Greek Australian Kip Stavrou has been named co-winner of the 2021 Volunteer Director of the Year at the 2021 NSW Community Sports Awards.
Reported by The Leader, Stavrou, and co-winner Joe Dougall from Touch Football, were among 10 award-winning category recipients honoured at the ceremony hosted by NSW Minister for Sport, Natalie Ward.
Stavrou was recognised for his outstanding achievements and contributions to Martial Arts in NSW. Sport NSW Chairperson, Carolyn Campbell, congratulated Stavrou on his wonderful commitment to sport in NSW.
Volunteer: Kip Stavrou was named co-winner of the Volunteer Director of the Year at the 2021 NSW Community Sports Awards, for his outstanding achievements and contributions to Martial Arts in NSW. Picture: The Leader
“Community sport has an unrivalled ability to transcend culture, ability and background and to bring people together… NSW would not be able to enjoy the activities they love without the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers we celebrate tonight,” Ms Campbell mentioned.
“While COVID-19 has impacted our lives in so many ways over the past 12 months, the role of community sport has been more vital than ever, helping restore and uphold the physical and mental health of the NSW community,” added Ms Campbell.
Kip worked tirelessly to develop the World Martial Arts Alliance as the peak body for Martial Arts in NSW. When the Board of World Martial Arts Alliance (WMAA) realised the impacts COVID-19 restrictions were having on the sport, they set about designing a flexible strategic plan to support members.
Stavrou had regular contact with Sport NSW and NSW Health and held weekly Zoom meetings and/or phone calls with clubs to ensure they felt supported.
Through Kip’s good governance and dedication, the organisation has grown to nearly 1000 members and is now financially sustainable.
Fox Sports Australia’s star legal counsel Calli Tsipidis has been named a finalist in two categories for the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards, with the Greek Australian expressing that the achievement is an incredible gesture for the hard work throughout her career.
The Australian Law Awards are the top national awards program for Australia’s legal profession and provides an unparalleled opportunity for people in the business of law.
Calli was named a finalist in two categories – In-House Lawyer of the Year and Rising Star of the Year. Speaking to The Greek Herald, Calli said the nomination for the award bolsters her hope that the work she is undergoing is “contributing to something worthwhile”.
“It’s nice to know that the work that I’m doing is being recognised, but that it’s also valued by the people around me, whether it’s my clients that I work with internally or externally or my peers in my team. It’s just a really lovely gesture to be recognised in that way,” Calli said to the The Greek Herald.
Calli Tsipidis is nominated for two categories in the Australian Law Awards. Photos: Supplied.
Boasting a life-long passion for sports since high school, Calli became a legal intern for the Football Federation Australia before eventually joining the Fox Sports Australia and Foxtel Group’s Legal Counsel team.
“When the opportunity came to work in-house, I was very excited, particularly as a big sports fan,” Calli said.
“Fox Sports was the right decision for me and I had done an internship for six months at FFA beforehand, which gave me really good insight into how lawyers can work well within a business that works in sports, and how they can contribute to that business and its end goal, and be valued members of that business as well.”
Calli Tsipidis is nominated for two categories in the Australian Law Awards. Photos: Supplied.
Calli was also named a finalist earlier this year in the Lawyers Weekly Corporate Counsel Awards 2021, for Sports and Entertainment Lawyer of the Year and the Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards 2021, for Sports and Entertainment.
She says that being passionate at her job comes with being surrounded by like-minded people, who are “very supportive, collegiate and always back me and my passion.”
“It was a long path, but I think everything kind of led to me being where I am, which is fantastic.”
Calli said that she will continue to challenge herself and grow in the legal field, particularly in the ‘deal making’ part of the business.
“Ultimately, it would be amazing to be leading a legal team in an in-house sports media organisation, but I think I would really enjoy also being a commercial business partner to be able to keep that business side of it, not just the legal side of it,” Calli concluded.
