The sad news of Mihalis Tsounis’ passing, although not unexpected, is nonetheless shattering. Mihalis has been my lifelong dearest friend, and my closest comrade. We have shared so much together and we did even more, mainly through political and community organisations and movements we both belonged to with so many others.
Too many instances to recall, of family, social and above all political activities, from the manifesto for the teaching of Greek and other community languages to policies for the Australian Socialist movement, the Greek-Australian left, and class multiculturalism. I join the family grief in losing a father, husband, grandfather, friend and comrade to so many people all over Australia and beyond.
Yet I am sure we celebrate at the same time the life of a man of unparalleled kindness, generosity and commitment to the highest human ideals of socialism and communism. He was a major and often leading contributor to policies and endless campaigns for a better world, for a strong, united and fighting working class and labour movement, especially through the Communist Party of Australia, for democratic and progressive policies and structures in the Greek Australian Communities, its workers organisations like Platon and Democritus, his beloved Adelaide Greek Community and the fundamentals of Koinotikos Thesmos.
He was a pioneer of multiculturalism and the rights of ethnic communities, the doyen of Greek Australian historians. Mihalis’ academic, political and community work feature prominently in the annals of the Australian Labour Movement and its very large and influential Greek Australian section. Mihalis, for over 70 years has been at the centre of what has been best in humanity’s struggles and vision for a world without exploitation of “man” by “man”, and nature by “men”.
He lived to see and enjoy so much in his own family successes and developments, as he did the historic social and scientific revolutions of the last century with all the pains of retreats and mistakes of this, our cause, but he never doubted the values and necessity of the socialist projects, and its ultimate triumph over the unjust, immoral and crisis-ridden capitalist system.
Much more deserves and needs to be said and written about this humble giant of humanity. And it will be. We know Mihalis will be deeply missed by his immediate family and all of us who came to know and work and socialise with him. And we can say how proudly, emotionally and uniquely privileged we have been to be his family, comrades and fellow human beings.
A rebel song, that his Icarian mother used to sing – Mavra korakia me nihia gapsa pesane pano stin ergatia – will be such a fitting farewell, along with the International. Mihalis Tsounis passed away on Friday 26 of October in Adelaide, aged 87, surrounded by his immediate and very extended family.
