An Olympic Airways museum will be built inside the site of the former Athens airport at Hellinikon, housed inside the airline hangar, as part of an 8 billion euro development project.
Bulldozers have already started demolishing the airport buildings and structures inside the 2 million square metre lot that used to be the capital’s seaside airport.
The Olympic Airways hangar was saved from demolition thanks to the efforts of the Olympic Airways Aviation Employees Cultural Center, as it was named a cultural heritage monument by the Ministry of Culture.
An Olympic Airways museum will be built inside the site of the former Athens airport at Hellinikon.
The building will be housing 80 years of civil aviation history and the history of the emblematic airline that was owned by Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
There are about 23,000 historical objects that have been collected throughout the life of the former Athens airport at Ellinikon and they will be exhibited in the museum, with the vast majority of them belonging to Olympic Airways.
Artifacts in the museum will include old flight information boards.
Artifacts range from flying attendant uniforms to expensive silverware that was used to serve passengers, and old flight information boards to cockpit indicators that pilots and support staff used.
The flight attendant and pilot uniforms were creations of the greatest fashion designers of each era, such as Jean Dessès, Coco Chanel, Pierre Cardin, Giannis Tseklenis and others.
Along with them, the priceless gold-embossed desk of Aristotle Onassis, as well as that of his son Alexander, will also be exhibited.
The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his decision to fly to Greece via Bulgaria in order to “COVID-proof” his property there before he potentially rents it out.
With a towel draped over his shoulder, Stanley Johnson told reporters outside his villa on Mount Pelion that he wasn’t “100% up to speed” with the British public’s reaction since he went to Greece for “a quiet time, to organise the house.”
“I’ve just got one week to get everything organised. I’ve got a whole lot of instructions about how to make the place COVID-proof,” Mr Johnson added, noting he planned to return to the UK on July 10.
The trip has met with criticism for having violated, at the very least, the spirit of Greece’s coronavirus restrictions as well as the current travel guidance in the UK.
The Greek government, which has been lauded for the country’s comparatively low number of confirmed coronavirus cases and eager to salvage the summer tourist season, extended its ban on flights from the UK until July 15 amid concerns over Britain’s still-high infection rates.
Many also think that the elder Johnson’s trip to Greece via the Bulgarian capital of Sofia went against the overarching advice of Britain’s Foreign Office, which currently recommends avoiding ”all but essential” travel.
“All I can say is that it’s always a great joy to me, it’s such a great joy to me to arrive in Greece,” Mr Johnson concluded.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he would not accept strict EU conditions on the use of coronavirus emergency aid, in a sign of the difficult negotiations ahead for the bloc’s leaders on its proposed €750 billion recovery fund.
“Greece has matured a lot since the days of its debt crisis… and we want to do our own reforms. There will be no return to the sort of EU oversight imposed during the debt crisis,” Mitsotakis said.
The former “troika” of Greece’s creditors, the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, had “forced (Greece) to do reforms” even though “there was never really any domestic buy-in.”
A six-monthly review of economic performance carried out by the European Commission was sufficient, Mitsotakis said.
“I don’t think any additional strict conditionality is necessary,” he said, adding that every southern EU member state regarded it as “politically unacceptable.”
Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands are opposed to the Commission’s plans for the recovery fund and are pushing for so-called “conditionality” to be applied to EU money to ensure it is spent to improve competitiveness. German chancellor Angela Merkel, who supports the recovery fund, has said the money must be used to “future proof” the countries’ economies.
Greece will receive a total of €32 billion out of the €750 billion fund, if the Commission proposal is enacted upon.
The Adelaide Central Market has played a big role in property mogul Theo Maras’ life since he was a youngster, Adelaide Now reports.
After migrating to Australia from Greece when he was four years old, Mr Maras would visit the market with his family to embrace his multicultural roots and source the best fresh produce.
“At the age of four-and-a-half, I have very clear, clear memories … of coming here on Saturdays and buying all the continental products,” Mr Maras says.
