The Greek community of Australia is mourning the death of the well-known Greek Pontian leader and advocate Peter (Panagiotis) Jasonides.
Peter Jasonides passed away on Tuesday morning after battling with long-term health issues.
The news of his untimely death was first announced as a social post by his close friend Litsa Athanasiadis, who wrote:
“My brother Panagiotis, have a good heaven” (Αδελφέ μου Παναγιώτη καλό παράδεισο να έχεις), posted Athanasiadis, adding his soul is pure.
Athanasiadis told Neos Kosmos that she had a long-standing friendship with Panagiotis.
Unable to hold back her tears, she told Neos Kosmos that “he was like a brother to me.”
Peter Jasonides died at the age of 62. He was married to Eleni, with whom he had two children, George and Anatoli.
Proud of his Pontian heritage, he was involved with the community from a young age. He was active with the National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS), the Antipodes Festival, Pontian Estia, the Pan Macedonians, and many Greek Australian organisations.
He was the founder and director of ITHEA (Institute of Tertiary and Higher Education Australia) for many years.
Fotis Kapetopoulos, Neos Kosmos journalist, said: “I met Peter in the 1980s over NUGAS, in Adelaide, and when I arrived in Melbourne in 1992, we became allies when I worked in the arts.”
“While we clashed on some (very few) ideological issues, we were always allies in multicultural policy and Hellenism,” said Kapetopoulos.
He called Jasonides “a big man, with a big heart and brain”.
“He was a deep thinker and great advocate and leader for the Pontians and Pan Macedonians; may he rest in peace,” Kapetopoulos said.
The ‘Triandellina’
On his death, Neos Kosmos contributor and close friend of Jasonides, Konstantinos (Dean) Kalymnios wrote:
“You are a triandellina [30 x Greek]. I love you.” This was my last conversation with Panagiotis Jasonides a few days ago. He always sacrificed his time to call, ensure I was okay, and give me some advice.”What are you talking about, Panagiotis? You’re a the triandellina in every sense of the word,” I replied.
“Dino cut the crap,” he snorted and laughed.
His body couldn’t take the suffering any longer. But this extraordinary man, who served as president of the Pan-Macedonian Association, who was the soul of the Pontiaki Estia, who envisioned the union of all the Pontian associations in Australia, who helped many numerous fellow travellers without seeking praise and recognition, and who sacrificed his personal happiness on the altar of the commonwealth, will remain immortal in our memory and in our hearts.
His last social media post was a testament to his soul: “Can anyone find even one square centimetre of Greece that is not (at least) simply beautiful… if not amazing, like all of Greece?”
Kalymnios said that he was the “triandellina” and called Panagiotis Jasonies “a loyal friend, a devoted family man, an ardent patriot, a gifted fellow farmer, a fierce opponent, and humanist, one of us”.
“He leaves a void in our community and hearts that cannot be filled, a wound that cannot be healed.
“Bon voyage, Brother Triandellina, and farewell. May God rest you and ease the pain of your family and all those who loved and appreciated you” said Kalymnios.
