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‘Cries of a Thief’ – New Hellenic Art Theatre production set to bring tears of laughter

The Greek Herald
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‘Cries of a Thief’ – New Hellenic Art Theatre production set to bring tears of laughter

A new comedic theatre production at the Hellenic Art Theatre entitled ‘Φωνάζει ο Κλεφτης’ (Cries of a Thief) is set to bring audiences on the ground in tears of laughter.

Written by Dimitris Psathas & Directed by Stavros Economidis, the play is a hilarious comedy with a satirical background that gives it much substance.

Psathas’ frequent use of proverbs, relate to various issues of public finances and administration. The writer’s insightful look and sharp pen presents an image of modern society without exaggeration. Situations and characters that are familiar to the audience, comic situations coexist with the current, even for today, question “why should truth be considered a luxury and not a virtue”.

“Our dedicated cast, a great bunch of actors have been working tirelessly over the last month to bring this production together for you to enjoy in record time!”

A simple man (Timoleon), who constantly gets fired from his jobs because of his honesty, stumbles upon a lost wallet. He returns the wallet to its rightful owner a retired General (Solonas).  The General, impressed by his honesty, employs him as a bookkeeper and he discovers a world of fraud and abuse of public monies. The head of this conspiracy is Andonis, the brother of the General’s wife (Lia).

A drunk Timoleon barges into the General’s bedroom in the middle of the night revealing the truth. 

Photo: Supplied

He is seen as crazy; a swindler and slanderer and is arrested. Some hilarious scenes in the bedroom and at the police station will have people rolling in your seats with laughter.

Why are the contents of the wallet so important to Lia? Why is the thief crying (shouting)?

Does truth prevail in the end?… People will have to come and watch to find out.

Photo: Supplied

Hellenic Art Theatre is a COVID Safe Business and protocols are in place to protect their audiences, cast, crew, and staff.

Seats are limited due to current restrictions so book your tickets now!

The production will be in Greek with English subtitles, with the Hellenic Art Theatre promising a night of laughs and enjoyment.

Book your ticket to the theatre production.

Greece suffer six goal defeat against Germany in UEFA Women’s Championship

The Greek Herald
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Greece suffer six goal defeat against Germany in UEFA Women’s Championship

Greece’s Women football team suffered an abysmal six-goal loss in the UEFA Women’s Championship on Saturday, falling to fourth place in their group.

Facing the current leaders of their group, expectations weren’t high for the blue and white’s. Yet, nobody predicted the Greek team, filled with talented youthful prospects, to go down so convincingly.

Greece’s attacking trio had a combined age of only 23, with fans expecting a show of their incredible talent. Unfortunately, their attacks were cut off completely from Germany’s near-perfect defence.

Germany took 40, yes that was read correctly, attempts at goal. Meanwhile Greece’s women’s side failed to take a single shot in the ninety-minute game.

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Laura Freigang made an impressive appearance for Germany, scoring a 25-minute hat-trick in the first half.

“We take it just as seriously, whether we’re facing a big country or a smaller one,” German women’s player Dzenifer Marozsan told DW afterwards.

“We have a lot of young players, who are very talented, and they bring freshness into the team.”

Santa Claus given ‘extra-special’ travel exemption to bring presents this Christmas

The Greek Herald
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Santa Claus given ‘extra-special’ travel exemption to bring presents this Christmas

The global COVID-19 pandemic will not impede Santa or his helpers’ entry into NSW on 24 and 25 December, thanks to an extra-special “essential workers” exemption granted by the NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard.

Mr Hazzard has written to Mr Claus’s North Pole address to say he and his elves and nine reindeers are not required to complete a 14-day isolation in hotel quarantine after their sleigh crosses the NSW border.

This exemption has been shared with NSW Police to ensure Santa is able to travel freely and safely across Australia’s most populous state.

Queensland Health has asked Santa to wash his hands before and after eating milk and cookies.(Reuters: Pawel Kopczynski)

“Mr Claus, I understand you have significant magical powers which allow you to travel the world safely without transmitting COVID-19,” Mr Hazzard writes in the letter.

“I am aware you have safely delivered presents to children in Australia during previous pandemics and as a result I am confident you will take the necessary precautions to keep our community safe.

