Greek-owned business, Souvlaki Boys, have won the ‘Outstanding Specialised Retail Business Award’ for the second year in a row at the Inner West Local Business Awards 2021.
“I’m lost for words,” co-owner, Nick Alepidis, tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
“When we won for the first time, it was an amazing experience. Now we are smiling from ear to ear. We can’t thank our customers enough and all those who have supported us. Our father has been our biggest influence, teaching us the trade.”
Co-owners of Souvlaki Boys, Nick and Arthur Alepidis. Photo supplied.
Nick’s father, Greg Alepidis, started his business trade in Canterbury as part owner of Advanced Poultry and sold his shares in 2016. Now he has passed on his recipes to Nick and his brother, Arthur, who run Souvlaki Boys.
Nick and Arthur opened Souvlaki Boys in the heart of Marrickville, Sydney in 2016 and have gained a loyal following ever since for their lamb backstrap, pork neck, pork belly and chicken souvlakia.
“[The award] is a testament to the staff, my father who helps out and our customers who made all this possible,” Nick concludes.
Much-loved children’s book series, Ikoyenia, has released its fifth instalment just in time for the festive period.
Christmas With My Family is a special edition, rhyming story book about the true meaning of Christmas.
Adelaide-based journalist and author, Stephanie Timotheou, says the bilingual book, which is written in English and Greek, is a fun-filled story about a typical Greek Christmas.
“Anthea and her family start the day by going to church, followed by a big family lunch and of course there’s some festive fun along the way too,” Mrs Timotheou, 30, says.
“It’s a really special book which I’m sure children would love to receive under the Christmas tree this year.”
Former Rabbitohs captain John Sutton has announced his intention to run for Randwick council alongside independent councillor Anthony Andrews.
“As you’re aware, Anthony Andrews is re-standing as an independent candidate in central ward for the upcoming council elections on Saturday, December 4,” a video Sutton posted to Instagram said.
“Running with him as part of the community independent team is former premiership-winning captain of the South Sydney Rabbitohs John Sutton.”
Sutton recently spoke out against a decision by the NSW Electoral Commission to ban handouts within 100 metres of polling booths.
“I haven’t been in politics for too long, but at least I know that’s wrong, and we need to get that changed,” he told 2GB.
“Anthony has been a long[-term] councillor in this area, and his views resonate with me, so I’m glad I get to run with him.”
Cr Anthony Andrews was first elected to the council in 2000.
Lord Ashcroft is standing among rows and rows of headstones at the Suda Bay War Cemetery in Crete, which commemorates the lives of the more than 1500 fallen Commonwealth servicemen from World War II.
Whilst there, he reflects on the life of Charles Hazlitt Upham – a New Zealand farmer turned army officer who risked his life time and again defending Crete from its German assailants.
In a piece for the NZ Herald, Lord Ashcroft details the life of this incredible man and shares how he is one of only three people ever to win the Victoria Cross (VC) twice for his actions in Crete in 1941 and Egypt in 1942. Upham is the only person to have achieved this as a combat soldier.
Lord Ashcroft pays his respects to fallen soldiers at the memorial cemetery at Crete. Photo / Angela Entwistle.
Who was Charles Upham?
Born in Christchurch in 1908, Charles Upham joined the 2nd NZ Expeditionary Force soon after war broke out in September 1939.
Upham earned the VC for outstanding gallantry and leadership in Crete in May 1941, and his Bar at Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in July 1942.
According to the NZ Government, Upham was severely wounded in Crete. In one particular incident, Upham led a counterattack on Maleme airport, which had fallen into enemy hands.
“When his company was forced to withdraw, Upham carried a wounded comrade back under fire,” Lord Ashcroft writes.
“A comrade who witnessed the incident said later: “Bullets and shrapnel were flying about. A chap walked out of olive trees and across open country. No shirt, shorts blood-smeared, carrying a badly wounded man. I said to my CSM [Company Sergeant Major], ‘He’ll either get a wooden cross or a Victoria Cross’.”
Charles Upham receiving his VC from General Auchinleck, November 1941. Photo: stuff.co.nz.
Upham was later captured by the Germans. After a failed escape attempt while recuperating in an Italian hospital, he was transferred to Germany in September 1943.
A particularly audacious solo attempt to scale his camp’s barbed-wire fences in broad daylight saw Upham become the only New Zealand combatant officer sent to the infamous Colditz camp for habitual escapers in 1944.
It was here that the Americans liberated him and others close to the end of the war.
