Disney have graced the entertainment world with the announcement of up 50 new movies and TV specials to be showcased in theatres and on their streaming platform, Disney+.
Among the announcements were some big-budget and highly anticipated films, including a live-action adaption of ‘The Little Mermaid’, a reboot of the popular comedy ‘Cheaper By The Dozen’, and a live-action adaption of ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’.
Honorary Greek citizen Tom Hanks will star in a live-action retelling of the iconic Disney tale, Pinocchio. It is unknown yet what role he will take on, yet the star is rumoured to lend his voice to Jiminy Cricket or feature as Pinocchio’s carver, Geppetto.
One of Disney’s all-time classics is coming to #DisneyPlus with the new live-action retelling of Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis. ✨ pic.twitter.com/44bHbFRhMe
Disney kept the cast for many of the newly announced films under wraps, yet the entertainment company announced the addition of John Stamos to the Disney crew, taking part in a new film Big Shot. The film is a celebration of “girl power”, set in the world of high school basketball. The Greek-American actor will be joined by Yvette Nicole Brown and Jessalyn Gilsig.
Keeping to the theme of basketball, Disney provided confirmation of a new film which will be inspired by the incredible real-life story of Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with Chris Paul and Keanan Lowe. It is unknown yet who will be casted as Giannis for his story-retelling.
With many feature films and TV shows yet to announce their casting lineups, we’re sure to see plenty more incredible Greek talents being featured in the upcoming Disney projects.
Greek students have shined in Blakehurst High School’s annual Presentation Day assembly, with students receiving awards for their excellence in study during the year.
Achieving exceptional results across the State in Languages, in particular Modern Greek, two special awards were presented to students: The Pan-Arcadian Excellence in Modern Greek, and the Toula Loizos Memorial Award.
“These awards provide an opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of our students studying Modern Greek,” Roula Evangelinos, School of Languages Co-ordinator at Blakehurst Languages High School.
“The annual award winners embody the values and passion of our much loved colleague Mrs Toula Loizos. She was instrumental in establishing the long-standing relationship with the Pan-Arcadian Association,” she said.
“This year we had the pleasure of having the new president of the Pan-Arcadian Association Mr Phillip Koinis who generously donated funds for the continuous study of the Modern Greek language.
“In addition, we had the pleasure of having Mrs Loizos’ son, Mr Yianni Loizos representing his mother.
“Due to COVID regulations both men were unable to present the awards in person, however they sent a congratulatory message to our recipients,” she said.
All year 12 graduate students will receive their HSC results on 18 December.
Just two weeks before Christmas, Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister, the Secretary General Of Public Diplomacy & Hellenes Abroad and the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, have sent messages of solidarity to the diaspora highlighting the important role of Hellenes abroad to the sustenance of the language and culture.
Read the full messages below:
Kostas Vlasis Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Greece
“2020 is coming to an end and it is definitely a year that will be engraved in the memory of Greeks everywhere, but also of all Mankind, as it was marked by the coronavirus pandemic, which caused huge losses at all levels. We have been tested and we continue to be tested, but the arrival of vaccines gives us hope for a return to normalcy, for a safer and more secure tomorrow.
“During this ordeal, the Greeks of the Diaspora, all of you who honour Hellenism in distant lands, have always been on our minds and that is why we have taken important initiatives in order to maintain and strengthen the ties between us. The difficult situation proved in practice that when we are united, we are capable of great achievements, but at the same time it was the springboard to make progress in areas that will strengthen in practice the relationship of Ecumenical Hellenism with Greece.
“On the occasion of the holidays of Christmas and New Year, I wholeheartedly wish from the bottom of my heart to Greeks everywhere that 2021 will be a year full of health, prosperity and hope for our Homeland and for each of you personally“
Ioannis Chrysoulakis General secretary Of Public Diplomacy & Hellenes Abroad
In an exclusive message to The Greek Herald, Mr Chrysoulakis thanks Australia’s Greek Community for their patience and solidarity:
“This year has been a period of hardship for everyone. We have seen the pandemic limit us, keep us away from relatives and friends, shrink our professional activity and take away the lives of our fellow human beings.
“On the other hand, 2020 was a year of responsibility for the protection of our personal health and the health of our loved ones, a year of solidarity with all those affected by the pandemic, but also a year of hope and optimism for the tireless efforts of scientists, including many our compatriots, in dealing successfully and definitively with this invisible enemy.
