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Greek and Cypriot contestants battle it out on The Block 2020

Andriana Simos
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Greek and Cypriot contestants battle it out on The Block 2020

Season 16 of The Block returned last night with a bang as it became obvious that two out of the five renovation couples were Greek and Cypriot.

First to appear on the show were Oran Park couple, George and Sarah Bragias, who declared they were going “to smash The Block.“

Next up were the show’s first-ever father and daughter renovation duo, Harry and Tash Pavlou, who are there to remind us of our inferior home styling abilities and create a few inter-generational fireworks along the way.

Both couples will spend this season of The Block renovating a period home in the affluent suburb of Brighton in Melbourne, within walking distance of the beach and minutes from the Brighton Beach Boxes.

Harry and Tash Pavlou are The Block’s first ever father and daughter duo.

Harry and Tash:

57-year-old Harry Pavlou was born in Cyprus and came to Australia when he was four. He has renovation experience but he wouldn’t call himself an expert.

“We renovated a smaller Californian bungalow, the front and a back extension, but that was about thirty years ago,” Harry says.

“The second house that I live in now, we finished six years ago, put on a second storey, and I thought that came up really well.”

As for Tash, she lives with her partner Brad in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond and works on social media and production management at a PR agency. She loves a project and a good spreadsheet, but those things alone don’t build a house.

“With production management there are so many skills that I think will be great on The Block. I am used to working with tight deadlines and ensuring the job gets done,” Tash says.

With his typical humour, Harry adds that doing The Block with someone other than his wife, Andrea, will be challenging.

“I used to travel for work for two, three weeks at a time, but this is the longest time we will ever be apart. It’s going to be quite a challenge for her as well. Maybe she will walk by to check on me,” he says.

George and Sarah:

George Bragias considers himself a proud Greek Australian with a huge Pokémon collection and a deep joy in his Harley-Davidson. He and his wife, Sarah, have been together for eight years and married for three.

They self-describe themselves as “westies” because they live in the western Sydney suburb of Oran Park, and have a relationship built on old-school values and new-school quirk.

George and Sarah Bragias have been married for three years.

Sarah, a high school teacher, hopes the experience on The Block could lead her in a different career direction.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I am not the same person when I’m teaching. It’s just not the dream,” she says.

George has worked as an electrician in Sydney for 13 years and in a promotional video, he says he is known for his perfect lawn.

Apparently it isn’t unusual to catch him with a measuring tape and scissors, hand trimming any blade that is fractionally too long.

With such interesting personalities, we can’t wait to see who will take out this season of The Block 2020. Good luck to both!

Eleftherios Venizelos: One of Greece’s greatest politicians

The Greek Herald
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Eleftherios Venizelos: One of Greece’s greatest politicians

One of the greatest politicians of modern Greece, Eleftherios Venizelos dominated the political life of the country from 1910 to 1936. His political activity provoked intense passion for many years and are reflected in the concepts of “Venizelism” and “Anti-Venizelism”. He served as Prime Minister of Greece seven times, for a total of twelve years and five months.

Eleftherios Venizelos was born on August 23 of 1864 in Mournies, Chania and was the fifth child of the merchant Kyriakos Venizelos and Styliani Ploumidaki. His family was forced to leave Crete in 1866 because he was involved in the revolution against the Turks. 

His father wanted to make him a merchant, but the young boy wanted to expand his horizons and preferred to study law at the University of Athens. In 1886, he was awarded a doctorate in law with honours and immediately returned to Chania, where he began to practice law and get involved in local politics.

In the Parliament of Crete, where he was regularly sent since 1887 as a representative by the people of Chania, he was distinguished for his rhetorical eloquence and his political ideas. 

In January 1891 he married Maria Katelouzou (1870 – 1894) in Chania. After the wedding, the couple settled in the house of Aleppo and had two children, Kyriakos Venizelos and Sophocles Venizelos, who became the country’s prime minister in the ’50s.

However, the birth of Sophocles in 1894 was to be fatal for twenty-four-year-old Maria, who died unexpectedly from a postpartum infection. Her untimely death shocked Venizelos, who was suddenly found with two babies, without his beloved wife.

The Cretan politician was received with great enthusiasm by the Athenian people and in the parliamentary elections of November 28, 1910, being named leader of the newly formed Liberal Party. Immediately, Venizelos implemented a broad program of reforms in all areas, the like of which the country had not seen in the eighty years of its free life.

