The Greek Welfare Centres of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese have undertaken counselling and food initiatives throughout Australia in order to decisively meet the financial and social needs of people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Counselling Services:
In NSW, the Greek Welfare Centre will be offering the following services:
Counselling and psychological support services to specifically tackle issues of anxiety and isolation.
Education / Practical steps for everyday life, regardless of whether or not people are staying at home.
These specific services are offered free of charge by a psychologist and other specially trained staff of the Centre, and are also available in Greek.
Those who are interested may phone the Centre’s Freecall number on 1800 776 642 from 9am to 5pm, Monday through to Friday.
Community Appeal:
At the same time, the Centre is also organising a Community Appeal with the aim of collecting canned and packaged food as well as financial donations, in order to help individuals and families that are in need.
Very Reverend Archimandrite Evmenios Vasilopoulos will direct the new relief program in Victoria. Source: The Transfiguration of Our Lord.
If you are interested in contributing to the program you can:
Phone 0477 375 359 in order to organise for a volunteer of the Centre to collect your contributions from outside your home.
Phone 0477 375 359 or (02) 9516 2188 if you prefer to leave your contributions at the Greek Welfare Centre (378a King St, Newtown) or at the Brighton Sessional Office (The Millennium Centre, 100 The Grand Pde, Brighton-Le-Sands).
Those who are in need and would like to receive food items are requested to phone the Greek Welfare Centre on 9516 2188 from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday through to Friday.
Other states and territories:
Similar programs for
the support of people affected by the coronavirus pandemic are also being
organised by the other Welfare Centres of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
Australia.
Those interested may
directly contact the relevant Welfare Centre at the details listed below:
In a statement released today, the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia expressed its ‘deepest condolences’ on the death of Detective Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan (nee Panayiotou).
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Shanahan and Panagiotou who are immersed in mourning for the loss of Joanne. We mourn with the two families, friends and the entire Police Force of South Australia,” the statement said on behalf of the GOCSA’s President, Vassilios Gonis, and the Board of Directors.
In 2019, Chief-Supt Shanahan was a guest speaker at the Community’s International Women’s Day event, where she described going to work every day as ‘a pleasure.’
Adelaide’s Greek community are mourning the death of Detective Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan. Source: SA Police.
“I have been in the South Australian Police Force for 38 years and they are just as enthusiastic as when I first started. Going to work is a daily pleasure. I was the first Police Director to have children and I am still the only mother on the Board,” she said at the event.
“I have to admit that I have managed to do what I wanted in my personal life and work thanks to my family and friends, two very important things.
“My mother, my father and my husband were the ones who looked after the children when I had to be at work, my friends were the ones who cheered me on when I failed at something and they are the same people I share beautiful moments with. That’s why I thank them.”
The GOCSA said these comments by Chief-Supt Shanahan were the perfect way to describe her.
Joanne Shanahan (left) with her husband Peter Shanahan (right), who survived the collision.
“A proud mother, devoted wife, beloved daughter and loyal friend. Her parents, devoted members of the Community, Mr. and Mrs. Panagiotou, always proud of Joanne, could never believe that such a untold tragedy would unfold before their eyes,” the statement stressed.
“Fortunately, Joanne’s husband was not seriously injured in the accident and is no longer being treated at the hospital. He is now close to their two adult children.”
The Community concluded by extending their condolences to the family and friends of Tania McNeill, who also lost her life in the same tragic incident.
In a statement released today, the Greek Community of Melbourne denounced racist attacks on Asian-Australians during the coronavirus crisis, calling them ‘abhorrent.’
“To think that the collective frustration that we all feel during these extraordinary times is manifested in vile, racist attacks on anyone is to be condemned,” the statement reads.
“COVID-19 may have its origins in China but for this to justify attacks on our Asian brethren is abhorrent.”
The statement then says that the Community, founded in 1897, thrives in a contemporary multicultural Australia that celebrates its cosmopolitanism and identity.
