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Merry Christmas 2014

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P E O P LE

ART S

CULTURE

C O MMUNIT Y

Healthy and authentic

Greek style yogurt www.yiasouyogurt.com.au

Publisher note:

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G re ek Cu ltu re M ag azin e

ho can believe that another year has come and gone, it seems like a blur with so much that has happened around the nation and across the globe. Once again we are at the blessed time of Christmas with a new year merely days away, filled with hope, joy and love.

PUBLISHER & Managing Editor: Steve Agi editor@opamagazine.au Co-publishers: Chris Binos & Jim Grivas DESIGN Natasha Dolovacki

As the world seems to spiral out of control with so much death, destruction and random catastrophes globally let us not forget the reason for the season and say a little prayer for those near and dear but also for those who may not have anyone or who may have lost faith in humanity, after all isn’t that what being Greek is all about? PHILOTIMO!

Sub-editing & Creative Direction Helen Agi ADVERTISING SALES Steve Agi thecaffiend@thecaffiend.com.au +61 432210963 PHOTOGRAPHY Mark Bayes Photography CONTRIBUTORS Chris Binos, Helen Agi, Kat Binos, Jim Grivas, Jim Claven, Glik Andriotis, Paul ‘PJ’ James, Alexander N. Pattakos Ph.D, Leonard Janiszewski, Effy Alexakis, Fr. Kyril, Dean Kalymniou, Bill Papastergiadis MAILING ADDRESS Po Box 406 Albert Park , VIC 3206 PRINTPOST APPROVED PP320135/00072 SUBSCRIPTIONS Steve Agi 0432 210 963 opa@opamagazine.com.au www.opamagazine.com.au

I wish you all a blessed and Holy Christmas and thank you with all my heart for your love and support not just throughout 2014 but also over the years and look forward to a bigger, better and OPAer 2015 May the blessings of the Virgin Mary, whom we feel priviledged enough to have on our cover this issue be with you all and may this issue of OPA! Magazine fill your hearts with love, your souls with hope and your lives with faith Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2015 OPA!

ARTICLES All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform withy the magazine format.

COPYRIGHT

Opa! Magazine is owned by Steve Agi Publishing and published by Steve Agi. All material in OPA! Magazine is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher.

The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Steve Agi Publishing will not accept any responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in OPA! Magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

Cover photo of the Virgin Mary with child Jesus supplied by the Hellenic Museum as part of their current Benaki Museum Collection

Chris Binos

Jim Grivas

CONTENTS 16 8 22

52 6 Papa Lefteri 8 GODS, MYTHS & MORTALS 10 Candles by Nikoletta 16 Maria Zavakou – Lou and Lee 20 The OPA! WAY 22 Manningham Mayoral Ball 26 DELPHI editorial 29 Art mafia 30 PROFILE – Susanne Hampton 32 Skyros 36 ELLAS

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40 Dean Karnezas 44 Religion 48 The Twelve Greek Apostles 52 thalassa 56 Greekcentre 60 Greek film festival 62 Music-Hatzigiannis in Melbourne 66 Odigos – 2014 Kia GT4 Stinger Concept 68 Goodys 70 It’s all GREEK to me opamagazine.com.au

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ΕΛΛAΣ

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ELLAS

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Panagia Kamariani – Red Hill, Victoria Words & Photos by Glik Andriotis

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he property that Panagia Kamariani is built on was brought in 1974 and it’s a 16 acre block. When the lovable parish priest, Papa Lafteri first arrived at the property, they where doing their liturgy services in the little house in front of the property until the church was built. It was a great battle to build the church as the neighbours didn’t want it, but the will of God and to the joy of the parish faithful, our wonderful church Panagia Kamariani was built. Papa Lefteri has followed the Icon Panagia Kamariani since the 1970s and pledged that he was going to build Our Panagia her own church.

to bless them and their families. He is not just a priest, it is not just a job; he loves his priesthood and every liturgy he performs he does it with passion and from the heart because he believes with all his heart.

He will always greet everyone with a warm smile and a huge bear hug.

Panagia Kamariani is his life.

He is the one that looks after and maintains the property from mowing the lawns to trimming the trees. He constantly thinks of ideas on how to beautify Panagia’s home so people can come up and enjoy.

Panagia Kamariani has performed many miracles over the years, all for God’s greater Glory; from ladies who haven’t been able to conceive and after father has blessed them in forty days being pregnant, to curing people from cancer to father performing exorcisms.

In 1998 he decided to build a hall so that the people could come up and have a nicer place to sit and enjoy their day visiting Panagia at home. That turned out to be another battle with the neighbours, but the patient and loving Papa Lefteri didn’t give up and let God’s will be done. He needed money to go to court to battle for what he knew was God’s will, so with all his beloved parishioners behind him he decide to have a walkathon and walked from Frankston to Oakleigh which raised $86,000 which was enough to allow him to take the matter to court, which he won and proceeded to build the hall, which is now another source of so much joy and such a blessing.

Papa Lefteri is a very well know priest world wide. People come from across the nation and from around the globe to meet him and ask him

It took a lot of blood sweat and tears but with Panagia Kamariani’s blessing anything is possible.

By 1987 the church was finished and open to the Glory of God! Our Panagias giorti (feast day) is on the 8th of September, which is Nativity of the Theotokos on the Orthodox calender and is celebrated with much joy and festivity each year.

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Every year on Easter Sunday thousands come up to celebrate Christ’s resurrection with father and Panagia Kamariani. It’s become so well known that people book well in advance, up to 6 months ahead so that they don’t miss out.

There are a few festive days celebrated at Panagia Kamariani: 8th of September which is Panagias Giorti (feast day) - The Birth of the Holy Virgin Mary The second week of February which is the wine feast day.

Holy Pascha at Panagia Kamariani which is an event in its self The 9th of November which is Memorial Day to commemorate all our beloved who came to Australia for a better life.

The 6th of January at the Rye pier which thousands upon thousands of people turn up to celebrate the Holy Epiphany (the Blessing of the waters).

May the Lord have mercy on us all through the prayers and intercessions of the Holy Virgin and Theotokos. opamagazine.com.au

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GODS, MYTHS & MORTALS Greek Treasures Across The Millennia

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John Tatoulis, Hellenic Museum CEO, on what the collection Gods, Myths & Mortals means for Melbourne: ‘Gods, Myths & Mortals brings Greece to Australia. For those with a Greek heritage, this exhibition bridges the geographical distances while filling the cultural ones. And importantly, it also provides an opportunity for all Australians to connect with the foundation of Western civilisation through a collection of treasures spanning 8,000 years.

Generally considered one of the world’s most significant cultural institutions, the Benaki Museum’s decision to partner with our own Hellenic Museum can only be described as a cultural coup for Australia. The magnificent collection will be housed here for an unprecedented period of 10 years allowing us to roll out longterm education and art related initiatives relevant to Greek history, arts and culture.’

A selection of quotes from Benaki Museum Director Angelos Delivorrias.

What is your favorite piece in the collectionthat’s coming to Melbourne, and why?

I’ve been asked this question countless times and I always give exactly the same answer: unaffected by the usual aestheticism… I consider that all the objects in the Museum are complementarily on a par with each other. Regardless of their age, their material value and their rarity. That’s why it is difficult for me to pick out just one of the exhibits in Melbourne, which is, moreover, something that I consider to be anti-scientific. Because all

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these exhibits together refer, allusively of course, to individual chapters of a single narrative, so that they are all together basic components of its continuity and its cohesion. However, if you insist in your question I would be obliged to spell out in detail why I would choose at least 20 of the works in the exhibition‌ Certainly, it would be impossible for me to limit myself to fewer than the following three: the extremely rare Neolithic pendant representing the great Mother Goddess of prehistory, because it also signals the awakening of research interest in the remote Greek past; the gold Mycenaean kylix with the hounds, which emblematically imprints Antonis Benakis’s immense love of the museum he created, despite the disputes between specialist scholars as to its interpretation; the manuscript memoirs of Nikolaos Kasomoulis, a precious historical testimony of the Greek Struggle for Independence, which describes the heroic Exodus from Missolonghi that had shocked the consciousness of the age and had invigorated internationally the various Philhellenic movements.

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What do museums mean today, and what future direction would you like to see them take?

Museums will always be the arks of the legacy of the past, the achievements of mankind, the values forged by time. They will always provide models of encouragement, stimulate creativity and thought, protect the memory of society. In other words, they will always function as basic, complementary components of education and culture. However, I hope that in the future they will significantly increase their power of attraction, by offering more opportunities for respite, relaxation and enjoyment. That they will cast off all traces of extraneous interventionism, that they will address and will cover the needs of all levels of society. That they will be guided, in the end, to a more collective system of administrative organization and direction. That they will take more seriously into consideration the needs and the demands of the public.

How are museums affected by the digital take over?

Their life has been made easier in all respects.

I mention specifically the inventorying of the objects, the official and general correspondence, the facilitating of communication with the public, the speed of disseminating information. Important too is its help in the better organization of exhibitions, educational programmes, lectures, and so on. Last, thanks to its diverse applications the rescue of many objects of perishable material, such as books, written documents and photographs is secured, as well as the freeing of the museum content, that is its desired accessibility.

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Who’s your favourite Australian artist?

Without having intimate knowledge of the achievements of Australian art, I’m certainly attracted by the art of the Aboriginals. Of the relatively earlier painters, I am particularly familiar with the work of Roland Wakelin, while of the more recent ones I would choose creations by Jeffrey Smart, Richard Larter and David Aspden.

Harry Stamoulis

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This Museum was established as a result of my father’s labour of love; it was his vision to establish the Hellenic Museum as a place of meeting; for curious people, for living cultures and for ideas, old and new.

By creating a unique cultural exchange between the Hellenic and Benaki museums, we have reinvigorated a thirst for Greek culture and heritage.

The cultural initiative between both museums also provides a catalyst for extending and strengthening the relationship between Greece and Australia, as well as becoming a stage for further cultural dialogue and connection between the two countries.

Candles

by Nikoletta On November 14 at the HACCI Excellence Awards Gala, Nicole Condos, the creator of Candles by Nikoletta, won the prestigious Award for Young Achievement. “It was truly humbling to be recognized by fellow Greek Australians who have paved the way in local and international business with their passion and work ethic. I’m unaware of who nominated me, but the HACCI committee assessed the nominations and chose me as the recipient,” said Nicole recently.

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The Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI) is an organisation that represents the Hellenic Australian community’s Business, Professional and Government elements. HACCI was formed nearly 30 years ago for the purpose of promoting and strengthening the economic and cultural ties between Australia and Greece. One of HACCI’s functions is to celebrate Hellenic Australian achievement in our community by presenting annual awards in various categories.

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he sun sets into the crystal blue sea as you listen to the hum of people out for their nightly stroll. The look of their sun-kissed faces against the white washed architecture takes your breath away. Suddenly, you catch the scent of baklava. As the familiar smells of cinnamon, coffee and rosewater drift under your nose, you instantly feel yourself relax and you sink into the corner chair of a Greek kafé.

But wait. You’re not in Greece, after all. You’re sitting in your own home and there is no ocean view in sight. What just happened?

The collection is divided into Floral, Greek Novelty, Citrus and Fresh fragrances which include:

FLORAL: MESOYEAIKO SIKO (MEDITERRANEAN FIG) Mes-sa-yi-a-ko si-ko

Greeks have been eating figs for thousands of years and the fruit is enjoyed all year round throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. Fig trees are ideal for hospitable Greek gardens and their fruits are scrumptiously sweet and juicy. The scent begins with a top note of green apple, strawberry, melon and fig. The heart is a fresh green floral with lily, rosewood jasmine and violet. The base is a rich woody bouquet with oak moss and velvety cashmere.

ANTHOS ELIAS (OLIVE BLOSSOM) An-thos el-i-as

Greece is full of olive groves and produces more than 430,000 tons of olive oil annually and plays a unique role in the Greek diet, being the basis of many traditional dishes.

The olive tree has been the symbol of wisdom and peace and was the sacred tree of goddess Athena and Athens. The capital of Greece took its name from the goddess. At the Ancient Olympic Games, winners were presented with a simple olive tree branch which was cut with a gold-handled knife from a wild olive tree. The Greeks believed that the vitality of the sacred tree was transmitted to the recipient through the branch.

Nicole Condos, the creator of Candles by Nikoletta, wants everyone to experience the ambiance of Greece and Cyprus with her fabulous one of-a-kind candles- a world first concept of fusing Greek coffee cups and candles.

This fragrance is a beautiful blend of hyacinth, carnations, white grapefruit, olive blossoms and cyclamen violets, lying on a bed of baby rosebuds and musk.

She starts with the design—sweet little candles set inside a silver or gold old-world Greek coffee cup. Then she enhances the experience by personally selecting the candle scents, such as fig, honey, watermelon and ouzo. Once lit, the candle will instantly transport you to an exotic Mediterranean location. A place so many call paradise- sun, sand, and sparkling sea.

The candles are made from soy wax and are locally produced and hand poured in Melbourne.

Are you ready for a Mediterranean escape in your own home or do you long for the nostalgia of a holiday gone by? Candles by Nikoletta offer you a sumptuously innovative alternative.

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GREEK NOVELTY: OUZO (LIQUORICE) Στην υγειά σας! Cheers! Ouzo is an anise-flavoured aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus. At restaurants, you’ll be served ouzo with mezedes — appetizers such as octopus, salad, or calamari. It is traditionally slowly sipped (usually mixed with water or ice) together with mezedes and is shared with others over a period of several hours in the early evening.

MELI (HONEY) Me-li

In Greek mele is the word for honey and melissa is the word for honey bee. Since ancient times, honey has been used both as a food and a source of medicinal therapy. The best honey in Greece comes from “Thyme” (Thimari in Greek), which is a favorite among honey connoisseurs.

