Students, teachers, and parents enjoyed a memorable Greek night at the annual dinner dance of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) Schools.
Held for the second year at the beautiful Vogue Ballroom on Friday, 4 October, the event was a vibrant celebration that showcased the strength and unity of the GCM school community.
Accompanied by the sounds of the Rhythmos Band, the dinner dance brought together members of the GCM school community for a celebration that lasted for hours.
Distinguished guests included Joseph Lo Bianco, Professor of Language and Literacy Education at Melbourne University and author of the Pharos Report on revitalising the Greek language; Nildhara Gadani, candidate for Mahoneys Ward; Maria Triantafyllou, Acting Coordinator of Greek Educational Affairs; Despina Saranti, President of the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria; and board members from the GCM, including Nick Koukouvitakis, Secretary; Marinis Pirpiris, Treasurer; Tass Sgardelis, member of the Education Committee; Manuel Tsirmiris; Kostas Stefanidis; and Jeana Vithoulkas.
The graduating students created lasting memories with their high-energy farewell to friends and teachers, making the night a true celebration of Greek culture.
“It is a great pleasure to see so many young people dancing and enjoying Greek music,” Maria Bakalidou, Principal of GCM schools, said.
“Our goal is to strengthen the bonds within this wonderful, large family and to cultivate experiences and relationships that fortify the Greek cultural and linguistic identity of our students. We warmly thank everyone who contributed to the success of this wonderful evening.”
The Greek-Australian Cultural League is inviting people to the launch of the 70th issue (2024) of the bilingual magazine Antipodes, dedicated to Cyprus, the island of Aphrodite, and its resilient people.
The magazine will be presented by the Honourable High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to Australia, Antonis Sammoutis, on Sunday, October 20, at 3pm, at the Andrianakos Centre, Alphington Grammar, 18 Old Heidelberg Rd, Alphington.
The event will feature:
Live music with traditional and popular Cypriot songs
An art exhibition by Cypriot painters
Traditional Cypriot dances
An audiovisual presentation
Refreshments and traditional Cypriot delicacies
Friends and family are welcome to join.
For more information, please contact: Kaiti Alexopoulou – 0428 968 715, Andria Garibaldi – 0401 208 013.
Conservationists are dealing with a setback after Ionas, an endangered white scavenger vulture, vanished during his first migratory journey, according to an article of Tassoula Eptakili in ekathimerini.com.
Born in Meteora, central Greece, last June, Ionas was tagged with a tracking device and set off on his first migration to Africa in September. The young, inexperienced male vulture was tracked to the East Attica port of Lavrio before heading towards the Aegean. Instead of taking the safer overland route via Turkey at Amorgos, Ionas flew south across the Mediterranean. His signal was lost south of Kasos.
“Even though there’s a slight hope that the transmitter malfunctioned, the most likely outcome is that Ionas suffered the same fate as a significant number of young white scavenger vultures that become exhausted as they try to cross the Mediterranean and drown,” the conservation society said.
The white scavenger vulture is Europe’s most endangered bird species, with its population critically low. Only five breeding pairs are known to remain in Greece, mostly in Thessaly and the Dadia Forest.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old settlement in Stobreč, a village near Split, Croatia. The discovery includes a well-preserved Greek rampart, stretching over 230 feet, along with structures from various historical periods, providing significant insights into the region’s ancient past, according to arkeonews.net
Located along Croatia’s coast, the excavation took place in an area planned for future construction. Croatia’s Ministry of Culture and Media announced the find, which revealed remains of the ancient settlement of Epetion. The site had been listed as historically important but was largely unresearched in recent decades.
“These findings are extraordinary, particularly the Greek wall, which is about 40 meters long and reaches over three meters deep in some sections,” said archaeologist Dr. Marina Ugarković from the Institute of Archaeology. The wall is considered the best-preserved Greek rampart in Croatia, comparable to other significant ancient discoveries worldwide.
