The Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne and Victoria was a full house on Saturday night, as hundreds gathered to celebrate the club’s 60th anniversary.
The gala ball kicked off with a speech by club president Jim Papadimitriou and official guests Consul General Christina Simantirakis, and the Federal Member for Calwell, Maria Vamvakinou MP.
The evening was also an opportunity to recognise the contribution made by the club’s oldest surviving founding member, Adamantia Lantzakis, who was given an award on behalf of the World Council of Cretans.
“Ms Lantzakis is known as the matriarch of the Cretan Brotherhood,” Mr Papadimitriou told Neos Kosmos.
“Every year the World Council of Cretans gives out awards to people that provide service to the community and she won an award for the Australian New Zealand region.”
The 95-year-old was overcome with emotion, and assisted past presidents Iosif Manatakis and Mihalis Mylonakis to cut a cake to mark the special anniversary.
The club also launched a commemorative book commissioned by the Brotherhood and compiled by author and researcher Kathey P. Zinelis.
But what made the night particularly special was the presence of the Viglatores organisation from Chania in Crete and their dance group, who were flown to Melbourne to sign a twining agreement, formalising the relationship between the two organisations.
“The purpose of that is to work together and collaborate on our common goals of upholding Cretan traditions and a cooperative agreement so that they visit us, we visit them, and we work together and support each other in that sense,” Mr Papadimitriou said.
The agreement was signed with Ms Simantirakis as the official witness.
The venue really came alive when the Brotherhood dance group took to the floor in traditional dress to kick off the night’s performances, followed by a spectacular display by the Viglatores.
Having arrived Down Under four days earlier, the dance groups took part in dance sessions in preparation for the night and surprised guests with a joint performance.
The Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne & Victoria founded in 1956 is the first and original Cretan organisation formed in Australia, working to preserve the Cretan language, culture and character, and has since grown to become one of the most prominent organisations in the Greek community of Melbourne.
“The marking of the 60 years is a chance for us to remember the hard work of our founding members and to reflect on where they’ve brought the Brotherhood till now, and the challenge is for us to continue their good work and to uphold Cretan traditions and transfer that to the younger generations,”
Mr Papadimitriou said, confident that the new agreement signifies a step in the right direction.
“The Viglatores agreement is a step up for us regarding our goals, in terms of promoting Cretan and Greek traditions. They’re just a fantastic bunch of people and organisation, and for us to be associated with them … it just takes us to another level.”
Today, Friday 9 December, the Viglatores are set to wow audiences with a showcase of their full Cretan dance routine in a performance at the Renaissance Theatre and will fly back to Crete on Monday.
