An organisation called United NT Businesses is challenging the Northern Territory’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate in the Supreme Court.
The group’s president Mario Tsirbas describes the mandate, which requires most workers to be vaccinated or face fines, as “draconian”.
“What we’ve seen is what suspending normal democratic process does to a government who’s high on a power trip and forcing draconian, unreasonable laws on everyday people,” he said.
The NT Chief Health Officer set the mandate in force around mid November to reduce the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Under the Officer’s direction, any worker who comes into contact with a person who is “vulnerable” to being infected with COVID-19 is required to be vaccinated.
Children aged under 12, people who are immunocompromised, and Aboriginal people are categorised as vulnerable under the direction.
Workers who fail to get vaccinated face fines of up to $5,000.
The move has boosted vaccination rates and forced unvaccinated people to lose jobs.
Mr. Tsirbas said the group was not opposed to vaccinations, but instead objected to the mandatory nature of the policy.
“We’ve seen an impact in the loss of jobs, we’ve seen an impact in the loss of businesses,” Mr Tsirbas said.
“We’ve seen families at odds with each other, arguing, we’ve seen levels of mental health and stress go through the roof.”
“We’ve seen people forced to take the vaccine and see the real results of what that does to people.”
Last month, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said more than 300 public servants had lost their jobs after not receiving their first dose of the vaccine by the mid-November deadline.
The deadline for the second jab is on Christmas Day.
The NT government says 91 per cent of Territorians have received two doses of the vaccine, although the rates in some remote communities remain at very low levels.
The most powerful antidote that man possesses against the fierce blows of Life Is love. The tender mood, with which he absorbs the explosive outbursts of fate.
Renos Fountoulakis, a Greek who emigrated in Dubai, turned the untried loss of his brother into “fuel” in his struggle to realize the dream of creating the “CR HOPE Foundation” with the aim of providing free education to Zanzibar children.
In the sadness caused by the loss of his brother grew hope for dozens of children, who today can access education which in the developed West is a given but in Zanzibar is a luxury.
Renos Fountoulakis talks to the “Greek Herald” about the long journey of his loss, which became an inglorious offer.
“My initial visit to Zanzibar was because of the loss of my brother,” Renos tells us.
“He was the one who proposed and organized this pleasure trip, which obviously neither of us expected could develop in this form, but certainly it was something that made us both particularly happy.
“Unfortunately, about six months after the school started construction, my brother passed away.
“But before he left, he gave me the greatest gift anyone could dream of: finding a meaning in his life! To dedicate this work to his memory is the least I could do.
“I promised him that I would make him proud as long as he sees me from above and the only way I could do it in practice was through the implementation of this project”, Renos confesses and indicates that the idea for the construction of a school was born right from the beginning.
“My desire to help the children of this island was born after a tour of mine in the local community, outside a village called Kiwengwa.
“What moved me most was the fact that, despite the extremely poor living conditions, the children of that village had a wide smile imprinted on their face!
“These young souls taught me that Joy does not imply wealth, and reminded me that I should be grateful for all the goods that life has generously offered me to this day. Considering it unfair that I, in relation to them, am favoured, I wanted to find a way to give them an “equal opportunity”.
“I identified, then, how most children in this small community did not have access to education and soon saw an opportunity where it could have a lasting impact on their future. My original idea was to fund a teacher who would provide them with free education.
“But along the way, after a fascinating sequence of events, I ended up building the “Seeds of Light” School, in collaboration with a local philanthropist named Cosiano Ismael Mbise. Even though my intentions were pure, the local inhabitants, at first, were not convinced of them.
“Being Muslims, in their eyes they saw a “white”, “Christian”, possibly part of a mission. They were afraid that I would convert their children and believed that instead of a school I would build a religious temple. I honestly don’t blame them.
“With my faith, and after a hard struggle, I have been able to prove to them that my religion is ” love” and that my God rejoices when I help my fellow men no matter what race, religion, or geographical location they may come from.”
The thrill of student progress and Melbourne
On 18 January 2020, the school opened its doors, on Renos Fundoulakis’ birthday.
“What better gift than to celebrate such an important event, after so much effort and struggle? in this way, we welcomed the first batch of students, hoping that with the care and knowledge we would of provided them, they would in turn change the world for the better in the future.
I have mixed but good emotions as I have been following the development of students over the past two years. These children now seem to be more confident and naturally have developed writing and reading skills. Also, the fact that they learn English from an early age gives them a great advantage over the other schools on the island”.
Today, during #InternationalVolunteerDay, we are celebrating our volunteers and are thanking them from the bottom of our hearts for their endless faith in the common cause. Thanks to them, more children in Zanzibar are getting an opportunity to turn their dreams into reality!🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/FuqqxwZVFI
Renos, who works in marketing and hails from Crete, lives in Dubai. The conditions of life between the futuristic emirate and Zanzibar are meteoric. “Extreme. But it is precisely this combination that I would say gives me a sense of balance. Obviously, there is no comparison between Dubai and Zanzibar.
