The Ladies Auxiliary of the Cyprus Community of South Australia recently raised $4,000 during an afternoon tea to support HeartKids.
More than 160 people attended the afternoon tea, which took place at the Cultural Centre of the Cyprus Community in Welland.
The Ladies Auxiliary has a history spanning 49 years and is the longest-standing subcommittee of the Cyprus Community.
Guest speaker Tania Potts spoke about the purpose and actions of HeartKids, while Thanasis Iliopoulos shared his personal experiences with his daughter’s own health complications.
The speeches were then followed by an afternoon tea that featured sandwiches and a range of desserts while live entertainment played in the background.
The President of the Ladies Auxiliary, Thekla Petrou, extended her gratitude to everyone for their support.
“I would like to thank Drakes stores for their financial support, as well as Thanasis Iliopoulos for his cooperation and assistance,” Ms Petrou said.
“I also want to express my gratitude to everyone who contributed in any way to the success of the event, especially the Board of the Ladies’ Auxiliary, and the unsung heroines who always work for the betterment and elevation of the name of the Cypriot community.”
In honour of Panagia Myrtidiotissa, the Greek community flocked to the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Kogarah in Sydney’s south on Sunday, September 29.
Celebrations began with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy presided over by Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
What followed was the annual Kogarah Family Fair outside the church, which featured traditional Greek dances, music and food. There was also poetry readings from Greek school children which were dedicated to the island of Kythera and Panagia Myrtidiotissa.
Greek dancing groups who performed included the Kytherians, Cretans, Kalymnians, Pontians, Cypriots, the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, Paroula’s Greek Dancing Group, and Rallis School of Greek Dance.
The day was attended by Matt Thistlethwaite MP, Federal Deputy Minister for Immigration; David Coleman MP, Federal Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister for Communications; Simon Kennedy MP, Federal Member of Parliament; Mark Coure MP, state Member of Parliament; Sam Stratikopoulos, Councillor of the Georges River Council; Vicky Poulos, Councillor of the Bayside Council; Barbara Zantiotis, President of the Kytherian Association of Australia; Anastasia Karakominakis, President of the Pan-Macedonian Association of New South Wales; among others.
The Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Kogarah took to Facebook to thank the dedicated Parish Committee, the Ladies Philoptochos, the selfless volunteers from the St Elesa Food Initiative, and the spirited members of Kogarah Orthodox Youth (KOY), Omada, Sunday School teachers and students, as well as their Orthodox Scripture teachers.
“Their unwavering efforts made today truly remarkable,” the post read.
The official opening night of the 2nd Zeibekiko Festival Australia, titled “ΕΝΝΕΑ ΟΓΔΟΑ 9/8” and held on Saturday, September 28 at the Mytilenian House in Canterbury, Sydney, was an unmissable cultural spectacle.
Curated by Sophia Ventouris, the festival is a 10-day celebration which promises a dynamic program that showcases the richness of Zeibekiko dance and music, blending traditional and contemporary elements.
All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
The opening night featured performances by renowned artists, including Christos Shakallis, a master of Zeibekiko (Laiko), and traditionalist Yiannis Pagozidis from Greece, who enhanced the evening with their dance shows and live music.
Christos Shakallis (left) with Yannis Pagozidis (right).
The event was emceed by Dimitrios Kametopoulos. Pagozidis, Shakallis and Ms Ventouris all gave speeches on the night. Pagozidis and Shakallis gave insights into the history and musicality of the Zeibekiko dance.
Ms Ventouris highlighted the significance of the Zeibekiko dance, rooted in the rich cultural heritage of Asia Minor and its resilience despite historical hardships like the 1922 Catastrophe and the Pontian genocide.
Sophia Ventouris.
The event began with a historical journey, starting in 1453 with the Fall of Constantinople, followed by a tribute to the Pontian Genocide. Over 150 dancers, including the Pontian dance group from Pontoxeniteas NSW, made a spectacular entry, accompanied by live music from two Pontian Lyra players, Pagozidis and Kostas Papoulidis from Sydney. The musical lineup also included the well-known multi-instrumentalist, Michael Platyrrahos.