Honey is drizzled onto lokoumades (donuts) and is commonly poured over homemade yogurt for breakfast. This scent is just like it has come straight out of a beehive with a scrumptious sweet and floral smell of fresh honey.

Strong and true to its name, ouzo smells just like black licorice.

KANELLA & VANILLA (CINNAMON & VANILLA) Ka-ne-lla & vanilla

Cinnamon is a favorite for making Greek sweets of all kinds, from puddings to cakes and creams. Rice pudding and lokoumades (donuts) are dusted with cinnamon and infuse syrups and custard. This fragrance is a classic French vanilla with a hint of cinnamon.

LOUKOUMI (TURKISH DELIGHT) Lou-kou-mi

Loukoumi is a chewy sweet dusted in powdered sugar. It is rubberytextured and is extremely popular throughout Greece & Cyprus. It is made from gelatin or cornstarch, sugar, honey and fruit juice or jelly, and is often tinted pink or green. Once the candy becomes firm, it is cut into small squares and coated with confectioners’ sugar. A very interesting and unique scent that smells just like Turkish Delight with a hint of rosewater- cocoa bean entwines with creamy milk, sweet caramel, sensuous vanilla bean and rosewater.

KARPOUZI (WATERMELON) Kar-pou-zi

Watermelon or patiha as said in Cyprus, is a Summer favourite. It is typical for a local fruit seller to parade beaches and local towns, selling watermelons off the back of a ute, like an ice cream man. The sweet taste of watermelon and the salty tart taste of halloumi or feta cheese are a delicious match! Watermelon is refreshing a hot day and this fragrance is a slice of summer.

AMIGTHALO (ALMOND) A-mig-tha-lo

Almonds are popular in traditional Greek desserts, including Amigthalota sweet biscuits and Kourabiethes, Greek almond shortbread biscuits, dusted in icing sugar. Amygdalotá and pastéli are made in many varieties throughout Greece and Cyprus, and are especially popular in the islands.

The scent is delicious and of toasted sweet almonds.

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CITRUS:

VASILIKO, FASKOMILO & THIOSMOS (BASIL, SAGE & MINT)

PORTOKALADA (ORANGE)

Va-si-li-ko, fa-sko-mi-lo & thi-os-mos

Greece produces some of the best orange varieties in the world and is considered to be one of the healthiest, as it contains one of the largest possible percentages of Vitamin C. Very citrusy and zesty, this fragrance smells just like freshly squeezed orange juice- himo or portokalda.

Greek cooking is very simple and does not rely on a large variety of herbs, rather the combination of a few. A refreshing, unique herbal fusion, these three green notes from mama’s garden combine beautifully, to make a wonderful fragrance. The mint is not overpowering and produces a nice, fresh, clean scent.

Por-to-ka-la da

The only fragrance not available in a coffee cup is the frappe candle, because it is made in it’ s own frappe like glass!

LEMONI (LEMON) Le-mo-ni

Whether it be in their front or back garden with a tree, Greeks proudly own the lemon! Lemons are without doubt one of the defining flavors of Greek cuisine and are one of the most commercially important fruits cultivated in Greece. Lemon is a great flavor enhancer- our own Nikoletta adds lemoni to most of her meals! This fragrance will make your lips pucker when you smell it. It is a true lemon zest, just like a squeezed lemon!

All over Greece people are slowly sipping their favourite drink, a frappé, through colourful straws. It is a Greek foam-covered iced coffee drink made from instant coffee. A frappé in Greece is available in three degrees of sweetness, determined by the amount of sugar used. These are: glykós “sweet” (2 teaspoons of coffee and 4 teaspoons of sugar), métrios “medium” (2 teaspoons of coffee and 2 teaspoons of sugar); and a skétos “plain” (2 teaspoons of coffee and no sugar).

Sometimes, a frappé is served without any water (besides the water used in the foam) and milk is used instead- this variation is common in Cyprus. This candle burns from vanilla at the top, down to a dark, roasted coffee-bean fragrance with a touch of chocolate.

FRESH: ANGOURI & THIOSMO (CUCUMBER MINT) An-gou-ri & thi-os-mo

Cucumber and mint are heroes of Greek cuisine, whether it be in the classic meze of tzatziki or thinly sliced cucumber and fresh mint tossed amongst a delicious salad. This is an amazingly refreshing fragrance of watery crisp cucumbers, intertwined with a touch of fresh mint and mouth quenching melons.

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Maria Zavakou Lou and Lee in the island of perfection.

A Greek author’s odyssey to publish her children’s tale.

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always believed what the Greek philosopher’s Epicurus saying about happiness: “we must pursue the things that make for happiness, seeing that when happiness is present we have everything; but when it is absent we do everything to possess it”.

I always believed children should be educated to try and find what they love, because this is what will make them happy in the future. That grown-ups should realize their responsibility in that. Lou and Lee where born out of the need to speak about this through a narrative that would give kids, parents and teachers a common basis to speak about such an important subject through the actions and decisions of the characters.

Young boy Lou and his friend rabbit Lee defend their love for pastry cooking despite peer pressure and pressure from authorities to give it up. It takes courage and strength to live your life the way you want to, to support who you are, to overcome the feeling of failure and go on. The story also provides food for thought on the consequences of giving up what we love and the alienation that follows. All kids that betray what they love transform into adults and they strive to be perfect according to the King’s standards. They struggle to meet his unrealistic goals, that they will never achieve therefore they will never reach happiness. Only the boy and the rabbit remain kids, yes in a hostile world, but true to who they are. Their friendship is tested and grows strong through trial and error.

The two friends confront peer pressure, they fail in the eyes of others, feel disappointed and betrayed by their environment, but in the end retain their inner voice.

Lou and Lee are about realizing the notion of negative influence, they are about overcoming self -doubt and keep trying, experimenting and learning on the way. What Lou and Lee try to say is that there is one thing that stands out in all of us. Protect it.

In times of crisis it may be dangerous to be a dreamer, but it may also be the only way out, the only way of freeing ourselves from the terror of reality. Dreaming is meaningful when it connects with our actions. It was my dream to publish this book. The crowdfunding campaign gave me a solution to try and make this a reality.

By donating to the campaign you actually pre-buy the illustrated book electronically or published, in English or Greek. At the same time, you become part of a cause since all extra funds will go directly to Make- A- Wish Greece if the campaign exceeds its goal.

Support the campaign here: http://igg.me/at/lou-and-lee

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Recently we caught up with Alex Pattakos and Elaine Dundon, authors of the new Greekinspired book, The OPA! Way, and founders of the OPA! Centre for Meaning in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Both are referred to as “philosophers of meaning� and we wanted to learn more about this concept, their OPA! Centre, and their new book.

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People refer to you as “Philosophers of Meaning.” Tell us more about this concept.

Besides studying and holding academic degrees in philosophy, we’ve dedicated ourselves and our work to applying the ageless wisdom of the ancient Greek philosophers to everyday life. Our focus is on the practical application of this timeless philosophy to the universal search for meaning—how people can find deeper meaning in their everyday lives and work. This work involves guiding individuals, groups, and organizations on their path to meaning through authentic dialogue and other techniques that draw upon the philosophical traditions of Greece from ancient times to the present day.

How did you get interested in the topic of Meaning?

Alex: This has been a lifelong quest for me. As you know, I also wrote a bestselling book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts, which is based on the wisdom of my mentor, the world famous psychiatrist and existential philosopher, Dr. Viktor Frankl. This book, plus a number of articles and other publications that I’ve written on the human quest for meaning, are a result of my passion not only for finding meaning for myself but also for helping others find meaning in their lives and work.

Elaine: Like Alex, I have always been passionate about doing work that was meaningful to me, as well as about helping others find meaning

in their work and in their personal lives. As a leader in the corporate world (for example, at Procter & Gamble and as an innovation consultant with many leading organizations both public and private), I am always drawn to discussions on how people can find deeper meaning in their work, with others in the workplace, and, in society in general. I’ve always viewed people as being on a search for meaning.

And my own search for meaning has lead me deeper into the fields of philosophy and metaphysics for the answers on how to live a more meaningful life.

We’ve seen photos of your OPA! Centre for Meaning. What happens at the Centre?

The OPA! Centre for Meaning is uniquely designed as both a place where our clients can experience a traditional Greek village and as a place where they can engage in deeper, authentic dialogue and self exploration much like the ancient Greek philosophers did. We were fortunate to be able to work with an award-winning team of film industry professionals in designing this very special and sacred space for our work. As it is a truly memorable space, such a unique setting also helps to ensure that our clients remain meaningfully engaged and, importantly, remember The OPA! Way experience. We’ve also found a side benefit that is worth mentioning: people who’ve never been to Greece want to go after being in our OPA! Centre and those who have been to Greece want to go back!

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At the Centre, we introduce our clients to the core lessons, practices, and pathways of The OPA! Way paradigm and lifestyle. Moreover, we encourage both self-reflection and open dialogue around the key concepts in our work, including focused discussions around quotes and readings from Greek philosophy and mythology. Clients from the business and work world find that they become better leaders and team players as well as all-round better people by participating in our programs. Individuals find that they build their resilience and wellbeing as well as feel more empowered to reach their highest potential as a result of our programs. As Meaning emerges as the next hot topic in personal and organizational transformation, we are indeed fortunate to have such an inspiring and unique venue to conduct our work with clients in all walks and stages of life.

In short, tell us about your new book, The OPA! Way. The OPA! Way represents the accumulation of our years of work focused on demystifying the subject of meaning. Because it is inspired

by Greek philosophy, mythology, and culture, it also represents our way of helping people to rediscover the true Greek spirit and in essence, to rebrand Greece.

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Specifically, in the book we share insights, stories, and three core lessons to guide readers on their odyssey to meaning. These insights, stories, and lessons are arranged under O (connect meaningfully with Others), P (engage with deeper Purpose), and A (embrace life with Attitude), which, taken together, spells the acronym OPA! Who might be interested in your new book, The OPA! Way? Well, of course, we expect all Greeks, people of Greek heritage, and friends of Greece (Philhellenes) to embrace not just the book but also the book’s inspirational, meaning- focused message. In addition, because we wrote the book with a focus on appealing to non-Greeks, we hope that that all people will be drawn to its universal message, in all cultures, in all walks of life, in all stages of life! The OPA! Way provides a practical framework that can be applied to any situation, be it at work or in our everyday lives. With its unique, Greek-inspired message, it also represents a complementary and alternative pathway to the personal growth and spiritual development advice found in books based on Eastern philosophical traditions. In many ways, it can be viewed as the first Greek-inspired self-help book!

Why do you think Meaning is becoming such a topic of interest?

Throughout our individual and collective journeys, or “odysseys” as we like to call them, we’ve encountered many people who told us that “something was missing” in their lives. They told us that they were feeling overwhelmed, lonely, and unfulfilled, generally disconnected from others and, perhaps, even from themselves. In our view, there is a crisis of meaning in our world, one that lurks behind and influences, if not causes, many of the other crises that we are facing today.

People want to be engaged in meaningful relationships with others and feel that their lives have purpose—that they and their lives really matter. People want to find meaning because it is the search for meaning that, in the final analysis, motivates and sustains people through both good and not-so-good times. The search for meaning is becoming the megatrend of the 21st century. As Viktor Frankl espoused, the search for meaning is the primary intrinsic motivation of human beings. (Interestingly, Dr. Frankl was a friend of Greece and based much of his meaning work on the lessons from the ancient Greek philosophers.)

Why should people turn to the Greeks for help in finding more Meaning?

Hundreds of years ago, Plato said, “Man—a being in search of meaning.”

The Greeks have always been looking for meaning and for answers on how to live “the good life” or, as we refer to it, “the meaningful life.”

On our odyssey to writing The OPA! Way book, we wanted to go beyond the common images of Greece to understand the deeper character and spirit of the Greek people, to understand their attitudes toward life, and, of course, to share in their ageless wisdom. We wanted to understand how the Greeks in Greece were coping with, surviving, and in some cases thriving during this period of crisis, stress, and uncertainty so that we could share these lessons with others who may be facing similar circumstances in their own countries or lives. We wanted to learn how Greeks were finding meaning in their everyday lives and work despite the chaos around them.

We found the people in the traditional villages spoke and lived simply but were incredibly wise about life. They knew how to live with joy and meaning. They knew how to build community, treat each other well, and connect in authentic ways. They knew how to embrace all of life— all the ups and downs, the joys and the sorrows. They knew how to live not just with their heads but also with their hearts and spirits as too.

And we discovered that even today, they know about and practice the wisdom of the ancient Greek philosophers. That’s why we should all turn to the Greeks to learn how to live “the meaningful life.”

What’s next for you two—as “philosophers of meaning?”

Ours is a never-ending journey into finding more meaning for ourselves, as well as to help others find more meaning in their lives. Our focus for the next year will be in spreading the meaning message through our new book, The OPA! Way, and leading more “philosophy of meaning” OPA! programs. Among other things, we also plan to bring our clients to Greece for the “OPA! Odysseys of Meaning” programs designed for both personal transformation and for strengthening leadership capacity in the workplace. By walking in the footsteps of our Greek ancestors, people can experience firsthand the lessons we describe in our book and in our work. OPA!

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Manningham Mayoral Ball The Manningham Gala Ball was held recently with a number of guests and community groups enjoying a “Greek Themed” evening raising money for the Manningham Charitable Trust.

It was a great evening with everyone enjoying George Donikian as the MC and a great 20 minute performance by the Mansasis Dance Group which amazed everyone by their routine and then arranged for the whole room to get up and dance the Zorba.

The entertainment was provided by 21/20 who rocked the night with their great array of music.

“It was great to have a vast array of people from a number of community groups and I would like to personally thank everyone who attended the evening.

