Federal MP Dr Mike Freelander has rallied behind a new Greek culture group, Macarthur Greeks, saying that it is important for us all to know where we come from.
“History is very important, as is education and culture,’’ says the federal member for Macarthur.
Reported by South West Voice, Dr Freelander yesterday welcomed members of the recently elected committee of Macarthur Greeks. They included founder John Tsekas and chair Paul Hawker, the former mayor of Campbelltown.
Also attending was local artist Angela Kiki, whose works on the Greek War of Independence will be one of the highlights of Macarthur Greeks activities to celebrate the bicentenary of that pivotal conflict that started in 1821.
Photo: Macarthur Advertiser
Her collection will be launched at a VIP premiere to be held next February in the Campbelltown arts centre.
In the meantime she was grateful that people like Dr Freelander were getting behind the Macarthur Greeks and next year’s celebrations.
“For an artist like me it’s wonderful to see such support from Dr Freelander,’’ Ms Kiki said.
The member for Macarthur said it was well known the Greek community had made a great contribution to Australia since World War II.
“That’s why I am happy to support something like this, where the local Greek community is showing their history, their culture, where they come from,’’ he said.
One of the world’s biggest power couples, American actor George Clooney and wife Amal are known to dedicate a large portion of their time to humanitarian conservation efforts.
Speaking in an interview with the Observer last week, Clooney said the discussions he had with his wife Amal on the fate of the Parthenon Marbles while they were still dating helped forge a strong bond between them.
Clooney recalled the backlash he received from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was then mayor of London, when he argued in favour of the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
George Clooney and wife Amal. Photo: Sky News.
His statement came while he was in the UK promoting his movie The Monuments Men in 2014. It was that very night that Clooney met his future wife Amal Alamuddin for dinner.
Amal had been hired as a lawyer to argue the Greek case and had discussed the issue extensively with Clooney. As Clooney says, she armed him with all the information and legal arguments to respond to the criticism and defend his statements.
The actor said he recognised he also “owes part of his current domestic contentment and job satisfaction” to Johnson, according to the Observer.
The Greek government has promised to strengthen its campaign to retrieve the marbles in time for the country’s 200 year independence celebrations next year.
For the first time in more than 20 years, two women have leadership roles in the City of Adelaide and one of them is of Greek background, from Kalamata and Mani.
On December 1st, North Adelaide Councillor Mary Couros commenced her role as Deputy Lord Mayor (DLM) and together with Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, are ready to support the community and businesses as they recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
What to others would seem like an unsurmountable obstacle, to Couros is business as usual and all this, while juggling motherhood and managing the family’s businesses.
In between council meetings and before she leaves the city for some family time in Port Elliot, The Greek Herald sat down for a chat with the City of Adelaide’s newly elected Deputy Lord Mayor.
City of Adelaide Deputy Lord Mayor Mary Couros with Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor
Ms Couros, you were recently elected as the Deputy Lord Mayor of Adelaide. How does this make you feel?
I am honoured to beelected to have this opportunity. I feel privileged to be in this position to work alongside the Lord Mayor.
You’ve been chosen to help the Lord Mayor support the community and businesses in an especially hard period, as Adelaide is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. What are some of your priorities?
The priority is to ensure that we navigate our city through this crisis and to support our community in the city and North Adelaide, through a recovery phase and be adaptable to still be active and vibrant under COVID conditions.
To be a sustainable city and recognised worldwide economically and culturally, policy frameworks need to be enforced to work collaborative with State and Federal governments to share a vision for growth as a Capital City.
This is an excellent opportunity to have these conversations and set up the framework.
The Lord Mayor has been working on this and I look forward to being a part of it and supporting her towards a greater vision for the City of Adelaide.
Are there any specific plans for Adelaide’s multicultural communities?
Before COVID hit, I had a motion successfully passed to investigate a Multicultural Hub within the city. My aim is to have a central location where migrants and people of different cultures can meet and work share in a supportive environment.
The Multicultural Hub has been working very well in Melbourne and I believe it gives migrants the opportunity to connect more with the city.
Unfortunately, COVID has delayed any further investigation but I hope to move forward on this very soon.
What does a day in the life of the Deputy Lord Mayor of Adelaide look like?
Very hectic, as I have many roles with running a Real Estate business, family restaurants run by my partner and I together with four kids and my council duties.