“I would like to warmly congratulate the readers of “The Greek Herald”, and on this occasion all the members of the Greek community in Australia, for the patience, endurance, understanding and the sense of social responsibility and solidarity they showed.
“I am deeply convinced that Greeks everywhere will continue the new year united to face the negative consequences of the pandemic through collective action and social solidarity. I wish “the Light of Knowledge” that will rise in a few days, to illuminate the lives of all of us“.
George Papakostas Ambassador of Greece to Australia
“In view of the Christmas and New Year holidays, I have the great pleasure to address to all of you, the Greeks abroad of Australia, my warmest wishes. I would like to express my deepest appreciation and admiration for the progress you have made in all areas in your new homeland, while maintaining your national identity and your love for Greece.
“At the same time, you are a valuable bridge between Australia and Greece, contributing decisively to the strengthening and further promotion of bilateral ties at all levels.
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In the shadow of the pandemic that creates new problems worldwide, as well as the ongoing challenges against our national rights, the need to maintain ties between Greece and the Greek expatriates in Australia is urgent. The mobilization of all the forces of Hellenism and the national solidarity are necessary to move forward in the new era that is emerging before us.
“In order to succeed in this environment, we Greeks, must rely on our history, traditions, our Christian faith and the preservation of our language.With the certainty that your efforts will continue for the promotion of Greece and the transmission of our traditional virtues to the new generations. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, with health, prosperity and family happiness“.
Limnos police have allegedly fined a 56-year-old man 300 euros for not wearing any exercise gear when going on a daily venture out of his house.
The man was wearing a mask and was walking home with a coffee-to-go and a bread loaf in his hands. Prior to him leaving his home, he sent an SMS to 13033 with option <6> for “exercise.”
The 56-year-old man was stopped by officers who determined that the man had “cheated” the lockdown exit options, saying he should have sent <2> for “supermarket supplies.”
They fined him with 300 euros under the pretext of unnecessary movement.
Police fined the man 300 euros under the pretext of unnecessary movement.
Speaking to local media, his son said his father takes a walk every morning and that the bread was given to him by his mother to bring it home.
“Police told my father that if he is out for ‘physical exercise’ <6> he should also wear sports gear and sneakers,” the son wrote in his denouncement.
“The goal of the restrictive measures is to wear masks, to keep our distance and to avoid unnecessary movements. So if it is to punish someone you do it in order to set an example so that he won’t do it again.”
But “why punish an old man, upset him, create a financial problem for him, because 300 euros is almost half a month’s salary, while he was wearing his mask and had sent a message?”
European Union leaders have sealed an agreement on a massive long-term budget and coronavirus recovery package, EU Council President Charles Michel said Thursday, after they overcame objections from Hungary and Poland.
“Now we can start with the implementation and build back our economies. Our landmark recovery package will drive forward our green and digital transitions,” Michel said in a tweet during an EU summit in Brussels.
The 1.82 trillion-euro ($2.21 trillion) long-term budget and recovery package is considered vital for many European countries whose economies have been devastated by the virus. Poland and Hungary had agreed to the deal in July but later vetoed it over a new mechanism that would allow Brussels to cut off EU funds to countries that violate Europe’s democratic standards.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned that it’s a case of us now, you tomorrow.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. (Yves Herman, Pool via AP)
“We have to avoid any arbitrary and politically motivated decisions,” he said. “Today, we fear that we might be attacked in [an] unjustified way, but of course in the future [it can be] any country.”
Ahead of the two-day summit, EU diplomats and officials said the solution would take the form of a declaration clarifying that the rule of law mechanism would not be used against any country without a ruling from the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice, first. That process could take a year.
“A compromise is currently being found. I hope it can be finalized in the coming hours,” French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday.
If the leaders fail to adopt the budget for 2021-2027 before the end of the year, the bloc will have to function on limited resources, with a maximum of one-twelfth of the budget for the previous financial year to be spent each month.
Christina Onassis was born on December 11, 1950, in New York City. She was the daughter of Greek-Argentine Aristotle Socrates Onassis, a shipping magnate who was one of the richest businessmen in the world. Aristotle’s success led to a life of riches for Christina from birth.
