Former South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou has secured a new position as the head coach of Westfields Sports High School’s rugby league programme.
Jason Demetriou was dismissed from his role at the Rabbitohs earlier this year. Photo: ABC News.
Despite his departure from South Sydney, Demetriou has remained active in rugby league, balancing his media commitments with his duties as head coach of the PNG team.
The move to Westfields Sports High School marks the next chapter in his coaching career, as he works with one of the country’s leading rugby league development programmes.
Artemus Group, the hospitality powerhouse behind Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves, has taken a significant step in its ambitious plans to revitalise Sydney’s Manly Wharf by acquiring the iconic Hugos Manly.
The deal, facilitated by Andrew Jolliffe of HTL Property, will see the Hugos team stay on, and the venue operated by Dave Evans and David Corsi.
Founded by Adam Flaskas and Paul Henry, with Luke Fraser as CEO, Artemus Group has pledged to bring its expertise and vision to the Sydney waterfront.
Adam Flaskas, founder/director of the Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane, said he was looking forward to “providing a family friendly, sustainable and cultural entertainment precinct” at Manly Wharf. Photo: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail
Plans are also underway to transform the old Aldi supermarket into a microbrewery, with a $13 million proposal already submitted.
Artemus purchased the bulk of the wharf complex from tycoon Robert Magid’s TMG Developments, including the Manly Wharf Hotel, in deals worth $110 million.
Flaskas and his team are keen to integrate community feedback as they overhaul the beloved site, aiming to create a vibrant harbourside destination.
In 2024, the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) identified the remains of 11 individuals linked to the inter-communal conflicts of 1963-1964 and 1974.
Among them, two were Greek Cypriots, while four were unlisted fallen combatants. The CMP carried out excavations at 102 sites, uncovering remains in five new locations, including Aloa, Trachoni, and Karavas.
So far, 1,051 of the 2,002 officially missing individuals have been identified, alongside 216 unlisted cases.
Twelve-year-old Lachlan Racovalis from Gympie, Queensland, has set a Guinness World Record by completing 187 pogo stick jumps in one minute, surpassing the previous Under-16 record of 172 jumps.
Lachlan, who lives with autism, trained daily for the feat, and his mother, Kim Racovalis, managed the rigorous application process.
Her efforts paid off when Lachlan smashed the previous record in June this year, though it took months for Guinness to confirm.
Kim praised her son’s determination, calling his achievement an inspiration for all children. While Lachlan is considering future records, for now, he is savouring his success.
The Advertiser has released its annual Power 100 rankings list for South Australia’s most powerful and influential people. Amongst the list are at least four Australians of Greek heritage.
78 – Kayla Itsines
The co-founder and head trainer of the fitness app Sweat has an immense global influence, boasting nearly 16 million followers on Instagram. Itsines is endorsed by major brands like Powerade, and the app has expanded to include over 50 programmes with 13,000 workouts.
62 – Steve Maras
Steve Maras (back) with his father Theo Maras (front), pictured in Adelaide’s East End. Photo: The Daily Telegraph.
The managing director of the family-run Maras Group, established by the charismatic and influential Theo Maras, has served as president of the SA chapter of the Property Council. Recently appointed chair of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency, they are also heavily engaged in the East End’s growth and development.
54 – Chief Justice Chris Kourakis
SA Chief Justice Chris Kourakis. Photo: Dylan Coker.
South Australia’s Chief Justice, a highly experienced jurist with over 40 years in law, has modernised the state’s justice system, championed professional reform, and overseen judicial operations for 12 years, while balancing polarising decisions and aspirations for court upgrades, with speculation about early retirement.
29 – SA Minister for Transport, Tom Koutsantonis
A Labor stalwart, Koutsantonis serves as the government’s primary critic of the opposition. He is leading the Torrens to Darling project, South Australia’s most expensive infrastructure endeavour, as well as the ambitious Hydrogen Jobs Plan. Additionally, he plays a key role in ensuring BHP delivers on its copper initiatives.
Greece has returned 1,055 ancient coins, including 61 silver staters, to Turkey after they were confiscated by Greek customs in 2019.
The coins, dated to the 5th century BC, originated from regions such as Pamphylia, Cilicia, and Athens.
During a ceremony at the Numismatic Museum in Athens, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and her Turkish counterpart Mehmet Nuri Ersoy highlighted the importance of international collaboration in combating illegal trafficking of cultural artefacts.
