayor of Mariupol. We are coordinating and we will then negotiate with the Russians.”
“I will have a conversation with President Putin in the next 48 to 72 hours to finalize the details and modalities. It is urgent,” the French President added.
Greek Australian writers Patricia Karvelas, Nikki Savva and Christos Tsiolkas are all set to feature at this year’s Sydney Writers Festival which will run from May 16 to May 22 at various Sydney venues such as Carriageworks, City Recital Hall and Sydney Town Hall.
This year’s festival will fall withing what is to be predicted to be in the midst of the soon-to-be-called elections, although that doesn’t cause too much uncertainty for the event as this year’s theme for the festival is “Change my Mind.”
Artistic Director, Michael Williams photo: Sydney Morning Herald
Artistic director Michael Williams said the theme of this year’s festival spoke to the social tone of discourse and debate.
“The reason the theme is ‘change my mind’ not ‘change your mind’ is that it’s a promise and an invitation of entering a new conversation whether that be with a book, a person or event,” says Williams.
“It’s going into it with generosity and reciprocity,”
The Authentis: 30 Years at the Helm concert, held at Sydney Town Hall on Friday night to mark 30 years since the enthronement of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, was a huge success.
The show-stopping event was organised by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and was attended by over 1,000 people including a number of officials and prominent members of the Greek Australian community.
The concert was almost sold out. All photos: Andriana Simos / The Greek Herald (unless specified otherwise).Official attendees.The crowd.His Eminence Archbishop Makarios with Bank of Sydney CEO, Miltos Michaelas. Photo supplied.
This included His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia; the High Commissioner of Cyprus, Martha Mavrommatis; Press Counsellor at the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, Costas Giannakodimos; the Honorary Consul General for Ukraine in Sydney, Jaroslav Duma; Randwick City Councillor, Alexandra Luxford; the Bank of Sydney CEO, Miltos Michaelas; and many other Bishops, clergy and representatives of Greek organisations.
At the start of the night, attendees were treated to a surprise video message from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew where he praised the Greek community for their support of the Orthodox faith, Greek traditions and the youth in Australia.
Afterwards, renowned Greek maestro, Themos Mexis, walked on stage to conduct the concert.
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a special video message.Themos Mexis conducting.
For over an hour, the audience watched on in awe as the National Metropolitan Choir of Australia (NMCA) and the Sydney Youth Orchestra performed a number of musical pieces including the Greek and Australian National Anthems, Doxa si Kyrie and an orchestral Sousta.
Throughout the night, there were also performances from soloist, Sandy Constandopedos, as well as Tassos Lambrou and Andrew Belekas on the bouzouki, and Antonis Petrantonakis on the lyra.
Sandy Constantopedos.The artists.
The grand finale was an incredible show of multiculturalism. The NMCA and Orchestra performed the Ode to Freedom as the Hellenic Lyceum Youth marched in wearing traditional Greek costumes and holding Greek flags. They were followed by The Sydney Thistle Highland Pipe Band who performed a verse of the Ode. This finale was in honour of Greek Independence Day.
The grand finale.
At the end of these celebrations, Archbishop Makarios led a small prayer for the people of Ukraine and later gave a small speech where he announced that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will visit Australia in 2024 to mark the 100th anniversary since the establishment of the Archdiocese.
This announcement was met with applause, followed by a final standing ovation for Mexis and all the artists who performed on the night.
Photo supplied.Archbishop Makarios giving his speech.The Hellenic Lyceum Youth.
It was a full house at the Greek Community Club in Lakemba on Friday evening where community members of all ages, distinguished guests and representatives of Greek organisations gathered to commemorate the 201st anniversary from the beginning of the Greek War of Revolution with a special ceremony.
The reception, organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW) and MC’d by Mrs Artemis Theodoris commenced with the National Anthems of Australia and Greece followed by a minute’s silence in memory of those who have fallen, reciting of poems from students of the Community’s afternoon schools and short speeches by the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, Harry Danalis; Consular Officer, George Lizidis representing the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Christos Karras; Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Seniors, Mark Coure and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and Shadow Minister for Work, Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis representing the NSW Labor Leader, Chris Minns.
Also attending were, Shadow Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Courtney Houssos MLC, Parliamentary Secretary Peter Poulos, Labor candidate for Reid Sally Sitou, the Mayor of Canterbury Bankstown Khal Asfour, the Mayor of Waverley Council Paula Masselos and councillor of Sutherland Shire Council Haris Strangas.
In his speech, after he gave a brief historical outline of the Greek Revolt and highlighted the values for which Greeks fought to defend their freedom Mr Danalis pointed out that “we’ve been carried away lately to use this day for other purposes.”
“This may be the birthday of some other person, this might be some other event of religious significance but for us the significance of the 25th of March is the uprising of the Greek people for their freedom, for their independence and for their rights. And this is what we always need to keep in mind.”
At the same time, other community members were attending the ‘Authentis’ concert held at the Sydney Town Hall to celebrate the thirty years from the enthronement of the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Addressing the GOCNSW’s event attendees, Minister Coure recognised the importance of community language schools, highlighted the role of ethnic media in keeping the community safe during the pandemic and in passing on the language and culture to future generations.
