Four Greek Australians have been singled out and personally thanked for their service to the Greek community in Victoria.

Sophia Borobokas, John Chrisomallis, Irene Papaioannou, Vasilia Tsousis all received a Multicultural Award of Excellence for their meritorious service to the community.

Mrs Papaioannou was specifically honoured for her work in Preston, while Mr Chrisomallis was awarded for his work in the Whittlesea Elderly Citizens Club.

Mr Chirsomallis was one of the founding members of the then Greek Community of Lalor, Epping and Thomastown, which was set up in 1972.

Its main aim was to teach young Greek children of the community the language and in its early years the school taught over 400 students.

Now as the president of the Elderly Citizens Club, Mr Chrisomallis has been able to keep the club open seven days a week to make sure the older members of the community have a place, or at least a ‘cafeneio’ to meet at.

The award came as quite a surprise, but Mr Chrisomallis says the recognition is very flattering.

“After so many years of volunteering, it’s nice being noticed for helping the community,” he tells Neos Kosmos.

“It’s true that it makes you happy and it pushes you to keep going, to keep contributing.”

His nomination was backed by Whittlesea councillor Kris Pavlidis, who attended the awards night at Government House.

As an organisation, the Greek Orthodox community of Gippsland was also singled out. The Greek and Cypriot community has supported the young and elderly in the region, and has kept traditions alive with special social events and cultural days.

In its 15th year, the awards honoured a total of 73 individuals and 17 organisations in 10 categories.

Chairperson for the Victorian Multicultural Commission, Chin Tan says the awards rightfully congratulate the efforts of those who go out of their way to ensure Victoria is an inclusive state.

“The awards recognise the hard work that is taking place in numerous communities, small and large across Victoria, by people and organisations that are committed to the success of multiculturalism,” Mr Tan said.

“Over 24 multicultural communities from all over the state were represented in the dynamic pool of award recipients.”

Multilingual radio station SBS was also honoured for its work keeping multicultural communities informed.

SBS Radio is broadcast in 74 languages, including Greek, and produces 334 unique hours of programming each week from every state in Australia.