The Victorian County Court has today sentenced Athena Razos to 5 years 3 months’ imprisonment after stealing over $1.56 million from a Melbourne law firm.
Razos’ sentencing comes after the 59-year-old pleaded guilty in November 2022 to 16 charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception, and obtaining property by deception.
The disqualified paralegal embezzled from a Melbourne legal firm between 2013 and 2017, exploiting her position and knowledge of their accounting processes to carry out over 100 transactions for her own benefit.
The money went towards the construction of a new house in Box Hill South on land she had previously bought for about $1 million.
While carrying out these offences, Ms Razos had prior convictions for theft and fraud, including theft from a law practice where she used to work.
Razos’ offending was uncovered in late 2017 and the Victorian Legal Services Board found she was not a fit and proper person to work in the profession in 2020.
Razos’ sentencing today comes after a mention hearing in the County Court in February 2023 and a further plea hearing.
Tottenham Hotspurs manager Ange Postecoglou has played down reports he is in the running to take charge of the England national football team.
The English Football Association is on the hunt for a new manager after Gareth Southgate ended his eight-year reign on Tuesday in the aftermath of last weekend’s Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain.
According to The Guardian, Postecoglou is a potential candidate for the role alongside England Under-21s coach Lee Carsley, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, former Chelsea bosses Mauricio Pochettino and Graham Potter and ex-Bayern Munich chief Thomas Tuchel.
Ange Postecoglou. Photo: talksport.com.
The 58-year-old Greek Australian has insisted he has “no idea” about these reports and stressed his attention remains on Tottenham, who opened their pre-season with a 5-1 win at Scottish Premiership side Hearts on Wednesday.
“I am at the start of pre-season and am the Tottenham manager, so I have got nothing else (on my mind) but trying to bring success to this football club,” Postecoglou said.
“Until I do that, there is no point in me thinking about anything else.
“I had a nap this afternoon, so I have no idea what is going on (with the speculation).”
An independent murder investigation into the death of Cypriot Australian Thanasis Nicolaou will proceed despite a cretiorari filed by state pathologist Panicos Stavrianos.
A cretiorari is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency.
The Supreme Court of Cyprus granted Stavrianos permission earlier this week to file a case seeking to annul the third death inquiry into Nicolaou’s death. The first hearing will take place on July 24.
Thanasis Nicolaou’s family, legal team and key witnesses after the court decision on 10 May 2024.
Nicolaou was found dead under Alassa bridge in September 2005. He was 26. Stavrianos was the state pathologist who examined Nicolaou and ruled his death was a suicide, however the family has long-argued it was a murder coverup.
At the time of his death, Nicolaou was serving in the armed forces of Cyprus. Nicolaou died a day after he reported horrific bullying at his army unit, and spoke out of suspicions of drug dealing at his barracks.
Recent developments have sparked a wave of fury from the public and Nicolaou’s mother.
“[Stavrianos] is criminally covering up a violent murder and he knows it,” she said.
Ekmek kataifi is one of those desserts that can be enjoyed all year round. It’s easy to make, but you need a few hours to allow the custard to set. It’s a popular dessert that can be made in a big tray or in individual bowls to serve at a dinner party. It’s a great recipe to make the day before when entertaining.
Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for ekmek kataifi with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!
Ingredients
Syrup:
3 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 cloves
Kataifi pastry:
1 packet Antoniou kataifi pastry (375 grams)
150 gm unsalted butter melted
1 tsp cinnamon powder
Custard:
6 cups milk
100 gm corn flour
6 large eggs (70-80 gm size)
1 tsp vanilla essence
130 gm sugar
60 gm butter
Cream:
600ml thick cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
Chopped pistachios – approx. ¾ cup
Method
Combine all ingredients for the syrup in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil for a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat, seat aside and allow to cool completely.
Preheat your oven to 180C fan force.
Cut your kataifi pastry to approx. 2-3 inch lengths to make it easier to pull apart. Make sure the strands are untangled and loose. Add the melted butter and with your hands, mix thoroughly so the butter is evenly distributed. Spread them evenly in a 25 x 30 cm pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for approx. 30 minutes till a rich golden colour. Remove from the oven.
Pour the cooled syrup over the hot kataifi and using a spatula press is down to make it compact. Set aside to cool completely.
In a heavy based saucepan add 5 ½ cups of milk. Use the remainder ½ cup of milk to combine with the corn flour. Add the corn flour mixture to the milk, then add your sugar, vanilla essence and butter. In a small bowl whisk your eggs with a fork and then add them to the milk mixture.
