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The ‘2021 Victorian Council’ thanks schools, parishes and organisations

Andriana Simos
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The « 2021 Victorian Council » would like to congratulate and thank the following schools, parishes and organisations for taking the time to submit events for the 2021 Victorian Program creating an annual program of events beginning in January and ending in December.  

Over 80 schools, parishes and organisations have contributed to this program:  Ahepa, Agapi Care, Alpha Greek School, Altona North Greek Orthodox Parish, Ascot Vale Greek Orthodox Parish, Australian Federation Pontian Organisations, Australian Greek Ex-servicemen Association, Australian Hellenic Golf Federation, Australian Hellenic Memorial Foundation, Bacchus Marsh Greek Orthoox Parish, Ballarat Greek Orthodox Parish, Bendigo Greek Orthodox Parish, Bentleigh Greek Orthodox Parish,Bentleigh Greens Soccer Club, Box Hill Greek Community, Byzantine Music School of Australia, Carlton Greek Orthodox Parish, Central Pontian Association ‘Pontiaki Estia’, City of Moreland, Coburg Greek Orthodox Parish, Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne, Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand, Cyprus Community of Melbourne & Victoria, Dandenong Greek Orthodox Parish, Dodecanesian Federation of Australia, East Keilor Greek Orthodox Parish, Epirotic Federation of Oceania, Fawkner Greek Orthodox Parish, Federation of Greek Elderly Associations, Federation of Messinian Organisations, Forest Hill Greek Orthodox Parish, Fronditha Care, Greek-Australian Cultural League of Melbourne, Greek Australian Women’s Network “Food For Thought”, Greek City Times, Greek Media Group, Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria, Greek Youth of Archdiocese – Northcote District, Halkidiki Association of Melbourne “Aristotelis Stagiritis”, Heidelberg United Football Club, Hellenic Museum, Hellenic Writers Association of Australia, Hellenic RSL Sub Branch, Kalamata Society 23rd March, Lalor North Primary School, Lefkadian Brotherhood of Melbourne, Malvern East Greek Orthodox Parish, Manasis Dance School, Mavraganis Greek School, Mentone Greek Orthodox Parish, Merimna Pontion Kyrion Oceania, Mildura Greek Orthodox Parish, Neos Kosmos, Nestoras College, Northcote Greek Orthodox Parish, Oakleigh Grammar School, Oakleigh Greek Orthodox Community, Pammessinian Brotherhood of Victoria “Papaflessas”, Panarcadian Federation of Melbourne & Victoria, Panarcadian Association of Melbourne & Victoria “O Kolokotronis“, Pancretan Association of Melbourne, Panepirotic Federation of Australia, Pantrifilian Association of Melbourne, PanMacedonian Association of Melbourne, Pedia Greek School, Pegasus Dance Academy, Pontian Community of Melbourne, Pontian Association Euxinos Pontos, Pronia, Preston Greek Orthodox Parish, Richmond Greek Orthodox Parish, Robinvale Greek Orthodox Parish, Shepparton Greek Orthodox Parish, St. Albans Greek Orthodox Parish, St. Johns Greek Orthodox College, South Melbourne Football Club, Sunshine Greek Orthodox Parish, Thessaloniki Association “White Tower”, Thomastown Greek Orthodox Parish, Wangaratta Greek Orthodox Parish, Yarraville Greek Orthodox Parish, Zenon Education Centre.

Greek Consulate in Perth one of the first to be digitised in new Greek pilot program

Andriana Simos
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Greek Consulate in Perth one of the first to be digitised in new Greek pilot program

Greek consulates all over the world will soon become digital, offering the diaspora a fast and easy way to communicate with officials and apply online for documents and certificates.

A pilot version of digital platform, myConsulLive, will be launched imminently by the Greek Embassy in London and the Greek Consulates in New York and Toronto, Canada.

These will soon be followed by Greece’s Consulates in Boston, Istanbul, Dusseldorf and Perth, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s office. The current Consul General in Perth is Ms Georgia Karasiotou.

READ MORE: Georgia Karasiotou: ‘No matter how far we are, Greece is always in our hearts’.

Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was briefed on the first steps of the digitisation of consular services abroad at an e-meeting he held with the Greek Consulate General in New York on Tuesday.

