In response to the students’ need for a dynamic start in their preparation for the VCE exams, the Greek Community’s Language and Cultural Schools are organising a two-day intensive program at the Greek Centre.
This program is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of VCE students in Modern Greek studies.
This educational initiative aims to provide students with a valuable opportunity to enhance their proficiency in the Greek language, familiarise themselves smoothly with the VCE syllabus and requirements, understand the structure of the examinations, and practice all the necessary skills.
Greek Community of Melbourne modern Greek language students. Photo: GCM.
The Principal of the GCM Schools, Mrs. Maria Bakalidou, stated, ‘We were impressed by the outcomes of last year’s workshop, witnessing a notable improvement in the preparedness of students who attended for their VCE courses.
“Beyond offering theoretical insights into the syllabus and exam structure, the program provides students with the chance to practically sharpen all four required skills for the exam.
“This intensive workshop emphasizes not only the theoretical presentation of modules but primarily focuses on practical application through relevant exercises and examples.”
Dr. Nick Dallas, the GCM Head of Educational Programs, said, ‘We take pride in the achievements of our students in the VCE exams and in the consistent success ensured through the quality of our programs and staff”.
“The GCM’s educational program is comprehensive and intricate, extending beyond theoretical classroom lessons throughout the year. It encompasses various activities and educational interventions, exemplified by the VCE summer school.”
The workshop program is as follows:
Oral & Listening | Wednesday, 24 January
Reading & Writing | Thursday, 25 January
10.00am – 2.30pm
Limited spots are available. To secure your spot, register via the Greek Community of Melbourne’s website.
Greece’s Foreign Minister has expressed his deep concern regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza and the rising maritime instability in the Red Sea.
Ekathimerini shared that Mr George Gerapetritis had discussions with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday (17 January).
“We are very concerned about the situation amid the spread of hostilities from all directions and on all sides,” Mr Gerapetritis said.
“There have been hostilities in northern Israel, southern Lebanon, and the Red Sea.”
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis. Photo: Ekathimerini.
He then emphasized the need to ensure more humanitarian aid is provided to avoid further escalation to the crisis.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza and the high number of casualties require immediate action,” Mr Gerapetriris said.
“Greece, as the country with the largest merchant fleet in the world, and Egypt, which controls the geostrategic connection point between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, have a common interest in imposing stability in the region.
“Greece, as a reliable strategic ally of all Arab nations and especially Egypt, is doing its utmost to prevent an escalation and to find a real solution to this intense problem.”
He further added in an interview with Egypt’s “Al Ahram” publication that “over the years, Greece has developed a strategic partnership with Egypt,” and that Athens appreciates Egypt’s role as “a pillar of stability in the region.”
The legendary Greek boxer George Kambosos is set to take on Vasiliy Lomachenko on Sunday, 12 May in Perth, Australia.
Sporting News shared that Kambosos will be fighting for the IBF lightweight title on Australian shores against Lomanchenko, who is a two-time Olympic gold medallist.
George Kambosos. Photo: George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr.
It is set to take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, which holds a capacity of 15,000 people.
The 30-year-old Greek fighter’s match against Lomachenko is expected to take place on Sunday afternoon in Australia, to allow for a Saturday night fight on ESPN in America.
Another two Australian fighters, Jason and Andrew Moloney are also expected to feature on the card.
On Wednesday, 17 January, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Davos, Switzerland for the 54th annual meeting with the World Economic Forum.
Ekathimerini shared that according to government sources, Mitsotakis discuss and highlight Greece’s role as a stable and reliable force in Europe despite a period of conflicts, uncertainty, multiple crises, and geopolitical realities.
The World Economic Forum’s theme this year is all about “Rebuilding Trust”, which follows the upcoming European Parliament elections in June this year, and the US presidential election later this year.
Mitsotakis ất lát year’s World Economic Forum. Photo: AP News.
At this meeting, Mitsotakis engaged with top business leaders and senior executives from major technology and energy companies who have previously shown an interest in Greece’s investment potential.
“With the restored investment grade and growth rates surpassing the EU average, the prime minister aims to present the Greek economy’s prospects and the government’s goals for the new four-year term,” a government source stated.
Mitsotakis is also expected to participate in a panel discussion on the EU’s Green Deal later today (Thursday), where he will be joined by Vice President of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic.
An additional discussion with Foreign Policy’s editor-in-chief, Ravi Agrawal is also to be expected.
The family of the train driver who died during the train collision in Tempi, Central Greece last year have sent a legal notice to the parliamentary panel regarding his medical records.