Venizelos disagreed with King Constantine on whether the country should immediately get involved in the war or remain neutral. The pro-English Venizelos supported the direct involvement of our country in the war, while the pro-German king preferred neutrality. It was the time of the deepest “National Divide”.

Venizelos resigned as prime minister twice in 1915 after winning a solemn election on May 31. The dispute between the two men culminated in November 1916 with the dethronement of Constantine and the re-assumption of the prime ministership by Eleftherios Venizelos, which led to the exit of Greece in the war.

Statue of Eleftherios Venizelos. Photo: Flavius Patruti

After the end of the “Great War”, Venizelos achieves another diplomatic triumph with the signing in Paris of the Treaty of Sevres.

Eleftherios Venizelos returned to the central political scene in 1928, after a long period of political instability, and won the August 19 elections. He ruled until 1932.

Eleftherios Venizelos died in Paris on March 18, 1936 due to a stroke.

Sourced By: San Simera.

Barber Peter Spanos serviced the local Sydney community for over 50 years

The Greek Herald
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Barber Peter Spanos serviced the local Sydney community for over 50 years

By Vasilis Vasilas

Last week, we focussed on how the longevity of successful local businesses transforms them into local icons, and Peter Spanos is another local legend, running barber shops for over 50 years! 

Having been trained and then working in Athens, Greece, Peter and his family migrated to Australia in 1964. As a young seventeen year old, he balanced working at the Tip Top factory in Newtown, attending English lessons at night school and cutting hair for a Russian barber in Bankstown.  

Finishing the fourth year of his apprenticeship as a barber, Peter worked for a Greek barber whose shop was in Tower St, north Panania but his dream was always to open up his own barber shop. 

An opportunity arose when Peter found a vacant shop in East Hills and he could lease out the premises for a barber shop. At the time, trains terminated at East Hills as it was the last stop on the East Hills railway line. 

Despite the long hours and working alone, Peter was motivated enough to overcome any arising problems, ‘Every start is difficult. It may have been a ‘one-man show’ but I had the enthusiasm and hope for a brighter future. I wanted to be a successful migrant; Australia provided me with an opportunity and I took it.’

Peter provides some vivid anecdotes about having a barber shop in East Hills in the late 1960s, ‘Being located so close to the East Hills Hotel, many of my customers would come from the Hotel to get their hair cut. They would finish work and then visit the Hotel and have a couple of drinks to wind down. Then, they would decide to have a haircut. 

They are very different times. They would often come with their glasses of beer to the shop. I would cut their hair and they would forgetfully leave the glasses at the shop. So, I would have to pick up the glasses and return them to the Hotel. When my customers did come from the Hotel, they were ‘happy.’ Australians are very easy customers, very polite and they quickly become your friends.’

Peter remembers East Hills in the late 1960s was like a small village, with only the East Hills Hotel and a couple of shops but, over the years, East Hills shopping centre began to grow with more shops. 

In the early 1980s, Peter’s stay at East Hills came to an end when the State Rail Authority plans for a new station, as the railway line was being extended from East Hills to Campbeltown, forced Peter out,  ‘After nineteen years, I was forced to leave. East Hills was my home; I had spent more years in East Hills and than in Greece.‘

Peter was lucky enough to find a vacant shop in Panania shopping centre and, after renovating the premises, opened Peter’s Hairdressing Salon. Peter has worked in Panania ever since. 

Some of my famous customers were singers, Col Joye, and his family, Ricky May and Sandy Scott (who incidentally married Col Joye’s sister). As customers, he also had Swimming Olympian, Ian Thorpe, and politicians- whether Local, State or Federal.   

Although Peter has always striven to provide the best quality service for his customers, his barber shop is known for its friendly atmosphere, where people feel comfortable to meet and socialise. 

One rewarding aspect of his job is when Peter cuts the hair of customers in the same family, who have been coming to the shop for decades and he finds himself having cut the hair of four generations, ‘I have cut the grandfather’s hair and he brought his son for haircuts who grew up and brought his own son for haircuts. All cutting the hair of three generations, this makes me feel that I am part of their family too.’

