Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security defence cooperation agreement on Thursday, during the European Council summit in Brussels.
According to the Greek government, this agreement paves the way for Greece’s active participation in efforts to rebuild Ukraine, particularly in Odessa – the Black Sea city with deep cultural and historical ties to Greece. During a visit last March, Mitsotakis vowed to aid in its revival.
These reconstruction efforts also offer significant opportunities for Greek companies and collaboration with both European and Ukrainian firms.
“Greece is ready to continue meeting Ukraine’s most urgent defence needs. It will also provide additional resources to accelerate F-16 training for our pilots and technicians,” Zelenskyy stated on X.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Greece has been providing military support to Ukraine, including material and technical assistance, as well as training.
Today, we signed an Agreement on Security Cooperation with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos… pic.twitter.com/SPbRZv09wn
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 17, 2024
The agreement is intended to complement other deals between Ukraine and its allies as the country continues its defence against Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine has already signed 25 similar agreements, including with the US, the UK, Germany, and France, aimed at helping Kyiv repel Russia’s aggression amid the full-scale war. These agreements are based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) in July 2022.
The Greece-Ukraine agreement outlines cooperation and joint ventures in various sectors, including the economy, reforms, energy, civil protection, Ukraine’s reconstruction and recovery, cultural cooperation, and the safeguarding of cultural heritage.
It further includes provisions for collaboration in the production and transfer of green energy, as well as in maritime transport and logistics.
Forbes Australia has announced the inaugural ’30 Under 30′ list carefully chosen by their team and a panel of independent, expert judges based on factors including funding and revenue, social impact, scale, innovation and industry potential.
Among them, two Greek Australians made the list:
Retail & E-commerce – Emma Spiliopoulos
Photo: Cameron Grayson / Forbes Australia.
Emma Spiliopoulos was recognised for her work in cosmetics alongside business partners Jessica Arthur and Lauren Rugolo. Namely, Lash Therapy Australia which launched in 2020 with its flagship eyelash growth serum.
The three co-founders initially invested $4,000. Today, Lash Therapy claims its total revenue is at $20 million, with $7.3 million year-to-date; up 17% on the FY23 and up 248% from FY22. The company ships to more than 170 countries.
Social Impact – Chanel Contos
Photo: Corrie Bond.
Chanel Contos posted an Instagram story asking how many of her peers had experienced sexual assault while at school. The response was enormous – inspiring her to collect testimonials and lobby for consent education to be integrated and improved in schools across the country.
She went on to launch the NGO, Teach Us Consent, lobbying for more comprehensive and earlier sex education in Australia and elsewhere. She was the recipient of the Young People’s Human Rights Medal in the 2021 Australian Human Rights Award and the NSW Young Woman of the Year 2023 award.
*Please note the above list includes the names of those who are recognised as Greek. If you know someone else, please email us at greek@foreignlanguage.com.au.
On Wednesday, October 16, Melbourne’s Hellenic Museum welcomed His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is currently on an official visit to Australia in honour of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia (GOAA).
His All-Holiness’ last visit to Australia was 28 years ago, and was the nation’s first-ever visit by an Ecumenical Patriarch.
Now, on this second-ever occasion, the Hellenic Museum welcomed His All-Holiness for a private tour of its collections, where Director Sarah Craig shared insights into the profound impacts of Hellenism in Australia.
The tour was followed by a luncheon in the Museum courtyard, where His All-Holiness shared words of wisdom with those in attendance.
Honoured guests included His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia; the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis; other esteemed guests from Orthodox dioceses in Australia and around the world; as well as members of the Hellenic Museum and Melbourne Greek communities.
“Diples with Yiayiades,” hosted on October 16, was a sold-out workshop as a part of the Odyssey Greek Festival, at the Panayia Church Hall in Croydon, South Australia. Second in the series of Yiayia cooking workshops across the Odyssey Festival, attendees had a hands-on experience exploring the art of making diples.
Diples are a beloved Greek sweet, traditionally associated with festive occasions such as weddings. The word ‘diple’ in Greek translates “to fold” or “folded.” The name directly relates to how the sweet is made, which involves taking thin sheets of dough, which are flattened and folded, while being fried, into a roll. The product is light, airy and flaky pastry, which is finished in honey and drizzled with almonds, cinnamon or other nuts.
The evening began with the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA), Peter Gardiakos, and his mother Effie leading the group through the essential steps of preparing the dough for diples.
As participants watched closely, Yiayia Effie shared not only the recipe for her base dough, but also her tips and tricks for ensuring the dough reaches the perfect consistency. The dough preparation, she explained, is the essential foundation to creating light and crispy diples.
Participants then observed how to handle the dough before the frying stage; separating the dough into pieces, rolling it into a sheet, flattening the sheets with a pasta machine, and cutting them into strips ready for frying. As the oil began to bubble, Yiayia Effie and Yiayia Georgia together showed how to skilfully roll and fold the dough into the familiar, delicate shape that define diples.