Taking place on Wednesday, (17 January), the family accused a representative member of Greece’s New Democracy party of “attempting to shift blame onto the deceased driver by using medical documents, creating impressions of medical issues that supposedly rendered him unfit for work”.
The train collision took place last year in Tempi, Central Greece. Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP via Getty Images.
Ekathimerini said this followed the head-on collision between two train drivers on February 28 in Tempi, where 57 passengers, including both train drivers died.
The family of the driver presented his medical records to the Investigative Committee by the Conservative lawmaker, and argued that prior to the incident, he had suffered tfrom two strokes and he was unfit for duty.
They further shared that the driver’s sealed medical documents left out key information indicating how he was deemed unfit to work and conduct his duties.
The president of the Regulatory Authority for Railways then shared that all train drivers undergo strict medical exams, and the driver’s medical records were yet to be submitted.
PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis also commented on the issue, and further accused the ruling Conservatives of attempt to cover up those responsible for the train collision tragedy.
Maria Sakkari has been left defeated after last night’s tennis match against Elina Avanesyan.
Tennis Up To Date shared that the Greek tennis player lost 6-4, 6-4 to her Russian opponent.
Despite winning her opening match in this year’s Australian Open season, Sakkari was left disappointed after her last three Grand Slam appearances including in the US Open, Wimbledon and Roland Garros.
The Women’s Tennis Association shared that Avanesyan defeated the world number 8, Maria Sakkari in 1 hour and 43 minutes. The game continued to almost 1 am.
With a blend of elevated defensive shots and plenty of speed, the Russian tennis player kept Sakkari positioned well behind the baseline.
Throughout the match, Sakkari struffled tomaintain a proactive stance and that resulted in 43 unforced errors.
“At this very moment, I only remember the last point, the way it finished,” Tsitsipas said in an on-court interview.
“The adrenaline and the rush that I got out of this match was insane tonight. You live for these kinds of matches.
“The intensity was there. We were both able to peak in terms of our tennis at some point during the match. Jordan was fighting. I was serving for the match, he had an incredible comeback.”
The 25-year-old Greek is now set to go head to head against Luca Van Assche for the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The Greek diaspora have requested to expand postal voting rights coming up to the national elections in Greece.
Ekathimerini shared that during a parliamentary committee meeting, a discussion regarding an upcoming legislation addressing mail-in voting rights for European Parliament elections and national referendums took place.
Interior Minister Niki Kerameus recently addressed the introduction of the postal voting bill in Greek parliament. Photo: Supplied.
The representative members of the diaspora emphasised the significance of including national elections in postal voting rights, requesting changes be made by the next election cycle.
Additionally, the idea of digitizing the voting process was also addressed by the diaspora, where they shared how voting online could contribute to a more inclusive representation of expatriates and members of the diaspora during electoral processes.
The newly proposed bill entailing thepostal voting rights is expected to come up in the next week. Source: Ekathimerini.
When Eleftheria (Ellie) Prodomou was working as a journalist in Greece in 2008, a small dog would meet her at the bus stop every morning on her way to work. They warmed to each other quickly. Ellie would bring the dog food and clean water and the petite pooch would meet her at the same time, at the same bus stop every day. Ellie soon started knowing the dog as “Penny.”
Until one morning, Penny didn’t show up to the bus stop.
A security guard working nearby, who had been watching the two bond for months, gestured towards a corpse in the gutter on the side of the road. Ellie suspected Penny had been hit by a car and left to be disposed of by council cleaning trucks.
It was in honour of Penny that Ellie’s charity, the Penny Marathon, was born.
Penny Marathon.
“I will forever feel an enormous sense of guilt for not having provided Penny with a safe home, and now live life as a person who has learned from that mistake,” Ellie tells The Greek Herald.
The Penny Marathon is an annual marathon held on the same day in July in cities around the world raising money for suffering animals and their rescuers. It has taken place in cities throughout Greece, Australia, the United States, Germany and the Czech Republic.
“I was never a runner; nor did I set out to start a charity. A friend was getting married in the village of Marathon in 2012,” Ellie explained.
Eleftheria (Ellie) Prodomou with Penny.
“I was flying over to attend the wedding and thought I would train to run the original route from Marathon to Athens to raise some money through family and friends for stray animals in Greece. People found out over the internet and that’s how it all started.”
So far, the Penny Marathon has raised over $200,000 with tens of thousands of people and dogs participating.
Funds raised go toward financial support for emergency medical treatment, food, vaccinations and spay/neutering. Though, the reach of the Penny Marathon expands beyond Greece and Australia, and even includes responding to animal needs in crisis zones like Ukraine and Gaza.
