Adelaide City Councillor Mary Couros has tabled a motion for the council to overturn its original decision to reject the construction of a 1.1 metre fence for one of the Adelaide Comets FC pitches.
The club’s initial proposal called for a 1.1 metre fence to be built around the Adelaide Comets FC pitch, after the football club had received $1.7 million in state government funding to make upgrades to its home ground at Ellis Park.
At a council meeting earlier this month, five out of nine councillors rejected the proposal for the fence, due to the possibility that it could set a ‘precedent’ for the parklands and create an illusion that the public would be excluded.
Jim Tsouvalas is the Adelaide Comets FC president. Photo: Matt Loxton.
In response, Ms Couros has tabled a motion in Tuesday night’s agenda to overturn the decision, stressing the need for additional support for recreational sports and grassroots clubs.
“I’m hoping over the last two weeks some councillors have had the opportunity to reflect and ask questions of administration to make an informed decision on Tuesday night,” Ms Couros said.
There is also a 1500-signature petition now live in support of the Comets.
Archbishop Makarios of Australia welcomed the outgoing Ambassador of Greece in Australia, George Papacostas, to the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia at Redfern, Sydney on Thursday, February 22.
Other guests present on the day included the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis; the Permanent Military Attaché of the Greek Embassy, Colonel Ioannis Fasianos; Bishop Elpidios of Kyanea; Bishop Bartholomew of Charioupolis; and Mr Papacostas’ wife, Gohar Badalyan.
During the visit, Mr Papacostas was honoured for his service to Australia as he prepares to leave the country following the completion of his four-year term.
Greece’s Ambassador to Australia, George Papacostas. Photo credit: mfa.gr
Archbishop Makarios honoured the Greek diplomat with the prestigious Grand Cross of the Order of Christ-Loving with a Star.
After receiving his award, the Archbishop farewelled Mr Papacostas and wished him good health, strength and success for his next duties.
Mr Papacostas responded by extending his wishes to Archbishop Makarios for good health and longevity.
As part of the NSW Government’s focus on road safety, all motorists driving on a foreign licence will now have a maximum of six months to convert to a NSW licence if they want to reside in the state and remain on the road.
The tightening of overseas licence usage removes a loophole left behind by the Liberal National government that only required new arrivals to NSW from 1 July 2023 to convert their licence within six months of residing here.
Under Regulation changes announced today, anyone who has been driving on an overseas licence regardless of when they arrived in NSW – will also be required to switch to a NSW licence.
Existing residents will have 12 months from tomorrow to undertake this process.
The previous government’s loophole led to thousands of drivers racking up demerit points but remaining beyond the reach of NSW authorities.
In one case, a driver accrued more than 35 demerit points, an outcome unthinkable to the nearly seven million other drivers in NSW.
Many drivers – some of whom have spent years on a foreign licence – will need to pass a practical driving test to remain behind the wheel. Others, whose licenses are from countries which have road systems more compatible with NSW, will need to simply convert their licence.
In the five-year period between 2018-2022 there were 23 fatal crashes and 468 serious injury crashes involving a driver or rider on an overseas licence in NSW.
According to preliminary data from 2023, a further five fatal crashes involved drivers or riders not on an overseas licence.
Drivers who have been using a foreign licence before July 1 last year and want to remain on the road must now obtain a NSW licence by 1 March 2025.
This timeframe will allow Service NSW sufficient time to process tests and licences while still handling the normal flow of learner and provisional licence tests.
To absorb the increased demand, Service NSW has opened a Driver Testing Centre in Macquarie Fields, a second dedicated driver testing centre along with one in St. Marys.
Minister for Customer Service Jihad Dib said that as settling into a new country can be challenging, so by Service NSW introducing this driver testing service and making it quick and easy, they hope to get new people, as well as local residents on the road sooner.
“The new Macquarie Fields Driver Testing Centre will guide temporary visa holders through every step of the process to get them on the road as quickly, and more importantly, as safely as possible.”
Minister for Roads, John Graham said the changes aim to ensure the safety of all seven million drivers on the roads.
“More drivers on a NSW licence sooner will improve the standard of driving in NSW and therefore safety overall,” Mr Graham said.
“The former government talked tough in this area but what they left behind was a work-lite, safety left in the backseat, compromise that squibbed the challenge in this space.
“This Regulation change means no one will be able to drive around for years and years on NSW roads without coming under the NSW licence system. The Government is not going to cop people running up demerit points with impunity.”
“When everyone comes under the same set of rules then safety is enhanced, but for belligerent rule breakers who have had a place to hide behind overseas licences, they will now face the full force of NSW law.”
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a surprise visit to the Antipodes Festival on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne, Victoria, on Saturday, February 24.