Christina and her older brother Alexander would live in Paris, Greece and England while growing up, both receiving a good education without the distraction of the media publicising her family’s darkest moment – when her parents split up in 1960.
News reports published stories of her father’s affair with opera singer Maria Callas, an affair Christina felt embarrassed by for the rest of her life.
Christina was the daughter of Greek-Argentine, Aristotle Socrates Onassis.
Despite all her family’s controversies, Christina was a very successful businesswoman working for her father’s business, yet her way to the top was developed through family tragedy.
In 1973, her brother Alexander died in a plane crash while only a year later in 1974, her mother died of a heart attack. In 1975, Christina’s father also passed away. Christina lost all her family in only three short years.
Her own personal life, however, was also filled with controversy, with four failed marriages being the most notable public criticism.
In 1971, a 20-year-old Christina married her first husband, 47-year-old American builder Joseph Bolker. Her father disapproved of the marriage, which lasted just nine months. However, this became a blessing in disguise as this was the time when she made her first steps into the business, moving to Monaco to work as a secretary.
By 1975, Christina was married again, this time to Alexander Andreadis, which only lasted a year. She then married a Russian shipping agent between 1978 to 1979, Sergei Kauzov.
In 1984, Christina would become married a fourth time, this time to Thierry Roussel. They had one child together, Athina. The marriage unfortunately ended with divorce after her husband was caught cheating.
Christina with her fourth husband, Thierry Roussel. Source: blogger.com.
On November 19, 1988, Christina’s body was found by her maid in the bathtub of a mansion in Buenos Aires, where she had been staying.
An autopsy found no evidence of suicide, drug overdose or foul play, but found that Onassis had died of a heart attack caused by acute pulmonary edema. She was 37 years old.
A private, Greek Orthodox funeral was held for her on November 20 at a chapel on the Onassis-owned island of Skorpios, whereafter she was buried in the Onassis family plot in the Island of Skorpios Cemetery, alongside her father and brother.
Onassis willed her fortune, worth an estimated $250 million at the time of her death, to her only child, Athina. Raised in Switzerland by her father, Thierry Roussel, and his wife, Marianne “Gaby” Landhage, Athina gained control of half of the estate on her 18th birthday.
A NSW police officer who took his own life last month has been identified as father-of-two Sergeant Matthew Theoklis, 7NEWS.com.au reports.
The father of three-year-old twin girls was found dead at the Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills on November 30.
Theoklis, known as ‘Theo’, leaves behind his fiancee Rebekah, also a serving member of the NSW Police Force, and daughters Brooke and Sophie, who “adore their dad”.
He had been a police officer since 2005 and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in December 2019 for the Eastern Beaches Police Area Command, according to a NSW Police fundraiser for his heartbroken family.
He leaves behind his fiancée Rebekah, who is also a NSW police officer, and their three-year-old twin daughters. Source: NSW Police
At the time of his death, Sgt. Theoklis was performing duties with the Major Events and Emergency Management and State Planning Unit.
“Theo was a well-respected member of the NSW Police Force who took immense pride in his job,” a statement on the fundraiser read.
“He performed his duties with the highest of professionalism and will be remembered for the fun and antics, for which he was renowned.
“Theo was a wonderful father who cherished his girls and would constantly talk about them.”
More than $50,000 has been pledged to a NSW Police Legacy fundraiser that will be put towards the “ongoing support and care of Brooke and Sophie throughout their lives”.
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It’s 15 days until Christmas and young Greek Australians across NSW have come together to bring some Christmas cheer to the elderly in nursing homes.
They’re all taking part in ‘The Smile Project.’
The project is an initiative launched by the Central Youth Committee of NSW (CYC NSW), which is under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, and many youth fellowships in the state are participating.
These fellowships are: FOCUS UNSW in collaboration with All Saints Belmore Youth Community, St Nectarios Burwood’s Youth in Action, St George Fellowship for Young Adults Rose Bay, and the St Stylianos Young Adult Fellowship in partnership with The Orthodox Cafe.
The Christmas cards are being sent to the nursing homes of St Basil’s, Estia Health and Bupa. Photo supplied.
The Greek Australian youth who make up these fellowships all have one singular aim – to make Christmas cards, inscribed with Greek and English messages, which are then sent to the nursing homes of St Basil’s, Estia Health and Bupa.