Using a whisk, keep stirring/whisking all the custard ingredients together making sure they don’t catch on the bottom of the saucepan. Don’t walk away from this step as its easy for the custard to burn. Once thick, remove from the heat and pour over the cooled kataifi. Allow it to cool and set completely – best to put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Once custard is set, whisk the thick cream with icing sugar till stiff peaks form and spread evenly over the custard and top with crushed pistachios. Return to the fridge for a further hour before you serve it.
Greek pop star Despina Vandi has declined to perform on a stage in Turkey decorated with the national flag and a portrait of the country’s founding father, according to Turkish media reports.
The 54-year-old singer was scheduled to perform at a charity concert in Cesme, a Turkish resort town west of Izmir, on Wednesday night. She refused to appear after authorities denied her request to remove the flag and poster of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
The Instagram story by Despina Vandi.
In an Instagram post, Vandi expressed her respect for the audience who “honoured me with their presence at my concert.” However, she criticised the organisers, the Turkish Education Foundation, for turning the event from a concert into “a prohibited and non-agreed political connotation.”
“My participation in the said event is not possible,” she wrote.
The audience, which had filled Cesme’s open-air amphitheatre, expressed their disappointment with boos when the reason for her decision was announced, according to Sozcu newspaper.
On Thursday, July 18, the Turkish parliament passed a resolution urging the international community to recognise Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus as an independent state, which is currently acknowledged only by Turkey.
This resolution, marking the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus, asserted that northern Cyprus should now be recognised as an independent and sovereign entity within the international community.
“We call on the international community to end the inhumane isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people and to recognise the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in the manner it deserves,” the resolution declared.
Turkey pushes for recognition of occupied northern Cyprus in parliamentary resolution.
The document attributed the prolonged failure to resolve the Cyprus issue to the Greek side, advocating for a two-state solution.
“Despite the constructive role of the Turkish side in the negotiation process that has been ongoing for more than 50 years, no result has been achieved due to the uncompromising attitude of the Greek side,” the resolution read.
It further emphasised that “the two-state solution policy is the only way to ensure stability and lasting peace in the Mediterranean region,” and that “the existence of two separate peoples and states on the island should no longer be ignored.”
The 50th anniversary of the 1974 coup in Cyprus, led by the Athens junta and the Greek Cypriot paramilitary group EOKA B’, was commemorated on Monday, July 15. This coup prompted the Turkish invasion five days later on July 20. The UN buffer zone established in Nicosia in 1964 remains in place today.
“Until it’s ours, I don’t think I want to go back,” Cypriot Australian Andrea Michaels MP tells me emotionally as we sit down for an interview to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus this year.
To this day, 37 per cent of the Mediterranean island remains occupied by Turkey, and over 30,000 Turkish troops are still stationed in Cyprus. 175,000 Greek Cypriots were forcefully removed from their homes, and thousands were killed during the invasion, with more than 1,000 still missing.
As a child of refugees from Cyprus, Andrea knows first-hand how it feels to have someone’s home ripped from them by invaders. Her mum Eva was pregnant with her when she fled war-torn Cyprus in 1974 and moved to London in the United Kingdom. Andrea’s two older brothers were there, but her grandparents and dad Christos stayed behind.
Andrea Michaels MP’s mother Eva.Andrea Michaels MP’s parents Christos and Eva.
“My grandparents got stuck for a couple more months in our village – Eptakomi on the northern tip of Cyprus,” Andrea says.
“I also always heard about the drive [out of the village]. My family got in the car and they drove and they slept overnight in an orange orchard and my brother was crying all night because he left his pillow behind and he couldn’t sleep without it.
“When my mum took my brothers over to London, my dad was conscripted to the army for another few months and mum was on her own. We had my uncle there, but she was on her own with two kids.”
Andrea was born in London in 1975 and was just 11 months old when the family later moved to Adelaide, South Australia in 1976.
Andrea Michaels MP as a baby in London.Andrea Michaels MP as a child in SA.
“My parents couldn’t get visas to stay [in London] so the choice was to either go to Adelaide where my dad had an uncle or go to New York where my mum had an auntie. I think they were so traumatised they wanted to go the furthest away where they knew no one and knew nothing about where they were going, so they came to Adelaide,” Andrea explains.
Once they arrived, Andrea’s family lived in a shed in Blair Athol at the back of her great uncle’s home until they eventually bought their own home. Their grasp of the English language was poor, and they had no car for a while.
Andrea Michaels celebrating her birthday in SA. Her first birthday party.
“It was fairly tough in the early years. My parents did as all good migrants do and worked seven days a week and slogged their guts out in factories,” she says.
