It was on 13 February 1957, on Dimitri Gogos’ 26th birthday, that Neos Kosmos circulated for the first time.
This birthday gift of the young founder to himself and to the Greek community was supported by journos, readers and businessmen right from the outset and their love carried it through the difficult early years. Fuelled with passion, they knew that they were working on something bigger than themselves.
Though just a few pages at first, the brave little newspaper soon became a proud voice that championed the rights of the Greek community and kept them informed.
62 years on and Neos Kosmos is going strong and has grown to encompass a global readership. It has proven that it can transcend distance and time and be as relevant as it ever was. It wasn’t just about objective news, but also about making a difference in society with the newspaper organising food rations for unemployed Greek migrants, meeting with Australian stakeholders to promote the interests of the Greek communities, being involved in the creation of the Antipodes festival, helping to create the first organisations for Greek senior citizens (Pronia and Frontida), working to ensure that the Greek language continued to thrive in Greek schools, etc. It collaborated closely with politicians, with many of the initiatives taken by former Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam being recommendations made by the newspaper, and its influence continued with Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser.
During the Sixties, at a time when press censorship was rife in Greece, Neos Kosmos not only documented history but was also involved in the fight for freedom, ensuring tours to Australia by Andreas Papandreou, Mikis Theodorakis and other figures.
Editor-in-chief Sotiris Hatzimanolis remembers the newspaper’s anniversary celebrations over the decades: “I remember when we were preparing the 30-year anniversary edition of Neos Kosmos in 1987 when the publisher at the time, Dimitri Gogos, said with his characteristic humour: ‘Impressive tribute. I hope we manage to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Neos Kosmos and not just it’s… commemoration!’ The years went by and we celebrated the 40th anniversary in 1997 with even greater success, and an impressive edition of 120 (large) pages that currently hold the record for Neos Kosmos. On the 50th anniversary (you’d think it was yesterday) we celebrated with four magazines that went down in history in 2007. At 60, we celebrated with yet another impressive dedication…”
This year, Neos Kosmos, our bilingual, triweekly newspaper has many reasons to be proud. According to the independent service of the ABC, it is larger than any other Greek publication, is considered the most successful non-English speaking newspaper of Australia and the largest serving the needs of Greeks living abroad.
From 1957 until today there have been many changes to the look of the newspaper. Initially, just written in Greek with a few scatterings of English, the newspaper first formalised an English section in 1974. These days, Saturday is the main issue, with a Greek insert, printed every Saturday.
With Christopher Gogos at its helm, the legacy of Dimitri Gogos lives on as Neos Kosmos is prepared to live up to its history and continue meeting the needs of the Greek community around the world.
Staff members wish Neos Kosmos a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Eugenia Pavlopoulou: Neos Kosmos turning 62, is a milestone by anyone’s measure. For me though this occasion is a lot more than an opportunity to celebrate and honour its history. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the immense contribution of the Greek Australian community as a whole to create and keep on adding to this history. So, long live all of you and thank you.
Alexandros Anyfantis: Happy 62nd Birthday Neos Kosmos! As a new member of the family, it is a great pleasure being here as we begin to explore different horizons in the way we provide the news. I hope the Greek community continues to support us in our efforts. Here’s to another great 62 years!
Anastasia Tsirtsakis: Wishing Neos Kosmos a very Happy Birthday! And a big thank you to the founder Dimitris Gogos, for seeing the need for such a publication, and having the vision to execute it so well. From day one, it has been a privilege to join my colleagues in giving voice to the many and varied stories within the Greek Australian community, both locally and abroad.
Eleni Caragounis: It’s wonderful to be a part of Neos Kosmos serving it with love and loyalty for so many years.
Wishing you many more years of success.
Zoe Thomaidou: It’s not a small thing for a paper to be circulating continuously for 62 years. And what’s more continue evolving, while staying true to its foremost commitment: listening and responding to the voices of our community. A massive thank you to all of you who have supported Neos Kosmos over the years. Being part of the younger generation of its workforce, I can only wish for our work to remain relevant, progressive and attuned to your needs. Να τα εκατοστήσουμε!
Mary Sinanidis: Happy Birthday Neos Kosmos! If the portrait of Dorian Gray were a newspaper it would be this publication that at 62 has the same energy, enthusiasm and drive of that 26-year-old idealist that created it. May it continue to be as relevant to the next generation as it has been to the previous ones and outlive us all! Να τα χιλιάσουμε και βάλε!