“The bond between Greeks and Australians remains strong as ever. There are many more stories waiting to be discovered and to be told, stories of camaraderie and self-sacrifice, well beyond 1941 and extending to the end of the Second World War,” said Yannis Mallikourtis, Greece’s Consul General in Sydney, at the reception for the Greek National Day, the consulate hosted the Great Hall of Sydney University on Monday night.
In front of NSW Governor Margaret Beazley and other dignitaries, Mallikourtis said that “in today’s intertwined societies, we should not and cannot live in silos, detached from the social realities of our time.”
“In this respect, the Consulate General of Greece considers it its duty to work closely with the Australian authorities and civil society in promoting our common vision of the world and of the societies in which we live in,” the Greek diplomat said.
Mallikourtis referred to a lecture the consulate held with the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens recently that looked at connections between Ancient Greece and Australia’s Indigenous populations.
He said that this was an area that the Consulate is keen to work further on along with the wider “intention to also extend the remit of the Consulate’s work on issues, which perhaps we had not attached the requisite importance to in the past.”
“We organised an event on the similarities between Ancient Greek mythology and Indigenous Australian Dreamings. It was a first, and we intend to continue highlighting the bonds between Greek Australians and the First Nations peoples,” Greece’s representative in Sydney said.
Governor Beazley shared personal reflections of her family’s interactions with the Greek community, and lauded the Greek community for contributing to the wellbeing of NSW.
“The strong community ties had already been formed and had seen the formation of the Greek Orthodox Community in 1898 and the foundation of the first Orthodox Church in the southern hemisphere, Αγία Τριάδα, Church of the Holy Trinity in Bourke St, Surrey Hills,” the Governor said in her speech.
“That church was located next to my father’s family home and so the church became the backdrop to my childhood during our very frequent visits to our grandparents.”
Other speakers on the evening were Archimandrite Christophoros Krikelis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW Harry Danalis and the Chair of the Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney, Professor Vrasidas Karalis.
The event was emceed by Sophia and Antonia Komark with the Australian and Greek national anthems sung by the Australian Hellenic Choir.
Among the attendees were NSW members of the Legislative Council, Courtney Houssos and Mark Buttigieg, member for Canterbury Sophie Cotsis, members of the consular corps and representatives from different Greek associations of NSW.
Also in attendance was former minister in state coalition governments and former leader of NSW Nationals, George Souris. On arrival the guests were welcomed by young people dressed in traditional costumes provided by the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney.
