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Ethnic Greek politician Fredi Beleri released on probation from jail in Albania

The Greek Herald
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Ethnic Greek politician Fredi Beleri released on probation from jail in Albania

Former ethnic Greek mayor of an Albanian town, Fredi Beleri has been released on probation from jail in Albania.

Beleri, a dual Albanian-Greek national, was arrested two days before the May 14, 2023, municipal elections in Himara, a town populated by ethnic Greeks on what has been dubbed the Albanian Riviera. He was charged and convicted of offering about 40,000 Albanian leks (360 euros, $390) to buy eight votes.

On Monday, lawyer Eugen Gjyzari said Beleri was released from jail after a court in Fier, 100 kilometres south of the capital, Tirana, where he was serving a two-year sentence, accepted his request for early release.

Speaking with public broadcaster ERT after his release, Beleri said he would appeal his case to the European Court of Human Rights, saying “I have been crippled by the Albanian regime.”

“I am relieved but cannot forget the injustice done to me and the blatant disregard for the will of the people of Himare,” he added.

The case against Beleri has strained relations between Tirana and Athens, with Greece threatening to hold up Albania’s bid to join the European Union.

Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called Beleri’s release “certainly a positive development.”

“This doesn’t mean we’ll forget the (previous) 17 months and the severity of what happened,” he told a press briefing. “Because in the person of Fredi Beleri the Greek government sees all the Greek citizens, all the Greek ethnic minority in Albania which we will continue to support.”

Source: AP News.

Team Hellas win two more medals at Paris Paralympic Games

The Greek Herald
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Team Hellas win two more medals at Paris Paralympic Games

In another successful day, Team Hellas won two more medals (a silver and a bronze) at the Paris Paralympic Games 2024, taking its medal tally to seven.

Silver medal for Tsapatakis in 100m breaststroke SB4

Antonis Tsapatakis won a silver medal at the Paris Paralympics with an incredible race in the final of the 100m breaststroke SB4, with a time of 1:36.16.

Tsapatakis came second behind Russian world record holder, Dmitry Chernyaev who won the race in 1:32.20. Italian Manuel Matteo Bruzzo came in third with a time of 1:42.52.

“I feel as though for one more day, I was and remained free. Another day where I gave my best and it doesn’t matter the result because I know that if I lay down tonight to sleep, if I manage to sleep, that I have given it my all,” Tsapatakis said after his race.

Bronze in the discus throw for Tzounis

With a throw of 41.32m, Konstantinos Tzounis won the bronze medal in the discus throw (F56 category) at the Paris Paralympic Games.

In his 5th throw, Tzounis sent his discus to 41 meters and 32 centimeters, while the rest of his attempts were measured at 39.14m, 39.90m and 37.87m, while he also had two invalid.

The gold medal was won by the Brazilian, Claudiney Do Santos Batista with 46.86m and the silver, the Indian, Yoges Katounia with 42.22m.

“It was a goal of mine, to become a Paralympian with a medal. And I wanted first of all to prove to myself that everything I did after Tokyo was not wasted,” he said after his match.

Meet the candidates of Greek heritage vying for a spot at your local council in NSW

Andriana Simos
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Meet the candidates of Greek heritage vying for a spot at your local council in NSW

Millions of people across New South Wales will vote to pick mayors and councillors on Saturday, September 14.

This year’s local government elections have been a hot topic after the NSW Liberal Party failed to submit candidate nominations to the NSW Electoral Commission by midday on Wednesday, August 14.

The blunder meant the Liberal Party has forfeited as many as 48 council spots and failed to nominate up to 140 candidates due to the election nomination “debacle.” Council areas impacted include Georges River, Canterbury-Bankstown, the Northern Beaches, Lane Cove, Shoalhaven, Wollongong, Campbelltown, Camden and Blue Mountains.

Despite this, most people will still go to the polls on September 14. Early voting opens across the state from September 7 until the evening of September 12.

With this in mind, The Greek Herald has compiled a list of all the candidates of Greek heritage who will be in the running in your local council electorate.

The NSW Electoral Commission wants an electoral workforce that reflects the community. (AAP Image/James Gourley)
The NSW Electoral Commission will run the local government elections this year. Photo: AAP Image/James Gourley.

