The beautiful love story of Xanthoula Papadopoulos and Australian soldier, Herbert “Slim” Wrigley, has been put on display at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance as part of the new ‘Lust. Love. Loss. Australian stories of wartime relationships‘ exhibition.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the exhibition uses artworks, photographs, memorabilia and personal objects to explore a great sweep of war themes often overlooked by official histories.
In the case of Xanthoula, the exhibition details how she was only 14 years old when Slim Wrigley, from Yarraville in Melbourne, was welcomed into her family’s home in the Greek village of Retini in September 1941. This act of mercy saw Xanthoula’s dad executed by the Germans.
Slim Wrigley had himself escaped from a German prisoner-of-war camp in Salonika (Thessalonika), 120 kilometres to the north-east. Eventually, he returned into the mountains to fight with the Greek resistance.
Studio Portrait of Herbert ‘Slim’ Wrigley, 1950. Photo: Shrine of Remembrance.
Xanthoula and Slim Wrigley re-connected four years after the war ended, the SMH reports. Xanthoula found a slip of paper with his name and address on it and was encouraged by her mother to write to him in case he had survived.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Xanthoula and Slim Wrigley began to correspond regularly until he offered to pay for her fare to Melbourne. She arrived at the end of January 1951 and discovered “a very gentle man, well-educated, handsome and honest.”
In less than six weeks, Xanthoula and Slim were married, and remained together until he died in 1995.
“It is a big story,” says Xanthoula, now aged 94. “It was a very long time ago.”
To hear this story and more you can visit ‘Lust. Love. Loss: Australian stories of wartime relationships’ at the Melbourne Shrine until November 2022. Open daily 10am-5pm, shrine.org.au.
The 100th birthday of Marrickville Town Hall has been celebrated today with the announcement of some exciting news.
The Inner West Council has confirmed they are relaunching their plan to turn the town hall into a multicultural music and arts venue.
“Alongside the magnificent Marrickville Library and the growing number of music venues along the strip, we are determined to make use of this precious building to help make Marrickville Road one of Sydney’s great cultural destinations,” Mayor Darcy Byrne said on Facebook.
“Here’s to another 100 years of multiculturalism, arts and music at Marrickville Town Hall.”
According to Mayor Byrne, “the majority of Councillors on the previous Council decided not to support this plan,” but “with the new Labor Majority in the Inner West, we are bringing it back to life.”
The project will be led by Greek Australian Councillor Zoi Tsardoulias and Councillor Mat Howard, along with local ethnic community organisations such as the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney.
“Making Marrickville Town Hall a place for multicultural performance and live music means that local multicultural community groups get a new public space to perform, rehearse and share their culture,” Councillor Tsardoulias told The Greek Herald.
“It’s also another way to celebrate the important contribution migrant communities – including our Greek community – have made to our area over many years.
“How we use our town halls and community spaces should reflect our proud multicultural community. That’s why Council will invite local multicultural community groups to tell us their vision for the Hall and to make sure the plans reflect the needs of the community.”
The President of the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, Liana Vertzayias, as well as youth dressed in traditional Greek costumes, were on proud display outside the town hall during the media announcement today.
The Daily Telegraph has revealed it’s ‘Power 100’ rankings for 2022 and among the list are two Australians of Greek heritage – Nick Politis and Peter V’landys.
They have joined a number of other powerful people in Sydney, including NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet at number one position and Prime Minister Scott Morrison at number two.
4. Peter V’landys:
Peter V’landys has two of the biggest jobs in sport as the CEO of Racing NSW and Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission.
The child of Greek migrants, V’landys actually has a background in business and commerce, but was drawn to rugby league because he never forgot how he felt as a young boy playing for Wests Illawarra.
“My parents, being migrants, they didn’t think rugby league was a career. So I went to uni and got into business, took a different path,” V’landys told the Illawarra Mercury in 2020.
“But I never forgot what rugby league did for me. When the opportunity to pay it back came, I took it up. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. It’s purely to repay the game.”
Now, V’landys has become one of the most powerful men in Australian sport.
In recent years, his profile has also been pushed further into the public spotlight as he fought to keep rugby league viable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nick Politis is a migrant from the Greek island of Kythera who has helped save rugby league in Australia and turned a single car dealership into a $2 billion fortune.
Politis was born to George and Argyro Politis on Kythera in 1941, only months after the Germans took over the island during WWII.
At the end of the war, Politis and his family arrived in Australia when he was eight. From an early age, a strong work ethic was instilled in him.
Now, Politis is one of Australia’s least-known billionaires.
He’s 80, of modest height and does yoga four times a week. He also happens to be one of the most powerful men in rugby league as the Chairman of the Sydney Roosters, and is the most influential person in the Australian car industry.