“Any attacks based on race are an anathema to this very idea and to the much championed ‘Aussie Spirit’ that is called on at such times,” the Community stressed.
If you would like to condemn the racist attacks against Asian-Australians, you can sign a petition here: https://bit.ly/2xattSs
Former Socceroos coach, Ange Postecoglou, has said the coronavirus crisis is the perfect time to ‘reset’ the A-League and put football first when the season resumes.
In an interview with ABC‘s Offsiders, Postecoglou spoke about the troubles facing the A-League and its potential to lose momentum in the Australian sporting landscape.
“My beef about sport has always been, when I’ve sat in boardrooms with the most impressive businessmen going around, never forget what your prime product is. And your product is the sport,” Postecoglou told the program.
Former Socceroos coach, Ange Postecoglou, has always been passionate about football. Source: Mark Dadswell / WSG.
“So if you devalue the sport, you can save as much money as you want, eventually that devaluation is going to cost you.
“Football, irrespective of where it’s at, it wasn’t going great guns before this. Great chance now to reset the sport with football as its main core.”
Postecoglou is wary, however, of those saying player wages have to be cut post-crisis, arguing only a quality on-field product will deliver the rejuvenation Australian football needs.
The A-League is facing an uncertain future after the competition was postponed last month. Source: ABC.
“Hearing administrators talking about cutting costs, inevitably they go to the sport first, has never made sense to me. It is the sports that come out of this understanding that will be the ones to prosper the most,” he stressed.
The A-League is facing an uncertain future with at least seven of the 11 clubs standing down players and staff following the decision to postpone the competition last month.
There’s also concern broadcaster Fox Sports is attempting to walk out on its $57 million a year deal with the FFA, in a move which would remove a vital revenue stream for clubs.
A female patient who had apparently fully recovered from COVID-19 at the end of March, has tested positive to the virus again following her release from hospital.
The incident is the first of its kind to be recorded in Greece but medical experts said on Sunday that it is not a cause for concern.
“The positive test does not necessarily mean that the patient was infected anew,” a Greek doctor speaking on Mega TV said.
Spokesman of the National Health Organisation, Sotiris Tsiodras, concurred with this view and said the positive result may be related to poor technique in taking samples.
Spokesman of the National Health Organisation, Sotiris Tsiodras, said poor testing techniques could have influenced the positive result. Source: Greek Government.
“Positive virus detection via PCR molecular tests 2-3 weeks after someone had recovered, may be related to poor technique in taking samples,” Mr Tsiodras said.
“Based on published data from research groups abroad, the long stay of the virus material in someone who has had the disease does not appear to be equivalent to infection or transmission.”
Worth noting, however, is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there is no evidence yet that recovered COVID-19 patients are immune.
Greece currently has a total of 2,517 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 577 people having recovered.
General Giannis Makriyannis is an important historical figure in Greece. People know him by many titles – Greek merchant, military officer during the Greek War of Independence and politician. But today, he is best known as the author of his Memoirs, which is considered ‘a monument of Modern Greek literature’ as it is written in pure Demotic Greek.
We’ve decided to look back at these impressive achievements to commemorate the death of Makriyannis on this day in 1864.
Early Life:
Giannis Makriyannis was born to a poor family in the village of Avoriti, a small village between Mount Oiti and Parnassus. His father, Dimitris Triantaphyllou, was killed in a clash with the forces of Ali Pasha. Makriyannis and his family were then forced to flee to Levadeia, where Makriyannis spent his childhood up to 1811.
Portrait of Giannis Makriyannis. Source: Unknown.
At age seven, he was given as a foster son to a wealthy man from Levadeia, but the menial labour and beatings he endured were, in his own words, “his death.” Thus, in 1811 he left for Arta to stay with an acquaintance and became involved in trade which, according to his memoirs, made him a wealthy man.