Greece and Turkey’s Ministers of Culture at the coin exchange ceremony.
Both sides confirmed the coins were illegally trafficked from Turkey to Greece, and their return complies with the 1970 UNESCO Convention and a bilateral agreement signed in 2013.
Greek Australian director and actor Peter Kalos said he felt numb the Christmas after his 18-year-old daughter Athenie took her life in November 2020. He joined a cohort of people who find the holidays challenging.
Joyful images of festive gatherings, families surrounded by gifts, are tough to handle for those facing loss.
“That first Christmas, we just stayed home and cried. The second Christmas was astonishingly worse than the first with the realisation that it is real and we would never celebrate with Athenie again,” Peter says.
“Later, it comes down to choice. You can let grief destroy you or you can start looking for things that matter in life.”
Memories of Athenie, a ball hangs on the Kalos family Christmas tree.Memories of Christmas past with Athenie Kalos.
Since Athenie’s death, Peter created Athenie’s Angels to help young people learn resiliency-building skills to protect their mental health against risk factors in their environment. There are programs to build Emotional Intelligence, art therapy, a book club to spark important conversations and other activities.
Athenie’s passing has helped Peter be more present in his own life.
“I call up my cousins and say, ‘Here’s my Christmas gift: Get off your phone and social media and have a day with your kids and family’,” Peter says.
Self-employed tradie Jason Sotiris can relate.
He remembers clutching his daughter, Angela, as scans found tumours throughout her body in a rare cancer known as Langerhans cell histiocytosis. He keeps her memory alive through Supertee, a charity that distributes superhero-themed medical gowns free of charge to sick children in hospitals.
“We spent a few Christmases in hospital,” Jason recalls. “Hospitals go out of their way to show love and care when accommodating children. But as parents, one day brings joy, and the next is a stark reminder of our child’s illness.”
During Christmas, families scroll down their phones and see photographs of happy families, especially large Greek families.
“It’s a noticeable difference. We should spare a thought for parents taking turns at hospital caring for a sick child while the other children are at home,” he says.
Supertee gives sick children joy by turning hospital garments into an opportunity for play.
Jason Sotiris with his Supertees.
“The power of impersonation when they dress up in costume is incredible,” Jason says. “We have something for kids who enjoy dancing, soccer teams, and all sorts of heroes.”
On Christmas Eve, Jason will be doing the rounds, stopping at the last hospital nearest his home before joining his family.
Helen Andreanakis, a mental health clinician, will be taking disadvantaged children to Werribee Zoo in the lead up to Christmas. Come Christmas day, she will be at a homeless shelter. Between delivering hampers, the Troubled Waters podcast shedding light on Louisa Ioannidis’ mysterious death and her other work, there’s a lot to be done.
Helen Andreanakis is a mental health clinician whose work does not stop after she clocks off.
“The need is all year round but Christmas is more noticeable when people ask for more things, children want Christmas gifts and people wonder where to spend Christmas. Though services offer lunches, some people find this depressing,” she says.
“We have to remember that once upon a time these people weren’t born homeless, substance users or with complexities. They had functional lives before things went downhill.”
Since finishing her studies and training at Pentridge as a young clinician, she has not stopped knocking on doors, visiting Greek churches, asking for help and also getting many knockbacks. She is grateful to people like Vicky Xypolitos who has helped mother and baby units with hampers, former Pharmacy Guild president George Tambassis, and NMPS Food Groups Managing Director Evan Tsioukis, among others. She invites anyone willing to help with the hampers or volunteering to reach out to helen.kilias@gmail.
Older people benefit from family time. Pictured on the left is Virginia Tachos’ mum who has dementia.Helen Andreanakis says hampers are needed for families facing hardship.
Looking at Brimback Councillor Virginia Tachos, it’s hard to tell that beneath smiling photos on social media lies the tragedy of her 89-year-old mother’s struggle with dementia.
“It’s sad to see mum decline,” Virginia says. “She used to make holidays so special for us with a traditional Christmas lunch she’d prepare days in advance, but now it’s between myself and my sister, and her grandkids make her day very special.”
Virginia watches her once “indestructible” mother withdraw.
“Memories flood back when she’s with us, and she gets quite emotional,” Virginia says, adding that dementia is an “unforgiving disease.”
Author and writer Betty Coracas has been through breast cancer, a mastectomy and hysterectomy, but her worst Christmas was when she watched her mother die.
