New South Wales’ Newcastle Jets football club has signed on Greek footballer Savvas Siatravanis for the upcoming A-League season.
The former Xanthi player had widely been speculated to have been in talks with the Jets for weeks.
Jets coach Arthur Papas finally confirmed that Siatravanis has the “attacking instincts” and “work ethic” to make a successful attacker in the A-League.
“Savvas is an experienced player who can play anywhere across the front third,” Papas tells Newcastle Herald.
“He is a consummate professional, and he’s a player who combines attacking instinct with a fantastic work ethic.”
Siatravanis, 28, will become the squad’s new player for a year.
He has represented Greece in football his entire career and says he is up for the “challenge”.
“This is a big challenge for me, and I will do anything possible to succeed in my career and bring that success to the Newcastle Jets,” Siatravanis says in a statement.
“I am excited to join this team, the style of play suits my own qualities and I will work hard to ensure we challenge for the title.”
Unfortunately Maria Sakkari wasn’t able to go one step further in the US Open and reach the final, as she found herself overwhelmed by the dynamic of 18-year-old rising star from England, Emma Raducanu, losing 6-1, 6-4.
The 26-year-old started the game on the back foot as she couldn’t keep up with the fast serve of her young opponent and quickly found herself chasing the score. When Raducanu gained a 5-0 advantage, the first set was all but over for Maria, who was simply able to minimize the damage (6-1.)
The aces that had previously served Maria so well were nowhere to be found in this encounter, as was only able to get four across throughout the entire game.
In the second set, the Athenian attempted to fight her way back into the match and won some important points that gave her a small psychological boost, but the young tennis player from England always found a way to respond and kept points on a short duration, which served her style of play.
The end saw Sakkari walk away proud after losing the second set 6-4, knowing she had done all she could. Emma Raducanu will go on to face Canadian Leylah Fernandez, who a few hours earlier had defeated world number two Aryna Sabalenka, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4.
This was the second consecutive participation in a Grand Slam semi-final for world no. 17 in the women’s rankings Maria Sakkari, after she made it to the last four of the Roland Garros a few months ago. She’s more than certain to rise up even further after her performances in the competition.
Sydney based photographer, Melissa Gamvros has been documenting her life and the people in it from a young age.
Aiming to encourage the individuals she photographs to express themselves authentically and highlight their uniqueness, Melissa recently launched her own photography portrait business named ‘Woven Pictures’.
What motivates her and why it is now more important than ever to empower and motivate each other? The Greek Australian photographer sat down with The Greek Herald to discuss.
TGH: Melissa, talk to us about your Greek heritage
My Greek heritage was instilled throughout my childhood attributed to my close relationship with my grandparents. They would communicate to me in Greek, and have left a positive impact that will not be forgotten. I have many fond memories spent at their house where they would spoil me with food, and more food, to which I could never refuse.
My other tie to my Greek heritage is to the island of Samos, where my father was born. I have been fortunate enough to visit and spend time there as a second home. When I am there, I feel its vibrancy and warmth and instantly feel connected to the ocean and friendly hospitality, captivated by its beauty.
My career began landing my first job in a small portrait studio in Sydney. I then fell into the ecommerce fashion world working for The Iconic and then relocated abroad following my dreams all the way to London photographing for luxury retailer Net-A-Porter.
TGH: What inspired you to start the ‘Woven Pictures’ project and what makes it unique?
I was inspired to translate my skills of photography into creating a meaningful and valuable experience. The intention behind ‘Woven Pictures’ was born out of this desire to set up an environment where individuals and I felt comfortable enough to properly connect and feel able to express ourselves authentically.
I suppose what makes Woven Pictures unique is the process the client and I go through together. Woven is about pushing boundaries, with no limits or rule books. It can be as rebellious as one wants to highlight their uniqueness. I love bringing these ideas to life in the portraits I take and sharing these experiences with them.
TGH: Your intention is to help women be seen and heard through your photography. Why is this important?
