In the past three weeks, authorities have conducted over 4,500 inspections following citizen complaints about zoning violations on beaches and coastlines, ekathimerini has reported.
These inspections covered more than 150 beaches and over 750 businesses.
Complaints were primarily submitted by citizens using the MyCoast application, along with phone calls to local services.
According to the Ministry of Economy of Greece, the current situation has shown improvement compared to previous years. However, violations such as lack of proper signage and unauthorized occupation of beach space are still being detected.
Photo: ieidiseis.gr
Administrative fines were imposed on all businesses found in violation. Additionally, authorities closed businesses on 20 beaches that had illegally occupied the coast with sunbeds and umbrellas without proper contracts.
These beach sections have been made available for free public use.
As Paris prepares for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games today we take a look back at four memorable Olympics of the past.
1964: Japan’s rebirth
The Tokyo Olympics marked Japan’s great return to the world stage after its defeat and destruction two decades earlier in World War II.
In a poignant symbolic nod to its pacifist credo, the last carrier of the Olympic torch was Yoshinori Sakai, an athlete born on August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
2000: Aboriginal hero shimmers in Sydney
At the millennium Games in Sydney, Aboriginal star Cathy Freeman symbolised the desire to reconcile the people of Australia when she ascended to the cauldron in a cascading waterfall to light the flame.
Ten days later she won the 400m final before an ecstatic crowd in what was to be her last major race.
2004: Greek cultural display in Athens
The opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens featured countless themes from ancient and modern Greek culture including traditional music, mythology-inspired costumes and other such motifs.
It marked the first time in more than a century that the Olympic Games returned to Greece — as the first modern games had taken place there in 1896.
2012: Queen Elizabeth’s London skyfall
The late Queen Elizabeth II played a starring role at the London Olympics, appearing alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig in a film shown at the opening ceremony in which she appeared to skydive into the stadium from a helicopter.
The show included a tribute to the National Health Service, a major source of national pride, with children wearing pyjamas bouncing on 320 giant hospital beds.
The Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) has announced the finalists in its inaugural Excellence Awards ahead of Aged Care Employee Day on Wednesday, August 7 this year.
The 48 ACCPA Excellence Awards finalists have been selected from over 460 nominations received as part of ACCPA’s industry recognition program, ‘You are ACE!.’ The Awards recognise those aged care workers and homes that go above and beyond to keep older Australians cared for, safe and thriving.
In the ‘Individual Category – Volunteer,’ Nickolas Makrynakis from Fronditha Care in Victoria was named finalist. Nickolas has been a volunteer at Fronditha Care for the past five years and his hard work saw him earn the organisation’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year Award.
Lifestyle Coordinator Virginia Savva from the Greek Orthodox Community Home For The Aged in New South Wales.
In the ‘Individual Category – Rising Star,’ Lifestyle Coordinator Virginia Savva from the Greek Orthodox Community Home For The Aged in New South Wales was named finalist. Virginia has worked closely with the Lifestyle team to create an invigorated program of new activities for both mainstream and Special Care residents.
The Greek Orthodox Community Home For The Aged has also been named finalist in the ‘Team Category – Consumer Focus and Care’ thanks to its Gocha Kitchen team, and in the ‘Organisation Category – Excellence.’
Fronditha Care was listed as a finalist in the ‘Organisation Category – Making a Difference.’
ACCPA CEO Tom Symondson said he is “delighted our inaugural ACCPA Excellence Awards provides another opportunity to thank these everyday heroes for their dedication and service.”
Since Tuesday, July 23, three international Greek table tennis players have been in Australia. They are Giorgos Konstantinopoulos, an athlete from Panathinaikos and captain of the Greek national table tennis team; Gerasimos Chatzilygeroudis, an athlete from A.O. Tatavla; and Ioanna Gerasimatou, an athlete from Panathinaikos.
The goal of the three Greek international players is to assist with preparing Australia’s Paralympic team for the Paris Paralympic Games. Australia boasts top athletes in disability sports, with Giorgos Logothetis serving as the head coach of Para Table Tennis in Australia. Logothetis has been in Australia for the past ten years and has significantly contributed to the development of table tennis.
Of course, achieving success requires support from the government and table tennis organisations. As Logothetis mentioned, the sport receives substantial backing, both for him personally as a coach and for the athletes, and he believes that his players will have a positive impact at the Paris Paralympic Games.
