NSW Labor is urging the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Rob Stokes, to fast-track a plan for Sydney’s after-dark economy as businesses struggle to recover from lockouts and lockdowns.
Labor Shadow Minister for Better Public Services Sophie Cotsis said a roadmap detailing the next steps is crucial.
“Labor has been calling for more to be done in Sydney at night since the election,” Ms Cotsis said.
“Safety must be the priority for patrons and staff. Hospitality businesses are working very hard to ensure they stay open, provide opportunities to staff and of keep their doors open to trade in a safe environment.
“Hospitality businesses have faced months of confusion and chaos because of this Government. As we look to revitalise Sydney, they need certainty and confidence.”
Labor MP’s Sophie Cotsis and John Graham are pushing for a structured plan to aid Sydney’s nightlife.
The Shadow Minister for Music and the Night Time Economy, John Graham said: “My fear is this is an old set of answers to an old set of problems. The impact of the lockdown on night time businesses and jobs has swamped the previous impacts of the lockouts.”
Mr Graham said the proposals, which include longer opening hours, more outdoor dining, fewer restrictions on live performances and late night public transport must be rolled out urgently.
“Mr Stokes needs to use his ministerial powers to keep entertainment and hospitality workers in jobs by supporting outdoor dining and performance and later trading. These are the same powers he used to keep truckies in work, delivering to supermarkets – or tradies in the construction business. Now they should be applied to support musicians and hospitality workers,” Mr Graham said.
“This sector needs financial support. These businesses are drowning in the face of an economic tidal wave. There is no fiscal life boat from the Government.”
Greek Super League side PAOK are one step closer to qualifying for their first ever Champions League campaign after a surprise victory against former Portuguese champions Benfica.
A shock 2-1 victory for the Thessaloniki team means they will face a two-legged playoff against Russians Krasnodar.
An own goal by Jan Vertoghan saw PAOK lead in the second half, with players Dimitris Giannoulis and Chuba Akpom linking up to create great opportunities for the Greeks.
A shock 2-1 victory for the Thessaloniki team means they will face a two-legged playoff against Russians Krasnodar. Photo: Ekatherimini.
Benfica, who won Europe’s premier club competition in 1961 and 1962, saw last season’s woes spill over into this term as Serbia winger Andrija Zivkovic scored against his former club a week after leaving them.
Only 15 minutes to come back, the Portuguese side managed to secure a consolation goal in the fourth minute of time added-on via Rafa Silva.
Having seen the domestic league and cup double go to Porto last term, Benfica missed a string of chances against PAOK in a one-sided first half as they enjoyed 72% of possession.
PAOK will face Krasnodar next Tuesday in Russia and the return in Thessaloniki on September 29 or 30.
Vasilis Dimitriou, an artist who sought to prevent Hollywood’s painted billboard art from disappearing, died aged 84 from Parkinson’s disease on September 6.
Vasilis created more than 8,000 works for Greek theatres that practically told the story of cinema since WWII.
Mr. Dimitriou was a self-taught painter from a poor family who survived the Nazi invasion and the Greek military junta. For more than six decades, he painted one to two billboards per week featuring stars ranging from Gary Cooper to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Using homemade paints soaked in glue to keep billboards from leaking in the rain, Mr. Dimitriou created beautiful romantic images. “The Exorcist” was ominously illustrated in chiaroscuro, with blood dripping from the Greek letters of the title.
In recent years, as digitally drawn and mass-produced movie posters became the norm, Mr. Dimitriou made it his mission to prevent the art form from dying, while acknowledging that it represented a period to what he called the “golden age” of cinema.
“Back then, you went to the movies in a suit and tie,” he told the New York Times in 2014.
“Women wore nice dresses. There was an intermission and half of the theatre went to the foyer to have a drink and discuss the film. Now let’s go.”
He vowed to keep the craft running as long as he could raise his arms to paint.