My day starts at 6am and I try to fit in some exercise before juggling my day, which at times ends very late, but I am used to it as I always have run businesses and I don’t know any different.
Where do you find the time for everything?
Time is an issue some days and there is not enough in the day, but it comes down to good communication with colleagues, knowing how to prioritise, discipline and a very supportive family.
In a recent interview you said that ‘no matter your gender, age or your upbringing, if you have a passion and are prepared to work hard anything is possible’. Talk to us about your upbringing and the values you carry with you?
My father was very strict and was all about work ethic. I grew up in the city and worked at my parents Snack Bar in the school holidays. Our family duties came first and then we were allowed to have our own recreational activities.
Growing up, I would often be a translator for my parents and I had to mediate through two cultures, Greek and Australian. My parents came to a foreign country with no language, money and no education.
They have instilled in me the passion to work hard and to achieve all that you can, even when all the odds are stacked against you.
What is something that people don’t know about Adelaide?
Adelaide is a city that is filled with amazing talent in every industry and if international or interstate companies want to set up a business here, they would be surprised to find all the skilled and talented people that are here and how easy it would be to set up the business, along with Adelaide’s easy lifestyle.
On this day, the popular Greek Christmas almond biscuit, a ‘kourabie,’ earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The Christmas biscuit was created by Greek pastry chef, Aggelos Ipokamisas, and his team. Various sponsors helped Ipokamisas create the dessert by providing both the ingredients and the machinery needed to assemble it.
The kourabie was presented to the Guinness World Records on December 22 and was consumed at Thessaloniki’s largest Christmas Park, ‘Asterokosmos.’
Asterokosmos, located in the fairgrounds of the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, was created in 2013 as a way for the city of Thessaloniki to become a Christmas tourism destination.
The kourabie being assembled. Source: news.gtp.gr.
The biscuit was created for the grand opening of the park to create a spectacle for people to visit and to spread Christmas cheer, organisers, TIF-Helexpo, claimed.
The kourabie needed to weigh in at more than 200kg in order to earn its place in the Guinness World Records book.
The recipe included 150 eggs, 100kg of sugar, 150kg of flour, 70kg of butter, 4L of cognac and 30kg of almonds. The kourabie was created separately in certain sections, and was put together after completion into a half moon shape.
The kourbie weighed in at over 300kg, smashing the previous record, and therefore, on this day in 2013, was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Member representatives that sit on the Board of Directors of The Hellenic Village Ltd held an Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 15 to discuss the Federation’s finances and its 100-hectare property investment located in Kemps Creek, NSW.
The property in the state’s west was bought about 30 years ago. Twenty-one Greek associations* in Sydney make up the Hellenic Village Ltd. These associations purchased a cumulative number of 51 shares.
This investment property in Kemps Creek was initially purchased for approximately $500,000, but it has now been conservatively valued at approximately $55 million.
According to our sources, the sale of this property and it’s future was discussed at the AGM on December 15. Currently, no concrete plans have been made, but there are several options being discussed amongst members as to the future of the property.
Sources close to The Greek Herald suggest it is more likely this investment will be sold, with a redevelopment of the site unlikely to be undertaken at this stage. A number of options for what to do with the profits of the sale were suggested amongst the members.
The main option was that some of the profits would be invested back into the Greek community for a cultural building or something where the Greek community of Sydney can all benefit. After that: (1) some of the profits would go towards paying the Federation’s debt, which is “more than $500,000,” or (2) a “portion would go back to the associations” who have shares in the property.
But our sources say this second option is “unconstitutional” as “in accordance to the Constitution… no dividends from the property are to be paid back to any of the associations, directly or indirectly.”
The 2009 Hellenic Village Ltd Constitution obtained by The Greek Herald confirms this in paragraph 4 on page 6, which states:
“The income and property of the federation whensoever derived, shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the federation as set forth in this Constitution, and no portion thereof shall be paid or transferred, directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise to the members of the federation.”
The Greek Herald has reached out directly to the current committee of the Hellenic Village Ltd for comment and they replied that: “…the Board will consider whether to issue a Media Release regarding discussions and outcomes of the recent AGM at its next Board meeting scheduled for the new year. Until that time Hellenic Village Ltd will not be making any comments in relation to the AGM.”
With no clarification as to how the sale of the Hellenic Village property would work as yet, its future remains unclear.