“I want to see more people in NSW learn a second language and I started that conversation this week,” he said.
Concluding the speeches, NSW Labor’s spokeswoman for industrial relations and work health and safety, Sophie Cotsis, spoke about the important role of women in the Revolution and expressed her pride for her heritage.
“We owe huge debt to those unspoken heroes. The mothers the daughters, the sisters who preferred to be killed than to be enslaved. Who fought, who struggled and suffered for 400 years” she said.
The Community’s dance group under the direction of Mrs Paroula Thurban entertained the crowd before the celebrations ended with a cocktail party.
When Greeks band together, they can achieve great things. Freedom from the Ottoman Turks, for one. And Greeks of the diaspora came out in full force on Friday night to celebrate the inaugural Grecian Ball organised by the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), the Greek National Day Council of Victoria and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
Held at the Grand Hyatt it was a lavish affair, though the world ‘inaugural’ may be deceptive.
Tony Tsourdalakis of the Greek National Day Council of Victoria told the 500 people present that “history tells us that our ancestors and forefathers gathered for a similar event over 86 years ago, back in 1936 at St Kilda Town Hall for the first inaugural Grecian Ball with the likes of Lekatsas, Vendouras, Kostopoulos and many, many others”.
Postponed from last year, the event aimed to celebrate 200 years of Independence from Ottoman Turks but also show how far we have come as migrants. An established community, the people at the Grand Hyatt were a far cry from the simple folk who left Greece behind to create a more prosperous life in Australia.
Back then, there were many struggles, but the Greek community has come a long way. GCM President Bill Papastergiadis said that the Greek community these days enjoys “bipartisan support”, and he thanked the pollies present for all they have done to help finance Greek language development, sports and culture.
Mr Tsourdalakis expressed his gratitude for Premier Daniel Andrews’ support to enable Evzones to come from Greece to Melbourne for Anzac Day. He invited those present to watch out for the programme which would be released over the coming days.
Over the week, attention had been cast on former health minister Jenny Mikakos’ negotiations with Culture and Sports Minister Lina Mendoni who had agreed for artefacts from the National Museum of Athens to be displayed in Australia. Though the antiquities display was to coincide with the Bicentenary of Greece’s Independence it will finally open in April at the Melbourne Museum.
Ms Mikakos told the Greek Herald that she had been on holiday to Greece when she met with Dr Mendoni, who had just assumed office at the time. She expressed her excitement to finally be seeing the display come to fruition.
She smiled graciously as Greek community members rushed to meet her, take a selfie, and show their support. “The inaugural Grecian Ball was a great way for our community to come together and celebrate Greek National Day and everything that Greek culture has contributed to the world. Congratulations to everyone involved in putting on a great event,” she told the Greek Herald.
The hall was full, and the wine flowed freely, though Jorge Menidis told the Greek Herald that there had been some cancellations due to COVID-19. You could hardly tell. For the most part there was joy, especially when Melina Aslanidou took the stage and people partied like there was no COVID, and nothing but happy days ahead.
Greek History
Despite the bright future, it would be remiss to host an event celebrating Greece’s Independence without delving into the past. Mr Papastergiadis showed the link from past to present, by showcasing four themes in the Greek Revolution which are relevant to Greek Australians.
“The first thing is the foundational role of ancient Greece in Western civilisation, and an idolisation of ancient Greece and what relationship that had to the uprising,” he said. “I also want to talk about the role of the diaspora, the people outside of Greece in the formation of the modern Greek nation. Equally, our story of multiculturalism in Australia and how this helps us to understand the uprising, and finally the shared values and bonds between our two wonderful countries,” he said, adding that celebrating Greece’s independence is a “unique experience” for migrants as the Greek War of Independence drew support from the diaspora.
Speaking of the Filiki Etairia, the friendly brotherhood founded in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1814, he said that the revolt commenced when Alexandros Ypsilandis, leader of the society, crossed over to Moldovia in 1820. Mr Papastergiadis added that with “multiculturalism forming the backbone of our society, I think we’re in the very unique capacity here in Australia to form connections with our own cultural heritage but, as well, to forge bonds with the history and culture of other nations and this is precisely what we’re doing here today.”
“As you can see, it’s a shared journey,” he said, while adding that events have swung full circle in Odessa, in the Ukraine now, “fighting for the same ideals of freedom and democracy that we are in fact celebrating here today”.
No one in the room understood these heartfelt words more than Liberal Opposition leader Matthew Guy, who described the situation of his family there. He vowed Ukraine would show the same fighting spirit as the Greeks while pointing to the commonalities of these two nations.
Commending the pride Greek Australians have for their homeland, he pointed to his neighbour Theo in Templestowe, who is always saying, “You’ve got to come with me to Leros. You’ve got to come with me to Lefkada. You’ve got to come with me to the Peloponnese.”
Maria Vamvakinou, Labor MP, told him to take his neighbour’s advice to visit Lefkada as that is where her background is from.
