The death of Vasiliki (Koula) Liolios has touched not just her family but thousands of Greeks in Melbourne who learnt the Greek language thanks to the efforts of this great teacher and her husband Spiros Liolios.
Together they operated the Greek Academy of Melbourne from 1967 through to 1992 where thousands of students learnt the Greek language and culture, thus playing an important role in keeping the language alive in the antipodes.
The school operated in Collins Street in the old Theosophical Society Building and offered students a holistic Greek education.
Some of the most well-known Greeks of Melbourne passed by her school and teachers like Stelios Menis, Mimis Sophocleous, Leonidas Sophocleous, Makis Kasapidis, Cleo Mavrothalassitou, Paresa Antoniadis-Spanos and many more were the unsung heroes of the age to ensure that generations of Greeks kept alive their sense of identity.
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Liolos was a passionate teacher whose charisma and devotion will be remembered by those lucky enough to be in her class.
Many of the students went on to become stakeholders within the community of Melbourne.
Two years ago, old students of the Greek Academy of Melbourne organised a get-together at the Hellenic Republic of Kew to honour the services of these two great educators.