Once the demonstration was complete, it was time for attendees to get involved. Under the watchful and trained eyes of the two yiayiades, participants rolled, folded, and fried their own diples. The process was not only instructive, but also fostered a sense of camaraderie, as attendees assisted and guided each other as they attempted to hone their technique.
The final touch came with a generous pour of fragrant honey over the freshly fried sweets, followed by a sprinkling of almonds. The aroma of honey and fresh pastry filled the air. Participants were excited to get the opportunity to taste their creations, with it being, for many, their first-ever time making homemade diples.
The success of this workshop was not only in the culinary creations, but also the way in which it facilitated the education and passing down of the recipes and techniques of Yiayia Effie and Yiayia Georgia to a new generation.
Mr Gardiakos told The Greek Herald that the “reason why these types of events are so important is because we need to ensure these recipes and learnings are passed on to the next generation. We have a duty to hand down our culture which includes music, dance, language and in this case, food.”
The Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) has announced that Bill Kordos has been recognised with the Law Institute of Victoria’s Award of Distinguished Service.
The Distinguished Service Award is LIV’s most prestigious awards, as no more than five are granted in any one year, across all legal practice areas.
The LIV Board can recognise individuals who have rendered significant and distinguished service of a high degree to the LIV or the legal profession over an extended period of time.
Mr Kordos has expressed his excitement in receiving LIV’s significant accolade, “I am both humbled and proud to be recognised for this award.”
Last night, we held the annual LIV Law Awards ceremony, recognising 15 lawyers for their outstanding contributions to the LIV and the broader legal profession.
Mr Kordos’ career in the legal industry began in 1988 when he was admitted to practice, after completing a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University. During his time as a legal practitioner, he has set up and been a Coordinator for the Duty’s Solicitors Scheme at the Melbourne Family Court and has been a Board Member at Victoria’s first legal services centre representing children.
As a former Alternative Dispute Resolution Portfolio Holder and former Member of the LIV Court’s Practice and Education Committees, Mr Kordos has rendered significant service to LIV and the legal profession. He is a former chair of the LIV’s Family Law section and a current member and mentor.
Mr Kordos, an Accredited Specialist in Family Law, has also taught law at a tertiary level and has represented the profession before standing committees of Parliament in relation to the introduction of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
All recipients, including Mr Kordos, were presented their awards by the LIV on October 15 at the RACV Club in Melbourne.
The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) will participate in this year’s Children’s Week celebration, supported by the Victorian Department of Education, running from Sunday, October 19 to Sunday, October 27.
As part of this initiative, GCM Schools will be hosting a free workshop on empathy for children aged 4-8 on Saturday, October 19, at the Greek Centre.
The workshop aims to foster empathy and self-awareness by helping children understand and express their emotions. Participants will engage in a variety of interactive activities, including storytelling, games, and breathing exercises, all focused on emotional awareness and well-being.
“We have prepared this program with a lot of love for children,” Christina Soumi, GCM Schools teacher and workshop coordinator, said.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our little friends for a wonderful experience, including breathing exercises, games, sensory activities, and an inspiring story that will help us connect with our emotions. Learning to understand and express our feelings is crucial for everyone, both children and adults. It’s essential for building harmonious relationships with ourselves and others. By focusing on these skills early on, we can help children grow up to have happy, healthy, and fulfilling relationships,” Ms Soumi added.
The Board of the Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales has announced that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for Sunday, October 13, has been postponed due to the lack of the required number of members.
The new AGM will take place on Sunday, November 3, at 2pm at the Greek Community Club in Lakemba.
Members are kindly requested to ensure their membership renewal is completed in a timely manner before the start of the AGM.
Members can renew their subscriptions at the Community Office (Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM) or by attending the General Meeting and settling their subscription before it begins.
In a world where no two people are the same, the pursuit of love is the tie that bands us together. Most of us want it, some of us have it, and for the majority of us, the journey toward it makes for quite the ride. It begins lightly and jovially, with eyes interlocking at community dance halls and stolen glances at Sunday mass; yet isn’t long before the sting of adulthood takes centre stage, where love turns to logic and substantial dowries are exchanged for suitable grooms.
What is now a fun social experiment in the reality TV world, used to be the way of life for generations before us. All you need to watch is Indian Matchmaking,Married At First Sight, Love is Blind, and even First Dates to see that sometimes, two people just aren’t meant for each other.
Luckily for these ‘contestants’ of love, once the showrunners call ‘cut,’ so do the couples who would rather spend a night surviving in the wild on the show Alone, than endure another moment of awkward silences as they fight for their lives to make subpar conversation. Whereas, in some of our grandparents’ cases, this was not an option. Yep; I’m talking about ‘proxenia marriages’ – loosely translated in English to ‘arranged marriages.’
Whether this tradition was born out of patriarchal desperation to ensure their daughters didn’t end up with a ‘xeno with big, long hair on top of his head,’ as the iconic (yet slightly problematic) Gus Portokalos once said, is still up for discussion. But for the most part, it served as a form of security for not only the bride but for their family, too.