Photo: Croatia’s Ministry of Culture and Media
Dr. Ugarković’s research uncovered structures from various periods, ranging from prehistory through the Hellenistic and Roman eras, to late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The oldest remains date back to the Middle Bronze Age, around 3,500 years ago.
Among the discoveries is a massive Greek rampart, over 2,000 years old, notable for its L-shape. The longer segment is asymmetrical, while the shorter consists of five rectangular formations. Standing about 10 feet high, it ranks among Croatia’s most impressive and well-preserved ancient structures.
This discovery sheds new light on the area’s prehistoric history. The Greeks established colonies in modern-day Croatia in the fourth century B.C., followed by Roman influence in the second century B.C. Stobreč later became a key Roman trade center.
An tribute evening featuring poetry, music, and lectures celebrating the legacy of Lord Byron is set to take place this October, organised by the Hellenic Writers Association of Australia in collaboration with Melbourne’s Greek Consulate.
The event, titled ‘Lord Byron, a Philhellene Poet’, will be held on Saturday, October 19 at the Greek Consulate’s event hall, 37-39 Albert Road, Melbourne.
Starting from 6pm, academics and experts on Lord Byron’s life and work will offer their insights through poetry recitations, musical performances, and lectures, focusing on his contribution to the Greek War of Independence and the Philhellenic movement.
Dr Spiz Demetriou, who completed her PhD with a thesis on Missolonghi, Philhellenism, and 19th-century art, will serve as the evening’s keynote speaker.
The event is expected to be attended by members of parliament, consular delegations from Greece and the United Kingdom, as well as representatives of various cultural organisations.
Lord Byron, a renowned English poet and leading figure in the Romantic Movement, travelled extensively across Europe, including a seven-year stay in Italy. Later in life, he became involved in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, for which he is remembered by many Greeks as a national hero. Byron died in 1824 at the age of 36 from a fever contracted while in Missolonghi.
The event is open to the public.
For further information about attending the tribute evening, contact the Hellenic Writers Association of Australia on 0421 237 779, or via email at hellenicwritersau@gmail.com.
The ability to laugh readily and often is a powerful tool for overcoming obstacles, improving relationships, and promoting both physical and mental health. It has the capacity to heal and rejuvenate. Best of all, using this priceless medication is enjoyable, cost-free, and simple.
All you need to do is head to Soula Raphy’s TikTok or Instagram and you’ll be laughing for days, no doctors needed!
The Greek Herald sat down with the Sydney-born star to talk about her journey to where she is today.
Soula was born and raised in Marrickville, beside Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. She is the youngest of three children and her parents are from Lemnos in Greece.
“I’ve been visiting Greece since a young age. We grew up very happy, yet mum was very strict which kind of led me to marry the first guy I met walking by my house. Life has been good to me; we thank God for everything,” Soula says.
Her daughter Raphaella is her pride and joy. Calling her ‘the best gift in life,’ Raphaella is half-Greek and half-West African Ghanaian. Soula tells of her pain when her husband Philip suddenly passed away at 38 years old while visiting Ghana.
“It was so sudden, but it’s ok. He’s with us every day,” she says.
Soula is very fond of her childhood. She remembers her mum’s food and pastries.
“I remember the Saturday nights with Koumpari, cousins’ friends, the kids playing and running up the street being happy and free. The picnics with mum and dad doing the BBQ, oh it was the best childhood ever!” Soula explains.
She never ‘tried’ to be a comedian. It just happened. She remembers Theodore from Superwog came up to her one day and said, “Hey, you’re funny you should do some comedy.” As soon as Soula’s daughter heard that, she goes, “I’ll never go to school again if you do that!”
“When school was over, I played around with Instagram and there I met Amanda Micallef from Married At First Sight (MAFS). We became sisters, laughed, talked and did lives together,” Soula says.
When asked why she creates comedy content, Soula says she’s motivated by the many people who have flooded her with messages like “You help my depression Soula!”
“It’s about making people happy! I don’t take the money, it’s just making people happy and laughing at natural things we go through, stomachs and all!” she says.
