A two-year-old girl, the child of Iraqi asylum-seekers, was run over and killed by a vehicle in an area known as Agia Ermioni on the island of Chios, shortly before noon on Monday.
According to sources, the vehicle was the property of a non-governmental organisation operating within the Reception and Identification Centre (RIC).
The driver was transporting the family and other families of asylum seekers to the RIC area.
The driver had started reversing without realising that the child was behind the vehicle.
The child was rushed to Chios Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
A peaceful protests against government education reforms turned violent when hooded youths attacked police with stones and other objects. Police also discovered a rucksack containing five homemade firebombs.
It is reported that roughly 50 students “attacked” police, who were blocking Queen Sophia (Vasilissis Sophias) Avenue, in hopes of preventing clashes outside the property of Parliament House.
Police officers responded by firing tear gas at students to disperse them.
The students were protesting government education reforms including plans to stop “long-term students” by setting a maximum time period for students to finish their degrees.
The law reforms have also included abolishing the asylum law that had banned police from university campuses.
Students are also calling for the recruitment for more university professors and staff.
Police arrested between one to two people, and detained four over the incidents that occurred in downtown Athens on Monday.
The Doltone House family celebrated 50 Year’s last week – at their first venue in Sylvania Waters.
An official plaque commemorating this extraordinary achievement was revealed by The Hon. Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister of Australia, in the presence of The Hon. Mark Raymond Speakman, SC MP, Councillor Carmelo Pesce, Mayor of Sutherland Shire, along with NSW parliamentarians, local councillors, business leaders and family members.
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison MP, remarked on the entrepreneurial nature, bravery, ambition and strong family ties of the Signorelli family who remain at the helm of Doltone House, namely Paul Signorelli, Executive Chairman, Anna Cesarano, Chief Executive Officer and Nina Milazzo, Chief Operating Officer, who have worked tirelessly since taking over the business 25 years ago from the Stubbs family.
Doltone House, the migrant story and the concept of family in leadership
Doltone House is a beacon of the successful migrant story, and how the traditional family business model can still be adapted in large corporations.
“Family gives a sense of love and welcome. When I think of the Signorelli family, who have been in business for so long, I think of a family who has an intense love and passion for each other, and that love overflows into the community they serve,” said Prime Minister Morrison.
“They aren’t a business just seeking to make money, it’s a business seeking to make a difference in the lives of its customers,” said Prime Minister Morrison.
Paul Signorelli said the success of his family’s business is the service, the product and the personalised care.
“We believe our success is due to keeping what is important front and centre – great service and exceptional product. Even today, our clients know they can reach out to us personally, they know we absolutely care about every single event,” said Mr Signorelli.
The Signorelli family have changed the landscape of Sydney with their many landmark function centres. Though, one of their most proud contributions is their ‘Life from a Suitcase’ monument (image above), which sits on Darling Island as a celebration of immigration in Australia; a tribute to migrant success stories.
The monument was dedicated to grandfather, Biaggio Signorelli, whose migration from Italy is a beacon for the migrant success story.
“We were inspired by our father Biaggio and mother Fina to do our best, work for each other and give to others. Our father’s legacy sits front and centre with us every day, and we know how proud of us he would be,” said Mrs Cesarano.
Image: Brendan Esposito via The Leader.
50 years on, Doltone House has hosted almost 67,000 events, 32,400 of them business events, and catered for over 6,400,000 people.
Doltone House employs over 550 people across Sydney and attributes their success to their staff.
“Our staff are an extension of our family. We couldn’t have reached where we are today without their commitment and efforts, we have been honoured to work with such great people,” said Mr Signorelli.
The Signorelli family now operates six venues and over 30 event spaces. They will open Marconi Events at Marconi Club in 2020, an event destination in Milperra in 2025, and have more projects in the pipeline.
The small Greek patisserie in Adelaide was just named best in Australia at the Restaurant and Catering Awards.
George Diakomichalis opened Kalymnos Pastries in Torrensville in 1995, with his wife Eleni.
Coming from a long line of pastry chefs, the couple have channeled the same work ethic of the previous generation of Greeks to create the same Greek pastries passed on from George’s grandfather and uncle.
“I still use recipes I learnt from my grandfather and uncles,” Mr Diakomichalis told Adelaide Now.
