The event held in Sydney on Sunday, September 10, was officiated by Archbishop Makarios of Australia and was attended by the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yannis Mallikourtis; the Mayor of Burwood, John Faker; Member for Strathfield, Jason Yat-sen Li; Member for Drummoyne, Stephanie Di Pasqua and Member for Reid, Sally Sitou, among others.
L to R: Yannis Mallikourtis, John Faker and Penelopy Kioussis.Official guests during the Divine Liturgy.
The Archbishop officiated at the Matins Service and presided over the festive Divine Liturgy. During his liturgy, he spoke about the life of Saint Nectarios and offered words of spiritual edification to the large congregation.
He ended by expressing his satisfaction with the work taking place at the Parish and Community of St. Nectarios Burwood and warmly congratulated the President, Penelopy Kioussis, and the members of the Board of Directors.
The Parish and Community of Saint Nectarios Burwood presented a $2,000 donation to Archbishop Makarios.
The Parish and Community presented a $2,000 donation towards the upcoming International Bioethics Conference to be held in Crete on October 1, 2023. Archbishop Makarios has been appointed as President of the Synodal Committee on Bioethics, as well as the President of the Inter-Orthodox Committee on Bioethics.
The service was followed by a special morning tea in the Church courtyard for all attendees. The Parish and Community also offered a special gift to attendees, which included a key ring commemorating the 70th anniversary, a printed icon and a vial of Holy oil.
Parish Priest Rev Fr. George Liangas.
The service was followed by a special morning tea in the Church courtyard for all attendees.
Australian Greek Welfare Society (AGWS) co-founder and Hon. Life Member Dr Spiro Moraitis passed away on Thursday, September 7, at the age of 90.
Dr Moraitis together with George Papadopoulos and Nick Polites founded the AGWS (known today as PRONIA) in 1972. The purpose of AGWS was to vigorously assert the rights of immigrants and their children, with an emphasis on improving services in the fields of education, health, social welfare, childcare and the preservation of the Greek language.
Dr Moraitis left an indelible impact on the Australian Greek community, a lasting legacy that will continue to support future members of the Greek speaking community.
Dr. Spiro Moraitis in his surgery, Carlton, 1959. Image: State Library of Victoria
He served as both Chairman and President of AGWS (1972-1979) and served on many sub committees including health, education, childcare, aged care, interpreting and language services.
In 2008, Dr Moraitis became an awarded member of the Order of Australia for his continuing services to the Greek community through a range of executive roles with migrant assistance and aged welfare organisations.
“Dr Moraitis’ endless benevolence will continue to inspire all who had the privilege of knowing him. As we mourn his passing, we remain steadfast in continuing Dr Moraitis’ vision and rich legacy of unwavering commitment to the betterment of the Hellenic Australian community” stated President of PRONIA, Elpis Korosidis.
“PRONIA would like to farewell, Dr Spiro Moraitis, a visionary founder and leader and to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to his children Anastasia, Melissa, Harley and Katrine,” a statement from PRONIA read.
Spiro Moraitis at his family home at Westbury Street St. Kilda, 1954. Image: State Library of Victoria
The upcoming Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum will be held on October 14, 2023.
The Australian Embassy in Greece has announced that Australian citizens residing in or visiting Greece will have the opportunity to vote at its facilities in Athens (5 Chatzigianni Mexi Street, Level 2, 11528 Athens).
To exercise their voting rights, Australians must be registered in the electoral rolls. It is therefore imperative that voters verify and update their details on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website to ensure eligibility.
The Australian Embassy in Athens will operate specific hours for in-person voting and postal voting.
The hours are as follows:
Tuesday, October 3 to Friday, October 6: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Monday, October 9 to Thursday, October 12: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Friday, October 13: 8:30 am to 12:30 p.m
It is important to note that the Australian Embassy in Athens will remain closed on referendum day, October 14, 2023.
In order to participate in the voting process, citizens will have to show proof of identity at the Embassy.
Therefore, those residing or traveling in Greece are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity and ensure that their voice is heard in this referendum.
Two Greek community groups are among the 60 organisations in South Australia to share in half a million dollars of government grant funding to support their work.
