Dean Kalimniou will present a lecture entitled Pontian Genocide Memorial Seminar: William Lloyd and the Liberation of Pontus, on Thursday 13 May, at 7.00pm, at the Greek Centre, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars, offered by the Greek Community of Mlebourne.

This is a joint event with the Pontiaki Estia.

While there was little pre-War engagement with Pontus in Australia, one man, William Lloyd, did his utmost to draw attention to the plight of the Greeks of Pontus and call for their independence. His story is as fascinating as is the process of verifying the astonishing events that colour it.

Dean Kalimniou is also a well-known lawyer, poet and short story writer within the Greek community. As a journalist he is popular within the Greek community of Australia through his column in the Melbourne Greek newspaper Neos Kosmos, entitled Diatribe, which has been running since 2001. He has published six poetry collections and has also translated numerous works of prominent Greek-Australian authors from Greek into English. In November 2007, Dean Kalimniou was awarded a Government of Victoria Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs.

When: Thursday 13 May, 7.00pm

Where: Greek Centre (Mezzanine Level, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne).

This is a hybrid seminar (speaker will be at the mezzanine level while event broadcast on Facebook/Youtube).

The Morrison government has received severe backlash since they made the decision to close the borders to COVID-struck India, as was the main point of debate on Thursday nights episode of ‘Q&A’.

Q&A guest Mannie Kaur Varma claimed Australians of Indian heritage were not being seen as equals by the Prime Minister, saying she felt abandoned.

“First you grant us exemption to go to India to look after our loved ones who are fighting for their lives, then you abandon us and leave us in a country that is gasping for air,” Ms Varma said.

“What kind of government does that to their own people?

“In 2019 the Prime Minister said Australia is like a fragrant garam masala…for the Prime Minister, is the value of Indians reduced to just our food or does he see us as equals?”

A threat of jail time was raised for those returning from India, yet the Coalition Member for Reid in NSW, Fiona Martin, said the ruling was simply a case of following the health advice available to the government due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in returned travellers from India.

“Last month we saw over 40 per cent of people travelling home from India testing positive to COVID-19,” Ms Martin said, before adding other countries such as the United States (6 per cent) had a much lower rate.

Asked if those of Indian descent in her electorate had expressed similar feelings to Ms Varma, Ms Martin said that was not the case, but they did feel the threat of jail was overly aggressive.

“The penalty is what has been of concern by constituents, not the ban itself,” she said.

“As I mentioned, earlier in the week, I thought the penalty was a little heavy-handed and that part of it was problematic.”

Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services Linda Burney thinks that there are a number of Australians with Indian heritage that are feeling abandoned, expressing her hopes that the repatriation flights are not a “political response to a human issue.”

Ms Martin was quick to refute the notion of it being a political response.

“This is not a political response. This is a health response. This decision has been based on health advice,” she said.

Scott Morrison recently confirmed that the India travel ban is to end on May 15.

“That biosecurity order is working exactly as it was intended to, and that will remain in place with no change until May 15,” he said.

“National Security Committee of Cabinet has confirmed that it will have done its job by then, and as a result we see no need to extend it beyond that date.”

Greek Australian Mike Zervos, CEO of Courage to Care Victoria, has received the Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence in Education on behalf of the not-for-profit organisation.

Due to celebrate its 30th birthday in 2022, the Courage to Care program teaches school students through regional exhibitions and facilitated incursions about the actions of courageous individuals who acted to save Jewish lives during the Holocaust. 

Courage to Care was Highly Commended for inspiring students across Victoria and received the education award at the Victorian Multicultural Awards.

“The Courage to Care message, which is as relevant today as ever, creates a model of moral and ethical behaviour to inspire young people about the importance of standing up to prejudice, racism, bullying and all forms of discrimination, and to challenge their own prejudices,” the Victorian Multicultural Commission said.

The Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence acknowledge the outstanding achievements of people, groups and organisations that foster cross-cultural understanding, build social cohesion and support people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to participate in all aspects of life.

B’nai B’rith Courage to Care Victoria appointed Mike Zervos their first CEO in August 2018. Mike said he was particularly drawn to Courage to Care’s Mission of informing and educating on the dangers of prejudice, racism and bullying.

“I am confident that by communicating the importance of our work, we will continue to gain support. This will be a real team effort,” Mike Zervos said.