*The 21 Greek associations who make up the Hellenic Village Ltd:
Order of AHEPA NSW INC – 3 shares
AHEPA Heracles INC – 3 shares
Apollo Sports and Cultural Club – 1 share.
Cyprus Hellene Club Inc – 2 shares.
Diakofton Association – 3 shares.
Elassona Philanthropic Association – 3 shares
Greek Taxi Drivers’ Assoc. – 1 share
Hassion Philanthropic Assoc – 3 shares
Hellenic Club of Sydney – 3 shares
Helmos Philanthropic Association – 3 shares
Kalavryton Society (NSW) ‘Aghia Lavra’ Inc – 3 shares
Lefkadian Brotherhood of NSW LTD – 2 shares
Messolonghi Association – 3 PO
Meteora Association – 3 shares
Pan-Arcadian Association of NSW – 2 shares
Pan-Korinthian Association of NSW – 2 shares
Pan-Nafpaktian Association ‘Nafpaktos’ – 2 shares
Pan-Thessalian Federation – 2 shares
Pan-Thracian Association of NSW ‘Democritus’ – 2 shares
Association of Plataneon ‘O Platanos’ – 3 shares
Saint Barbara Philanthropic Association – 2 shares
While much of the Western world looks to Santa Claus, otherwise known as Saint Nicholas, for gift giving at Christmas, Greek’s turn to Saint Basil the Great!
Santa Claus is a modernised version of Saint Nicholas, who was of Greek origin from Lycia and lived during the 4th century. Saint Nicholas was a devoted bishop known for his secret gifts, creating the model for the beloved Santa Claus.
Saint Nicholas was a devoted bishop known for his secret gifts, creating the model for the beloved Santa Claus.
In the early nineteenth century, Western Europeans developed the figure of Santa Claus and associated him with Saint Nicholas, thus creating a convergence between the two.
In Greece, however, Saint Nicholas was not the prominent figure related to gift giving. Instead, it was Saint Basil (Agios Vasilis), who was the bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Saint Basil is known for his care for the poor and underprivileged, especially around Christmas time where he would present gifts to young children.
Saint Basil’s feast day falls on January first, and is the saint responsible for the Greek tradition of eating a Vasilopita on New Years Day.
Legend says that tax collectors once overtaxed the people of Greece to the extent that they were forced to hand over their jewellery. Declaring the action as unjust, Basil forced the tax collectors to return the gold but in order to evenly distribute it back to the public, he came up with the novel idea of baking a cake, which is now known as the Vasilopita.
Greek’s have since continued to associate Saint Basil with the tradition of gift giving. For centuries after, Greek’s would give one another Christmas presents on New Years Day, rather than Christmas Day.
While this tradition is slowly disappearing, we invite you to reflect on the history and traditions of gift giving, remembering that it was Saint Basil who made the holidays a happier time for all!
An independent review into two Victorian aged-care facilities has found that frontline workers hired to fill staffing gaps at the facilities were “inexperienced” and spoke just basic English.
The probe into St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner and Heritage Care’s Epping Gardens also found poor infection control, inadequate emergency planning and deficient leadership at the height of the outbreak.
The damning findings, contained with a review commissioned by the Federal Government, highlight the challenges faced by the aged care sector as it grappled with the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year.
More than 7000 aged-care staff were furloughed during the second wave because they were either close contacts or had contracted the virus, replaced with staff the authors of the report said were unsuitable.
“Most had little experience in aged care, and many spoke only basic English. With little preparation or supervision, it is not surprising that many did not stay and those who did, were quite likely traumatised,” report authors, Professor Lyn Gilbert and Adjunct Professor Alan Lilly, said.
The review found both nursing homes had poor infection control and inadequate emergency planning. Photo: ABC News / Four Corners.
Families faced ‘deeply distressing experience’ during St Basil’s Fawkner outbreak:
Almost 700 older Australians died from COVID-19 in nursing homes during the pandemic, almost all of which were in Victoria between July and August.
Ultimately, 45 people died at St Basil’s Fawkner and 38 died at Epping Gardens.
The report reveals the managers at St Basil’s Fawkner “believed they were adequately prepared to manage a COVID-19 outbreak.”
But cracks began to appear in mid-July when rumours swirled about residents being infected and dying. Relatives spoke of their frustration at not being able to contact the nursing home as the pandemic worsened.
“Details of what happened after that are varied, but consistently reflect the extreme distress and suffering of families and their loved ones, of whom so many died,” the authors found.