The preparation for Australia’s Para Table Tennis team is taking place at the Albert Park sports facilities in Melbourne, Victoria, where I met with the three Greek players and spoke with them.
Photos copyright The Greek Herald / Bill Roumeliotis.
Konstantinopoulos mentioned that table tennis is not one of the popular sports in Greece. However, the positive aspect for professional athletes is that, in addition to representing their home clubs, they have the right to compete for teams abroad. These regulations help keep them engaged in the sport, and over the past few years, he has competed with clubs in France and Poland.
The same applies to the Kefalonia-born athlete Gerasimatou, who has achieved significant success with international clubs.
Regarding the athlete from Patras, Chatzilygeroudis mentioned that he moved from Patras to Athens because there are no clubs in the provincial areas that participate in Greece’s inter-club championships.
Concluding, the head coach of the team, Logothetis, stated: “The three international athletes are among the top players from Greece and are in Australia at my invitation. They possess the qualities I look for in their playing style, which will aid my athletes in the planning and training for individuals with disabilities.”
It is also worth noting that Australia will cover all expenses for the Greek athletes for their approximately one-month stay in Melbourne.
The 29th Greek Film Festival of Sydney have announced their presenting partner for 2024, METAXA the original Greek spirit.
A truly unique collaboration between one of the most famous Greek spirits and the 29th Greek Film Festival of Sydney was possible through sheer determination to present high quality Greek creations by both contributors to the Sydney audience for 2024.
Focused on bringing to the Australian public the latest films of great Greek-produced and/or Greek-themed Indy Cinematography, the 29th Greek Film Festival of Sydney partners this year with an original Greek product making its own history since 1888.
The 29th Greek Film Festival of Sydney is being presented by METAXA.
In a league of its own, Metaxa brings together fine aged wine distillates and aromatic muscat wines from the Aegean Islands, adding a touch of sun to the very heart of long drinks and cocktails alike while making its presence synonyms to the finest Greek spirit for the last 136 years.
“We welcome Metaxa as our presenting partner for 2024 and we are confident that their presence will enhance the experience of attending the 29th Greek Film Festival of Sydney,” points out Harry Danalis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW under the auspices of which the Greek Film Festival is organised.
“It’s always refreshing to partner with passionate people who understand and embrace the uniqueness of the Greek identity while supporting a great annual event such as the 29th Greek Film Festival in Sydney,” Nia Karteris, Festival Chair of the Greek Festival & the Greek Film Festival of Sydney, says.
“We want to thank Metaxa for their partnership this year and we hope that our collaboration will mark the start of a successful partnership for the years to come.”
Melbourne’s iconic Shrine of Remembrance recently played host to an advance screening of an important new documentary on the ANZACs in the Greek Campaign of 1941. The documentary is entitled ‘ANZAC: The Greek Chapter’ and is scheduled to premiere at this year’s Melbourne Greek Film Festival.
The documentary is the work of filmmakers Dr Peter Ewer and John Irwin who were engaged by Melbourne’s Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee to undertake this documentary project. The project received funding from the Australian Government’s Saluting Their Service Commemorative Grants program, with additional support from the Committee. Dr Ewer is the author of Forgotten Anzacs, a seminal history of the Greek campaign, and Mr Irwin is a filmmaker who has been filming and researching the story of the Greek Campaign for many years.
The 90 minutes broadcast quality film tells the story of the ANZACs in Greece during the campaign of 1941, told by the veterans themselves, drawing on Dr Ewer’s private archive of some 130 hours of veteran interviews, as well as those of Mr Irwin and other archives accessed by the project. These include photographs from the collections of two Australian veterans of the campaign – Syd Grant and Alfred Huggins – whose families donated their extensive wartime photographic archive to the State Library of Victoria.
The 90 minutes broadcast quality film tells the story of the ANZACs in Greece during the campaign of 1941, told by the veterans themselves.
Narrated by well-known broadcaster Barrie Cassidy, who is also the son of the Greek Campaign veteran, the documentary ranges over the length and breadth of the campaign. The veterans explain their arrival in Greece, with the jubilant welcome by the local Greek population. They describe the terrible realities of war as the campaign unfolded. Many of the engagements of the campaign – from the mainland to the battles on Crete – are described by the participants themselves. Most importantly, the veterans talk of their appreciation of the support of the Greek people. As one veteran emotionally remarks, this is why the Australian veterans of the campaign have “a lot of time for the Greek.”