“We keep things traditional – four generations of traditions made fresh for Australia.”
The Restaurant and Catering Awards are a prestigious national event, recognising the best in their fields all over Australia. Kalymnos Pastries was named ‘Best Patisserie in Australia’.
“Awards like this don’t just happen, they come from hard work and determination by a team with heart,” said Mr Diakomichalis.
George attributes his success to his proud heritage and passion for keeping the traditions of his ancestors alive.
“I believe it doesn’t matter what your cultural background is, traditional dishes are the ones that stand the test of time,” he said.
“We pay homage to our ancestors in everything we do and sometimes add a modern twist. Our deep history and pride makes me very proud to be an Australian with Greek heritage.”
David Robertson, head of Economic and Market Research, of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, will present a lecture titled “Australia, Greece and the European Union – an economic overview”, on Thursday 14 November 2019, at the Greek Centre of Melbourne.
David will discuss the global macroeconomic environment, including the impact of US Trade policy on China and the EU in particular, as well as the Greek Economy, The euro currency versus the EU vision and the outlook for the Australian economy in light of global influences.
David joined Bendigo Bank 17 years ago as Head of Financial Markets, and today is the Head of Economic and Market Research for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. His regular economic updates are available on the bank’s LinkedIn and YouTube sites.
David’s banking career commenced in 1989 as a foreign exchange dealer, and since then has worked in senior roles in Treasury and Financial Markets for Colonial State Bank, First Chicago and CBA.
The lecture is presented by Delphi Bank and the Greek Community of Melbourne.
When: Thursday 14 November 2019, 7.00pm Where: Greek Centre (Delphi Bank Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne)
His Eminence, Archbishop Makarios, visited the parish of St John the Baptist in Cairns on the weekend, for its 25th anniversary and the opening of the new St John’s Community Care.
During his visit, His Eminence bestowed the Gold Cross of St. Andrew on two of the parish’s foundational workers.
The Gold Cross of St. Andrew is the highest award of recognition given by the Archbishop usually to laypeople who have offered lifelong service.
Mr Chaz Giannoukas and Mrs Effie Bacalakis have been working voluntarily to build and grow the parish from its inception in the early 1990’s.
They have donated time, energy, expertise, and private funds to build St. John’s to be one of the most dynamic parishes in Australia.
St. John’s Community Care services over 5000 clients in the aged and disability sector, providing home care, centre based respite, group homes, home modification, transport and much more.
His Eminence pointed out to the large crowd that self sacrifice carried out in a silent and humble manner is Christ-like and pleasing to God.
The new Disney+ service has started developing a new feature film about the life of basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The film will focus on Antetokounmpo’s early life and current career. There will be a focus on his early life as the son of Nigerian immigrants in Greece and juggling this conflict to become a leading NBA All-Star.
Deadline reported that “A Private War” screenwriter Arash Amel will write the script for “Greek Freek.”
The film is anticipated to be of the same critically-acclaimed success as films like “The Blind Side” and “Moneyball”, as they intertwine sports with larger, pressing issues to connect with a range of audiences.
“It’s within the framework of sport that we find so many great human stories. That’s what I think this is all about,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.
The project, named after his nickname, will become the latest feature film from Disney’s live-action film group for Disney+.
The MVP has been playing with the Milwaukee Bucks since 2013.
The Russian Orthodox Church stopped a Eucharistic communion with Archbishop Leronymos II of Greece, due to his recognition of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
In late October, Archbishop Ieronymos II officially acknowledged the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
“This means that we stop the Eucharist communion with the Archbishop of Athens, but this does not mean that we stop communion with the whole Greek church. We will continue to maintain fellowship with all those bishops who do not recognise the Ukranian schism, and there are such in the Greek church,” said Metropolitan Hilarion.
“We already predicted our reaction in the decision of the second Synod meeting in October…we said that if the Archbishop of Athens officially recognises the Ukranian schism, then his name will be deleted from the Russian Orthodox Church’s bead-roll,” the Metropolitan said.
The Moscow Patriarchate described the situation as the “legalization of schism,” stressing that it would have catastrophic consequences and affect millions of Christians in Ukraine and other countries.
On October 12, the Synod of the Hierarchy of the Church of Greece became the first Orthodox church to recognise Constantinople’s decision to give the non-canonical Ukrainian church the tomos of autocephaly.