The report said that after July 22, family members became “increasingly alarmed” after seeing their loved ones deteriorate, both mentally and physically.
“When they managed to get through to St Basil’s they often encountered staff whose English was difficult to understand and were sometimes unsympathetic or insensitive,” the report said.
“Often the caller also spoke of their own distress and feeling of helplessness.”
The report acknowledged the “deeply distressing experience” faced by family members.
“Mostly they do not blame anyone for the outbreak, although some suspect St Basil’s was not well prepared,” the report states.
“What distresses relatives most was the neglect of basic care which, understandably, they interpret as a lack of respect and betrayal.
“And they are particularly saddened by their loved ones dying alone, sometimes without having seen their family members, in person, for months.”
However, St Basil’s Fawkner has rejected some of the report’s findings, “including any claim that it was not adequately prepared for a COVID-19 outbreak or that it did not comply with COVID-19 outbreak management protocols.”
“The home was inspected a number of times by independent and government authorities up until July 22, 2020, each of whom found that appropriate action was being taken by St Basil’s management and staff to combat the outbreak,” St Basil’s Fawkner said in a statement.
“That changed dramatically when contractors engaged by the Commonwealth moved in and took over the management of the facility on July 22.”
In September, St Basil’s Fawkner also appointed a new Chairman, Very Reverend Archimandrite Father Evmenios Vasilopoulos, Archiepiscopal Vicar of Northcote, after the resignation of the former Chairman, Mr Konstantinos Kontis.
Epping Gardens boss says they desperately tried to save lives:
At Epping Gardens, the review found there was a false sense of confidence about how prepared the home was for a disease as insidious as COVID-19 proved to be during the second wave.
It also noted staffing problems at the site, with 86 workers infected and others isolating as close contacts.
“A group of casual staff were specifically recruited and assigned by the national surge workforce program to Epping Gardens to assist with cohorting,” the report noted.
“After several hours of inaction, the staff were withdrawn, causing much frustration in an environment where staffing resources were a precious commodity.”
Adding to the already significant problem was the suspension of a number of workers.
Some staff at the home attended a baby shower in an unused room at the nursing home, despite it being against pandemic regulations at the time.
With more than 80 workers infected and other self-isolating there were significant staffing problems at Eppings Gardens. Photo: AAP / Daniel Pockett.
“The matter was reported to Victoria Police and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Those proceedings remain underway,” the report said.
The managing director of Heritage Care, Tony Antonopoulos, described the experience of dealing with the virus as “a war”.
“We were desperately trying to save lives in that week,” he told the review.
“I can’t describe to you how desperate the situation was behind the scene; how helpless we felt and how isolated that we felt.
“This is the one time, the one event, where I felt I’m completely helpless. It was the worst feeling I’ve ever had in my life in that sense.”
Recommendations from the review:
Professor Gilbert said the aim of the investigation was not to apportion blame, but to learn from what happened.
“We identified seven major factors that we believed contributed that were related to both the facilities themselves and the support services provided by government,” she said.
“They related to the leadership and management within the facilities, communication between the facilities and the relatives, which was really poor in both cases, and relatives became really anxious because they couldn’t get any information during the outbreaks.”
The experts are now urging that key changes be made to ensure that the failings from the pandemic are not repeated.
They include:
Having detailed and specific outbreak management plans, which cover infection control and staffing
No restrictions on the number of residents who can be transferred to hospital
Better communication with residents and their families, who were “often the last to be informed”
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for leaders
“This review clearly identifies how easily things can go awry and that the preparations needed for such major outbreaks are often significantly underestimated,” they said.
Mrs Dawn Clements has been formally appointed the new Principal of St Andrew’s Grammar, the Governing Committee of St. Andrew Grammar Inc and The Hellenic Community of Western Australia have announced today.
Mrs Clements is the first woman in the 30 year history of the school to take on the role, with the exception of Dr Angela Evangelinou-Giannaki who has been acting Principal.
The new Principal, who will begin her role in the 2021 academic year, was selected from a highly competitive field which included candidates from across Australia and internationally.
Mrs Dawn Clements has been formally appointed the new Principal of St Andrew’s Grammar.
“Mrs Clements is an warm and engaging leader who is respected for her leadership skills. She has a strong personal and professional connection to our values of character, courage, compassion and consciousness,” Dr Maria Gogos, Secretary of St. Andrew’s Grammar Inc, said in a statement.
