A heartfelt message from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was read out at the state funeral of Arthur Leggett OAM, Western Australia’s last surviving World War II prisoner of war and Battle of Crete veteran, held at St George’s Cathedral in Perth.
The speech, delivered by the Consul General of Greece in South Australia Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou on behalf of the Greek government, expressed Mitsotakis’ “deepest and most heartfelt condolences” and honoured Leggett’s courage, resilience, and service.
“Today, Greece bows its head in honour and gratitude,” Mitsotakis said in his message. “Arthur’s life was a shining example of resilience, courage, and service… his passing marks the end of an era.”
The Prime Minister reflected on the enduring legacy of the Battle of Crete and praised Leggett’s survival of captivity and a brutal 800-kilometre march across snowbound Europe. He also acknowledged the personal connection through his father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, who lived through the same conflict.
“For the ANZACs’ sacrifice at the Battle of Crete, the Government and the people of Greece will always be grateful,” Mitsotakis said.
“To the last veteran, we offer not only our deepest respect but also our solemn promise: That we will remember. Lest we forget.”
The state funeral was attended by WA Governor Chris Dawson, Premier Roger Cook, members of the State Cabinet, and over 1,000 members of the public. A riderless horse led a military procession, and the cathedral bell tolled 106 times—once for each year of Leggett’s life.
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended a luncheon on Friday, May 9, hosted by Australian Ambassador to Greece, Alison Duncan at her residence in Athens.
The Ecumenical Patriarch was joined by Their Eminences Archbishop Makarios of Australia and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece.
Also in attendance were Greece’s Minister of Religious Affairs George Kalantzis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Papadopoulou, Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalkidonos, and members of the Australian Embassy.
Photo: Christos Bonis / Archdiocese of Athens.
The Ecumenical Patriarch has been in Athens since Wednesday, May 7 for an official visit, during which he attended the conferral of an honorary doctorate on Archbishop Makarios by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens’ Faculty of Theology.
On Sunday, the Patriarch presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St Nicholas of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Kolonaki, with Archbishop Ieronymos co-celebrating. The service marked the 150th anniversary of the Merciful Society of Athens’ construction of the church.
This Mother’s Day, many Greek Australians will be celebrating the mothers and women who have shaped them. For some, it’s a day of remembrance to honour mother figures who have passed, or a time to reflect on their complicated relationship with their mothers. This occasion can conjure a mix of emotions for many people.
For mothers who have lost children, the day is a painful reminder of the grief they carry with them every day. Mother’s Day also offers an opportunity for those who are yet to become mothers to reflect on the kind of parent they hope to be and the lessons they would pass on to their children.
The stereotype of the Greek mother who is overprotective and constantly stuffs her children’s mouths with food is pervasive. These stereotypes certainly have some truth to them, and films like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Italian comedy group Sooshi Mango exacerbate this. But mothers come in different forms, each with their own uniqueness which deserves to be appreciated and celebrated every day, not just on Mother’s Day.
Olympia Mihailidis and her grandmother.Olympia Mihailidis and her mother.
The roots of Mother’s Day can be traced back to Ancient Greek and Roman festivals which honoured the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. The more modern celebration of Mother’s Day began with social activist Anna Jarvis who wanted a day to honour the sacrifices mothers make.
“Mother’s Day should be every day — because the love of mothers (and those who fill the role) shapes healthy and whole-hearted children,” Varvara says.
She believes the day is defined by four words: “celebration, gratitude, reflection, and inclusion. Celebration—for the privilege of raising two children who now parent with the same tenderness. Gratitude—for my mother, who taught me sacrifice, humility, compassion and grit. Reflection—on the twists and turns of my own journey, the stumbles and grace that moulded me and on my evolving role as a ‘yiayia” and the legacy for the next generation. Inclusion—for all who mother: stepmothers, grandmothers, mentors, and those braiding dual roles.”
Varvara Athanasiou-Ionnou with her children and one of her three grandchildren.Vicky Alikakos and her mother.