Betty Coracas invites people to donate hearts for medical research.
“She had blocked arteries, heart problems, and refused to have an operation,” Betty says. “I interviewed her for my first book, ‘Daughter of Venus.’ Maybe this kept her alive. I remember her being happy I had finished the manuscript. She was happy and we were sad.”
Her mother passed away two months later.
“Mum was educated through the church, and not through formal education. Something she taught me was love. She had the greatest capacity to love and be loved. Anyone who came home was offered food and she was the most forgiving person,” Betty recalls, cherishing the memories.
These stories are a testament to the human spirit’s resilience. As we celebrate the holiday season, let’s embrace the true spirit of Christmas: love, compassion, and empathy.
With the winner and finalists for The Greek Herald‘s 2024 Christmas Cover Competition selected and officially announced, I finally had a chance to sit back and reflect on one special entry which stuck with me.
11-year-old Helene Kalimniou’s artwork wasn’t selected as a finalist as it was outside of the competition’s stated themes of ‘Christmas in Greece’ or a ‘Greek Christmas.’
Instead, Helene’s artwork, titled ‘Christmas in the Middle East,’ shows a young girl standing amid the ruins of her war-torn neighbourhood with tears on her face as she draws a happier Christmas she would love to experience.
Upon closer inspection, and given the recent upheaval in the Middle East, it was clear that Helene’s artwork had a deeper more powerful meaning, and one I wanted to hear more about.
The Greek Herald’s Christmas covers from past years.
Tell us a little bit about the artwork you created for The Greek Herald’s Christmas Cover competition 2024.
My artwork depicts a scene from the war-torn Middle East at Christmas. The world as many children know it, has perished. Children have suffered a loss of their homes, their loved ones and the carefree life that we take for granted.
In the middle of the ruins of her neighbourhood, a young girl is shown imagining the Christmas she would love to have, and drawing it, as tears fall down her face. I have portrayed reality in colour and her dream of an ideal Christmas in black and white. Her dream is more of a sketch than a drawing because she has never really experienced a happy Christmas and doesn’t really know what it looks like. Because it is fuzzy, it asks you to consider whether the Christmas we all take for granted is real or an illusion. Finally, a white dove flies above the ruins. This symbolises hope. Even though people may be surrounded by disaster, there is always hope for peace and a better world.
Your artwork depicts ‘Christmas in the Middle East.’ Why did you decide to focus on this topic?
Christmas is a very special time for me and my family. We decorate the house, sing kalanta (Christmas carols), go to church and are filled with joy every year. Children everywhere around the world deserve to celebrate special days in peace and safety. However, in the Middle East, children will not experience the delight of Christmas. Many will be fearful, others in mourning and devastated. This is terrible and we should always remember vulnerable people at Christmas time, especially in the Middle East where the first Christmas took place.
I am aware that thousands of refugees from these areas are living in Greece. I think that they will spend Christmas remembering what they have lost. These memories don’t go away. They stay with you forever. That is how this picture links in with Greece: the refugees in Greece carry their own meanings and childhood memories. When we celebrate, we should remember them because what they have seen they will carry with them their entire lives. Their story is now part of the Greek story of Christmas.
The plight of refugees living in countries such as Greece played on Helene’s mind when creating her artwork.
As a young girl, how have you become so aware of recent wars in the Middle East?
Recently, through the media, we have been bombarded with news reports about the atrocities of the war happening in the Middle East. Through discussions with my family, it was like history repeating itself as my mother went through exactly the same ordeal during the Iraq War as a child. She lost everything, had to leave her homeland and ended up as a refugee in Greece. She always tells me that the first place she truly felt free was Greece. I still have relatives in the Middle East and I visited the area two years ago. I can’t believe that after so much suffering, wars are continuing.
What message were you hoping to give through your artwork?
The leaders of the world should consider the devastation they are causing to children’s lives through their decisions. In countries like Australia which are far from wars, it is easy to forget about the condition of the rest of the world. The true meaning of Christmas is about sharing love. Love is the most powerful force in the world. It brings hope and it brings peace. We all can do more to spread love in the world and help those who need our help.
This Christmas, is there a message you want to send to children like yourself who are currently in the middle of conflict in the Middle East?