Makriyannis joined the Filiki Etaireia, a secret anti-Ottoman society, in 1820 and decided to take up arms against the Ottomans under chieftain Gogos Bakolas in August 1821.
The Greek War of Independence:
Makriyannis’ most notable success during the Greek War of Independence has always been the defence of Nafplio in the Battle of the Lerna Mills.
For this battle on June 10, 1825, Makriyannis arrived in Myloi, near Nafplio, with 100 men. He ordered the construction of makeshift fortifications, as well as the gathering of provisions. Ibrahim Pasha, the commander of the Egyptian forces, was unable to take the position despite numerical superiority and the launching of fierce attacks on June 12 and 14. Makriyannis was injured during the battle and was carried to Nafplio.
Karaiskakis’ camp in Kastella, Phaleron. Makriyannis is depicted near the cannon. Source: Artist Theodoros Vryzakis.
Soon after the battle, he married the daughter of a prominent Athenian and his activities were thereafter inextricably linked with that city until his death. When Athens was captured by Ibrahim Pasha in June 1826, Makriyannis helped organise the defence of the Acropolis, and became the provisional commander of the garrison after the death of the commander, Yannis Gouras.
He sustained heavy injuries to the head and neck during the defence. These wounds troubled him for the remainder of his life, but they did not dissuade him from taking part in the last phase of the war: in the spring of 1827 he took part in the battles of Piraeus and the battle of Analatos.
Activities after Greek Independence:
After the war, Makriyannis worked with Greece’s new Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias. He was appointed ‘General Leader of the Executive Authority of the Peloponnese,’ based in Argos. But eventually, Makriyannis became disenchanted with the autocratic ways of Kapodistrias and, after refusing to offer what he considered to be a demeaning oath of loyalty, he was stripped of his command in 1831.
Portrait of Makriyannis in his later years. Source: Artist Spyridon Prosalentis.
In 1832, Prince Otto of Bavaria was chosen as the first King of Greece. His arrival was hailed enthusiastically by Makriyannis, as he saw it as an opportunity to push for the creation of a new constitution. In the end, his efforts payed off as he became a key player in the formation of the constitution and a new cabinet.
While his story should have ended there, it did not. Enemies accused him of treason in 1852. He was tried, sentenced to death, put in prison for eighteen months, stripped of his military rank, and then pardoned in 1854.
Literary Work:
Makriyannis’ book Memoirs, written in Demotic Greek, was first published in 1907. In the text, one can see not only the personal adventures and disappointments of his long public career, but more significantly, his views on people, situations and events.
A statue of Makriyannis stands proudly in Athens.
The work remained relatively unknown until the German occupation of Greece, when novelist Giorgos Theotakas published an article on Makriyannis and called his book “a monument of Modern Greek literature.” Theotakas believed the work not only reproduced the heroic atmosphere of the War of Independence, but was also a treasure-trove of linguistic knowledge concerning the common Greek tongue of the time.
Famous Greek poet, Kostis Palamas, also called his work “incomparable in its kind, a masterpiece of his illiterate, but strong and autonomous mind.”
The three remaining Greek sailors held hostage in Djibouti over unpaid debts owed by their ship’s owner have arrived safely in Athens following their release, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in a tweet on Sunday.
“The ordeal of the other three Greek seamen, who remained in Djibouti, has reached a happy conclusion,” the Foreign Minister wrote.
“Thanks to the flawless cooperation between the foreign ministry and the shipping ministry, a short while ago they arrived in Greece.”
Mr Dendias then went on to thank the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Djibouti for his response to a letter he sent 15 days ago.
“I thank my counterpart, as well as the governor of the country and the European authorities in Djibouti for their help,” he added.
Η περιπέτεια και των υπολοίπων τριών Ελλήνων ναυτικών που παρέμεναν στο Τζιμπουτί έλαβε αίσιο τέλος. Χάρη στην άψογη συνεργασία του Υπουργείου Εξωτερικών με το Υπουργείο Ναυτιλίας έφτασαν πριν λίγη ώρα στην Ελλάδα.