“In Dubai I am attracted to the fact that it offers opportunities, security, stability, cleanliness, innovation and multiculturalism. What repels me the most is probably that almost everything is centered around matter and hyperbole. As for Zanzibar, I like the natural beauty of the place, the simplicity of the world, the tropical climate and the relaxed rhythms of everyday life. What is particularly displeasing to me, however, is that the wealth of the island mostly ends up in the pockets of expatriates. It’s like there’s a kind of “modernized slavery.”
“Our charity CRHOPE Foundation is essentially fighting to combat this phenomenon, giving the locals the skills to claim what belongs to them: their own country!”
However, Renos is trying to offer other things to this arid region of the planet that Hope wants to grow.
“The plans are enough, and many of them already begun. For example, at the moment we are working on a project that is about empowering women in conjunction with protecting the environment.
“This is the “United for Green” project, through which the necessary supplies are given to a group of twenty-four women to produce and sell “organic charcoal”.
“Thus, they have an additional income, while protecting forest areas from deforestation. As for school, we started 2 years ago as a kindergarten.
“Today we also have a primary school and as the children grow up we will definitely expand into a secondary school. At the same time, we have used some of our classes as English and photography workshops, dedicated to some local teenagers” concludes Renos Fountoulakis, who a few years ago had visited Melbourne.
“I was 16 years old and I have to say that I saw a spotless, modern, green and “noticeably Greek” city!
“I would very much like to go back to Australia and this time visit more areas.”
Russia will return prewar archives of Jewish communities that were stolen by Nazi forces from Greece.
“Our history returns home at last,” the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KISE) said in a statement.
“It is an achievement of vital significance to our country’s history.”
“We express our thankfulness to the Greek prime minister and all those who have worked and continue working for the realisation of the return of the pre-war Jewish archives to our country.”
KISE said Nazi forces in July 1942 had looted archives, books, and religious artifacts from 30 synagogues, libraries and communal institutions in Thessaloniki.
They were transferred to Moscow after the Red Army took Berlin in May 1945.
“Their restitution would mean justice and would transmit knowledge about a part of the Greek people that contributed to the progress of the country and no longer exists, that of the 60,000 Greek Jews who were deported to and exterminated in the Nazi death camps,” the board said.
The arrangement was announced Wednesday following a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
No date for the return was given.
The archives had until now been stored among Russian military files and Greece had sought their return for decades, the prime minister’s office said.
The Jewish community made up some 60 percent of the population in Thessaloniki in the 40s.
That number dwindled to some 55,000 by the eve of World War II.
By August 1943, 49,000 had been deported. Fewer than 2,000 survived.
The architectural and museological study for the Kythera Migration Museum was given the green light by the “Board of Directors of the Friends of Kythera museums”, as decided on Sunday, December 5 at the General Meeting.
The ambitious project, which will become reality with the assistance of the Municipality of Kythera, is an emblematic action, which will strengthen the ties of expatriate Greeks with the mother country, Greece.
The members of the “Friends of Museums of Kythera” gave their approval to the Board of Directors to proceed with the architectural and museological study and to celebrate the occasion they created a concise video, which encapsulates their vision.
The creator of the video, is Greek-Australian director James Prineas, who has previously also directed the short film, “Kythera Mon Amour”.
The Mayor of Kythera, Efstratios Charchalakis, played an important role in the launch of the project, who is the driving force of a series of events that will honour the inextricable relationship of Greeks abroad with the island.
“The modern Migration Museum of Kythera is a vision of mine. It will be built in Agia Pelagia, where tens of thousands of our compatriots left the island to go overseas,” said the Mayor of Kythera, Efstratios Charchalakis.
“We are now dynamically entering the study phase. It will be a unique museum in Europe! It will be a tribute to expats and a benchmark for our island nationwide.
“It will have a conference space, offices, a shop, a screening room and will create new jobs.”
File photo: Kythera Mayor with Australian Ambassador to Greece, Arthur Spyrou
Last June, a Memorandum of Cooperation of the Municipality with the Association “Friends of Museums of Kythera” was signed, which will undertake the finding of financing and the coordination for finalising this project at the level of preparation of studies and auction papers, so that once they are completed in their entirety, the municipality will be able to integrate the project into a funding program.
The Greek Herald will closely follow the developments in the issue and will inform the community about the grandiose project, in 2022, when the “Kytherian Association of Australia” will celebrate 100 years since it’s establishment.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis joined over 100 world leaders at a summit organised by US President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Mitsotakis cautioned against authoritarianism and populism at the inaugural Summit for Democracy.