Mr Albanese arrived at the event alongside his new fiancée Jodie Haydon, and was greeted by the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), Bill Papastergiadis, and the Federal Minister for Multiculturalism, Andrew Giles.
Anthony Albanese arrives. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis.Mr Albanese, his fiancée and Minister Giles speak with Bill Papastergiadis. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis. Albanese meets with the local Greek youth. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis.
Whilst ushering him to the stage to speak with the packed crowd outside, Mr Papastergiadis thanked Mr Albanese for taking time out of his busy schedule to attend the Antipodes Festival, to which the Prime Minister replied, “I’ve heard you can’t say no to Bill Papastergiadis.”
On stage, the conversation continued with Mr Papastergiadis welcoming Mr Albanese to “the biggest festival in the global Greek diaspora.” The GCM President also asked the Prime Minister what his favourite place in Melbourne was.
Bill Papastergiadis (left), Anthony Albanese MP (centre) and Andrew Giles MP (right) on stage. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.Antipodes Festival’s organising committee. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis.Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis.
“Stalactites, just here,” Mr Albanese said with a laugh, pointing at the nearby iconic restaurant on Lonsdale Street. “It’s where I always used to come when I visited Melbourne.”
The Australian Prime Minister – who has Italian heritage and grew up in the predominantly Greek suburb of Marrickville in Sydney – added that he was excited to be at an event surrounded by “the largest Greek population outside of Greece in Melbourne.”
“The Festival has been going for almost 40 years and getting bigger and better, and that is a great privilege,” Mr Albanese said.
The official appearance concluded with Mr Papastergiadis thanking Minister Giles for helping bring the Prime Minister to the Antipodes Festival. The GCM President also presented Mr Albanese and his fiancée with an engagement gift from the latest Korres and Mecca collaboration.
Bill Papastergiadis gives a gift to Anthony Albanese and his fiancée. Photo copyright: The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
A strong showing in the first half was enough for Sydney Olympic to run out 4-0 winners over the Emerging Jets on Sunday afternoon.
With Olympic looking to rebuild their side after losing key talents Allira Toby and Angelique Hristodoulou, the matchup with the Jets served as a chance for the squad to build their chemistry early.
For the Emerging Jets coming into this game, three points would have been hugely sought after, having been the only side to not win a game throughout the entirety of last season.
Olympic’s Maxine Peak provided the opener for her side after strongly retaining possession and stepping beyond her defender to ruthlessly fire the ball beyond Jets goalkeeper Tegan Harvey. 1-0 to Olympic in the 13th minute.
Olympic would not have to wait long for goal No. 2 with Peak doing well to earn a penalty for her side which was dispatched coolly by Demi Koulizakis in the 15th minute.
Koulizakis would work hard to secure her brace when in the 24th minute the striker picked up the ball just outside the box and drove at the Jets defence, sending a sumptuous chipped effort over Harvey that deflected off the cross bar and back toward Koulizakis to tuck it away. 3-0 to Olympic.
Almost immediately after the restart following the 3rd goal, Peak showed great determination to slide the ball through the surrounding Jets defenders and into the path of Priya Sciuriaga who showed no signs of stopping as she forayed past the opposition to confidently best Harvey with a chip for 4-0.
After an intense face-off with Italy’s Mattia Furlani, the Greek long jump champion Miltiadis Tentoglou successfully retained his world indoor long jump title.
Thereigning Olympic, world and European outdoors long jump champion Tentoglou competed on Saturday morning, March 2 in Glasgow, when he and Furlani jumped 8.22 metres during the competition.
European Athletics revealed that neither of the men went further, however Tentoglou remained steady in first place for the rest of the competition, except very briefly for less than a minute in the fourth round, by virtue of having a better second jump.
This led to a $40,000 prize cheque for Tentoglou and a gold medal. However, he had mixed feelings about his performance.
Long live the long jump king 👑
🇬🇷's Miltiadis Tentoglou defends his long jump title after a nail-biting battle with 🇮🇹's Mattia Furlani 🤯
“I jumped terrible. I was lucky to win so I am just a lucky guy. It was very close, but I hope everyone had some fun today. At least it was exciting in the end,” Tentoglou said.
“However, this track is one of my favourite ones so that was good, similar as in Budapest I guess.”
Miltiadis Tentoglou has now been named unbeaten in 13 indoor competitions, and his winning streak extends back more than two years to February 2022.
He will next compete at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships.
The director of the Innovation Youth Centre in Victoria, Paul Papadatos has pushed for the government to provide it with much-needed funding.
This comes after the Bundoora youth centre is at risk of being forced to shut its doors next month due to a lack of funding.
A Current Affair revealed that over the last 19 months, the centre has helped 500 people, many of which have faced troubles with the law and taught them life skills.
