The Pontiaki Estia marked their 35 year anniversary with a dance held at Stars International, Preston.

The dance was held to celebrate the 35 year contribution the association has made to Victoria and wider Australia, with many Pontian Australians making the journey to Melbourne to celebrate the milestone. Various representatives from the Greek community, and the Melbourne community, were there to mark this special occasion. A message from the Consul General in Melbourne, Eleni Lianidou, was delivered by secretary Katerina Duka.

Also in attendance were: Oscar Yildiz, Mayor of Moreland City Council; Stella Kariofylidis, Moreland City Council; Arthur Psarakos, President, Patra House; Kostas Pataridis, 3XY Pontian Program O Xeniteas; Dimitrios Kouklidis, President, Pontoxeniteas Sydney; Tatiani Schiavino, secretary and Soula Evangelista, treasurer, Pontian Brotherhood Perth and various other people representing the Greek youth community. Litsa Athanasiadis, Public Relations, Pontiaki Estia, said they “were celebrating 35 years of history, culture and dance”. Over 400 adults and children were at the dance.

“We had in excess of 37 dancers who performed traditional Pontian dances from seniors, middle and young junior groups. The night was wonderful, at 2.15 am we were getting thrown out!” But in a show of strength, the younger generation made up about 70 per cent of the crowd last Saturday. Athanasiadis told Neos Kosmos the youthful committee the Pontiaki Estia has, the way the community embraces the youth and the plethora of music played at these events attracts the younger crowd. “In the last years since 2000, we’ve had changes in committee to younger members, our president is 30 years-old… which ensures continuity and which means we will keep going. He who embraces the youth secures the future.” A tradition that’s held at these dances is the cutting of the cake.

“Out tradition is to cut the cake every year, representing the milestone of 35 years,” said Athanasiadis. “This year on the cake we had three images, one was the hazelnut which symbolised Pontos, the olive symbolising Greece, and the gum tree symbolising Australia. In the past years, the person who bid for the cake was always someone with the most money. This year though, the younger members – some as young as five and nine years-old, gathered some money together to bid for the cake.”