He said Greece has experienced “the divisive politics, failed promises and empty rhetoric of both far-left and far-right populism – and has rejected both.”
After a decade of financial crisis, “Greeks understood the need for true change, backing a reform agenda that was patriotic rather than nationalistic.”
He said investments, new jobs and growth must be prioritised, along with improving the efficiency of the public sector by combating bureaucracy.
He proposed digitising the state as a way of reducing inequality and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.
The sleepy seaside town of Shoal Bay in New South Wales has recently received a shake up with the opening of Atmos at the Shoal Bay Country Club.
The restaurant promises to transport people to the Greek islands through its traditional architecture, relaxing atmosphere and cuisine, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint.
In fact, Atmos caught our eye so much we just had to speak with the mastermind behind it all and it turned out to be Greek Australian and Director of the Shoal Bay Country Club, Peter Lazarus.
A project close to Peter’s heart:
Atmos restaurant. Photo supplied.
Speaking exclusively with The Greek Herald, Mr Lazarus says he’s been immersed in the Australian hospitality industry from a young age.
“I’m a third-generation publican. My grandparents started working in hospitality. They started their careers in the mid-60s with a few pubs in Sydney and naturally, the pub industry has been a part of our family ever since,” Mr Lazarus says.
“My parents have [also] been operating pubs for the better part of the last 30 years and then I entered the business. As a fresh 18-year-old I came straight into the family business. So now we currently own and operate six venues across Newcastle, Port Stephens and Western Sydney.”
Of course, the latest offering out of all these venues is Atmos and Mr Lazarus says he wanted to open this restaurant in Shoal Bay to pay homage to his Greek heritage.
Peter’s Greek heritage was the inspiration for Atmos.
Team Atmos.
“Being Greek, we wanted to celebrate our heritage and our background. We frequently travelled to Greece over the last few years, whether it be visiting our home island of Kastellorizo or just holidaying on Greek islands like Mykonos and Santorini,” the now 28-year-old says.
“So obviously, this project is pretty close to our hearts. Essentially, we wanted to deliver what we think is a truly authentic Greek dining experience, whether it be the food or the design and the décor to the experience and the atmosphere.”
Authentic architecture and cuisine:
To make this dream a reality, Mr Lazarus had to think outside the box.
Interior of the restaurant.
He decided to have Atmos designed entirely in Greece by Athenian architects, Karagianni Karamali. Many aspects of the fit-out, including the traditional render, wooden furniture and joinery, was manufactured in Greece and installed by local trades.
Shoal Bay Country Club’s Interior Stylist, Hannah Brady, also travelled to Greece in 2020 to source traditional Greek styling elements.
“Whilst we wanted to remain authentic in a Greek sense, we believe that was going to deliver something really unique to the Australian market because Greek architecture really isn’t a feature of any restaurants in Australia,” Mr Lazarus explains.
From there, the restaurant owner’s focus turned to the menu, which is centered on shared meals and has been curated by the Club’s Executive Chef, Leonard Faust, and Celebrity Chef, Phil Davenport.
Executive Chef, Leonard Faust.
Greek salad.
You can definitely expect to see traditional Greek food such as whole snapper, slow cooked lamb shoulder and saganaki, as well as an open kitchen showcasing a charcoal rotisserie ‘souvla’ of chicken, pork and lamb.
Mr Lazarus says many of the dishes are also generational family recipes customary to the Greek islands.
“For example, the slow cooked lamb shoulder is my mum’s recipe. There’s my grandmother’s tarama recipe and also her baklava recipe as well. So yeah, we’ve kind of tried to remain as traditional in that sense as well,” he says.
It’s been done so successfully that people are flocking to Shoal Bay just to visit Atmos. This is a fact Mr Lazarus is extremely proud of and has him excited for the future.
Greek cuisine at Atmos.
“Before we opened the doors, we had about 6,000 bookings locked in. That was as a result of the regional tourism boom post COVID and people being ready to travel to regional NSW and explore the regions,” Mr Lazarus concludes.
“But also, [there’s] just a general excitement around a new offering in Shoal Bay. Shoal Bay is quite a slow and sleepy town when there’s no tourism so it’s generally been very well received and… I don’t believe there’s anything quite like it in Sydney or Australia, let alone in Shoal Bay.”
Atmos is open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday, and lunch on the weekend. You can find it at: 35-45 Shoal Bay Road, Shoal Bay, NSW.
In 2021, 52 Victorians have been recognised in the Multicultural Awards for Excellence, highlighting the passionate work of individuals and organisations that are strengthening multiculturalism in Victoria.
Among those 52 award recipients were Chris Hatzoglou from the Sunshine Heights Cricket Club and AGAPI Care Inc.