“Young people are taught how to build a resume or dress for a job interview, even how to make a cup of coffee,” Mr Papadatos said.
The director of the centre said he is doing everything he can to try and save the youth centre, however, hasn’t had much luck. It needs almost $2 million to remain open for the next two years.
We are the only youth centre of its kind here in the #CityOfWhittlesea and will be shut by the 1st of March 2024 due to government funding ending. #youthcentre
DONATE NOW & HELP US HELP THEM!
— Paul Papadatos – Innovation Youth Centre (@Tourba331978) January 31, 2024
“We’ve tried all different tiers of government from local, state and federal and unfortunately, we haven’t had success,” he said.
“If this place isn’t saved it’ll shut its doors on March 1, all this good, all this progress gone.”
The board member of the youth centre, Alex Messina, shared that the community would notice a difference if the centre closes.
“If we’re not here, it means more crime, more disadvantage, less stable lives, less people getting into jobs,” Messina said.
“You can’t just turn the tap off after 18 months, you know, you can’t just stop because the kids need that ongoing support.”
In response to criticisms, the Victorian government said in a statement that “the Innovation Youth Centre is funded by the Federal Government.”
“The Victorian Government is working with the City of Whittlesea to meet the needs of young people in the region and we recently provided the council funding to determine the location, infrastructure and services that young people in the community need,” the statement read.
Cypriot Australian singer Silia Kapsis has released the first teaser of the song she will be performing at this year’s Eurovision competition as she represents Cyprus.
The sneak peek at the new song, ‘Liar,’ comes ahead of the music competition which will take place in Malmö, Sweden in May.
In the video, the young singer is shown in a renowned hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus, dressed in gold and dancing in the lobby alongside two dancers.
‘Liar’ has been described as a danceable pop song which is expected to be a hit amongst Eurovision competition fans.
The official release of the song takes place next Thursday, February 29.
SYRIZA President Stefanos Kasselakis brought clarity to the tumultuous atmosphere of the party’s congress on Sunday, firmly stating, “We’re not heading for elections – the masks have fallen.”
The heated debate surrounding potential leadership elections dominated the congress’s final day on Sunday, with both fervent support and staunch opposition echoing through the assembly hall.
After much deliberation, SYRIZA reached a definitive decision: internal party elections will not proceed.
Kasselakis, in his address earlier that day, had initially proposed moving forward with internal party elections on March 10. However, this plan faced a significant challenge when SYRIZA MP and former minister Olga Gerovasili declared her candidacy for party leadership on Saturday, directly challenging Kasselakis. Yet, during her speech at the congress, Gerovasili deemed the March 10 plan unrealistic and pledged to withdraw her candidacy if it proceeded as proposed.
Πάρτε το κόμμα στα χέρια σας. Δικό σας είναι.
Κάποιοι έχουν σχέδιο το κακό εκλογικό αποτέλεσμα στις ευρωεκλογές.
Κάποιοι θέλουν να μου χρεώσουν την αποτυχία και να πάμε σε ένα νέο ρινγκ.
Τι κάνουμε όλοι εμείς απέναντι σε αυτούς τους λίγους; Επανίδρυση. Νέα Όργανα.… pic.twitter.com/yo3FL7PbSx
— Stefanos Kasselakis – Στέφανος Κασσελάκης (@skasselakis) February 25, 2024
The unfolding drama saw Gerovasili referencing Kasselakis’s own words, stating, “Dear Stefanos, in your initial speech, you said, ‘Find me an opponent, and let’s go.’ If you retract it, we stop here.”
The roots of this internal conflict trace back to former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s involvement in the party’s affairs. Tsipras’s call for a fresh vote of confidence from party members for the newly appointed leader catalyzed the discourse. Former Minister Alekos Flabouraris expressed his support for Gerovasili during the conference, further highlighting the divisions within the party.
Despite the vocal opposition, prominent figures within SYRIZA, like MP Pavlos Polakis and former SYRIZA member Nikos Pappas, expressed skepticism about the necessity of new elections, labeling Tsipras’s intervention as “untimely and wrong.”
As the congress drew to a close, Elena Akrita emphasised continuity, stating, “These elections should not take place. We have a president, and with him, we will continue and move forward.”
By Kaye Lafyati I General Secretary of the Imvrian Society of Melbourne.
From Imbros over the Sea, by historian and philhellene Jim Claven OAM, provides a historical and pictorial overview of the events that took place on the then Greek island of Imbros (present day Gokçeada) during the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915-1916.
Imbros’ rich history dating back to antiquity is shared with the reader. Claven transports us back in time to the Homeric epoch, quoting from the Iliad, describing the rocky terrain of the island. A brief overview is provided informing readers of the various powers that came to be after the fall of Ancient Athens. The people of Imbros survived throughout all the occupations, maintaining their Greek language, culture and their fervent faith.