“We decide where the money goes based on greatest need. For example, when the war started in the Ukraine, some people fled and left their unneutered pets behind,” she said.
Penny Marathon.
“We worked with frontline rescuers in Odessa to spay and neuter them to prevent the breeding cycle of suffering. Many of these dogs then found homes in neighbouring European countries.”
Currently, the Penny Marathon team are raising money for Sulala Animal Rescue in Gaza. They are also saving for a wildlife fund in Australia in preparation for the expected fire season over summer.
The Penny Marathon support neutering and spaying (sterilising a female dog) due to the potential to save millions of stray animals from a life of suffering as a result of the breeding cycle. On the island of Salamina, Greece alone, they have desexed more than 400 stray cats and dogs, and in Ukraine, they have desexed 220.
Penny Marathon.
When asked how she measures the impact of the Penny Marathon, Ellie recounted a list of countless stories ranging from the puppy found floating in a plastic bag in Monemvasia who now lives with a family in the Netherlands (which the family named Ellie), to Frangolina, the stray dog she brought to Australia from Kalamata who now lives a happy life in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.
From her answers it is clear the Penny Marathon is, and always will be, a grassroots organisation powered by volunteers and supporters with rescuing animals at the core of everything it does.
“We are not the type of people to partner with corporates to grow; we much prefer to stick to our own ethics and values and not compromise. That is likely to mean we will never go viral, but that suits us just fine!” she said.
While many non-profit organisations around the world lobby for change from governments or industry leaders, Ellie said impactful change for stray animals also comes down to everyday people.
“All of us in rescue around the world want people to stop buying from breeders. There are millions of healthy animals around the world that are euthanised every year because no one comes to their rescue,” she said.
“And yet, people continue to buy $10,000 cavoodles… Adopt don’t shop – it’s that easy to save the life of another living being.”
While there is no official number of stray animals recorded in Greece, Ellie said the burden of an estimated 1-3 million stray animals in the country alone falls heavily on volunteer animal rescuers who receive little to no financial or community support.
She would like to see everyone who lives in or visits Greece take responsibility when they see a stray animal in distress.
“When you travel to Greece, understand that, if you find a stray animal in distress – and you may – it is very likely that there will be no one but you to help them,” Ellie said.
Penny Marathon.
“When I travel to Greece, I always factor in time to volunteer at an animal rescue shelter. If you want to make a difference, there’s no better way.”
Find out more about the Penny Marathon on their website and keep up with updates on their Instagram @pennymarathon
The wider City of Monash region in Melbourne, housing suburbs Oakleigh and Clayton, is set to transform into an employment and population hub that, if eventuated, will match Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) today.
According to The Age, the Monash University precinct and surrounds is already the busiest employment cluster outside of Melbourne’s CBD.
The area, which includes the Monash Medical Centre, Children’s Hospital, Victorian Heart Hospital, the CSIRO, the Australian Synchrotron, and an increasing number of biotechnology companies and start-ups, is attracting highly trained professionals, including many migrants.
Mount Waverley resident, Gregory Liakatos who drives to Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall often for Greek coffee, welcomes the changes to come despite what he has grown accustomed to all these years.
Gregory Liakatos with lifelong friend, James Kaloumeris enjoying Greek coffee in Oakleigh. Photo: Joe Armao.Vanilla Lounge owners, Tia Spanos Tsonis (far right) with her two sisters. Photo: Joe Armao.
“We’ve got lots of other nationalities coming in adding to the beauty of the place,” he says. “Things can’t stay the same forever. This is life. Melbourne has to grow,” Liakatos said.
Tia Spanos Tsonis, one of the owners of Oakleigh’s famous Vanilla Lounge, a family-owned Greek patisserie and Mediterranean restaurant, stated that Eaton Mall has evolved over the previous 15 years from a largely Greek client base to a mix of cultures and international tourists.
“It’s become a destination,” says Tsonis, the daughter of Greek migrants, whose family have been in hospitality for 50 years.
Clayton’s Grain Emporium owner, Nick Mademlis who opened his bakery 27 years ago, shared similar sentiments for his suburb and says the transformation of Clayton has helped it to thrive.
“Back in the day, Clayton was European city,” he says. “Now it is a younger demographic. It’s dynamic and it is vibrant…” Mademlis said.
The population in the vicinity of the new Monash station will increase from around 14,000 to 30,500 by the middle of the century, while the number of employment will increase from 36,500 to 162,000.
If those forecasts are true, the combined Clayton and Monash University district will have the same number of employment (219,500) as Melbourne’s CBD today.