“Accordingly, this exemption will include the following precautions:

  • All presents will be delivered after bedtime to minimise contact;
  • You and your elves maintain 1.5 metres physical distancing should you encounter others;
  • If you are unwell, you get a COVID-19 test and isolate right away;
  • You and your elves must wash your hands regularly and carry hand sanitiser;
  • Wear a mask if you or your elves are ever unable to maintain physical distancing.”

A spokeswoman for Santa Claus confirmed receipt of the special exemption and said Santa and his helpers were only too happy to comply, having secured a jumbo supply of hand and hoof sanitiser to last their journey.

“After a challenging year, Mr Claus wants this Christmas to be the best yet,” she said.

“Santa’s advice to the NSW community is to stay safe and look after each other as you reflect on how blessed NSW has been in keeping COVID-19 at bay.”

Katerina Ferekos prompts investigation into Sydney school after door lock found in ‘sensory room’

The Greek Herald
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Katerina Ferekos prompts investigation into Sydney school after door lock found in ‘sensory room’

An autism awareness advocate is calling on schools across the country to ensure they properly treat children with a disability, after revelations a Sydney school is under investigation for installing locks on rooms for students who misbehave.

The New South Wales Department of Education is investigating a Penshurst West Public School, in Sydney’s south, after concerned parents discovered locks were installed on a small “sensory room”.

ABC News reports that Katerina Ferekos, whose seven-year-old son Yianni is enrolled at the school, raised concerns with the principal earlier this year.

“I’m not ashamed to have a child with ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder],” she said.

“We were told it’s impossible to have locks on the room … and I said, ‘well, they’re there,’ and that’s when an investigation started.”

Katerina Ferekos raised concerns her son Yianni was locked in a room at Penshurst West Public School.(ABC News: Josh Bavas)

Another parent later noticed a picture of a bolt on the room door, in the background of another photo which was uploaded to social media.

Ms Ferekos said she was left shocked after receiving a notice from the principal banning her from school grounds after a confrontation earlier on the same day she raised her concerns.

“Two officers were out the front [of my house] and said, ‘We’re delivering a letter to you on behalf of the school’,” she said.

“Especially in front of my child — the eldest one and who can understand — it made me very distraught.

The principal of the school has been stood aside while an investigation takes place.(ABC News: Josh Bavas)

“Advocating and having a voice for your child is not a crime and I will not stop until my last breath.”

Investigators are also assessing a claim that a therapist had to search for keys to be able to reach Yianni Ferekos inside the room on a separate occasion.

In October, after Ms Ferekos raised her concerns, a newsletter was issued to parents informing them that the room was being expanded and the locks were to be removed.

The school’s principal has since been stood aside and another teacher placed on separate duties, pending the full investigation.

UPDATE:

The NSW Department of Education has cleared Penshurst West Public School over allegations a young student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was locked in a small sensory room.

In a statement, the Department of Education said its own investigation found concerns were unfounded.

“The evidence gathered confirmed that students were not locked in the sensory room and could exit the room of their own accord,” said a spokesman.

The Office of the Children’s Guardian has monitored the investigation and is expected to deliver findings of its own.

Sourced By: ABC News

On this day: Greek Singer Maria Farantouri was born

The Greek Herald
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On this day: Greek Singer Maria Farantouri was born

By Victoria Loutas

Maria Farantouri is a remarkable Greek singer and political activist, who has made immeasurable contributions to Greek music industry and greater society. She was born on November 28 in 1947 and has gone on to lead a successful and enriching life.

Maria Farantouri was born in 1947 in Athens Greece, to a working-class family. Like much of Europe, Greece was recovering from the devastation of WWII and the German Occupation, meaning most of her childhood was spent in hardship. 

By adolescence, she discovered her passion for singing by participating in the choir of The Society of Greek Music, a progessive organisation which worked to support new music based on Greek traditions. 

At age 16, Farantouri met the legendary Miki Theodorakis while she was training to become a classical singer. They immediately connected and formed the beginning of a life-long, artistic relationship. 

Four years later, in the spring of 1967, a group of right-wing army colonels seized power in Greece, and the brutal junta lasted until 1974. Under the junta, politically active Theodorakis was imprisoned and his progressive music was banned. During this time, Farantouri went into exile in Paris and later in London, where she became part of the social unrest sweeping the world.

