The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) has welcomed the announcement by Greece’s Ministry of Tourism regarding the immediate operation of an office of the Greek Tourism Organisation (EOT) at the Greek Centre in Melbourne.
The President of the GCM, Bill Papastergiadis, expressed his delight at this significant initiative, emphasising its importance for strengthening ties not only between Greece and Australia, but also between Greece and the Greek diaspora.
“We warmly welcome this move, which will not only strengthen Greek Australian relations but also promote the cultural and tourist image of our homeland,” Mr Papastergiadis said.
“The Ministry of Tourism is becoming another bridge connecting the Greek diaspora in Australia with the motherland. The EOT office in Melbourne will serve as a reference point for promoting Greek tourism and history, as well as preserving Greek cultural heritage through conferences, lectures, and exhibitions, enhancing communication and collaboration with the Greek diaspora.
“We have committed to providing the necessary space in the Greek Centre building to host the EOT offices, offering two years of free use of the facilities, without financial burden, as a return for the government’s support to our community during the economic crisis. Additionally, we maintain open channels of communication with Greek bodies and actively cooperate to facilitate the relevant actions.”
The Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that “the aim is to staff the EOT office in Melbourne immediately as requested by the GCM so that its operations can commence as soon as possible, which is very important ahead of the tourist season.”
Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Stefanos Kasselakis is visiting Palestine from Sunday until Monday, May 26-27.
During his visit, Kasselakis will visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ramallah, where he will meet members of the Palestinian Authority’s cabinet, representatives of the PLO, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III.
Earlier, he met with Palestinian Minister of Tourism Hani Al-Hayek. During their meeting, Kasselakis stated that they will pressure the Greek government to follow Spain’s lead in recognising the state of Palestine.
Συνάντηση με τον υπουργό τουρισμού και αρχαιοτήτων της Παλαιστίνης Hani Al-Hayek στη Βηθλεέμ. Του εξέφρασα την αλληλεγγύη μου προς τον φίλο Παλαιστινιακό λαό.
Η Ευρώπη οφείλει να πιέσει για την άμεση κατάπαυση του πυρός στη Γάζα ώστε να σταματήσει η σφαγή άμαχου πληθυσμού τώρα.… pic.twitter.com/Id9BHLgkpU
— Stefanos Kasselakis – Στέφανος Κασσελάκης (@skasselakis) May 26, 2024
Additionally, the SYRIZA leader said they will also pressure Europe, in light of the upcoming European elections, as SYRIZA is a member of the largest left-wing group in the European Parliament.
Kasselakis is accompanied by SYRIZA-PA Secretary Rania Svigou, the party’s head of defense issues, Evangelos Apostolakis, its head for foreign affairs, Rena Dourou, and his diplomatic advisor Dimitrios Papageorgiou.
Panathinaikos BC has added a seventh European crown to its glorious history after beating Real Madrid in Berlin’s final on Sunday.
Panathinaikos came back from 14 points down to win 95-80 in a match that will go down in history.
Despite an abysmal defensive performance in the first quarter, after which Real led by 11 (36-25) and then stretched their advantage to 41-27, the Greeks regrouped and improved their defense while maintaining their offensive flair that had them constantly devise new ways to overcome Real’s defense.
In the third period Panathinaikos turned things around completely thanks to its defense that let in only seven points in 10 minutes. As a result it went ahead 58-56 for the first time and never looked back.
Most players of the Greens ended the game with tears in their eyes, including coach Ergin Ataman as Panathinaikos has won the Euroleague for the first time in 13 years.
Earlier Olympiakos earned the third place with its 87-84 win over Fenerbahce.
In a thrilling encounter on Sunday May 26, South Melbourne FC showcased their resilience as they clinched a 4-2 victory over Moreland City at Lakeside Stadium.
The match kicked off in front of an enthusiastic crowd of around 600 supporters with an intense pace.
South Melbourne asserted their dominance in the match, maintaining their position at the top of the leaderboard with a three-point lead over Avondale, the reigning champions.
In the 28th minute, the visitors gained an advantage as Matt Sporle capitalised on a through ball and a goalkeeper error to score.
South Melbourne swiftly equalised in the 34th minute courtesy of Max Mikkola. Just before halftime, Bonada further intensified the excitement by putting Hellas Melbourne ahead.
The second half continued in the same vein, with South Melbourne maintaining control, and Bonada found the net again in the 70th minute, this time assisted by a superb cross from Andy Brennan.
Although Moreland managed to narrow the gap to 3-2 with Jose Sanz’s goal, Harrison Sawyer’s splendid strike in the 92nd minute sealed a convincing victory for South Melbourne.
This performance once again demonstrated the determination of Esteban Quintas’ squad to secure the top spot.
Hills United have taken down Sydney Olympic for the second time in the 2024 season with a 2-1 win at the Landen Stadium on Saturday May 25.
The hosts found the back of the net first after a classy header from their skipper Glen Kelshaw in the first half but Olympic fired back moments after the restart through Roy O’Donovan.
After being behind for the majority of the second half, Hills found a winner through a break of play as Yu Okubo put the finishing pieces on an exceptional team goal in the 81st minute.
It was a back and forth start to the game with both sides pushing plenty of numbers forward in the early stages in search of a crucial opening goal.
The hosts had the first chance of the game through Yu Okubo as his low-driven strike narrowly scrapped past the front post.
After the early scare, Olympic answered back with two crossing chances of their own, forcing the Hills defence into a couple of heroic stops in front of goal.
Okubo was front and centre for the Hills attack once again with his close-range shot making Noah James work his hardest to steer his shot away from the target. The save fell straight into the path of the hosts’ attack but the follow up header from Glen Kelshaw went narrowly over the bar,
Hills finally cracked open the Olympic defence in the 23rd minute as a looping ball from Jordan Lane found the head of Kelshaw as he neatly placed his effort in front of an outstretched James.
Olympic had a golden chance to level the score up moments after conceding but Michael Vakis’ curling effort was comfortably defused by Ryan Wood.
With the minutes ticking away, Hills was presented with the best chance of the half after a defensive clearance fell perfectly into the path of Thomas Lopez. As the ball popped up at the edge of the box, Lopez agonisingly skied his chance, in what would be the last opportunity for either side in the first half.
Both sides started off the second half in a similar fashion to the first, with a free-flowing feel in attack from both outfits dictating the opening stages.
Olympic quickly seized the momentum and would go on to control the majority of proceedings in the second half.
Roy O’Donovan levelled the score for Olympic minutes after the restart courtesy of a perfect pass from Will Mutch. The veteran striker nearly had his side in the lead seconds later but a strong stop from Wood kept the visitors at bay.
O’Donovan began to make his presence felt on the game, as both a poacher and playmaker, and giving the Hills’ defence plenty of headaches in the process.
Hills began to re-find their footing in the game but were unable to make any of their chances in front of goals count for the time being.
Wood was the hero once again for Hills with a sensational double save, denying a strong effort from Jackson Bandiera before denying O’Donovan on the follow-up.
The save meant even more for the hosts who would score from the resulting counterattack, with Cam Philp setting up Okubo with a one-on-one with James, where he made no mistakes.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Olympic, after looking the likelier of the two sides to score throughout the second half.
Olympic was dealt one last blow as Mutch was shown to quickfire yellow cards for dissent, leaving the visitors with ten men for the final five minutes.
Hills dictated the flow in the final stages of the game and held on for their second win of the season against Olympic who have been one of the let downs of the season following on from their exciting roster that has not fired consistently in 2024.
Greek Australian, Apostolos Triantafyllou, 56, has been living in Mykonos for over 30 years now, and running his jewellery store ‘Amethyst’ there since 1996. He describes his first time visiting Mykonos at 14 “like going to the moon – it was so different. It was paradise!”
Initially from Melbourne, Apostolos spent his early years between the ages of 7 and 12, moving from Australia to Greece several times with his parents and brother and sister, who are ten years older than him.
Port Melbourne school
He smiles and somewhat ruefully says, “I thought the houses in Greece would’ve looked like the Parthenon! But Pireaus, where we lived, was far from what I expected.”
Albert Park family, 1971
“Adjusting wasn’t easy. I was kept back a class as my Greek wasn’t good,” he adds.
Albert Park with sister, 1969.
