Con Vaitsas
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Eulogies at funerals
Several days ago an Anglo friend of mine rang to ask about a funeral he’d attended. He’d been to the funeral of his elderly Greek neighbour at a local Orthodox …
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Returning to Greece: A tale of nostalgia, disillusionment, and hope
Like thousands of other Greek Australians this year, I too, went for a holiday to Greece. However, this was my first trip there in 33 years. Until 1990, I travelled …
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A journey through time: The dreams and sacrifices of Greek immigrants in Australia packed in a suitcase
It’s a bizarre twist of fate. I have arrived in Greece exactly 70 years to the week when my parents set foot for the first time in Australia back in …
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So, what happened exactly 45 years ago on April 1, 1978?
Last week at the Greek Writer’s Festival in Sydney a historian told the audience of an anti Greek riot in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia that occurred in 1916. It was an …
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Gough Whitlam 50 years on is still Zeus
Exactly 50 years ago on December 2, 1972, Australia’s future changed forever. The Labor Party won the election after 23 years of conservative government. The campaign simple title It’s Time …
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Smyrna Catastrophe: A missed opportunity?
The Greek community has missed an opportunity to make the wider Australian public aware of the “catastrophe of Smyrna” which occurred one hundred years ago this September. We all take …
Marrickville, returning to the ‘Little Greece’ of our memories
At last the contribution of Greek migrants to Marrickville in Sydney has been recognised with a part of it being officially called “Little Greece”. This is the suburb I grew …
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Opinion: Coronavirus, faith and Orthodoxy
Imagine you’re at a cafe or restaurant and you order a bottle of wine. The waiter brings over the wine and grabs a glass from the nearby table that has …
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So what are we celebrating on Australia Day?
Australia Day. What does it mean to me? Not everyone reading this will agree as there has been a major shift in the last 25 years about the importance of …
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Letter: When were Greeks cool?
As I read the headline – ‘Why aren’t Greeks cool anymore?’ – I tried hard to think when during my lifetime were we of Greek origin ever considered cool. Well, …