The Hellenic Medical Society of Australia (HMSA), in collaboration with the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), have announced the HMSA Careers Day, an extraordinary event aimed at bringing together the community for an enriching experience.
The event will be held on Saturday, September 7 from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at The Greek Centre (168 Lonsdale Street) in Melbourne.
The HMSA Careers Day will have more than 30 Greek Australian professionals representing over 20 different industries. It will be a unique opportunity for students in years 10-12 to meet and network with fellow Greek Australian professionals who are leaders in their fields. Students can learn about a variety of career pathways, how professionals are using their Greek heritage in their day-to-day work, as well as discuss future career aspirations and employment/internship opportunities.
The HMSA Careers Day will comprise of panel discussions, smaller group ‘break-out’ sessions, as well as expo style networking. There will be something to cater for all students. As an additional option, one parent can attend with each student.
Distinguished Professionals attending the event include (and are not limited to):
A/Prof Marinis Pirpiris – Orthopaedic Surgeon, President of HMSA, Treasurer of the GCM
Yianni Zaparas – Partner at Zaparas Lawyers
Melissa Pateras – CEO at Meleros Cosmetics
Ross Savas – Managing Director of Kay & Burton
Kathy Tsaples – Chef, Author, Owner at Sweet Greek
Captain George Kailis – Boeing 737 Flight Training Captain
Atromitos FC has announced the end of its collaboration with 28-year-old forward Nikos Vergos, one year before the end of their contract.
This decision came after the Greek player expressed a desire to continue his career in Australia, following an offer he received.
Nikos Vergos has set his sights on Australia.
Additionally, significant reinforcement in his position by Atromitos (Van Veert, Carlitos, and potentially Bakou) played a role. As is customary, Atromitos did not block Vergos’ path and bid him a warm farewell.
It is worth noting that the Greek striker joined Atromitos last summer, making 35 appearances and scoring six goals.
Last season, with the intervention of Melbourne Victory’s assistant coach Arthur Diles, Vergos was in advanced talks with Melbourne Victory but chose to sign with Atromitos instead.
The late Cypriot Australian leader Georgia Alexandrou received a posthumous award on Wednesday, July 31 from the government of the Republic of Cyprus for her service to the Cypriot diasporic community.
She served as the first female president of the Cyprus Community of Canberra and ACT (CCACT) from 2000 to 2023 and was elected president of the Pan Australian Justice for Cyprus Coordinating Committee – Paseka in 2021. Her leadership brought stability and progress to Cypriots in Canberra and throughout Australia.
The posthumous award in Ms Alexandrou’s honour was presented to her husband Christos by the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides at an award ceremony at the President Palace in Nicosia on Wednesday.
The award ceremony was part of events for the World Conference of Cyprus Diaspora currently taking place on the Mediterranean island this week. The Australian High Commissioner to Cyprus, HE Fiona McKergow was also present.
The Greek Soccer Federation (EPO) has officially announced Ivan Jovanovic as the new head coach of the national team.
Jovanovic, who previously coached the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, will now focus on leading the national team’s effort to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
This marks Jovanovic’s second tenure managing a national team. His previous stint with the United Arab Emirates ended prematurely in December 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the team not having played a single match under his leadership.
In December last year, Jovanovic was succeeded by Fatih Terim as head coach of Panathinaikos, after having guided the team to a Greek Cup victory in the 2021-2022 season and securing a second-place finish in the 2022-2023 season.
Race walker Antigoni Drisbioti and tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas fought hard in their respective Olympic competitions on Thursday, but were unable to secure progression to the next stage in Paris.
Antigoni Drisbioti
With the Greek flag in her hands, Drisbioti finished her race at the Olympic Games. She placed 22nd, finishing the 20km walk in 1 hour 31 minutes, marking her best performance of the year.
She told Greek media afterwards that the Paris Olympics would probably be her last, after competing at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and at Tokyo in 2021.
“Starting from scratch, I have now reached, as a full-grown woman and athlete, the point where I have all of you with me,” she said after her race. “What more could I possibly ask for? I began alone, and now I have all of Greece with me.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas
The dream of the 2024 Olympic Games was extinguished for Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday night, following a 2-0 set loss (6-3, 7-6) to Novak Djokovic at Philippe Chatrier, in a very intense match, which lasted 2 hours and 3 minutes.
The Serbian tennis player beat the Greek champion for the 12th time in 14 meetings and advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face Italian Lorenzo Muzzetti, who earlier won 2-0 sets (7-5, 7-5) against Alexander Zverev.
World No. 2 Djokovic took the first set 6-3 in 44 minutes, holding his own serve and breaking Tsitsipas in the 4th game on his one and only chance. At the same time, the Greek tennis player committed 11 unforced errors in this first set.
Tsitsipas dramatically improved his performance in the second set and, making two breaks, found himself leading 4-0. Djokovic – after the discomfort he had in his right knee – managed to reduce it to 4-2, before leveling at 5-5.
The two tennis players finally settled their differences in the tie-break, where Djokovic had more solutions and more composure to finish the job.
Pafos FC lived another historic moment on Thursday, as it celebrated its first victory in European competitions, which also brought their first qualification.
The light blues defeated Zalgiris 3-0 in the thirty-minute overtime, overturning its 0-1 loss in Lithuania and advancing to the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
Juan Carlos Carcedo’s Cypriot team showed an aggressive attitude from the start of the match against Zalgiris and in the 8th minute they scored with Tankovic hitting the crossbar.
The same player in the 21st minute found the way to the net with a shot, after an assist from Zairo, while things became even more favourable for Pafos with the visitors remaining with ten players due to the dismissal of Zachary. Two minutes later, the Cypriot team had a post on a direct free kick from Luckassen.