The show later transitioned to a showcase of traditional Zeibekika, Karsilamathes, and Aptalika dances from Asia Minor, particularly those originating from the Greek island of Mytilini.
There were performances by various dance groups, including the Sophia Ventouris School of Greek Dance, Pontoxeniteas NSW, Sydney Sizmos, Cyprus Community of NSW Dancers, Rallis School of Greek Dance, Sydney Greek Dancing School, Mytilenian Brotherhood dance group, and Niko Vasilas with “My Zeibekiko Journey.”
The show concluded with a celebration of Zeibekiko in modern times, featuring surprises, audience participation, and an open dance floor with DJ music by Nick Miroforidis.
Non-Greek Georgia Tang attended the event for the second time this year to support her best friend who was dancing, and she told The Greek Herald it was a great night.
The full program can be viewed at Zeibekiko Festival Australia.The Greek Herald are proud media partners for this event.
Greek Australian violinist Spiros Rantos passed away in a Brisbane hospital on Friday, September 27. The news has had profound impact on the music world as they reflect on Rantos’ legacy.
Born in Corfu in 1945, Spiros Rantos began his musical journey in Athens before being invited at the age of 18 to join the Linz Opera by its visiting chief conductor. He further honed his skills at the Vienna Musikhochschule under esteemed teachers Eduard Melkus and Ricardo Odnoposoff.
By 1968, Rantos was the concertmaster of the Capella Academica in Vienna and also taught at the Graz Conservatorium. His studies continued in the United States with Franco Gulli at Indiana University, and he garnered acclaim with chamber music prizes in competitions held in Italy and France.
Rantos’ prolific career included recordings for prestigious labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, and Grevillea Records, and he was a familiar presence in national broadcasts across Europe, Asia and Australia.
In 1976, he arrived in Australia with the Vienna-based chamber group Ensemble I for a residency in Melbourne. This ensemble, which included his partner of over 50 years, pianist Brachi Tilles, saw most of its members remain in Australia, significantly enriching the nation’s musical landscape.
Together with Tilles, Rantos established one of Australia’s premier chamber music duos, collaborating with leading musicians and performing extensively both domestically and internationally. He later founded the Rantos Collegium, which evolved into The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, where he served as artistic director and conductor.
A passionate educator, Rantos influenced countless students during his tenure at the Victorian College of the Arts, the University of Southern Queensland, and the University of Melbourne. He retired as a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland in 2009 but continued to teach privately, with many of his students now performing in top orchestras worldwide or pursuing their own teaching careers.
Beyond his distinguished performance and teaching roles, Rantos was a mentor and friend to many, instilling a love for music in youth orchestras and amateur groups across Australia.
The Pan-Imvrian Conference began on Saturday, September 28 at the Cultural Centre “Hellenic World” of the Greater Hellenism Foundation in Athens, honouring the islands of Imvros and Tenedos.
Marking the significant day, Melbourne’s Imvrian community also joined in on the event, hosting a broadcasting event at Mentone.
Photo: Jim Claven OAM.Photo: Jim Claven OAM.
The conference comes 101 years after the Treaty of Lausanne, 30 years after the last Pan-Imvrian Conference and 10 years after the opening of Greek schools in Imvros.
Keynote speaker Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew opened the conference declaring, “The future of Imvros depends on those who save this spirit in their hearts, as a valuable endowment, as a culture, as a compass for the present and the future. Where the Imvrians kept this spiritual culture within themselves, Imvros lives, since its truth and morals are lived, rooted in the being of real people.”
Photo: Real Gr.
The Patriarch praised the contribution of the two Imvros associations, Athens and Thessaloniki, expressed thanks for the interest shown in his birthplace of Imvros and Tenedos, but also his gratitude to the President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who was in attendance, “for her noble support.”
Special video messages were played from across the world, one of which was from Melbourne’s Imvrians.