The event included a welcome to the Shrine by its CEO Dean Lee, an overview of the documentary project by Committee President Lee Tarlamis OAM MP, addresses by filmmakers Dr Ewer and Mr Irwin, followed by the impressions of the documentary by veteran’s descendents Catherine Bell and David Huggins. Finally, Dr Kevin Molloy of the State Library of Victoria expressed his appreciation of the film and his encouragement for others to consider donating their campaign archives to the Library.
The advance screening was organised by the Committee as a thank you to both the filmmakers and all who have supported the project. Those in attendance included the Greek Consul in Melbourne Emmanuel Kakavelakis, many of the Directors of the Greek Community of Melbourne and representatives of many Greek community organisations and service organisations, such as the Pammessinian Brotherhood Papaflessas and the Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL Sub Branch.
The event included addresses by filmmakers Dr Ewer and Mr Irwin.Committee President Lee Tarlamis OAM MP gave a speech.
Most importantly for the organisers, many veterans’ families of the Greek campaign were in attendance, including the Grant and Huggins families and many more from both Australia and New Zealand.
The Associate Producer of the documentary, historian Jim Claven OAM said that their presence at the screening was particularly welcomed by the Committee.
“The documentary tells the story of the campaign from the point of view of the veterans themselves. We hear and see them explain what the campaign meant to them and what they experienced, from endearing moments of camaraderie and hospitality to the violence and tragedy that is war. A number of veteran’s family’s representatives present said they were moved by the words of the ANZACs – veterans like their fathers – and felt that the documentary had filled in the gaps left by the silence of their fathers,” Mr Claven said.
Committee President Lee Tarlamis OAM MP expressed the Committee’s appreciation for the work of the filmmakers Dr Ewer and Mr Irwin. He said that with this documentary they have brought to life the Greek campaign in the testimony of the veterans themselves.
“The filmmakers have created an important document for the appreciation of future generations; bringing the lived experience of these ANZAC veterans to life in their film. They have given all of us new evidence for the enduing link between Australia, New Zealand and Greece,” Mr Tarlamis said.
Filmmaker historian Dr Ewer thanked the Committee for its support, noting that its success in delivering many other commemorative projects – including the magnificent Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial in Albert Park – played a key element in their receiving Australian Government funding. Referencing historian EH Carr, Dr Ewer said that the documentary enabled the opportunity for greater dialogue between our generation and the past.
The documentary is scheduled for its premiere at the Greek Film Festival in Melbourne, with plans underway for screenings in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. A number of community-based non-commercial screenings will also be held at schools and community organisations, with hopes for a broadcast airing next year.
As part of their Winter Feasts Series, Free to Feed have teamed up with Parea – a Greek & Cypriot collective – to bring music, Yiayias & Yemista to the people of Melbourne. Free to Feed is launching a first of its kind community party in collaboration with Parea.
Free to Feed’s Fitzroy North home will be adorned with doilies, filled with dancing, Yemista making workshops (traditional stuffed vegetables), and rich traditions, celebrating the way communities intertwine uniquely in Melbourne.
Event Overview:
Yemista Making with a Yiayia: A hands-on workshop where Yiayias (Greek for Grandmas) will teach people how to prepare Yemista, a traditional stuffed vegetable dish brimming with stories, heritage and gossip. An honouring of the way people gathered in villages for centuries across cultures and countries.
Free to Feed Snacks: Delectable snacks that complement the Yemistas.
Live Music & Dancing: Groove to music curated by Parea, featuring a live performance by Meli Trio (including Katerina Stevens and two other talented musicians).
Drinks & Seating: A large welcoming space, open fireplace and fully stocked bar.
Free to Feed is a (not-for-profit) social enterprise that empowers people of refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds to overcome barriers to social and economic inclusion in Australia. Through programs involving training, employment and psycho-social support they have been delivering shared food experiences fostering community connection since 2015.
Free to Feed has delivered over $1.7 million in wages to people from newly arrived communities. In December 2023, Free to Feed was awarded the Victorian Multicultural Commission Award For Excellence In Refugee Advocacy.
Event Details:
DATE + TIME + COST: Saturday 27th July, 4pm – 9:30 pm, $15
The comprehensive independent report, titled ‘Towards Fairness: A Multicultural Australia for All,’ was the first examination of the state of Australia’s multiculturalism in a generation, and made recommendations to strengthen it for the future.