Armidale Regional

  • FILLIOS Melanie, Independent, Councillor

Bathurst Regional

  • SIMEONIDIS Luisa, Independent, Councillor

Bayside

  • POULOS Maria, Ward 1, Peaceful Bayside, Councillor
  • HOLLINK, Olympia, Ward 2, Independent, Councillor
  • TSOUNIS Andrew, Ward 3, Independent, Councillor
  • DOUSKOU Fiona, Ward 4, Liberal, Councillor
  • RAPTIS Amelia, Ward 5, Labor, Councillor
  • POULOS Vicki, Ward 5, Liberal, Councillor

Brewarrina

  • PIPPOS Angelo, Councillor

Byron

  • FIGGIS Susie, Independent, Councillor
  • GIZAS BARKER Patricia (Trisha), Independent, Councillor

Camden

  • DIOMIS Con, South Ward, Independent, Councillor

Canterbury-Bankstown

  • VAITSAS Con, Canterbury Ward, Labor, Councillor
  • XANTHAKOS Aliki, Canterbury Ward, Independent, Councillor
  • TROUSAS George, Revesby Ward, Libertarian Party, Councillor
  • STAVRINOS Harry, Roselands Ward, Our Local Community, Councillor
harry stavrinos
Harry Stavrinos.

Central Coast

  • PAPPAS Alan, Gosford West Ward, Liberal, Councillor

City of Albury

  • ALEXANDER Michael, Independent, Councillor

City of Campbelltown

  • MACRIS Stephen, Sustainable Australia Party – Stop Overdevelopment / Corruption, Councillor
  • BOUSTANI George, Community First Totally Independent Party, Councillor

City of Lake Macquarie

  • PHILLIPOU Patricia, East Ward, The Greens, Councillor

City of Lithgow

  • EVANGELIDIS Tommy, Independent, Councillor
tomy evangelidis
Tommy Evangelidis.

City of Parramatta

  • NIKOLAIDIS Nick, North Rocks Ward, Labor, Councillor

City of Ryde

  • KRIMIZIS Efi, East Ward, Independent, Councillor

City of Shoalhaven

  • KRIKSTOLAITIS Ben, Ward 2, Labor Councillor

City of Sydney

  • PANDELEOS Panayiota (Patrice), Liberal, Councillor
panayiota pandeleos
Panayiota (Patrice) Pandeleos.

City of Willoughby

  • ROZOS Angelo, Middle Harbour Ward, Independent, Councillor
  • ROZOS Megan, Middle Harbour Ward, Independent, Councillor

City of Wollongong

  • ANTHONY Andrew, Independent, Mayor

Cumberland

  • CHRISTOU Steve, Granville Ward, Our Local Community, Councillor
same sex marriage steve christou
Steve Christou.

Georges River

  • POLITES Anastasia, Blakehurst Ward, Labor, Councillor
  • CASSIMATIS Mary, Blakehurst Ward, Georges River Residents and Ratepayers Party, Councillor
  • STRATIKOPOULOS Sam, Kogarah Bay Ward, Liberal, Councillor
  • NICODEMOU Vasiliki (Vicky), Kogarah Bay Ward, Libertarian Party, Councillor
  • CONSTANTINE Sophia, Kogarah Bay Ward, Libertarian Party, Councillor
  • TOFALAKIS Christopher, Kogarah Bay Ward, Georges River Residents and Ratepayers Party, Councillor
vicky nicodemou
Vasiliki (Vicky) Nicodemou.

Inner West

  • ANTONIOU Izabella, Ashfield Djarrawunang (Magpie) Ward, The Greens, Councillor
  • BASSIL Dorothy, Balmain – Baludarri (Leather Jacket) Ward, Councillor
  • STAMOLIS John, Balmain – Baludarri (Leather Jacket) Ward, Independent, Councillor
  • ALEPIDIS Arthur, Marrickville – Midjuburi (Lillypilly) Ward, Independent, Councillor

Mid-Western Regional

  • KARAVAS Alex, Independent, Councillor

North Sydney

  • VELINGOS Travis, Cammeraygal Ward, Labor, Councillor

Oberon

  • ALEVRAS Anthony, Independent, Councillor

Parramatta

  • VALJAK Georgina, North Rocks Ward, Liberal, Councillor

Randwick

  • LUXFORD Alexandra, West Ward, Labor, Councillor
  • LUXFORD Yanni, West Ward, Labor, Councillor

Strathfield

  • SOULOS Andrew, Strathfield Independents, Councillor
  • APOSTLE Helen, Strathfield Independents, Councillor
andrew soulos
Andrew Soulos.