Varvara’s celebration of Mother’s Day, first as a daughter, then a mother, and now a grandmother, showcases the evolving nature of the day and how the roles mothers adopt are ever-expanding. Varvara ended her quote with a heartfelt sentiment, saying “To every unseen nurturer—your love moves the world. Honour every version of motherhood.”
While Mother’s Day may be the one day a year when mothers are universally acknowledged, it’s important to show appreciation every day for the sacrifices they’ve made.
This rings especially true for Sophie Mallas, whose grandmother was an admired mother figure in her life. Sharing the same name, Sophie felt a strong tie with her grandmother.
“My grandma Sofia Tsiodras is the true embodiment of her name, which means wisdom,” she told The Greek Herald.
“She’s a strong, inspiring woman who came to Australia with my dad and my pappou, each of them carrying just a suitcase.”
Reflecting on the hardships Greek migrants faced, Sophie shared how her grandma “built a life from the ground up, facing every challenge with grace and strength.”
“No matter what she’s been through, she always shows up for others—filling our bellies with her food and our hearts with her advice,” she says.
For Sophie, Mother’s Day is just another chance to “feel especially grateful to share her name and call her mine” and remember all the memories they’ve shared.
Greek Australian mother Vicky Alikakos, who has two sons aged 21 and 18, expressed how deeply personal Mother’s Day is.
“It’s more than just a celebration, it’s a continuous reflection of the unique experiences, relationships, and emotions that come with motherhood,” Vicky told The Greek Herald.
She views Mother’s Day as a time to embrace love and connection: “For me, Mother’s Day is celebrated in everyday moments via meaningful connections, acts of care, and simple gestures of love for my children and my mother.”
When 7-year-old Olympia Mihailidis was asked what Mother’s Day means to her, she responded, “Mother’s Day means being nice to your mum and Γιαγιά because I love them so much.”
Children delightfully making cards to give to their mothers and grandmothers is a joy the day brings.
This Mother’s Day, take time to celebrate the mothers in your lives, whether they’re relatives, friends, sisters, or colleagues. Sunday, May 11 acts as a special moment to express your gestures of love and appreciation, a reminder of the love and connection you have.
Australia is a rapidly growing olive oil market with limited domestic production and high consumer demand. A recent market study by the Economic and Commercial Affairs Office of the Greek Consulate in Sydney highlights strong opportunities for branded Greek olive oil, particularly due to the large Greek diaspora and the high regard for the Mediterranean diet, olivenews.com, has reported.
Domestic production has reached 20–25 thousand tons annually, mainly in Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. These regions focus on high-quality extra virgin olive oil, much of which is exported. In 2023, the market value reached AUD 475 million and is expected to grow by 5.2% annually through 2028.
Olive oil is seen as a healthy option and is found in two-thirds of Australian households. Consumer profiles range from gourmet home cooks and tradition-driven users to health-conscious and environmentally aware buyers. Prices vary from AUD 9 to 16 for 500 ml bottles, with strong demand for extra virgin olive oil.
The EU supplies over 95% of Australia’s imports, led by Spain, followed by Italy and Greece. While Greek olive oil has a smaller market share, its reputation remains strong. Distribution is supported by specialised importers, Greek restaurants, and delicatessens, particularly in cities with large Greek communities like Melbourne and Sydney.
Greek products such as olive oil, olives, and wine maintain a steady presence, with growing recognition and demand fueled by the positive image of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. Import duties on olive oil are zero, making the market even more accessible.
Traditionally, scholars have dated the origins of the Greek alphabet to the 8th century BC. However, Associate Professor Willemijn Waal, with the help of a Vici grant, aims to explore whether the alphabet could be several centuries older, originally written on perishable materials like papyrus or wood, universiteitleiden.nl has reported.
Since the 1930s, researchers believed in an “alphabetic bang”—the idea that the Greek alphabet suddenly emerged in the 8th century BC and rapidly evolved into other alphabets such as the Anatolian and Italic, precursors to Latin script. But new evidence suggests a slower, earlier development.
