The 160th anniversary of the Ionian Islands’ union with Greece was celebrated last Sunday by the Federation of the Ionian Islands of Melbourne.
The event began with a religious service and Doxology at the Parish Church of the Presentation of Our Lord in Coburg.
Students from Aetolian College, accompanied by their teacher Sofia Groubou, attended the ceremony, bearing flags.
Following the service, attendees gathered at the Lefkadian House, where people from Corfu, Kefalonia, Ithaca, and Zakynthos commemorated the union.
The event opened with the recitation of a poem by the late Stathis Rautopoulos, whose work encapsulated the history of the Ionian Islands in 65 verses.
The poet’s daughter, Leia, was present and visibly moved, as were many attendees.
Stathis Rautopoulos is remembered fondly, resting in his village of Kollieri, and is poetically said to be watching from above, waiting for Odysseus to appear.
Maria Gidarakou, representing the Consul General of Greece Emmanuel Kakavelakis, delivered salutations.
She was accompanied by her husband Zois Vamvakidis and Federal MP Maria Vamvakinou who is of Lefkadian descent.
Notable attendees included Antonis Tsourdalakis, president of the Union of Greek Orthodox Communities and Parishes, Dr. Spyridoula Dimitriou from the Greek Community of Melbourne & Victoria, Anastasia Sarakinis, Secretary of the Cypriot Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Kostas Dimaras from the Greek branch of RSL Victoria, and Nikolaos Makridis and Eleftherios Tsigaridis from the Australian-Greek Ex-Servicemen League.
Special thanks were extended to the presidents of the associations of the Federation: George Pangalis from Corfu, Spyridoula Koutsouvelis from Ithaca, and Symeon Zougras from Zakynthos, who were present at the event.
Roula Psomiadis, Vice-President of the Lefkadian Brotherhood, emphasised the significance of the celebrations.
She stated, “This year’s celebrations are not only aimed at paying tribute and gratitude for what our ancestors achieved but also an opportunity to reflect on the great values that were bequeathed to us. Therefore, May 21, 1864, is an important day for us. I welcome you to the Lefkadian House and hope that our festive program will bring you memories of the islands of our parents and grandparents.”
During the celebration, George Pangalis highlighted the Ionian Islands’ contributions to the Arts and Letters.
He also read messages sent to the Federation by Yiannis Chrysoullakis, General Secretary of Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy, and Yannis Trepeklis, Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands.
Historically, the Treaty of London, which integrated the Ionian Islands with Greece, was signed by Greek representative Charilaos Trikoupis on March 29, 1864.
The British left the islands on May 2, and the Ionian Islands came under Greek rule on May 21, 1864.
At dawn that day, the Ionian people celebrated their union with Greece.
The event concluded with a performance by the South Melbourne Greek Dance Group, under the guidance of the well-known dance teacher Christos Konstantinidis, who presented Eptanesian dances.