“Fast forward the clock and my brothers and I all went to university and all have decent jobs and it’s worked out for the best. Australia has been good to us.”
She’s not wrong.
The trained lawyer and Member for Enfield wears many hats. When Andrea’s not doing a great job as a mum-of-two boys, she’s laying down the law as South Australia’s Minister for Small and Family Business, for Consumer and Business Affairs, and for the Arts.
They are roles she doesn’t take for granted.
“I have a passion for social justice and making sure people who are coming through now, who are less advantaged than we are now, have the benefits of an accepting, welcoming society. That’s my goal,” Andrea says.
“I’m a very privileged person to be in this job. I know that.”
Some key initiatives she’s spearheaded as a minister which she’s “incredibly proud of” include the Women in Business networking program, the Small Business Strategy, SA’s recent rental reforms, and the upcoming arts, culture and creative sector policy.
Andrea Michaels has always had a passion for social justice.
“We got it through the Adelaide City Council, so we had support here. We had support from the former Mayor in Athens [Kostas Bakoyannis] and then there was a change [in leadership], so we’re starting again effectively from that side,” she says.
“But we definitely hope we get there. I think it would be fantastic for Adelaide to have that recognition with Athens.”
‘We have to keep talking about it as an illegal invasion’
It’s clear Andrea feels a deep connection to Greece and Cyprus, despite the island nation still under Turkish occupation after 50 years.
She’s returned to Cyprus three times – once when she was in Year 6, again at the end of Year 12 and more recently after 20 years, in 2022. During her last trip, she took her two sons with her and it was an experience she will never forget. She also met with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides.
Andrea Michaels MP with her grandmother Maria on a visit to Cyprus. Photo supplied.
“For the first time ever, I went and saw the village that my family was from and saw the desecrated church and my grandparents’ house – that was a pretty emotional day and it’s still emotional now talking about it,” Andrea says with sadness tinging her voice.
“To be able to go there and visit the church of Apostle Andrew… you know mum always said, ‘when we get Cyprus back, you’re going to go there and get baptised again.’ And I can’t, that’s not a reality yet.”
When I ask whether she’d return to the occupied north for a second time, her answer is resolute.
“I almost feel like I actually don’t want to go again. I’ve seen it. I can now put context around all of the stories I heard growing up but until it’s ours, I don’t think I want to go back,” Andrea says.
On that sombre note, we conclude our interview with the question on everyone’s lips as Cyprus commemorates 50 years since the Turkish invasion this year – is there a solution to the ‘Cyprus issue’?
Andrea Michaels MP (fourth from right) pictured in Cyprus. She has always advocated for a fair solution to the Cyprus Problem.
“I worry that as time goes on, it’s more and more forgotten. It’s more and more acceptable for there to be a two-state solution rather than what should happen – which is that an illegal invader should leave the country they have invaded,” Andrea answers.
“In reality, I guess the practical solution, as difficult as it is, is to have some negotiated settlement on a two-state solution but it would still be very traumatic for all those people who don’t get to go back to their homes. I fear after 50 years that there’s not likely to be another answer than that.
“We [the Cypriot diaspora] have to keep talking about it as an illegal invasion and still make that point year after year after year and still acknowledge what happened.”
The Hellenic Club of Canberra has been named the successful tenderer for Woden Village with sale contracts exchanging for the significant 12,946 square metre Phillip block centrally located between Matilda, Bowes and Callam Streets in Woden Town Centre.
“The proposed development for this site will boost the housing supply in the Territory. The mixed-use precinct will include residential, commercial and retail with up to 200 dwellings including 20 affordable and 10 community dwellings. A dedicated creative hub, community pavilion and array of outdoor spaces for public use are also part of the proposed development,” acting Chief Executive Officer of Suburban Land Agency, Adam Davey said.
Proposed design plans for the Woden Village.
The design-based Request for Tender asked for innovative design and development proposals that respond to the Place Design Brief. The Brief was the result of comprehensive community consultations from late 2022 until early 2023 and guides future developers about the area’s unique attributes and highlights key aspects of Woden’s identity.
Sustainability is a key principle underpinning Hellenic Club’s precinct design and the development will include 5 star or greater Green Star Buildings rating, electric vehicle charging points and active green roofs. The future development will retain the same quantity of current publicly available parking spaces. Matilda Street will feature an open greenspace for the public to enjoy.
