Dozens of friends, acquaintances, and fans of legendary radio producer Rena Frangioudaki OAM attended the event on Wednesday, September 13, at the Greek Centre of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM).

It was part of the lectures and presentations on the Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora.

Ms Frangioudaki OAM conversed with her colleague, the producer of the Greek Language Program of SBS Radio, Panos Apostolou.

The radio annouver initially referred to her decision to immigrate to Australia and her first years here. She elaborated on her first working experiences in Melbourne and how she found herself in a radio booth in 1966.

She talked about her radio days, interviews, and the tense but balanced professional relations with politicians.

This year marks forty years since 1983, when the then-federal prime minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, selected her as the representative on the government’s Immigration Advisory Committee in Canberra. While twenty years ago, in 2003, the Government of Victoria and Victorian Governor John Landy honoured her with the Multiculturalism Award​ and the Order of Australia Medal​ (OAM).​ She referred to her efforts to keep the Cyprus tragedy at the forefront of current affairs​ and her love for her homeland, Chania, Crete.

Her reference to the younger Australian Greeks was moving​. According to Ms. Frangioudaki OAM, they should work to promote the Greek language and culture.

That evening, students from La Trobe University’s Modern Greek Studies program were in the audience. They were preparing an assignment based on that night’s conversation between the two journalists.

The conversation on the radio career of Rena Frangioudaki OAM was part of the series of lectures on the Dardalis Archives of the Greek Diaspora. The talk was co-organised by the Greek Studies Program of the Department of Languages and Cultures at La Trobe University, the Dardalis Archives, and the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria. Ms Frangioudaki OAM recently visited the Dardalis Archives building and was informed about the work done there. The presentation will be on the YouTube Channel of the Greek Community of Melbourne. The series of thematic lectures of the Dardalis Archives entitled: ‘The History of the Greeks in Australia based on the contents of the collection: