After a year’s delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Victorian state government commemorated the bicentenary of the start of the 1821 Greek Revolution of Independence and paid tribute Greek Australian community and its contribution to Australia.

Hosted by the Minister of Multicultural Affairs, Ros Spence, the event took place in Queen’s Hall in Victoria’s parliament house. Present were many representatives of Greek Australian organisations, and politicians like Minister Steve Dimopoulos, and the Senator Lee Tarlamis et al.

Ms Spence, who is married to a Greek, said that “once you marry a Greek you also marry Greece.”

She then shared her “love of Greece” and how she was so taken by its “beauty and people that she intends to “return as soon as she can”.

The earliest Greeks to arrive in Victoria landed “during the Gold Rush of the 1850s and were sailors who abandoned their English ships to find fortune here”.

“The Greek community has had an indelible and positive impact on Victorian society, culture, and economy,” the Minister said.

The President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, (GCM) Bill Papastergiadis, speaking after Ms Spence also highlighted the “extraordinary contribution of the Diaspora to the wider Australian society”, and said it, “makes us all proud”.

Mr. Papastergiadis referred to the close cooperation of the GCM with the state government in various projects, recognised, the role of other Greek community bodies.

“The Greek Community of this state prides itself on having an outward focus.

“It sees itself as part of the broad cosmopolitan and multicultural fabric of our beautiful city and state,” Mr Papastergiadis said.

He reminded those in attendance that the Greek Diaspora was expected “to shrink post the 50’s to 70’s migration program”.

“In fact, the Greek Financial Crisis created a second migration wave to Australia from Greece which is still continuing.”

He also reflected on how the Covid pandemic “tested the tenacity” or many Greek organisations, and said he believed “we have come out of this stronger and more united”.

“The success of our diaspora in Victoria is due to the collective work of so many organisations.”

The GCM president then went on to list a range of community programs which have received support of the Victorian government such as keeping the Greek language program alive at La Trobe, and Greek language scholarships; schooling programs for children of recent arrivals; Alphington Grammar, Oakleigh Grammar and St Johns College infrastructure works; funding of Antipodes Festival, the Parthenon marbles replica and the Open Horizon exhibition from the National Archaeological Museum of Greece and a host of infrastructure program support like the fifteen storey cultural centre, a new city hub and vaccination centres.

The Consul General of Greece, Emmanuel Kakavelakis, spoke talked of the “dynamism of the Greek Australian community”.

He said it can be “evidenced by presence of so many distinguished Greek Australians in the arts, sciences, business, sports, and other endeavours.”

Dr. Marinis Pirpiris was the master of ceremonies at Parliament and the event ended with Greek music and mezethes.