After the war Upham returned to farming life in Canterbury, where he died in 1994 surrounded by his wife and daughters. He was 86 years of age.
Modest and selfless, but extremely tough and single-minded, Upham came to symbolise the steely determination and professionalism of the New Zealand Division in the Second World War.
Mytilineos has secured funding of solar power projects in southern New South Wales from ANZ, Westpac, and Societe Generale.
The company says the solar parks in Corowa, Junee, and Wagga Wagga will produce 220-gigawatt hours of electricity and reduce 180,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
“We applaud Mytilineos Group’s commitment to develop sustainable energy solutions, and in turn support Australia’s energy transition,” said Alastair Welsh, manager at Westpac Institutional Bank.
Westpac’s Alastair Welsh (Photo: Aaron Francis)
“ANZ is very pleased to have supported MYTILINEOS in… providing valuable renewable energy generation in New South Wales as the state transitions to net-zero carbon,” ANZ executive director Mark Clover said.
The project is part of a 10-year ‘Green’ Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Coles.
Mytilineos says its remaining projects in Australia will be ready to start construction next year.
Construction is nearing completion on St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in the Financial District of New York City.
According to the New York Yimby, the reinforced concrete structure is now nearly fully clad in Pentelic marble and stone.
The radiant, cream-coloured light of the Pentelic marble will reflect a warm ambience outward toward those who stand on the hallowed ground of Ground Zero, where nearly 3,000 people perished in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
The shrine lit up on the 9/11 anniversary this year. Photo: Jeremy Campbell / Twitter.
The cross has also been reinstalled back on the top of the dome.
The St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was recently blessed on November 2 in which Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, took part.
24 aid workers accused of espionage, forgery, and intercepting radio frequencies in Greece are in legal “limbo” after their trial was postponed.
Irish law student Seán Binder is among them and also faces charges of human trafficking, money laundering, and fraud during his work for the now-defunct NGO Emergency Response Centre International (ECRI).
“I may not have been found guilty today but effectively I’m still not free.
The criminalization of humanitarianism continues,” he told the Guardian.
The aid workers, almost all volunteers, include Greek and foreigners who had participated in search and rescue work on Lesbos.
Former ERCI volunteer and competitive swimmer Sarah Mardini, who helped save 18 Syrian refugees from drowning when their dinghy sunk off Turkey, is being tried.
Mardini and Binder have spent 106 days in pre-trial detention, with Mardini incarcerated in Athens’ high-security Korydallos prison.
Under Greek law, they can be held in custody pending trial for up to 18 months.
If ultimately convicted, both could face 25 years in prison.
Mardini’s lawyer Haris Petsalnikos suggests the charges may be “the most serious any aid worker has ever faced.”
Protestors across Europe are calling for the charges to be dropped.
The European Parliament has condemned the trial.
Outside the Lesbos court, protestors held banners reading “saving lives is not a crime”.
“Today’s decision adds to the ordeal of the defendants and compounds the violation of their human rights,” said Amnesty International’s Giorgos Kosmopoulos.
The trial highlights growing hostility towards NGOs involved in migrant solidarity work and mounting accusations against the Greek government of migrant pushbacks.
Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has denied the alleged pushbacks, arguing that Greek patrols “intercept” migrant boats, as EU law allows, until Turkish coastguard vessels collect them.
He has accepted his government pursues “a tough but fair” migrant policy.
Greek pop star and former winner of Eurovision, Helena Paparizou, has become the first Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Greece.
The announcement comes just in time for International Children’s Day, which is celebrated every year on November 20.
Today marks an important milestone for the @unicef family as we announce our very 1st UNICEF Ambassador for Greece!
“Helena Paparizou, welcome to the UNICEF family! We’re thrilled to have you on board, helping us improve the lives of children in Greece,” UNICEF Greece said in a statement.
As ambassador, Paparizou will contribute to raising public awareness about the protection of children’s rights in Greece, while also contributing to UNICEF’s efforts to ensure a better future for every child with the implementation of targeted national programs and actions.
Είμαι πολύ συγκινημένη σήμερα.
Είναι μεγάλη μου τιμή και νιώθω τεράστια ευθύνη που γίνομαι η πρώτη Πρέσβειρα Καλής Θελήσεως της @UNICEF_Greece για την Ελλάδα.
“It is a great honour for me and I feel a huge responsibility to become the first Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Greece. We must put our children and youth first, where they deserve to be,” Paparizou said on Twitter after the announcement.