Everyone looked great and had a “ball” – said Mayor Jim Grivokostopoulos

The night was also a celebration of the Local Member of Bulleen, the Hon Nicholas Kotsiras who retires this year as well as the Member for Doncaster, the Hon May Wooldridge who’s seat has been abolished from the new electoral boundaries and has nominated for the upper house.

Nicholas has held the seat of Bulleen for 14 years and has been a great minister for the area. We wish him well in his retirement looking after his grandchildren and spending more time with family.

A fantastic night had by all – OPA !

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Manningham Mayoral Ball

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Delphi Bank’s Midas Account wins Best Savings Account – Bank in Money magazine’s 2015 Best of the Best Awards.

Delphi Bank’s Midas Account has won a Gold Award for Best Savings Account - Bank category in Money magazine’s Best of the Best Awards 2015.

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The exceptional five star rating awarded to Delphi Bank’s Midas Account together with the recognition from Money magazine’s Best of the Best Award 2015 guarantees a high-performance product for consumers.

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Call 1300 660 550 or visit delphibank.com.au Before taking up any of Delphi Bank’s products or services you should consider if they are appropriate for you. Delphi Bank recommends that you read the respective Terms & Conditions and other Disclosure documents before deciding to acquire or use any of the Bank’s products or services. These documents can be obtained at any of our branches or by visiting our Delphi Bank Division Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited, ABN / Australian Licence 237879. website www.delphibank.com.au. Delphi Bank – A- A Division of of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited, ABN 11 11 068068 049049 178 178 AFSLAFSL / Australian CreditCredit Licence 237879.

ART MAFIA

By DEAN KALIMNIOU

How do you ensure, in a free market, replete with competitors of equal skill, that you can carve yourself an unassailable niche that guarantees your business survival? No, this is not Mark Bouris’ money column. Yet a little knowledge of history does seem to assist, in particular when reviewing the extraordinary life and times of one Belisario Corenzo, Neapolitan Baroque painter, price fixer and cartel operator hailing from north western Peloponnesus.

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ow various Greeks have, over the years, attempting to derive a Greek origin for the mafia. According to them, said organisation arose out of the native Greek opposition to French domination in Sicily, as expressed in the uprising of the Sicilian Vespers, which was funded by the Byzantine Emperor. Mere three hundred years transpire from that uprising to the date that Belisarios Korensios born in 1558, finds himself plying the trade of an artist, first in Venice, then in Rome and finally, in Spanish ruled Naples, where his career reaches its apogee, albeit at the expense of other deserving artists.

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For Corenzio, though talented, and reputedly, a student of the great Tintoretto, was a complicated person. Yes, he was one of the pillars of Italian Baroque art. Undoubtedly he did more than anyone else to formulate the art of the Neapolitan School of Painting. Certainly, he is one of the most prodigious and prolific painters of his time, his surviving works gracing the walls of such august structures as the Royal Palace of Naples, the Stock Exchange, the Law Courts, a number of villas and a multitude of Jesuit and Franciscan establishments. Further, it is widely held that much of the flowing, gold dripping heavy Baroque interior decoration that characterises Naples of that time, is owed, in no small part to Corenzio’s skills as an interior decorator. For example, in 1609, Benedictine monks commissioned him to decorate the church of Saint Severino, where he provided the paintings for some of the side chapels and in which church he is buried. In 1615 he travelled to Constantinople where he painted the frescoes for the church of Saint Mary and also painted the frescoes for the dome of the famous monastery of Monte Cassino, in 1629 which was destroyed by allied bombing in 1944.

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A talented painter in oils, the art of fresco painting seems to have captured his imagination and he was renowned for being able to execute his commissions four times faster than any other artist of his day. His enormous an highly individualistic “Feeding of the Five Thousand,” in which he expresses his Mannerist tendencies to their full extent, coupled with Raphaelite, classicist overtones and chiaroscuro in emulation of the great Caravaggio, was executed in the monk’s dining room at Saint Severino was completed in just forty days.

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The main reason for Corenzio’s prolificacy seems to be his ability to obtain commissions from the highest echelons of Neapolitan society. This was effected by intimidating and threatening other artists, especially itinerant ones, in order for them to take commissions. For example, it is claimed that when Guido Reni came in 1621 to Naples to paint in the Chapel of San Gennaro in the cathedral of the Naples, Corenzio paid an assassin to take his life. The assassin killed Guido’s assistant instead, and effectually frightened Reni, who prudently withdrew to Bologna.

Corenzio was arrested as a suspect in the crime, but released because of insufficient evidence against him.



Scaring people off his turf seemed to be the key to his success, especially since it appeared that he could do so with impunity. Corenzio thus became part of a triumvirate of painters, the others being Jusepe de Ribera and Battistello Caracciolo, who formed the Cabal of Naples, leading lo-

cal artists to harass, expel, or poison artists not native to Naples so they would not obtain commissions in the city.

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According to the art historian Bernardo de Dominici, no major commission for art in Naples could be executed without the consent of these three painters. Artists who did so would be persecuted or threatened with violence, and often their in-progress works would be destroyed or sabotaged.

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Not that the strenuous efforts of Corenzio always worked. It was for example, one thing to scare of Reni, and quite another to obtain the commission for himself. After Reni’s flight, a group from Naples known as the Santafede was hired to complete the work at Naples Cathedral. However, that group’s work did not impress the commissioners, who ultimately hired Corenzio. His work was also found to be unacceptable by the commissioners, and was removed. The commissioners then sent a letter to the artist Domenichino in Rome requesting his services. On 23 March 1630, Domenichino accepted the commission, though which much trepidation, for rumours of Corenzio and his Cabal had by that time, spread to Rome.



By November 1630, Domenichino was resident in Naples . Not long after he arrived, he received a death threat warning him to abandon the commission. He requested protection from the Viceroy of Naples, and despite assurances that he would be safe, rarely left his home except to work at the chapel or at the school he had opened. He would often arrive at the chapel for work to find the previous night’s work had been rubbed out. He was so tormented by the cabal that in 1634 he fled to Frascati, not yet having completed the commission, and became a guest at Villa Aldobrandini, the seat of the powerful Aldobrandini family. The representatives of the Naples Cathedral who had hired him did their utmost to convince Domenichino to return. Upon learning of Domenichino’s flight from the city, instead of taking on the Corenzio and his Cabal the Viceroy of Naples arrested his wife and daughterand sequestered his property. Domenichino returned to Naples in 1635 to continue his work on the cathedral, but by then no longer had the favour or protection of the viceroy and descended into paranoia. According to journal entries

by Giovanni Battista Passeri, Domenichino feared that his meals would be poisoned, or that he would be stabbed. On 3 April 1641, he wrote a will and he died on 15 April after several days of illness. His widow was convinced he had been poisoned, and it was suspected that it was Corenzio who had brought about his untimely demise in his quest to dominate the Neapolitan art market.

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His florid style, well in keeping with the overladen architecture and full-blown decorative ornament peculiar to the Jesuit builders of the seventeenth century survives him just as much as his sordid reputation as a protectionist, extortionist and thug, proving that crime does indeed pay for through his nefarious activities, including turning on the fellow members of his Cabal, Corenzio ended up being appointed court painter to the Neapolitan Viceroy. When this perfidious Peloponnesian finally did perish, at the age of eighty-five, it is said that his demise was occasioned by a fall from a scaffolding. Other sources say he poisoned himself. From remorse perhaps? Considering his track record, highly unlikely.

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Susanne Hampton opamagazine.com.au

Profile How long were you writing romance before you received ‘the Call’?

M

My interest in writing romance began around 1994 until then it had been a passion of reading romance novels in particular, Danielle Steel. I joined the Romance Writers of SA and looked forward to the monthly meetings to learn more about the industry and be encouraged by this amazing group of women from all walks of life. They helped me immensely and their support was invaluable. I met Mills & Boon authors Trish Morey and Lucy Clark when they were beginning their careers. My first manuscript was mailed almost nineteen years ago to Mills & Boon. This was long before emailed submissions were accepted and it took many months to receive my first rejection. When the letter arrived I was devastated but picked myself up and went to work on the next story. This partial was also rejected and it became a pattern but with each rejection came a longer letter from the editors explaining why it wasn’t suitable and suggestions on how I could improve the storyline or writing. Career and family took precedence and in 2000 I took a break from writing. In 2004, I moved to Los Angeles where I lived for two years with my daughters. I joined a local writers group in California where I met Mills & Boon Medical author Lynne Marshall. This inspired me to return to writing but it wasn’t until 2011 that I actually submitted another manuscript. Another rejection followed but again it had a lengthy explanation of the reasons why it wasn’t suitable and the suggestion that I should submit another partial for consideration. I did and on 8 July 2013, I received ‘the call’ from London.

Why Medical romance?

One of my favourite authors when I began writing was Marion Lennox.

I really enjoyed her writing style with touches of humour and medical settings. My background is in the dental specialist field so I thought it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to research the world of medicine. I also love drama, emotional tension and pace of Grey’s Anatomy and ER.

Where and when do you write?

Only a few months before I received ‘the call’ my husband bought me the most beautiful mahogany writing bureau and it is my little piece of serenity. I don’t use it for anything but writing my books. Nothing else happens…. no paying bills, nothing boring or practical. Just writing manuscripts. When I look up I can see the books of the writers I admire most behind the narrow glass doors and this inspires me to keep writing.

It is my creative zone and I find I can completely shut out the world and forget where I am. I write most days. During the week, this is after work and on the weekends I devote Saturdays to writing. I absolutely love writing and never find it a chore. The day the second book was accepted, my editor told me to take a well-earned rest and the first thing I did was begin a synopsis for the next book. It’s addictive.

People, places and events around me provide a constant source of storylines.

Will you let Orianthi read your books?

Just as Ori allows me to hear the songs as she writes them, I am very happy that she reads my work. She is an avid reader of all genres, but has a leaning towards biographies and spiritual subjects so my books will be something very different.

How do you keep coming up with fresh characters and stories?

People, places and events around me provide a constant source of storylines. Indirectly snippets here and there make me think of potential characters and stories and places I visit create perfect settings. My third book, Falling for Dr December, to be released in December 2014, is set in Uralla, in country New South Wales and came to me after visiting the town for my nephew’s wedding last November. I instantly fell in love with the setting and the people of this close-knit community and it provided the perfect backdrop for the story. It made me think about how different country life is from life in the city so I brought my heroine, Laine a photographer from New York, to Uralla where the handsome hero, Pierce is a country GP. Creating new characters and stories is not my problem….finding the time to write all of them is definitely the issue for me.

What do you like to read?

I enjoy reading Harlequin romance novels across all of the series as I have friends who write for Harlequin Presents, Sexy and Historical as well as Mills & Boon Medical. I also love Danielle Steel, Maeve Binchy and Nora Roberts. Currently I’m reading Maggie Shipstead’s debut novel Seating Arrangements.

Do your characters stay with you after you’ve finished a book?

Yes they do stay with me and I think of them as living their lives at the same time as the new characters. Not unlike extended family members who live separate lives but you catch up at special family gatherings. I hope to keep readers up to date with their favorite characters’ their lives in future books. For instance book number four, which I am currently

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Profile writing, is set in Neo-Natal Intensive Care and I have returned to the Eastern Memorial Hospital in Adelaide where Matthew and Beth met in A & E in my debut book, Unlocking the Doctor’s Heart. Readers will hear about what has happened to Beth and Matthew since they married.

They do not play a role but they are mentioned so that readers feel a part of the continuing story. I want them to smile as they hear about characters they grew to love in past books.

love they once shared was so strong that neither has really closed their heart and when they meet again it doesn’t take long to rekindle their feelings. They spend one last night together before they walk away from each other but fate finds them working together for the few weeks until Sara leaves for the US. Unfortunately the issues that forced them apart are just as powerful now. Tom is faced with watching his wife walk away forever if he cannot find a way to accept her need to have a family and reveal to her a secret from his past.

What motivates you to write your books?

I love writing and particularly happy ever after. In this world there is so much sadness that it is wonderful for readers and for me to escape into a world where nice things happen to good people. The characters may have sadness in their past, hurdles to overcome and lessons to learn but happiness will always triumph and that makes me equally happy as I write the stories.

Tell us a little about your latest book...

Back in Her Husband’s Arms is the story about a love that never died.

Sara and Tom are both oral surgeons who once loved each other deeply and passionately. Unfortunately their whirlwind romance didn’t provide the time to work through their very different priorities particularly in regard to having a family. They have been separated for three years and their divorce is imminent, in fact only weeks away from becoming final.

Sara has accepted a position at a teaching hospital in San Antonio, Texas and is in Melbourne for two days to finalise her work visa at the American Embassy when she unexpectedly bumps into Tom at a restaurant. The

Review on Mills and Boon UK website http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/back-in-her-husbands-arms

Brilliant!

Rating

By R, 09 May 2014 After her superb debut novel Mrs Hampton has achieved the seemingly impossible and surpassed this in her follow-up.

An extra bonus was the medical theme of oral surgery which was different and interesting. An emotionally draining read made the ending all the more satisfying.

My Books: Unlocking The Doctor’s Heart Medical Romance March 2014 – Australia, North America, UK, and France

Back In Her Husband’s Arms Medical Romance June 2014 – Australia, North America, UK and France

Falling for Dr December Medical Romance December 2014 – Australia, North America, UK and France

“Lovers re-united” has always been one of my favourite themes.

You can just picture the stark setting and shock when Tom and Sara two tortured yet enchanting and easy-to-identify surgeons meet accidentally in a restaurant after not having seen each other for a number of years just before their divorce is due to become final. The depth of their feeling is almost tangible. Right from the start you are rooting for them to get back together. However, I did find it very hard to understand the reasoning behind Tom’s refusal to have a family which was the root of their troubles.