Calli is also joined in the awards by Greek Australians Theo Kapodistrias, finalist for General Counsel of the Year, Elise Christou and Elleni Criticos, finalists for Law Student of the Year, George Bazouni, finalist for Managing Partner of the Year, Peter Katsoolis, finalist for Sole Practitioner of the Year and Olivia Boyages, finalist in the Private Practice category. The awards ceremony is set to be held on August 20.
The Gardening Australia team is helping guide Australians to their gardens during this lockdown period, helping develop a new love for nature and plants.
The team, with the ABC, have suggested three fun, practical and inspiring gardening activities to keep kids engaged with nature.
Give your kids some garden free rein
Six-year-old Poppy has been gardening since she was three and shows presenter Millie Ross around her garden.
In the video, she shows other children can take care of their plants properly, know when it’s right to pick them and what plants will prosper in the Winter. Poppy makes sure to show off her incredible tomato garden and long pumpkin roots.
Take a leaf from Poppy’s tree — let your kids establish their own patch, grow what they want and nurture their plants.
Our gardens are an incredibly important resource for our feathered friends. Shelter, food and water are all easy to provide in a well- established garden.
When building nests, birds will collect twigs, leaves and bark and if these are in short supply, they might start pinching from other birds’ nests.
In this story, presenter Josh Byrne shows how you can easily build a dispenser where birds can collect materials to build their nest. Kids will have loads of fun collecting materials.
Petros and Stefanos Tsitsipas were outmatched on Friday in the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Doubles, defeated by British No. 2 Cameron Norrie and Spain’s Jaume Munar 7-5, 7-6(5).
The Greeks failed to make an impact on the grass court, yet gave their opponents a run for their money. The Tsitsipas’ were unlucky to lose the first set after their final service game was expertly returned by their opponents.
In the second set, the Greek brothers managed to take Norrie and Munar into a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, the experienced Stefanos wasn’t able to take his brother into another set, with the pair being eliminated from the competition.
Their opponents recorded an incredible win on first serve percentage of 82, also winning three games in a row. The Tsitsipas brothers hit three double faults and a first serve percentage of only 66.
This was Stefanos’ second heartbreak of the tournament after being defeated by Frances Tiafoe in the opening round.
Tsitsipas also went out in the opening round on his last previous appearance at the grasscourt tournament in 2019, when he was seventh seed.
Stavros Spyrou Niarchos was a Greek shipping magnate worth billions of dollars. His fortune came as a result of the Suez Crisis and the rising demand for oil, he and his fellow country man turned competitor, Aristotle Onassis, seized this opportunity and became worldwide petroleum transport titans bringing in millions. In order to dominate the marketer, Stavros began building the world’s largest supertankers for his fleet in 1952. Niarchos was also a well-known thoroughbred horse breeder and racer, the top leading owner and number one on the French breed list numerous times.
Early Life
Stavros Spyros Niarchos was born in Athens on July 3, 1909. His ancestors were from the Laconian village of Vamvakou in the Peloponnese. He began his adult life by studying law at the University of Athens, he later starting work at his family’s grain company in 1929. Whilst working for his the company he noticed how much money the company was spending on transportation costs associated with importing wheat. Niarchos felt that owning the ships that supplied the cargo would save money. As a result, he purchased his first six freighters during the Great Depression and began his shipping tycoon.
Personal Life
Stavros Niarchos was married five times, including to two sisters and to Charlote Ford, the daughter of the famous automaker Henry Ford II. During his marriages, he had five children, three boys and two daughters.
World War II and his first steps in shipping career
During WWII, Niarchos served in the Greek Navy, whilst serving, The Allied Forces rented Niarchos’ first vessel. After the ship was destroyed in battle, Niarchos utilised the insurance proceeds from the destroyed vessel to build a new fleet after the war. As a result, Stavros Niarchos began to emerge as a new contender in the world of international trade. He was the world’s largest private fleet owner for many years, with his business managing more than 80 tankers and other ships. During his career, one of Niarchos greatest success was building the largest supertanker in the world, he named it after his second son, Spyros. The ship was built and launched in 1955 by Vickers Armstrongs Shipbuilders Ltd. A year later, Niarchos agreed to develop and run the Hellenic Shipyards, the first private development in Greece, which quickly grew to become the biggest Mediterranean shipyard. The shipyard was taken over by the state in 1985, but Niarchos’ dedication to Greece remains an excellent illustration of the strength of private investment for the country’s economic well-being.