The numerical advantage of the Pafos team gave them the opportunity to control the match. They were saved in the 58th minute when Verbitskas’ shot hit the post and in the half-hour overtime they were the absolute dominators taking the desired goal.
The score was tilted in their favour in the 101′ when Anderson, who had previously had two chances, with a reverse scissor left the goalkeeper stunned, while the icing on the cake came in the 118′, when after a cross from Ilias, Dragomir put his name of the scorers’ table, writing the final 3-0.
Among those in attendance at the funeral were Queen Anne-Marie, Crown Prince Pavlos, and Princess Marie-Chantal, along with Michael’s wife, Marina Karella, and their daughters, Princess Olga and Princess Alexandra.
Greece’s men’s water polo team celebrated another victory at the Paris Olympics as they defeated the USA 13-11 to secure their place in the quarterfinals.
The USA started the game finding solutions with two quick goals, to which the Greek team responded and soon took their first lead of the match (3-2), which they extended shortly after.
The Americans reduced with a penalty and finally equalised at the end of the first eight minutes, with a goal by the goalkeeper Weinberg from one side of the pool to the other (4-4).
🤽♂️Τρομερή η Εθνική πόλο ανδρών πανηγύρισε ακόμα μία νίκη στους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες, καθώς νίκησε τις ΗΠΑ με 13-11 και εξασφάλισε τη θέση της στα προημιτελικά. Μπράβο παιδιά 🇬🇷#TeamHellas#waterpolo#Paris2024pic.twitter.com/DHQi9QbHHM
— Ηellenic Olympic Committee (@HellenicOlympic) August 1, 2024
Greece consistently had the upper hand, finding a way to take the lead in the game. At halftime, the blue and white were leading 7-6. The Greek internationals got solutions from Fountoulis, who scored four goals in the third period and entered with a two-goal lead in the last eight minutes (11-9).
Argyropoulos had a great day and offered his best, especially in the offensive part. Greece took a three-goal lead into the fourth period and laid a strong foundation for victory. The positive result came, as did the qualification to the eight.
Swimmer Apostolos Christou made Greek history at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, winning the silver medal in the men’s backstroke final.
Christou’s win was Greece’s first-ever Olympic medal in pool swimming.
The Greek finished in second place with a time of 1:54.82, setting a new national record. He trailed Hungarian swimmer Hubert Kos, who won gold with a time of 1:54.26.
🥈 Η υποδοχή στον αργυρό Ολυμπιονίκη Απόστολο Χρήστου από τον Πρόεδρο της ΕΟΕ Σπύρο Καπράλο, τον Πρόεδρο της ΚΟΕ Κυριάκο Γιαννόπουλο και τα μέλη της Team Hellas της κολύμβησης pic.twitter.com/DO7qUxFirP
— Ηellenic Olympic Committee (@HellenicOlympic) August 1, 2024
Christou’s win is Greece’s second medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Judoka Thodoris Tselidis earned a bronze medal in the men’s -90kg weight class on Wednesday.
Greek women around the world will unite for the first time and make history in Ioannina this September.
The Food for Thought Network of Greek Women in Australia (FFTN) has announced that the organising of the first global conference ‘Women and Hellenism‘ is in its final stages. This historic event will take place in Ioannina from September 2 to 6, 2024.
The idea of organising a conference that brings together Greek women from the diaspora belongs to Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou AM, Chair and founder of FFTN.
Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou AM, Chair and founder of FFTN. Photo supplied.
“The conference has a great impact and participation from all over the world. What is important is that we have the support of all local and state officials who embraced our effort and placed the conference under their auspices, and that makes us very happy as this year we lay the foundations to create an institution for the future,” Mrs Athanasiou-Ioannou said.
The program has been completed and includes 50 female and male speakers, entrepreneurs, scientists, authors, academics, and politicians from Greece and abroad. The presentations will focus on three main areas: Understanding and Representing Hellenism, Profiles of Successful Women, and Sustainability of Hellenism.
Distinguished speakers include the multi-awarded scientist Professor Vasso Apostolopoulou; the Rector of the University of Ioannina, Anna Batistatou; the former Secretary General of Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, Yannis Chrysoulakis; Professor Yannis Matsoukos; the honorary mayor of Solingen, Germany and president of the Network of Greek Elected Officials of Europe, Ioanna Zacharaki; the Mayor of Kalamaria, Chryssa Arapoglou; Judges Mrs. Stratigaki and Mrs. Tsiampa; the well-known activist Chanel Contos; the popular journalist Eleni Kapalou; the President of the Greek-Australian Chamber of Commerce in Northern Territory, Angela Tomazou; the owner and director of Foreign Language Press, Dimitra Skalkos; a representative of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in the United Kingdom, Kyriaki Mitsou; and other speakers from the academic, business, cultural, and social fields. It is a holistic conference open to all.
The conference, which will last five nights and four days, in addition to the presentations, offers a full program of activities, such as excursions, gala dinner, and cultural events, so that the participants get to experience the vibrant region of Epirus and enhance its tourism.
“We would like as many women from the diaspora and Greece as possible to participate and become part of this historic gathering of so many distinguished women where we will learn from our achievements and reflect on the future. For the women who have not yet decided, I suggest they consider attending; it is an event not to be missed,” says Mrs Athanasiou-Ioannou said.
Rector of the University of Ioannina, Anna Batistatou. Photo supplied.
Registrations continue until August 20. 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.
Media Sponsors: ERT3, The Voice of Greece, The Greek Herald, Neos Kosmos, Hellenic News of America.
