The number of Greeks coming to Australia has increased in past years. The decision to do so, as admitted by many, has not been theirs alone. The economic crisis, high unemployment rates and the quality of life in the Hellenic Republic has forced their hand to make this choice. Many are leaving behind families and a life they’ve known to migrate to a new country, unsure of what will be. Like the post-war migrants, many are coming to Australia with a high level of uncertainty.
The organisation Hellenic-Australian Community Support Association (HACSA) – made up of a dedicated committee of volunteers – is doing all it can to take the stress out of migration and help these Greeks in any way they can. The association originally started two years ago as the Facebook group Greek Australian Support Network. As members saw the demand for assistance increase, they officially registered the association three months ago as HACSA.
John Athanasopoulos, one of the 12 committee members, tells Neos Kosmos, HACSA will do everything in their power to help each Greek in anyway they can. Through finding them employment to securing housing arrangements, HACSA is not only made up of the 12-member committee, but he says there are a lot of people donating time and things that will assist the migrants make their transition in Australia easier. And he implores the Greek community in Australia to be more understanding and empathetic towards them.
“It’s not easy for a 45-50 year to live their whole lives in Greece and then to uproot and come here with or without their family,” Mr Athanasopoulos explains. “It’s a hard decision to make, but it’s worse when the decision was made due to their circumstances, in this case – the crisis.
“It’s hard to think someone is leaving his father with cancer in Greece, and he knows he may never see him again, and to come to Australia to build a life from scratch – there’s a lot of emotional baggage that these people have.”
He is trying to unite the Greek community to better understand the conditions that these migrants are arriving in and to change perceptions of Greeks being lazy, which is an issue at times. But says so far, the first generation have provided ample assistance to HACSA and many of the newly arrived Greeks and credits them for all their voluntary work.
The number one priority for newly arrived Greeks is to find employment, says Mr Athanasopoulos. This is the first port of call and HACSA assists these people in connecting them with employers but also asks businesses in the community if they are looking for staff. He says the second thing of concern to newly arrived Greeks, is finding a house.
“This is an area that is an issue because they are new in Australia and they don’t have the history to help them find a rental property, as it’s hard to rent a house as it is,” says Mr Athanasopoulos. But with the assistance of HACSA, they manage to secure a home.
HACSA has a small store room where they store donations such as furniture, kitchen appliances and items so when people do gain rental properties, they can assist with furnishing them. They find out what the person needs and will deliver it to their house – no matter how far they live.
One of the biggest problems HACSA faces is people entering the country with the wrong visa, and are under the impression they can get employment even though they are on a tourist visa. He says when HACSA is contacted by Greeks still in Greece, the first piece of advice they always give is for them to ensure they have the correct visa.
“[The Greeks] think we are being tough in saying that and they respond with ‘you understand what is going on in Greece’; they think we don’t want them to come to Australia and that we are scared they are going to take our jobs.
“But we are saying the truth because it’s very hard to find a job here without a proper visa and hard to get sponsorship in Australia if you come here without a visa.”
On Sunday 2 February, HACSA will be hosting an open day at the Grange Reserve, Osborne Avenue, Clayton South, and is hoping that all Greeks will attend. He says it’s a change for the newly arrived Greeks to meet Greek Australians and together they can discuss issues pertaining to both communities. He says the free event is important to attend to understand what each other is going through and for the newly arrived Greeks to make new networks and contacts. The event will take place between 11:00 am and 9:00 pm. There will be music and entertainment on the day.