The official launch of Varvara Ioannou’s book ‘Her Voice – Greek Women and Their Friends’ took place with great success last Sunday 12 Dec afternoon at the Alphington Grammar School.
For about three hours, the Andrianakos Centre was inundated with the cheerful “voices” of about 200 attendees who had the opportunity to congratulate the author, get to know the heroines of the book, take photos with them and receive a copy of the book signed by Mrs. Ioannou and the women who are given “voice” in her book.
Many representatives of the political world and Community organizations honored the author with their presence at this special event. Among the personalities who came to support Ms. Ioannou we recognised doctor and Associate Professor Magdalene Simon, Associate Professor Zografina Kopanidis, Supreme Court judge Mr. Emilios Kyros, Professor Joseph Lo Bianco, lawyer and writer Costas Kalymnios, President of Fronditha Care, Jill Taylor-Nikitaki, Sakis Zafiropoulos and many others.
The event was insightful, very well organized, with extremely interesting speeches. Each speaker focused on a different aspect of the book highlighting several women from the 42 voices included in ‘Her Voice’.
After a warm welcome offered by the host Dr. Vivian Nikou, Principal of Alphington Grammar and one of the voices in the book, the stage was taken by the talented and ethereal Anthea Sidiropoulos who enthused and entertained everyone with her original song “I am a Woman, I am She”. This is a song that she composed by drawing inspiration from the author and founder of the Food for Thought Network Greek Women’s Network Mrs. Varvara Ioannou.
MC for the day, Mrs. Maria Dimopoulos, with her unique style, which is characterized by her original and subtle humor, introduced herself to the audience, welcomed everyone on behalf of Food for Thought Network and then thanked the sponsors of the book’s edition and launch partner Baraka Lawyers.
The first speaker was Professor Joy Damousi, who wrote the foreword for the book. In her speech, Ms. Damousi chose to share with the public the strongest messages that in her opinion stemmed from each of the 42 stories included in ‘Her Voice’.
The belief that Mrs. Ioannou’s book is written by women and is addressed only to women was refuted by the apt position taken by the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne Victoria, Mr. Bill Papastergiadis. He justified the author’s goal in sensitising men, especially those in positions of power to assist in the concerted effort to promote and resolve women’s issues.
In his speech, Mr. Papastergiadis referred to the book as a trigger that will initiate a deep and meaningful dialogue about the problems that women face along their path to success.
“While reading the book, I had to listen carefully. And what I heard… Dynamic voices. Desire for lifelong learning. Tackling racism. Greater awareness of diversity and social inclusion.” In closing, Mr. Papastergiadis described himself as “richer” having read the stories contained in the book.
Then spoke three young women who found inspiration and guidance in the stories of some of the women featured in ‘Her Voice’.
The 17-year-old student and one of the Alphington Grammar school captains, Yasmin Zeineh, moved the audience with her personal story. “Her Voice” is a book I can relate to on a very personal level, since I myself come from a different ethnic and religious background, being a Muslim. Although I am only seventeen years old, I have already attended four different schools, lived in four different countries and eight different homes.
“During my life so far, I have gone through much more than other children my age may have experienced, whether it was bullying, racism, sexism or conservative and restrictive environments,” said the young student, moving the audience who watched her excitedly.
“It’s the stories of these strong, confident women in this book we present today that give someone [like me] the courage to stand on their own two feet, not be afraid to speak up and become what they should be,” concluded Yasmin.
The president of the National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS), Janna Trifon, spoke about the story that she singled out from the book and with which she identified. This is the story of Georgia Prattis. “As a child of a single-parent family, I know how important it is for a woman who raises her children alone to have a support network for women. Apart from that, the story of Georgia Prattis troubled me in relation to the experiences of immigrants my grandparents on the part of my mother, the adversities they faced and which shaped my personality. Only now am I beginning to realize the great sacrifices they have made. I still cannot understand how a country as organized as Australia neglected the most vulnerable in times of need. Fortunately, today, as many women have stated “They are working tirelessly to change the system,” Janna said.
The series of speeches was completed by Natassa Spanou as a representative of the Modern Greek Teachers of Victoria, an Association, for which Ms. Varvara Ioannou served for more than a decade and was the president in 1996.
Referring to the book, Ms. Spanou said that whilst the book is dedicated to every woman she and loved all the stories, the story that resonated with her most was Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos’ story.
“I had the great opportunity to read the book and learn from the stories of 42 very successful women. In every story I read, I could see many common aspects either with my grandmother’s life or with my mother’s life or with my own personal experiences that I have lived until today,” said Ms. Spanou.
The event closed with the heartfelt thanks of the author Mrs. Varvara Ioannou to all the women who trusted her with their stories but also to all those who helped make “Her Voice” a reality, making her dream materialise. “Everything that was to be said about the book has already been said by the speakers and everything I had to say is in the book,” said Ms. Ioannou.
And since the book was born through a communication network, its presentation event could not have had a more joyous and interactive character. After the official program, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy a rich buffet of delicacies and pastries, to chat casually and exchange Christmas wishes with a glass of cool champagne.
For the author, the presentation in Melbourne was just the beginning as she has been invited to do presentations in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Geelong as well as online in America and Greece.
Ms. Ioannou’s book is a wonderful document worth reading, as it highlights the diversity of Australia’s multicultural society, the challenges faced by Greek women and women with diverse backgrounds and the role that privileged women play in creating a fairer society.
Those interested in purchasing the book can order it by contacting the author at v.a.ioannou@gmail.com or by following this link.
An online eversion exists here. To read everyone’s speeches click here.