One of the best in this genre for a long time - if only all Medicals could be of this standard.

Ten out of ten

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Profile

I

am a mother of two beautiful daughters and still married to the man I met at eighteen! I live in Adelaide, the ‘City of Churches’ in South Australia. We have the most beautiful wine country about forty-five minutes from the city and the beach is only a short drive from our home. Two dogs, three ducks and four chickens also call it home!

When I am not writing or reading, or tending to our near city farmyard, I work for the State government. Part of my job is to interview clients and write about their lives after receiving assistance from our department.

An incurable romantic for all of my life, I read romance novels, some based in Australia and others set in exotic faraway places. In my mid thirties, I put pen to paper and started to write my own stories based in my hometown, after all it was the one I knew best. I finally mailed one to Harlequin Mills & Boon. I decided in order to stand out from the rest I would ensure the presentation of my manuscript was romantic and memorable. I chose a large gold box, filled it with pink tissue paper and carefully place my manuscript inside. I then tied an enormous pink bow around the box and sent it on its way. It was rejected…however the rejection letter was lovely and commended me on my absolutely wonderful presentation!

Undaunted and determined to one day bring characters to life and write stories that provided readers with a rollercoaster ride of emotion before

a happy ending, I joined the South Australian Romance Writers and Romance Writers of Australia. I learnt more about the industry and took classes to improve my writing skills. I returned to the medical world, temping as the personal assistant in a large teaching hospital and dental nursing.

In 2006, I moved to the United States and lived in Los Angeles for two years. It was fast, glitzy and fun and brimming with interesting characters. These characters and the daily sound of ambulances racing around the city inspired me to write again and I joined a Los Angeles Romance Writers Group.

When I finally returned to my quieter life back in Australia, I was more determined than ever to be a romance writer. I wrote at night and on weekends. My friends and family all knew about my dream. My husband bought me a stunning desk with a bookcase where I displayed the books I loved and still hoped to one day to write. So again, I submitted a story.

This story was about two doctors, Beth and Matthew. Beth was a feisty young woman who, tired of going unnoticed, bravely travels far from her home in the UK to Australia to forge her own way in the world.

Matthew was a man who had been so badly hurt in the past that he had locked away his heart forever… until he met Beth! I loved the characters and their journey and I hoped when I sent it to Harlequin Mills & Boon that they would fall in love with them too.

In July 2013 I received ‘The Call’. I was offered a two-book contract with Harlequin Mills & Boon. Truly a happy ending… and a new beginning, with the release of my first book, Unlocking the Doctors Heart.

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Skyros

Island of Refuge

By Jim Claven

Linaria harbour today

E

very year as we commemorate Anzac Day, Greek Australians have a lot to be proud of. For the Australian connection to Greece - stretching from the story of Lemnos’ link to Australia’s Anzac legend onwards - has been one of comradeship and shared sacrifice.

Linaria harbour today, the church of Agios Nikolaos on the hill.

Across both World Wars, Australian diggers and nurses served alongside their Greek allies. Along with the many Greek Australians who served as Anzacs, the experience of Australians fighting in Greece was one of support and friendship in the common struggle – from both soldiers and civilians – often at great cost.

There are few places across Greece that doesn’t have an Anzac story to tell. This Anzac story is from Skyros.

You could say Skiros is a kidney shaped Island, its northern and southern expanses reaching to Mount Olympus in the north and Mounts Kohias and Dafni in the south pinched in the middle, near the main port of Linaria on the west coast.

Skyros is the largest Island in its group. Despite its name – which translates as stony – the Island is not barren, with forests, pasture, wheat, citrus fruits and vines.

Skyros Town today

It is famous for its coloured marble, veined with red and green, its distinctive pottery, woodcarving and embroidery. The embroidery is lively, featuring ships, villagers, animals and flowers. Its distinctive folk dresses feature prominently in Athens’ famous Benaki Museum.

During Lent, the Islanders enjoy a particular festival unique in Greece. For its folk art, customs and architecture, Skyros has attracted artists over the years, one of the most famous being George von Peschke.

One of the oldest inhabited islands in the region, its longevity has given Skyros a role in Greece’s great myths. In these legends, Skyros is a place of refuge but also of danger.

Tris Boukes Bay today

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It is on Skyros that Theseus, King of Athens and the slayer of the Cretan minotaur, seeks to retire. Instead he is murdered by his host, the jealous King Lycomedes, who has him thrown from the acropolis above Skyros town.

Skyros was also a place of refuge for the great warrior Achilles. Foretold of her son’s early death at Troy, Achilles’ mother Thetis hides him on Skyros dressed as a woman. Yet his fate cannot be avoided. The cunning Odysseus lures him to Troy by blowing a war trumpet, the young Achilles stripping off his dress and seizing his weapons.

This story of war and refuge is reflected in Skyros’ Anzac story.

While the modern traveller can travel to Skyros by plane, the ferry from nearby Evai will take you in the footsteps of the Anzacs.

Skyros Town 1930’s

As you leave the ferry Achilleas you’ll find that Linaria is a lovely little Aegean port, with a welcoming harbour front of tavernas and ouuzeries, sheltered by some wooded hills and above all, the church of Agios Nikolaos.

This is how the Anzacs first caught sight of the Island that would lead them to freedom 63 years ago this month.

Some six hundred Allied soldiers evaded the Germans and escaped back to the Allies in the Middle East with the help of brave Greek civilians.

And for many Skyros was one of the main routes of escape on the famous caique runs, the traditional Greek fishing vessels that sailed the Aegean. Arriving at Linaria from Evia, the Anzacs made their way across the sea to freedom.

Skyros Town roof tops, today

So it was that one sick and tired Aussie soldier from East Malvern arrived at Linaria in June 1941.

We left the story of Warrant Officer Milton Boulter in Evia in a previous Neos Kosmos article. Born in Frankston, Milton had joined up in June 1940, aged 25. After the fighting in Greece, Milton was captured at Kalamata on 29th April 1941.

Escaping at Lamia, he made his way across Greece and on to Evia. He would write in the Melbourne Argus of the generosity and help he received from local villagers who fed and clothed him, and helped him on his way.

Speaking a little Greek, he reached a monastery on Evia’s east coast where the welcoming Bishop and monks arranged for a fisherman to take him to Skyros.

Milton put ashore on the west coast, most probably not far from Linaria.

Weakened by illness he crossed the Island by foot to reach Skyros Town on the east coast.

Skyros Town roof tops, 1931

Making this trip today is an easy drive or bus trip along a sealed road. But in 1941 poor Milton had to walk all the way, following the paths across the rocky heights.

When he arrived, what he saw was one of the most picturesque visions in Greece. Just as today, the lovely white Cycladic-type houses with their distinctive grey roofs cluster around the mountain amongst a labyrinth of cobblestoned streets. The mountain is topped by the Monastery of Agios Georgios, its acropolis and the remains of a Venetian fortress, with its Lion adorning the once strong gate.

The cobblestone streets of Skyros Town – where Milton the Anzac walked in 1941

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Walking through this beautiful town, I wonder at the refuge Milton found here in 1941.

He would have enjoyed the hospitality of the Skyriots, maybe admiring their unique home crafts. It is touching to think that this modern day warrior may have dreamed of that other ancient warrior, Achilles, who sought refuge as he did.

It is here that Milton met his saviour, Emanuel Virgilou.

Emanuel was a key member of the resistance and working for the Allies to ferry escapers like Milton to neutral Turkey.

Skyros room, Benaki Museum Athens. Photo Jim Claven 2013

Skyriot house interior from the 1920’s. Benaki Collection.

At great risk to his life, Emanuel made a special trip to ferry the sick Milton to freedom, Milton reaching Smyrna then Haifa in early August 1941.

A Skyriot wedding Bride and groom on their wedding day, Skyos, 1928. Wedding Portrait of Georg and Faltaina von Peschke Skyros 1928

Skyros room detail, Benaki Museum Athens.

Photo Jim Claven 2013

Milton’s story is just one of the many. Parties of Anzacs made there way to Skyors throughout 1941. Emanuel and his fellow Skyriots evacuated some 250 Allied soldiers to freedom during the war.

But while these Anzacs escaped to freedom, other Allied soldiers in other wars did not.

And the most famous of these lies in a solitary war grave near a beautiful bay to the Islands south.

Traditional Skyriot clothing, Benaki Museum Athens.

Photo Jim Claven 2013

When we think of the Gallipoli campaign and Greece, it’s natural to recall the role of Lemnos as the base for the campaign. But many of the surrounding Islands also were drawn in to play a role in the conflict. So it was with Skyros.

As the Allied armada assembled for the landings, ships were diverted from Lemnos’ Mudros Bay to Skyros’ great southern bay, Tris Boukes.

Skyriot pottery

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Sub-Lieutenant Brooke was a famous young poet, steeped in a classical education.

Joining the Hood Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, he was headed for the Gallipoli landings when he and his comrades were diverted to Tresbourkes Bay on 17th April.

His unit included a number of Australians and New Zealanders. While in the Bay, they practiced their landing techniques and marched across into the valleys that surrounded the harbour.

It was here that Brooke rested at a quiet olive grove, remarking on “the strange peace and beauty of this valley”. Three days later he would be buried here. For Brooke had never fully recovered from an infection contracted in Egypt only weeks before.

Mosaic depicting Achilles in Skyros, recovered from Zeugma, Museum of Gaziantep, Turkey

On the evening of the 23rd he was carried the two hour walk from the harbour to the grave by a party of twelve Australians in Brooke’s unit. The service was attended by his company commander Bernard Freyberg, who would become one of New Zealand’s most decorated soldiers.

Chora on Skyros (Skyros Town), 1930 by Georg von Peschke

At the final committal, sprigs of olive and sage branches were placed on the coffin.

One present remarked that he felt the presence of “old Greek divinities”, and “was transported back a thousand years”. A small cairn of white and pink marble rocks was erected on the grave - a cairn to a soldier on the Island of Achilles.

Carnival on Skyros, 1938 by Georg von Peschke

The wooden cross erected at the grave contained the following Greek inscription composed and written by a Greek interpreter from Lemnos: Warrant Officer Milton Boulter, 1943. AWM

Here lies the servant of god, Sub-Lieutenant in the English Navy, Who died for the deliverance of Constantinople from the Turks The grave was restored in the 1960’s and is maintained by the Anglo-Hellenic Society in London. The original cross has long been removed to Brooke’s school, but a visit this grave is well worth the journey.

Returning to the harbour of Skyros town, the traveller will notice the statue by the sculptor Tombros dedicated to Rupert Brooke, erected in April 1931. Just as they honoured the Philhellene Byron, so the Greeks honour a soldier and an ally – but also a poet.

Rupert Brooke

As you sit in one of the harbour’s tavernas, think of those Australians carrying their dead comrade to his resting place under an olive tree, and think of Milton the Anzac from East Malvern and his savour, the Skyriot, Emanuel Virgilou.

A practice marine landing on the shore of Skyros by men of the British Royal Naval Division, 1915. AWM

Lest we forget.

Unveiling of the monument to Brooke on Skyros in 1931

Rupert Brookes Grave

Jim Claven is a published author and Monash University history graduate, holding a Master of Arts degree from that University. A former government adviser on Veterans Affairs, he is secretary of the Melbourne-based Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee. He is currently researching the Anzac connections with Greece across both World Wars and developing associated commemorative travel trails in Greece.

A view of Skyros Harbour showing the British Navy warship HMS Canopus and men of the Royal Naval Division in small boats being towed towards a practice landing, 1915. AWM

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Dean Karnazes Navarino Challenge & the challenge of Spartathlon

Photo Credits: Babis Giritziotis, Giorgos Gavrilakis 40 |

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People of all ages ran with their heart!

As the top Greek-American ultramarathon Dean (Konstantinos) Karnazes, highlights, “run with your heart and you will never get tired”. People of all ages ran last weekend September 19th-21st, at the “Navarino Challenge”, next to The North Face athlete, in the city of Kalamata and in Costa Navarino.

Lots of people supported the hundreds of participant runners who ran without competing and with no time limits, all for a good cause!

The full program of “Navarino Challenge” included a 15km route in Kalamata, on Saturday September 20th, while on Sunday September 21st the action took place in Costa Navarino for a half-marathon, a 5km route and 1km route for children.

The messages on awareness about the issue of childhood obesity and the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and healthy living, were brought forward by the speakers of the workshop: “Eat well – run well – live well”, that was organized on Saturday September 20th 2014, at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, which supported for one more year the event.

The schedule of the workshop included honoring the twice silver Olympic champion in taekwondo, Alexandros Nikolaidis, by the Complex Hotel Manager of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Costa Navarino, Mrs. Roberta Davanzo and honoring the Olympic & World Champion swimmer Spyros Gianniotis by the Allianz Hellas President & CEO, Mr. Petros Papanikolaou.

of Nutrition Dean, School of Health Science & Education, Harokopio University, Dr. Christina Chrysohoou, MD, PhD, FESC, Cardiologist, Consultant, First Cardiology Clinic, Hippokration Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Mr. Michalis Toumpis, President of the Hellenic Thoracic Society, Fay Efthimiou, “Forma” Magazine Director and Dean Karnazes.

At the event’s success contributed its sponsors Allianz Hellas, Ford Motor Hellas, Heraklio Travel, Chiquita, as well as the official travel agency The Travel Company.

The workshop’s main session included the speeches of Dr. Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos, FRSPH, FACE, Professor in Biostatistics Epidemiology opamagazine.com.au

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Official supporters of “Navarino Challenge” were: Holmes Place, Alpha (Athlima AEVE), “Vikos” natural mineral water, the philanthropists Michael & Trianthe Dakolias while Macedonian Halva was the official partner of the organization.