Over the seven years that the junta lasted, Theodorakis managed to smuggle out manuscripts of his music to Farantouri, which she would record and release. In this time, Theodorakis and Farantouri produced several iconic protest recordings and contributed to the protest canon that was inspiring students and demonstrators globally.

Maria’s smoky contralto was the perfect vehicle for Theodorakis’ music, says Gail Holst-Warhaft, who published a biography of Theodorakis in 1981. Together, they made the perfect artistic pair. 

(Maria Farantouri and Mikis Theodorakis)

After the junta ended in 1974, Farantouri continued to develop her artistic career as she expanded her sound in a variety of directions, including jazz. 

While her career was blooming, she met Tilemachos Chytiris, Greek poet and politician who also aided in the anti-Junta movement. Together, they married and had one son, Stephanos. 

In the meantime, Farantouri continued her political activism and eventually was elected to the Greek parliament. She represented the Panhellenic Socialist Movement and served from 1989 to 1993. 

On 23 September 2004, the President of the Hellenic Republic recognized the contribution of Maria Farantouri to the Greek music industry, awarding her the Gold Cross of the Order of the Phoenix. 

The contributions Maria Farantouri made, not only as an artist but as a political activist in the anti-junta movement will forever be honoured and cherished. 

Minister apologizes for arrest of nine women activists

The Greek Herald
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Minister apologizes for arrest of nine women activists

Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis apologised on Friday for the arrest of nine members of feminist groups and NGOs who took part in a peaceful rally to mark the Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25.

The nine women, who included an activist of the Greek chapter of Amnesty International, were initially detained and then arrested and fined 300 euros for breaching public health rules.

“These ladies are right. I think it was an exaggeration that should not have taken place, and I have to apologize for that. This exaggeration should not have happened,” the minister said during a discussion on radio station Real FM on Friday.

The women stood at the stairs of Syntagma Square opposite the Parliament, wearing masks and maintaining their social distance.

Their banner read: “They don’t silence us. The quarantine does not protect us from the pandemic of violence against women.”

Amnesty International criticized the arrests on Thursday. “Arresting, fining and charging peaceful activists simply for staging symbolic actions against gender-based violence is an assault on their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” Amnesty’s Regional Director for Europe, Nils Muiznieks, said in a statement.

“Activists must not be penalized for trying to raise awareness about gender-based violence, let alone at a time when women and girls face increased risks due to lockdowns and other restrictions around the world,” he added.

Protests and rallies were banned only around the days of November 17.

Turkey rejects European Parliament call for sanctions

The Greek Herald
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Turkey rejects European Parliament call for sanctions

Turkey on Friday rejected a call by the European Parliament for sanctions against Ankara over President Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in north Cyprus, calling the demand “disconnected from the realities”.

On Thursday, the European Union’s parliament agreed a non-binding resolution in support of EU member Cyprus urging EU leaders to “take action and impose tough sanctions” against Turkey, a move likely to bolster support for France’s push for sanctions on Ankara at an EU summit next month.

Turkey is at odds with EU members Greece and Cyprus over hydrocarbon exploration in disputed east Mediterranean waters.

READ MORE: The European Parliament votes in favor of sanctions against Turkey
READ MORE: EU threaten Turkey with sanctions if ships don’t withdraw from Greek waters.

Erdogan incensed Cyprus, whose territory covers the southern half of the partitioned Mediterranean island, on Nov. 15 by visiting Varosha, a resort on the island that has been fenced-off and abandoned in no-man’s land since 1974.

Ankara supported the partial reopening of Varosha last month in a move criticised by the United States, Greece and Greek Cypriots.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy denounced the resolution and accused the European Parliament of being “prejudiced and disconnected from the realities” on Cyprus.

“If this approach and mentality are maintained, it would not be possible for EU bodies to make a constructive contribution to the settlement of the Cyprus issue,” Aksoy said.

Cyprus has been divided since a 1974 Turkish invasion after a brief Greek-inspired coup. Only Ankara recognises northern Cyprus as an independent state, but not the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government to the south.

France has not yet drawn up sanctions against Turkey, but diplomats say any measures would probably target areas of Turkey’s economy linked to natural gas exploration in seas off the coast of Cyprus.

Sourced By: Reuters

Insight or Perspective: If we lose the language we lose everything!

The Greek Herald
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Insight or Perspective: If we lose the language we lose everything!

By Eleni Elefterias

(PART 5)

Should we teach our children the Greek Alphabet?

