Following the success from last year’s event, the Hellenic Medical Society of Australia (HMSA) and the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) held their second HMSA Careers Day on Saturday, May 3. 

This event brought together 40 esteemed Greek Australian professionals representing a range of industries, 10 university (NUGAS) students and over 130 parents and students.

The day commenced with a panel discussion including:

• A/Prof Marinis Pirpiris – Orthopaedic Surgeon, President of HMSA, Treasurer of GCM
• Yianni Zaparas – Personal Injury Lawyer, Partner at Zaparas law firm
• The Honourable Associate Justice Ierodiaconou – Principal Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria
• Prof Vasso Apostolopoulos – Distinguished Professor, Professor of Immunology, Head of the Healthy Lifespan and Chronic Diseases Program, RMIT
• Maria Mavrikos – Managing Director Structural Challenge, Founder & CEO of Steel Chicks
• Helen Mantzis – Board Member of The Australian Ballet and the Hellenic Museum, Founder of KHGM Consulting & startup app Loopels.

The theme this year was wellbeing and the professionals shared examples of how they have worked on maintaining their wellbeing throughout their careers. 

Dr Arthur Kokkinias, psychiatrist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, also separated wellbeing into four distinct but linked components including spiritual, emotional, physical and social. Elysia McKinlay, developmental psychologist, took the students and parents through a breathing exercise as a way of re-grouping during stressful situations.

Following the panel discussion, the students joined the professionals and NUGAS students in the breakout rooms that were divided into medicine/dentistry, law/politics/law enforcement, science/IT, allied health, business, education/arts/media/creative arts. 

These breakout rooms offered opportunities for students to connect with professionals one-on-one and to seek personalised career advice.

HMSA extended thanks to to Adj Prof Paul Eleftheriou (Principal at the Nous Group), Dr Billy Stoupas (specialist General Practitioner), Dr James Dimou (Neurosurgeon at the Royal Melbourne Hospital), Dr Hector Georgiou (Fertility & IVF specialist at Melbourne IVF), Fotini Kypraios (Chair of the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce, Victoria), Dr Betty Exintaris (Associate Dean, Learning & Teaching, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Monash University) and Kristian Raspa (Head of School (years 10-12) & Director of Hellenism at St John’s College) for their assistance throughout the panel and breakout room discussions.

As per A/Prof Marinis Pirpiris said: “Mentorship like this plays a pivotal role in shaping the trajectories of our secondary school students, particularly when guided by successful professionals. Mentorship changes a student’s perception by turning abstract career concepts into tangible possibilities. This type of support plays a crucial role in relieving the stress related to looming career decisions.”

Mr Raspa added: “Initiatives like these are vital — they connect generations, expand bridges of collaboration, and inspire young Greek Australians to pursue excellence across a range of fields while staying connected to their heritage.”

Dr Athina Pirpiris, who helped to organise the event, said “the HMSA Careers Day is designed to help students build networks at the secondary, tertiary and professional levels, but also to help them understand that they belong to a community with a wealth of career experience and success which is eager to support their personal and professional journeys, both collectively and individually.”

Parents reflected on the HMSA Careers Day as an event they wish they had available whilst at school. 

Student feedback included things like: “I appreciated the opportunity to meet the professionals and university students more closely in the breakout rooms,” “I loved the fact there was ‘speed networking’ to get to talk to the professionals one-on-one,” and “I really enjoyed learning from the professionals about practical ways to maintain wellbeing.”

The HMSA and GCM would like to extend a sincere thank you to:

• All the professionals for making themselves available to talk to and inspire the younger generations of Greek Australians.
• All the NUGAS students who attended and helped with the running of the day in addition to the breakout rooms.
• All the students and parents who attended.
• The staff at the Greek Community of Melbourne for their facilitation of the event.
• HMSA sponsors including: DBG Health, the Hellenic Museum, Greek Media Group, Mantzis Family Trust, Directed Electronics Australia, Zaparas Lawyers and Accountancy Group.
• Event sponsors including: Oasis Coffee, Gavos Freight Solutions, Bravo Drinks, Taki’s pastry lab.