Recent carbon-14 dating of pottery reveals inscriptions that may date back to the 9th or even 10th century BC, indicating the Greek alphabet’s origins predate current estimates. Furthermore, the earliest surviving inscriptions were likely not the first ever written—just the first to survive due to the durability of materials like clay or stone.
If the alphabet was in use earlier, it challenges the idea of a 400-year “Dark Age” in Greece without writing. It could also shift perspectives on Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, suggesting these epics may have been written—or at least partially recorded—earlier than thought.
While Waal acknowledges that questioning long-held beliefs may be controversial, she sees it as an exciting part of scientific discovery. “You never stop learning,” she says.
Greek foreign policy is best understood from a geopolitical position, and more specifically, from Spiros Katsoulas’ recent theory of the Rimland Bridge, an important geographical area that includes Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. However, it is the state that controls the Aegean Sea within the Rimland Bridge that has three advantages, that is, the ability to form strategic, stage amphibious assaults abroad, and influence the vast number of vessels that pass through.
It is here that the importance of Greece becomes apparent as it controls the majority of the Aegean Sea, and the Aegean islands form a natural chain that both reinforce Greek defensive capabilities and enhance Greek power projection against much larger adversaries.
The Aegean also links to Corfu in the Ionian Sea to halt threats coming from the Western Mediterranean or Adriatic Sea and also links to Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean that acts as a Greek anchor capable of flanking and distracting would-be aggressors. It is therefore an understatement to say that Greece must, at all costs, retain its control of the Aegean Sea, and it is this thinking that that has influenced Greek strategy since antiquity, or in this case, 1821 to 1974.
BIO
Evangelos Demos is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney under the supervision of Professor Vrasidas Karalis. His thesis is titled The Geopolitics of Greek Foreign Policy: From the Great Idea to Great Ideas? and delves into the labyrinth that is Greek geopolitics, Greek foreign policy and Greek Grand Strategy.
In recognition of the research’s significance at the doctorate level, Evangelos has been awarded two scholarships, one for exemplary potential and the other for advocating Greek studies.
To further his research, Evangelos is currently writing a book titled Greek Grand Strategy that is due for publication in 2026. Upon completing his PhD, Evangelos aims to launch and lead the newly founded Demos Institute in September 2025 with a mission to lobby the Greek state in geopolitical matters of importance to the Greek nation such.
Event Details:
When: Thursday 15 May 2025, 7pm
Speaker: Evangelos Demos
Seminar: The Geopolitics of Greek Foreign Policy: From the Great Idea to Great Ideas?
Where: TheGreek Centre (Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne)
Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for Daktylies (Cypriot-style bread) with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!
This recipe makes two loaves of bread.
Ingredients:
1kg strong bread flour
2 sachet yeast (14 g)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
450 ml lukewarm milk
200 ml lukewarm aniseed water – (*note 1)
½ tsp ground mastiha
½ tsp ground mahlepi
White Sesame seeds – about 3-4 tbsp
Black sesame seeds – about 2 tbsp
Aniseed (optional) – about 1 tsp
Method:
NOTE 1 – In a small bowl or cup add 200ml freshly boiled water with 1 tablespoon aniseed. Stir and let it steep for about 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan warm your milk, your slightly cooled brewed aniseed “tea” – do not boil it. You will be adding your yeast to this and if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast. It will not take long at all to just warm it. Once it’s warm add your sugar to the tea/milk mixture and stir it making sure sugar has dissolved. Add your yeast and stir it through. Set it aside till the yeast is activated – about 10 minutes.
In a bowl or your stand-alone mixer bowl, add the flour, olive oil, ground mastiha (*note 2) and mahlepi, and yeast/milk mixture. Knead the mixture for a couple of minutes and then add your salt. Knead again for another 8-9 minutes (6-7 if using mixer) until it all comes together and forms a soft dough. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover it, leaving it to rise/double in size (approx. 1 hour). NOTE 2: Mastiha and mehlepi can be found in Greek and Middle eastern delis/grocery stores. Mehlepi is already ground but mastiha comes in little pieces which need to be pounded in a mortar and pestle with a little flour.
In the meantime, add you black and white sesame seeds in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring them to a rapid boil for a minute or so and then remove from heat. Rinse under cold water and let excess water drain away in a sieve.
Once your dough has doubled in size, cut into 2 equal amounts. With your hands, shape each piece into a sausage with slightly pointy ends (as per photos). Now spread your sesame seed mixture and aniseed (if using) onto your bench top. With slightly wet hands, rub your dough and roll evenly into the seeds. The wetness of the seeds and dough will make them stick. Roll dough backwards and forwards till it is generously covered.
Using a sharp knife, cut approximately 1 inch thickness through the dough (as per photo) and transfer to your baking tray lined with baking paper. Let it rest again for 20 minutes, and at this stage preheat your oven (180C), then bake for approx. 25-30 minutes. Once golden brown, tap underneath to see if it has a hollow sound. If it does, your loaf is ready. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
“Φάε παιδί μου!” Eat, my child. “Πάρε ένα μπουφάν!” Take a jacket. If you grew up Greek, chances are you’ve heard these phrases many times.
It’s a maternal chorus steeped in antiquity where women whose fierce love, quiet strength, and everyday wisdom set the blueprint for Greek motherhood through the ages. Demetra stopped the seasons after losing Persephone to Hades, dramatic and powerful. Hecuba of Troy lost her children, her city, and her freedom, but never her dignity. Alcmene, mother of Hercules, raised a demigod under the threat of Hera’s wrath.
Niki’s mum, Chrisoula, in her 20sNiki’s mum, Christoula, in her 80s.
Then there is toxic motherhood in Euripides’ sculpted retelling of Medea, where he has her running away from her father’s house to marry Jason. Betrayed, she is portrayed as a killer of her own children – an act that speaks to our imaginations with power as it challenges the assumption of a mother’s unconditional love. (Versions before Euripides had Corinthians kill the children).
These ancient women were protectors, strategists, survivors, and sometimes scary, just like many Greek migrant mums-to-be who left their homeland as brides, with just one suitcase and hearts full of hope.
Before establishing women’s group Heliades, Niki Matziaris-Garay worked for many years with the Pronia welfare organisation, developing programs for Greek migrants, especially women and families.
She points to motherhood in the diaspora as coming with added layers – navigating a new language, culture and system while trying to pass on Hellenic identity.
Koraly signs her book, ‘The Mother Must Die’, beside her daughter who created the illustration.Niki Mtziaris with her two sons
“The Greek mother is a mother who is worn out,” she says. “Young girls migrated to Australia, many married by proxy, and became mothers with nobody to stand by them. They worked hard for a better life and there was no going out, they supported their families. Today we have a beautiful and smart community with lawyers, politicians and doctors – and we owe it all to these mothers. They made us who we are.”
It’s a legacy of resilience, wrapped in filo pastry.
“My son always complained I was too strict, which I, personally, could not understand. Perhaps I pressured more at school and insisted Greek school attendance, though I never intervened in their career and life choices,” Niki says.
She could tell that she had a different parenting style to Australian mothers.
“My son came home shocked one day when his friend’s mum sold their house and moved to a two-bedroom flat. She told her son that she could no longer have him at home because she needed more space. My son viewed this as harsh,” she says.
On the other end of the spectrum, she remembered seeing mothers at Pronia crying because their children, university graduates, announced they were ready to move out of home.
“There was a social stigma to it. And sometimes what Greek Australian society dictated was put above the needs of the child,” she explains.
Bestselling Greek-Cypriot author, poet and mother Koraly Dimitriadis dedicated the title of her anthology, ‘The Mother Must Die’, to one of the characters – “mother”, seen on the book’s cover as merging into a sea of red.