Many parents stock up on Greek Alphabet books even before their toddler starts to walk. The intention is good but it is fraught with error. 

Children in Greece learn Greek long before they start school. Even when they are babies sitting in their prams being pushed around by their parents they start to recognise street signs, shop signs, words on packaging etc.

They hear Greek all around them, on the bus, on the train, in the bank, at the park. By the time they go to pre-school they already recognise many words, realise that that letters in a row have meaning, and can speak quite fluently already.

In contrast, children of Greek background born here will not see Greek signs anywhere or hear Greek anywhere except either at home (some not even there) or at grandma’s house and rarely at Greek events. They rarely get to use their limited Greek language skills outside of their immediate family situation. There are no incidental learning opportunities at the shops or at the bank like the children in Greece.  

Therefore, when they start preschool or Yr 1 at Greek afternoon school they are not starting on a level playing field with those from overseas. So why should we treat them as if they are? Why do we want to make them feel inadequate, when in fact they have more skills, being bilingual at such a young age? 

Pre-schoolers in Greece are ready to deconstruct words and learn the alphabet. Our children are not.

They need to first get the basics, such as to learn the “tags”; words as signs. They need to recognise their name in Greek, their friend’s names, their favourite animals and toys through pictures with words attached.

Only once they have mastered the notion will they be ready to learn the letters these words are made of. Once they are at this stage they will fly. Don’t slow your child down by teaching them abstract, unnecessary characters that have no meaning for them.

So what does have meaning? Continued next week! 

READ MORE: Insight or Perspective: If we lose the language we lose everything (Part Four)

*Eleni Elefterias-Kostakidis is a teacher of Modern Greek and University lecturer. 

Read Eleni Elefterias’ column ‘Insight or Perspective’ in Greek, every Saturday in The Greek Herald’s print edition or get your subscription here.

All Saints College students sing Christmas carols to Archbishop Makarios

Andriana Simos
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All Saints College students sing Christmas carols to Archbishop Makarios

It’s that time of year when Christmas carols are playing over the radio or over the speakers in shopping centres.

And it looks like His Eminence Archbishop Makarios was also treated to a special performance of traditional carols on Tuesday.

His Eminence Archbishop Makarios was treated to a special performance of traditional carols on Tuesday.

Primary students from All Saints Greek Orthodox College in Belmore visited the headquarters of the Holy Archdiocese in Redfern, Sydney, and performed well-known carols for Archbishop Makarios, bringing a smile to the face of everyone in attendance.

Primary students from All Saints Greek Orthodox College performed Christmas carols.

Archbishop Makarios thanked the children for their visit and performance and spoke to each child individually, offering them refreshments and small gifts.

The Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Panagia Pantanassis in Mangrove Creek, Archimandrite Father Eusebios and Archimandrite Geron Stefanos also had the pleasure of hearing the carols sung by the young students.

Kayla Itsines named in the Young Rich List 2020

Andriana Simos
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Kayla Itsines named in the Young Rich List 2020

The Australian Financial Review’s annual Young Rich List is out for 2020 and, unsurprisingly, entrepreneurs and e-commerce sites have dominated the list once again this year. 

One of those entrepreneurs is Greek Australian, Kayla Itsines. She, and her ex-fiance Tobi Pearce, were ranked 27 on the list and are worth an estimated $209 million.

The Adelaide locals remain joint owners of Sweat, the fitness empire they created in 2014, initially as an e-book workout guide. The value of the business and their substantial South Australian property portfolio has been split equally between them.

Greek Australian, Kayla Itsines, was listed in the Australian Financial Review’s Rich List for 2020.

Sweat adapted quickly to the pandemic with shuttered gyms triggering the release of “no equipment” workouts. The app was also free for the month of April. The couple, who welcomed a baby girl last year, put their Adelaide home on the market in September.

Itsines and Pearce first stormed onto the Financial Review Young Rich List in 2018 with an estimated wealth of $486 million.

The list has been ranking the wealthiest self-made Australians aged 40 and under since 2003, and while this year’s list was dominated by the usual tech suspects like Atlassian’s Scott Farquhar and Afterpay’s Nick Molnar, there were a few new surprise entrants from other sectors including beauty founder and author, Zoë Foster Blake.

The AFR reports there was also an increase in women on the list compared to last year—12 made the list versus nine last year.

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