The feedback once again has been overwhelmingly positive, paving the way for similar events in the future.

*All photos by Costas Deves.

The Greek Festival of Sydney will conclude its celebrated program with a spectacular symphony orchestra event, ‘Τα Κινηματογραφικά: Songstresses of the Golden Age of Greek Cinema.’

This grand finale will take place on Sunday, May 11th at 6.30 pm at the Verbruggen Hall of the Conservatorium of Music, promising an epic showcase of timeless songs from Greece’s golden age of cinema (roughly the 1940s-1970s).

Conductor George Ellis, a recurring collaborator with the Greek Festival, expressed his immense pleasure in bringing this concert to life. He highlighted the beauty and enduring popularity of these songs, predominantly made famous by iconic female artists such as Aliki Vougiouklaki and Melina Mercouri.

“These ladies from the 20th century sang these songs and they made them famous,” Mr Ellis said. “So, we thought we would take these songs, set them to orchestra and perform them in one concert.”

Mr Ellis has personally orchestrated these beloved melodies for the performance and shared his excitement for the resulting sound, particularly in combination with the exceptional vocalist, Dioni Vertzayas.

“Dioni and I go way back and when the Greek Festival of Sydney decided to put on this concert, we welcomed it with open arms because we thought it was a wonderful idea,” Mr Ellis stated. 

“Dioni is an exceptional performer. She has class, style, and a great voice. Her voice, backed by a full symphony orchestra and, of course, a Greek band of bouzoukia, piano, drums, and bass, will be a magical sound.”

Ms Vertzayas echoed this enthusiasm, expressing her delight in performing in Sydney and collaborating with Mr Ellis and his orchestra for the first time.

“I am thrilled that we will be presenting these iconic songs in a different way than they are usually heard,” Ms Vertzayas said. “Some of these songs I have grown up listening to and so am eager to interpret them in my own way.”

She noted her particular excitement for performing the powerful ballads of Tzeni Vanou, while also acknowledging the challenge of tackling historically significant songs outside her usual repertoire, such as “Αυτή η νύχτα μένει” (This Night Remains).

Mr Ellis emphasised the unique richness the symphony orchestra brings to Greek music, especially to songs not originally orchestrated. 

“There is nothing quite like the colours of the symphony orchestra,” he explained. “It is the colours of the orchestra that make something richer. They give it much more colour. To compare it visually, it would be like the difference between presenting a black and white painting only as opposed to one full of colour.”

He stressed that this orchestral treatment will offer audiences, even those deeply familiar with the original recordings, a truly special and unique experience. 

“There is such a point of difference to these songs that people know from movies or heard on record, where all of a sudden you can now hear it with cello, viola, violins. It is just an exceptional colour,” Mr Ellis said.

Mr Ellis commended the Greek Festival of Sydney for their vision and dedication. 

“The Greek Festival of Sydney is amazing. They are ideas people. They come up with these brilliant ideas where many would wonder ‘how can you achieve it?’ and they do it,” he said, praising their dedicated team.

He underscored the importance of supporting cultural events like this, despite the significant effort and expense involved. 

“It is worth it because you cannot put a price on culture. Culture is worth every single cent that people will allow it to have,” he said.

In conclusion, Mr Ellis highlighted the crucial role of the Greek Festival of Sydney in “promoting and nurturing Greek culture, our identity, and our place in Sydney, Australia and the world.” 

“I take my hat off to the Festival for being brave, being forward thinkers, being innovators, being preservers of culture, and I just hope that continues. Knowing the Festival, it will continue,” he added.

Event Details:

• Event: Τα Κινηματογραφικά: Songstresses of the Golden Age of Greek Cinema
• Date: Sunday, May 11, 2025 | 6:30 PM AEST
• Venue: Verbruggen Hall, Conservatorium of Music, Sydney
• Tickets: https://bit.ly/FSFM-GFOS-110525

An unforgettable orchestral concert that will sell out! For more information on the Greek Festival of Sydney program and events please visit www.greekfestivalofsydney.com.au