Sutherland Shire

  • STRANGAS Haris, C Ward, Liberal, Councillor
  • PANAYI Kyriakos, C Ward, Liberal, Councillor
  • TSAMBALAS Peter, D Ward, Labor, Councillor

Tweed

  • POULOUDIS Paul, Independent, Councillor

Upper Lachlan Shire

  • YALLOURIS Terry, Independent, Councillor

Waverley

  • MASSELOS Paula, Lawson Ward, Labor, Councillor
Paula Masselos.

Wingecarribee

  • LAPIDOS Jeffrey, Labor, Councillor

Wollondilly

  • DAVLOUROS Fotios (Frank), North Ward, Independent, Councillor

Woollahra

  • KARRAS Tresna, Vaucluse Ward, Residents First Woollahra Independent, Councillor

*NOTE: If you have Greek heritage and believe you should be on this list, please email us at editor@foreignlanguage.com.au.

Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW elect new Executive Committee

The Greek Herald
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Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW elect new Executive Committee

Members of the Cretan Association of Sydney & NSW gathered on Friday, August 23 to elect a new Executive Committee for the 2024/2025 term.

The new Executive Committee consists of:

  • President: Emmanuel Vitetzakis
  • Vice President: Angelo Siganakis
  • Secretary: Freda Miyakis
  • Assistant Secretary: Maria Townsend
  • Treasurer: Terry Saviolakis
  • Assistant Treasurer: Nina Saisanas
  • Public Relations: Amanda Salmon
  • Youth liaison: Hara Vamianakis
  • Committee Members: Gerassimos Giannoulis, Ari Paraskakis, Stelios Vamianakis

In a Facebook post, the Association extended its gratitude to all members who participated in the election by casting their ballots.

“For the first time in many years the interest to join the Executive team has increased leading to a voting scenario,” the post read.

“This is a wonderful situation for our Association to be in as it demonstrates an increase in the passion and interest within our Cretan community here in Sydney.”

With a rise in memberships over the past year, the Cretan Association of Sydney & NSW said it looked forward to continued support from its members, aiming to ensure ongoing success and growth.

Young Matilda Peta Trimis signs two-year Mariners contract extension

The Greek Herald
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Young Matilda Peta Trimis signs two-year Mariners contract extension

The Central Coast Mariners have announced that Young Matilda Peta Trimis signed a two-year contract extension with the Mariners, keeping the 18-year-old on the Coast until the end of the 2025/26 season.

The forward arrived at the Mariners at the beginning of last season for her first taste of Liberty A-League football, having just finished third in the NSW NPL Player of the Year voting.

Initially signing on a scholarship deal, the then 17-year-old made her debut against Newcastle in round one, before receiving her first start six days later in our first win back in the competition against Adelaide.

After scoring her first league goal against Canberra United just before Christmas, Trimis had her contract upgraded to a full A-League deal in late January. The forward ultimately ended the season with 21 appearances, scoring three goals.

The 18-year-old’s performances saw her receive the Mariners Liberty A-League Newcomer of the Year award at the Mariners Medal Dinner, a deserved accolade after an outstanding debut season.

Trimis has also been excelling in the Australian Youth National Team setup, dominating the 2023 U20 Asian Cup, helping the squad qualify for the upcoming U20 FIFA World Cup in Colombia.

Across the tournament, the 18-year-old scored three goals and got one assist, which ended in her being one of four players nominated for the Future Star Player of the Tournament award. Remarkably, she was two years younger than any of the other nominees.

Central Coast Mariners Head Coach Emily Husband is delighted to have the rising star signed to the club ahead of the new campaign.

“Peta had a standout season for us last year and I am really excited to be able to work with her again. She is a young player with so much potential, we truly believe that she is a special talent who will be at the forefront of our group this year,” Husband said.

“For some players it takes them a couple of seasons to really break through into the A-League, Peta did that in one season with us. Coming into the squad on a scholarship and ending on a full contract shows just how well she did. We want to continue to help her progress and can’t wait to have her back with us.”

The Young Matilda is excited for the upcoming campaign and is pleased to be wearing Yellow and Navy for the next two seasons.

“I am really excited to extend my contract with the Mariners. Joining the club last season for my first year in the league, I felt right at home straight away, and I had an amazing time with the team. We had a really strong season, making it to the semi-finals, and I know that the girls are eager to go even further this year,” Trimis said.

“Working with Emily and the coaching staff, I learnt so much, and I feel that the Mariners is the perfect place for me to continue to grow as a footballer. After the U20’s World Cup in Colombia, I can’t wait get back to the Coast, meet up with the group again and get to work ahead of a massive season.”

Source: Central Coast Mariners.

Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

Evelyn Karatzas
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Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

For the first time ever, a special dance took place at the Greek Orthodox Church Hall of Saint Demetrios in Queanbeyan to celebrate the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

As one of the biggest feast days on the Greek Orthodox calendar, the event held by the Canberra Association of Pontos ‘Trapezounta’ paid tribute to the Monastery of Panagia Soumela in Pontos.

Taking place on Saturday, 31 August at 6.30pm, the inaugural event welcomed more than 120 people from Canberra, Queanbeyan, Sydney and surrounds for a night of food, music, dance, and culture.

In attendance were many distinguished guests including the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Stavros Venizelos; the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to Australia, Antonis Sammoutis; Military Attache of the Greek Embassy, Colonel Ioannis Fasianos; Father Petros Kipouros of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston; Hellenic Club of Canberra director, John Loukadellis.

The event featured speeches followed by plenty of entertainment. Live music was performed by Pontian musicians from Canberra and Sydney, including Kyriakos Fotiadis (lyra and vocals), Adamos Neou (lyra), and Prodromos Moysiadis and Peter Tsenkas (daouli).

Audiences were also treated to a performance by the Canberra Hellenic Dancers Atalanti group, who showcased a series of Pontian dances which were a crowd favourite.

Throughout the night, people indulged in a plate of delicious Greek food including souvlakia, pites, tzatziki and salads. People later joined the dance floor for some traditional Pontian dancing. 

Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance
Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance
Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

Canberra Association of Pontos ‘Trapezounta’ President Angie Triandafillou told The Greek Herald the night was about preserving Pontian culture.

“We are trying to keep our culture, our dance and our history alive,” Angie said.

“We’re still struggling for genocide recognition of the Pontic Greeks and the Christians of Asia Minor too.

“This event is a way of bringing everyone together and sharing our rich history, and I think all of us Greeks should join forces and support each other’s events.”

Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance
Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance
Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance
Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

Vice President of the Association, Theodore Merkoureas said he felt proud to see so many people attend.

“It’s so nice to see people from all different regions of Greece get involved and support the association,” Theodore said.

“In Canberra, we don’t have too many dances, so we really want to try and hold a ‘dekapentavgousto’ dance every year if we can as it’s such a big holiday that we should be celebrating.”

Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

Members of the Canberra Greek community also hoping to see the event return.

“I think it’s so special that we have events like this, because we’re getting people of all ages coming together and dancing and supporting one another,” Hellenic Youth Club Secretary Connie Kambouris said.

Canberra Hellenic Dancer Felicity Triantafillopoulos added, “It was just such a rewarding experience to be able to perform tonight and embrace the Pontian culture. I really love dancing Pontian, it’s just so invigorating.”

Modern Greek the focus as Pharos Alliance members hold meeting at Parliament House

The Greek Herald
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Modern Greek the focus as Pharos Alliance members hold meeting at Parliament House

On Wednesday, August 28, Pharos Alliance representatives Professor Emeritus Joseph Lo Bianco, Dr Stephie Nikoloudis, Despina Sarandis, Theo Markos and Denise Diakodimitriou met with Victorian Minister for Education & Research, also Deputy Premier, Ben Carroll and Member for Bentleigh, Nick Staikos MP, as well as officials from their respective departments, at Parliament House. 

It was a cordial and productive meeting with both sides declaring that they will continue to work together in the interests of revitalising Modern Greek in the public education system and supporting broader and inclusive multicultural principles.

One specific aim of the meeting was to establish a practice of providing updates to the government on the work of Pharos Alliance and to seek support for future projects.

Many topics were discussed including : concerns for the current state of Greek in government schools and hopes for future expansion; the value added to Lalor North Primary School’s Greek Bilingual Program by a promotions grant; the advocacy undertaken by Pharos to support Greek programs which are facing challenges, such as those at Northcote High School and Coburg West Primary School; the strength of Early Years Greek language programs in pre-schools and bilingual story times in public libraries, which can create pathways for future learning all the way to tertiary level; the need to increase the number of qualified teachers of Greek in Victoria; initiatives to maintain and grow numbers of students studying VCE Greek; how the Pharos Alliance has collaborated with other communities facing similar challenges and how our operating mechanism can be a model that others could follow; and, the importance of maintaining Greek as part of a commitment to multiculturalism even beyond its claim to cultural and intellectual claims to presence in the school curriculum.

One of the most pleasing aspects of the meeting was the evident interest and preparation of the Minister and Mr Staikos in Pharos and its research, programs, and efforts to mobilise the whole community. 