Paparizou joins a group of global and national Welcome Ambassadors who, together with UNICEF, defend children’s rights in every corner of the world, like Pink, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, David Beckham and Orlando Bloom.
Greece has imposed more restrictions on those unvaccinated against COVID-19 following a surge in cases.
From next Monday, they will be barred from indoor spaces – except churches – even if they test negative.
“This is indeed a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
“Greece is mourning unnecessary losses because it simply does not have the vaccination rates of other European countries.”
In Greece, over 62 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
That’s 8 percent less than what authorities had hoped for by autumn.
The country has also set a seven-month expiry on vaccination certificates owned by those over 60.
The number of new daily cases hit record highs this month. Greece reported 7,317 new cases and 63 deaths on Thursday.
It’s putting pressure on an already struggling health care system and has forced the government to order private sector doctors in northern Greece to assist public hospitals.
Earlier in November, the government had imposed similar restrictions on unvaccinated citizens but had allowed them access to most services, provided they tested negative.
A few days after the interview of the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Greek Herald, the longest-running source of information of the Greek diaspora with 96 years of uninterrupted presence in the Greek community of Australia, the deputy minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesperson, Yiannis Economou, honoured us with an exclusive interview on many key issues that concern our compatriots throughout Australia.
The Greek – Australian relations, the coronavirus and its treatment, the climate change that concerns all leaders and the position of Greece in the post-memorandum era are some of the questions answered by Mr Economou. Of course, he could not fail to consider the issue of the expatriate vote that concerns the community, but also the cooperation of Greece with the diaspora.
At the same time, he responded to whether there is a thought for early elections, how foreign investment will come to Greece even from Australia, while he did not fail to throw o criticise the main opposition on issues that according to him and the government create a problem in the country. Finally, he spoke about Turkey, while he also sent his message to all Greeks living in Australia.
Greece has entered into a major defence deal with France at a time when Emmanuel Macron’s relations with Scott Morrison are at their worst because of AUKUS. Do you consider that this May to some extent disrupt Greece’s bilateral relations with Australia?
“Greece concludes international agreements in order to strengthen its geopolitical and defence power. The ultimate goal of our decisions is to promote peace and international cooperation, within the framework of international law. We do not want competition, but cooperation. Greece has deep and strong historical bilateral ties with Australia”.
The trilateral agreement on submarines has been the No1 issue on the agenda globally for days and still remains in the news, especially after the cross-accusations heard in Glasgow. What is Greece’s position in this dispute Mr Economou?
“Greece always supports any attempt at international understanding, with reciprocity and justice in mind. The resolution of any disputes contributes to a better world, to which we all aspire”.
During the hard years of the memorandum Greece was something like the black sheep, the sinker from which foreigners could not disengage themselves bloodless. What is the current position of the country with “New Democracy” in government?
“Two years after the 2019 elections, the image of Greece abroad is completely different. The management of the major crises (migration and coronavirus), the complete reconstruction of the Greek economy and the global leadership of the Prime Minister in dealing with the climate crisis and promoting the 4th Industrial Revolution have completely reversed the climate described above. This change is not just a matter of prestige. Greece receives its added benefit in investment and international confidence and support in the fields it is battling. Greece is now shining and nothing will change that”.
There was great disappointment in the ranks of the parochial society for the fact that the bill of the Ministry of the interior for the removal of restrictions on the vote of expatriates was not passed by the House. We would like your comment on this and what to expect in the future…
“The Government has demonstrated in practice its worthy adherence to the unity of the nation. Hellenism, in its long historical course, is synonymous with ecumenism. The Greeks have always grown apart from the narrow geographical space of Greece, without losing their cohesive bond with the mother land. Although part of the Greek political spectrum perceives in terms of small-party Greekness, clearly inferior to our history, New Democracy insists on the coherence of Hellenism and will do everything to strengthen it”.
Why in your view they were so fiercely against it? There is an opinion that says that it is unfair for those who are far away, to take part in the elections of a country they do not live in. What is your position?
“Those who use such arguments do not understand the history of Hellenism and its peculiarity. Greeks have a millennia-long tradition of spreading outside Greece, without this causing their alienation from the National core at all levels: cultural, economic, social and political. Unfortunately, SYRIZA tries to apply – in the case of Greek universality – interpretive schemes of Marxist induction, which have been bankrupt scientifically and politically as early as the 20th century. The attitude of SYRIZA is deeply reactionary and divisive and turns us to the 19th century and the conflict of indigenous and heterochthonous, which has hurt us for a long time”.