Other moving speeches made on the people, history and future of the islands included that of a young graduate of the Greek minority schools on Imvros, Konstantina Mpakali.
Victorian voters have being encouraged to utilise social media to investigate potential councillors amid growing fears of “dummy candidates” inflating votes for certain individuals.
One such example is Yarra Council candidate Simon Geminder, who has leveraged both his candidate statement and questionnaire to publicly support sitting Councillor Michael Glynatsis, who is also running in the same ward.
“I just want to say, if you are sick of fake environmentalists running the show, make sure that you vote for Michael Glynatsis as your #1 preference,” Geminder’s statement said.
Michael Glynatsis’ candidate statement.
“Just go to Michael Glynatsis instead. He ‘101 per cent agrees’ (his words) with my views contained here, and is the much stronger candidate with actual council experience and time commitment to put in the hard yards.”
According to Herald Sun, a Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) spokesperson commented, saying: “Under the law we must accept nominations if a candidate is eligible to be a councillor and has successfully completed the nomination process.”
“We can’t ask about a candidate’s motivation for nominating,” they added.
*The Greek Herald has reached out to Councillor Glynatsis for comment.
South Australia is set to receive additional tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to expedite the $15.4 billion Torrens to Darlington project.
The state government, in collaboration with the River Torrens to Darlington Alliance, has finalised a contract for the procurement of three initial machines from leading manufacturer Herrenknecht.
SA Infrastructure and Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis announced that plans are also in place to acquire two smaller TBMs, with the possibility of adding a third to facilitate excavation work between the main tunnels of the project.
The state government has signed off on cutting-edge technology for the Torrens to Darlington project. #7NEWSpic.twitter.com/wxCWlhfVTL
The agreement for the first three machines was formalised during a signing ceremony held at Herrenknecht’s headquarters in Germany on Friday, September 27.
The total cost of all TBMs is expected to be around $180 million, with the first expected to arrive late next year.
Mr Koutsantonis said Friday’s deal represented “one of the biggest purchases of building equipment in South Australia’s history.”
“The fact we’ve also confirmed additional purchases of up to three smaller TBMs to fast-track related works gives us even more confidence that we will deliver this project on budget and on time – if not even earlier,” he added.
Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, took to the United Nations (UN) platform to detail the risks that children and teenagers face from the use of digital platforms and social media.
“I welcome initiatives such as the one announced by Australia to introduce an age criterion for the use of social media,” the PM expressed.
“Tech companies must come to the negotiating table and demonstrate that they will take tangible and measurable actions to prioritise security over profits. If they don’t, pragmatic solutions like banning the devices in our schools – a ban Greece implemented starting this year – will be complemented by tougher regulatory responses,” Mitsotakis added.
We will work closely with the Commonwealth to implement this, which will be welcomed by parents across the country. pic.twitter.com/y1KIxIJybk
The pending bill in Australia orders the protection of minors from overexposure to social media with the minimum age to use it expected to be set between 14 and 16.
According to Real Gr, Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, alluded to initiatives for the socialisation of youth.
“So you will see initiatives for this part as well. The Ministry of Education started the obvious initiative in schools (with the mobile phone) but because schools end at noon and there is also life in the afternoon, in the evening, there is life on weekends. So we all have to join forces over there,” he said.
Princess Theodora of Greece at last married her American fiancé, Matthew Kumar, in a splendid royal wedding.
After two prior delays, the 41-year-old princess exchanged vows with the 34-year-old Hollywood lawyer in a grand ceremony held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens.
The historic venue also served as the site of her parents’ wedding, King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie, on September 18, 1964.
Princess Theodora was gracefully escorted down the aisle by her brother, Crown Prince Pavlos, as guests, including Queen Sofia of Spain, looked on. The princess dazzled in a stunning gown designed by Celia Kritharioti.
The Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony was officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Dorotheos II of Syros.
Photo: Getty Images.