His work left an indelible mark on the Greek capital, where Athenians grew up seeing his posters. They were a particularly heartwarming sight during Greece’s recent financial crisis, when unemployment hit nearly 25% and consumer confidence plummeted.
“People saw me putting up my posters and giving me a big smile,” Dimitriou said. “Or they would ask to shake my hand and say ‘thank you’ for giving them joy.”
Mr. Dimitriou said he was sad knowing that he was among the last to work to perpetuate an almost extinct art. But he had no regrets.
“Painting is in my blood”, he said in 2014. “When I stop breathing, it’s when I stop painting.”
A fire broke out just outside a migrant camp on the northeastern Aegean island of Samos Tuesday, causing concern for migrants housed inside the facility.
The mayor of the town of Vathy said that while no tents are burning yet, “I’m still concerned”. Camp facilities are still not at risk, a police official confirmed.
The cause of the fire is still unclear.
Greek firefighters are spread thin across the country battling several blazes, with strong winds and dry conditions hampering their efforts.
Firefighter in Greece. EUROKINISSI
A total of 17 firefighters were sent to tackle a blaze in the area of Kokolata on the Ionian island of Cephalonia, aided by two water-dropping aircraft.
Two fires broke out at the same time in close proximity in Trikorfo, Nafpaktia. The river Evinos functioned as a natural obstacle to hamper its expansion. Forty-seven firefighters were mobilised to respond to the incident and are operating with two groups of pedestrians and 16 vehicles.
Meanwhile another 25 firefighters were dispatched to the region of Triada in Serres to put out a blaze that broke out on farmland there, again with the help of two aircraft.
A fire last week burned Greece’s largest refugee camp on the island of Lesbos to the ground, forcing more than 12,000 people onto the streets.
Greek police have detained six migrants over a fire that razed the Moria refugee camp to the ground, the government said on Tuesday, as thousands of displaced people refused to move to a new facility and demanded to leave Lesbos island.
Authorities were searching for one more person earlier on Tuesday, Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisohoidis said.
According to Ekatherimini sources, the suspects are all Afghan nationals and include two unaccompanied minors, one of whom was arrested in Pieria in northern Greece after having been transferred to a camp there following last Wednesday’s fires.
Migrants sleep at a supermarket parking lot after a fire at their camp on Greece’s island of Lesbos. Photo: Canberra Times
The officers investigating the fires were reportedly acting on surveillance camera footage and witness testimonies when they arrested the five suspects.
More than 12,000 people, mostly refugees from Afghanistan, Africa and Syria, were left without shelter, proper sanitation or access to food and water after a fire tore through the overcrowded Moria migrant camp last Wednesday.
Thousands of migrants were reluctant to enter a tent camp on the Greek island, a police official said, fearing that life there would be no better than the conditions they endured in Moria.
Thousands of people, including women and children, spent the night in makeshift tents on a road outside the temporary camp.
“We have informed them that they must come into the facility, but they have refused,” the police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They want to leave the island.”
Sue-Ellan Hatzakos Vasiliou’s daughter, Alegra, was like any normal five-year-old. She was beautiful, caring and, as her mother says, she had the ‘most amazing brain.’
“She would remember everything. She knew who bought her what present and what they were wearing when they gave it to her. And we would ask her, ‘How do you remember all this stuff?’ and her response was, ‘because I care’,” Sue-Ellan tells The Greek Herald.
But just before Christmas in 2016, Sue-Ellan and her husband Marino took Alegra to the local doctor after they noticed the left side of her mouth would drop when she smiled.
The subsequent MRI scans showed what no parents should ever have to endure: Alegra had brain cancer.
Sue-Ellan and Marino turned to Dr Charlie Teo to perform brain surgery on Alegra. Photo: little legs foundation.
Not ready to give up hope, the parents turned to Dr Charlie Teo who said he could remove a significant amount of the tumour. Following the surgery, Alegra had to undergo radiation therapy every day for six weeks at the Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick.
The initial results from this treatment were looking good as the tumour had shrunk. In fact, Alegra appeared to be on the road to recovery until August 2017 when she started to complain of back pain.
