Greek kefi was on full display at George’s Mediterranean Bar & Grill in Sydney on March 27, as the local Greek community gathered to celebrate the bicentenary of the Greek Revolution.
Attendees of the Greek Independence Dinner, which was organised by the owner of the restaurant, George Vardis, along with co-organisers Christina Tsatsoulis and Nikos Andriotakis, danced and sang until the early hours of the morning.
Everyone enjoyed the night. Photos: Vasilis Vasilas.
Throughout the night, they were also treated to professional dancing performances from St Dimitrios Dance Group, as well as music from Grigory Golas on the klarino, Michalis Platyrrahos on the laouto, Yiannis Polkas on the guitar and Chrystoforos Skenderidis playing the keyboard. The sound mix itself was organised by Bill Iliadis and Byron from Enmore Theatre.
The event was hailed a great success by all who visited the family restaurant on King Street Wharf, including those hundreds of passerby’s who stopped to record and share in the celebrations on the night!
The Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand and the Battle of Crete & Greece Commemorative Council in conjunction with Major League Brands, are proud to announce that six iconic images all relating to the Battle of Crete will feature on the BAKERS FINEST Commemorative Anzac Biscuit Tins. These tins – which contain Anzac biscuits – are produced by Major League Brands with proceeds going to the RSL to support its work assisting veterans and their families.
All six tins have been dedicated to the 80th Anniversary for the Battle of Crete with images including: (a) Three Stuka Force planes screaming down, the seaside town of Chania, showing peaceful serenity which eventually gave way for a devastating attack, (b) The airborne invasion as the menacing spectacle that confronted the ANZAC and Allied Forces, (c) The Australian RAF Spitfire crew including Australia airmen returning from Rethymnon, (d) Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, (e) Canberra’s Australian War Memorial and (f) Sydney’s ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park.
Each edition of the tin is adorned with a historic image from Australia’s ANZAC legend. This is the second time that an image from the Greece and Crete campaigns has featured on the tins. The first was in 2017 with The image of the diggers on the Acropolis, resting beneath the famous Caryatids of the Erechtheion, symbolising the experience of Greece and its culture by the thousands of Australian soldiers and nurses during the campaign in Greece and Crete.
Mr Tsourdalakis, who is President of the Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand, said that it was a great honour to have Crete and its connection to Anzac chosen to feature on this year’s commemorative tins. He thanked Mr. Matt Usher from Major League Brands for accepting the proposal to dedicate this years Tins to the 80th Anniversary for the Battle of Crete.
“This recognition will bring the Anzac connection to Greece into tens of thousands of homes across Australia. This is a great initiative for all of us interested in raising awareness of the Anzacs in Crete in 1941 and more generally for the whole of the Hellenic community in Australia,” Mr Tsourdalakis said.
Battle of Crete & Greece Commemorative Council Chairman, Mr. Jim Papadimitriou, pointed out that the photographs are very unique photographs of the Australian involvement in the Battle of Crete held in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Both Mr Tsourdalakis and Mr Papadimitriou, urged members of the community to purchase their own Commemorative Anzac Biscuit Tins to support the RSL’s work and to have a beautiful reminder and memento of the year when Anzacs came to Greece in WW2 – before they sell-out!
Mr Tsourdalakis also stated that the Federations National program of events commemorating the 80th Anniversary for the Battle of Crete would be announced in coming days, including events in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide, Perth and in New Zealand.
The Tins can currently be purchased at all major Woolworths, Coles and Aldi stores across Australia.
Anyone who knows me well would know that I’m an avid reader of all things romantic fiction, so when I was asked to review Peter Prineas’ new book, Wild Colonial Greeks, I have to admit I was a bit hesitant.
The book’s blurb spoke of all things history and “colonial times” and a quick flick through the pages made me aware of an over 50-page reference list – all things I typically don’t look for in a book.
But boy, was I wrong! From the minute I started reading, I was hooked.
Bringing colonial Greeks to life:
Wild Colonial Greeks not only brought to life Greeks who arrived on Australian shores in colonial times, but it also expertly weaved in how colonial Australia viewed these Greeks at the time through frequent newspaper reports.