Are early elections possible?
“Greece is going on the path of developing and reconstructing its production model, in order to find itself in the global vanguard of the 4th Industrial Revolution and overcome chronic weaknesses and inefficiencies. There is no reason to stop this. New Democracy is a robust party that respects institutions. We do not operate opportunistically. We will present a complete work to the voters in two years, and we will be judged for it.”
The issue of climate change was put on the table at the 26 leaders’ summit meeting in Glasgow. The truth is that Australia has been targeted for its delays to zero emissions over the next few years. How does Greece plan to move on this crucial issue?
“Greece is in the global vanguard of tackling the climate crisis. The protection of the environment, and of Greek nature in particular, is our historic and national duty. Greece, as a tourist and agricultural-livestock country, has every reason to lead in Environmental Protection. The Prime Minister is personally engaged in the de-lignification and the promotion of environmentally friendly policies”.
The Greek community of Australia is one of the most powerful in the country, with continuous actions in order to keep the “flame” and love for the homeland alive. Is Greece moving towards better joint actions and closer cooperation?
“The government and the relevant state authorities have high in their priorities the close and productive cooperation with the Hellenism of Australia and New Zealand, which is booming and makes us proud. Our initiatives are already many and our mutual plans even more”.
The Prime Minister in his interview to the “Greek Herald”, spoke of an arm of World Hellenism, recognizing the dynamics of the diaspora. We would like your point of view on this.
“The Prime Minister expressed in an eloquent and knowledgeable way our perception of the diaspora. Hellenism is single and indivisible. At the same time, it is universal. It exceeds the National re and this is our maximum national advantage and at the same time a term for the survival and flourishing of Hellenism as a whole”.
The key axes of Greece’s policy are to bring foreign investment, even from Australia. Please elaborate…
“Greece is now implementing pro-investment policies, which have already allowed giant companies, such as Pfizer and Microsoft, to invest in Greece. Greece is a reliable and safe country, which offers many opportunities for long-term returns. Its comparative advantages make it the main investment destination in the SE Mediterranean. The existence of the diaspora in Oceania is a bridge for investment projects for Australians in Greece”.
One of the” wounds” of Greece is that it loses young people that chooses to leave, believing that in other countries they will have more opportunities for advancement and a better life. How will Greece convince its young people not to leave and at the same time bring back those already living abroad?
“Hellenism has always been extroverted and ecumenical. The Greeks, having confidence in their strengths and abilities, open themselves up to the international environment, benefiting Greece as well. The acquisition of international experience and the establishment of international partnerships is a matter for the advancement of the homeland and the nation. On the other hand, Greece has become attractive again and many Greeks abroad are repatriated. In addition to the unique way of life, Greece now provides opportunities for young people to grow in the motherland with internationally competitive conditions”.
The coronavirus pandemic is plaguing the planet and the virus remains alive in various forms due to mutations. The truth is Australia has dealt with it quite effectively than other countries. Is it a management “model” that Greece could possibly follow?
“Greece lacks the luxury of Australian geography. It is geographically interconnected with two other continents and is an international hub for the transport of goods and people. At the same time, a maximum part of its economy rests on tourism. It is therefore not de facto capable of adopting policies equivalent to those in force in Oceania. The Greek government organised a vaccination program that became an international standard. At the same time, it has unprecedentedly strengthened the NHS. The question from now on is to further strengthen the vaccination coverage”.
Apart from the Greeks from Greece, there are Cypriot Greeks who have a loud voice here in Australia and are concerned about unruly and aggressive Turkey.
“The Greek government has unfolded a multifaceted and multimodal diplomacy, which has strengthened the international position of Greece and the righteous of Hellenism in the SE Mediterranean. At the same time, our armament program, defence partnerships with the USA and France, close cooperation with Israel and Egypt and the cooperation of the Mediterranean countries of the European Union have shielded Greece and Cyprus, which has an active role within this grid. Greece defends both national law and international legitimacy”.
Finally, a comment on the Greek expatriate, who always wants to have this connection with the homeland and feel that it is part of the country, regardless of whether it is so far away.
“Expatriate Hellenism is a dynamic part of the single ecumenical Hellenism. It is the ambassador of Hellenism to the ends of the Earth and at the same time the bridge of Greek Hellenism with the world community. We are proud of the bond of Greeks abroad and as a government we are committed to further strengthening it and maximizing the cooperation of Greeks. Hellenism is part of the homeland, which transcends the narrow geographical space in its cultural horizon”.
