More than 300 people turned up to Rudd Park in Belfield, Sydney on Sunday, July 21 to pay their respects to the late Kytherian community leader, Emmanuel Alfieris.
Emmanuel passed away suddenly on Wednesday, July 17 after suffering a heart attack during a soccer match with his beloved Belmore Eagles FC at Rudd Park. He was only 53 years old and leaves behind his dad George, wife Louise, two children, and many friends.
Emmanuel Alfieris was only 53 years old when he passed away. Photos supplied.Hundreds attended the Sydney vigil.
The vigil in honour of Emmanuel started at 7pm and was emceed by Michaelangelo Kontoulis – a school friend Emmanuel’s from Greece. A number of Emmanuel’s family and friends, including his brother Nick, wife and son George, gave heartwarming speeches. They spoke emotionally about Emmanuel as a one-of-a-kind man filled with kindness, generosity, and humour.
His brother Nick brought tears to the eyes of everyone in attendance when he said he couldn’t play soccer again without Emmanuel by his side. The siblings always used to play the sport together.
Later, a minute silence was held at 7.30pm – the time of Emmanuel’s heart attack – before family and soccer players laid flowers on the sport where he passed away.
Emmanuel will be laid to rest on Thursday, July 25 at All Saints Greek Orthodox church in Belmore at 12.30pm.
When the credits rolled on Kay Pavlou’s one-hour documentary Two Homelands at its Sydney premiere, the packed crowed gave a standing ovation as emotions – both tears and laughter – flowed.
Held at the Cyprus Community Club in Stanmore on Saturday, July 20, the documentary premiere had an extra special meaning as the day marked 50 years since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
It comes as no surprise then that Two Homelands was so well-received by the more than 150 people in attendance.
Kay Pavlou received a standing ovation after the documentary premiered. All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
The documentary shone a light on six Australian Greek Cypriots – aged 70 to 102 – who gave emotional eyewitness accounts of the Turkish invasion and their migration to Australia. Sombre recollections were interspersed with moments of light humour and funny anecdotes – creating a perfect blend of both grief for Cyprus and hope for the future.
For 15-year-old Elliot Foxlee, who is half Greek Cypriot, it was important to attend the documentary screening to get a deeper understanding of the historic events which took place in 1974.
Elliot (left) with his family and friends.
“I’m here because my yiayia was one of the survivors of the Cyprus and Turkey war,” Elliot told The Greek Herald on the day.
“I haven’t heard too many stories. Yiayia doesn’t talk about it a lot. So I hope [through this documentary] that I will be able to learn more about it.”
Besides educating, the premiere night included a number of speeches by Ms Pavlou, the Deputy High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus Stavros Nicolaou, and PASEKA President / SEKA NSW Co-chair Chris Koulinos, as well as a musical performance by Hellen Aristides (vocals) and Tassos Lambrou (bouzouki).
Kay Pavlou.Chris Koulinos (right).Stavros Nicolaou.
Official guests were also present including the First Counsellor for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate of Greece in Sydney, Athanassios Lambrou, and President of the Cyprus Community of NSW, Michael Kyriacou.
In his speech, Mr Nicolaou – who concludes his duties as Deputy High Commissioner this month – gave an update on the Cyprus Problem and spoke of sentiments towards the invasion.
Stavros Nicolaou (left) and Kay Pavlou (right).
“Today we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. In the north of Cyprus today, they are ‘celebrating’ 50 years since the ‘peace operation’ on Cyprus,” Mr Nicolaou said.
“Imagine how that would sound to my mum who fled her home at the age of 10 [during the invasion]. Imagine how that would sound to refugees, to a mum who lost her son, to a sister who lost her brother, who still doesn’t know what has happened to him.”
When Mr Koulinos approached the microphone to give an impromptu speech, he thanked Ms Pavlou for creating a meaningful documentary and encouraged everyone to attend commemorative events organised by SEKA NSW this Sunday, July 28 to mark the 50th anniversary of Cyprus’ invasion.
Director Ms Pavlou thanked everyone for attending and was overwhelmed by the positive reception to Two Homelands. She also announced her plans for a new feature drama film on the village where her father’s family was from – Rizokarpaso.
“My film was both a commemoration of war and a celebration of community, and the audience responded to every moment. The audience were really lively – they cheered, clapped, laughed and cried,” Ms Pavlou told The Greek Herald.
More than 2,000 people flocked to Melbourne’s Federation Square on Sunday, July 21 in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
Those freedom fighters who lost their lives were memorialised as fervent attendees waved the Cypriot flag and chanted “δεν ξεχνώ” (I don’t forget).
People proudly waved the flag of Cyprus.
Connie Papadopoulos, Heleena Konstantinidis and Barnabas Denmead were present at the event. The Greek Herald spoke to Connie and Heleena who stressed the importance of remembering the Cyprus invasion.
“Our generation has a moral obligation to continue marking the anniversary of the invasion each year to honour those that lost their lives and remain displaced to this day. We will gather each year until all Turkish troops are out of Cyprus and true peace is restored,” Papadopoulos and Konstantinidis said.
The event proceedings included a flag-raising ceremony, a minute silence, national anthems and wreath laying. In attendance were a number of special guests who addressed the crowd.
Special guests and speakers included Pavlos Andronikos, President of SEKA Victoria; Theo Theophanous, President of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria; Bill Shorten MP, Federal Minister for the NDIS; Antonis Sammoutis, High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia; Eugene Hawryszko, Director of the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria; Anthea Sidiropoulos, Greek Community of Melbourne Vice President; Emmanuel Kakavelakis, Consul General of Greece in Melbourne; Steve Dimopoulos MP; Kat Theophanous MP; Matthew Guy MP, Keith Wolahan MP, Dean Kalimniou; and more.
All MPs from both sides of politics emphasised that there is only one legitimate internationally recognised Government of Cyprus, and that the TRNC was not recognised by Australia and not by any other country in the world other than Turkey.
All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Marianna Alepidis.
Mr Theophanous, a former Victorian politician, stressed in his speech that “today’s a day when we request, no, we demand, after 50 years, the reunification of Cyprus.”
“We felt it here on the 20th of July 1974, when the Turkish aircraft began bombing Cyprus. We felt it here in faraway Australia. It was like they were bombing us because they were bombing our people,” Mr Theophanous remarked, pointing to his heart.
The event proceedings included a flag-raising ceremony, a minute silence, national anthems and wreath laying.
SEKA President Pavlos Andronikos explained how Turkey has begun campaigning to persuade governments to recognise the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and that we all must prevent this from happening. Currently, no other country acknowledges this self-declared state.
Minister Shorten declared that “Australia proudly hosts the second largest Cypriot diaspora in the world. It is the foundation of the strong and enduring ties of friendship between our peoples… [and is why] we have a deep understanding of the ongoing sadness that is carried for a homeland divided.”
Minister Guy, who is of Ukrainian background, pointed to the similarities with Putin’s expansionist actions in Ukraine.
The event also featured a choir and performance by esteemed singer Marios Charalambous.
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Marianna Alepidis.
Mr Caralis was the founder, chairman and managing director or 2SM Super Radio Network. 2SM is the largest privately-owned radio network in NSW.
The Greek-born migrant was instrumental in running 42 stations across the 2SM network in New South Wales and Queensland, He was known as “the recluse of radio,” rarely offering interviews or photographs.
The Caralis family issued a statement following his death, saying business would continue as usual and Mr Caralis’ children would be delegated the roles of joint managing directors of the network.
The Newcastle Jets have confirmed the departure of striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos to European Club Motherwell for an undisclosed fee.
Although Stamatelopoulos was contracted to the Club for another season, the Club have allowed him to pursue this opportunity to further increase his chances of selection for the Socceroos ahead of their upcoming World Cup Qualifying matches.
The Jets remain active in the transfer market and will further bolster the playing squad in the coming weeks.
Newcastle Jets CEO Shane Mattiske thanked Stamatelopoulos for his time at the Club.
“Apostolos heads to Europe with our best wishes. We understand that in order for Apostolos to push for selection in the Socceroos squad for the 2026 World Cup, he needs to be playing consistently in the coming months and that aligns with the European schedule.”
“We’re really proud of his development at the Jets over the past season and would love to see him and his family return to Newcastle in the future.”
— NEWCASTLE JETS FC ✈️ (@NewcastleJetsFC) July 21, 2024
“Under Rob and the broader Jets team, we are an ideal destination for young players to develop into elite footballers.”
Stamatelopoulos first joined the Jets in 2021 from Western United and scored three goals in 12 league appearances. Following the end of the 2020/21 season, the striker headed overseas to play for Greek Clubs A. E. Rodos and PAS Giannina F.C.
Stamatelopoulos returned to the Jets in 2023 and scored 17 goals in 25 league matches, breaking the Club’s record for most goals in an A-League Men’s season.
Stamatelopoulos capped off a stellar season by earning selection in the A-League All Stars match against English Premier League side Newcastle United, scoring two goals in an 8-0 win. He was the rewarded with selection in Graham Arnold’s Socceroos squad for their World Cup Qualifying matches against Bangladesh and Palestine. Stamatelopoulos made his Socceroos debut against Palestine in Perth, coming on as a substitute in the 65th minute.
The State Member for Northcote, Kat Theophanous, joined PRONIA on Saturday, July 20 at Northcote Library for the launch of a new Greek Family Storytime program funded by the Victorian Government.
The program, aimed at preschool-aged children of Hellenic heritage, is part of the Victorian Labor Government’s $6 million commitment to deliver multicultural storytelling across Victorian libraries, community centres, kindergartens and language schools.
PRONIA will host families every Saturday from 10:00am to 11:30am during school terms. Children and parents will participate in fairy tales and book readings, songs and activities designed to build connections with the Hellenic language, identity, and culture. Additionally, families will be offered culturally appropriate information about local health services.
Recognising the importance of a multicultural and multilingual society, the program delivers on a key Victorian Labor Government commitment to support Victorian children in learning their mother tongue and connecting with their cultures.
Preserving the Greek language and sharing Hellenic culture. Photo supplied.
Research shows that reading regularly with children from a young age stimulates patterns of brain development and strengthens parent-child relationships, while also building language, literacy, and social-emotional skills.
Multicultural Storytime will enrich these skills while deepening the cherished connection Victorian children have to their cultural identities and languages. It builds a sense of identity and belonging, allowing children to foster pride and self-esteem.
In Victoria’s large Hellenic community, families are seeking opportunities to pass on Greek language and traditions. Greek Storytime provides a structured, engaging and free program that is accessible to everyone.
The launch event at Northcote Library was a vibrant celebration of Greek culture. Families gathered to enjoy traditional Greek music, stories, and activities. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and anticipation as children explored the joys of their cultural heritage.
Preserving the Greek language and sharing Hellenic culture. Photo supplied.
Ms Theophanous said retaining community languages “is vitally important to a thriving and diverse Victoria.”
“Having opportunities to teach Greek to the next generation of children is deeply meaningful to many families in the inner north – and bolsters the pipeline of students continuing to learn the language through primary, secondary and tertiary education,” she added.
“Greek Storytime is about more than just reading books. It’s about preserving the Greek language and sharing Hellenic culture. Through storytelling, children can connect with their heritage and fostering a sense of identity and community.
“Today’s launch is a wonderful beginning for what promises to be a meaningful and impactful program – and I’m proud to have supported this initiative with funding from the Victorian Labor Government.”
It took a 95th minute winner from Sydney Olympic’s Teng Kuol that sunk the hearts of Rockdale Ilinden in their gusty 2-1 victory at Netstrata Jubilee Oval in an action-packed match on Sunday.
It was a case of Ilinden not putting away their chances as the Blues took advantage when needed with a win that has now put them back in final series contention while the loss for Rockdale has cut their lead to six points from nearest rivals Marconi.
The first real opportunity of the encounter arrived straight after kick off when the ball fell nicely for Giorgio Speranza who fired towards goal, but he was denied by Christopher Parsons who made a double save.