“Navarino Challenge” was included this year, in the European Mobility Week, in the framework of the events held by the Municipality of Kalamata.

Those who stayed at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino had the opportunity to attend taekwondo lessons with Alexandros Nikolaidis, to swim with Spyros Gianniotis, to attend pilates lessons with the pilates instructor Mandy Persaki, to watch the special National Geographic Channel Greece’s edition of “Entertain Your Brain” with the episodes of the “Brain Games” show and enjoy Greek traditional dances.

In the context of “Navarino Challenge” the Olympic medalist Alexandros Nikolaidis said: “I participated with great pleasure once again at Navarino Challenge, contributing to its rich schedule. We had the opportunity to infuse to young and older people the values and ideals of an Olympic sport that has given many joys and recognitions and was warmly received at this event”. In addition, the Olympic and World Champion, Spyros Gianniotis, highlighted: “We encourage people of all ages to swim and live every moment with their heart, like Dean. We live in a country with beautiful seas, such as the Messinian beaches which we ought to take care of and enjoy with safety”.

Free spirometry tests were offered to the public on Saturday 20/09 in the Central Square of Kalamata and on Sunday 21/09 in Costa Navarino, as part of the campaign “Healthy Aging” under the Auspices of the Hellenic Thoracic Society and with the support of Pfizer Hellas.

The aim of this initiative was to inform and sensitize the public about the importance of adopting healthy habits throughout our life, including vaccination against infectious diseases such as influenza and pneumococcal disease, smoking cessation, a balanced diet, regular exercise and the right diagnostic tests.

The closing ceremony of “Navarino Challenge” was held on Sunday September 21st, and was accompanied by a great feast with traditional local products by Navarino Icons, tsipouro, a Greek spirit by Navarino Vineyards and delicacies from the famous traditional Athanasiou stores.

“Navarino Challenge” was held under the Auspices of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics of Harokopio University of Athens and the Greek National Tourism Organization with the support of the Municipalities of Kalamata, Pylos-Nestor, Trifilia, Costa Navarino and The Westin Resort.

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To support even further the cause of “Navarino Challenge” Dean Karnazes visited the 8th Elementary Public School in Palaio Faliro, and the Hellenic American Athens College (haef.gr) where he spoke to the children about the benefits of running, healthy living & nutrition, answered their questions, and at the end run again with all of them in the school yard to set the example!

Right before the Spartathlon, The Mayor of Marathon Mr. Ilias Psinakis honored Dean Karnazes for his contribution in running, in a ceremony that was held in the Museum of Marathon Run in the historical and of great importance for runners municipality of Marathon and awarded him with the “Spiros Louis” medal which few people had the chance to be awarded so far. A special corner was created for the “ultramarathon” Dean Karnazes among great marathon runners in the museum. He was so deeply touched that he said “People say i am super human. I tell them No, I am not super human, I am Greek! The Marathon is in my blood!”

The challenge of Spartathlon

SPARTATHLON is one of the most difficult as well as the most historical ultra-distance (246km) running races in the world. It takes place in September of every year in Greece and follows the route of Pheidippides, an ancient Athenian long distance runner, who in 490 BC, before the battle of Marathon, was sent from Athens to Sparta to seek help in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. The runners must finish this grueling race of 246 kilometers in no more than 36 hours. Last year, 360 athletes from whom 315 are men and 45 women, from 42 countries will participate in this unique event. The race started on Friday 26th of September at 7:00 am under the Parthenon monument. Spartathlon is the most successful historic event revival worldwide through a sporting effort. This fact, as well as its brutality as an ultra race, has declared it to be particularly popular among ultra athletes from around the world and of course from our country. This year the race has implemented changes that are crucial, such as the number of participants, which has increased to 380 - by far a higher number compared to the 315 participants last year. In these 32 years where Spartathlon is held, 2,171 athletes have managed to finish within 36 hours, which is the limit of a valid finish.

Dean Karnazes was able to run 153-miles eating only what actually existed in the ancient years. Foods that Pheidippides would have had access to, which is basically, a paste made from crushed sesame seeds and honey (pasteli), figs and other dried fruit, nuts, Macedonian Halva (halva is crumbly & usually made from tahini -sesame paste) and cured meat. He was also restricting fluid intake to water alone as there was no such thing as sports beverage in 490 BCE. In fact he ran 105 km only by drinking water and not getting any other kind of food!!

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Theophany: God’s Illuminating Revelation

religion

By Fr. Kyril

Theophany is the Feast of the Baptism of Christ by St John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The word Theophany is Greek and means, “the revealing (or manifestation) of God.” At Christ’s Baptism, God the Holy Trinity was revealed to the world (Matthew 3: 13 – 17; Mark 1: 9 – 11; Luke 3: 21 – 22). The feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ, the Holy Trinity appeared clearly to mankind for the first time: God the Father’s voice is heard from Heaven, the Son of God is incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ and is standing physically in the Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in the form of a dove.

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T

heophany is one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church and is celebrated on January 6. This feast is also significant because it marks the beginning of Christ’s ministry. Theophany is also known as Epiphany which just means: appearance, or revealing. In the early Church, Theophany was both the celebration of Christ’s birth (Christmas) and His baptism. This is because both are closely related to the theme of the revelation of God in the flesh (Jesus Christ) to the world. The feast of Theophany originally included celebrating Christ’s birth, the visitation and adoration (worship) by the Magi, Christ’s circumcision and His Presentation to the Temple (Ipapanti Tou Kyriou). The tradition of celebrating Christmas separately from Theophany began in the 4th century, although the Armenian Church to this day still celebrates Christmas and Theophany on the same day.

Since Theophany is the celebration of the Baptism of Christ, the main feature of the feast is the blessing of water. The blessing or sanctification of the waters (agiasmos) reminds us that Christ sanctified all of creation when He was baptised in the river Jordan. The water from this blessing on Theophany is then used by the local parish priest to bless the homes of the faithful for the new year.

The Orthodox Church shows the necessity of Baptism for believers in Christ through the feast of Theophany. It inspires us with a sense of deep gratitude for the illumination and purification of our sinful nature. The Church teaches that our salvation and cleansing from sin is possible only by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit, therefore it is necessary to preserve worthily these gifts of the grace of holy Baptism.

From ancient times this feast was called the Day of Illumination and the Feast of Lights, since God is Light and has appeared to illumine “those who sat in darkness,” and “in the region of the shadow of death” (Isaiah 9: 1; Matthew 4: 16), and to save the fallen race of mankind by grace.

This is why it is still known and called by Greeks as, Ta Phota / Ton Photon.

Among other names, people who are named Theophanes, Theophania and Tiffany celebrate their name-day on the feast of Theophany. Tiffany is actually a derivative of Theophania and is an Orthodox Christian name like any other.

Hymn (Troparion) for the feast of Theophany

O Lord when You were baptized in the Jordan The worship of the Trinity was revealed For the voice of the Father bore witness to You And called You His beloved Son. And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, Confirmed the truthfulness of His word.

O Christ our God, You have revealed Yourself

Closely related to the Feast of Theophany is the one who baptised Christ, St John the Baptist. The feast of St John the Baptist is on the very next day after Theophany, January 7.

St John the Baptist was the cousin of Christ and the last of the Old Testament prophets, serving as a bridge between that period and the New Testament. St John the Baptist preached about the coming of the Messiah or the Christ. In the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church, when St John the Baptist was beheaded, he descended into Hades and there once more preached that Jesus the Messiah was coming to free those who chose to be freed from eternal death. So he was also called the Forerunner of Christ (Prodromos) in death as he had been in life.

Orthodox churches will often have an icon of St John the Baptist in a place of honor on the iconostasis, and he is frequently mentioned during the Divine Services. Every Tuesday throughout the year is dedicated to his memory.

He is sometimes called the Angel of the Desert. Angels are messengers sent from God. St John was the messenger who was sent ahead of Christ to preach about the coming of God in the flesh. This is why St John the Baptist is sometimes depicted with wings in Orthodox iconography.

St John’s special office ceased with the baptism of Jesus. He continued, however, for a while to bear testimony to the Messiahship of Jesus. He pointed Jesus out to his followers, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God.” His public ministry was suddenly brought to a close when he was imprisoned and then beheaded by Herod, whom he had reproved for the sin of having taken to himself the wife of his brother Philip (Luke 3: 19).

One of the questions most often asked by pious Orthodox Christians wanting to know more about their Faith and to deepen their Orthodox Christian Faith is why Jesus (who is the Son of God and who was sinless) had to be baptised by St John the Baptist in the Jordan River?

Yes Jesus, being perfect man (as well as perfect God) did not need to repent, because He was sinless. But at Jesus’ insistence, St John baptized Him in order to sanctify the waters and all creation. This is what the Divine Services of the Orthodox Church teach us on the feast of Theophany. Jesus wanted to demonstrate that whatever He asked of us to do, He was willing to do first.

In one of the hymns that we chant after the feast of Theophany, it says, “Come to me as I am accomplishing the mystery of salvation! I am restoring Adam, who was crushed by sin. I am baptized as a man in the waters of the Jordan, even though I am sinless by nature.”

When Jesus came to be baptized, St John knew that there was no need for Jesus to receive his baptism, but rather that Jesus should baptize him, as St John considered himself unworthy. But after his conversation with the Son of God, St John humbly performed the baptism to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and so that God incarnate may sanctify the waters and begin to open the doors of salvation to us, just as it says in one of the hymns before the feast of Theophany, “Christ has come to the Jordan to bring about the first-fruits of salvation.”

And have enlightened the world. Glory to You!

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religion

By Fr. Kyril

Vasilopita – The Tradition of the St Basil Cake

V

asilopita is a sweet bread or cake that is traditionally consumed on New Year’s Day (January 1). This tradition is held in some Orthodox Christian countries like Greece and many other areas in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

The word “Vasilopita” is a compound of two Greek words, “Vasileios” (Greek word for the name Basil. Can also mean: Regal, Royal, King) and “Pita” which is Greek for “pie,” but in this context it means, “cake.” So Vasilopita can mean both “The King’s Cake,” (The King being Our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ the King), but more commonly St Basil’s Cake (Agios Vasilios). On January 1 the Orthodox Church commemorates both the Circumcision of Christ and St Basil the Great who was the Archbishop of Caesarea (In Cappadocia, Turkey) who lived in the 4th century. The Vasilopita, or St Basil-Cake contains a hidden coin as a blessing for the New Year to the receiver.

On New Year’s Day families slice the Vasilopita as a form of blessing the household and the new year. A coin is hidden in the cake by slipping it into the dough before baking. At midnight the sign of the Cross is etched with a knife across the cake. A piece of cake is sliced for each member of the family and any visitors present at the time, by order of age from eldest to youngest. Slices are also cut for various people or groups, depending on local and family tradition. They may include the Lord, St Basil and other saints, the poor and the household. In older times, the coin often was a valuable one, like a gold coin.

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The tradition of the Vasilopita is associated with the life St Basil himself. The saint called on the people of Caesarea, the city that he supervised as bishop, because he wanted to distribute money to the poor in his diocese. However, St Basil wanted to preserve the dignity of his proud flock. He commissioned the town bakers to bake sweetened bread, in which he arranged to place gold coins. Thus poor families were spared embarrassment when they ate the sweet bread and were pleasantly surprised to find gold coins in the bread.

Greek Orthodox tradition has it that gifts are given out by Saint Basil the Great on New Year’s Day, rather than St Nicholas (on December 6th.

Aka: Santa Claus, Father Christmas).

St Basil was the son of a very wealthy and well educated family.

Eventually he distributed all his personal wealth amongst the poor and he also built what would later be called the “Vasiliada,” or “St Basil Hospice.” The hospital was a refuge for the poor, as well as a sanctuary for the homeless and the sick.

The Vasilopita as a sweet bread symbolizes the hope that the New Year will be filled with the sweetness of life, health, and happiness for all.

The coin in the Vasilopita is in memory of the St Basil the Great and his acts of benevolence and philanthropy.

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THE TWELVE GREEK APOSTLES

by DEAN KALIMNIOU

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M

y octogenarian great aunt, my grandmother’s sister, is a most formidable woman. Possessed of a steely brow, piercing eyes and thick hair, carefully restrained within a plait the thickness of a handspan, that reaches all the way to her knees, she is

to her. Without a moment to lose she waylaid him, subjecting him to a

renowned within the family and beyond for her practical, no nonsense

Aptitude for self defence notwithstanding, my great aunt is also possessed

approach to life, an approach that can be likened to construction ma-

of a religious temperament, and as a child I loved to sneak upstairs her

chinery, as she bulldozes through life’s innumerable obstacles. Such an

creaky Victorian terrace home gaze at her iconostasis, comprised of icons

approach came to her in her youth where, back in the village, charged

lovingly arranged upon a mantelpiece. At their centre was an extremely

with administering injections for the local doctor at all hours of the night,

old icon of the Resurrection, executed in baroque, manneristic style. Its

she happened to be walking through the village in the darkness, when

triumphalism and deep passion would always transfix me, until that is,

she was accosted by a sleazy male, who made various lewd suggestions

my aunt would materialize silently behind me and whisk me away, so

beating so severe that no one in the village ever so much as raised their eyebrows in her general direction ever again. Given that my aunt’s forearm are twice the size of my own, such a beating was not inconsiderable.

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as to do no damage. My aunt’s religiosity also is the cause of the mortal peril in which I happened to find myself one day, when in conversation, I casually remarked that Jesus Christ was a Jew. My remark was met with an ominous silence as I saw my aunt turn various stages of pink, red and then violet. “What?” she eventually snapped. “Who told you that?”

“Well, everyone knows that he is a Jew,” I replied sensing I had committed a grievous error but not quite knowing just what that error was. “You do know that he is a Jew, don’t you?” I continued, apprehensively.