The evacuated sailors were reportedly brought to the Ipsala border gate in northwestern Turkey, in a private vehicle belonging to the Greek Embassy in Ankara.
The three sailors had been trapped on two Greek-owned ships anchored off the coast of Djibouti since September 4, 2019.
Originally five, they faced a number of difficulties obtaining food and medicine. A chief mate and engineer that was admitted to hospital, were released by authorities in Djibouti last December.
Hundreds of refugees are homeless after a fight between rival ethnic groups in the Vathy camp on the island of Samos lead to a fire outbreak.
According to sources from Doctors Without Borders, a non-governmental organisation, two fires broke out in the camp an hour ago, spreading panic among people.
“A fire broke out in Vathy camp, Samos, and hour ago leaving around 100 people without shelter,” the organisation wrote on Twitter.
A fire broke out in #Vathy camp, #Samos an hour ago leaving around 100 people without shelter. MSF teams are close to the camp & ready to offer medical care & psychological support to those affected by the fire. We cannot confirm any information regarding the cause of the fire. pic.twitter.com/oVQKS0eEyD
A high-ranking police officer killed in a horrific three-car collision on Saturday afternoon has been named as Joanne Shanahan (nee Panayiotou), a mother-of-two and well-respected Detective Chief Superintendent.
Chief-Supt Shanahan, 55, was one of two women who died at the scene in Urrbrae in Adelaide’s south following a high-speed car crash about 1.40pm.
Witnesses claimed one of the cars was speeding and had run a red light moments before the deadly collision at the intersection of Cross Road and Fullerton Road.
Last night SAPOL lost one of its finest and most senior female police officers. Detective Chief Superintendent Joanne…
South Australian Police Commissioner, Grant Stevens, choked back tears as he revealed she had been a passenger in a Holden SUV driven by her husband Peter Shanahan, a former detective, who survived the crash.
“Not only have we lost a beautiful person, we’ve lost a detective with a wealth of knowledge,’ Commissioner Stevens told media on Sunday.
“We are devastated. I contacted Joanne 6 months a go to interview her mum who is one of the Begona brides. No one expected this,” said Adelaide resident Peter Photakis and Joanne’s ex teacher in Unley High School in the late 70s.
Her last interview:
The Greek Herald ‘s freelance journalist, Argyro Vourdoumpa, spoke to Chief-Supt Shanahan for her last ever interview. She was hailed in the article as an essential worker on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have a wonderful dedicated team around me and we all look out for each other. In tough times, we all have a responsibility to be even more considerate of those around us and make sure they are supported,” she said at the time.
Chief-Supt Shanahan joined SA Police in 1981 and she received an Australian Police Medal last year as part of the Australia Day honours.
Chief-Supt Shanahan was a ‘highly respected’ member of the community. Source: SA Police.
She was only the third woman in the history of the state’s police force to rise to the rank of Chief Superintendent.
“Coming from quite a strict Greek background and going into the police force as a female was quite significant for my family,” she told The Adelaide Advertiser in January 2019 about her Australia Day award.
“They were totally shocked that their daughter wanted to be a police officer. But when I was accepted they were proud as punch.”
Rita Wilson has teased the release of her new song, titled “Where’s My Country Song”, for May 8 on Twitter yesterday.
Working with American singer-songwriter Lee DeWyze, Rita is expanding on her music that relates to the “place where Southern California rock meets Nashville country.”
Rita Wilson celebrated two major milestones last year with the release of her fourth new studio album, Halfway to Home, out via Sing It Loud/The Orchard, also being honoured with the 2,659th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
![Fire breaks out in cramped refugee camp on Samos island [VIDEO]](/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Samos-Fire.png "Fire breaks out in cramped refugee camp on Samos island [VIDEO]")
