Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours List: 20 Greek Australians recognised for their contribution

The Governor-General today announced Honours to 992 Australians, including 669 in the General Division of the Order of Australia, and awards for meritorious, distinguished and conspicuous service. Among those honoured were 20 prominent Greek Australians in the areas of philanthropy, medicine, community service and the arts.

“On behalf of all Australians, I congratulate the Australians recognised in today’s Honours List,” David Hurley said.

“Recipients share some common traits – including selflessness, excellence and a commitment to service. They’re from different backgrounds, their stories are each unique, and each has served in different ways. This diversity is a strength and each has impacted their community and made it better.

“For that, we thank them and, today, we celebrate them. Collectively the recipients, whose achievements span community service, science and research, industry, sport, the arts and more, represent the very best of Australia,” he added.

In addition to the 669 recipients of awards in the General Division of the Order of Australia (8 AC, 33 AO, 200 AM and 428 OAM), today’s Honours list includes:

• 37 recipients of awards in the Military Division of the Order of Australia (1 AC, 2 AO, 16 AM and 18 OAM)
• 201 Meritorious awards
• 85 Distinguished and Conspicuous awards

It is worth mentioning that 2022 saw 45.9 per cent of awards in the General Division go to women. A significant 43.6 per cent of awards in the General Division are for community service while 92 Australians have been recognised for their contribution in support of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic (these recipients will be added to the COVID-19 Honour roll).

“The Order of Australia belongs to all Australians. In addition to the characteristics of selflessness, excellence and service, each recipient in the Order has something else in common: someone has taken the time to nominate them for recognition,” Governor-General Hurley added.

“Please consider nominating someone outstanding from your community for recognition. The Order belongs to each of us and we all have a part to play. The only way a person can be recognised through the Order of Australia is for someone to nominate them.”

If there are more Greek-Australians not mentioned below, please contact Neos Kosmos via editor@neoskosmos.com.au.

Greek Australians recognised for their contribution in 2022:

ORDER OF AUSTRALIA:

• Christopher Byron Leptos [AO] – Victoria. Mr Leptos has been awarded in the category of Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to the not-for-profit sector through leadership and philanthropic support, to the public sector and to education.
• Andreas George Andrianopoulos [AM] – Victoria. Mr Andrianopoulos was recognised as a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to business and to philanthropy.

• Professor Joy Damousi [AM] – Victoria. Pr was recognised as a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for her significant service to social sciences and the humanities, to history and to tertiary education.
• Christina Efthymiades [AM] – NSW. Ms Efthymiades is a woman of many talents. When she’s not teaching Greek dancing at The Nassibian Dancers, she’s the Director of the Board of St Nectarios Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Burwood, and Laconic PR and Communications. He contribution includes having worked closely with the Haematology Clinical Research Unit at Concord Repatriation General Hospital and was Director of the Foundation for A Bloody Great Cause.

• Professor Peter Anastasius Gerangelos [AM] – NSW. Mr Gerangelos, Professor of Constitutional Law and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, has been recognised as a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia for significant service to tertiary legal education, particularly to constitutional law and to professional organisations. Mr Gerangelos is also the first Greek Australian to have been appointed to a Chair at Sydney Law School at the University of Sydney (USYD).

• Christina Despoteris [OAM] – Victoria. Ms Depoteris, was recognised for her work in the Greek and broader community in promoting the Greek culture and traditions, the Greek language, Greek music and dance and of course Greek history. Over the years Over the years, she has been involved at an executive level with the Lemnian Community of Victoria, the Thessaloniki Association, Speak Greek in March Campaign and the Fred Hollows Foundation Victorian Committee. Ms Despoteris is currently the Vice President of both Sister Cities Australia and the Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee, an Executive Member of both the Art, Craft & Cookery Committee of the Melbourne Royal and the George Devine Treloar Memorial Committee, and Honorary Member of Merimna Pontion Kyrion Oceania. In the past she was also involved with the Greek Festival, the Festival of All Nations, Expovin, and 3AK International Month.