“I really tried to highlight in my short story collection, ‘The Mother Must Die’, how overbearing that generation is, but also how much trauma and injustice that generation has experienced. Maybe in the past, I looked at the overbearing nature in isolation because of the difficulties I experienced going through divorce, but today in my writings I cannot,” she told The Greek Herald.
Niki says that each generation pushes the envelope a little further. A mother’s instincts, however, don’t change.
Ancient mums fought to keep their children fed and safe, and modern Greek mums fight for the same things. Maybe the dangers have changed – from wild boars and the wrath of Zeus to online bullying – but the armour is still a home-cooked meal, a warm jumper and push for excellence.
A charred papyrus scroll buried by Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago has been identified as a work by the Greek philosopher Philodemus. Using X-ray scans and digital unwrapping, researchers discovered the title and author—On Vices—marking the first time such details have been recovered this way, the Guardian has reported.
“It’s the first scroll where the ink could just be seen on the scan,” said Dr. Michael McOsker, a papyrologist at University College London. “Nobody knew what it was about. We didn’t even know if it had writing on.”
The scroll was digitally unwrapped to reveal writing, which researchers are working to decode. Photo: Vesuvius Challenge
The scroll, from a villa in Herculaneum believed to belong to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, was carbonised in the AD 79 eruption. Most scrolls from the site are too fragile to open and the ink invisible, but recent advancements have changed that.
Last year’s Vesuvius Challenge, a global competition promoting AI-based scroll reading, awarded $700,000 for reading 2,000 ancient Greek letters. This scroll, PHerc. 172, housed at the Bodleian Libraries, was scanned in July. Researchers identified Greek words including “disgust” and eventually the text’s title and author, winning the challenge’s $60,000 prize.
The scroll may be the first of at least 10 volumes of On Vices, which explores topics like arrogance, greed, and flattery.
“We’re seeing evidence of ink in many of the new scrolls we’ve scanned but we haven’t converted that into coherent text yet,” said Dr Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky, who co-founded the Vesuvius Challenge. “That’s our current bottleneck: converting the massive scan data into organised sections that are properly segmented, virtually flattened, and enhanced so that the evidence of ink can then be interpreted as actual text.”
McOsker noted: “The pace is ramping up very quickly … Everything we’re getting from the Herculaneum library is new to us.”
As Greece braces for a record-breaking summer, the hospitality sector is scrambling to find workers, theguardian.com, has reported. A sign outside the Karyatis taverna beneath the Acropolis reads: “Seeking staff, chefs, waiters, kitchen personnel.” It’s a familiar sight across the country.
Tourism, which accounts for 25% of Greece’s GDP, faces a labour gap of around 80,000 positions in hotels and restaurants. “It’s becoming harder and harder to find employees,” says Dimitris Stathokostopoulos, who co-runs the taverna. Many Greeks now opt for office jobs with fixed hours, avoiding demanding seasonal work.
The shortage, partly a legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic, is particularly severe in popular destinations like Crete and Rhodes, where businesses are luring staff from rivals with better wages and benefits. Giorgos Hotzoglou, president of POEET, warns the lack of qualified workers is unprecedented. Many who left the sector during lockdowns haven’t returned, discouraged by its seasonality and limited unemployment support.
Other sectors like construction and agriculture are also struggling with workforce gaps, exacerbated by demographic decline and the emigration of over 500,000 Greeks during the financial crisis.
To ease the crunch, the government has moved to legalize 30,000 undocumented migrants and struck labour agreements with countries like Egypt, India, and Vietnam. Asylum seekers are also entering the workforce through new training programs.
Despite tough migration rhetoric, officials acknowledge the need for foreign labour. “It’s inconceivable that we’re discussing an increasing number of deportations,” says Sofia Kouvelaki of the Home Project, citing future labour demands.
With tourism projected to hit 40 million visitors by 2028, Greece is hosting international job fairs and urging expatriates: “Come back. The Greek economy is not what you remember. It’s doing very well.”