Two Greeks who stood out to me in particular were the goldfields doctor, Spiridion Candiottis, and Melbourne port hotelier, Andreas Lagogiannis. Spiridion drew my attention due to his clear surgical skill and fight to be recognised as a legitimate doctor in Clermont, Queensland. The tragic circumstances of the death of his daughter, Eugenie, also highlighted the extreme hardships these Greeks faced in a foreign land.
Peter launched his book ‘Wild Colonial Greek’ in March.
Andreas on the other hand, surprised me for totally different reasons. He was constantly fighting to defend his name and honour in the local court and although some would say he didn’t understand the culture of the place, in my opinion he came across as someone who wasn’t willing to give up no matter what hardship was thrown his way.
Now, it must be mentioned here that as someone who is in the 20-30 age bracket, these specific stories resonated with me the most because the way they were written made me feel as though I wasn’t reading a historical book, but rather a narrative of the everyday lives of everyday people.
However, that’s not the only reason why the book is so relatable. In fact, I can definitely see how others might relate to the book even just for the simple fact that it focuses on migration stories and helps people understand how Greeks contributed to multicultural Australia right from the very beginning.
The first Greek:
And then of course there was one of the main aspects of Prineas’ book – its attempt to push back the date of Greek settlement in Australia by nearly six years.
Back in August 2020, I wrote a historical article for The Greek Herald about “the arrival of the first Greeks in 1829.” They were, according to the article, Georgios Vasilakis, Gikas Voulgaris, Georgios Laritsos, Antonis Manolis, Damianos Ninis, Nikolaos Papandreas and Konstantinos Strompolis. With this information already in my mind, I was unsure whether Prineas would be able to convince me that Greek settlement had actually occurred years before the arrival of these men, but he does.
Prineas points to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald dated June 28, 1878, which mentions the funeral at Castle Hill of a ‘George Manuel or George Emanuel’ who is said to have lived in the colony for 76 years – that would mean he arrived in Australia much earlier than the seven convicts.
Now, while I won’t spoil the rest of the supportive evidence for the readers of this article, I can guarantee you that Prineas makes some valid points for his argument that George was the first Greek to arrive in Australia. Valid enough to give his new book, Wild Colonial Greeks, a solid 9 / 10 rating. Although some chapters could’ve been shorter, with less newspaper references at times, I would still recommend this book to anyone who’s interested!
Jill Taylor (Nikitakis), Fronditha Care President and Board Chair, addressed over 50 members who attended an information session on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at Fronditha Care Mulgrave Hub.
She noted that the past few months, (since the appointment of new Directors in late November 2020), had been a time of a transition for Fronditha Care: “The new Board set about consolidating changes to governance arrangements in December and appointed new CEO, Faye Spiteri in February 2021, to address the serious financial challenges faced.”
She added: “The new Directors have the requisite financial expertise in service delivery, governance and connection to community to swiftly move the organisation in the direction it needed to go. We introduced new measures to ensure strong financial governance and rapidly set about working with the CEO in implementing organisational change to deliver financial sustainability.”
Jill Taylor (Nikitakis) advised the meeting: “We want to work in the long-term interest of the organisation and you -its members, and further we want as a Board and Executive to be transparent. We faced significant financial issues in 2020 which were accumulating at an unsustainable rate. So, to redress this we immediately focused on building financial capability alongside management and operational capability.”
Fronditha Care President addressing the meeting on Tuesday. Photo supplied.
Taylor (Nikitakis) gave an in-depth report to the members about the critical financial issues the organisation had been facing and its grim future, with an inability of the then management to undertake a strategic review of organisational operations and costs to recalibrate.
She advised of the steps taken to address these and the positive results already seen in a relatively short period, expressing optimism about the organisation’s future fortunes. She added: “We moved forward with fundamental and rapid changes, established stronger fiduciary oversight at the Board and Executive level without compromising the quality of care and service delivery, mitigated the liquidity risks, and just today finalised contracts and secured a loan for our major capital works.”
The President noted that the new St Albans facility is expected to open in the next few months, and cater for 90 residents in total while improvements to other facilities are scheduled to start in the upcoming months.