Soula has a combined social media following of over 100,000 people. Her accounts started blowing up when she started saying funny things about men.
“I love men, but I speak the truth sometimes about how men hurt women or how they think they’re Ricky Martins! When they’re not!” she says.
Soula is well known for her dating advice on TikTok. She has some recommendations for single and/or divorced women in the 21st century. The dating market is quite difficult, especially in Sydney (and other major cities). But she says that you “have to trust in Jesus and visualise what it is that you want.”
“Tell God, ‘If it’s your will, then let it be my Lord.’ Also, please ladies keep a little old-school warmth within your hearts! Be modern, but not so modern because warmth, wholesomeness and beauty inside out is the best,” she says.
Soula has a few goals for the future, she has a new social media show called Ethchix which she’s currently filming. She’d also like to be a grandmother. She’s inspired by Sooshi Mango, Nick Giannopoulos, Effie, Joe Avati and Rob Shehadie.
“These people are all real champions in my eyes because they bring a giggle to people’s hearts, and I love and respect that in a person,” she concluded.
Soula has one motto she wants to share, “Bring back the romance re!”
“There are 20 to 25 of us, no children, no bakery,” said local leader Giorgos Harhalakis, who is determined to revive the small Aegean island of Antikythera despite its depopulation challenges.
According to France24.com, Antikythera, situated between Kythera and Crete, has seen its population dwindle over the years. In the 2021 census, only 39 residents remained, down from 120 in 2011. Harhalakis, 37, recalls growing up on the island, which was once home to farmers and fishermen. Today, only the port of Potamos is inhabited, with abandoned homes scattered across the island.
The island’s only connection to the outside world is by boat, and its school, which briefly reopened in 2018, closed again in 2021 when the last student left for secondary school in Kythera. This mirrors a national trend, with many rural schools shuttering due to Greece’s low fertility rate, which stood at 1.43 children per woman in 2021.
Greece’s ageing population, with over a fifth of its people aged 65 or older, and the emigration of young people during the financial crisis have exacerbated the issue. Efforts to attract new residents, including a failed initiative in Antikythera, have seen limited success.
Harhalakis believes the island’s future depends on infrastructure development and state incentives. Antikythera has just one cafe, run by an elderly man, and its native population is rapidly ageing.
Hopes now rest on a climate change observatory planned for the island, which could bring jobs. Antikythera already holds significance in the scientific world, known for the discovery of a 2nd-century astrological clock, believed to be the world’s oldest computer, found off its coast in a Roman-era shipwreck.
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made a special visit to St. Basil’s Aged Care Randwick to meet their residents and staff as part of his ‘once-in-a-generation’ visit celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Australia (GOAA).
Well known for his decades of peace advocacy across the globe, and given the moniker “the Patriarch for Peace,” this recent visit to Australia was his second in history and came almost three decades after his last visit.
All photos supplied by: pointdot.
St. Basil’s Randwick NSW/ACT was honoured to have been specially selected by His All-Holiness as a featured event on his itinerary and to be recognised as one of the most important organisations of the GOAA and the largest Greek aged care provider in Sydney.
The visit also included a short liturgy at the Chapel of Saint Paisos and an official dinner attended by residents, staff, and prominent dignitaries, including His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrillos, His Eminence Metropolitan Filotheos, the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis, and all Bishops of the GOAA.
To mark the significance of the occasion, a plaque was unveiled, and an olive tree was presented, symbolising the lasting impact of his visit on St. Basil’s and the broader community.
James Jordan, Chairman of St. Basil’s NSW/ACT, said, “We were honoured that His All-Holiness’ found time in his very busy schedule to visit the residents at St Basil’s, blessing them and us as an institution, with his paternal love. For many residents at St. Basil’s, the visit represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a revered spiritual figure.”
The selection of St. Basil’s Randwick in His All-Holiness’ Australian itinerary reflects St. Basil’s excellence in fostering a community of love and respect, and celebrates the enduring values that unite everyone involved in its mission.
