Oakleigh in turmoil

The decision of the board of the Greek Orthodox Community of Oakleigh and Districts (GOCOD) to change the name of their community's school from 'Oakleigh Greek Orthodox College Sts Anargiri', to 'Oakleigh Grammar', has ignited fierce conflict between members, parents, and the GOCOD board.

Members and parents say the decision to change the name, removes from the school its unique identity, shrouds its history and shows disrespect to the Greek community in Oakleigh, who through donations and moral support, helped in the building of the school.

Three members of GOCOD: Mr Chris Kontos (former vice-president); Dimitris Kakavas; (former secretary); and Dimitris Gotoglou (a former board member) have said - in a written statement published in Neos Kosmos Greek edition 5 January 2012 - that the name 'Oakleigh Grammar' is unconstitutional and was never approved by the members.

According to that statement, the board, on 28 April 2011, sent the members a letter, proposing the name 'Sts Anargiri Grammar' be the new name of the school.

On 22 May 2011, during the General Annual meeting of GOCOD, the members voted for the change of name to become 'Sts Anargiri Grammar', and as a consequence they also voted for the amendment of Article 89 (now 87) of the Constitution. Article 89 related to the addition of the name 'Sts Anargiri Grammar'.

Article 89 (now Article 87) after the amendment voted by the members states the following:

"The funds of the Community's shall be derived from entrance fees, annual subscriptions, donations and income derived from business conducted under the business names: 'Oakleigh Greek Orthodox College Sts Anargiri' ('Sts Anargiri Grammar'), 'Sts Anargiri Early Learning Centre'".

The former members of the board, some parents and community members, say that the first time they found out that the name of the college would become 'Oakleigh Grammar', was at the start of December when they received a letter from the board informing them of the new name.

The former members state that the community had been misled by the board, and they asked the governing body to honour the decision taken by the members at the annual general meeting, and reinstate the name of the college to 'Sts Anargiri Grammar'.

Mr Kontos, who was an active member of the board until May 2011, and one of the signatories of the statement, told Neos Kosmos that while he has no clear picture of how many parents are opposing the decision of the current board, he knows that many members of GOCOD feel betrayed.

"There are primarily two issues here, one of process and procedure, and the other of the name itself," says Mr Kontos.

"The Management Committee itself motioned the name 'Sts Anargiri Grammar' to members (dated 28 April 2011) in writing and the members voted on it.

"The Committee then amended the Constitution and Article 89 (now article 87) to read 'Sts Anargiri Grammar'. There was never any mention of 'Oakleigh Grammar'.

"The heritage of the College and its affiliation to the Greek Orthodox Church, as a faith based institution...I feel the new name does not reflect the faith-based institution that it is," said Mr Kontos.

With serious discord in the community, Neos Kosmos asked the president of GOCOD, Mr Angelo Sardelis, to answer the questions posed by those who fiercely disagree with the board's decision.

Mr Sardelis told Neos Kosmos that the board was discussing the name change for more than two years.

"We've seen the student numbers decreasing and we had to take a decision because we really care for the school," he said.

Mr Sardelis added that the community has commissioned market research which showed that a name change for the school would increase student numbers and income for both the school and the community.

According to the last annual balance sheet, the school is losing money rather than creating revenue.

In response to accusations that members had been misled, Mr Sardelis said that according to the constitution of GOCOD, the board does not need the members' approval to change the name of the school.

Asked why he put the matter of the name change to the members, since the constitution does not oblige him to, Mr Sardelis said that he did it "out of respect," adding that the market research results showed that the name 'Oakleigh Grammar' would have a better acceptance from the market that the name 'Sts Anargiri Grammar'.

The GOCOD president told Neos Kosmos that on his return from vacation he would supply Neos Kosmos with the market research results he referred to, and give a more detailed statement on the issue.

THE RESPONSE OF THE ARCHDIOCESE

In the past, the religious authority have entered the debate on such matters, having disagreed with the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria in the naming of 'Alphington Grammar', arguing that a Greek Orthodox college should bear a name which includes faith characteristics.

When Neos Kosmos contacted the Bishop of Dervis, Mr Iezekiil, to seek the Archdiocese's response to the matter, Bishop Iezekiil said that the Archdiocese has no authority to agree or disagree with the decision taken by the board of GOCOD.

"I do not feel that the history and tradition of the school is becoming absolute due to the adoption of the name 'Oakleigh Grammar'. After all the icon of Sts Anargiri remains on the logo of the school, a fact which signifies the history of the school" said Bishop Iezekiil. The Bishop added that the issue of Greek Orthodox colleges losing students by the day, is a serious one, as the education market and society changes.

"I believe that the board of GOCOD tries its best to keep the school running and make it a successful educational institution." the |Bishop concluded.