The SA government has allocated $500,000 through the 20233-23 Grants SA Minor Round to support organisations work with often isolated and vulnerable members of the community, including those struggling with the cost of living.
Minister for Human Services, Nat Cook, said in a statement, “Often these grassroots organisations allocate most of their funds to the communities they serve, leaving little for vital governance and sustainability initiatives that will help them maintain operations and support they work they do.”
“These grants are all about helping our small non-profit organisations who do so much to help others in the community,” Cook MP said.
The list of organisations received grants of up to $10,000 to help tackle infrastructure upgrades, fund community projects or replace equipment.
This minor grants round focused on helping community organisations across SA including Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, to grow their programs, projects and facilities in ways that reduce social isolation and build community wellbeing.
Funding was prioritised to support people and communities experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. A third of the successful projects are from regional SA.
“With the current cost of living pressures, more and more people are relying on not-for-profit community organisations for their social interaction and support,” Minister Cook concluded.
Former Adelaide My Kitchen Rules (MKR) star Vikki Moursellas welcomed her first baby on Saturday, September 2 in Sydney after years of fertility issues.
Vikki welcomed a baby girl, Billie Penelope Hartin, with husband, Luke Hartin. Taking to social media, she shared her joy and relief from struggling with fertility issues for five years, reported Herald Sun.
“I dreamt of being a mum since I was 12 years old,” Vikki wrote on Instagram. “Growing up in a Greek family and being told ‘you will have kids when you get older’ and so, you believe this dream would be an easy one to achieve.”
“Never did I think, I would struggle for this dream to become a reality.”
The 2014 MKR finalist shared a personal message to people who are in the same position trying to have a baby. For five “very long years”, with “multiple rounds of IVF and painful tears”, Vikki had to “accept that not everything life” would go her way, as she navigated through the journey of fertility issues.
Two days after the bird of her daughter, Vikki also birthed a cookbook PEINÁO: A Greek Feast For All, where she co-authored with twin sister Helena Moursellas.
“I have to say PEINÁO saved me, without the book I would have struggled even more during my fertility journey,” she said about the launch.
The identical twins were both 2014 finalists on Channel 7’s ‘My Kitchen Rules’ for their Greek family food making MKR history with the highest home kitchen score.
Vikki’s life changed after MKR, even meeting her now husband at the show’s 2014 season launch and relocating to Sydney from Adelaide in 2015.
Helena and Vikki on My Kitchen Rules. Photo: Channel 7.
The former MKR star notes: “I wish I could go back in time and tell myself that everything is going to work out and our baby will be here one day.
“To be honest, I thought this day would never come.”
‘Poor Things’, a darkly comedic, provocatively charged film directed by Greece’s Yorgos Lanthimos, secured the esteemed Golden Lion award at the 2023 Venice Film Festival on Saturday, September 9.
Featuring stellar performances from Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo, this British-produced film captivated festival attendees with its eccentric narrative of a woman brought back to life after suicide by a deranged doctor who replaces her brain with that of her unborn child.
Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone on set of the film Poor Things. Photo: The Film Stage.
In a childlike body, Stone’s character, Bella Baxter, grows progressively self-reliant and intrigued by her sexual explorations as she embarks on a surreal journey of self-discovery through an alternate version of 19th-century Europe, describes Ekathimerini.
Lanthimos commented, “The central character is Bella Baxter, an incredible creature, and she would not exist without Emma Stone, another incredible creature.” Lanthimos, known for his previous works like “The Favourite” and “The Lobster,” expressed his admiration for Stone’s portrayal.
Margaret Qualley (as Felicity), Willem Dafoe (as Dr. Godwin Baxter), and Ramy Youssef (as Max McCandless) in Poor Things. Photo: Searchlight Pictures.
In an interview with Vogue, Stone and Lanthimos were asked how it felt to collaborate together again five years after The Favourite was released.
“We’ve known each other for about eight years now, and we started talking about this film around the time we were making The Favourite, in 2017.
In the interim, the pair shot short film called Bleat in Greece at the beginning of 2020, and then worked together again in New Orleans during the fall, Emma says.