“Feta cheese, where else could you buy it from? Where else can you buy olives or pecorino?
“For my family it was an eclectic place … I still come here every Saturday … we buy fresh.”
Theo Maras is the new chair of the Central Market Authority. Maras, pictured with Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor. Photo: Tait Schmaal/Adelaide Now
The founder and chairman of development company the Maras Group will next month take the reins of the Adelaide Central Market Authority on a three-year contract.
His vision is to continue to transform it into one of the biggest and best markets in the world. He succeeds businessman Nick Begakis who was chairman in 2014 and elected again to the position in 2017.
Mr Maras, also past chairman of the Rundle Mall Management Authority, says his priorities include ensuring the market is easy to access and enjoy, as well as making sure traders continually boost sales.
It means supporting traders get through the construction phase of the $400 million Adelaide Central Market Arcade redevelopment, due to start in May next year.
Adelaide City Council plans to build a 35-storey residential, commercial and retail building to make the precinct “world-class fresh produce market and visitor attraction”.
Adelaide Central Market. Supplied: JP Media.
The tower will include specialty retail, food and beverage areas, a central public hall, public rooftop gardens, a 249-room hotel, 210 apartments, a supermarket, offices, 260 car parks and a childcare.
Mr Maras was the chair of the project’s Design Review Panel, using more than four decades of building and construction knowledge to get the best possible outcome for the city. The construction phase will not impact traders in the food hall, Mr Maras, who drove a major regeneration of the city’s East End during the 1980s and 1990s, says.
He has suggested dropping parking prices at the market, with support from the council, to continue to bring people to the market during the build.
“Traders are concerned, and I don’t blame them, about what is going to happen during the course of construction,” Mr Maras says.
“And my clear knowledgeable, passionate attitude is there will not be a problem.
“We will look at making is easy, accessible and appealing for people to come in to shop and stay.”
He plans to support arcade traders who had been given about four year notice that a redevelopment was on the cards.
“I’ll give you a little bit of a hint – right at the middle of the arcade as you walk through there is a bloke that says lottery tickets who only has a little stand,” Mr Maras says.
“When the demolition happens, we will put a wall up and he can go in front of it so people aren’t looking at a blank wall – we have something there.
“We will look at every opportunity, every square inch (for traders to relocate into the food hall).”
He says it is “absolutely perfect” timing for the redevelopment, with the project set to bring jobs and business opportunities to help the city recover from COVID-19.
There is set to be no delays to the project despite the pandemic.
“What happens here will be for the next 50 years, so I hope we can do something that we are proud of and that people want and love,” Mr Maras says.
Tom Hanks’ war films are some of his most critically acclaimed pieces of work, with the honorary Greek citizen looking to add ‘Greyhound’ to the list.
Written and starring in the new war drama, Greyhound is set during Second World War, bringing the Battle of the Atlantic to life on-screen like never before.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming film.
What is Greyhound about?
Set in 1942, the film tells the story of tells the story of a newly-appointed naval captain Ernest Krause (Tom Hanks) heading to the front for the first time, tasked with commanding a convoy of 37 Allied ships across the treacherous North Atlantic while being hotly pursued by wolf packs of Nazi U-boats.
The ultimate test of endurance for Krause and his crew, the journey will require the captain to confront his personal demons as well as the enemies on the open waters.
The film is based upon the novel “The Good Shepherd” by C S Forester, written in 1955. While fictional, the film takes inspiration from real events that took place across the six-year Battle of the Atlantic, which claimed the lives of 80,000 allied servicemen.
When and where will it be released?
Intended to be released in cinemas in June 2020, the coronavirus pandemic caused the film creators to strike a $70 million deal with Apple for the films release.
Instead of appearing on the silver screen, people will be able to watch Greyhound exclusively on Apple TV+ on Friday 10th July.
Due to a temporary rule change, Greyhound will still be eligible for Academy Awards despite foregoing a theatrical release.