Old paradigms of women’s roles are being challenged and it is important to showcase them.
The opportunity to connect with these women and hear their stories is an honour and meaningful work. The intention of helping women be seen and heard is tied into the name, of Woven Pictures.
The message is that we are all connected and interwoven in a large web. We can all inspire, empower and encourage each other, whether it be in a new business venture or purely just to document a time in your life. I feel compelled to help tell their story and convey it through my photographs.
TGH: Image plays a big role in how people perceive us. Can a photograph, capture who someone really is?
I believe a photograph can, if approached delicately and respectfully, capture the essence of a person. The result of this is dependent however upon the synergy between the subject and the photographer. My aim is to help clarify my clients’ purpose to help them discover how they want to present themselves to the world.
TGH: How does your photography impact the way a woman feels empowered? Would you like to share a story with us?
An experience with one of my clients’ springs to mind who I was fortunate enough to meet. Caroline Heslop (featured in the photograph below) approached me, when she was going through a transformative time in her life. She is the successful founder of marketing agency Sketch.
Caroline Heslop as photographed by Melissa Gamvros
Her hope was to achieve portraits that would reflect her rebranding to mirror her inner strengths and hard work she had put in over many years. She absolutely blew me away! She expressed to me how comfortable she had felt to be herself and this buzz of empowerment she was left with, leaving me feeling the same and grateful for the experience.
TGH: What motivates you to continue?
Focusing on the artistic expression of photography is what motivates me most, the shapes, the lines, the light. I can find beauty amongst everyday life’s mundanities and make use of my camera as a creative outlet.
TGH: What is a quote you live by?
I remind myself of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. They help me to stay grounded if I find myself off balance. They read:
Be impeccable with your word.
Don’t take anything personally.
Don’t make assumptions.
Always do your best.
TGH: Is there a message you would like to share with aspiring photographers who may be reading this interview?
Believe in yourself and do not seek external validation. Be brave and go out and capture the world. For every set back, there lies a new opportunity. There is no failure, only growth, keep at it and focus on the joy it brings you, leave the rest.
Greek roast lamb shoulder is a household favourite. The slow cooked meat with garlic, herbs and lemon just falls from the bone and is enjoyed by many. Add some potatoes and pumpkin and the meal is complete!
Take a look below to see how you can cook this tasty recipe with the help of ‘Cooking by Vicki.’
Ingredients:
1 lamb shoulder.
1/2 teaspoon of salt.
A pinch of pepper.
Fresh herbs (mint, oregano, rosemary).
2 lemons (1 sliced).
6 cloves of garlic.
Olive oil.
1/4 cup water.
Roast lamb shoulder.
Steps:
1. Clean and trim fat off your lamb shoulder. Place in a cooking dish.
2. Cut small slits into the lamb shoulder and insert garlic cloves.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cut one of your lemons into slices and place around the lamb shoulder.
5. Sprinkle your fresh herbs (mint, oregano and roasemary) on top.
6. Drizzle with olive oil and a bit of lemon.
7. Add 1/4 cup of water into the dish.
8. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven for 2.5 – 3 hours at 180 degrees.
Greek Australian Paul Nicolaou has been appointed executive director of the advocacy non-for-profit organization Business Sydney.
Nicolaou’s appointment was announced by Business NSW chief executive officer Daniel Hunter this week.
Mr. Hunter says Nicolaou will use his near three decades’ worth of experience in advocacy and philanthropy to “assist those in need” in his new position.
“Paul is well known to many of us in his most recent role at (the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry)…,” Hunter writes in a press release.
“Paul will lead Business Sydney through the challenging economic times we are currently experiencing due to COVID, to the more prosperous, exciting, and opportunistic times that are coming.”
Nicolaou studied commerce and economics at the University of New South Wales around the late ’80s and early ’90s.
He has worked in a number of senior roles across educational and political institutions, to name a few.
