The Greek Australian community has been left stunned, observing the apocalyptic scenes unfolding in Greece.
The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) has responded quickly, contacting Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Terence Quick, and the Greek Ambassador to Australia, amongst other officials.
According to the GCM they were advised to get organised, but to wait for direction from Greece to best target any assistance the diaspora would be offering.
In the meantime, they’ve reached out to other Victorian Greek community organisations seeking a collaborative approach for the inevitable relief program.
“We have spoken with the Delphi Bank and the Bank of Sydney and asked them to open accounts to allow donations to start to being collected,” revealed GCM president Bill Papastergiadis.
“I am sure that there will be a number of ways in which we can assist and have already started to collate the possible relief beneficiaries.”
Meanwhile, the GCM has organised meetings with the federal Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Alan Tudge, and the Victorian Minister for Multiculturalism Robin Scott.
In Sydney, the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOC) launched an urgent appeal, faciliating an open forum on Friday to give people a chance to contribute ideas to their aid efforts.
“We need to come together as a community to help our fellow countrymen whose lives have been thrown into chaos by this tragedy,” said GOC president Harry Danalis.
While on Monday, the management board of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOSCA) in association with the Bank of Sydney is set to hold an emergency meeting to discuss ways in which they can provide assistance to those affected.