“Rubbish!” my aunt spat, as she threw her arms up into the air. “Absolute rubbish. Jesus was Greek. His mother was called Maria. She was Greek!

Who teaches you this twaddle?”

Carefully, I picked up her coffee cup, which, in her indignation, she had sent sprawling across the coffee table and replaced it upon its saucer. I then opened her Bible, which always stood upon her sideboard and turning to the first verses of the Gospel of St Matthew began to read aloud: “Book of the Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah - This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers...”

“What was Abraham, aunt?” I asked. “A Jew. What was Isaac? A Jew. Jacob? Judah in particular? All of them were Jews. How can you say that Jesus was Greek when even the Bible states that his ancestors were Jews?”

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“Give me that,” my aunt said, snatching the Bible from my hands. She sat there, lips pursed, mouthing every syllable, as she attempted to absorb the information I had just given her, thick forefinger, following the text in front of her. As she continued down the page, the furrows in her brow became ever more pronounced until finally she put the Bible down and looked up at me: “This Bible has been written by Communists and Jehovah’s Witnesses,” she shouted. “This is disgraceful Now get out of here.”

This memory is germaine to the recent attempts by the Greek tourism board, to appropriate the Twelve Apostles along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, in their advertising campaigns. Greece of course, has no shortage of wondrous natural and man-made landmarks to offer to travelers for exploitation, for the purposes of extracting funds from them and thus, the appearance of the testament to the erosive properties of the Southern Ocean in a Greek tourism campaign can only rendered explicable by a thought process akin to that of my aged aunt, to wit: If Jesus is Greek, it stands to reason that the twelve Apostles, are also Greek and therefore, the Greek ministry of tourism, headed by the western educated Olga Kefaloyianni, (whose name, tortuously belabouring the motif of this paragraph literally translates as Head-John’), is entitled to claim them. Furthermore, the word apostle is Greek and if indignant Australians continue to poke fun at Greece’s righteous claims upon this landmark, the Greeks can demand the payment of royalties from them, for the continued use of the

world ‘Apostles,’ and utilize these funds for the re-payment of European bail-out. If this is refused, then Australia should be compelled to rename them the “Twelve Emissaries,” instead. At any rate, the onus in upon Australia to prove that the Twelve Apostles were not Greek, having regard to the propensity of communists and ne’er do wells to alter the text to suit their anti-Hellenic agenda.

Mystifyingly, the Greek ministry for tourism did not cite any of these cogent arguments in support of its appropriation of the Twelve Apostles.

Instead, it concocted a nebulous justification that has regards to the stars above the Twelve Apostles, all of which apparently are Greek, including the Southern Cross, which of course, goes by the sobriquet of Stavros. ‹When the day is done,’ the narrator pronounces, ‘the moon and her stars paint the sky in brilliant constellations, named from astrology by ancient sailors, navigating their way from island to island across the broad sea,› In one section of the advertisement, entitled ‘Gods, Myths, Heroes’ (because according to the Greek tourism board, there is nothing worth seeing in Greece that took place after the mythological era), the video pans over the Twelve Apostles under a starry night sky, while the English narrator tells how it is here that Aphrodite, goddess of love, lust and kindness, ‘emerges from the waves.’

This is fascinating, as it is common knowledge that Aphrodite emerged from the waves off Paphos in Cyprus, where there exists one Twelve Apostle-like protuberance. One wonders why the Greek tourism board did not appropriate this image instead. One also wonders why the Greek tourism board and its buoyant minister could have possibly thought that the existence of Greek-named constellations in the night sky could act as an incentive for people to visit Greece. What will be next? Video footage of the Palace of Westminster and the Capitol to invite people to Greece as the home of democracy? Footage of the Scienceworks museum that will move tourists to flock to Greek shores to pay homage to the home of systematic science, or indeed, photographs of Peter Singer and Bertrand Russell to showcase Greece as the home of philosophy?

It did not take long to wiggle my way back into my aunt’s favour. I did so by diverting her religious sensitivities to one of her favourite topics, the life and works of St Kosmas the Aetolian, one of the Geek nation’s most famous enlighteners and evangelists. It is to whom now who the talented people at the Greek Ministry of tourism should turn, using 1950’s footage of Billy Graham and current clips of Creflo Dollar and Joel Osteen to lure people to Greece, as the home and place of origin, of evangelism.

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Thalassa:

Greek-Australians and the Sea Part 2

Leonard Janiszewski and Effy Alexakis Macquarie University, Sydney

11. Frederick (Fred) Vean (Vine/Vien), fisherman Dromana, Vic, c. 1916 Fred Vean is recorded as having been born on Milos in 1834. He arrived in Australia in 1860 and was naturalised in 1901. At the time of his naturalisation he was successfully making a living as a fisherman at Rosebud. In 1916, he was still working as a fisherman but had moved to Dromana, just a little over seven kilometres north of Rosebud along the Mornington Peninsula’s west coast. Frederick is said to have lived to the grand old age of 106.

Photo courtesy P. Wilson, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

G

reeks in Australia have not only worked as sailors or as dock labourers but also as fishermen – their presence is evidenced across the continent, in a variety of fishing endeavours, particularly from the very early twentieth century onwards.

By 1900, three Greeks who had arrived during the Australian gold rushes – Fort Lacco (Fotis Lakonas), Frederick Vean (Vine/Vien) and James George (Vean’s and George’s Greek names are currently unknown) – were all successful fishermen at Rosebud on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. During the 1910s, Greek fisherman at Bunbury, Cossack and Port Hedland on the Western Australian coast, were also harvesting the sea for a living. Since at least the Great Depression, Greeks at Thevenard, 52 |

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near Ceduna, on the west coast of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, have been catching whiting. They also developed a small, though thriving, shark liver oil industry during the Depression years. In the 1930s and early 1940s two Kytherian Greek brothers in Tasmania, Gregory and Anthony Casimaty, acquired trawling vessels, employed Greek fishermen to run them (Victor and Theo Vanges), and ventured into the netting of flathead and crayfish. In the process, Danish seine fishing techniques were introduced into Australian waters and Tasmania’s Governor, Sir James O’Grady, appointed the brothers as his official fishmongers. From the late 1940s until well into the 1960s, George Haritos and his brothers Ningle (Nicholas), Michael, and Jack, pioneered commercial barramundi fishing in the Northern Territory. By 1956 they had established

interstate markets for the fish in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, and even succeeded in supplying Melbourne’s Olympic village during the city’s hosting of the Games. George Margaritis (nicknamed “Barramundi”), who regularly caught the fish in the Territory’s rivers, creeks and mangrove estuaries from the 1930s until his death in 1952, had initially stimulated the Haritos’ interest in the species. George Haritos became exceptionally skilled at barramundi fishing using traditional Aboriginal spearing techniques. Based in Fremantle, Western Australia, by the early 1980s, Michael G. Kailis, of Kastellorizian background, had substantial interests in prawn trawlers operating from Exmouth Gulf to the Gulf of Carpentaria. His dominance in the industry acquired him the title of, the “Prawn King”. In 1987, 54 individual commercial fishing licences were registered to Greek-Australians in South Australia, maintaining a long tradition of Greek fishing along the Great Australian Bight around ports such as Thevenard, Streaky Bay, and Port Lincoln. From such fishing ports Greek names such as Raptis & Sons, and Angelakis Brothers have emerged to become prominent within South Australia’s fishing industry – the former has expanded into Queensland.

Early Greek settlers opened oyster farms at Hawkesbury River (just north of Sydney), Port Stephens (on the New South Wales central coast), Minnamurra (on the New South Wales south coast), Great Keppel Island, (off Queensland’s mid-east coast), and Bicton (near Fremantle in Western Australia), and Greek pearlers were to be found along Australian’s northern coast at Port Hedland, Broome, Darwin and Thursday Island before the 1920s. While Kalymnian sponge divers were brought out during the 1950s to dive for pearl shell in seas off the continent’s north-west coast (involving the Haritos’ and later Mary Dakas as lugger owners/operators), one enterprising and single-minded Greek, Con Denis George (Georgiades), experimented with the production of cultured pearls, an avenue later pursued by other Greeks such as Nicholas Paspaley (Paspalis) of Darwin and Western Australian fishing magnate, Michael G. Kailis (the MG Kailis Group’s pearling interests were taken over by the Paspaley Pearling Company in 2009). Mary Dakas, Nicholas Paspaley’s sister, was Broome’s only female pearler/lugger owner in 1949 (there were other female pearler/lugger owners/operators prior to Mary’s involvement), and successfully operated luggers out of Broome and Port Hedland for most of the 1950s.

Ongoing conspicuous involvement in the processing and sale of both fresh and frozen seafood has ensured that Greeks have become synonymous with fish markets in most Australian capitals. For example, at the Sydney Fish Markets, the dominant Greek-Australian businesses are Poulos Brothers, De Costi Seafood, Claudios, and previously Manettas Ltd, while Perth’s fish retail and wholesale operations are dominated by close relatives of Michael G. Kailis. Greeks have also operated seafood processing plants focussed solely upon the wholesale market. Many have been small enterprises such as that owned by Nikolas and Mary (nee Minopetros) Agrios in Port Lincoln during the 1980s or that established by Harry Paul and Peter Parisos at Thevenard during the same period (one of four Greek-run “fish factories” in the town at the time). One of the largest and most well-known Greek-operated seafood processing and distribution businesses is Red Funnel Fisheries, based in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Acquired in 1935 by two Ithacan Greeks, Jerry Comino and Chris Pappas, the enterprise is today managed by Comino’s nephew, Arthur Comino.

Fish retailing by Greek-Australians has of course not only taken place at city fish markets, but also in food catering outlets such as oyster saloons, fish shops, fish’n’chip shops, restaurants, cafés, soda bars, milk bars and take-aways. The commercial popularity of these businesses (offering fresh and/or cooked seafood) arguably assisted in nurturing an increased acceptance of fish and other seafood amongst British-Australians. Some

12. Shark fishing Thevanard, SA, c. 1949 During the 1930s, in addition to whiting, Greek fishermen at Thevenard, near Ceduna, on the north-west coast of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, started catching sharks for their liver oil. The oil was extracted by placing the livers in a large steam-jacketed drum – the steam from a boiler would circulate around the livers extracting the oil. Such enterprise generated the development of a small, though thriving, local shark liver oil industry; the oil was used as a lubricant for machinery, as an ingredient in ointments, for the tanning and curing of leather, as a wood preservative (particularly in the waterproofing of boats), as fuel for lamps, in the manufacturing of paint and early margarine, as a vitamin supplement, and in the tempering of steel. Connie D’Ercole (nee Kriticos) recalls that up to two hundred sharks would be caught on a good day. Shark fishing was undertaken by using a long line with ten to ninety hooks. The line was suspected across the ocean’s surface by the use of a series of buoys placed in between the hooks.

Photo courtesy C. D’Ercole, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

13. Michael Nicholas Manifis, fisherman Onslow, WA, 1987 “ Dad came from to Perth aged about sixteen, around 1920… there was nothing in Kastellorizo… I started selling fruit with my father and then went into fish processing with Theo Kailis [G. P. Kailis & Sons and later Kailis and France Group] when I was fifteen – I was with him for fifteen years… I travelled around the world in the fisheries business for the Kailis family… Left Kailis’ seventeen years ago… Came to Onslow eight years ago… A better life up here on the Pilbara coast… its beautiful. Built this business up – Ashburton Fisheries [named after the Ashburton Shire and River] – from nothing… [We now have] a couple of boats of our own and a fish shop… My sons are both on boats now.”

Ashburton Fisheries is still in operation today.

Photo by Effy Alexakis, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

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enterprising Greek shop keepers appear to have embraced this acceptance as a means of introducing new fish products to the market – Alexander Stathy (Alexandros Efstathios Palamidis) for instance, is reputed to have introduced smoked blue cod to Western Australian palates through his restaurant, the Atheneum, in Perth around 1900.

14. Falangas oyster farm Bicton, near Fremantle, WA, c. 1906 George Falangas who established the farm on the south bank of the Swan River, is standing on the extreme left. Whilst Falangas pioneered oyster farming in Western Australia, in New South Wales, the extent and success of Athanasios and John Comino’s oyster leases on the Hawkesbury River and along the state’s coast, earned them the title of “Oyster King”. Oysters were supplied from these farms direct to numerous Greek-run oyster saloons, soda parlours, cafés and fish shops.

Photo courtesy E. Mirmikidis, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

Greek involvement with the Australian ship building industry appears limited when compared to their participation in other searelated industries. Nevertheless, it is certainly worthy of mention.

Presumably Damianos Ninis’ work at the Sydney Dock Yard would have at least included the re-fitting of existing vessels. Another early Greek arrival, Apostolos Vassoulas from Mykonos, was recorded as a ship’s carpenter at Quorn in South Australia, in 1890. While Gregory Casimaty had a 50 foot trawling vessel, the Nelson, built in Hobart during the mid-1930s for his venture into Danish seine fishing, members of the Kalymnian diving teams, which were brought out to northern Australia during the 1950s, had experience in timber boat construction – but their skills were later used in the booming Darwin building industry rather than for the maintenance of pearling vessels. Georgios Karageorge, a carpenter by trade, was building boats for the crayfishing industry in Geraldton, Western Australia, during the 1950s and early 1960s and Greeks were employed at the Whyalla Ship Yard which operated from 1939-1978. While Michael G. Kailis, the “Prawn King”, held interests in a Fremantle boat building yard which constructed trawling vessels for both local and international markets (a naval patrol boat project proved unsuccessful), he also chaired a charitable foundation which raised finances to con-

15. Stephanos Makrillos (seated on right) aboard a pearling lugger Waters off the north-western Australian coast, c. 1955 Stephanos Makrillos arrived in Darwin in 1954 as a member of one of the Kalymnian diving crews which the Australian Government brought out to replace Japanese crews involved with the local pearl shell industry (pearl shell was used for buttons, buckles, jewellery, fans, combs and as decorative inlay) – following World war II, the Japanese presence was considered inappropriate. Although the experiment with Kalymnian crews quickly failed, Stephanos remained in Australia until 1968, initially building his own caique and independently earning a living collecting corals and pearl shell.

