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Life as an early 20th century woman in Castellorizo told through NSW Association’s costume exhibition

The Greek Herald
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Life as an early 20th century woman in Castellorizo told through NSW Association’s costume exhibition

Ever wanted to know what a Castellorizian woman from the early 20th century wore on the night of her wedding?

Guests at the ‘The Castellorizian’ were treated on Monday to a grand tour of the Castellorizian Association of NSW’s new costume exhibition, entitled ‘Castellorizian Women’s Traditional Dress: A costume for all seasons’.

Prior to an exhibition tour, attendees and honourable dignitaries gathered in The Castellorizian’s new function room to hear a message of thanks from the Castellorizian Association’s Secretary coordinator of History and Archives, Victoria Kazaglis Gallagher.

Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos

“The history and archives committee was re-established in 2014 by two passionate Castellorizians, Nicholas Malaxos and Tasha Vanos… within no time, I jumped aboard the history train and joined these two knowledgeable gentlemen and with no funds, but a great deal of knowledge, we began to host exhibitions in Sydney and other states,” Victoria Kazaglis Gallagher said.

The History and Archives coordinator spoke about the success of the Association’s two-volume migrant book series, which presents over 130 family stories and 700 precious old family photographs produced and self-published by the History and Archives Committee.

Victoria also revealed how invaluable the late Anna Koutsis was in the development of not only the costume exhibition, but the whole History and Archives Committee, pushing for growth until her sad passing in February this year.

  • Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos
  • Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos
  • Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos

“The generosity of the Koutsis family didn’t end there. John Koutsis (husband to the late Anna) then chose to create a lasting memory for Anna by creating glass cabinets, which can be viewed tonight, and allowing us to display items of value that otherwise could not have been displayed,” Victoria said. The son of the late Anna Koutsis’ also said a brief thanks to Victoria and the Castellorizian Association of NSW for recognising Anna’s longstanding contribution.

Victoria went on to individually thank every community member who contributed to the establishment of the large exhibition now on display.

Dignitaries present at the event included Matt Thistlethwaite, Member Kingsford Smith, Konstantinos Giannakodimos, representing the Consul General of Greece in Sydney Christos Karras, and Nia Karteris, Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney. The exhibit was also sponsored by Randwick City Council through their Creative Community Program.

Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos

“The history of the Dodecanese, and especially that of Kastellorizo, is strongly connected to the history of Greek migration in Australia,” Giannakodimos said.

“The role of Castellorizian women in this history is of high significance, surviving difficult living conditions and meeting the needs of the household as the men were engaged in trade and shipping.”

Following the speeches, half of the attendees were taken downstairs to experience a narrative tour from two of the History and Archives Committee members.

“Ever since clothes were invented, they have been the perfect vehicle to represent society, including our place in society and the rights of passage we all go through,” one of the exhibition hosts said.

  • Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos
  • Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos
  • Photo: The Greek Herald/Peter Oglos

“Our exhibition, Nyfes, Kores, Gynes, showcases the phases of a girl’s journey through to womanhood.”

Guests were then introduced to Chrisofina and Evangelia, who were two young women born and raised on Megisti, and were taken through the stages of their lives through the various costumes and photos on display.

Also on display were old pieces of clothing, including shoes and jewellery, that had been handed down through generations and eventually donated to the History and Archives Committee.

SA’s Cypriot pensioners combat loneliness with fortnightly meals

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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SA’s Cypriot pensioners combat loneliness with fortnightly meals

Life is better when we share! 

Last Wednesday, like every fortnight for the last four years, members and friends of South Australia’s Cyprus Community Pensioners Association gathered at the community centre in Welland, Adelaide to socialize and share a meal of ‘Lamb Kleftiko’.

“These meals started with 45 people and we had 130 in our last one held last week” president of the Association, Christos Ioannou, tells The Greek Herald. 

“They are a great chance for the elders of the Cypriot and the wider Greek community to come together. They usually start with Bingo in the morning and end in the afternoon,” Mr Ioannou says, explaining that his goal is to increase the number of people who attend the meals, to at least 200.

“Everyone who is of Cypriot background or interested in the culture is welcome to attend. We also organise day trips around South Australia twice a year to keep things interesting and entertain our members,” concludes the President. 

The Association’s next fortnight meal will be held on Wednesday, May 26th at the Cyprus Community Cultural Centre in Welland, Adelaide.