After so many decades of operating the local barber shop, it is definitely more than just a shop- it is a social hub too, ‘What keeps me going is my love for my work and the people that I meet every day. Customers find our barber shop as a friendly place to meet; they often come with their coffee and enjoy socialising at our shop. Being a meeting point, if anyone wants to know what is going on in the local area, they come to the shop and ask if I know anything. That is why some of my customers jokingly called me ‘the sheriff’ as I know what was going on in Panania.’ 

And what is a major drawing card to Peter’s barber shop is Peter himself; he has such a friendly nature that warmly welcomes his customers.

Reflecting on his fifty years of working as a barber, Peter acknowledges just how important the local area is in his own life, ‘I left school when I was thirteen years old and migrated here when I was only seventeen. I was blessed to have found my shop in Panania; in the 1970s, my family put roots in the ground and we have lived in the local area ever since. After working over four decades here, the sun always sets in Panania. This is my home.’

Archbishop Makarios responds to Turkish decree to convert Chora Monastery into a mosque

The Greek Herald
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Archbishop Makarios responds to Turkish decree to convert Chora Monastery into a mosque

Turkish authorities issued a new presidential decree on Friday morning to convert a Greek Orthodox Church into a mosque. The Byzantine Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora stood for 1600 years as a church, monument and, most recently, a museum as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Devastated by Turkey’s decision to convert the Chora Monastery into a mosque, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios has made a public message denouncing the Turkish government’s decision.

See His Eminence Archbishop Makarios’ full message below:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the decision of the Turkish authorities to convert the historic Chora Monastery in Constantinople into an Islamic mosque. It is a decision that intensifies our frustration and concern, given the recent desecration of the Church of Hagia Sophia, which is the universal symbol of Orthodoxy and Christianity.

Unfortunately, the Turkish political leadership insists on following a path of disrespect for religious monuments of the Orthodox Church but also displays contempt for monuments that constitute a part of the world’s cultural heritage. There are currently more than 3500 mosques in Constantinople. There is no need for another one to be added to the list as most of them are empty. Unfortunately, Turkey is moving in the opposite direction from what all modern democracies and societies have set out to do in recent years. At the same time, it invalidates all actions and steps taken in previous decades by the Turkish Republic and the Turkish people, choosing to go backwards instead of progressing and showing disrespect even for its own history.

However, we must realise that such decisions not only constitute an insult to Orthodox Christians or, generally, to Christians around the world. We must understand that such “heroic” initiatives promote intolerance, religious fanaticism and nationalist ideology while, at the same time, undermining peaceful coexistence, which is a pursuit of all religions. It is crucial to ponder – particularly by those who instigate and execute such decisions – that no present intervention can change the historic reality reflected in a monument. It can only determine the future. And this is why, the responsibility that comes from such decisions is heavy-laden. 

READ MORE: Turkish presidential decree declares Greek Orthodox Church to be converted into a mosque

Erdogan says will accelerate Mediterranean operations after announcing biggest Turkish gas find in Black Sea

The Greek Herald
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Erdogan says will accelerate Mediterranean operations after announcing biggest Turkish gas find in Black Sea

You would think if Turkey found the biggest natural gas discovery in the country’s history, that it would immediately cease illegal operations in the Eastern Mediterranean? Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Turkey announced its biggest natural gas discovery on Friday, a 320 billion cubic metre (11.3 trillion cubic feet) Black Sea field which President Tayyip Erdogan said was part of even bigger reserves and could come onstream as soon as 2023.

The ship made the discovery about 100 nautical miles north of the Turkish coast.

“This reserve is actually part of a much bigger source. God willing, much more will come,” Erdogan said in a televised address from an Ottoman palace in Istanbul.

“There will be no stopping until we become a net exporter in energy.”

Turkey’s drilling vessel Fatih sails in the Bosphorus. Turkey, May 29, 2020. REUTERS/ Yoruk Isik

Analysts said it was not clear whether the 320 billion cubic metres he announced referred to total gas estimates or amounts that could be extracted, but that either way it represented a major discovery.

“This is Turkey’s biggest-ever find by a wide margin, and one of the largest global discoveries of 2020,” said Thomas Purdie of consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

A Turkish source told Reuters on Thursday that the discovery contains expected reserves of 800 billion cubic metres.

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the nation in Istanbul, Turkey, August 21, 2020. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO/Handout via REUTERS

In the same press conference, Reuters reports, Erdogan said operations in the Mediterranean would accelerate, as gas exploration ships continue to intrude on Greece’s waters.