Stavros Niarchos Death and Legacy
Stavros Niarchos died on April 15 in 1996 in Switzerland. His estimated wealth was $22 billion at the time of his death. His money and assets were split between his sons and daughters, and twenty per cent was given to charity. In honour of his life, a foundation was established the same year of his death. Niarchos’ devotion to Greece and Hellenism, as well as his strong instincts and interests in favour of causes in education, social welfare, health, and arts and culture, inspired the foundation’s purpose.
Turkey will carry on exploring for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday in comments that may revive tensions with the European Union and Greece amid attempts to repair their frayed ties.
Turkey is at odds with EU members Greece and Cyprus over energy resources and jurisdiction in the region, and tensions flared last year when Turkish and Greek navy frigates escorted vessels exploring for hydrocarbons.
Speaking in the northwestern province of Sakarya, Erdogan said Turkey had been receiving “signals of natural gas” in the eastern Mediterranean and vowed to continue defending Turkey’s rights in the region.
“Whatever our rights are, we will take those one way or another. And we will carry out our oil exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus, and all those seas,” he said, without elaborating or providing a timeline.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool
EU leaders had threatened punitive measures against Ankara over its offshore activities, but later froze those plans after Turkey withdrew a research vessel from contested waters.
Ankara has since been working to repair ties with the bloc and Athens.
After Turkey brought its Oruc Reis vessel back to port in November amid threats of EU sanctions, Ankara resumed direct talks with Athens after a five-year hiatus. The two sides have held two rounds of talks since January, but have said no immediate results should be expected.
Erdogan’s comments came a week after the EU promised 3.5 billion euros for Turkey to continue hosting Syrian refugees until 2024. Ankara later dismissed it as insufficient and called on the bloc to take concrete steps to increase cooperation.
Brussels and Ankara also disagree over the divided island of Cyprus.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned on Thursday that it would resume operations in the eastern Mediterranean if the EU and United Nations did not take steps on equitable sharing in Cyprus, after informal UN-led talks in April yielded no significant results.
Ankara backs the breakaway Turkish Cypriot administration in the north and is the only country that does not recognise the Greek Cypriot government to the south.
Cyprus was split in two after a Turkish invasion prompted by a brief Greek-inspired coup in 1974.
When an Australian and American combine on the tennis court, no one is safe. Especially not if it’s the comedic pair Nick Kyrgios and Venus Williams, who combined to defeat Austin Krajicek and Sabrina Santamaria 6-3 3-6 7-5.
The duo got off to a great start, dominating the first set and having a few laughs along the way. Social media became in awe of the two professional tennis players, showing great expertise with the ball while also providing some heartfelt moments.
Hahahahahah many of times this happened. She kept me in line….. sometimes https://t.co/e86Aj7iVlH
The pair finished with six aces and a first serve percentage of 63. Despite getting off to a great start, the match turned on its heels in the second and third sets, with the American duo out-hitting Kyrgios and Williams.
Things heated up in the third set when Kyrgios was slapped with a code violation for swearing during an argument with the umpire, when he felt he was denied a chance to challenge and Williams’ serve was broken.
“What are you f***ing talking about? It’s the same f***ing thing. It’s bulls**t,” Krygios said.
Oh my god!!!!! I didn’t even know 😩😩😩😩😩😩🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 SORRY @Venuseswilliams BUT THAT WAS SOME AWESOME STUFF AND MEMORIES I WILL NEVER FORGET 🙏🏽💯
But that didn’t stop the loveable mixed doubles pair, who went on to win the final set 7-5 in a quality display of tennis. Celebrating their victory, many noticed Williams subtly high five herself after being left hanging but a joyful Kyrgios.