The CEO and Executive enacted its strategy “Framing the Way Forward – A 90 Day Transformation Plan” with the first stage being a restructure at Corporate level focused on a function review and efficiencies and review of Master Rosters in Residential Services.
The President emphasised that quality of care has not been compromised and no care staff lost their jobs, either in Community or Residential Services. At the same time, the assessment of the Master Roster in the five residential facilities has produced millions of dollars of savings.
Fronditha Care’s President, Jill Taylor (Nikitakis).
“We haven’t compromised the quality of care, we just learned to work differently, more efficiently to deliver the same results to the people we care for,” she added.
With an eye to the future, the organisation has established short and long-term strategic goals that will see Fronditha Care flourish and evolve its model of care and service delivery over a 20-year action plan, 10-year strategy and rolling implementation plans.
She concluded: “The result of our actions is already tangible, and we conservatively anticipate that Fronditha Care will be back in a profitable position by December 2022. Fronditha Care is an agile and robust organisation. We are confident that we will keep delivering services to the community for many more decades, and the team and I are optimistic and excited about the organisation’s future.”
Attendees asked questions and made comments and congratulated the Board, CEO and Executive team for their hard work and the significant positive turnaround and results they managed to deliver in such a short period, noting they looked forward to future information sessions on organisational progress.
Former star athlete and current MP, Sofia Sakorafa, became the first woman to head the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), Greece’s oldest sports federation, following an online vote on Wednesday.
SEGAS was founded in 1897 to represent all sports, before they split off to form federations of their own and currently focuses on track and field sports.
Sakorafa was born in 1957 in Trikala and has held multiple records and awards in national and international javelin events. In 1982, she achieved a world record throwing the javelin 74.20m, a record she maintained to 1983.
Former star athlete and current MP, Sofia Sakorafa, has become the first woman to head the Hellenic Athletics Federation.
She holds 17 national records, improving her previous records by over 30m. In international meets, she gained bronze in the European games of Athens (1982), gold in the Split games (1979) and bronze in the Latakia games (1987).
She graduated from the then-National Academy of Physical Training in Thessaloniki and after leaving the sports arena became a politician.
She was elected in Parliament for the first time with PASOK in Athens (2007) and was expelled by the party in 2010 after refusing to vote for the first bailout. She has served as MP and MEP with Syriza, and as of 2019, serves as MP of MeRA25.
Turkish fighter jets flew over two Greeks islands and violated Greek airspace on Wednesday, while on the ground, Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, was holding a meeting with Turkey’s Ambassador to Athens, Burak Ozugergin.
According to a statement by the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), a pair of Turkish F-16 fighter jets flew over the Makronisi and Anthropofagoi islets in the eastern Aegean. The overflight was at 11.29 am at an altitude of 20,500 feet. A minute later, a separate pair of F-16s flew over the same islets at 13,500 feet.
This came as Dendias met with Ozugergin to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments ahead of the Greek minister’s likely visit to Turkey on April 14, the state-run Athens-Macedonia news agency reported.
Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, met with Turkey’s Ambassador to Athens, Burak Ozugergin, on Wednesday.
Diplomatic sources said Dendias reiterated Athens’ call that Ankara refrain from provocations that risk escalating tensions in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara on Tuesday accused Athens of violating the rights of its Muslim minority, which it calls “Turkish,” and of pursuing policies directed against Turkey, saying Greece should instead “abide by international law.”
Dendias said statements of this sort do not help consolidate a constructive climate between the two Aegean neighbors, the same sources said.
April Fools’ Day — on April 1 each year — has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures. Traditions include playing hoaxes or practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fools!” at the end to clue in the subject of the April Fools’ Day prank.
While its exact history and origins are shrouded in mystery, the embrace of April Fools’ Day jokes by the media and major brands has ensured the unofficial holiday’s long life.
Origins of April Fools Day:
There are two scenarios regarding the origins of April Fools’ Day. One version says the tradition originates with the Celts. The Celtic fishing season begun on April 1st but during that period, there were not that many fish, leading the fishermen to lie about the amount of fish that they caught.
Another, more historically acceptable version regarding the origins of April Fools day, dates back to 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. This switch meant New Year’s would be celebrated on January 1st instead of April 1st. The people of France were divided in two – with some opposing the change and continuing with the celebration on April 1st, while others accepted the change but continued to send New Year’s presents on April 1st as a tease.