Mr Hatzoglou won in the ‘Sports Award’ category, while AGAPI Care Inc were ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Business Award’ category.
Chris Hatzoglou:
The ‘Sports Award’ received by Chris Hatzoglou recognises people and organisations that develop and implement sporting programs that aim to build social cohesion and harmony across communities.
As President of the Sunshine Heights Cricket Club, Mr Hatzoglou spearheaded the ‘All Endeavouring Each Achieving’ initiative to encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to participate in sport.
Through Mr Hatzoglou’s efforts, the club’s participation has grown from 50 to over 200 people.
Mr Hatzoglou has also helped create an induction program, advocated on diversity and inclusion, lobbied for better facilities, raised sponsorship money and helped build capability in volunteers including coaches both senior and junior.
His efforts have helped many community members resettle in Australia and has given them an environment through cricket to feel safe and welcome.
AGAPI Care Inc:
AGAPI Care Inc were ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Business Award’ category. This award recognises businesses that provide outstanding service to multicultural communities in Victoria and are leading the way in encouraging diversity in the workplace.
AGAPI Care provides tailored services to people with disability of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their families.
They have assisted many families with navigation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and provide support in participants’ preferred language.
They also have an advocacy radio program on 3XY Radio Hellas every Tuesday, providing information about the disability sector, mental health and aged care in Greek and English.
AGAPI Care has also provided food relief, support programs and welfare checks for vulnerable community members, which have supported over 3000 people.
Australian scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra are testing whether napthalene can power satellite rocket thruster systems, the ABC has reported today.
Napthalene is the white powder with a distinctive odour found in moth balls and toilet deodorant cakes.
ANU PhD scholar Dimitrios Tsifakis is part of the team developing the propulsion system, named ‘Bogong.’
Scientists at the ANU have found a new way to use moth ball technology to propel satellites. Photo: ANU.
He says naphthalene is a cheap, non-corrosive alternative to hot-charged plasma for powering thrusters on small satellites.
“Naphthalene is ideal because when it is heated it goes straight from solid to gas, with no liquid sloshing about in the thruster,” Mr Tsifakis told the national broadcaster.
“Everyone knows that old smell in granny’s wardrobe; now it is the newest thing in space technology.”
Napthalene can be found in mothballs.
The simple design uses more naphthalene propellant than a plasma thruster system, but it is lighter overall because it requires less electronics.
Designers say the Bogong thruster could also extend satellite life by up to 20 per cent, adding a year of service life.
The Bogong will launch in mid-2022 when it will attempt to power a small satellite carrying an air traffic management system into space.
Victorian deputy premier, James Merlino, has weighed in on the death of Nick Panagiotopoulos, whose desperate calls to triple zero went unanswered for 15 minutes.
His call was supposed to have been answered within five seconds.
Mr Panagiotopoulos’ death was brought to light by The Age on Wednesday, which reported that paramedics arrived 25 minutes after the Melbourne father first called for an ambulance while experiencing severe chest pains on October 16.
Despite their best efforts to save his life, paramedics were unable to keep Mr Panagiotopoulos alive.
Paramedics.
In response to this news, Mr Merlino said Mr Panagiotopoulos’ death was “deeply upsetting” and will be investigated by the coroner and the Inspector General for Emergency Management.
“There are no words that I can say to this family or any other family that have lost a loved one… We do not want families to go through what this family has,” the Victorian Deputy Premier said.
Mr Melino confirmed the state government was funnelling money into the issue, telling reporters 43 additional Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) staff had been hired.
“I think it’s important the government acts, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” he said.
Victorian Deputy Premier, James Merlino.
Victorian Opposition Leader, Matthew Guy, said the state government was failing to properly manage the health system.
“If they can’t get the health system right now, they’ll never get it right. Maybe the problem actually is with the government and not the system,” Mr Guy said on Wednesday.
Mr Panagiotopoulos’ death due to flaws in the system is not the first in Victoria this year. In April, a 32-year-old Caulfield woman was found dead in her home more than six hours after calling an ambulance.
George Alex, 50, and his son Arthur Alex, 23, as well as a number of co-accused, have been committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court over an alleged tax fraud syndicate, Perth Nowreports.
The alleged syndicate operated between July 2018 and 2020 in both NSW and Queensland, and allegedly defrauded the Australian Taxation Office of $17.5 million.
George Alex is charged with conspiring to cause a loss to the Commonwealth alongside a number of co-accused, as well as with dealing with the property proceeds of crime.
His son, Arthur, is charged with conspiring with others to dishonestly cause a loss to the Commonwealth, and dealing with more than $1 million in what is believed to be the proceeds of crime.
Both will face the Supreme Court on February 11 where they will be arraigned. No pleas have been recorded.