I want to send the message that we love them and will pray for them. I want to tell them that miracles do happen. Please stay strong and never give up. There is always hope for a better future.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Thank you to The Greek Herald for giving me the opportunity to participate in the competition and Xronia Polla to everyone!
Fifty years after Cyclone Tracy forever altered the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory, filmmaker Kostadinos Hatzivalsamis is bringing a powerful and deeply personal story to the screen.
Rooted in the lived experiences of his own family and other survivors, TRACY is a grass-roots, community-driven feature film made by Darwin locals, for Darwin locals.
Through years of meticulous research and storytelling, Hatzivalsamis aims to honour the resilience, unity, and spirit of a city that weathered one of Australia’s most devastating natural disasters. This isn’t just a story about a cyclone — it’s a story about people.
With a production marked by creative resourcefulness, community support, and moments of serendipitous brilliance, TRACY captures the heart of Darwin’s history while delivering an emotional message of hope, togetherness, and triumph over adversity.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy, we speak with Hatzivalsamis about his film and this is what he had to say.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your Greek heritage / upbringing in Darwin.
Darwin’s got a large Greek population. Every year there’s the Greek Glenti, the Cyprian Wine Festival, so the community has a strong presence around town. I’m a first generation Australian-born Greek. Growing up, we mostly spoke Greek at home as well as attending Greek School every Saturday. This didn’t only teach the language, but culture, some history, a bit of religion. I attended for six years.
What inspired you to embark on this project, and how has your personal connection to Cyclone Tracy influenced the storytelling process?
My father was the initial inspiration for the film. Being a survivor of Cyclone Tracy himself, he would share stories from his experience nearly every Wet Season. So, hearing about where he and his family sheltered, they’re time in Darwin before being evacuated, their time down South and coming back – they were pretty much the first things that hit the page when I started writing the script in late 2020.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, I researched Tracy intensely, reading whatever I could. I also interviewed some survivors who still live in Darwin. From everything I had come across, a lot of the experiences were almost identical, so I was able to jot down a very basic timeline the characters would travel along and start building from there. Getting the timeline right and understanding the facts came first, then fishing out themes and character came later. I had to know what I was dealing with.
What emotions or memories from your family’s experience of Cyclone Tracy resonated with you the most, and how did you channel those into the film?
My family’s sense of humour resonated with me the most, to be honest. Whether it was a coping mechanism or not, the fact that they could swallow what was happening with some irreverence was interesting to me.
Kostadinos’ family’s sense of humour resonated with me the most. Photo supplied.
Were there any specific family stories or moments from your personal history that made it directly into the film? If so, can you share one that felt particularly powerful?
There were a couple of scenes I wrote, taken directly from my father’s experience, that didn’t make it into the film. One of my favourites was the story of him finding a bottle of champagne on Christmas morning for the rest of the family to enjoy with their remaining Christmas lunch. It struck me as overwhelmingly bittersweet.
As for what did make it into the film, there’s a scene where one of our protagonists, Lisa, sees her Greek neighbour Sevasti cleaning okra. My Yiayia would do this a lot. So, Lisa calmly sits with Sevasti and they begin to clean together. It’s a quiet scene that I think really conveys the slow, dreamy attitude Darwin had at the time.
How did the local community contribute to the film’s development, and what has their support meant to you?
The local contribution to the production of the film was staggering. We managed to gather some funds through a crowdfunding campaign. And within a month, we managed to exceed our target. Money aside, the support from local cast and crew wearing different hats during the shoot, the long hours, the favours, felt like such a labour of love. Every single individual who was on set was there purely for the love of making a movie and it really showed. I am so grateful to everyone who pitched in.
The local contribution to the production of the film was staggering. Photo supplied.
Can you share some of the most memorable moments or challenges you faced during the production phase?Were there any moments that felt particularly emotional or surreal given the historical context?
Every day of production had us on the back foot. From the moment you wake up, you’re behind schedule. Need to pick something up? You’re behind schedule. You need to breathe? You’re behind schedule. Someone forgets a costume, or a key prop, or a set of keys, or someone pulls out and you have to figure out how to get this scene… oh and the sun’s setting. It was six weeks of constant reshuffling, rescheduling, reorganising, making do and compromise. But, funnily enough, from everyone I’ve spoken to, this just seems to be the way shoots go.