COVID-19 hospital visitation rules are being relaxed in New South Wales today but for the Koutsogiannis family, these changes have come too late.
Speaking to ABC News, Tina Koutsogiannis shared how she was denied an exemption to see her father conscious for the last time at Concord Hospital, after he was admitted due to complications from COVID-19.
84-year-old, Sozo Koutsogiannis, and his wife, Shirley, contracted COVID-19 after New Year’s Eve.
Sozo began suffering “a little bit of heavy breathing” and a “cough,” and was admitted to hospital on January 21. Tina said that days later, doctors at the hospital called to tell her Sozo had pneumonia and infections.
Sozos was an avid reader of The Greek Herald. Photo by Kaily Koutsogiannis.
She “begged” hospital staff to let her see him multiple times, but was refused. The family was only allowed video calls.
On February 3, Tina was told her dad would need to be ventilated. An exemption to see him conscious one last time was again denied, but they did speak via video call.
“And then his last words to us were, he looked at us, his words were, ‘I love you too much’,” she told the national broadcaster.
After a last request to see him, Tina said she, her mother and sister were given an exemption to sit by his side for an hour as he lay unconscious the day before his death on February 5.
These stories of heartbreak have forced the NSW Government to revise its hospital visitor guidelines today. These guidelines will now allow visits if it is “beneficial for the patient’s emotional or physical well-being.”
ACT prosecutors are calling for an increased sentence for convicted Canberra murderer, Jayscen Newby, who stabbed Frankie Prineas to death in 2020,ABC News reports.
Newby was sentenced to 20 years in jail and a 10-year non-parole period after stabbing Prineas to death while he was on a Tinder date with a woman Newby had known.
At the time of Newby’s trial last year, ACT Chief Justice Helen Murrell described the murder scene, at a home in Charnwood in Canberra’s north, as a “bloodbath.”
After the judgement was handed down, Prineas’ family said Newby’s jail term was not long enough and they were in “total dismay.”
“We knew we weren’t going to get justice; we knew it wasn’t going to be great, but we didn’t expect it to be so bad,” Prineas’ dad, Victor, said last year.
Frankie’s father Victor Prineas, aunt Angela and brother Peter. Photo: ABC News/Mark Moore.
‘Mutilated an innocent person’:
Today, the ACT Court of Appeal heard that the case against Newby was overwhelming, with an eye witness and DNA evidence.
ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, told the court that Newby was given too large a discount on his sentence for his plea of guilty and cooperation in the court process.
According to ABC News, Drumgold told the court Newby had not shown remorse and his sentence should reflect the seriousness of the crime he committed.
Jayscen Anthony Newby. Picture: Instagram.
“He mutilated an innocent person to terrify his domestic partner,” he said. “It was an assertion of dominance.”
Newby’s lawyer, David Campbell, told the court even if it accepted the sentence was inadequate, any changes would only amount to “tinkering.”
Greece has again rejected Turkey’s latest demand to demilitarise its islands, saying they “go beyond simple logic.”
Earlier on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu reiterated his country’s call on Greece to demilitarise islands in the east Aegean, warning that if Athens does not change its stance then the debate questioning their sovereignty will begin.
“We sent two letters to the UN. We sent them because Greece is violating the demilitarisation regime of the islands. These islands were ceded to Greece by the Treaties of Lausanne of 1923 and Paris of 1947 on the condition of their demilitarisation. But Greece has been violating this regime since the 1960s,” Cavusoglu told the TRT television network.
“In the letter we wrote, we mentioned that Greece violates the terms of the treaties, these islands were given under conditions, and if Greece does not change its position, then the sovereignty of these islands is debatable.”
Greece absorbed the islands of Limnos, Samothrace, Lesvos, Samos, Chios and Ikaria from the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. It was officially awarded sovereignty over them in the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923.
Another treaty drawn up in London in 1914 had made Greek possession of the islands conditional on their demilitarisation.
Turkey says that since the Lausanne Treaty makes reference to the 1914 treaty, it implies the same conditionality. Greece rejects that interpretation.
.@GreeceMFA Spokesperson A.Papaioannou’s response to a journalist’s question regarding recent claims by Turkish officials on the status of the Aegean islands
In fact, Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexandros Papaioannou, said on Thursday that they reject “in their entirety” the “latest accusations of Turkish officials about the status of the Aegean islands.”
“These accusations not only do not comply with basic principles of international law, but they also go beyond simple logic. The Greek position on this issue has been expressed repeatedly and publicly,” Papaioannou said.
Athens has sent a letter on this issue by Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN to the Secretary General.
By Georgia Pandelios, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Owner at Nutrition Prescription.
As times have changed since COVID-19 became a consistent part of our lives, many people are asking what they can do with their lifestyle to boost their immune systems to avoid infection. This is particularly a key concern in pregnancy, for infants and the elderly, and for immunocompromised individuals regardless of co-existing medical conditions.