“Through this platform, citizens would be able to talk to a consulate official through a video-call,” Mitsotakis said during the meeting.

“This is a first step in the plan to digitise the consular services, aiming to offer a better service and less hassle for Greeks abroad.”

As part of the digital pilot program, the Greek diaspora will be offered three things:

  • Using the myConsulLive service, citizens will be able to talk to a consular officer through a scheduled video call for operations that do not require an in-person presence at the Consulate.
  • A “Virtual Assistant” will answer questions submitted by interested parties, will offer instructions for the processing of their requests, will allow the digital submission of documents and will schedule appointments with its employees. It will also be possible to pay consular fees electronically.
  • In the long run, the “Virtual Assistant” will also function as a gateway to access a range of services such as the Register of Hellenes Abroad, the Greek Citizens Abroad Emergency Information System and the myConsulLive application.

This shift of services online is expected to be completed in 2021.

READ MORE: Mitsotakis: The role of Greek diaspora in Australia crucial to Greece’s recovery.

On This Day: Greek poet, Nikiforos Vrettakos, was born

The Greek Herald
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On This Day: Greek poet, Nikiforos Vrettakos, was born

By Victoria Loutas.

Nikoforos Vrettakos was one of the most influential literary figures in Greek history. His work skillfully expressed his vision of a Utopian world filled with peace and justice for all.

On the occasion of his birth, we take a look back at his life achievements.

Early Life:

Vrettakos was born on January 1, 1912 in the village of Krokees, Laconia. He spent his childhood and adolescent years moving between Ploumitsa, Krokees and Gythion. 

After completing his secondary education in Gythion, he settled in Athens to begin his university studies in 1929, with hopes to study law. But financial circumstances restricted him from completing his education. Instead, he took up manual labour jobs, which he continued until 1932. Although he was unable to receive a tertiary education, he continued his passion for literature and poetry.

Vrettakos was born on January 1, 1912 in the village of Krokees, Laconia.

Literature and Poetry:

In 1929, at the young age of 17, he published his first collection of poems “Under the shadows and lights” and in 1933, the collection “Going down to the silence of centuries.” Both of these collections immediately attracted the interest of many Greek people and even caught the attention of Kostis Palamas, a famous Greek poet.

In 1935, Vrettakos published the book, “The war,” which was censured by the 4th of August Regime also known as Metaxas Regime.

Along with his literary work, he worked as a journalist in the newspapers “Change,” “Independent Press,” “Progressive Liberal,” “Daily News,” “Battle,” “Hour” and in the magazines “Science and Life” and “Greek Chronicles.” 

Vrettakos also led a fairly active political life, serving in the Greek-Italian War, joining the National Liberation Front and also being an active member of the Communist Party of Greece.

However, in 1949, he published a lyrical essay “Two people talk about peace in the world,” expressing his personal political beliefs which led to his eventual removal from the Communist party of Greece.

He later also stopped working at the magazine “Elefthera Grammata” where he was a manager.

Nikiforos Vrettakos passed away on August 4, 1991.

Later Life and Death:

In 1967, Vrettakos went into a self-imposed exile in Switzerland in response to the military dictatorship takeover of Greece. During his time in Europe, he participated in various radio broadcasts and poetry festivals. 

In 1974, he returned to Greece and settled in Athens. He later returned to his village, Ploumitsa, where he remained until his death in 1991. He passed on August 4, 1991, just a few months after he was named an Honorary Doctor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Over the course of his life, Vrettakos won a number of awards and prizes, including the “Greek State Poetry Prize” in 1940, in 1965 and in 1982, the “Knocken” award in 1980 and the award of the Academy of Athens in 1989.

On This Day: Influential Greek novelist, Alexandros Papadiamantis, dies

Andriana Simos
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On This Day: Influential Greek novelist, Alexandros Papadiamantis, dies

Alexandros Papadiamantis is one of the greatest Greek novelists and is regarded as the father of modern Greek literature. He also worked as a journalist and as a translator.

To mark the occasion of his death today, we take a look back at his incredible life achievements.

Early Life:

Papadiamantis was born on March 4, 1851 on the Greek island of Skiathos. His parents had nine children, two of which died at birth. He was their fourth child and eldest living son.