Recognised as Australia’s most respected, trusted and longest-running children’s series, it was known that if you had made it on the ABC program ‘Play School’, you had made your mark on the television industry.
For Greek Australian actor Alex Papps, being accepted as a cast member in 2005 was a dream come true. Now, 15 years after his debut on screen, The Greek Herald speaks exclusively with Alex, who reminisces on his wonderful experiences on Play School and his Greek heritage.
The “juggling act” of Play School
Since first broadcasting on July 18, 1966, Play
Schoolhas been entertaining and educating Australian pre-schoolers
with music, crafts, stories and games. Every actor dreams of walking in the
footsteps of Australian icons Benita Collings, Noni Hazlehurst and George
Spartels, who all left their mark on the ABC set.
When the audition day finally came, Papps was in awe of the piece
of Australian history he had walked in to.
“I was extremely well prepared and nervous on the day but when I walked into the rehearsal room, there was the director, the piano player, the camera man and the producer, who all greeted me,” Papps said about his audition.
Alex Papps and Rachael Coopes with the iconic toys of Play School. Photo: ABC
“But the main impact was that they had all the toys lined up to greet the auditionees as they came into the room, and that’s kind of amazing to be confronted with these iconic figures that many of us grew up with.”
Since his audition, Alex has evolved his entertainment style, benefiting from an increased level of relaxation and comfort on camera. However, paraphrasing Play School veteran Noni Hazelhurst, Alex still describes it as one of the “best acting lessons you can have”.
“It’s sort of the ultimate juggling act, Play School presentation, because you are presenting hopefully a genuine version of yourself to the camera and to the child.
“But you have to keep a lot of things up in the air. There is a lot of technical aspects that you need to be aware of and lots of interaction with props and remembering song lyrics and keeping a serene, friendly presence, whilst juggling all those things.”
“I still pinch myself I’m part of Play School”
15 years after receiving the job, Papps has shared countless
memories with all of his Play School co-workers. However, recording the “Friends
All Together” DVD towards the beginning of his career, still has a special
place in his heart.
“We did two performances in front of an audience, in order
for them to cut together the DVD episode,” Papps says.
“Everyone worked incredibly hard to get this mammoth thing
up and running, and I have great memories of that. That was with Karen Pang, Jay
Laga’aia and Justine Clarke. And I was still relatively new then.
“I mean I still pinch myself I’m part of play school, but I
kind of couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to be part of it.”
Being former co-workers together on the drama series Home
and Away, Alex Papps and Justine Clarke shared a special bond on the
children’s show.
“We’ve known each other now for 13 years and as you probably know we worked together on Home and Away, so working together on Play School was kind of a lovely for circle for us. We’ve been very lucky with our friendship.”
Alex Papps and entertainment co-worker Justine Clarke. Photo: ABC
A healthy workplace environment on Play School has allowed
for Alex to continue to enjoy his time on the program. In Alex’s eyes, a strong
relationship with his Play School co-workers is really what has kept the ball
rolling for over 50 years.
“With Play School, we all get paired up with different
people but we all get along really well and each of those pairings has its own
dynamic and identity because we’re all different.
“We all get along really well and have a great time, which becomes particularly important when we go on tour.”
An “enthusiastic respect” for his Greek culture
Coming from a very diverse background, Alex Papps has always
had a strong awareness of his heritage. His mother, while born in Australia, is
of English and German background.
Alex’s father migrated to Australia when he was only six
years old from Cairo, which continues to hold a large Greek community.
“With my yiayia, who sadly passed away a couple of years
ago, we used to ask her a lot about her life in Cairo and the Greek culture and
food,” Alex says.
“My mum, when she first met my father, went to great trouble to learn how to speak a bit of Greek and cook Greek dishes.”
Alex Papps talking about his grandmother on Play School. Photo: ABC
While describing himself as an “enthusiastic home cook”,
Alex never forgets his love for the simple Greek dishes, particularly dolmades.