Business Sydney is a pro-business organization which “represents the political needs of businesses”, the Business NSW website reads.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Athens Exchange Group (ATHEX Group), Socrates Lazaridis, will be addressing Greek Australians online on Tuesday, September 14 at 4pm as part of the Greek Australian Dialogue Series.
The online conference has been organised by Katia Gkikiza, the Trade Commissioner of Greece in Australia, and Paul Nicolaou, Director of the Business Leaders Council, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The ATHEX Group includes the parent company and publically traded Athens Stock Exchange (EXCr.AT) and the subsidiaries, Athens Exchange Clearing House (ATHEXClear) and Hellenic Central Securities Depository (ATHEXCSD).
With the Greek economy showing steady signs of recovery, Mr Lazaridis wants to increase the visibility of companies listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, attract new listings, improve liquidity, further develop the corporate bond market and further increase its international profile by expanding on the support services currently being provided to other organised markets such as the Hellenic Energy Exchange Group, Boursa Kuwait and the Cyprus Stock Exchange.
Mr Lazaridis will talk about the Hellenic Stock Exchange, the Greek economy, how Greece is coping with COVID- 19 and the future for the Greek economy.
About the ATHEX Group:
ATHEX Group and its 100% subsidiaries ATHEXClear and ATHEXCSD operate the organised cash and derivatives markets, carry out trade clearing, settlement and registration of securities, provide comprehensive IT solutions to the Greek capital market as well as other ancillary services (colocation, XNET, LEI et al.) and promote the development of capital markets in Greece.
The Group also provides support services to other organised markets such as the Hellenic Energy Exchange in which it holds a 21% stake and to Boursa Kuwait in which it holds a 0.8% stake.
Through its participation in the Hellenic Corporate Governance Council (HCGC) – the Group promotes corporate governance and the adoption of best practices in Greece – www.esed.org.gr.
Following Mr Lazaridis’ presentation there will be a Q&A session.
Details for the video conference:
Date: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Time: 4 PM – 5:15 PM (AEST – NSW, ACT, Vic, Tas, Qld), 9.00 AM (EEST – Athens time)
Link: Zoom link will be forwarded to you after you RSVP.
To RSVP, please email paul.nicolaou@australianchamber.com.au as soon as possible to secure your place in this video conference.
COVID-19, its Public Health Orders and restrictions, and the many uncertainties and risks associated with it, has exacerbated or triggered mental health issues for not only adults, but also children and teens.
Feelings of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, frustration, anger, restlessness, confusion, stress and sadness are normal and expected reactions given the current circumstances we live in, no matter what age we are. Let’s face it, times are tough at the moment, and it’s fair to say its ok to not be ok right now.
Children may be clingier, demanding, needing more attention and reassurance, and teens angrier, withdrawn, and/or volatile.
It can make parenting even more challenging and for this, it is important now more than ever that parents first check in with themselves on how they are feeling and coping, what their needs are, and what they can do to offset their stresses.
Heightened parental stress reduces parents’ capacity to be sensitive, empathic and responsive to children’s emotions and needs in a manner needed to best support children’s resilience and positive adjustment.
Children mirror parent’s emotional states and its normal for them to be sensitive and pick up on parent’s feelings.
Here are some strategies that can be helpful to children’s mental health and wellbeing:
Keep to a Routine: Keeping regular routines around wake, bedtime, and meals, and planning their day so it accommodates the competing demands of chores, activities you all enjoy, fun and rest, adds structure and with this, predictability. Structure and predictability contribute to children’s sense of safety and control during stressful circumstances.
Limit media exposure: Media content is designed to be informative for adults, so it is best to limit media exposure. Children can misinterpret this content and it can cause unnecessary anxiety, confusion and worry for them. It is also best to limit children’s exposure to adult conversations about media content as it is also developmentally inappropriate for children.
Emotionally check-in: Ask your child how they are feeling; what are their challenges, what are their worries. Choose opportunities to have such discussions in an informal way, and also have more than one of these discussions. Encourage your child to ask questions and answer then truthfully using language they will understand and is simple. Acknowledge many people are worried about COVID-19. Guidance on talking to children about COVID-19 can be found on the Australian Childhood Foundation, Unicef, and Health websites.
