It was touch and go, but NSW Premier Gladys Berjiklian announced that the Sydney Opera House will be lit up in blue and white on 25 March to commemorate 200 years of Greek independence.
In a statement released late on Thursday evening, Ms Berejiklian said, “I am delighted to confirm that the Sydney Opera House will be lit on 25 March to commemorate 200 years of Greek Independence.
“We are proud to share this moment of history with our Greek community in NSW.”
In Victoria, the decision to light up landmarks came much earlier with Victoria’s Multicultural Minister Ros Spence sending out a presser at the start of March announcing the lighting of Melbourne’s top landmarks in blue and white – theGreek colours – specifically for the Greek bicentenary, bearing in mind that Victoria is home to the largest Greek population in the world outside of Greece.
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Bill Papastergiadis, President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, told Neos Kosmos that the Greek Centre on Lonsdale Street, will be lit up all this week from tonight until Friday.
The board decided the $5,000 cost, privately funded by specific members of the board, of the venture is money well spent.
“I think symbolism is an important part of our lives and we spend a lot of time reflecting on matters,” Mr Papastergiadis said. “This will enable all of us to reflect on the symbolism of what transpired then and its meaning for us today.”
“Anything that slows us down and causes us to observe and reflect is a good thing.”