“I’m immensely proud of my Greek heritage and when all this
pandemic hopefully resolves itself…. I’d love to go back as an adult, and
hopefully that might happen one day.”
Asked if the 20 year milestone was in his sights, Alex
expressed his hope for a long career with the children’s program.
“If it were up to me I’d love that! But it’s not in my
hands. I would like to think I could be on play school forever but it’s not up
to me unfortunately.
“I really hope I’m there for a lot longer, but we’ll see.”
The Castellorizian Association of NSW have developed the second instalment of their migrant book series, titled Journey to a New Land Vol. 2, available for pre-order.
The series, broken up into two separate unique volumes, presents over 130 family stories and 700 precious old family photographs, which were produced and self-published by the History and Archives Committee of the Castellorizian Association of NSW.
The first book released in 2018, Journey to a new land, brought readers into the early life of Castellorizian in their transition into Australian culture.
Castellorizians living in Australia, widely known as Cazzies, migrated to Australia in large numbers mostly during the second and third decade of the 20th Century as a result of political and economic crises on their ancestral home.
Irene Elliott, Victoria Kazaglis- Gallagher, Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, Anna Koutsis, Despina Lucas, Petula Samios and Patricia Sechos wanted to capture memories, experiences and relationships using family stories.
The stories, which provide one of the first, comprehensive studies of Castellorizian migrant memories, are about dislocation, hard work, and fitting in and rebuilding a community.
The European Commission on Thursday decided to take greater action in the infringement procedure against Greece and Italy, for violating passenger rights amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two countries on Thursday received a letter of formal notice by EU’s Executive, due to the legislation they adopted, allowing airlines to offer vouchers instead of reimbursement for cancelled flights, with passengers forced to agree to this solution. However, current EU rules dictate that passengers are entitled to a financial reimbursement if preferred.
Greece and Italy are now left with two months to prove they have amended the drawback in their legal framework.
“Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many companies in the transport sector have been faced with unsustainable cash flows and revenue situations. Throughout this crisis, the Commission has consistently made clear that passenger rights remain valid in the current unprecedented context and national measures to support the industry must not lower them,” the Commission wrote.
The Commission encouraged carriers to make vouchers an “attractive” option for passengers who see their travel arrangements cancelled. However, “passenger rights remain valid in the current unprecedented context and national measures to support the industry must not lower them”.
The EU’s Executive move was part of a wider action against ten EU member-states that breached the Package Travel Directive, with Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, France, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Slovakia, requested to comply with their obligations under EU law.
Greece was one of the effective European countries in handling the pandemic, containing the spread of COVID-19 infections to 2,770 confirmed cases and 156 deaths.
In preparation for the resumption of flights, Aegean said it has already stepped up precautionary measures, including the mandatory use of masks during flights and aircraft cleaning and disinfection procedures. April saw Greece suffer a 98.7 percent travel drop, with travel receipts standing at 7 million euros.
A frozen yoghurt chain backed by George Calombaris has refused to repay a $140,000 debt owed to his collapsed restaurant group which is falling back on the taxpayer to cover outstanding wages, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The knock-back comes despite the taxpayer being called on to cover a $1.32 million employee wage and entitlements bill after the liquidation process failed to raise enough money to cover those costs.
Multimillion-dollar properties owned by Mr Calombaris and his wealthy restaurant backers including former Swisse vitamins boss Radek Sali cannot be targeted to raise funds because the debts are owed by their companies, not the individuals.
Made, which employed 364 staff across a restaurant stable including The Press Club, Hellenic Republic and Jimmy Grants, collapsed in February. Its downfall followed a public backlash to a $7.8 million wages underpayment scandal.
George Calombaris at his Jimmy Grants restaurant at Sydney Central Plaza.
Up-market yoghurt chain Yo-Chi, whose owners include Mr Calombaris and Mr Sali, emerged as the sole Made group restaurant to avoid insolvency. It continues to operate outlets in Hawthorn, Malvern, Carlton and Balaclava.
The latest report from liquidator KordaMentha shows it approached Yo-Chi to collect an outstanding $140,000 debt in April.