Photo courtesy M. Makrillos, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

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16. Con Denis George (Georgiades), cultured pearl pioneer Packe Island, Qld, 1950s A young Con Denis George (who preferred to be referred to as Denis) with his experimental cultured pearl station in the background.

Pearl cultivation has been popularly associated with the Japanese, but George discovered that during the 1880s and early 1890s a British-Australian naturalist, William Saville-Kent, had successfully experimented with South Seas pearl oysters and a cultured pearl had resulted.

Between 1952 and 1966, George experimented with oysters around Stradbroke Island, Cairns, Fitzroy Island, Thursday Island and nearby Packe Island. He then moved to Papua New Guinea and continued his work for the next sixteen years on Pear Island, just off Samarai Island in Milne Bay. Upon his return to Australia, George concentrated on documenting and publishing his technical knowledge and experience. His work has been one of the pivotal contributions to the pioneering of Australian pearl cultivation.

Photo courtesy C. D. George, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

struct a full-scale replica of the Duyfken, the first known European ship in Australia’s maritime history; unfortunately Kailis died in late June 1999, just two weeks before its initial sea trials.

The need for a sense of adventure has also drawn Greek currents into Australian waters. George Haritos of Darwin has not only been a coastal barge captain, barramundi fisherman and pearler, but also a water-buffalo hunter and crocodile shooter. For George, hunting crocodiles and water-buffalo in Northern Territory waters – primarily for their skins – was, during the 1940s, 50s and 60s, “thrilling and spectacular in itself ”, though he “didn’t shoot anything just for the sake of shooting”. He shot his first crocodile at 15 years of age and quickly learnt to both understand and “respect them”: “I am scared, yes, but I [now] know most of their reactions”. In the 1940s and 50s, George formed a partnership with Jim Edwards and hunted crocodiles all over the Territory, from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Western Australian boarder; at times they were joined on their hunting trips by reptile expert, Eric Worrell. Haritos and Edwards are accredited with the highly successful innovation of night shooting of crocodiles by spotlight, known as “spotlighting” – using this technique, the animals could be shot or harpooned more easily. During the late 1940s, Haritos and his brother Michael took Australia’s Minister for Immigration, Arthur Calwell, “spotlighting” for crocodiles. In 1952, Haritos and Edwards captured two live crocodiles in the Territory’s Mary River delta for Australian film director Charles Chauvel – the reptiles were required for scenes in the film Jedda. Fours years later, Haritos was asked to take the Duke of Edinburgh on a crocodile hunting expedition – the Duke was in Australia to officially open the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

17. Nikolaos and Mary Agrios (nee Minopetros) in their seafood processing factory Port Lincoln, SA, 1987 Nikolaos: “We married in 1956 and in 1957 we went to Thevenard. We fished for whiting, crayfish and shark… I was naturalised in ’58 – couldn’t get a fishing license unless [you were] naturalised… In 1972 [we] started fish processing in Thevenard. Sold out there [in 1984] and moved to Port Lincoln – a bigger area for fishing. We buy them [fish] whole and then scale, gut and pack them.”

Photo by Effy Alexakis, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

An earlier Greek adventurer in northern Australian waters was Nicholas Minister. Principally known as “Nicholas the Greek”, Minister arrived in Australia in the late 1870s. He became a pearler, bêchede-mer fisherman, trader and “blackbirder” – blackbirding was the “recruiting” of natives from the islands of the south-west Pacific as cheap labour intended primarily for the Australian cotton and sugar industries. Minister has been accredited with robbing the catches of fellow traders, overworking his native divers, and amassing consid-

18. G. P. Kailis & Sons, International fisheries Branch No.2 Barrack Street, Perth, WA, c. 1960

19. Crayfish boat construction Geraldton, WA, c. 1960 Georgios Karageorge (standing on left) arrived in Australia in 1939. A carpenter by trade, Karageorge initially found stable employment constructing dwellings in Darwin for Indigenous Australians. During the 1950s and early 1960s he took up work building boats for the crayfishing industry in Geraldton.

Photo courtesy C. and F. Karageorge, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

George Pallasis (Peter) Kailis migrated from Kastellorizo to Australia in1914, aged 14. His search for work took him across the country and into a variety of occupations: harbour diver; labourer; sugarcane cutter; lumberjack; and engine driver. Marrying in 1925, George settled in Perth and initially started hawking poultry and fish and later opened a fruit and vegetable shop in suburban Maylands. In 1936, with Manuel Manolas, he began operating a fish shop at 131 Barrack Street, Perth. From this modest start Kailis’ family developed a vast fish processing, retailing, wholesale, exporting and importing empire – the Kailis Brothers Group – which in the 1980s, was the largest privately owned fishing company in Australia.

Photo courtesy M. Kailis, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

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erable personal wealth by “sheer roguery”. While Mick (Michael) George and the brothers Athanasios and Agesilaos Tornaros have also proven to be adventurous Hellenes in the south-west Pacific during the late nineteenth and very early twentieth centuries (George was a trader on the Trobriand island group while the Tornaros brothers were essentially “blackbirders”), perhaps one of the most daring of Greek sea adventurers in Australia around that time was Peter Arapakis. Together with George Blythe, Arapakis set sail from Bunbury, Western Australia, in 1910, hoping to circumnavigate the globe in their vessel the Pandora. Olga Martin, the daughter of Alexander Stathy (who introduced smoked blue cod to Western Australia), recalls that “Arapakis came to see my father when I was thirteen... my father and I were the only two people to farewell Peter Arapakis when he left on his trip”.

Olga never saw Arapakis again. Tragically, the Pandora disappeared somewhere in the Atlantic between New York and London. On 13 January 2008, modern-day Greek-Australian adventurer, James Castrission, together with Justin Jones, became the first individuals to cross the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand by sea kayak.

A coastal lifestyle of sun, sea, surf and sand has attracted numerous GreekAustralians, offering the opportunity for recreational swimming, surfing, snorkelling, scuba diving, boating, water skiing and fishing. Some have pursued, and achieved, excellence in aquatic sports. Paddy (Patrick) Caparatus, the only son of Jack (John) Caparatus (who was awarded the Royal Humane Society’s medal in 1894) displayed exceptional oarsmanship as a member of a “racing eights” rowing crew that won Launceston’s Tamar Regatta of 1916.

Other Greek-Australians who have enjoyed success in the sport include: Ernest (Anastasi) Lazarus (1930s), Charles P. Freeleagus (1930s) and Michael (Stratos) Jack Kailis (early 1950s). At the 1933 Queensland state swimming championships in Brisbane, Maria Kousou won the 100, 200 and 300 metre freestyle events. The Likiard (Likiardopolous) sisters – christened Chrysanthe June, Aphrodite Calypso, and Stavroula Catherine – were also champion swimmers, as well as divers, during the 1930s and 40s. Stavroula’s aquatic achievements were the most outstanding of the three. As “Cath” Likiard, she held the Victoria and Australian Springboard and Tower Diving Championships for a number of years during the 1940s. In competitive ocean sailing, Edward Psaltis claimed overall victory in the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. In 2000, he was voted NSW Yachtsman of the Year.

Like their forebears in Greece, Greek-Australians have successfully embraced the sea. For over two hundred years, Antipodean waters have provided passage, employment, adventure, recreation and sport for Greek-Australians. This insight into their involvement with the sea, can only help but emphasise the significance of their contribution to Australia’s maritime activities. Their participation at times has demonstrated great enterprise and courage, and has unquestionably assisted in shaping the course of modern Australia’s relationship with the sea. ** All research material for this article was sourced from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archives, Macquarie University, Sydney.

22. Paddy Caparatus’ North Esk Rowing Club “racing eight” crew Launceston, Tas., 1916 Some have pursued, and achieved, excellence in aquatic sports. Paddy (Patrick) Caparatus, the only son of Jack (John) Caparatus (who was awarded the Royal Humane Society’s medal in 1894) displayed exceptional oarsmanship as a member of a “racing eights” rowing crew that won Launceston’s Tamar Regatta of 1916. Paddy is seated third from the bow.

Photo courtesy S. Grubb, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

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20. George Haritos Darwin, NT, 1987 Crocodile and water-buffalo hunter, pearler, barramundi fisherman, and coastal barge captain, George Haritos keenly sought adventure and enterprise in his water-related pursuits – a characteristic also shared by his brothers, Ningle (Nicholas), Michael and Jack.

Photo by Effy Alexakis, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

21. Olga Martin (nee Stathy) Bunbury, WA, 1987 Olga, together with her father Alexander Stathy (Alexandros Efstathios Palamidis), farewelled Peter (Petrounis/Petros) Arapakis and George Blythe, from Bunbury in 1910 – the pair were hoping to circumnavigate the globe in their vessel, Pandora. She recalls that “Arapakis came to see my father when I was thirteen... my father and I were the only two people to farewell Peter Arapakis when he left on his trip… he sailed from here… from Bunbury… Apparently no one knows what happened to him.” Tragically, the Pandora disappeared somewhere in the Atlantic between New York and London.

Photo by Effy Alexakis, from the “In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians” National Project Archive

IN THEIR OWN IMAGE GREEK AUSTRALIANS w w w. p h o t o w r i t e . c o m . a u

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The Opening of the Greek Centre We are in renaissance period... our future has never been brighter

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ore than 4000 people attended the official opening of the Greek Centre, the new 15 level building of the Greek Community of Melbourne. Premier of Victoria, Denis Napthine, officially opened the building while bishop Ezekiel did the official blessing of building.

State Opposition leader Daniel Andrews and other state politicians were also present along with the Ambassador of Greece Mr. H. Dafaranos.

“This is a new chapter in the history of the Greek Community in Melbourne. This building will helps us to redefine our identity,” said the president of the Greek Community Mr Bill Papastergiadis addressing the officials and the members and friends of the historic organisation.

The new building, he said, is the largest undertaken by any Greek organisation of the global Greek Diaspora. “We are in a renaissance period. A renaissance period for being of Greek background in Melbourne,” Bill said.

“Our Centre sits just up the road from the Hellenic Museum. With a vibrant Greek precinct on Lonsdale Street joining the two centres, we have now a hub of interest which creates a journey with meaning.

This renaissance, our cultural centre, and all that goes on within this precinct, are a huge bonus for all Melbournians and Victorians.

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Our organisation, The Greek Community of Melbourne, has invested $15 million for this building, for all Australians.

Our investment and this centre illustrate our commitment to multiculturalism, to language, to working with all Australians and all ethnic groups. The centre is evidence of the opening up our world, as Greek Australians, to all Australians. With four floors, in this building dedicates the cultural centre, our organisation will engage and collaborate with all Australians to define and sometimes redefine our collective identity and to also protect the important parts of our cultural background.

Like all journeys, this one that has led to today’s opening started a long time ago. And as many bricks as there metaphorically in this building, there are as many people who have made this project happen.”

“Bipartisan support by both political parties for this project is evidence of the strength of our multiculturalism in Victoria,” he said.

“We have the largest cultural centre in the global Greek Diaspora.

Symbolically and practically we herald a new beginning,” Bill said finishing his speech. “The Centre’s doors are now open; our future has never been brighter.”

Both the Premier and the leader of the Opposition congratulated the Greek Community for its achievements and they both tried to address the public with a few words in Greek.

Greek Ambassador Mr H. Dafaranos said that the Greek Prime Minister Mr Antonis Samaras congratulates the Greek Community for the Greek Centre.

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Greek Film Festival The Delphi Bank 21st Greek Film Festival presented two and a half weeks of outstanding Greek cinema

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he Delphi Bank 21st Greek Film Festival opened to a sellout crowd on October 15 with Pantelis Voulgaris’ Little England, a sublime period drama that took audiences on a visual journey of the island of Andros. In Melbourne to present their film and launch the Festival were lead actor Andreas Konstantinou and producer Giannis Iakovidis.

By supporting our films, you give Greek artists the strength and inspira-

“This film was made with an enormous amount of love on the island of Andros”, said Konstantinou. “We’re humbled to be here, on the other side of the world, presenting our film at this important cultural event.

sell-out. This highlights the importance of film and culture to Greek-

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tion we need to continue to create beautiful work”, Konstantinou went on to say.

Thrilled with the large crowd, Greek Community president Bill Papastergiadis noted that “the opening night of the Festival was once again a Australians. The Greek Community of Melbourne is proud of its initiation of and involvement in this Festival over the past 21 years.”

Bill thanked all of the festival’s sponsors, highlighting the unstinting support of Delphi Bank and its director George Tacticos, and the Greek National Tourism Organisation. “The Greek Film Festival is a core component of the cultural offerings of the Greek Community of Melbourne. But our sponsors are our life blood,” he said.

Festival’s co-chairpersons, Tammy Iliou and Leo Vlahakis, were delighted by its success.

“The Film Festival is now a hub of collaboration for diverse organisations and individuals and this has created fresh content and expanded the audience,” Tammy said. “For example, the Short Film Film Festival has developed a life of its own and its cutting edge program is a draw card in its own right. We have a passionate team that works all year to deliver the Film Festival, led with great passion and energy by movie buff Penny Kyprianou.”

Leo Vlahakis called the GFF as “one of the biggest film festivals” in Melbourne.

