Greece’s Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, will soon return to Australia, where she is scheduled to attend a major anniversary event celebrating one of the community’s most significant cultural initiatives.
In early October, Mendoni will join dignitaries, community leaders, and members of the public at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney for the one-year anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia’s “living museum” Our People Their Stories.
The interactive museum, dedicated to preserving the lives and memories of Greek migrants, was inaugurated last October by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during his historic visit to Australia and blessing of the Church of “Axion Esti” in Melbourne.
At the time, the Patriarch praised Archbishop Makarios of Australia for launching a “unique program,” and commended those involved, particularly Marcello Petropoulos, Director of the Archdiocese’s Press Office, for their professionalism in bringing the Archbishop’s vision to life.
The initiative stems from a Memorandum of Understanding signed in April 2023 between Mendoni and Archbishop Makarios. The agreement formalised cooperation on the systematic documentation of the personal stories and struggles of the first Greek migrants in Australia through the not-for-profit Our People Their Stories program.
“The program aims to highlight the journeys of our people, the battles they fought to settle, raise families, and succeed in an unfamiliar land, while keeping strong ties to the homeland,” the MoU stated. “Through their oral histories, significant aspects of Hellenism’s presence in Australia will be illuminated, showcasing their invaluable contribution to the development of the modern Australian state.”
This will be Mendoni’s second official visit to Australia in recent years. She last travelled in April 2022 for the opening of the acclaimed exhibition Open Horizons – Ancient Greek Journeys and Connections.