Studying for his exams during the summer holidays “in peace and quiet, away from Athens” was what initially led Apostolos to Mykonos, as his sister and her husband, who was a builder, lived there.
Albert Park house, 1971
“This was summer of 1981 and I was 14 years old… and I didn’t study one bit! Instead, I swam and had a great time. But I also learned the building trade from my brother-in-law and worked,” Apostolos exclaims.
“On my return to Pireaus, I studied for three days before my exams, and ended up passing. My time on Mykonos rejuvenated me, I guess. I fell in love with the place, and from then on, every Easter, Christmas and summer holidays it was always Mykonos.”
Photo: Victoria Zoina
Upon finishing school and being accepted to study electrical engineering at university, he preferred Mykonos again. First working at his sister’s fashion then jewellery store in Mykonos Town, Apostolos eventually saved enough money to buy his own store there in 1996.
Easter, Mykonos with friends, 1991
With a sigh, and a distant look, Apostolos says: “But now, I have on/off feelings towards the place. Mykonos used to be so nice in the winter too, regardless of the wind and sometimes horizontal rain. I’ve spent over 30 years of winter there, but in the past ten years, unlike in the old days where cafes, restaurants and bars used to all be open, everything’s closed in Mykonos Town in winter now. It’s only geared towards summer tourism and business.”
Photo: Victoria Zoina
Apostolos continues, “Don’t get me wrong, I love the business, and especially the people contact. But things have changed in the jewellery industry, in favour of foreign imports. Jewellery from India for example looks similar to Greek jewellery due to the ancient Greek influence that Alexander the Great took there. But imports also come from other places too.”
He goes on to quote statistics: “In the 80s and 90s there were 60,000 jewellery producers in Greece, and now there are only 2,000 including importers. This has been mainly due to globalisation.”
Opal necklace. Photo: Victoria Zoina
He explains that he decided to diversify by adding more gems, stones and also crystals in his store. I mention that I’ve heard people say that opals bring bad luck, to which he responds, “I love opals, from way back in Australia. The bad luck thing isn’t true. It was propaganda from diamond sellers to disrupt the very popular opal sales at one point which were bringing diamond sales down.”
Asking whether he believes that crystals have healing powers, Apostolos replies by relating an extraordinary event that “shocked” him yet persuaded him of the healing properties of crystals.
“Years ago, in the full height of August’s tourist season, I had no customers in my shop for days, something which had never happened before. Just before this, I had bought a big, interesting looking quartz crystal which I placed on a stand in the centre of my shop. I called an aunt in Athens to express my woe regarding no customers, and she insisted on doing the ‘xematiasma’ – the casting out of the ‘evil eye’ spell over the phone – something I didn’t believe in at the time either. I then hung up the phone, and suddenly that particular crystal exploded! I have never in my years seen or heard of such a thing!” he explains.
Pearl necklace. Photo: Victoria ZoinaIndo Greek jewellery
“Five minutes later my aunt called back and said that there had been such a bad case of ‘evil eye’ or ‘evil spirit’ in my shop, that she felt extremely sick and had almost fainted. I immediately got rid of that crystal as it had absorbed negative energy, and customers began flooding in again.”
Other tales follow regarding healing experiences with crystals, whereby he concludes: “I’m convinced now that crystals have energy fields that influence us in various ways. A good, simple example is the quartz in watches – its vibration and frequency is what makes them work.”
Apostolos says he wants to visit Australia in the near future, “even though I’ve heard that it doesn’t have the same freedom as Greece.”
Quartz crystal. Photo: Victoria Zoina
“Here you can ring a friend to go for a drink on the same day or even the same hour instead of having to organise it at least three days before!” he says.
He then disappointedly declares what he doesn’t like about Greece: “The political, economic and health systems are more corrupt than in Australia, where there is much more accountability.”
Indo Greek Jewellery
With a bitter sweet look and tone of voice he says: “As I get older, I’m becoming more nostalgic, and realise that perhaps I should’ve gone back to Australia sooner.”
Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for kotopita with manitaria (chicken pie with mushrooms) with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!
Niki first had this chicken pie in her early teens. A cousin of hers made it and soon enough it became one of her favourites. The recipe has dried mint in it – which is not one of the usual ingredients when making chicken pie.