Copious members of the royal family participated in the celebration, with Theodora’s brothers, Crown Prince Pavlos, 57, and Prince Phillipos, 38, serving as groomsmen. They were joined by Prince Achilleas-Andreas, the second son of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal.
For her bridal party, Theodora selected Princess Maria-Olympia, daughter of Pavlos and Marie-Chantal, along with Arrietta Morales de Grecia, the eldest daughter of Princess Alexia.
The wedding was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed first due to the pandemic. The couple then delayed their wedding for a second time following the death of Theodora’s father, King Constantine II, who passed away in January of 2023 at the age of 82.
When three best friends from Sydney decided to fuse Greek music into a unique sound of bouzouki and modern house music, the crowds listened.
Selling out their own shows in Sydney for the last three years, the boys now perform at weddings and events in Greece, Cyprus and France.
This is a story of friendship and music and following your inner talents.
Arky (the band’s percussionist) sat down with The Greek Herald for a candid chat about chasing creativity.
It all started 10 years ago when George (DJ) and Arky (percussionist) produced music together in their homes. George and Greg (bouzouki) had known each other in their youth from the Cypriot Club, and Arky was the ‘3rd musketeer.’
“Greg had just started making waves in the scene by playing bouzouki over famous club songs, which piqued our interest,” Arky remembers.
When asked how it all came together, Arky says that “all it took was one rehearsal at my house back in 2018, which is where I met Greg for the first time.”
The video they posted that evening exploded with views overnight.
“This is before we had a name or a mission. The response itself is what energised the thought to create a wedding band that is now FiloXenia,” Arky added.
The inspiration behind Filoxenia was commonality and shared passion.
“Our love for the music and festival scenes in the world brought us together. We have each travelled around the world to attend world-famous festivals such as Tomorrowland and EDC Las Vegas, as well as travelling to the party islands of the world such as Mykonos and Ibiza,” he said.
The name FiloXenia was chosen for the band because of what it represents. It means ‘From Strangers to Friends’ and is a Greek term that means “hospitality.” However, Arky explained that this doesn’t do it justice.
“It dives deeper into the love and care that we share for people once they arrive at our doorstep. It is our obligation to ensure you feel like family through the music and events we share. We aren’t strangers to anyone at our events, often finding us scattered across the dancefloor talking to anyone who wants to listen,” Arky said.
Everyone is motivated by something or someone, and the Greek culture is a huge part of what drives FiloXenia to perform and create the music they play.
“We are each of Greek-Cypriot background and the sound of the bouzouki has been ritualistic to anyone that shares our culture. Growing up in the early to mid-2000s, electronic music started to ramp up in terms of quality and popularity. I guess you can call it “right place, right time” because the fusion of our sound is quite literally a sign of the times,” Arky explained.
The genre of FiloXenia’s music masquerades in many forms, but they are mainly Greek-House, Afro House and Mediterranean Techno.
“I know they don’t make much sense, but we are constantly adopting new sounds as they emerge onto the scene. We literally put Greg’s bouzouki on top of an NRG song we created and called it “Bouzouka” – anything is possible!” Arky said.
After a very challenging few years that saw Sydney’s nightlife take a hard plunge (with lockout laws and COVID-19 lockdowns), it is slowly revitalising itself.
Arky is confident that the scene will continue growing as many promoters and event organisers are taking matters into their own hands, booking venues and putting on shows that are ‘birthed in passion and good intent.’
“There is a large amount of people we know personally who are hosting amazing events across all genres, and we love to see it. If we focus on what we do, and do it to the best of our ability, that will invariably change the scene, and we believe that others doing the same thing will only add more value!” he said.
FiloXenia’s collective goal is to keep performing ‘their hearts out every weekend at weddings and private functions across Sydney and Australia.’ They also want to be in Europe every summer performing at wedding and club events.
“Performing in Mykonos, Ibiza, Ios or any Mediterranean island is where we want to be showcasing our talent because the Mediterranean itself plays its part in the FiloXenia sound,” Arky said.
