Last Sunday the Food for Thought Network, (FFTN), a Greek Australian Women’s Network held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) online and had a global audience.

As the patron of FFTN I have been impressed by the quality of work that the Network has been doing for the last 21 years.

I met the founder Varvara Athanasiou-Ioannou when she started this Network she relayed her vision about the network, and I thought, ‘What is she on about?’

Just over two decades later I now know Varvara had a vision and knew better than all of us about how to make this Network grow for the benefit of all of us, as women.

The mission is to promote awareness about barriers, as well as the enablers to women’s development. And she wanted to inspire positive change in individuals and the community while providing opportunities for connecting different generations, professions, and cultures.

During COVID-19, the Network was elevated to new heights with Varvara’s creation of the Learning platform Greek Australian Women and Friends Around the World Forum, as a platform for connection, information and empowerment that drew a global audience. The current committee of volunteers Maria Makris, Dr Maria Karidakis, Maria Maikousis, Georgia Pernitzis, Irena Lelou and Helena Kidd connected during this time participating in the 42 Zoom sessions.

The team has been working well for the last two years, organizing events, and working on a long-term project of collecting the stories of older women, our unsung heroines over 80 years old. Six events were organised in 2022 taking into consideration the centenary anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922, the Covid pandemic and climate emergency. These are very important issues that continue to affect women more and in line with the Network’s mission.

The publication of her book Her Voice: Greek Women And Their Friends includes profiles of 30 professional Greek women and 12 of their non-Greek friends in Australia, who share inspirational personal and professional stories. 42 role models overcoming everything from racism, sexism, ageism, bullying, harassment and excelling in all aspects of life has elevated the status of this network globally.

Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos is currently the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships at Victoria University.