“It feels like it’s just been this sort of continuing process.”
Lanthimos added, “It’s so different when you know someone after having worked with them and gone through promotion and festivals and everything.
“We knew we wanted to work together again, and by the time we started making more things together, we knew each other really well; we trusted each other and we respected each other, and I think we inspire each other as well.”
Emma Stone in Poor Things. Photo: Searchlight Pictures.
Venice traditionally heralds the commencement of awards season and frequently brings forth frontrunners for the Oscars, with eight of the last eleven best director accolades going to films that made their debut at this festival.
Yorgos Lanthimos and Stone on the set of Poor Things. Photo: Atsushi Nishijima.
Three of the four crew members of the ‘Blue Horizon’ ferry charged with the death of 36-year-old Antonis Karyotis testified on Sunday, September 10, as per Piraeus prosecutor’s office decision on Saturday.
The four detainees include the captain of the ship and the men accused of pushing the passenger off the ship’s boarding ramp shortly before departing for Crete, causing his death at the port of Piraeus earlier this week.
Three of the crew members appeared before the prosecutor to testify, while the fourth – who is in hospital – will testify before a prosecutor from there. Defendants’ lawyers said the testimonies, originally scheduled for Saturday, had to be postponed because new evidence was included in the case files.
Image: Dimitris Peristeris/Intime News
The captain of the Blue Horizon issued a statement with the investigator apologizing and declaring his devastation by the sudden death of Antonis, yet maintained that he took all the prescribed actions as soon as he was informed of the incident, informing the Port Department and his crew.
“I declare that I am devastated and even shocked by the sudden death of our young fellow human being and I feel the need to express from the bottom of my heart my sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.
“I declare to you responsibly that I, engaged in the procedure of the ship’s departure, which is complex, am forced to look only at the bow of the ship and coordinate the bridge staff at the same time, trusting that my most experienced staff will do the right thing, according to the internationally accepted knowledge in navigation and based on their training and experience, and the competent supervising Port Authority” the captain said in his statement.
He also added that he gave an order to reduce the speed of the ship, while still unaware of the incident, as he awaited instruction from the Coast Guard.
He wanted to make clear that he instructed his subordinates to set the minimum possible steering speed in the direction of the exit of the port, because otherwise the ship would remain adrift with a visible and specific risk of life of the numerous crew and hundreds of passengers both of the ship and of other vessels in the port of Piraeus, due to the serious possibility of collision either with the breakwater, the moored vessels, or the dock, with a further well-founded and visible risk of crushing the man who, for reasons unknown to him – until that moment – had been found in the sea.
According to his statement, he had suddenly found himself in a manifest state of emergency and a tragic moral dilemma, seized in the meantime by rapidly developing feelings of anguish, anxiety and frustration, and he did what his instinct and experience indicated to him at that moment.
He continued to explain that about 30 minutes after his initial communication with the Vessel Traffic Control Center and the First Port Department, he received an order to stop sailing and await further instructions, which he did immediately by giving the corresponding orders to the bridge staff. About 45 minutes after his initial communication, he received a telephone order from the Central Port Governor of Piraeus to return the ship to port of Piraeus, which he also did immediately.
Piraeus’ prosecutor’s office has also received the results of an internal investigation by the Port Authority of Piraeus, ordered by Shipping and Island Policy Minister, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, that led to the removal of two high-level officials at the port.
A large operation to free residents from flooded areas of Greece continues with the Armed Forces, helicopters and army machines intervening.
In this large-scale rescue effort, Australian helicopters from the McDermott Aviation Group company are playing a pivotal role. They had been contracted to Greece to help with the raging fires earlier this month and now have adapted to changing conditions to rescue citizens from extreme floods.
Australian helicopters from the McDermott Aviation Group are assisting in the large scale rescue effort in Greece.
McDermott Aviation, which is contributing decisively to the gigantic operation, said “From fires to floods, our Australian Sunshine Coast based team contracted in Greece have stayed extremely busy helping out where needed. The Bell214 helicopters can switch from bombing fires to carrying passengers, making them the ultimate workhorse. Good luck to all our teams.”