St. Basil’s Randwick caters to a diverse range of needs in the aged care community, offering a full scope of services including day centres, independent living and full aged care experience. St. Basil’s Randwick is the only aged care provider offering 100% Greek services and promotes premium and quality care to all members of its community.
The studies and works to create a visitable museum cover for the extremely rare findings of the Mikri Doxipara-Zoni tumulus in Evros, NE Greece, are progressing quickly, the Ministry of Culture said in an update, according to amna.gr
The tumulus is the only one in Greece where wheeled vehicles were found in such a good state. Specifically, it includes the cremated remains of three men and one woman, accompanied by five chariots with their horses, and another two burials of five horses.
All accessories on the chariots are preserved, down to the decorative metal parts, while two of them include impressions of their wooden parts. The entire group is dated between 100 AD and 150 AD, during the Roman imperial years in Greece.
First excavated by Diamantis Triantafyllos two decades ago, the findings of the tomb point to the community’s great wealth and the effort to guarantee a clear social identity, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement.
Photo: amna
Conservation and preparatory work on exhibiting the protected remains began in 2020, and the museum cover will allow visitors to see what the site looked like during the completion of the excavation. “The visitor will see in situ the burials of horses and the chariots, while the museum cases will show all the votives and other mobile artifacts,” Mendoni said, adding that the completion of the museum area in northern Evros will offer a development boost to the area.
The ministry’s statements said that the visitors will be able to see the cremation pits, while the bones of the 15 horses will be kept in the ground. The conserved funerary objects will be exhibited in cases by group.
There will be 18 independent stops. Among the many artifacts found besides the chariots’ and horses’ accessories, the excavation includes organic material, the largest group of bronze vessels found in Greece (19 complete vessels), and bronze medical cases with surgical tools, the best-preserved tool kits of imperial years found globally.
Former businessmen Bill Papas and Vincenzo Tesoriero orchestrated an “audacious” fraudulent scheme involving fake lease-loan agreements, defrauding three banks of more than $500 million, according to a Federal Court ruling.
According to The Australian, the decision paves the way for potential recovery actions and possible criminal charges.
On Friday, Justice Elizabeth Cheeseman ruled that Papas was the main architect behind the fraud, with his partner, Louise Agostino, also involved. The court further found that Papas’ business associate, Vincenzo Tesoriero, and former financial controller Tony Bouchahine were aware of the fraudulent activities.
Companies controlled by the men had no “legitimate” purpose other than to execute the fraud and disperse “tainted” funds, the court determined.
Bill Papas. Photo: 60 Minutes.
Papas, also known as Basille Papadimitriou, has been embroiled in legal battles alongside Tesoriero for three years, with Westpac pursuing the men and their alleged co-conspirators through at least 138 court hearings and actions before three judges.
The case initially arose when WesTrac, a West Australian mining operator, questioned nearly $12 million in loans recorded in Westpac’s books. The loans were tied to equipment leases from Forum, a Sydney-based company, though WesTrac had only financed a single printer-photocopier worth $1.6 million, which had been paid off in early 2021.
Westpac’s internal investigation revealed fraudulent invoices worth over $290 million involving major clients, including Coles, Woolworths, and waste management giant Veolia.
Shortly after suspicions arose, Papas fled Australia in breach of the country’s strict Covid-19 border controls. He initially stayed in a luxury hotel in Athens before moving to Thessaloniki, where he owned several properties and businesses.
Bill Papas in Greece.
Despite assurances to the court that he would return to face the accusations, Papas refused to come back to Australia. A Federal Court judge, Michael Lee, eventually issued an arrest warrant for him. Meanwhile, Tesoriero has remained in Australia after having his passport seized.
Investigations by liquidators McGrathNicol revealed that close to $500 million had been siphoned from Westpac, as well as from Japanese lender Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and French bank Societe Generale. Forum Finance had created false lease-loan schemes and even sold the future earnings of these fake contracts, without ever missing a payment.