Ingredients:
2 kg chicken thighs fillets
1 tbsp dried mint – divided
5-6 tbsp olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
700 gms mushrooms – sliced
Chicken pie with mushrooms
For the bechamel sauce:
1 litre full cream milk
6 tbsp butter
4 heaped tbsp cornflour
3 eggs lightly beaten with a fork
½ cup grated haloumi cheese or kefalograviera
1 packet Antoniou filo pastry
Approx. 125 gms melted butter
Steamed greens to serve or any salad of your choice
Method:
Cut chicken thighs into bite size pieces – approx. 2cm x 2cm cubes.
In a non-stick frypan, sauté the chicken pieces until cooked – you will need to do this in batches. Season with salt, pepper and dried mint. Don’t add all the dried mint at once because you are cooking in batches. Divide mint according to the amount of batches needed.
Once all chicken is done, set aside and allow to cool completely.
Wipe the pan with kitchen paper towel and add 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté the mushrooms till cooked. Set aside till they cool down completely.
For the bechamel:
Chicken pie with mushrooms
On a medium heat, melt your butter in a clean saucepan, and add your cornflour. Using a whisk, stir butter and cornflour till your roux is incorporated and cornflour has been cooked off (couple of minutes). Add your milk to the roux and keep whisking till fully incorporated and no lumps are present. Now add your lightly beaten eggs into the milk mixture and keep whisking making sure it doesn’t catch on the base of the pot. It is important to add the eggs before the milk gets hot as you will risk scrambling the eggs otherwise. Add you salt and keep stirring till you sauce thickens.
Chicken pie with mushrooms
Once the sauce has thickened, add your haloumi cheese and stir through. This will further thicken your sauce.
Now add your cooked chicken pieces and mushrooms to the bechamel and stir through to mix all together – set aside till it completely cools downs.
In the meantime, preheat your oven on 150C fan. Grease your baking tray (approx. 32cm x 20cm, or a round tray).
Butter a sheet of filo pastry and add another on top of it (total of 2 sheets). Lay it on one side of your tray with half of it overhanging (as show in photo). Repeat the same on all sides of tray. Take 2 more buttered sheets, fold in half and lay them on the base of your tray. This will give full coverage of your tray on the base and all sides. Pour your cooled chicken/mushroom mixture and in a reverse way, fold the overhung filo onto the pie until all filo is folded over. Take another 2 buttered sheets of filo and cover the top of the pie to give it a neat and clean finish. You can leave it as is now and butter the top and cook or you can scrunch up individual pieces of filo and add them on top of your pie. You can add as many or as little as you like. Make sure you butter the tops of the scrunched filo as to not dry them out.
Cook in a preheated oven on low heat (150C) to make sure the filo pastry is cooked all the way through. This could take up to `1 ½ hours.
Dr Nick Trakakis will give a seminar on Thursday, May 30 at the Greek Centre in Melbourne on the late poet Tasos Leivaditis.
Leivaditis (1922-88) is one of the greatest poets of the first post-war generation. He was born and raised in Athens and from a young age he showed interest in both poetry and politics. His political ideas and his involvement in the National Liberation Front (EAM) during World War II led to his arrest and imprisonment.
With the escalation of the civil war in June 1948, he was arrested and exiled to Moudros. From 1948 to 1952, he was exiled for his political beliefs to Lemnos, Ai Stratis, and Makronisos, along with other left-wing artists and intellectuals, such as Yannis Ritsos, Aris Alexandrou, and Manos Katrakis.
He was released in late 1951, and immediately after, he made his poetic debut, vividly expressing the horror of war and the longing for justice and peace. In 1952, his poetry collections “Battle at the Edge of the Night” and “This Star is for All of Us” were published. The following year, his poetry collection “It Blows at the Crossroads of the World” won the first poetry prize at the World Youth Festival in Warsaw.
From 1954 to 1967, he worked at the newspaper “I Avgi” as a poetry critic, while simultaneously creating a rich body of poetic work that speaks directly to the souls and collective memory of the Class. He is the one who spoke about friendship, love, relationships in general, and struggle. He described in the most free and real way the interaction of emotion and resistance. Ultimately, he is the poet of Love and Revolution.