As Papadiamantis’ father was a priest, he was accustomed to a pious and serene way of life.

He had a diverse and interrupted education. He was schooled on his island until the age of eleven, then he moved to Athens in order to complete his high school studies.

Papadiamantis was born on March 4, 1851 on the Greek island of Skiathos.

In 1874, he went to the Philosophical School of the University of Athens. He attended the University for two years but he never received his degree. It was during this period that his cousin, Alexandros Moraitidis, introduced him into various journalistic circles.

Journalism and Novels:

Papadiamantis started to work as a journalist in several newspapers and magazines. His first novel, entitled ‘The Migrant,’ was printed in instalments in the newspaper, Neologos, in 1879. In 1887, his first story titled ‘The Christmas Loaf,’ marked the feast and set a pattern for his writing.

Papadiamantis’ longest works were the serialised novels ‘The Gypsy Girl,’ ‘The Emigrant,’ and ‘Merchants of Nations.’ However, his novella, ‘The Murderess,’ is considered his best masterpiece.

His stories provide lucid and lyrical portraits of country life in Skiathos or urban life in the poorer neighbourhoods of Athens, with frequent flashes of deep psychological insight.

Papadiamantis (centre) was a shy and retiring man, as the few extant photographs of him testify.

Most of his work is tinged with melancholy and resonates with empathy with people’s suffering, regardless of whether they are saints or sinners, innocent or conflicted.

Personal Life and Death:

Papadiamantis never married. He was a shy and retiring man, as the few extant photographs of him testify. He appeared to be a man seemingly not of this world despite his acute observations of it.

Despite his introspective nature, he had a small circle of close friends including Pavlos Nirvanas and Yannis Vlachoyannis, well-known Athenian men who on various occasions undertook the role of literary agents and helped him during hard times.

Papadiamantis died on January 2, 1911 in Skiathos from pneumonia. The whole country mourned his death. Several articles were published in his memory and memorial services were carried out in various cities.

Announcement regarding the Celebration of Theophany in Australia

The Greek Herald
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Announcement regarding the Celebration of Theophany in Australia

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia has made an announcement regarding the celebration of Theophany in Australia, revealing that celebrations in Sydney, along with Victoria and Western Australia, will no longer be going ahead.

Read the full press release below:

The Holy Archdiocese of Australia, assessing the special circumstances prevailing due to the pandemic and taking into account the advice from experts and the current regulations for the protection of public health, announces with regret, but also with a sense of pastoral responsibility, that the combined celebration of Theophany at Yarra Bay in Sydney will not go ahead this year, nor will  the traditional services of the Sanctification of the Waters and the Throwing of the Cross within the states of Victoria and Western Australia.

On the contrary, the corresponding ceremonies for the celebration of Theophany are planned to continue as normal with the presence of faithful on Sunday 10 January in Adelaide, Brisbane, the Gold Coast in Queensland and in Darwin.

Melbourne Greek school students shine in 2020 VCE results

The Greek Herald
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Melbourne Greek school students shine in 2020 VCE results

Graduate students at Oakleigh Grammar and Alphington Grammar have performed to a commendable level as they receive results from their VCE exams, in a year that was interrupted by a worrying pandemic.

Year 12 students at Oakleigh Grammar worked tirelessly throughout this challenging year to ensure their choice in offers and ATAR results reflected the career path each student has so carefully chosen.

Dux of the 2020 School Year was awarded to Xuwei (Amy) Ding with an impressive ATAR score of 95.2. Amy is Oakleigh Grammar’s first international student to to be recognised with this honour and has achieved her excellent score through hard work, diligence and always being open to asking for help.

Top performing students at Oakleigh Grammar. Photo: Supplied

A school known for their incredible student guidance, 55 percent of Oakleigh Grammar graduates achieved ATAR scores of over 70.

The school acknowledged the success of five additional students for achieving outstanding results, including their chosen University course.