“It was just a week after she had her last check up with oncology, where they were all amazed with the results. But for reasons that we still struggle to understand, something had changed in what tumour was left and it had turned aggressive and was in her spinal fluid,” Sue-Ellan says.
Sue-Ellan says her daughter Alegra had the most ‘amazing brain.’ Photo: little legs foundation.
“The doctors gave us days. Alegra gave us seven weeks at home… so we could spend time with her and her younger siblings as well.”
Alegra slowly lost the ability to walk and sadly passed away on October 7, 2017, at the tender age of six.
From grief grows the little legs foundation:
Sue-Ellan says one of the ‘hardest things to stomach’ from Alegra’s battle with brain cancer was being told there was no further treatment that could save her life.
“As parents, we’re supposed to be able to protect our kids. The fact that she wasn’t able to even try to fight… I think that’s hard because it’s just not fair,” Sue-Ellan explains.
It was due to this frustration, as well as the need to preserve Alegra’s memory, that her parents founded the little legs foundation in May 2018.
Sue-Ellan and Marino founded the little legs foundation in 2018 in honour of Alegra (bottom right). Photo: little legs foundation.
Together with their ambassadors, artist Sid Tapia, Emmanuel Tsakiris of House of Emmanuele and fashion designer Alex Perry, the foundation has pledged to raise awareness and funds for childhood brain cancer research.
“I want to give other children hope… and I want Alegra to be known to the world as well because she is such a special little girl that I would hate for her to be forgotten,” Sue-Ellan says.
To date, giving children hope and honouring Alegra’s memory is exactly what the foundation has been doing.
It has already committed $1.14 million to childhood brain cancer research through the Alegra’s Army Grant, which is set up in conjunction with the Charlie Teo Foundation. A special Alegra’s Army edition of Monopoly has also been created, with the funds provided to cancer researchers to help them continue their vital work.
But even more recently, Sue-Ellan says she’s incredibly excited for their upcoming Coffee for a Cure event, which is running from September 18 – 19 this year. $1 from each coffee cup sold will be donated to the foundation.
Some of the initiatives launched by the little legs foundation. Photo: little legs foundation.
“Last year we had 65 cafes on board and sold 12,000 cups. This year we’ve got 80 cafes on board and have already sold 19,500 cups,” Sue-Ellan explains.
“We were a bit hesitant with COVID and some people obviously having a tough time, but we just kind of put it out there… and everyone is very supportive. I think it’s going to be a very good couple of days.”
And many would add that it will also be a very busy few days. But Sue-Ellan says she couldn’t picture herself doing anything else.
“It’s not easy. We’re grieving at the same time as trying to make a difference. But… I can’t imagine not doing something for Alegra. So this is how I’m able to do something for her every day and as hard as it is, it keeps us going as well,” she says.
With such passion and determination, it really is no surprise that Sue-Ellan was also nominated as a Westfield Local Hero this year. We wish her and her family all the best in their future fundraising endeavours!
A six-goal thriller ended in happiness for the Sydney Olympic FC first grade squad after beating APIA Leichhardt FC 4-2 at Lambert Park.
The match was a highlight reel from start to finish as both sides put in some incredible goal of the season contenders, including a stunning strike from Olympics Adam Parkhouse and from APIA’s Franco Parisi.
A rough game from both sides, some missed calls by the referee sent Olympic fans up in flames on the sidelines for most of the match.
The first goal for Sydney Olympic came early in the 11th minute of the match, with a failed clearance from an APIA defender landing straight to the chest of striker Charles Lokolingoy. Lokolingoy controlled it from his chest to bring it down to his right foot on a bounce, hitting it into the net.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Action from the Round 7 NPL NSW Men's clash between APIA Leichhardt FC v Sydney Olympic FC played at Lambert Park with commentary from Tony Tannous.
Not shy to come out from his defensive line, Olympic centre-back Tom Whiteside made a few runs down the centre of the pitch to create some attacking opportunities.