*An afternoon tea organised by the Ladies Auxiliary will take place on Sunday 23rd of May 2021 – 2pm with a Presentation on the first Greek Cypriots in South Australia and guest speakers Dr Maria Shialis. For Tickets and more information call Thekla on 0417 579 428 or Mirianthi on 0412 308 412.

Cyprus qualifies for Eurovision Grand Final while Australia sees early exit

The Greek Herald
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Cyprus qualifies for Eurovision Grand Final while Australia sees early exit

Cyprus qualified for the grand final of the 65th annual Eurovision Song Contest while Australia’s pre-recorded video performance failed to progress past the first semi-final round.

Representing Cyprus was 26-year-old Elena Tsagkrinou, who performed the song “El Diablo.”

Born in Athens in 1994, at the age of 14 she took part in the talent show ‘Greece Got Talent’, reaching the semifinals. Throughout the years, she has performed on the biggest music shows in Greece and Cyprus, at a number of concerts and she has collaborated with many other famous Greek artists such as Konstantinos Argyros and MELISSES.

Her Eurovision song ‘El Diablo’, which is heavily influenced by Swedish singer and songwriter Zara Larsson’s ‘Love Me Land’, earned great audience reception upon release, clearly gaining the attention of the Eurovision audiences as well.

Producers used visual effects to give a glitchy look to Montaigne’s high-energy “live-on-tape” performance at Eurovision. (AP: Peter Dejong)

Alongside Cyprus, Norway, Israel, Russia, Malta, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Sweden, Belgium and Ukraine made it through to the Grand Final. Excluded from this list is Australia, who to failed to reach the final since the country’s debut in 2015.

Australia were represented by Montaigne’s song ‘Technicolour’, which was performed via a pre-recorded video.

Although dazzling audiences with technicolour lighting and eye-catching choreography, Montaigne didn’t get a majority vote and was sent out of the competition in the semi-final round.

Greece, who will be taking part in the second semi-final round, are represented by Stefania Liberakakis who will be performing her hit ‘Last Dance’.

The Eurovision entryis written by a team of Eurovision veterans including Dimitris Kontopoulos (You Are The Only One and Shady Lady), Greek production team Arcade and Sharon Vaughn (Scream and Waterline).

“Our whole team believes a lot in our song that we have this year. A prediction does not make sense. We put all our efforts to have an excellent stage presentation and we want Greece and the Greeks wherever they are to feel proud of the result they will see,” Stefania told local media.

Anna Ntountounaki becomes first female Greek swimmer to win gold at European Championships

The Greek Herald
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Anna Ntountounaki becomes first female Greek swimmer to win gold at European Championships

Anna Ntountounaki has made history in the women’s 100-metre butterfly in Budapest, becoming the first Greek woman to win a gold medal in swimming at a European Championships.

Ntountounaki claimed a joint-gold with France’s Marie Wattel, who both hit a 57.37. Louise Hansson from Sweden rounded out the podium with a 57.56.

Ntountounaki drastically improved upon her 5th place finish back in 2018 when she swam a 57.77 national record in the event. Her 2021 victory of 57.37 allowed her to further lower the record.

Nery Mantey Niangkouara is the only other Greek woman who has ever pulled off a podium finish, taking bronze in the 100-metre freestyle both in 2004 and 2006, as well as bronze in the 50-metre freestyle in 2012.

Ntountounaki competed in the women’s 100-metre butterfly event at the 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing 17th in the heats but still claiming a time of 58.27 seconds, which was a new national record at the time. She has also taken part in the past three World Swimming Championships for Greece in 2015, 2017, and 2019.

Thus far, Ntountounaki is the only Greek woman to have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics for swimming and is slated to race the 100 butterfly this summer.

PETA spokesperson Aleesha Naxakis blasted for telling farmers not to kill rodents

The Greek Herald
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PETA spokesperson Aleesha Naxakis blasted for telling farmers not to kill rodents

An animal rights organisation known as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has suffered severe backlash for demanding farmers not kill the mice plaguing their properties in regional Australia.

PETA Media Officer Aleesha Naxakis came under fire after telling farmers to avoid using poison to kill the animals, instead to use humane traps to allow them to be “caught gently and released unharmed.”

“These bright, curious animals are just looking for food to survive,” Naxakis told NCA NewsWire.

“They shouldn’t be robbed of that right because of the dangerous notion of human supremacy.”