Spectators then had to wait until the 22nd minute for the next chance of the game. Sydney Olympic worked a nice move from midfield and down the left channel before the ball was centred for Roy O’Donovan, but his instinctive shot was well blocked by the Rockdale defence.
There wasn’t much penetration from either side in the tight contest at this stage. On the half hour mark it was Speranza for the visitors who had another attempt from just outside the box but the ball drifted slowly wide of the target.
A few minutes later Bai Antoniou should really have struck the back of the net for Rockdale Ilinden. After receiving a pinpoint accurate cross from the right, he unfortunately for the Red and Blacks skied the ball from close range.
In the 38th minute Brendan Cholakian with no option was forced to attempt an overhead kick and, in fairness to him, it wasn’t too bad as the ball ended up only just wide.
In the 40th minute the breakthrough did eventually come Rockdale’s way and it was no more than they deserved as clearly they were pressing high and forcing Olympic onto the back foot at this stage of the contest. Sydney Olympic lost the ball in defence after some high pressing by Lachie Constable and then it was left to Dean Pelekanos to take full advantage of the spoils and slot the ball home from a central position.
In stoppage time at the end of the first stanza of play Rockdale really should have had their second goal. A close-range attempt by Isaac Danzo crashed miraculously off the post with ‘keeper Parsons beaten and then Pelekanos, with the follow-up, blasted his attempt just wide of the mark.
Right at the end things threatened to get a little heated between both sides and yellow cards were brandished to Parsons of Olympic and Antoniou of Ilinden as experienced whistle-blower Michael Weiner did very well to keep things in check.
After the break the first chance belonged to Rockdale in the 61st minute when a diagonal shot by Antoniou from the left went agonisingly wide.
A few minutes later a cross by Hunter Elliott from the right to Urosevski in the middle had just a fraction too much on it and the visiting captain with his touch couldn’t beat Parsons.
Sydney Olympic did manage to even the ledger in the 69th minute. Rockdale were caught off-guard in defence by Adam Parkhouse who won the ball and found O’Donovan unmarked and the Irishman marksman made no mistake with only the goalkeeper to beat.
In the 86th minute a shot by substitute Yinka Sunmola was well saved by Parsons down low to his left as Rockdale rallied in an attempt to regain the lead.
A minute later Elliott hit the side netting as he scooted towards the by-line and almost ran out of room on the left.
In the 90th minute a cross from the left reached Daniel Collins in the middle but his glancing header sailed narrowly wide and for Rockdale it was appearing very much like it wasn’t going to be their night.
And in the 94th minute that’s exactly what happened as Sydney Olympic scored the winner. A Michael Vakis cross found Teng Kuol in the middle and the ever-alert substitute drove it home.
After the game the coach of Sydney Olympic Labinot Haliti was very satisfied with that result.
“We have been performing every week and sometimes the results don’t come your way, but it’s the character of our team that counts,” he said.
In the Rockdale Ilinden dressing room, the mood was more sombre and coach Paul Dee was very gracious in defeat.
“That game shouldn’t have been anywhere near close enough for them to come back in, but anyway if you don’t put chances away that’s the result,” he stated.
“The first half showed that we have a very good playing style and we just have to keep replicating that for the rest of the time to come this season.”
*By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
A serious crowd arrived at the Greek Community of Melbourne’s (GCM) Special General Meeting (SGM) on Sunday, July 21, where members voted against changes to the Community’s Constitution.
More than 110 members of the GCM were present at the SGM held at Alphington Grammar, to vote on proposed amendments to the Community’s Constitution.
All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Marianna Alepidis.
The SGM opened with GCM Treasurer Professor Marinis Pirpiris acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and asking for a moment’s silence before moving on to the matters at hand.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is really to consent to the changes, if you choose to do so as members of the Greek Community, in the proposals that have been distributed to the membership. It’s with your active participation, that we’ll be able to ensure the continued success and prosperity of our community,” he said.
Some Board members of the GCM.
The proposed changes to the Community’s Constitution have been in the works since 2023 when Directors of the GCM initiated a comprehensive review of the document, calling for submissions from members to identify desirable changes, and engaging law firm Piper Alderman to assist with the review.