  • Artemis Moschoudi – 94.6 Bachelor degree of Laws and Criminology (Monash University)
  • Zena Makantasis – 94.2 Bachelor degree of Commerce (Melbourne University)
  • Alexandra Konstantinidi – 91.55 Bachelor Degree of Nursing and Midwifery (Deakin University)
  • Efthymia Delichristou – 88.65 Bachelor Degree of Nursing and Midwifery (Deakin University)
  • Sinky Oeng – 88.15 Bachelor of Design (Melbourne University)

A special mention is also to be made for Oakleigh student Marialena Loupo, who achieved an incredible score of 49/50 in her Modern Greek VCE.

Marialena Loupo. Photo: Supplied

“This is an excellent achievement for an independent Greek school, particularly within an undeniably taxing year,” the press release from Oakleigh Grammar reads.

“To achieve these results as a smaller and younger School is a true success story. As Oakleigh Grammar continues to grow from year to year, as do the results of our prosperous graduates.”

Another Greek school who performed exceptionally was Alphington Grammar, whose students achieved an average ATAR of 77.

41 percent of their students achieved ATARS over 80, with the school achieving a median Study Score of 31.

Special congratulations were given to DUX of the year Dimitra Kritsidimas, who achieved an outstanding ATAR of 96.35, placing herself in the top 4% of all students in the state.

“We are proud to announce that the VCE final results were made public this morning and our Class of 2020 has achieved an outstanding set of grades given the disjointed year they have all faced,” Alphington Grammar said in a Facebook post.

“Our students have demonstrated resilience, emotional maturity, creativity, compassion, and support of each other.”

Greek Community of Melbourne praises ‘exceptional results’ from Greek students in 2020 VCE

The Greek Herald
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Greek Community of Melbourne praises ‘exceptional results’ from Greek students in 2020 VCE

The Greek Community of Melbourne has praised the exceptional results achieved by Greek students in this year’s Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).

For another year, Greek students from schools in the E.K.M excelled in the Modern and Ancient Greek VCE exams, scoring impressive results.

In Modern Greek, 75 percent of students scored above 30 (average score), 56 percent scored above 35, while a very high percentage of 18.9% achieved a score above 40. The above percentages are without the grading of the course (scaling).

Among the students who excelled are Anastasia Typou (Αναστασία Τύπου), who achieved a score of 47 out of 50, and the Evanthia Katsouli (Eυανθία Κατσούλη), who achieved a score of 45 out of 50, also without scaling.

In Ancient Greek, 40 percent of students achieved a grade above 42 with the grade subsidy, while the remaining 60 percent achieved grades between 30-38.

Specifically, Evanthia Katsouli, scored 44 out of 50 in Ancient Greek, which after the grade subsidy is 50/50.

The pride for the performance of the Greek Community of Melbourne students was expressed by the Community Schools Coordinator, Mr. Manos Tzimbragos.

“Continuing a long tradition, our team, students, and teachers have shown that they can achieve wonderful results even under very adverse conditions such as those imposed by the pandemic this year,” Mr Tzimbragos said.

“I am very excited about the results. Warm congratulations to our children for their dedication, zeal and incredible adaptability they showed in the new conditions, but also to our teachers who managed to inspire and support their students in their difficult and challenging journey to knowledge.”

Vice President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Mr. Theodoros Markos, made the following statement:

“In education, as in life itself, travel is what matters. And when it comes to studying Greek, we are glad that a large number of our students decided to make this trip with the VCE”

“In a year in which we were all confronted with a new reality, where a new regularity had to be created overnight, our students and teachers showed us the way. We are proud of what you have achieved and we urge you to continue the journey of life with the same vigor and passion that you have shown throughout 2020!”

Sydney NYE gatherings limited to five guests as COVID cases spike

The Greek Herald
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Sydney NYE gatherings limited to five guests as COVID cases spike

Updated:

Advice for people who attended two Greek Orthodox churches in Wollongong has been updated. This replaces previous advice that anyone who attended either church should get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive further advice from NSW Health.

New advice has also been issued for attendees of St Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church, 39 Atchison Street, Wollongong, with NSW Health saying that anyone who attended on Sunday, 27 December between 9am and 10.15am is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

New advice for the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, 18 Stewart St, Wollongong, is that anyone who attended on Sunday, 27 December between 10.30am and 11am is a casual contact who must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a further tightening of restrictions for New Years Eve celebrations after the state recorded 18 new COVID-19 cases from community transmission overnight.