The Pharos delegation thanked government officials for the opportunity to meet and said they look forward to continuing the dialogue.

Pharos Alliance is a broad-based alliance of community stakeholders dedicated to the revitalisation of the teaching and use of Modern Greek in schools, in homes and in the community. Its work is framed by a Strategic Plan based on the research findings detailed in Professor Joseph Lo Bianco’s book ‘Pharos: The vitality and presence of Modern Greek in contemporary Australia’.

First Global Conference ‘Women and Hellenism’ in Ioannina to be live streamed

The Greek Herald
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First Global Conference ‘Women and Hellenism’ in Ioannina to be live streamed

The Food for Thought Network (FFTN) has announced that the first World Conference ‘Women and Hellenism’ starts today (Monday, September 2) and that everything is ready to welcome the 150 delegates who will arrive in Ioannina, Greece. 

The program for the two days of the conference has been finalised and the official events will take place on Tuesday, September 3 and Wednesday, September 4 from 9am to 5pm at the Grand Serai Hotel and Congress in Ioannina.  

For those unable to attend, there will be a simultaneous live streaming of the conference, which can be watched by all interested parties at the relevant links:  

The ‘Women and Hellenism’ Conference centres on three main themes: Hellenism, Identity, and Sustainability. These themes structure the presentations of the speakers. The conference explores lessons from the past and present to inform future planning. 

During the conference, speakers from the diaspora and Greece will develop their own stories and perspectives on the theme of Hellenism. There will be two masters of ceremony to facilitate the program: The popular Greek Australian journalist Helen Kapalos, and Maria Dimopoulos AM, a highly respected lawyer and well-known human rights advocate.  

For more information and the FULL PROGRAM visit the website of the Food for Thought Network of Hellenic Women in Australia: www.fftn.org.au. Media Contact in Greece: +306936290145. Media Contact in Australia: +61406011015.

The conference is under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Family and Social Cohesion, Region of Epirus, Municipality of Ioannina, Chamber of Ioannina, and the Office of Education of Epirus. 

Greek football rivals to face off in NPL Victoria grand final

The Greek Herald
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Greek football rivals to face off in NPL Victoria grand final

By Bill Roumeliotis

South Melbourne FC will face rivals Oakleigh Cannons FC in the National Premier Leagues Victoria Grand Final on Saturday, September 7 from 6pm at The Home of The Matildas.

South Melbourne is competing in a Grand Final for the third consecutive year. This may create greater “hunger,” but also more pressure. In football, you always want to win, and what makes it unique is that it’s unpredictable. Surprises are always around the corner.

South Melbourne will try to achieve the magical “treble” after winning the Premier title and the Dockerty Cup. To reach Saturday’s final, Esteban’s “Sky Blues” had to eliminate Hume City in the semifinals, winning 1-0 in extra time.

Meanwhile, Oakleigh, finishing third in the standings, played two playoff games, winning 4-1 against Dandenong City and 0-3 against Avondale.

Certainly, South Melbourne has all the conditions to win. They have an excellent team, a great coach, top players, and their performance this season has been truly successful across all competitions. They have the momentum and also know they must not repeat the mistakes made in the 2022 final at Olympic Village against Oakleigh, where they suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat. 

Turkey accuses Netflix of distributing ‘propaganda’ by streaming ‘Famagusta’ series

The Greek Herald
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Turkey accuses Netflix of distributing ‘propaganda’ by streaming ‘Famagusta’ series

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar expressed strong disapproval regarding Netflix’s decision to feature TV series Famagusta. The show, which depicts the Turkish military invasion of Cyprus in 1974, follows a family’s harrowing search for a missing child amid their escape.

Tatar criticised the series for what he views as a misrepresentation of historical facts surrounding the events of 1974. He described the Turkish military action as a “brief peace operation,” arguing it was “essentially a military intervention that saved the Turkish Cypriots from genocide.”

Tatar urged Netflix to reconsider its portrayal of these events.

Photo: IMDB.

“This peace is known to Turks and Greeks all over the world that the bloodshed in Cyprus stopped with the 1974 Peace Operation. After 50 years, peace continues in this difficult region. The whole world knows that the Turks of Cyprus were massacred,” Tatar said to CNN Turk.

The Turkish government claimed the series was “propaganda” set to influence public perception.

The situation highlights the ongoing sensitivity and division surrounding the Cyprus issue, with deep-seated disagreements over the historical narrative and its portrayal in media.

Source: CyprusMail.

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