In preparing the report, a panel of three eminent Australians – Dr Bulent Hass Dellal AO, Ms Nyadol Nyuon OAM and Ms Christine Castley – travelled the country and consulted with more 1,430 individuals and 750 organisations, including community groups, in more than 200 consultation events.
The report emphasised IMMA members’ good work as small-to-medium private media, which includes established publishers and broadcasters producing newspapers, digital papers, websites, radio, streaming TV, podcasts, and video in community languages and English.
Federal Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles praised the report.
“The Review writes a new chapter in our multicultural story, and will inform how we can work together to achieve a vibrant, prosperous multicultural future,” Minister Giles said.
Review panellists with Minister for Multiculturalism Andrew Giles (second from right).
In a statement following the report release, IMMA said ‘Towards Fairness: A Multicultural Australia for All’ is a comprehensive document that should guide governments’ media policy towards our multicultural media ecosystem.
IMMA congratulated the work of Dr Hass Dellal, Ms Nyuon, and Ms Castley for conducting such a thorough review.
“Multicultural Affairs Minister Andrew Giles and the panel comprised of Dr Bulent Hass Dellal AO, Nyadol Nyuon OAM and Christine Castley did a thorough job in consulting IMMA, as they did many others, and our views were taken seriously,” IMMA Secretary Fotis Kapetopoulos said.
“This report continues the pioneering work set 50 years ago and has recognised the essential role independent multicultural media plays in public interest journalism.
“IMMA was formed in 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria and, later, in NSW – as the report points out, our income was gutted by COVID lockdowns, as we became a bulwark against fake news and conspiracy theories.
“IMMA agreed with the minister when he said the review ‘writes a new chapter in our multicultural story,’ and we agree that we can work together to achieve a prosperous multicultural future.”
Mr Kapetopoulos said “the panel was able to honour the work carried out 50 years ago framing multicultural policy.”
“The panel has made recommendations that, if acted on, will ensure that multicultural policy becomes representative of a contemporary Australia. We now look forward to the implementation of the recommendations,” he added.
The review report.
IMMA member and Publisher of The Greek Herald, Dimitra Skalkos also thanked the panel for their “thorough review.”
“The support and recognition of the review panel are evident in the recommendations presented, especially regarding the importance of independent multicultural media like The Greek Herald,” she said.
Ms Skalkos encouraged the implementation of the recommendations by both federal and state governments.
“We hope that the federal government swiftly implements these recommendations, ensuring that multicultural media receives the necessary support to continue being the voice of their communities and a crucial link between the government and multicultural communities across Australia,” she said.
“We also strongly encourage state governments, particularly NSW, to adopt these recommendations and proactively support independent multicultural media. By doing so, they can play a crucial role in promoting a diverse and inclusive society where the voices of multicultural communities are recognised and appreciated.”
Greece formally approved an offer to buy 20 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the United States, government officials said on Thursday, July 25.
According to AMNA.gr,the General Directorate of Defence Equipment and Investments of the Greek Ministry of National Defence dispatched a signed Letter of Acceptance (LoA) to the United States on Thursday.
The dispatch came after the approval of Greece’s national security council (KYSEA) for the start of the procurement program of 20 F-35 A Lighting II aircraft and related equipment, with the right to order an additional number of 20 combat aircraft.
Υπεγράφη και απεστάλη προς την αμερικανική πλευρά η επιστολή αποδοχής – το Letter of Acceptance – για τα F-35, για την απόκτηση των πιο σύγχρονων αεροσκαφών στον πλανήτη σήμερα.
Με την απόκτηση των F–35, ένα πολύ σημαντικό βήμα στην «Ατζέντα 2030», η ελληνική Πολεμική Αεροπορία… pic.twitter.com/gPC7EMmrYC
Speaking on Thursday after a visit to a military air base near Athens, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said the purchase would create “a powerful deterrent presence in our region.”
“With the acquisition of the F-35, the Hellenic Air Force acquires the first fifth-generation aircraft and enters a new era,” he said.
Dendias described the development as a very important step in Greece’s “Agenda 2030” program, adding that “in combination with everything else taking place,” the Hellenic Armed Forces “will achieve what we all believe in becoming, the strongest deterrence force in our region and in the history of the Greek nation.”
Delivery of the fifth-generation jet made by Lockheed Martin is expected to start in 2028. The purchase of the first 20 jets along with additional support will cost some $3.5 billion, Greek officials said.