This inaugural historic account of the role of Imbros in the Gallipoli Campaign is given in a manner that transports the readers’ imagination to that time, allowing them to bear witness to the transformation of parts of the island to cater to the multifold demands of the campaign, the progression of events until its culmination, the subsequent evacuations of the Gallipoli Peninsula and finally the departure of troops from the island.
Claven utilises a multi-faceted approach in his documentation of the developments and events that occurred at the time. He incorporates narration and analysis in his transcription, presented in chronological order and analysis of the why and the how they took place, respectively. The accuracy of dates and events are attested by the plethora of primary and secondary sources utilised by the historian, resulting in an unbiased and factual account of the events that transpired on Imbros during the campaign. Moreover, this publication boasts a rich collection of photographs depicting Imbros throughout the course of its role in the Gallipoli Campaign. It also shares photographic material from Claven’s personal archives of the island, including locations that were instrumental during the campaign.
“The 1st Australian Field Bakery established on ‘K’ Beach, Imbros.” c. 1915 (Book image 14). Courtesy AWM.
This book has a very clear layout. The historical overview of the connection between Imbros and Gallipoli is broken down into 15 subtopics. Claven takes the reader through the developments and outcomes of the campaign in a manner which does not confuse or baffle. Rather, he brings the events to life in a very clear manner. To assist the reader further, Claven has provided a timeline of the key events, five appendices, which include maps of the area and archival photograph references, sources and further reading suggestions.
The strategic position of Imbros was unequivocally the reason why it was deemed ideal to play a role in the campaign. Claven recounts the initial arrival of the Allied Fleet and describes in depth the transformation of parts of the island to cater to the requirements of the Allied Forces. Kephalos Bay becoming a major anchorage for the numerous vessels that came to and left from the island. The establishment of military and navy bases followed, as well as the campaign headquarters and hospitals. Wounded and sick soldiers were brought to Imbros either to receive treatment or to be transported onwards. It is pointed out that in one particular week, almost 13,000 wounded soldiers were brought from the battlefields.
Claven continues to detail the creation of the Australian Bakery on Imbros and its associated challenges. Regardless of the difficulties faced, production was kept up and thousands of fresh loaves were transported to the ANZAC troops on a daily basis, meeting the daily ration requirements. The bakery also supplied the General Headquarters and troops on the island. For a period of time, a staggering 60,000 daily bread rations were produced on Imbros!
The reader learns about the various interactions between the local Greeks and the troops and other Allied service personnel. Claven refers to numerous letters and other sources written by them in great detail. They are very poignant accounts which describe not only the local people, but also the flora of the island, the fig trees and vineyards, the monasteries and churches, the villages and their architecture, the food and the hospitality they enjoyed, and the mode of transport which allowed their exploration of the island!
Besides such correspondence, some troops chose to paint or sketch their impressions of what they saw and experienced. A selection of watercolours has been included in this publication which depict various parts of the island and aspects of the campaign, including warships in the harbour, military headquarters, landscapes and Greek Orthodox churches. This artwork makes it possible for readers to admire the natural landscape of Imbros and in some to see how the campaign impacted it.
As a very proud Imvrian-Greek Australian, I take my hat off to Jim Claven for addressing the gap in literature pertaining to the role Imbros played in the Gallipoli Campaign. Through his accounts of the events that transpired and highlighting the human factor, be it the soldiers’ struggles or the soldiers’ interaction with the local Imbrians, the reader becomes aware and learns about another facet of the Gallipoli campaign, and is able to appreciate the significance of the strategic role Imbros played. I thoroughly recommend you read this book, it is a very interesting and enlightening read. It is well-researched and is a tremendous contribution to the historic genre.
Detail of the Byzantine-era ruins at Castro (Kalekoy), revealing the marble stones sourced from Ancient Greek Temples as noted by British Captain John Gillam during his visit in 1915. 2015, (Book 79 Image) Courtesy Jim Claven.
This publication is a companion volume to the Imbros & Gallipoli Revealed Exhibition, which was launched in Melbourne, in 2023. It is hoped that this pictorial exhibition will soon be able to be viewed across Australia, including in Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Going to Kephalos, Aydincik as it is now known, will never be the same. The vision of the ships in the harbour and the overflying planes has been entrenched in my mind.
Jim Claven’s From Imbros Over The Sea is published by the Imvrians’ Society of Melbourne. Priced at $35. To order contact George Xinos – georgexinos@gmail.com or click on the QR code:
Kaye Lafyati is General Secretary of the Imvrians’ Society of Melbourne. She has recently completed her Master of Translation and Interpreting. She can be contacted via email – kayekl@hotmail.com