“Oh my god!!!!! I didn’t even know,” Kyrgios wrote on Twitter when he saw the vision.
“SORRY @Venuseswilliams. BUT THAT WAS SOME AWESOME STUFF AND MEMORIES I WILL NEVER FORGET.”
Kyrgios admitted there was “added pressure” that came with playing alongside one of the sport’s icons.
Venus Williams and Nick Kyrgios had a lot of fun. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
“I’ve played a lot of mixed doubles and a lot of doubles. But there was definitely some added pressure. I usually don’t really get affected by [it], playing doubles I actually feel like is a bit of fun,” he said.
“But definitely today I felt a bit of pressure playing with Venus.
“I just wanted to, not put on a good showing or anything, I really wanted to win. I’ve never really wanted to win a mixed doubles or a doubles match that much before. I was really trying hard.
“It was just a lot of fun. She’s iconic to the sport and she’s an absolute legend. She’ll go down as one of the greatest players ever to pick up a racquet when it’s all said and done.”
The pair will move on to the second round of the Wimbledon mixed doubles.
The fugitive deputy leader of Greece’s extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party was jailed on Friday, hours after his capture by the police’s anti-terrorism division.
Christos Pappas, a 59-year-old former lawmaker, had been on the run for nearly nine months, disappearing before a court sentenced him to 13 years in prison for participation in a criminal organization.
He was arrested late Thursday on a ground floor apartment in an Athens suburb along with a 52-year-old woman who is facing charges of aiding and abetting a fugitive. Police led Pappas to a high security prison in central Greece following a brief court appearance.
Pappas and 56 other Golden Dawn members were convicted last October, including the party’s leader Nikos Michaloliakos and other former lawmakers.
Police’s anti-terrorism division stand in a parking area of the court house as they prepare to leave with the fugitive deputy leader of Greece’s extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party Christos Pappas, in Athens, Friday, July 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
After a five-year trial, the court ruled that Golden Dawn party had operating as a criminal organization, responsible for the 2013 fatal stabbing of Greek rap singer Pavlos Fyssas, as well as the beatings of Egyptian fishermen in 2012 and left-wing activists in 2013.
Before his disappearance, Pappas had been released from pre-trial custody after the maximum 18-month period for which he could be held expired.
Pappas’ lawyer, Pericles Stavrianakis, told reporters his client maintained that he was arrested while visiting the apartment and had not been hiding there. He did not give further details.
Pappas was the Deputy leader of a Neo-Nazi party that was once the third most popular political party in Greece in 2013 (Photo: AP/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Golden Dawn was founded as a Nazi-inspired organization in the 1980s. A fringe group for years, it saw a surge in popularity during a 2010-2018 financial crisis that caused hardship for millions of Greeks.
They won national representation in four parliamentary elections between 2012 and 2019, rising to become the country’s third strongest political party.
“Greece’s democracy struggled to shed this poison, the toxic Golden Dawn,” government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni said following Pappas’ arrest.
“The arrest of Christos Pappas brings this chapter, of this criminal organization, to an end.”
Actor Kostas Moutsoulas speaks with the Greek Herald on his new role in the upcoming contemporary Greek Australian stage play, A House on an Island in the Aegean.
The Kalamata-born discusses navigating domestic and family violence on stage, Greek representation, and immigrating to Australia in the aftermath of Greece’s financial crisis.
“After everything I’ve gone through… I kept living by my Pappou’s words, ‘You just have to be the hardest working person in the room, and you’re going to be fine.'” (Photo: Supplied)
Why did you join A House on an Island in the Aegean?
I think the better question here is, why did [director Luke Icarus Simon] decide to have me in the play (ha!). The most important reason I decided to join this production is because… it tackles the massive issue of domestic and family violence. Especially now in the world of COVID where many have been forced to be behind doors, we all have to be alert and educated about the severity of this matter, and its many faces.
Luke has been crafting the story and script for 20 years. 20 years! It’s a big two-hander script and very challenging. The most challenging role I’ve ever done. It’s definitely not an easy task, and it comes with a huge responsibility, to tell a story that is a reality for millions.