As well as the Black Sea, Turkey has been exploring for hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean, where its survey operations have drawn protests from Greece and Cyprus.

Greek and Turkish warships shadow a Turkish survey vessel as both of the countries leaders refuse to back down.

Reuters/The Greek Herald

On this day in 1921, legendary rebetiko performer Sotiria Bellou was born

The Greek Herald
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On this day in 1921, legendary rebetiko performer Sotiria Bellou was born

One of Greece’s most successful singers in the mid 1900’s, Sotiria Bellou was highly regarded for her impeccable voice, accompanied by her rebetiko skills.

She was born on August 22, 1921 in the village of Halia in Chalkida. She was named after her beloved grandfather, Sotiris Papasotiriou, who was a priest in Schimatari.

Sotiria decided to become a singer at age 17 when she saw the movie “The Refugee Girl” with Sofia Vembo in the cinema. After her parents objected her decision, she decided to head off alone to Athens. There she met and married Vangelis Trimouras, a bus inspector. 

Their marriage unfortunately only lasted six months after Sotiria was thrown in Averoff prison for throwing vitriol on Vangelis’ face. In the Court of Appeal, her sentence was reduced from 3.5 years to 6 months and she was released.

Sotiria spent the entire period of the war and the years of the Occupation under difficult conditions and doing various jobs. Among other things, she sang for pocket money in various taverns, with a guitar she had bought in the meantime.

After the liberation, playwright Kimon Kapetanakis discovered her in a tavern of the Exarchates and introduced her to his friend Vassilis Tsitsanis. The rebetiko man was excited by her voice and suggested that they enter the studio together.

The success of her first recordings with the unforgettable Tsitsanis (“Cloudy Sunday”, “Ta Kavourakia”, “When you drink in the tavern”, “Have a little patience”) established her as a folk singer, while in the years 1948 – 1955 she was sought after top composers. 

Se collaborated with Giannis Papaioannou (“Go back to life first”, “Make courage my heart”, “Open, open”), George Mitsaki (“The sailor”, “The extinguished lantern”) and Apostolos Kaldara (“I said to erase the old ones”).

In 1966, she collaborated with contemporary art singers, earning a reputation among the new generation. She played in popular centres, Plaka bars, as well as in big concerts and other cultural events.

In March 1993 she faced serious health problems. She was immediately admitted to hospital and diagnosed with severe respiratory failure and pulmonary emphysema. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer. 

She lost her voice and two days before her 76th birthday, on August 27, 1997, and took her last breath at the Metaxa hospital in Piraeus.

Sourced By: San Simera

Greek Community of Melbourne calls on PM to take a stand on Turkey’s violations in East Med

The Greek Herald
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Greek Community of Melbourne calls on PM to take a stand on Turkey’s violations in East Med

In the wake of rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean over Turkey’s oil and gas exploration and apparent breaches of existing Greek and Cypriot exclusive economic zones (EEZs), the Greek Community of Melbourne has called on the Australian government to take action.

In a letter to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the Community notes Turkey’s attempt to establish its own EEZ off the coast of Libya and Turkey, a move which it stresses is not only provocative but also illegal.

“We believe that Australia can no longer remain silent on this issue. We must intervene to ensure that subtle peace and stability in the region is maintained with the agreed sovereignty of all nations involved,” said Community President Bill Papastergiadis in a letter to Mr Morrison.

“In addition, we consider it in Australia’s interest to take an active part in the international community in defending the territorial rights of Greece and Cyprus, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“This is particularly important because a negative outcome to the territorial dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean could have repercussions for other nations, including Australia.”

Other Australian leaders have also urged the Australian Prime Minister to take a stance on the Eastern Mediterranean dispute.

Federal Member for Adelaide Steve Georganas sent a letter to Mr Morrison last week.

“I feel that, as a member of the international community, Australia cannot stay silent on this matter. We should play our part to ensure that the delicate peace and stability in the region is preserved along with the agreed sovereignty of all the nations involved,” Georganas said.

Turkish presidential decree declares Greek Orthodox Church to be converted into a mosque

The Greek Herald
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Turkish presidential decree declares Greek Orthodox Church to be converted into a mosque

Only a few months after the provocative decision to convert Hagia Sophia to a mosque, Turkish authorities issued a new presidential decree on Friday morning to re-convert a Greek Orthodox Church into a mosque.