The mouse plague is costing farmers up to $150,000, a NSW Farmers’ survey has found. Photo: NSW Farmers

Naxakis’ comments have sparked an angry backlash from farmers and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, who lashed PETA as “idiots who have never been outside the city”.

“The real rats in this whole plague are the people who come out with bloody stupid ideas like this,” he said, according to news.com.au.

“Their thinking around this is reprehensible, when you have farmers struggling.

“You have these people who have never left the city and wouldn’t know if their backside was on fire, then all of a sudden they’re telling farmers what to do?

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack Photo: ABC

“The only good mouse is a dead mouse.”

Last week the NSW government announced a $50m rescue package, free poison for farmers and mice bait rebates of $1000 for small businesses and $500 for households.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro slammed the PETA spokeswoman’s comments as “ridiculous” and an “insult” to farmers doing it tough.

“I would laugh if this wasn’t so serious,” he said.

Greek island welcomes first cruise ship of new season

The Greek Herald
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Greek island welcomes first cruise ship of new season

The Greek island of Corfu welcomed its first cruise ship of the new season on Tuesday, hoping much awaited tourists will help salvage losses incurred during 2020 due to the coronavirus.

Corfu port authorities said some 600 tourists from countries including Italy, France and Germany were on board the Costa Luminosa, operated by Italy’s Costa Cruises, and all safety measures were being adhered to in the port.

Some of the passengers expressed their delight at being able to travel again.

“It’s freedom, enjoying life, you really feel much better. You’re not in prison anymore, you’re free and that really does you good,” said French tourist Robert Maran from Lyon.

Passengers of the Costa Luminosa cruise ship wearing protective face masks make their way at the port of the island of Corfu, Greece, May 18, 2021. REUTERS/Adonis Skordilis

Greece opened its doors on Saturday to tourists from the EU and other key markets such as the United States, Israel and Britain, lifting the need for people to quarantine as long as they have been vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19.

Costa’s first ship to resume cruises in Greece and the second to restart operations overall, is one of four scheduled to resume cruises this summer in the Mediterranean.

It set sail from the port of Trieste on May 16, and besides Corfu, will also stop in Athens, Mykonos, the port of Katakolon near Olympia in Greece, and Bari in Italy. It will operate until mid-November for some 27 cruises.

The Costa Luminosa cruise ship prepares to moor at the port of the island of Corfu, Greece, May 18, 2021. REUTERS/Adonis Skordilis

According to the company website, safety measures due to the coronavirus include a reduced number of passengers, social distancing, testing before embarking and midway through the cruise, as well as daily temperature checks when passengers disembark and re-enter the ship, as well as during excursions.

Masks will be required when necessary. The crew will also undergo frequent tests.

Another cruiseship, Mein Schiff 5 with about 1,000 passengers, was the first to dock at Piraeus Port this summer holiday season, Piraeus Port Authority said.

Tourists visited the local sites on the island wearing masks and underwent temperature checks at the museums.

“At last we’re coming back on track to freedom and work,” said tour guide Wafaa Spirou. “Safety and hygiene measures are being respected both by us and by our clients.”

Sourced By: Reuters

Bill Papastergiadis discusses potential Greece-Australia travel with Health Minister Greg Hunt

The Greek Herald
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Bill Papastergiadis discusses potential Greece-Australia travel with Health Minister Greg Hunt

Bill Papastergiadis, President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCOM), and Professor Pirpiris, Treasurer of the GCOM, met with Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt to discuss the country’s vaccine progression and the Greek Australian community.

Bill Papastergiadis congratulated the Morrison Government and Minister Hunt for their exemplary work in maintaining Australia as one of the few countries globally to be largely covid free. 

“Not enough could be said about the freedoms we have enjoyed in Australia considering the difficulties experienced in most parts of the world. This achievement in Australia cannot be understated,” Bill Papastergiadis said.

Papastergiadis raised a number of issues that were relevant to not only Greek Australians, but everyone in the country.

The President asked to what extent the uncertainty of opening international borders impacted the uptake of the vaccine. Papastergiadis said that “many people in the community had expressed a view to me that they would delay taking the vaccine given the protracted timeline for when borders were opening internationally”. Clearly, this presented a “catch 22” situation for the Federal Government.

Minister Hunt acknowledged this issue and said in clear terms that “the quicker people got vaccinated the quicker the Government would consider the opening of international borders.