For all of my younger readers (myself included), I want you to visit the part of your brain where all the bad Hinge dates reside and think about the ones you would rather forget. Now, picture standing across from them at the altar, knowing you have a lifetime of ‘that’ ahead of you. Okay, now return this memory to its rightful position, lock it up, and throw away the key. The point of this visualisation task was so that for a brief moment, you could understand what it was like. This was the reality for many generations past.
But this read is not all doom and gloom.
For some, an arranged marriage brought them to a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and stories plucked right out of your favourite ‘90s romcom. For these were the marriages that fit like puzzle pieces; no force required. Marriages where the innocence never faded, remaining ripe at the age of 80. Marriages where you watch them eat a 4 pm supper at the dining table they’ve shared for 50-plus years – the air filled with the echoes of laughing children and Sunday dinners still palpable – and the phrase ‘when you know, you know’ suddenly makes sense.
The real-life manifestation of ‘when you know, you know,’ are my great grandparents. Although not alive for me to witness it in person, I learnt of their love through the eyes of my Yiayia. The sign of a beloved marriage is rarely through the words of those who possess it, but in turn, exudes from those that are surrounded by it.
Not uncommon for most proxenia marriages, it all started when a boy met a girl, and then married within three days of knowing each other. Yianni was seven years older than Katarina and packed up for a journey across countries, planting roots in a country town in Australia call Thangool. It was here that he would build a quiet and peaceful life on the farm and raise three children with his partner for life.
Katarina and Yianni met for the first time in Thangool in 1938, then flew to Rockhampton to get married alongside another Greek couple. The days from then on could be described as a ‘blissful existence.’ This time I’ll liken it to the first season of The Farmer Wants a Wife. The spoils of their love began with crying babies that turned into smiling children, farmhouse chores that were dutifully fulfilled, and a shared responsibility of household duties; a rarity of that time.
My Yiayia would often speak of her parents’ patience and love for each other, where voices were never raised and disagreements were no cause for concern. They remained happily married for 47 years and spent their final years in West End, Brisbane. I often look at the wedding pictures adorning the walls of my Yiayia and Pappou’s house, and just like an oil painting that calls for stillness, patience, and a duty of care to perfect, so did the years that followed for Katarina and Yianni; years that most would be lucky to replicate.
When you think about it; does being set up by the people who know you right down to your worst days and wish nothing but happiness for you, sound all bad? There’s no denying that a world without dating fatigue, outfit meltdowns, or first date jitters sounds somewhat enticing. Yet at the same time, don’t go getting any ideas mum.
Sydney local Janelle “Nellie” Tilley (now using her maiden name Foster), known for her advocacy against domestic violence, has been charged with assaulting her younger Greek boyfriend.
She is accused of attacking 34-year-old Paris Saint during their four-year relationship while he resided at her Bellevue Hill home.
58-year-old Tilley, previously married to Simon Tilley—brother of Ben Tilley, a former confidant of James Packer—allegedly threatened to “get someone to break his legs” if Saint reported her to the authorities.
However, in March of this year, after their tumultuous relationship ended, Saint approached police, claiming he had been subjected to continuous domestic violence.
The pair met in 2019 when Tilley was on holiday in Greece. Saint returned to Australia with her and settled into her home in the eastern suburbs.
Police allege that on one occasion, Tilley began physically hitting Saint in the face and scratching him on the neck until blood was visible.
On a separate occasion, Tilley is accused of spitting on Saint during a fight in the car as they drove home from celebrating Valentine’s Day at a restaurant in Woollahra.
Tilley has pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, with a hearing set for March 2025.
Sydney pub baron Jon Adgemis reportedly transferred over $9 million from companies within his Public Hospitality Group (PHG) in the year leading up to their collapse. An administrator’s report claims that he engaged in trading while insolvent.
Adgemis, a prominent Sydney businessman known for his extravagant lifestyle and high-profile relationships, established a hospitality empire that included more than 20 venues such as Oxford House and The Norfolk in Sydney, as well as Karen Martini’s Saint George and Guy Grossi’s Puttanesca.
However, several businesses in this portfolio went under last month after Muzinich & Co, a New York based private credit investor, withdrew from a deal to refinance approximately $100 million in debt.
A creditors report prepared by advisory firm BDO and submitted to the corporate regulator alleges that Adgemis managed his businesses while they were insolvent, a situation that has reportedly existed since August 2021.
BDO partner Duncan Clubb informed creditors that initial investigations indicate Adgemis may have violated sections of the Corporations Act, which pertain to the responsibilities of exercising care, diligence, and acting in good faith.
“It appears [Adgemis] and related entities withdrew funds in the year leading up to the appointment of external administrators totalling $475k and $9m, respectively,” Clubb wrote.
According to Clubb, Adgemis’ withdrawals could be classified as unfair preference payments, uncommercial transactions, and unreasonable director-related transactions.
However, Adgemis argues that if administrators accept his proposal to buy back the business, many of the company’s creditors will receive repayment. He warned that if this proposal is not accepted, liquidation of the companies and sale of their assets is likely to follow.