The Byzantine Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora was originally built in the 4th century, and was was comprehensively rebuilt around 1077-81. After a devastating earthquake in the 12th century, the church was partially rebuilt again.

Chora was turned into the Kariye Museum after WWII and was evidently restored, then becoming a UNESCO world heritage site. The museum continues to be covered with stunning Byzantine mosaics and frescoes.

The change in its status was passed in December 2019 but the decision of the State Council of Turkey had not been implemented, until today.

A tourist visits the Church of the Holy Saviour, a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul on 21 August 2020 [BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images]

The Greek Foreign Ministry responded to the decision with the statement below:

The current decision of the Turkish authorities to convert the Monastery of Chora into a mosque is another challenge to the detriment of religious people everywhere and the international community that respects the monuments of human civilization.

Following the Hagia Sophia and despite the international reactions it provoked, the character of another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkey is being brutally insulted. Despite occasional declarations of respect for the rights of minorities and the multi-religious nature of its society, Turkey is violating its international obligations to the World Heritage Sites located in its territory.

Today’s decision by the Turkish authorities once again exposes Turkey to the international community.

It is absolutely reprehensible.

We call on this country to keep pace with international developments in the field of world cultural heritage protection.

We call on her to return to the 21st century, of mutual respect, dialogue and understanding between cultures.

Manchester United captain arrested in Mykonos after assaulting police officers [VIDEO]

The Greek Herald
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Manchester United captain arrested in Mykonos after assaulting police officers [VIDEO]

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was taken to Mykonos police station after allegedly assaulting a police officer in the early hours of Friday.

The English international was caught having a scuffle with some other men outside of a bar in Mykonos Town. According to the Greek paper Ɵema, citizens reportedly tipped off the ELAS at 12.30 a.m Friday morning, claiming that two groups of Englishmen were fighting outside a bar.

The paper does not specify what the ‘wild incident’ was, but the ELAS proceeded to handcuff Maguire and the other involved parties after arriving at the scene.

‘When the police intervened to stop the quarrel, three people from a group of Englishmen attacked the [police]men verbally and using physical violence,’ the outlet reports.

‘As a result, the police brought the three Englishmen – among them the United central defender – to Mykonos police station.’

After arriving at Mykonos police station, the three subjects allegedly continued to provoke and beat two police officers, resulting in their arrest.

According to his lawyers, Maguire reportedly denied his attack as he was taken away by boat to the Syros prosecutor’s office.

Harry Maguire was taken to Mykonos police station after allegedly assaulting a police officer in the early hours of Friday.. Photo: Givemesport.com

Manchester United responded to the incident with the following statement:

“The club is aware of an episode in which Harry Maguire is involved and it happened in Mykonos last night. We contacted Harry, who is fully cooperating with the Greek authorities. At this point in time, there will be no further comment. “

If guilty of beating the police officers, it is assumed that the board or Manchester United manger Ole Gunnar Solskjær will be forced to issue a punishment to the English player.

Maguire joined the ‘Red Devils’ for a record-breaking fee of 80 million pounds in 2019, the most any club has payed for a defender so far.

Greek Australian launches lawsuit towards St. Basil’s Aged Care Facility in Melbourne

The Greek Herald
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Greek Australian launches lawsuit towards St. Basil’s Aged Care Facility in Melbourne

Another Melbourne aged care home is being sued for allegedly failing to ensure residents’ safety during Victoria’s second COVID-19 wave.

Dimitrios Fotiadis died at St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in July and his daughter, Effie, alleges it failed to provide a safe environment or adequate care.

She is suing for psychological injury and financial losses, according to documents lodged in Victoria’s Supreme Court.

As of Thursday, 191 coronavirus cases were linked to the Fawkner home.

It’s accused of failing to heed warnings about COVID-19 and operating in breach of state and federal regulations. Staff were allegedly not given adequate protective equipment.

Other aggrieved relatives of St Basil’s residents are expected to join the lawsuit.

Victoria’s coroner is already investigating the deaths of five residents there.

It’s the second aged care home to be sued over its response to Victoria’s second wave.

Earlier this week, a class action was launched against Heritage Care, which runs Epping Gardens Aged Care.

Sebastian Agnello alleges similar care and safety failings over the death of his 92-year-old mother Carmela at that facility.

It has been linked to 205 cases so far.

Sourced By: Australian Associated Press

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