Greek community businessman Nick Sikavitsas has donated $25,000 to Alphington Grammar for scholarship funding.

If we have good education and health we can survive with ‘bread and olives’.

The donation is an acknowledgement of the school’s contribution to the Greek language and the Greek community, Mr Sikavitsas said.

“Alphington Grammar is a school that belongs to our community…for that reason we must all contribute and support the work of Alphington Grammar,” he said.

In order for a country and its people to progress, Mr Sikavitsis said it needs to invest in education and health.

“If we have good education and health we can survive with ‘bread and olives’. As we were not able to receive an education due to our difficult circumstances whilst growing up, we must create the opportunity for our
children and grandchildren
to be educated,” he said.

Mr Sikavitsas migrated to Australia, from Argos Oristiko in the province of Kastoria, in 1956, and worked as a carpenter and then as a bus driver before founding his own bus company, Tullamarine Bus Lines, which continues to service the Western suburbs of Melbourne.

Mr Sikavitsas’ contribution is the third donation by a Greek-Australian to
Alphington Grammar since the commencement of
the 2010 school year.

President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) Bill Papastergiadis said he was pleased by community response to the school’s call for support.

“Our community is trying to replicate the Jewish model where affluent Jewish businessmen offer scholarship to their schools, giving the opportunity to their high achieving students to study in good schools,” Mr Papastergiadis said.

“In this way we will be able to offer better education to our children, not only through the scholarships but by also improving the quality of teaching in our schools”, he said.

Recently the family of Greek Australian businessman Stelios Koukouvitakis donated to Alphington Grammar’s scholarship fund, while donations have also been received from the families of Leonidas Argyropoulos and Nick Andrianakos.