Dr Trakakis’ seminar will offer an overview of Leivaditis’ life, as well as an introduction to his most important works.
Bio
Dr Nick Trakakis teaches philosophy at the Australian Catholic University, and also writes and translates poetry. His translations of Tasos Leivaditis’ work include “The Blind Man with the Lamp” (Denise Harvey Publications, 2014), “Violets for a Season” (Red Dragonfly Press, 2017), “Autumn Manuscripts” (Smokestack Books, 2020, joint winner of the NSW Premier’s Translation Prize), and “Night Visitor” (Human Side Press, 2023).
Event details:
When: Thursday 30 May 2024, 7pm
Speaker: Dr Nick Trakakis
SEMINAR: Tasos Leivaditis: Poet of Revolutions and Sunsets
Where: Greek Centre (Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne)
Entry: Free
SPONSOR: Hellenic Writers’ Association of Australia
Greek Australian-bred, LA-based multi-platinum singer, songwriter and dance music producer VASSY (real name Vasiliki “Vassy” Karagiorgos) has been honoured with the Billions List Award by APRA AMCOS.
Αccording to themusic.com, the achievement arrives after VASSY hit the milestone of two billion streams of her single Bad, starring David Guetta and Showtek (released in 2014). To celebrate the honour, she performed an acoustic set in an intimate ceremony.
“It feels so good to be Back in Australia. Thank you, APRA AMCOS, for my Billions Award for Bad reaching the 2 BILLION stream milestone! It was so special to be around my Aussie community,” she commented in a statement.
“Thank you for all the love & support you have given me over the years. I am truly thankful to have such a supportive crew of people who believe in me and have been my champions from day one.”
Photo: vassymusic.com
VASSY performed at Darwin’s BASSINTHEGRASS Festival on Saturday, 18 May. Her latest single is Midnight, a song produced by UK producer duo Punctual (Calvin Harris, Becky Hill, Joel Corry) and Aussie hitmakers Uncanny Valley (Justin Shave and Charlton Hill).
Last year, VASSY opened for Barbie Girl icons Aqua in the US. The touring slot followed her win of the Future of Dance Award at the Miami Electronic Dance Music Awards, where she was also the first female artist to be crowned with the Icon Award.
Following the epic win, VASSY told Purple Sneakers in an interview, “To be recognised for my art and contribution to the Dance Community by my industry and the fans in the dance space is such a rewarding moment and monumental career highlight.
Themis Chryssidis is transforming his acclaimed city restaurant, eleven, with a new menu and more affordable prices together with Callum Hann.
According to the Advertiser, the prominent Adelaide restaurateurs have also announced the opening of a casual lunch spot in the adjoining Arbor Lane laneway. Additionally, they plan to renovate eleven’s existing outdoor bar and cafe area.
The leading Adelaide restaurateurs have also revealed they will open an additional casual lunch spot in the adjoining Arbor Lane laneway, offering food from 8am, and have plans to renovate eleven’s existing outdoor bar and cafe area.
Chryssidis explained that eleven, the modern Australian restaurant they launched in 2021, will close at the beginning of August and reopen a month later with a fresh “light and bright” design, a new name, and a different culinary focus.
“It’s going to feel a little more casual. It’s still going to be the same quality food that we’re known for – fresh, seasonal, local – with great hospitality that people expect from us, but in a more light, vibrant environment,” he said.
Photo: glamadelaide.com.au
“It will also be at a lower price point. Not that eleven is expensive, but the perception is that eleven is more expensive than it really is.”
In November last year, Chryssidis and Hann opened Olive, a Mediterranean-focused eatery on Pirie Street in the city, offering “big flavors,” generous share plates, and all-day dining.
The duo, who co-founded Sprout Cooking School in 2011, also teamed up for Mediterranean eatery, Lou’s Place, at the Lou Miranda Estate cellar door in Rowland Flat, in 2020.
The big changes to eleven were initially announced on the restaurant’s social media accounts.
“Our venue will finally be accessible from King William St and Franklin St and we can’t wait to welcome the resulting foot traffic through our city oasis,” the post said.
“We are so excited about the possibilities at the new and rejuvenated site that in addition to a brand new concept we will also be expanding our offering in the area as we take an additional tenancy … proof we aren’t going anywhere!”