The long-time collaborator of Neos Kosmos said: “I am honored and extremely proud to receive the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) as announced in the Queen’s Birthday 2022 Honours List. I have been blessed to have had a very rewarding career and exceptional relations with all the groups and organizations which I have had the pleasure to work with over the years. I have associated with many amazing and talented people, not only in our community but the broader Australian community. It has been my privilege to work with them.”

“I came to Australia with my parents at a very young age from Alexandria Egypt, not knowing a word of English…Working for the Victorian Government for many years and through my work with the community, I have developed extensive experience in event management, protocol, media, marketing and public relations. I have coordinated and presented many events, both in Australia and Greece, including art exhibitions, international conferences, national day celebrations, commemorative events, photographic exhibitions, and worked on Royal and State visits as well as establishing sister school relationships.

In all I have done, I have been a strong believer in creating, developing and establishing things that will leave a legacy for future generations.”

• Dr Stephanos Herodotou [OAM] – Victoria. Dr Herodotou has been recognised with a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to medicine and to the Cypriot community of Victoria. Dr has been a Consultant Emergency Physician at The Northern Hospital in Melbourne, and is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne Medical School.
• Helena Kyriazopoulos [OAM] – South Australia. Ms Kyriazopoulos who is the CEO of the Multicultural Communities Council of SA (MCCSA) has been an advocate for the CALD communities with an emphasis on disability rights, the aged and their carers and has published several journal articles and research.

• Felicia Leonardos [OAM] – Victoria. Ms Leonardos has been recognised for her service to the Greek community of Victoria having served as the President of the Brotherhood Of Evia Evripos for the last 26 years, and Organiser of Christmas Carols with the Greek Archdiocese of Melbourne since 1993. Her contribution includes founding the committee fundraiser for Rubella Children in Victoria.
• Peter Mercoulia [OAM] – Victoria. Mr Mercoulia has been recognised for his service to the Greek community of Victoria as State President of AHEPA since 2019.
• Con Pavlou [OAM] – NSW. Mr Pavlou has been recognised for his service to the multicultural community of NSW as well as his work to support the greater Greek community.

• Steven Stefanopoulos [OAM] – Victoria. Mr Stefanopoulos has served as a Mayor and a volunteer in his community.
• Nicolas Papazahariakis [OAM] – South Australia. Mr Papazahariakis, was recognised with an Order of Australia Medal for his service to South Australia’s hospitality industry for over 30 years.
• Sydney Villis [OAM] – South Australia. Mr was recognised in the General Division for service to emergency response organisations.

MERITORIOUS:

• Argiri Alisandratos [PSM & COVID-19 Honour Roll] – Victoria. Mr Alisandratos received the Public Service Medal (PSM) and was named on the COVID-19 Honour Roll for outstanding public service to the community, particularly to Victoria’s most vulnerable.
• Joanne Maree Stampalia [PSM] – Western Australia. Ms Stampalia was recognised for her outstanding public service in operational reform and modernisation of the Courts and Tribunals of Western Australia.
• Detective Sergeant Scott Andrew Mellis [APM] – Federal. Mr Mellis has been recognised with an Australian Police Medal (APM) in recognition of distinguished service, particularly in the field of Cybercrime Operations and its predecessors.

• Inspector Andrew Markakis [APM] – Victoria. Mr Markakis has been recognised with an APM for serving the community as an exemplary police officer for over 21 years.
• Sergeant Kylie Maree Velios [APM] – Western Australia. Ms Velios has served in a range of appointments throughout the state of Western Australia with distinction, especially in the field of family and domestic violence (FDV), where she led a number of significant change initiatives.

DISTINGUISHED & CONSPICUOUS:

• Lieutenant Colonel Paul John Bellas [Australian Army]. Mr Bellas has been recognised for meritorious achievement in the reform of organisation management in the Australian Army.

More information about the Order of Australia is available at www.gg.gov.au.