Whiteside pushed far up the pitch in the 17th minute, drifting just outside the box. The centre back laid the ball off to an open Lokolingoy, who placed it on his right foot before slotting it in the net, bringing Olympic to a 2-0 lead.
Down but not out, APIA came back in a truly spectacular way. Only five minutes later, the ball dancing around Olympic’s 18-yard box, Franco Parisi put in a beautiful curling shot into the top left corner, narrowing the score line to 2-1.
APIA had another great opportunity to score in the first half, yet an incredible save by Olympic keeper Nicholas Sorras denied the equaliser.
Second half saw both teams come in with intensity, with Olympic using Parkhouse, Ferreira and Madonis to create opportunities along the sides of the pitch.
A yellow card was handed out in the second half to APIA for a clear illegal foul on Fabio Ferreira. Outrage again by Olympic fans in the crowd with Ferreira being taken down intentionally by the last defender, with calls being made for a red card to be given.
In the 60th minute, Parkhouse scored his first goal of the match from a great run along the left side of the pitch. Taking it himself, Parkhouse smashed it across goal past the keeper, bringing Olympic one step closer to victory.
Sydney Olympic FC beat APIA Leichhardt 4-2 at home. Photo: Peter Oglos/The Greek Herald
That goal wasn’t the last effort by Parkhouse, however, with an incredible goal of the season contender stunning the crowd in the 75th minute of the match. Bouncing in front of him from a header by Go, Parkhouse snatched a half-volley from outside the box which managed to dip over the keeper and into the net.
While the game came to a close past 90 minutes, APIA managed to snatch a consolation goal from a tired Olympic defence. Left wide open in Olympic’s own 18 yard box, Mitchell Gibbs managed to put a great goal past the keeper, finishing the match at 4-2.
Sydney Olympic will face Wollongong Wolves at Albert Butler Memorial Park in Wollongong next Sunday at 2:30pm.
GPs and other health professionals in Reid will receive greater support to enable them to provide more effective care to people with intellectual disabilities.
The Morrison Government will provide a total of $5.75 million to four Primary Health Networks to lead the development of the Primary Care Enhancement Program for people with intellectual disabilities.
Dr Fiona Martin MP, Member for Reid, is pleased that the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN, which services her electorate, was selected to spearhead the enhancement program.
“This funding commitment will give people with intellectual disabilities better access to appropriate, quality health services that meet their needs,” Dr Martin said.
Before entering politics, Dr Martin worked as a psychologist and academic researcher with a focus on intellectual disabilities.
“I work closely with our local Primary Health Network here in Reid, and I know that this program will make a big difference here on the ground.”
Along with the Central and Eastern Sydney PHN, the Western Victoria PHN, the Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast PHN, and the Tasmania PHN, were selected to pioneer the enhancement program over four years, with a view to national rollout.
The four lead PHNs will:
Support health professionals in caring for people with intellectual disabilities.
Facilitate access to appropriate, quality health services for people with intellectual disabilities.
Promote take-up and quality of annual Medicare health assessments for people with intellectual disabilities.
Help to ensure people with intellectual disabilities have equitable access to quality health prevention and health promotion programs.
Ensure all their programs are inclusive for people with intellectual disabilities.
The Council for Intellectual Disability will be a key partner with the Government as the Primary Care Enhancement Program is developed and rolled out.
Before entering politics, Dr Martin worked as a psychologist and academic researcher with a focus on intellectual disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders.
The Morrison Government will provide a total of $5.75 million to four Primary Health Networks to lead the development of the Primary Care Enhancement Program for people with intellectual disabilities.
She says that the Primary Care Enhancement Program will improve the lives of those living with intellectual disabilities.
“A person with an intellectual disability can find the medical system complex to navigate, and this can deter them from getting the care they need,” Dr Martin said.
“This program ensures that there is equitable and inclusive access to health services that can, in the long term, save a person’s life.”
