For another year, the Oakleigh Grammar School has dedicated the month of March to promoting Greek language and culture. 

The enthusiastic students had the opportunity to participate in many different activities throughout the month. The teachers of the LOTE Department organised different activities where students of all grades had the opportunity to take part and enrich their knowledge of the Greek language and Greek culture.

The month kicked off with the students participating in the competition organised by the Organisational Committee for Greek National Day, with the title ‘Ambassadors 200’. Students were asked to express what 1821 means to them. 

In the first week of March, students created bracelets with red and white thread, a very well-known Greek custom.

Every day, all students were learning a new word in English which had a Greek root. The high school students were very impressed that thousands of words used in their vocabulary and use every day have come from either the Ancient or Modern Greek language. Students also followed “Speak Greek in March”, with all grades making weekly oral presentations.

On Clean Monday, Primary School students made colourful kites and learn about the Apokries and Lent. Colourful kites filled the corridors of the building where the Primary school students spend most of their day.

The younger students learnt to write their names and the alphabet using clay. At the same time, they coloured in worksheets with tsoliades, Amalia and traditional tsarouchia. The students of Year 7 and Year 8 learnt about the costume of the Evzones and watched parts from the Military Parade in Athens.

On the 25^th of March, students played traditional Greek games and participated in Greek dancing lessons.

Finally, in the last week of the Term, the students visited the photo exhibition of Evzones hosted by the Oakleigh Grammar school at the Conference Centre. Students were very excited to see the big pictures with the Evzones, even choosing their favourite photo.

The month of March, which is undoubtedly one of the most important for the Greeks of Melbourne, has ended, leaving the students of Oakleigh Grammar school with the best impressions and knowledge of Greek culture.

Margaret Skagias has been awarded a Community Recognition Statement for her work with CaringKids, a charity dedicated to supplying toys for youth carers.

The award was given for their efforts in raising awareness and providing support to children who provide care for a family member living with a disability or illness.

“Thank you Dr  Marjorie O’Neill – Member for Coogee for all your efforts to recognise and support charity work in our community,” CaringKids said on social media.

“You have assisted CaringKids to collect donations of toys, games and puzzles for children in need and been a voice championing the recognition and support of children with caring responsibilities.”

Margaret Skagias, founder and director of ‘CaringKids’, was motivated four years ago to make sure that these children are able to enjoy their youth while taking care of their family members from home.

“We’ve recycled half a tonne of toys over the last three years and our toy boxes have travelled over 50,000 km around Australia,” Margaret Skagias said to The Greek Herald.

“It’s that one moment where you can make that difference”

Community Recognition Statements congratulate or acknowledge the achievements of people or groups in the community, recognise charity work, retirement or honours and award or express words of thanks or condolences. 

Donations for CaringKids are received at the Office of Dr Marjorie O’Neill. Find donation guide here:

https://www.caringkids.org.au/toy_donations

Many Australians have loosely heard about the traditions that take place during Greek Easter, but unless you’ve lived it, nobody really knows. The cultural experience is unrivalled among any other global Easter celebrations and will be showcases on the Network 10 program ‘The Living Room’ this Friday at 7:30pm.

Kristina and Tim Theodorou appeared with their family on the Network 10 program to talk about how Greek easter brings their family closer than ever.

“Easter is important to us because it’s a time where we share our Greek traditions… It’s just a really special time to get everybody together and celebrate,” Kristina and Tim said on the program.

The Greek Herald spoke with Kristina Theodorou ahead of the programs airing date to find out how Greek Easter celebrations are more unique than other cultures.

“I think it’s a really big celebration in our culture,” Kristina said to The Greek Herald.

“We’ve got a lot of traditions attached to Easter in our culture. Not only religiously, but whole build up… What we do is very different and very unique like dyeing the eggs, having god-parents and exchanging gifts and having a huge feast.”

The COVID-19 pandemic last year saw Greek Easter celebrated isolated and at home for the first time in history. However, this only made families like the Theodorou’s grateful and more excited for a more enriching experience this year.

“We’re really looking forward to going to church and having family be able to come over and not just drop biscuits on the veranda door,” Kristina added.

“Just having our kids have their godparents come and exchange gifts as well.”

Kristina said concluded that she felt “privileged” to share her cultural heritage on The Living Room, adding that she hopes Australians will understand their traditions for the future.

“I think it’s really important for Australians other than Greeks, Greek Australians, to see how we do it and to see our hospitality, our traditions that we passed down through this generation,” Kristina concluded.

“Being Greek Australian we really to keep to traditions as much as we can, and follow what our parents taught us. Hopefully our children do the same, but it’s really important to share it.”

All New The Living Room, this Friday at 7:30pm on 10.

Emeritus Professor Paul Cartledge will present an online lecture entitled The Forgotten City of Thebes, on Thursday 8th April 2021, 7.00pm, as a part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.

Thebes – the one in ancient Greece (not to be confused with its Egyptian homonym) – was a major city, both historically and mythologically. In this talk the aim is to treat both the city of Myth (Oedipus et al.) and the city of History (Epameinondas).

Thebes has suffered historiographically from being squeezed between the histories of Athens, Sparta and Alexander the Great. It suffered in another way at the hands of the latter: he had it physically destroyed, near-obliterated. For those reasons it’s been too often ‘Forgotten’.

Professor Paul Cartledge is the AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow of Clare College, and formerly the inaugural AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture in the University of Cambridge.

He is the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of some 30 books, most recently Democracy: A Life (Oxford University Press, 2018) and Thebes: the forgotten city of ancient Greece (Picador & Abrams, 2020).

He was chief historical consultant for the BBC TV series The Greeks and the Channel 4 series The Spartans, presented by Bettany Hughes. Professor Cartledge is also a holder of the Gold Cross of the Order of Honour of Greece and an Honorary Citizen of modern Sparta. Most recently he has been awarded the Commander of the Order of Honour (Ταξιάρχης τῆς Τιμῆς), for his ‘contribution to enhancing Greece’s stature abroad’.