“It’s up to all of us to get vaccinated. I speak regularly with the Prime Minister on this issue and when can’t emphasise how important it is that people get vaccinated”.

Minister Hunt made the point that “the issue of opening of the international borders is a matter that is constantly being considered by the Federal Government. A key factor to this is vaccination”.

Papastergiadis also asked about whether a travel bubble could be opened between Greece and Australia, providing Greece proceeds quickly with vaccinating its citizens so that it is a safe place to visit. 

Minister Hunt thanked the President, saying “this is an issue we will look into. No doubt the Federal Government will consider the possibility of travel bubbles with countries other than New Zealand. It is something the Federal Government can consider in due course”.

Minister Hunt was effusive in his praise of Greece in its initial dealings with covid. He noted that it was initially one of the world’s success stories.

Minister Hunt noted he had planned a family trip to Greece which unfortunately had to be abandoned because of covid. It was a country he certainly wanted to visit once borders were opened.

Bill Papastergiadis also raised the issue of vaccine passports and whether home quarantine for those vaccinated was being considered. Minister Hunt said those are factors the Government are constantly examining.

Minister Hunt concluded the discussion by enquiring into Bill Papastergiadis’ role as Chairman of South Melbourne FC. 

Minister Hunt asked “is it still called Hellas? It is one of the wonderful clubs of Australia and it will certainly be an exciting time when the B League is set up. Promotion/relegation would add another dimension to football in this country”.

Consul General of Greece in Adelaide: “I bow to the sacred memory of the Pontians”

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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Consul General of Greece in Adelaide: “I bow to the sacred memory of the Pontians”

Consul General of Greece in Adelaide, George Psiachas, sends his message to the Pontian Community on the 102nd Anniversary of the Greek Pontian Genocide.

In his message, Mr Psiachas stresses that despite the struggles and persecution, Pontian Hellenism remains an important part of Greece’s modern history.

Read the full statement below: 

Today, the ubiquitous Hellenism honors the memory of those who lost their lives in the Pontian Genocide during the period 1914-1923. During that difficult time, hundreds of thousands of Pontians were killed or exposed to torture, starvation, cold, and other hardships and many were displaced.

Pontian Hellenism, which has suffered so much persecution, remains deeply patriotic, and is now an important part of modern Greek society, creating and producing rich cultural work, prospering economically and participating in the political life of modern Greece and the Greek Diaspora.

I bow to the sacred memory of the Pontians, and I congratulate the Pontian community here, in Adelaide, especially through Pontian Brotherhood Brotherhood of SA, which recently inaugurated its new cultural Center, that will now shine in Adelaide as a beacon of Pontian Hellenism.

Read the statement in Greek:

Remembrance Day for the Genocide of Pontic Greeks: 10 things you may not know

The Greek Herald
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Remembrance Day for the Genocide of Pontic Greeks: 10 things you may not know

By John Voutos.

May 19 every year marks a day of remembrance for the Greek Pontian Genocide in Asia Minor. In honour of this day, The Greek Herald has 10 facts you may not know about the Greek Pontian Genocide.

1. The toll: Pontic Greeks alone made up roughly 38% of the Greek Pontian genocide casualties. Around 350,000 people, including children, died between 1914 and late-1922. That’s a yearly average of just under 39,000 deaths between this period.

Greek and Armenian refugee children near Athens. Photo: Wikipedia.

2. The Pontic Greeks were increasingly seen as a threat by the Ottoman Empire after the Balkan War and WWI. The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), an ultranationalist movement of Young Turks, became a political party and began to run the Ottoman Empire with a vision of ‘total Turkification.’ They believed the Pontic Greeks were threatening the current Muslim-majority nation state and, therefore, commenced a genocide.

3. International recognition. The Greek Pontian Genocide was recognised by Greece in 1994, and is recognised in Cyprus, US, Sweden, Armenia, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. As of May 2018, SA and NSW are the only two Australian states to recognise the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian Genocides. The Hellenic Council and the Greek Orthodox Community of Australia have lobbied for decades for the Australian Federal Parliament to recognise the genocide. Historians and scholars call for recognition of all genocides, agreeing that revising this period of history is damaging to the prosperity of the community today.

4. Pontic Greeks were not only murdered, hanged, punished, and diseased; they were expatriated and displaced to neighbouring countries, mostly “inhospitable hinterlands,” during the 9-year period. The Treaty of Lausanne of 1922-23, the international recognition of the Republic of Turkey as the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, facilitated the expatriation of “approximately 400,000 Greek-Ottomans” in Macedonia and Thrace, and notably Thessaloniki, Pella, Kilkis, and more. Pontic Greeks can now be found all over the world.