National resources for the program will be developed over the next two years, including a training module for PHN staff, resources for GPs and other primary care professionals, National Disability Insurance Scheme linkage tools, and health promotion materials for people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
The Primary Care Enhancement Program was established following a roundtable in August 2019, which considered the inequities in health system access and quality for people with intellectual disabilities.
The Morrison Government is also developing a national roadmap with short, medium and long-term priorities to improve health services for people with intellectual disabilities. The roadmap will guide the better integration of primary care with specialist and hospital care.
It will also aim to increase recognition in the health sector and the community that people living with intellectual disabilities have the right to the same quality and access to health services as other Australians.
A series of further roundtables with a range of key stakeholders, including states and territories, will be held from October 2020 to complete development of the roadmap, for consideration by the Government.
More information about the roadmap is available at www.health.gov.au
A Greek pioneer in neonatal and pediatric medicine died in the United States on Friday, Greece’s Neonatal Society said in an announcement on Monday, lamenting the loss of a legend in the field.
Hailed as the “mother of neonatology,” Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos is credited with saving thousands of infants’ and children’s lives, as a professor of pediatrics and physiology at Philadelphia’s Drexel University and director of neonatal intensive care at St Christopher’s Hospital for Children in the same state of Pennsylvania.
“She remains alive in the hearts and memories of the hundreds of doctors she trained and inspired to have a love for sick children, of the hundreds of Greek doctors she opened the way for and of the thousands of Greek patients who found treatment at specialised centers with her help and contribution,” the society said in a statement on Monday.
St Christopher’s also expressed its sadness at her loss in a post on Facebook over the weekend.
The St. Christopher's Family is saddened by the news that Dr. Maria Delivoria-Papadopoulos, our former Director of the…
Dr Delivoria-Papadopoulos graduated from Athens University’s School of Medicine in 1957 and went on to the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a post-doctorate degree in physiology and spent the next 29 years as a faculty member.
Apart from lecturing at universities and medical centers throughout the United States, South America, Europe and Asia for over 35 years, Dr Delivoria-Papadopoulos was also the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Lifetime Achievement Award.
The medical and academic community also reacted to the news of her death.
In a post on Twitter, John Zupancic, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and associate chief of Neonatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, hailed Dr Delivoria-Papadopoulos as “an extraordinary woman whose pioneering contributions, including the demonstration of the feasibility of neonatal mechanical ventilation, changed the lives of countless newborns.”
When Greece’s epidemiologists and the country’s Education Ministry agreed on the compulsory use of face masks in schools, teachers and parents demanded the masks be distributed free of charge.
Ultimately, the Ministry promised that each student will be given one free mask.
But let’s just say parents and children got more than they bargained for on the first day back at school on Monday, with the government issuing oversized masks, making it difficult to even see.
The epic fail has gone viral on social media, with parents posting pictures of their kids with the huge face masks on.
Αυτοί που ψώνισαν αυτές τις μάσκες για τα σχολεία, θέλουν να ψωνίσουν φρεγάτες κι αεροπλάνα. I rest my point. pic.twitter.com/RJgGAw9Rgy
One post from Dr Panagiotis Papanikolaou, a Neurosurgeon at the General Hospital of Nikea-Piraeus, writes: “Those who bought these school masks want to buy frigates and airplanes. I rest my point.”
In an attempt to respond to the fiasco, the General Secretariat of Public Health, after pointing out that the appropriate dimensions were set by the Scientific Committees, goes on to say that a “mistake” was made in distinguishing between the dimensions before and after the stitching.
“The dimensions are in accordance with the respective international standards. However, they were about the size of the fabric before it was sewn and not the final size of the two types of masks,” a statement from the General Secretariat reads.
“The wording of this distinction between the initial and final dimensions was not clear, with the result that a number of the masks distributed were larger than appropriate.”
The Greek Interior Ministry paid 6.5 million euros for the masks, which were distributed to schools by the Federation of Greek Municipalities KEDE.