Some cards, from the youth fellowship at St Nectarios for example, are also being distributed to the church’s weekly seniors’ group.
“It’s been a trying year for all of us and especially the elderly who might be feeling lonely and vulnerable as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” Nicole Economos, Youth Leader from St Nectarios Youth In Action, tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
Photo supplied.
Photo supplied.
“So ‘The Smile Project’ is the perfect way to spread some Christmas cheer and put a smile on the faces of elderly.
“A lot of the people who come to our youth fellowships are second to fourth generation Greeks and the project gives them an opportunity to give back to people who built up the Greek community and culture in Australia.”
And that’s exactly what they’ve done.
So far, each fellowship has created about 50 Christmas cards, with all of them having a different message or drawing. Some say ‘Merry Christmas,’ while others have been decorated with Santa Claus or Christmas tree stickers. Almost all of them use the traditional Christmas colours of green, red and white.
Photo supplied.
Photo supplied.
“There was a great atmosphere, with everyone getting into the Christmas spirit by listening to Christmas carols, baking and eating melomakarona, and writing heartfelt Christmas cards,” Maria Christou, from the St George Fellowship, says.
President of FOCUS UNSW, Georgia Georgiou, also agrees and says making the Christmas cards was really exciting for everyone.
“Everyone really enjoyed making the Christmas cards! We were all sitting there getting creative with our textas and pens and everyone had a smile on their face,” Georgia tells The Greek Herald.
“It just felt really good to be contributing in some way, while also making sure we brighten the day of the elderly.”
A clear sign that ‘The Smile Project’ works both ways. Both the youth and the elderly end up having a little bit of extra Christmas cheer in their lives!
In recent days, Adelaide City Council has released a plan to cut 170 car parks in the city for a new bikeway, prior to consulting affected businesses and organisations.
This move has angered the Greek community as the plan will cost the local Greek Orthodox Church up to 80 nearby car parks on Franklin Street to make way for the city bikeway.
President of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia, Bill Gonis, tells The Greek Herald that the bikeway will mean older people, most over 70 years of age, who want to visit the church and community centre are no longer able to park their cars nearby.
The proposed route for the East-West Bikeway through the Adelaide CBD. Picture: Adelaide City Council.
“It’s going to impact us so we’re now trying to organise a meeting with the Lord Mayor of Adelaide to discuss the issue. We want to work collaboratively with them,” Mr Gonis says.
The new path will take bike riders from West Terrace along Franklin Street then Flinders Street, to turn right on to a bikes-only Gawler Place and then left on to Wakefield Street.
In a statement to The Advertiser, an Adelaide City Council spokesman said council administration has not “proactively approached anyone to discuss the east bikeway at this stage.”
They said engaging with businesses will begin once approval for the project has been given.
Australian Ambassador to the United States, Arthur Sinodinos AO, has today discussed the future of the US-Australia alliance, during a digital conference with the former Foreign Minister of Australia, Julie Bishop.
During the conversation, which was organised by the Australian National University (ANU), Mr Sinodinos said the US has recognised the way Australia is handling the ongoing trade dispute with China and considers Australia a strong ally.
“Americans have really noted the way Australia has stood up and they’ve noted how we’ve been treated in our stoushes (with China),” Mr Sinodinos said.
Australian Ambassador to the United States, Arthur Sinodinos AO, has today discussed the future of the US-Australia alliance.
“There is a recognition that we’re standing up on these issues, so from our point of view here in Washington, we’re getting pretty strong support.”
The Ambassador then went on to say that he hopes the US will rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal.
“I think of TPP at the moment as a bit like Hamlet without the Prince. The US has to be part of that process,” Mr Sinodinos explained.
“The Biden administration have made it clear that their initial focus is domestic investment… but we think we can start with bit-sized achievables, for example a digital trade agreement which can be regionalised, but we also want to work towards getting them engaged in the TPP.
“We want high quality standards in the Pacific region around trade and investment and ultimately the Chinese can be a part of that as well if they want, but only if they observe the rules.”
Mr Sinodinos went on to say that although the US and Australia may experience “hiccups” in their relationship around the issue of climate change, it’s the shared values and interests of both countries which ensure they remain strong allies.
