Neos Kosmos was thrilled and extremely proud about the recent recognition of our esteemed colleague in South Australia, Theodora Maios.
Last week, Ms Maios received the Governor’s Multicultural Award in the category of Media, during a special ceremony that took place at Government House.
Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia announced the winners, recognising Ms Maios amongst other individuals, for her outstanding contribution to multiculturalism and intercultural understanding.
According to an independent jury, responsible for the awards, Theodora Maios was honoured for her overall journalistic work, as well as for the way she has been highlighting the lives of Greek Australians at a national and global level in recent years.
Born in Athens, to Sotiris and Anna Mougiou, Ms Maios studied Journalism and Public Relations at the Department of Communication, Media and Culture at the Panteion University in Athens.
She took her first steps in journalism in Greece before she decided to settle permanently in Australia at the end of 2003, where she continued her studies in the area.
In recent years, the mother of two, has worked as a correspondent for SBS radio, as a radio producer at RadioEna, and for the last nine years as a regular contributor to Neos Kosmos.
In her articles and stories, Ms Maios has a particularly unique way of touching the hearts of her readers. The talented journalist is widely read, as her stories highlight the lives of Australia’s vibrant and diverse Greek community. They are also thought provoking, inviting her readers to reflect on a deeper level, delving into our social consciousness.
Her articles do not go unnoticed in Greece, as they are often republished in the Greek media, which has led to her collaboration with major newspapers in Athens.
Ms Maios has a knack in identifying important stories, human stories, which she tells in her own unique style.
She is also incurably romantic about Greece and all things Greek, which is evident in her writing.
Above all, she considers herself to be an integral part of the Greek community in South Australia. It is to this community, she listens to carefully, recording and highlighting its needs and achievements. Not necessarily from the point of view of associations or organisations, but through the eyes of the people, the children, the youth, women, scientists, artists and the elderly.
Anyone who has a story to tell, Theodora is sure to find them.
Ms Maios did not make any statements at the awards ceremony but she expressed her gratitude to those who nominated her.
To Neos Kosmos she said that this award is a vindication for all her hard work, for her parents and family and all those who believed in her from the very start.
“I love Greece and Greeks, and at the same time I have immense admiration and appreciation for the Greeks of the diaspora. They are the real heroes for me, because they were forced under adverse circumstances to leave our homeland and emigrate to a foreign country without even speaking the English language.
Within a few years, these people managed, through pain and suffering, not only to get back on their feet, but also to excel and make us all proud. I therefore consider it my duty and obligation, since I have the opportunity to do so through my work, to discover and record all these unique stories that they share with us with immense generosity, in the hope that we in turn, can send the message to the world that Greeks excel wherever they may be,” Ms Maios said.
“In every article or story I capture, I aim to inspire admiration for everything Greek, or when I feel it is necessary, to awaken, hoping to change a course. It is important for the new generation of Greeks in Australia, for our children, to feel proud that they are born Greek,” Ms Maios told us.
In turn, we, the “family” of Neos Kosmos congratulate her. We feel proud, both for her distinction and because she is part of our team, and we are sure that she will continue to pleasantly surprise us.
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