The real fact of the matter is that healthy eating cannot directly ward off germs, colds and viruses. However, by prioritising good nutrition for optimal health, you are giving your body and your immune system the building blocks and resources it needs to get through a viral infection.
One of the greatest myths about diet in overcoming viruses is increasing vitamin C intake. The reality is that if you are having the recommended 2 fruits and 5 vegetables per day, you are generally getting enough vitamin C – any extra of this water soluble vitamin is ending up in the toilet because the body cannot store it like our other fat soluble vitamins.
It’s recommended you eat 2 fruits and 5 vegetables per day.
Another perk about having enough fruits, vegetables and grains, means you are helping to keep your gut bacteria in a healthy balance. Over the recent years, more and more attention has been turned to gut health research with promising results showing a positive influence on our immune systems.
I consider vitamin D to be the underdog in our nutrition toolbox. Observational studies have suggested that supplementing with vitamin D may reduce the likelihood of developing respiratory infections but unfortunately, more data is needed before this becomes a recommendation. Considering that ‘pre-COVID-working from home’ statistics showed that 1 in 4 adults are deficient in vitamin D and likely that this figure has increased, it would be worth checking you are sufficient, especially if you are spending a lot more time indoors.
Georgia says vitamin D is “the underdog in our nutrition toolbox.”
One thing that can affect the ability for your immune system to fight off infection is not eating enough calories, protein and iron. These are key building blocks to maintaining healthy bodily functions. By making sure you are getting enough, you are equipping your body with the necessary resources it needs to withstand illness and recover.
The takeaway message here is to eat enough fruits, vegetables, protein foods and energy, and speak to your GP about a vitamin D check.
Nutrition Prescription, founded by leading maternal and foetal health fertility dietitian and nutritionist, Georgia Pandelios, aims to offer nutrition consultations specially designed for the whole family – from infants to adults and elderly, through to highly specialised fertility-pregnancy, paediatric and food reaction services. They can assist with all your nutrition needs, including complex and chronic conditions – in English, Greek or Portuguese.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is generalised and is not intended to replace medical or dietetic advice, nor directly manage any medical conditions. For personalised advice, please speak with your doctor or contact us via info@nutritionprescription.com.au to make an appointment with one of our Dietitians.
Property technology company PointData, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to automatically assess development potential of all the residential land sites in capital cities, intends to raise $11 million by June to accelerate their expansion plans.
PointData uses patented technology, that has up to 24 unique data points on each property, to provide real-time valuations which change in line with broader market shifts and with what is most sought after amongst real estate buyers.
Despite prospective interest rate increases, Chief Executive Officer, George Giannakodakis, remains positive that this should only further demand for the provider’s services due to growing need for buyers to maximise their return potential.
“If anything, it makes people want to use it more,” Mr Giannakodakis told The Australian Financial Review in response to the likelihood of rate rises as the Reserve Bank foresees inflation.
The company, based in Adelaide, says that it is returning to high-net-worth investors and family offices first as they begin the fundraising for this next leg. In the past four years, PointData has raised $5.4 million in seed and Series A funding.
PointData set up a Western Australian arm in December and is now making plans to expand to the Eastern seaboard with Victoria first on the list of eastern state markets.
The company is estimated to have full coverage of all capital cities in Australia within 12-18 months and has just appointed two Sydney-based directors. PointData is also chaired by Con Tragakis, a former KPMG SA chairman of partners.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) extended its support to Greece in 2021 with a €5 billion investment for businesses which have been affected by COVID-19 and to shift the nation to clean energy.
Through the European Guarantee Fund, EIB offered €2.7 billion in guarantees to help companies affected by COVID-19 and lockdowns secure loans through Greece’s four largest lenders Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank and Piraeus Bank.
Piraeus Bank.
Through these guarantees, more than €6 billion in tourism, green energy and digital economy will be mobilised, as stated by Finance Minister Christos Staikouras.
According to an EIB statement, the EU finance body has signed an agreement with the Greek finance ministry “to help manage up to €5 billion as part of Greece’s implementation of the national recovery and resilience plan, known as ‘Greece 2.0’.”
In #Athens, we signed an agreement with @Citi to release €350 million to Greek export and import #SMEs and midcaps through the innovative Trade Finance Facilitation initiative.#Greece🇬🇷 is the only country in Europe to benefit from such an initiative 👉https://t.co/Fh6irxZbVxpic.twitter.com/0OfEnvo1nS
These funds are due to be received from the European Union’s pandemic recovery fund in the coming years.
Athens is due to receive €19.4 billion in grants and €12.7 billion in cheap loans from the fund, an equivalent of about 16 percent of its gross domestic product.
The Greek government plans to use the funds to make the nation’s economy greener and push its digital presence.