Helicopters are constantly landing at the Asteras Karditsa stadium, with people who have been rescued from the wider area of Palamas and Farkadona Trikala.
Citizens of Palamas and Farkadona Trikala being rescued.
Citizens had been left in a state of shock, as they remained helpless for endless hours on the roofs of houses and higher buildings, without water or food and growing fears that they will not make it.
The Australian Ambassador to Greece, Alison Duncan, said “My thoughts are with those affected by the extreme weather that affected Greece.
“I am pleased to see the helicopters of the Australian company, McDermott Aviation, helping and contributing to the relief of those affected while participating in the rescue missions in Volos,” Ms Duncan added.
Greece dominated Gibraltar 5-0 for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship qualifiers in a home win at OPAP Arena of Nea Filadelfia, Athens on Sunday.
The Greek team scored 14 goals to Gibraltar’s zero in the first half, with the team constantly on the constantly on the attack, as Dimitris Pelkas opened the score from the ninth minute.
Dimitris Pelkas opened the score for Greece. Photo: In Time.
During the second half, the pace slowed for Greece, but prevailed to victory with West Ham’s Dinos Mavropanos doubling Greece’s lead on the 23rd.
The Greek National team camped inside the final third for large chunks with 87 percent possession, 13 shots and 5 corners, reported Hellas Football.
Giorgos Masouras made it 3-0 on the 70th, with Dinos Mavropanos increasing the score to 4-0 in the 82nd minute to make his second goal.
Giakoumakis transferred to Masouras, where he sent the ball into the net to claim the 5-0 victory against Gibraltar.
According to Ekathimerini, Greece has nine points from five games, now tied in second with the Netherlands but having played one additional game the Dutch team.
Greece travels to Ireland next for an away fixture on October 13.
The toll of lives lost due to a powerful weather system that swept through central Greece over the past week has now reached fifteen, as authorities recovered the body of a 42-year-old man in the Pagasitikos Gulf, near the port city of Volos.
Simultaneously, officials report that two individuals remain unaccounted for, reported Ekathimerini.
Meanwhile, extensive search and rescue operations are underway across the Thessaly plain, the largest such geographical expanse in Greece, often referred to as the nation’s “bread basket.”
The 42-year-old victim was tragically swept away by rapidly flowing floodwaters in front of his teenage son, becoming the initial reported missing person during the storm named “Daniel.”
In Volos, a major port city in Thessaly, partial restoration of power was achieved on Saturday afternoon, though the water network is still undergoing repairs. Water supply, provided on a rotational basis at specific times, remains non-potable.
Residents must collect bottled water from the town hall in Volos and nearby towns. Villages in eastern Pelio remain cut off, with several evacuations conducted by sea due to severe damage to the road network.
Storm Daniel floods raise the death toll to 15 in Greece. Photo: Ekathimerini.
On Sunday, Alternate Health Minister Irini Agapidaki issued a caution to the public in Thessaly and other flood-affected areas, advising them to consume only bottled water.
Speaking from the Fire Brigade and Civil Protection Operations Coordinating Center in Larissa, she emphasized that residents in affected regions should consider stagnant water as contaminated. Local authorities will notify them when tap water is deemed safe for consumption.
Agapidaki stressed the importance of isolating pets and farm animals in areas where animal casualties have occurred, urging residents to promptly inform local authorities for carcass removal. The collection and disposal of deceased animals commenced at daybreak on Sunday, the minister stated. She also cautioned residents to take adequate precautions against coming into contact with deceased animals (including pets, rodents, and snakes) brought into their homes by floodwaters, as well as from exposed power lines.
A rescue team helps flood-stranded people in Koskina in Karditsa, Greece. Photo: Yannis Kolesidis.
Additionally, Agapidaki mentioned that, in addition to local health facilities, mobile teams from the National Organization of Health Services Provision (EOPYY) will offer supplementary assistance as required. Medicinal needs have already been addressed for elderly individuals through local health services, she added.
The minister advised residents to seek medical guidance if they experience symptoms such as a rash, fever, cough, headache, or diarrhea. This way, authorities can ascertain the cause and determine if further measures are necessary in their area.