“What a wonderful start to one of the biggest film festivals in this town: a powerful expression of the artistic drive that exists both in Greece and here,” he said full of excitement. “Our team-led by the most capable Penny Kyprianou, is proud to celebrate the Delphi Bank 21st Greek Film Festival.”

Following the screening of Little England, guests enjoyed food and drinks in the Como, dancing past midnight to local band Gyftoi Lite. Taking guests by surprise, star Greek-Cypriot singer Mihalis Hatzigiannis and his partner, the dazzling actress Zeta Makripoulia, snuck into the party, staying to mingle and take photos with adoring fans.

Featuring a selection of riotous comedies, daring dramas and insightful documentaries, the 2014 program showcased the best in contemporary Greek cinema.

An unconventional romantic comedy about modern-day relationships, Committed forces two strangers – a handsome 30-something under pressure to propose to his girlfriend and the devastatingly beautiful ‘Bride’ – to confront their hang-ups about love, marriage, insecurity and commitment. The brilliant Xenia, Panos H Koutras’ cross-Greece romp that follows two Albanian brothers as they journey from Athens to Thessaloniki in search of their biological father, made waves at the Cannes Film Festival in May. A lowly baker leads a double life as a contract killer by night in the crime noir Stratos, the latest feature from award-winning director Yannis Economides. An idealistic father confronts his own moral and ethical beliefs when fighting for justice for his family in The Enemy Within. Labelled “a heck of a film” by The Huffington Post, Standing Aside, Watching made a splash at the Berlin and Toronto International Film Festivals. A Greek tragedy that borrows beautifully from the Hollywood Western, Yorgos Servetas’ film “grabs you by the neck” - indieWIRE. Winner of the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival, Miss Violence is a striking tale of a bourgeois family whose apparent civility is unmasked when Angeliki jumps from the apartment balcony on her 11th birthday. September, Penny Panayotopoulou’s cinematic assault on grief and loss, stars the “beautifully subtle” (The Hollywood Reporter) Kora Karvouni as Ana, whose life is turned upside-down when her beloved dog Manu passes away. A tender and restrained melodrama with “a magnetic lead performance” (The Hollywood Reporter), At Home features breathtaking cinematography of Marathon and the Aegean Sea. A pair of insightful documentaries that explore the Greece’s socioeconomic climate in unusual ways, Love in the Time of Crisis documents the cataclysmic effects of the Greek crisis on personal relationships, while The Other Human follows an ordinary man doing extraordinary things in crisis-ridden Athens with his mobile soup kitchen.

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Hatzigiannis in

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he Cyprus born Greek singing star Mihalis Hatzigiannis following a successful tour in the UK and Nth America travelled to Melbourne, last October, to perform a concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at 62 |

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the Melbourne Festival. Together with the 80 piece symphony backing him, Hatzigiannis and his band played various of his hits and also popular songs from well known Greek musicians like Theodorakis and Hatzidakis.

Hatzigiannis also performed a very special intimate show in the new cultural centre of the Greek Community of Melbourne, on Thursday 16th of October, with all proceeds going to the new Cultural Centre. It was the first event held in the new building by the Greek Community. What a great start with Mihalis Hatzigiannis.

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“Mihalis is no stranger to Melbourne having been here many times. This is his second home. He loves Melbourne. Why wouldn’t he love Melbourne, he is of Greek Cypriot background and Melbourne is, of course, the third largest Greek city in the world”, said the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne Mr Bill Papastergiadis introducing him to more than 5.000 people who had flocked the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Mr Papastergiadis said that the Melbourne Festival’s choice to invite Hatzigiannis as the headline act was “a masterful stroke”.

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“The Greek Community of Melbourne is proud to be a partner with the Melbourne Festival,” he said. This partnership demonstrates that multiculturalism is alive and well in Victoria and that it is the cornerstone of the makeup and fabric of our city.”

“Our partnership with the Melbourne Festival on the Hatzigiannis / Melbourne Symphony Orchestra event comes on the back of the of our partnership with the Melbourne Jazz Festival on the Maria Farantouri Greek Project. These partnerships are further testament to the development of our cultural programming beyond the series of festivals and events that we already present. They allow us to develop new audiences for Greek cultural content and to engage with art of an international standard.” Said the Greek Centre Director, Jorge menidis

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2014 Kia GT4 Stinger Concept

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earkening back to the glory days of purebred, affordable sports cars, Kia Motors America (KMA) unveiled the brand’s most aggressive concept car ever when wraps came off the Kia GT4 Stinger at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Kia’s eye-catching design language moves in a bold new direction with the introduction of the GT4 Stinger. The concept pushes the boundaries of performance with a rear-drive 2+2 sports car that places man and machine in harmony on the road or track. It comes as no surprise that the Kia GT4 Stinger is the wild style child of Kia’s California design team, home to its 2012 predecessor, the Track’ster concept. And like the Track’ster, the GT4 Stinger’s racy appeal is more than skin deep.

Emboldened by the brand’s on-track success in the Pirelli World Challenge racing series with a pair of turbocharged, GTS-class Optimas, Kia’s U.S. design team approached the Kia GT4 Stinger project with an eye toward weight reduction, functionality and pure driving enjoyment.

The concept shuns the luxury trappings of a traditional Grand Touring car and embraces the elemental experience of truly engaging with the vehicle.

P o w e r, P o i s e a nd Proven P erformance Beneath the low wedge of the Kia GT4 Stinger’s hood resides a tuned version of Kia’s proven 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline direct injected (T-GDI) four-cylinder engine putting out an impressive 315 horsepower.

“Our Optima racecars use the same engine and can produce more than 400 horsepower,” said Kearns. “So why not infuse our concept with the kind of power that will make people take notice?”

That power is put to the ground via a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels, which are wrapped in 275/35R-20 Pirelli P-Zero performance tires. Staggered 235/35R-20 Pirelli P-Zeros nestle beneath the front fenders, ensuring loads of corner-carving grip.

Custom 20-inch aluminum center-lock wheels feature carbon fiber inserts for strength and weight reduction. Tucked inside the massive wheels are Brembo Gran Turismo two-piece 15-inch cross-drilled rotors and four-piston calipers with plenty of stopping power.

Underpinning the GT4 Stinger’s sculpted “Ignition Yellow” body is a custom chassis with independent double wishbone suspension. With a shorter wheelbase (103.1 inches) and overall length (169.7 inches) than a Forte sedan, a width (74.4 inches) greater than a Cadenza, and a swooping roofline nearly nine inches lower (49.2 inches) than a Rio subcompact, the Kia GT4 Stinger cuts a menacing figure. It tips the scales at a scant 2,874 pounds, and weight distribution is spread nearly perfectly at 52 percent up front and 48 percent at the rear. The GT4 Stinger also features a quick-ratio steering rack for direct feedback and uncompromised control.

Simplicity By Design Fans of Kia’s design language, set by Kia Motors Corporation president and chief design officer Peter Schreyer, will immediately recognize key styling elements of the Kia GT4 Stinger.

In silhouette, the GT4 Stinger is simple yet powerful. The latest iteration of the signature Kia grille rests low to the ground for maximum engine cooling and cold-air induction. The grille surround glows white and 66 |

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features a multi-layered, satin-black border, a theme found throughout the car. Flanking the grille on both sides are vertical LED headlamps, and front-brake cooling vents intricately molded into the bumper provide a clean, smooth appearance. A carbon fiber front splitter mounted below the bumper provides added down force for the car at high speed to keep the GT4 Stinger’s front tires firmly planted to the tarmac.

The long hood gently rises to meet the cowl. Two chrome accent pieces add visual interest to the otherwise ripple-less pond of Ignition Yellow sheet metal. The hood closely embraces the front wheel arches, creating two protruding muscular fenders above the front tires. The result is a pronounced edge at the vehicle’s shoulders that eventually becomes the belt line.

Continuing around the car, the transparent A-pillars provide a more than 270-degree view from the driver’s seat. The layered slots cut into the pillars reduce weight while improving outward visibility. Paying homage to the iconic Soul, the greenhouse design provides an aggressive side profile.

Similar to the Soul, the roof of the GT4 Stinger appears to “float” from the C-pillars. Along the rocker panels are satin black accent pieces with integrated functional cooling ducts to enhance air flow to the rear brakes.

Around back, the body widens to cover the large 275-series Pirelli rubber.

The glass hatch opens to reveal a built-in storage compartment and rear

strut-tower brace. The LED taillights illuminate from inside the outer edge of a blacked-out panel just above the dual exhaust ports in the rear bumper.

The interior is purposeful in design and practical in nature. A pull of the billet-aluminum door handles reveals incredibly lightweight doors, but their generous width makes dropping into the molded leather raceinspired bucket seats a breeze. There is no carpet, only a rubber floor mat underneath the billet-aluminum pedals. Front and center to the driver is a thick D-shaped steering wheel and red LED-illuminated instrument panel with large tachometer and gear indicator. In keeping with the track theme and taking inspiration from sports and competition cars of the past, interior door handles have been replaced by red-stitched pull straps. In fact, the Kia GT4 Stinger makes due without the luxury of a stereo. “The audio system starts under the hood and the speakers are the exhaust pipes,” said Kearns. Underway, the GT4 Stinger’s freeflow exhaust burbles and blurts unabashedly and is music to the ears of driving enthusiasts everywhere.

While there are currently no plans to bring the concept to production, Kia has a history of delivering production vehicles that bear a strong resemblance to the concept that preceded them, and the Kia GT4 Stinger provides a possible and highly provocative glimpse into Kia’s future.

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It’s All Goody’s At the Greek Centre THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FAMILY RESTAURANT FROM GREECE TO OPEN AT THE NEW GREEK CENTRE IN LONSDALE STREET

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n what has been an anticipated announcement the Greek Community of Melbourne has confirmed that the successful tender for its ground floor retail space is the well known Greek Family restaurant, Goody’s.

The announcement is made as a delegation from the Goody’s Everest group, led by Deputy General Manager George Vassilaras is in Melbourne to assist with the planning of this important first foothold in Australia.

The first Goody’s restaurant in Australia is being spearheaded by well regarded Greek Melburnians - Con Tangalakis and George Iliopoulos.

The President of the Greek Community of Melbourne Bill Papastergiadis welcomed the visiting Goody’s delegation and confirmed the announcement by saying: “We are pleased to welcome a well-known international brand such as Goody’s to the Greek

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Centre and to Melbourne’s historic Greek precinct. With 153 stores already in 7 countries, we trust that they will flourish both here in Lonsdale Street and in Australia.”

Mr Papastergiadis added “the confirmation of a tenant for the ground level space is further evidence to the renaissance that the historic Greek precinct is undergoing. New announcements for other tenancies in the building are to be made in the near future.”

Mr George Illiopoulos says the location is a calculated decision.

“The actual target audience is definitely mainstream, we really want to penetrate the wider community because the Greeks know it,” he said. “We want to offer something different and something new into the Australian market.”

The only change to the product in Australia will be the produce, which will be sourced locally. “Even though the recipe will be from Greece all the produce and the food will be local,” he said. “We’re going to use Australian produce, Australian beef. It will translate well, because the recipe and the ingredients will be exactly the same, there will be no changes whatsoever.”

Mr Iliopoulos also said that they are planning to open a minimum of 10 stores in five years, and judging by the demand they have received, finding franchisees won’t be hard. “We have been inundated with phone calls, we know that there’s going to be a lot of Greek Australian businesspeople applying for a franchise, but we would like to do this very, very slowly and make sure we do it right,” he said.

He hopes that construction will start in about six weeks, after which they will then move on to hiring and training about 30 staff.

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m

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Famous Greek Australians It’s All Greek to Me An expression that is incomprehensible due to the complexity or impression, generally with respect to verbal expressions with excessive jargon of dialect, mathematics or science.

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εῦρον form: ν neur(o)

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eurit ves: Derivati eurine, n English ctomy, n e r u genesis, e o n r , enia try, neu is m e euron h neurasth c rology, n , neuro u y e g n lo , s io c b ti neuro rolinguis ma, neu neurolem osis thy, neur neuropa

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ου. μ ι κ ά Proverbαι σπιτοκαλυβ my Greek ιτάκι μου κ se of u o h π e ttl μου σ e, a li m o Σπίτι h ”. e home y littl t e m e , e w e, s hom “Hom • My . f o t own equivalen ek • Gre

Chris Joannou (born 10 November 1979) is a Greek Australian musician, best known as the bass player for the successful alternative rock band Silverchair.

His real name is Christophoros John Joannou and he was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he has a twin sister and an older sister.

He was the first of the three band members to cut his long hair short. Joannou was nicknamed ‘Lumberjack’ by Silverchair fans for his love of trees, and plaid shirts. Chris’ bandmate Ben taught him how to play bass guitar, making him the only Band member who did not know how to play an instrument. However, he learned quickly.

As well as being a well known bassist, Joannou was the assistant producer for The Mess Hall albums Feeling Sideways and the ARIA award winning Notes From A Ceiling.

Did you know?

The invention of formal city planning was attributed to Hippodamos of Miletus, who was born at the very end of the 6th century BC. Hippodamos helped to design the new harbor town of Piraeus, which served as a commercial port for Athens further inland. Hippodamus’ name is frequently associated with other orthogonally planned towns, such as Olynthus, Priene, and Miletus. His direct involvement in these cases remains unproven, but his name remains permanently associated with this type of plan that we call Hippodamian.

? e m a n a in s ’ t a h W Greek: Leventis

le from the ti ‘Levantine’, ‘peop an lev n lia Ita om Fr : particular Origin & meaning Mediterranean, in East’, i.e. the eastern le Ages.

ates during the Midd armed sailors or pir connotation

took on a negative In Italian the word

‘pirate’ and hence and came to mean

term has

h’, but in Greek the ‘undisciplined yout d gallantry.

s of fearlessness an positive connotation

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