According to an Explanatory Memorandum, the GCM hoped to update the Constitution as the “dated document” did not conform “with a number of current legal concepts,” did not “reflect either modern corporate practice or contemporary concepts of good corporate governance,” and contains many “inconsistencies and unclear provisions.”
The meeting focused on three ‘Items of Business’:
Preliminary Amendment: Members will consider a special resolution to modify Article 60 of the current Constitution by removing the words “(save and except Clauses 3 and 4 which shall be unalterable).”
Adoption of Replacement Constitution: A special resolution will be proposed to repeal and replace the current Constitution with a new version tabled by the Chairman of the SGM.
Approval of Member-Proposed Amendments: The Community will vote on a special resolution to amend the Constitution with changes proposed by members in 2023.
As the meeting moved to focus on the items of business, members were given the opportunity to speak for or against the first motion which referred to the Preliminary Amendment.
One impassioned member spoke to the audience and the Directors about how she had difficulty accepting the amendments, citing that she felt the process of tabling the changes was rushed, improperly explained and communicated to members by the Directors.
Another member, who mentioned that two years ago he himself had suggested to modernise the Constitution, expressed his desire for the first motion to be accepted in order to “move forward with the times.”
His concern was that it could take another two years, with more time and money spent to amend what had currently been put to vote.
“Let’s put an end to this loop,” he said.
It was then explained that if the first motion was not passed, the second and third would be scrapped.
Members moved to vote and the meeting concluded with the results whereby the proposed changes were rejected by a vote, 64 in favour and 44 against. The GCM required 75 percent acceptance to pass the motion.
Despite the outcome, Prof Pirpiris was proud of the turnout.
“When you’re representing the Greek community, you’re representing the members. So it’s not a personal reflection on how you feel about what’s occurred. I’m happy that the members came together on a Sunday evening when it’s cold and there are so many other commitments including the Cyprus memorial,” he told The Greek Herald.
“One of the members mentioned to me, despite the fact that most of us voted yes, the referendum didn’t get up. And that, unfortunately, or fortunately, is how referendums are concentrated; you need 75 percent. I don’t think you can be emotionally attached to a referendum.”
Looking to the future, Prof Pirpiris stated that the Directors will reexamine the Constitution and ensure that the GCM is represented proudly and fairly in the wider community.
“One of the things with constitutions now is that people are revisiting them more frequently. There is an expense, both in terms of people’s time and a financial one, but revisiting it at certain time points along the way, to try and ensure that the Greek Community is relevant and that its Constitution is contemporary, is important.
“We use the Constitution whenever we’re applying for federal and state and other third-party funding… So one of the aims of this constitutional review was to create a document that allowed them very quickly to see an introduction about what exactly the community does.”
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Marianna Alepidis.
Melbourne man and Edith Cowan University graduate, Mike Sentonas has found himself caught in the middle of a global tech outage that sent chaos rippling around the world.
Mr Sentonas has had a long standing career in cybersecurity and is a key player in the Silicon Valley tech industry. He became the president of tech giant Crowdstrike in 2023.
CrowdStrike caused a global outage on Friday, July 19.
The tech company experienced issues with one of their security updates that cause a worldwide outage on Friday, July 19.
The outage halted and in some cases, forced the closure of, business and government operations. These operations included banks, casinos, media companies and airlines.
Sixty to 80 people are reported to have taken part in a Turkish Cypriot ‘peace parade’ in Melbourne, Victoria on Saturday, July 20.
The small crowd gathered in “[celebration of] 50 years of peace in Cyprus,” as they demanded for the establishment of two independent states in Cyprus.
They sported flags of Turkey, Azerbaijan and North Macedonia.
Photo supplied.
The dismal attempt at gathering rally members is an apt reflection of the fact that the reunification of Cyprus remains the goal for most Cypriots; as the ethnic division remains 50 years on.
SEKA Victoria (the Justice for Cyprus Co-ordinating Committee) previously condemned the “peace” rally, saying it attempted “to rewrite history with misinformation and outright lies, and [sought] to legitimise the illegal Turkish military invasion and occupation of 37% of Cyprus in 1974.”