5. Ottoman-Greek men aged 21-45 were sent to concentration camps to work for the Empire. These men were deprived of food, sleep and their right to live.

Casualties of the Greek genocide. Source: Pappas Post.

6. The genocide helped Turkey reclaim Pontus. However, the Centre for Asia Minor Studies in Athens has identified as many as 1500 distinct Greek Orthodox settlements in the Pontus region, each with their own unique culture, traditions and way of life. Pontic Greeks in the remote region of Pontus, the Black Sea and Pontic Mountains in northeast Anatolia, are an ethnic Greek-Ottoman minority community. Their proximity to Turkey and their desolation made them easy targets during the genocide.

Greeks in Armenia and Karabakh commemorate May 19 in Yerevan, Armenia (2016). Photo: Photolure.

7. Remembering the Pontians that were forced to serve on the Ottoman side of WW1: The Ottoman government conscribed all Pontian men aged 18-50 to serve in WW1 with execution as the penalty for evasion.

8. What does the day mark? The 19th of May is the day Mustafa Kemal (or Kemal Ataturk), landed in Samsun on the Black Sea shores and intensified the brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing.

9. The Remembrance Day for the Pontic Genocide is May 19th. Two other remembrance days for the Greek Genocide are April 6 and September 14, to honour the victims of the eastern Thrace region and the broader Asia Minor, respectively.

10. At times, the Pontic Greeks took up arms and resisted the Ottoman Empire and began organising guerrilla forces as early as 1915. The idea was not only to escape genocide but to take revenge, as did the Armenians and Azerbaijani people in ‘Operation Nemesis’. Their resistance was aided by the Metropolitan of Amasya, Germanos Karavangelis, and other leading figures such as Vassilios Anthopoulos, Efkleidis Kourtidi, and Kotza Anastas.

St Nectarios Parish Burwood receives $5,000 government grant for The Cottage Kitchen

Andriana Simos
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St Nectarios Parish Burwood receives $5,000 government grant for The Cottage Kitchen

The Cottage Kitchen, which was an initiative launched by St Nectarios Greek Orthodox Parish in Burwood last year, has received a second $5,000 Multicultural NSW Covid Community Support Grant.

The Kitchen came about at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the parish board decided to provide free-of-charge home-cooked meals once a week to anyone in the local community who needed support, not just parishioners.

But since its humble beginnings in July 2020, when an initial $5,000 grant from Multicultural NSW made it possible to engage a caterer to get the Kitchen up and running, the initiative has grown significantly and is now in the hands of the Parish’s Ladies Philoptochos.

The Cottage Kitchen. Photos supplied.

“Once the first grant had been used up, our Ladies Philoptochos decided to keep The Cottage Kitchen going themselves,” Christina Efthymiades, Director and Board Secretary at St Nectarios Greek Orthodox Parish in Burwood, tells The Greek Herald.

“They volunteer to do all the meal planning, shopping and cooking and we’ve been covering the cost of ingredients through donations from October 2020 until today.”

The Philoptochos ladies are now preparing about 80 generous-sized meals every Monday for collection at lunch time, or by delivery by our volunteers to those with mobility issues in the local area.

The volunteers make about 80 meals every Monday. Photo supplied.

Ms Efthymiades says the second $5,000 Multicultural NSW Covid Community Support Grant towards the Kitchen will ensure the service remains viable in the future.

“These funds will support the work of our Ladies Philoptochos in delivering this vital service each week and bolster the program, which has been continuing based purely on donations,” she adds.

“We are extremely grateful to Multicultural NSW for the $10,000 worth of Covid Community Support Grants received to date to support The Cottage Kitchen – the smiles on the faces of those who receive our meals are an amazing reward and we know we are delivering a real lift to so many people each week.

Some of the volunteers at the Cottage Kitchen. Photos supplied.

“Our thanks also to our tireless volunteers – shopping, cooking and delivering – who make this service possible.”

The Cottage Kitchen operates every Monday with meals available for collection between 12noon and 1pm from 5 Burleigh Street, Burwood – or can be delivered to people with mobility issues in the local area. Enquiries can be directed to Christina Scalone on 0418 612 187.

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