April Fools Day in Greece:
Since Greece belongs to Europe, the April Fools tradition spread throughout the country as well, with a slightly different version.
The basic idea was that Greeks started telling small, innocent lies on April 1st, thinking that whoever manages to trick the “victim,” will have luck along his/her side for the rest of the year.
In other parts, it is believed that the person who plays the trick, will have good crops.
In addition, if it rains on April Fools’ Day, in some parts in Greece, the water is believed to have healing powers.
In just 1 hour and 9 minutes, Greek tennis player, Maria Sakkari, crushed her Japanese opponent, Naomi Osaka, 2-0 sets in the quarter final of the Miami Open.
Sakkari won the first set 6-0 over Osaka in a little over 20 minutes, after playing a decisive and aggressive game.
In the second set, Osaka came in determined to win and managed to lead with 3-0. But Sakkari had the last word.
With fighting spirit, she managed to turn the situation around, matching Osaka at 4-4, until she took the next two games and cruised through to the Miami Open semi final at 6-0, 6-4.
Sakkari’s win means Osaka’s 23-match winning streak is over.
In the semifinals, the Greek champion will face the winner of the last quarterfinal, between Bianca Andreescu and Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Spartans were famous for producing strong and powerful soldiers. But what do we actually know about the women of ancient Sparta? Without a doubt, Spartan women were the most educated, athletic and outspoken progressive individuals of the Ancient Greek world.
1. They were educated:
Providing education for women was not important for most Ancient Greek cities. Primarily, a woman’s role for example, in Democratic Athens, was to take care of children and the housework. In Sparta, girls were started their education around the same age as boys (between 6-7 years of age). The education system was concentrated on military preparation and girls had a similar education. They also received physical education, which combined wrestling, gymnastics and combat skills. A healthy physical appearance was important because Spartans believed that only a healthy woman could produce healthy babies. This goes back in Greek history when a Spartan Queen named Gorgo, wife of the famous King Leonidas was asked by Athenian woman, “why do only Spartan women rule their men?” . Her answer to that question was, “because we are the only women who give birth to real men!”
2. They could own land:
Women in Sparta, contrary to those from Athens, could own property in their own names. Even according to famous Greek Philosopher Aristotle, two-fifths of the land in Sparta was owned by women. It’s unbelievable to think that they were so free and independent, where in most Greek cities, women were the property of their husbands. But how could they own a property? Spartan women did this through inheritance or from their dowries. Typically, the land was left to the owner’s children after his death, with daughters inheriting half of what sons got. Of course, the law on selling land extended to both men and women. But also Because of the Spartan culture’s structure, Spartan women were the household rulers. Men spent the majority of their lives in the agoge, barracks, and eventually at war. They’d return to their house, which was run by their wife or surviving children if they were lucky enough to live long enough to retire at the age of 40.
3. They could dress boldly:
Sparta was the only city-state that allowed women to exercise and train. And because of that, the clothes were more daring than from other cities. The dresses were shorter than normal ones, showing more flesh. This was accepted by society since women and men were expected to be fit and healthy-looking.
4. The greatest honour was to die during childbirth:
In Ancient Sparta, the only way for men to receive a gravestone was by dying in battle. Similarly, for women dying during childbirth was one of the greatest honours. It was seen as a duty for Spartan society and that is why women who died during childbirth could have a gravestone with their name on it.
5. They were married at an older age than Athenians:
Girls in Sparta did not have to marry until they were eighteen years old. Men usually married in thier mid-twenties or thirties. The age difference between husbands and wives was smaller compared to Athenians and girls in Sparta married significatly later than their sisters in Athens.
6. Spartan women competed in the Olympic Games:
This was very important for Ancient Greek society, as women were not allowed to step foot into the sacred place where the Olympic Games occured. Women would even face a death penalt if they were seen as spectators inside the stadiums. Despite this, the first ever female Olympian winner was Spartan! Her name was Kyniska or Cyniska, she was the daughter of King Archidamus II. She was only allowed to step into the sacred Olympic grounds as a horse trainer. There was a large property where she bred, kept, and trained horses, and in 396 BCE, when she was approximately between 40 and 50 years old, she became the first woman to compete in the Olympic Games. Her triumph had a major influence on ancient Greek culture. Following Cynsica’s achievement, other female athletes wanted to get in on the Olympic action. This included fellow Spartan Euryleonis, who won the two-horse chariot race in 368 BC.