Get outdoors and exercise: Incorporating daily exercise in children’s routine is good for their body and mental health.
Have healthy balanced meals: Let’s face it, we have all been indulgent during lockdown. Try your best to keep to a healthy diet. Having meal plans which limit high sugar snacks help as these foods can disrupt children’s sleep, digestion, mood, attention and energy levels.
Maintain social connections: Social connection, especially for teens, is important for their sense of belonging, identity, coping, sense of worth and adjustment. They can stay in touch via Facebook, messenger kids, Facetime and other social media platforms given the current Health Orders and restrictions.
Our team has developed a free resource for families and young children, providing at home activity ideas such online yoga and meditation, active indoor activities, and loads of fun craft ideas! To download this free resource, click here: https://t.co/RNRTkILrhfpic.twitter.com/OTj7xp5biM
Declutter and clean: It is important to spend time in an environment that feels good and safe. Having a structured and organised living space can help us feel better.
Music Playlists: Keep playlists of music for different moods.
Get enough sleep: Sleep is just as important to our bodies as eating, breathing, and drinking. It helps us to recover from mental exertion.
Stress busters: Engage in activities such as journaling, meditation, deep belly breathing, walking in nature or being outdoors. Everyone copes in different ways. Headspace and ReachOut have tips for teens in having a healthy headspace. The Smiling Mind, Headspace, and Insight Timer app’s have daily meditation and mindfulness exercises.
Increase your use of Positive Attention and be more present with your child: Spend time having fun with your child. Limit distractions. Observe their activity and deliberately praise their behaviour. Use language like “I love spending time with you”; “I’m so lucky to be your parent”; “I enjoy having fun with you”. It helps build positive relationships.
The New South Wales government has unveiled new freedoms for residents who are fully vaccinated from COVID-19 to begin from next Monday.
From the 13th of September:
Those who live outside the LGAs of concern, up to 5 fully vaccinated adults can engage in outdoor recreation in a person’s LGA or within 5km of home. Children under 12 will not be counted in this total.
Those who live in the LGAs of concern, a household with all adults vaccinated will be able to engage in outdoor recreation (including picnics) for up to 2 hours within the existing rules (outside of curfew hours and within 5km of home). This is in addition to the ability to engage in outdoor exercise.
People who live alone can gather with one other adult to participate in outdoor recreation within the same existing rules.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced that the state’s daily 11:00 am COVID-19 press conferences will cease from Monday.
Instead, NSW Health staff will deliver video updates and politicians will “intermittently hold press conferences as required”.
It comes as NSW records 1,542 new cases – the highest daily tally for an Australian jurisdiction – and 9 deaths in the 24 hours to 8:00 pm yesterday.
Thousands flocked to watch the four-day World Rally motorsport championships kick off in Athens’ Syntagma Square on Thursday.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis launched the race at the foot of the Acropolis.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that the Acropolis Rally is back in Greece,” he said.
(Photo: Stathis Kokkorogiannis)
The World Rally Championship last occurred eight years ago.
“There’s a very big percentage of the population that is fascinated by motorsport. I don’t think we could have offered them a better gift than the return of the Acropolis.”
Director of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (AAIA), Dr Stavros Paspalas, has always been passionate about classical archaeology, as well as the Greek world’s links with Lydia and the Achaemenid Empire.
This passion, he tells The Greek Herald, is attributable to his first ever field excavation trip to Torone in Halkidiki, Northern Greece. This excavation was directed by the founder of the AAIA, Professor Alexander Cambitoglou AO, who passed away at the age of 97 in 2019.
“I did my undergraduate arts degree at Sydney University and I enrolled in archaeology and then in my third year as a student, Professor Cambitoglou invited me to participate in the excavations he directed at a site in Greece in Halkidiki called Torone. So that was my first link with the Institute and its activities,” Dr Paspalas says.