Continuing through a period of reflection and remembrance, and following the community’s significant commemorations and demonstration on July 21, the Cyprus Community of South Australia (CCSA) in association with the Justice for Cyprus Coordination Committee SA (SEKA SA) marked another notable event at the Cyprus Community Hall in Welland, South Australia.
On July 24, a community forum was held focusing on the latest developments in the Cyprus Problem, drawing an engaged group of attendees eager to delve into this enduring geopolitical and national matter.
Over 80 people gather to hear Cypriot officials and participate in the Q&A. All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Peter Tantalos.
The event featured Antonis Sammoutis, the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, alongside Panayiotis Palates, Commissioner for the Citizen of the Republic of Cyprus. Their participation underscored the event’s significance, offering the community direct access to high-level diplomatic insights on the Cyprus Problem.
Commissioner Palates laid a wreath in remembrance of the 50 years since the invasion of Cyprus. Prior to official proceedings and remarks, musicians from Cyprus preformed a passionate and heartfelt ballad of four traditional Cypriot songs, stirring the hearts of the audience and framing the tone for the discussions of the struggle Cyprus continues to face.
High Commissioner Antonis Sammoutis addresses the Cypriot community.Commissioner Palates lays wreath at the Cyprus Community of SA.
Mr Sammoutis began the event with gratitude to the members of the Cypriot Greek diaspora.
“We are very grateful to Australia for everything that Australia has done for the Cyprus issue, and especially for receiving many of you, probably the majority of this room, who came as refugees in 1974 and started your life here in Australia. We also thank our government for supporting these events by sending a representative every year from Cyprus to be with us and to hear your questions and concerns…” Mr Sammoutis said.
“Most importantly, we are grateful to you for not giving up, all those years, not forgetting, the Cyprus issue, and for being the strongest link between Cyprus and Australia, for supporting Cyprus… you are the true ambassadors [of Cyprus]…”
Commissioner Palates provided a brief address to attendees before the Q&A, reiterating that a two-state solution is not an acceptable approach. A preferential outcome is a state resulting in a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation. Commissioner Palates also addressed their continued dialogue with the United Nations on the Cyprus Problem and addressed the important role Cyprus is playing in the war in Gaza as a supportive humanitarian corridor and partner.
Commissioner Palates addresses the Cypriot community.Q&A segment of the event.
The interactive format of the discussion encouraged attendees to ask questions and share their views, facilitating a dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives. Questions focused on the position and actions of the Cypriot government in relation to the illegitimate “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC); the plans and approaches to address the continued illegal occupation of Cyprus; the nature of support and current bi-lateral relations with the Greek government and the European Union; and the support of the Australian government, including the international community, in not recognising the TRNC as a state.
On the last point, in May, tensions were heightened amongst the Cypriot Australian community by the laying of a wreath by the Turkish Cypriot leader of the illegitimate TRNC, Ersin Tatar at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The High Commissioner made clear that months before a visit of Mr Tatar, Australian official advice was that his travel to Australia was in his capacity as private citizen and not in any official or recognised diplomatic capacity.
The High Commissioner stated that an official apology was issued to him just hours after the wreath was laid and the ribbon on the wreath was cut, and he reiterated the long standing and close relationship with the Director of the Australian War Memorial, Matt Anderson PSM, who he described as a “good friend” of Cyprus.
The official event concluded with a second ballad of songs, providing the environment for the consolidation of answers and the passionate perspectives of the preceding dialogue. Guests were then welcome to network and discuss their views, with further opportunity to engage with representatives from Cyprus.
(L-R) Prof. Andreas Evdokiou (President of CCSA), Commissioner Palates and Mr Iacovos Digenis (President of Justice for Cyprus Coordination Committee SA (SEKA SA).Guests networking.Musicians performing traditional Cypriot music.
The event emphasised the Cypriot Government’s commitment to engage with the Cypriot diaspora in Australia and the government’s acknowledgement of the diaspora’s role in being ambassadors for the Cypriot cause and to achieve a unified Cyprus.
Other notable guests at the event included: Hon. Mira El Dannawi MLC, representing the Hon. Peter Malinauskas MP, Premier of South Australia; Hon. Connie Bonaros MLC; Hon. Frank Pangallo MLC; and Bishop Silouan of Adelaide.
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Peter Tantalos.