For New Year’s Eve in Greater Sydney (including Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains) the following will apply;

  • Household gatherings will be limited to 5 visitors (including children).
  • The limit for outdoor gatherings will be reduced from 50 to 30.

Restrictions for the northern zone of the Northern Beaches remain the same but for the southern zone of the Northern Beaches the following will now apply;

  • Household gatherings will be limited to 5 visitors from within your zone (including children).

The Premier encouraged people to “stay home” for New Year’s Eve, adding that if people do decide to have guests that they maintain adequate social distancing and good ventilation.

Speaking at the daily press conference, NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant also announced that aged care facilities are to restrict visitor access until January 6.

“As a precaution, until we further understand the community transmission across broader Sydney, we are taking a very precautionary approach to aged care visitors,” Dr Chant said.

“So until at least 11.59pm on Wednesday, 6 January, we’re asking all residential aged care facilities exclude visitors excepting those performing essential caring functions, and obviously end of life.”

Greek Australian school captain celebrates VCE results

The Greek Herald
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Greek Australian school captain celebrates VCE results

The wait is finally over for more than 64,800 Victorian students who received their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) results this morning.

Faced with an unpredictable year, students demonstrated commitment and resilience as they moved between onsite and remote and flexible learning due to the pandemic.

Bentleigh Secondary College school captain Tia Lambas said to The Greek Herald that before she received her ATAR, she wasn’t sure if she would be “crying or screaming of happiness” for her family to come to her room.

“But I did neither. I just saw my scores, did a little dance and smiled with pride and relief,” Tia said to The Greek Herald.

“It was a nice feeling finally looking at my ATAR after what felt like such a perpetual wait and thinking ‘I did it, I survived the COVID year’.”

Tia Lambas, 17, joins other students at Bentleigh Secondary College. Photo: Jake Nowakowski/Herald Sun

Tia said that being school captain in year plagued by COVID-19 was “not easy”, being unable to run the traditional events that the SRC would organise.

“…We couldn’t speak at assemblies and address the whole school and there were plenty other things we couldn’t do.”

Instead, Tia and her co-captain, Bayden Hill, filmed weekly “Keeping Up with Bentleigh” vlogs that were posted on the year 12 Facebook page, as well as through to the school community.

“We also got in contact with some local celebrities to give some warm wishes to our cohort, ensuring that our peers knew that they’re not alone and there are people in the world here to support them,” Tia said.

“Ultimately, we really had to think outside of the box like never before of ways in order to stay connected to the community and help those who were struggling most.”

Bentleigh Secondary student Tia Lambas and her Mum Mary Lambas celebrating Tia’s VCE results. Photo: Penny Stephens/The Age

Speaking to The Age, Tia’s mum, Mary Lambas, said she “slipped the congratulations cards under the doorway” at 6:50 a.m.

“I saw her work so hard, to not get what you wanted would have been a little devastating so I’m really happy for her,” Mary said.

Tia is looking to study medical imaging, yet says what matters most is that students “survived the year”.

“I’m really proud of all my peers,” she added.

Bentleigh principal Helen Hiotis said to ABC News that the students deserved to be able to celebrate after an unprecedented year.

“They’re what I call the students who survived COVID and I’m so incredibly proud of them this morning,” she said.

Second senior Greek bishop dies from COVID-19

The Greek Herald
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Second senior Greek bishop dies from COVID-19

A second senior bishop in Greece has died of complications caused by COVID-19, with Metropolitan Bishop of Kastoria Seraphim passing away at the age of 61 on Tuesday.

Seraphim tested positive on December 8, being admitted to Thessaloniki’s 424 General Military Training Hospital with mild symptoms. His condition began to quickly deteriorate and, on December 20, he was transferred to an ICU.

The late bishop was born in 1959 in the village of Agnandero, in the region of Karditsa, central Greece.

The coronavirus has claimed the lives of 4,402 Greek lives so far, including Metropolitan Bishop Ioannis of Lagadas, 62, who died in mid-November.

Several other senior clerics of the Greek Orthodox Church have been hit with the virus during the pandemic. Archbishop Ieronymos, the 82-year-old head of the Church of Greece, was hospitalised for nearly two weeks.

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