“On behalf of our members and Board, I would like to thank the ACT Government for giving the Hellenic Club and our project team this amazing opportunity. We are extremely proud of the concept design that underpinned our successful bid, and we look forward to sharing this in detail and seeking feedback from the community and other stakeholders,” Hellenic Club’s Chief Executive Officer, Ian Cameron said.
Public consultation will take place in the coming months when community can provide feedback and comment on the Tender Concept Design. Construction on site is expected to begin in the second half of 2026, following statutory approvals.
At Oakleigh Grammar’s whole school Term 3 commencement assembly, Principal Mark Robertson announced the acceptance of Oakleigh Grammar as a Candidate School for Round Square.
As an established charitable association spanning the globe, Round Square is comprised of member schools aiming to advance education and inspire in every child the capacity for personal responsibility, self-discovery, achievement and excellence.
Principal Robertson was informed during the recent school holidays of the news from Round Square Chief Executive Rachael Westgarth, who welcomed Oakleigh Grammar as a Candidate School and spoke of the “global connections and friendships you will make through Round Square Candidacy [supporting Oakleigh Grammar’s] continuing success.”
Built on six IDEALS of learning – Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership and Service – Round Square’s philosophy resonates strongly with Oakleigh Grammar’s school values of Humility, Aspiration, Respect and Kindness. It likewise builds on the School’s ongoing mission to provide education at an international standard and build responsible global citizens.
Taking place for a period of up to two years, as a Candidate School the staff and students of Oakleigh Grammar will be committed to integrating the Round Square principles into everyday school life, while moving towards an application for Global Membership of Round Square. This will involve developing new school initiatives and actively connecting with other Round Square schools to collaborate.
Oakleigh Grammar has already accepted an invitation to attend the Round Square World Conference, which will be held in Bogota, Colombia in September this year. Principal Mr Mark Robertson will be in attendance, along with another staff member and two lucky students who embody the Round Square principles.
As another addition to Oakleigh Grammar’s fantastic educational program, Round Square will be an excellent addition to the school’s status as a Leader in Me Lighthouse school and International Baccalaureate World School.
The President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), Bill Papastergiadis, met in Greece with the Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias. The content of their meeting concerned several issues, including the continuation of the cultural “youth camp” program in the Attica region.
Mr Hardalias, being aware of the work and the dynamic presence of the GCM, confirmed the implementation of the plans to extend the programme to Attica in September.
The cultural “camp” for young people from Australia is a collaboration between the GCM and the General Secretariat for Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy. It aims to promote Greek language skills and foster deeper relations between the youth of the diaspora and Greece. This highly successful initiative has been taking place for three years, with young people from the diaspora visiting Northern Greece, starting from Thessaloniki.
Currently, during the third consecutive year of the programme, 21 young people of Greek origin are visiting Greece on a tour that includes visits to sites of archaeological, cultural, and recreational interest. Today, the group of young people are visiting Ouranoupolis and Mount Athos, while tomorrow they will tour Thessaloniki before departing on Saturday.
The new initiative of the President of the GCM will give the young people an opportunity to visit Attica after Thessaloniki, offering a more complete experience of Greek life.
The Governor of Attica said: “The launch of this initiative with GCM is extremely important for Attica, as the region is a magnet for visitors, combining history dating back to antiquity with elements of a modern, rich metropolis. It is this combination that sets Attica apart from many other regions.”
Mr Papastergiadis responded by thanking Mr Hardalias for his commitment to the “youth camp” program and said that it is the first youth program implemented in cooperation with the Region of Attica.
According to the President of the GCM, the strengthening of such programmes is a crucial component of the preservation of our cultural identity, as they promote the Greek language and history as a lever for development.
The President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Bill Papastergiadis (left), met in Greece with the Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias (right).
“Such initiatives lead to the strengthening of young people’s ties with Greece, through the cultivation of new interests during the visit. Apart from their extremely important educational aspect, these programmes also strengthen the interpersonal relationships of young people. Participants create new friendships, which can potentially become lifelong bonds. These programs strengthen the youth’s connection to the GCM, building on the foundation of the excellent educational programs and initiatives of our teachers,” Mr Papastergiadis said.
The Governor of Attica, who has visited Melbourne and attended the Antipodes Festival, concluded by saying that he was impressed by its size and diversity and described it as one of the most spectacular diaspora festivals. Combined with its 15-storey cultural centre, the GCM is, according to Mr Hardalias, a true leader of the Greek diaspora in terms of promoting cultural and educational programmes.
The meeting between Mr Papastergiadis and the Governor of Attica laid the foundations for the expansion of the already excellent cooperation between the GCM and the Greek Government, presenting an additional promising opportunity for the youth of the Diaspora.