Your character ‘Achilles’ experiences childhood violence. Does this role require vulnerability? How are you embodying the role?
I believe that for every character you approach, you have to be vulnerable, open-minded, and never, never judge the character.
Embodying a character like Achilles, who has experienced domestic violence, racism, and neglect from most of his youth and life, is a huge responsibility. I know that amongst the audience that will come to see the play, there’ll be people that have been through similar experiences or worse, or known someone who has. You want to honour these people. They are the first ones to know if you’ve done your work as an actor or not.
Is Greek representation on Australian stages important to you?
Greek actors are wonderful actors, and we deserve to be seen and heard like everyone else.
Greeks in Australia … have been through a lot. I know because my grandparents were one of them. This play it’s a great opportunity to represent Greeks, not as a stereotype, but rather as complex characters and in leading roles.
It’s sad but it is still a very rare thing to have Greek talent as the protagonists in a mainstream professional theatre, especially actors over 35, but Luke Icarus Simon is changing that.
What challenges have you faced since emigrating from Kalamata and what prompted the move?
The decision to leave Kalamata in 2014 ended up not being for the love of travel. In fact, it was the aftermath of the [global financial crisis (GFC)] that hit Greece in 2010… I was in my early 20s at this time and like so many, I too lost my job.
…I flew to Florida, United States to be with family.
[The night of my birthday I was fired from my job at a Greek diner in Port St. Lucie and] and I hit rock bottom: I had no job, no income, almost illegally living in Florida, and was surviving through the support of family.
I walked home, defeated, and told my cousin I had to go back to Greece. He asked me, “what do you want to do in your life, and I know it’s not cooking?” … I chose to be raw and honest and muttered “I want to become an actor.” Then without hesitation, my cousin bluntly said, “Then do that. If that’s what makes you happy then do that, Kosta.” A month later I was in Melbourne at the National Theatre Drama School, with very basic English skills, auditioning for the three-year Advance Acting Course.
After everything I’ve gone through… I kept living by my Pappou’s words, “You just have to be the hardest working person in the room, and you’re going to be fine.”
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I hope when people see the show, they feel as inspired as I felt to be a Greek and for them to remember to be kind to people they care about.
I’d like to dedicate this show to my beloved Grandparents as they’re the reason I can be here doing what I love.
A House on an Island in the Aegean hits the La Mama Courthouse from September 7 – 12.
Ritsa and Perry Nicholas have teamed up with Michael Stevens and Peter Hayes to create Tasmania’s very first locally-made ouzo.
The couple make the distinct brand of ouzo in the central highlands in Miena, a hundred kilometres south of their Elaia Cafe in Launceston.
Ritsa and Perry Nicholas are the owners of a cafe in Tasmania’s north (Left: Google maps) (Right: The Examiner)
“Our point of difference is that we are a locally made product and the ouzo is not made in the traditional way as it’s made in Greece [from grapes],” Ritsa Nicholas tells the Examiner.
“The addition of Tasmanian botanicals that complement the aniseed,” she said.
Ritsa Nicholas says her late father’s successful distillery inspired her to set out on her venture to create Koumozo Ouzo.
Tasmanian cafe owners are behind a new brand of locally-made ouzo (Photo: Melanie Kate Photography)
“”It wasn’t until recently when my mum told me the stories of my late father’s distillery and his success,” she said.
“Fascinated by my father’s Greek Island entrepreneurship, I set out to find out more which was made difficult by the lack of records kept and many of his peers having passed away.”
“After painstaking effort to find those long lost relatives that worked with dad, and Michael and Peter doing research and testing of their own, the first batch of Koumozo Ouzo was created.”
Mrs. Nicholas says she wants Koumozo Ouzo to reach Greece.
“We believe we have an opportunity to market this product not only in the local market [Tasmania] but to the national market as well as exploring international exporting opportunities,” she says.
“Our goal is to sell Tasmanian made Ouzo to Greece. An audacious goal, but why not?”