“It was fantastic. It confirmed me in my belief that I wanted to be an archaeologist. I found it very fulfilling. I was working with people who were totally dedicated to their passion.”
Dr Paspalas went on to complete his Bachelors (Hons) and Masters (Hons) degrees at the University of Sydney and his doctorate from the University of Oxford. He even became involved with other field projects including the Zagora Archaeological Project, which he co-directs with Professor Margaret Miller and Associate Professor Lesley Beaumont from the University of Sydney.
Stavros Paspalas helping Professor Cambitoglou (who led the Australian excavations at Zagora in the 1960s and 70s) at Zagora in May 2012. Photo by Wayne Mullen. Source: AAIA.
During this time, Dr Paspalas’ ties with the AAIA also strengthened as he was appointed Deputy Director of the Institute in 1996, Acting Director in March 2016 and Director in 2020, after Professor Cambitoglou’s death.
The contribution of Professor Cambitoglou to the AAIA:
The AAIA is a research and education facility at the University of Sydney (USYD) focused on Greek and Mediterranean studies, with an emphasis on archaeological fieldwork. The Institute was founded in 1980 by Professor Cambitoglou.
Born in Thessaloniki in 1922, Professor Cambitoglou was the first person of Greek background to be appointed to a university professorship in Australia, as Professor of Classical Archaeology in 1963. He taught at USYD from 1961 to 1989 and was curator of the Nicholson Museum for 37 years from 1963 until 2000.
With these archaeological credentials and strong connection to Greece, it’s no surprise then that the Professor wanted to establish the AAIA.
Professor Alexander Cambitoglou AO was passionate about Greek archaeology. Here he is excavating in Zagora, Andros, 1971. Photo supplied.
“He established the first Australian archaeological expedition to Greece… but he knew that for Australia to have a real presence in the archaeological scene in Greece, it had to be set on a firmer footing and that did require an Institute,” Dr Paspalas explains.
“So in 1980 all his work came to fruition. He established the Institute and it was recognised by the Greek Ministry of Culture. He had a lot of help, of course, here in Australia, at the University of Sydney, at other universities, amongst the Greek community.
“But there’s no doubt he was the person who conceived it and saw it through to completion. I mean he wasn’t one of these people who was an ‘ivory tower’ academic… he very much valued rigorous and strenuous academic research, but he also knew that this had to have relevance to the wider world.”
This belief saw the AAIA become a major force in the growth of Australian participation in Greek archaeology and nowadays, it provides hundreds of research opportunities, scholarships and fellowships. It also offers practical assistance to Australian students and scholars to further their research and share it both nationally and internationally.
Professor Cambitoglou established the AAIA. Photo supplied.
‘We’re looking at expanding our footprint’:
This important work was boosted even further recently after the AAIA was bequeathed $6 million by the late Professor Cambitoglou. This extensive funding will ensure the Institute is able to continue producing up-to-date information and research about Greek archaeology for the Australian public.
“This bequest will allow the Institute to further increase its activities. It will allow it to make sure it is at the forefront of Australian – Greek relations, particularly on the academic field and… the dissemination of up-to-date information to the wider, interested public,” Dr Paspalas says.
“So its activities will undoubtedly benefit from this donation. It definitely sets it on a firmer economic footing.”
From there, Dr Paspalas says, the AAIA will also be able to focus on expanding its future reach to a broader audience.
Office of the AAIA. Photo: USYD.
“We are looking at extending our footprint, if I can say it that way, in Australia and making ourselves known to a far wider audience,” Dr Paspalas says.
“We also, in collaboration with archaeologists around the country, are alive and willing to look into the possibilities of establishing… new archaeological fieldwork projects in Greece for a number of reasons. They generate new information, that’s always good, but also very importantly, they allow in-situ education for Australian students which is paramount.
“So we will continue advancing on the educational front, the public engagement front, the research front and the publication front.”
From what Dr Paspalas says, it’s clear there’s a very bright future ahead for the AAIA.