7. They had to give away their sons at the age of 7:
At the age of 7, Spartan boys were taken from their parents’ house to start their military education “agoge”. As Spartan community was design to shape professional soldiers, the education needed to start at a young age. For a Spartan mother was the biggest pride was to raise a strong and brave soldier. According to Plutarch, one woman gave her son a shield and told him to come home “either with it or on it” before a battle.
The world knows Sparta for its men and soldiers, but without the women, Sparta would not have existed.
Last week was one of celebrations and commemorative events for the students of All Saints Grammar, St Spyridon College and St Euphemia College in Sydney, who strive to keep the Greek culture and history alive through traditional dances, poems and performances.
All Saints College
A school concert was held at All Saints College on Friday 26 March to mark the 200th Anniversary from the beginning of the Greek Revolution.
Through songs, music, dance and audiovisual media the school kids did a historical account of the events of the revolution and parents watched from home or work, as the production was live streamed.
Opening the event, Head of School, Mrs Elfa Lillis said that the school’s purpose is to “preserve and communicate the values of our cultural heritage and faith.”
“We mark this momentous occasion, the Revolution of 1821, and the feast of the Annunciation by coming together, to remember, to reflect on our history, and to give thanks for the hope for the future forged by the struggles of our ancestors,” Mrs Lillis said.
Official speeches were also given by His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa, Sophie Cotsis MP, Consul General of Greece in Sydney Christos Karras, Mayor of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown Khal Asfour.
St Spyridon College
*Written byAnna Gambierakis, Coordinator of Modern Greek at St Spyridon, Junior School
This year marks the 200-year anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire which led to the establishment of the Modern Greek state. This historical event was not only of immense significance to the Greek people, but was also a key historical event in world history as the Hellenes were the first people to achieve full independence from the Ottoman Empire as a result of their 9-year struggle.
Through our programmed units of work, our young students (K-6) are exploring the concept of Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος. Our Kindergarten students have been introduced by learning about Κρυφό Σχολειό, reciting Φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό.
Year 1 is looking at the symbolism of the Greek flag and the heroism, glory and beauty of Greece through the reciting of the poem Η Ελλάδα στην καρδιά μου, and through looking at and dressing in the National costume of tσολιά και αμαλία. Through digital paintings and short texts, the students of Years 2 – 6 have been learning about the bravery and determination of heroes and heroines of the Greek Revolution of 1821. The λάβαρα another area of interest and symbolism.
Students in Years 5 and 6 exmaining Rigas Velestinlis’ or Pheraios’ War Song (Thourios) which inspired countless Hellenes in their struggle for liberation. Years 5 & 6 writing their own poetry based on this study. Year 6 students have been exploring the tragic events surrounding την Έξοδο του Μεσολογγίου through the theatrical play and poem Ένας Μεσολογγίτης.
Our young students have been enthusiastically participated and recognise the relevance and significance of the sacrifices of the Hellenes, as well as the contribution and support of Philhellenes worldwide. This old, strange, far away world of Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος has now been unlocked for our students who are beginning to discover the value and beauty of being a Greek Australian descendent of brave Orthodox Hellenes who were the first to manage to completely shake off Ottoman rule.
St Euphemia College
On Thursday, March 25, a number of the students from St Euphemia College represented the school at the official celebration of the bicentennial of Greek Independence Day at the Sydney Opera House.
This was followed by an appearance at Martin Place in Sydney, where students laid a wreath at the cenotaph to pay their respects to the heroes and heroines who lost their lives during the Greek Revolution.
On Tuesday, March 30, students also participated in a special assembly to commemorate the Greek ancestors who fought for Greece’s freedom and independence.
Students recited poetry, sang songs, danced and presented a historical presentation of the events that took place.
At the conclusion of the assembly, the students gathered in the playground, dancing and proudly waving their blue and white flags.