“On behalf of the President and Committee of St. Andrew’s Grammar Inc and the Hellenic Community of WA, we welcome Mrs Dawn Clements and her family to St. Andrew’s Grammar and our community.”
Mrs Clements holds a Master of Educational Management, Diploma of Education, and a Bachelor of Arts, all from the University of Western Australia.
Prior to returning to Perth in 2020, she was the Principal of Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Melbourne. Mrs Clements has also taught and held senior positions at Perth-based Independent Colleges, including Lake Joondalup Baptist College, St Stephens Uniting Church School, Santa Maria College and All Saints’ Anglican College.
Former Health Minister, Jenny Mikakos, has taken a dramatic swipe at Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, calling his response to the state’s disastrous hotel quarantine program “another masterclass in political deflection.”
Ms Mikakos, who quit parliament after Mr Andrews pinned blame onto her for the failings of the state’s first hotel quarantine program, released a statement on Twitter on Monday afternoon.
It comes after Judge Jennifer Coates’ final inquiry findings found private security guards were the wrong choice to guard Victoria’s returned travellers in the hotel quarantine scheme.
— Jenny Mikakos #StaySafeSaveLives (@JennyMikakos) December 21, 2020
“The Coate inquiry has failed to answer key questions. I believe Victorians deserve to know the truth about an event that has so profoundly impacted them,” Ms Mikakos wrote.
“They do not need another masterclass in political deflection from the Premier.”
She then called for the Coate inquiry to release all phone records from March 27 — the day National Cabinet approved the use of hotels to quarantine people arriving from overseas.
“I am disappointed the inquiry decided to redact some phone records including the Premier’s calls in their entirety and to subject these to a non-publication order,” Ms Mikakos wrote.
Jenny Mikakos (left) resigned from the government on September 26.
“In the interests of transparency all telephone call records provided relating to 27 March 2020 should be publicly released.”
Ms Mikakos went on to say she offered her deepest condolences to the Victorians who passed away during the pandemic and said she was honoured to have served the state in her role as Health Minister.
She resigned from the government on September 26 — one of six ministerial departures during 2020 — claiming that her integrity had been questioned.
Asked on Monday why it was right for Ms Mikakos to resign as the minister accountable for the Department of Health and Human Services’ mistakes, but not right for him to resign as the Premier responsible for the whole government, Mr Andrews said Justice Coate’s report had confirmed he was correct to identify DHHS as the “control agency” for hotel quarantine.
“I answered fully, frankly, and honestly under oath, and the board has made findings that are 100 percent consistent with the answers that I gave,” Mr Andrews said.
“Beyond that, as to the decisions that the Minister made at the time to leave the government, leave the cabinet and the parliament, that really is a matter for her and I don’t intend to be running a commentary on that.
“Once you’ve made a decision that you can no longer serve, then the appropriate decision is to go, and that’s exactly what the Minister did.”
The Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers exchanged tweets over the weekend about the future of their countries’ bilateral relations in an unusual case of diplomacy through social media.
Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, shared on his Twitter account on Saturday his interview with the local Parapolitika daily claiming that recent EU Council decisions against Turkey were not “enough” and that the US imposed sanctions on Turkey for “threatening the NATO alliance.”
In response, Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, provided some unsolicited advice to his Greek counterpart on his own Twitter account.
Dear Niko, here's some friendly advice for the new year- stop asking for help from others and injuring the Greek people’s dignity. May 2021 be the year when we settle our differences equitably by talking directly, sincerely, and earnestly. @NikosDendiashttps://t.co/ui3hyO8iYi
“Dear Niko, here’s some friendly advice for the new year,” Cavusoglu said. “Stop asking for help from others and injuring the Greek people’s dignity. May 2021 be the year when we settle our differences equitably by talking directly, sincerely, and earnestly.”
Dendias “hit back” by thanking his counterpart for the wishes and calling on Turkey to adhere to “three A’s,” as he said. Abandon threats against Greece, Aspire to become more European andAbstain from provocations.
“After all,” the Greek FM added, “we live in the 21st century.”
Thank you my dear friend Mevlut. As we exchange wishes and advice, may 2021 be the year of the three “A”s for Turkey to: 1. Abandon its threats of war against Greece should we exercise our legitimate rights. After all we live in the 21st century. @MevlutCavusoglu