“Following correspondence with one of Yo-Chi’s shareholders, the liquidators concluded that it would not be commercial to pursue the outstanding loan balance further as Yo-Chi has minimal cash and recoverable assets,” the KordaMentha report says.
“In addition, Made Establishment’s claim is as an unsecured creditor of Yo-Chi and we are aware of a secured creditor who would rank ahead of Made Establishment’s claim in any formal insolvency process.”
KordaMentha has raised about $820,000 from the liquidation process to date which includes earning $222,000 from an online auction of restaurant equipment and food inventory.
Radek Sali (left) and George Calombaris (right). Photo by Paul Jeffers.
These funds will be directed to CBA – the first ranking secured creditor – with KordaMentha warning other parties owed money not to expect a return.
Among these are Australian Taxation Office, owed $2.3 million, and unsecured creditors such as suppliers and landlords who are owed $1.5 million.
Former Made employees are owed $1.32 million with the overwhelming bulk of this related to annual and long service leave and redundancy and termination entitlements.
KordaMentha has directed them to seek assistance from the Fair Entitlements Guarantee, the government scheme of last resort that covers worker entitlements when not enough money can be raised during an insolvency.
Its report notes there is 28 workers who will not be able to make use of the government scheme as they are not citizens or permanent residents.
Parties close to the liquidation point out Mr Sali or Mr Calombaris cannot direct specific money to former employees as any funds they provide would be seized by the liquidator and directed to the CBA as the secured creditor.
They also note that Mr Sali tipped $11.5 million into the business after he bought in it early 2017 which paid out wage underpayments incurred before he was involved in Made.
Greece’s prime minister on Friday inaugurated the start of construction work on a long-delayed major development project at the prime seaside site of the old Athens airport.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the start of work as a major step in the implementation of what he described as “possibly the largest project in the Mediterranean.” After his brief speech on site, bulldozers began pulling down one of the more than 200 abandoned buildings.
Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wearing a helmet and plastic glasses stands at the old airport in Athens, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
The development of the 620-hectare (1,500-acre) Hellenikon site was a key element of the privatization drive that was part of Greece’s international bailouts. The country received billions in emergency loans to tackle a catastrophic financial crisis, but had to pass sweeping structural reforms and privatizations in return.
The revamping of the airport has been tied up in court cases for nearly two decades, with critics of the project citing environmental and heritage concerns. Ancient cemeteries and a prehistoric settlement have been found in the area. In 2018, the Supreme Court approved the project.
Η πιο εμβληματική επένδυση στη χώρα, το Ελληνικό, ξεκινάει να γίνεται πραγματικότητα. Θα δημιουργηθεί το μεγαλύτερο παράκτιο πάρκο στη Μεσόγειο αλλά ταυτόχρονα ο χώρος αυτός θα γίνει μία κυψέλη ανάπτυξης. Στην πλήρη του λειτουργία θα δημιουργήσει πάνω από 80.000 θέσεις εργασίας. pic.twitter.com/MoWDGUFg6a
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 3, 2020
The old airport site was sold to a consortium led by Greek Lamda Development, which has planned an 8 billion-euro investment, including a park, housing, shopping areas, a marina, hotels and a beach that will be freely accessible.
Mitsotakis said the development would lead to the creation of 80,000 jobs and the project would be environmentally friendly and guarantee access for all residents of the wider Athens region.
Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, speak as CEO of Lamda Development Odisseas Athanasiou listens him during the demolition of the first abandoned buildings at the old airport in Athens, Friday, July 3, 2020.
“Today we make a start, but there is a long road ahead of us,” Mitsotakis said, noting that it could take 10 years for the development to be completed.
Of the new jobs to be created by the project, around 10,000 are expected to be generated during the construction phase, Mitsotakis said.
“It will be a modern, ecological project that is friendly towards the environment,” Mitsotakis said. “A project that will symbolize the new Greece, as I believe we all envisage it.”