One memorable experience was one day we had a key cast member pull out roughly five hours before call-time. We really couldn’t film the scene without them, we had everything else organised and ready to go. So, we went. Myself and my Director of Photography were wracking our brains about how we could get the same emotion and story beats across. To me, this seemed impossible to overcome at the time. We threw the script out, interpreted the feelings of the scene, figured something out and stuck to it. As a result, we ended up shooting one of my favourite shots of the entire film. So in a way, I’m grateful. If everything went to plan, it would’ve never happened. The big lessons I learned that day would’ve been lost.
In terms of historical context, it was interesting filming at Darwin High school which served as a survivor centre after Tracy. To be shooting scenes which may have happened at the same location fifty years prior, was surreal.
The cast and crew was made up of Darwin locals. Photo supplied.
Since the film is based on true stories, how did you approach balancing historical accuracy with creative storytelling?
As much as you want to be historically accurate, you do sometimes have to take creative licence for storytelling. The film is ultimately a work of fiction. Having said that, I did try to keep true to the history of the event / period where I could. There were never really any hard decisions on what to keep in and leave out as the journey the characters go on is an amalgamation of everything I’d heard or read about. Some visual ideas of course had to be left out purely because of budgetary restraints.
Cyclone Tracy left lasting scars — both physical and emotional — on the people of Darwin. How did you portray that sense of trauma, recovery, and resilience in the film?
For the heavier stuff, we tried being as honest as we could. We never wanted to shy away from the reality of things, but didn’t want to be exploitative either. It’s a tricky balance of knowing how much to show to get the message across and when to stop. For the rebuild and recovery, it was a balance of showing it visually while being consistent with the respective story arcs.
With such a tight schedule and limited budget, what creative strategies did the production team use to bring this ambitious project to life?
A limited budget forces you to be creative. As long as what the camera sees looks convincing, it doesn’t matter what you used to get there. If you have to fix a milk crate to a light, or use a garden hose for rain, so be it. We never could, nor wanted to, show CGI buildings being torn apart. So, particularly for the cyclone scenes, we stuck tight on the characters and their reactions. The characters were always the focus. They are the audiences way into the story.
Kostadinos said he hopes those who watch the film who didn’t experience Cyclone Tracy walk away with a feeling of hope.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy, what message do you hope the film leaves with audiences, especially those who were not alive to witness the events of 1974?
I really hope those who watch the film who didn’t experience Cyclone Tracy walk away with a feeling of hope. It’s a story about hope, triumph over tragedy, and helping your neighbour. I hope that it can remind people about togetherness.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
To me, this story features a cyclone, but it isn’t about a cyclone. This is a story about people. It’s a story about people who, when faced with insurmountable devastation, overcame all obstacles, lent a helping hand, and rebuilt a city together.
South Melbourne FC is set to host an exclusive VIP Legends Dinnerat Lakeside Stadium on the evening of Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Held immediately after the much-anticipated Greek Herald Cup, this event offers football fans a rare opportunity to dine alongside some of the greatest figures in Australian football history.
The exclusive dinner is a chance to sit at the table with legends and celebrate the rich heritage of South Melbourne FC and Sydney Olympic FC.
The special evening will honour the rich history of South Melbourne FC and Sydney Olympic as they celebrate the 40th Anniversary of South Melbourne’s 1984 NSL Championship win.
The Legends Dinner will feature special appearances by members of South Melbourne’s iconic 1984 Championship Winning Team, alongside other football legends, including PeterKatholos, Chris Kalantzis, and Danny Patalis from Sydney Olympic.
South Melbourne, 1984 NSL Champions, the first Victorian club to claim the NSL Championship trophy.
The Legends Dinner will be a fitting conclusion to a day steeped in football and cultural celebration. Earlier in the day, fans will witness the storied rivalry between South Melbourne FC and Sydney Olympic FC reignite on the pitch in The Greek Herald Cup.
From friendly Miniroos matches to traditional Greek dance performances by the Greek Community of Melbourne Dance Groups, the event will celebrate not just football but also Greek heritage and community spirit. The main match, kicking off at 6:30 PM, will undoubtedly leave the crowd energised for an evening of reflection and camaraderie.
The exclusive Legends Event is not to be missed. It’s more than a dinner; it’s a chance to sit at the table with legends, celebrate the rich heritage of two iconic clubs, and be part of a moment that bridges the legacy of the past with the promise of the future.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, January 18th
Place: Lakeside Stadium (Upstairs)
Time: 8:30 PM
Tickets: $160 – Includes food, drinks, and entertainment