Additionally, the Synod granted Archbishop Leronymos II the right to make decisions regarding the issue of autocephaly, clearing the way for the Greek church to take the next step and officially recognise the Ukranian church.
France’s new ambassador to Greece, Patrick Maisonnave, calls for cooperation on multiple levels between Athens and Paris on issues ranging from security to investment in his first interview in Greece.
Maisonnave told Kathimerini that France will defend its interests in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) – where French company Total has signed a licensing agreement for hydrocarbon exploration along with Italy’s Eni – while stressing that Turkey is a player that does not always cooperate at the regional level.
“Greece is clearly at the center of a multitude of challenges: the refugee crisis, humanitarian issues, security issues, geopolitics and a slew of regional and extra-regional factors that are particularly complex, foremost of which is Turkey, which does not always play the game of regional and bilateral cooperation. We are allies, but in practical terms Turkey acts alone, as evidenced by its recent initiative in Syria,” said Maisonnave.
The ambassador highlighted three areas where Greece and France’s cooperation could be strenghtened, including economic, immigration and defence.
“The first is economic. The former government made bold decisions. The new government is presenting clear and encouraging prospects that we welcome and which will lead to the path of economic growth. There is also the immigration crisis, which is not a Greek crisis but a European Union one. Lastly, there’s the area of defense, the strategic dimension. We want to make an effective contribution so that the Hellenic Armed Forces can return to a state that will allow Greece, together with others, with France, to deal with security challenges,” he said.
The ambassador also touched on an increase in French investment in Greece, during his interview with Kathimerini.
“France wants to be one of Greece’s leading partners, just as it was during the decade of the crisis. I would like to hail the French businesspeople who stayed in Greece despite the difficulties,” he said.
“[Prime Minister Kyriakos] Mitsotakis has embarked on a wide-ranging and bold effort to restore the economy and I have no doubt that French businesspeople and French investment funds will be in a position to participate in this effort – in the area of defense, which I mentioned previously, but also in the areas of transport, insurance and financial services, in the hotel and tourism sectors, in energy, pharmaceutical products, the management of water resources and waste, and the area of agriculture and food.”
One by one, the 40 descendants of a group of Israeli siblings leaned down and hugged the elderly Greek woman to whom they owe their very existence, as she sat in her wheelchair and wiped away tears streaking down her wrinkled face.
Clutching the hands of those she hid, fed and protected as a teenager more than 75 years ago, 92-year-old Dina Melpomeni said she could now “die quietly.”
Sunday’s emotional encounter was the first time Dina had met the offspring of the Mordechai family she helped save during the Holocaust.
The Mordechai family lived in Veria, Greece, near Thessaloniki, where nearly the entire Jewish community was annihilated within a few months in one of the most brutal executions of the Nazis.
When the Nazis began rounding up the Jews for deportation in early 1943, the family’s non-Jewish friends provided them with fake identity cards and hid them in the attic of the old abandoned Turkish mosque. They were there for almost a year, hearing the screams outside of other Jews being rounded up. But eventually they had to leave because their health was declining in the cramped, unventilated attic.
That’s when Dina and her two older sisters took the family of seven into their own single-room home on the outskirts of the city, sharing with them their food rations.
One of the children, a six-year-old boy named Shmuel, became gravely ill and had to be taken to a hospital, despite the risk of exposing his identity. He died there.
Shortly after, the family was informed and Dina’s sisters and their relatives helped them flee in various directions.
Yanai, the oldest, headed for the woods, another went to the mountains, and the mother headed out on foot with her youngest two surviving children in search of another hiding spot.
Dina and her orphaned and impoverished sisters provided them with clothing before their departure. The family reunited after liberation and made their way to Israel, where the children started families of their own.
Yossi Mor, today 77, was just an infant when his family was taken in, but he said he could still remember a few things, such as when his older brother died and the kindness they encountered from their rescuers — who gave them various forms of refuge for nearly two years.
“They fed us, they gave us medicine, they gave us the protection, everything, they washed our clothes,” he said, before gesturing toward Dina. “She loved me very much.”
Mor and Yanai had reunited with Dina in Greece years ago. But the younger generation of their extended family had never met her before Sunday’s ceremony. The two soldiers proudly pushed Dina and Yanai throughout the complex in their wheelchairs.
