january 2015 discipline in the home angelica...

JANUARY 2015 Tel. (02) 9559 7022 Fax: (02) 9559 7033 E-mail: [email protected]

THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN

VEMADISCIPLINE IN THE HOME

The oldestcirculating

Greeknewspaper

outsideGreece

Big increase in the numberof students opting for Ancient Greek in Australia

Students studying Ancient Greek at the Uni-versity of Melbourne have doubled since2010. It is indicative that the interest in An-cient Greek and Latin language studies isgrowing in Australia, Asia and worldwide.

PAGE 4/22

90th Anniversary Celebrations in Perth

Official celebrations took place in Perth tocommemorate the 90th anniversary of thelaying of the Foundation Stone of the Churchof Sts Constantine and Helene.

PAGE 6/24

Archbishop Stylianos visitsnew Greek Communitybuilding in Melbourne

His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, made ahistoric visit to the new building of the GreekCommunity of Melbourne, on Thursday De-cember 31, 2014.

PAGE 15/33

PAGES 16/34 - 17/35Painting with the colours of Creation

Elder Paisios was canonized on 13 January 2015 bythe Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. SaintPaisios of Mount Athos (Greek: Όσιος Παΐσιος ο Αγιο-ρείτης), born Arsenios Eznepidis (1924–1994), was awell-known Eastern Orthodox monk from Farasa,

Cappadocia. He is famous for his spiritual teachings.Many people worldwide, especially in Greece and inRussia, highly venerate Elder Paisios.

Cont. page 5/23

GGrraanntt ooff $$99,,995500 ttoo tthhee HHoollyy MMoonnaasstteerryy ooff SStt GGeeoorrggee aatt YYeell llooww RRoocckk

ELDER PAISIOSCANONIZED

PAGE 2/20

ANGELICA SOTIRIOU

The Greek Australian VEMATO BHMA2/20 JANUARY 2015

Greek National Theatre to transform Rex into Athenian theatre hub

The Holy Monastery of St George, at Yellow Rock NSW, received a grant of $9,950from Westpac Group, in support to the Replacing Workshop and Equipment for Vol-unteers project, following last years devastating bushfires.

The cheque was received by the Abbott of the Monastery, the Very Rev. Fr KyriakosStavronikitianos.

The grant application was completed, voluntarily and with Father Kyriakos’ bless-ing, by Mrs Christina Efthymiades, on behalf of St George Monastery at Yellow Rockunder Westpac Group’s Natural Disaster Recovery Fund.

The presentation of the cheque was organised at the St George Branch in Spring-wood on Thursday 18th December.

Grant of $9,950 to the Holy Monasteryof St George at Yellow Rock (NSW)

The Very Rev. Fr. Kyriakos Stavronikitianosaccepting the cheque at St George Bank in

Springwood from the Branch Manager Mr Dean Berry

By Nikos Vatopoulos - Kathimerini, Athens

A recent ruling by an Athens court granting the GreekNational Theatre the right to use a large theatre on theground floor of a building it owns in the city center isexpected to contribute to efforts for the gentrificationof Omonia Square and its environs.

The plan is for all three stages to be utilized by theNational Theatre to present different kinds of works,with the initial idea being to use the biggest of threestages, on the ground-floor level, for musicals, a genrethat has been gaining increasing popularity in Greecebut does not have a solid presence.

Hatzakis hopes that he will be able to launch the newinitiative with a major international production of anacclaimed musical such as “The Phantom of the Opera”to generate a buzz about the venue and the NationalTheatre’s initiative to branch out into new genres.

The theatre’s management also hopes that the oper-ation of the Rex complex as a purely theatrical venue -it had been best known for hosting Greek music acts -will contribute toward efforts to gentrify the Omoniadistrict.

The building, whose exterior has already been reno-vated, will also be refurbished inside, with plans includ-ing making it fully accessible to people with mobilityproblems.

These ambitious plans will be possible after careful fi-nancial management resulted in the National Theatrepaying off all of its debts and ending September with asurplus to the tune of 260,000 euros.

The Rex was built in 1935 and designed by architectsLeonidas Bonis and Vassilis Kassandras to resemble thegrand art deco theaters of New York.

It was the first venue for large spectacles to operatein Athens.

Xylouris family music tradition

coming soon on cinemas

The documentary ‘A Family Affair’ is going to bereleased this month in cinemas across Greece, Aus-tralia and the US.

The film’s production was made possible by asuccessful Kickstarter campaign in March 2014,which helped to cover initial shooting in Australiaand trigger the support of ABC TV Australia, theGreek Film Centre and OTE-TV, and most recentlyNERIT, the Greek public broadcaster.

The film follows three generations of musiciansof the Xylouris family who uphold and pass on thevibrant tradition of Cretan music, performing cea-selessly to followers across the world. It captureshow music is passed on from father to son tograndchildren, in a contemporary Greek-Australianfamily, brought together by their love of music.

A short version of the film, entitled ‘Sounds LikeHome’ was aired on ABC Australia in October 2013.

Re-opening the Rex as a theatre may contribute to the gentrification of Omonia

The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/21JANUARY 2015

On Wednesday 10th December St John’s College (VIC)held its annual Speech Night where it was able to cele-brate the success of the academic year. The College wasdelighted to welcome the Hon Mr Feeney MP and MrDonikian as guest speakers. Also in attendance on theevening were His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis,Reverend Fathers, members of the College Board,Alumni and distinguished guests and supporters of theschool.

Dr Ladopoulos, Principal of the College, praised thestudent body for their academic achievements and fortheir tenacity and hard work throughout the year. Hecommended the diverse talents of the students as theystrived to excel in all aspects of school life. The commit-ment and professionalism of the teaching staff was a re-flection on the admirable results the students achieved.

Mr Feeney MP and Federal Member for Batman also

acknowledged the great reputation and exceptional cal-ibre the College within the wider community. As an ar-dent supporter of promoting equitable educational op-portunities within the community and his electorate,the College was thrilled to have The David Feeneyaward of Excellence presented to Year 12 studentNicholas Delivinias.

The College was delighted to welcome back wellknown and much respected journalist and formernewsreader Mr George Donikian to present an addresson the topic of Excellence and Perseverance. In his ad-dress to the students, Mr Donikian used the much lovedtopic of Sport as a metaphor. Reference was made tothe importance of goal setting, working on one’s tech-nique, being flexible, playing fairly and being part of ateam in all future endeavours. He referred to personalanecdotes from his own early family and professional

life on the importance of setting one’s aims high andthe importance of embracing hard work. He advocatedfor vision, proactive thinking and collegiality as vitalcharacteristics that will lay the foundations for a futureof personal growth and success.

The audience was rewarded with outstanding studentmusical and instrumental performances throughout theevening.

The 2015 College Captains for Junior and SeniorSchool 2015 were announced as were the recipients ofmajor awards such as the Caltex Award, Kwong LeeDow Young Scholars Award, ASPIRE- La Trobe Universi-ty, ADF Long Tan Leadership Award, Insight PublicationsEnglish Scholarship, Orthodoxy Award, and the DarebinYouth Summit Awards.

SPEECH NIGHT 2014

An evening of Excellence and Achievement

Liberty, Equality, FraternityBy Pantelis Boukalas - Kathimerini, Athens

Even if we have difficulty grappling with complexand complicated notions, and even if we are ruled byan urge to divide the world into Good and Evil, Lightand Darkness, Civilized and Barbaric, it is still neces-sary to turn an ear to the lessons of history.

A first lesson is that Good and Evil have no geo-graphic relevance. Good exists in no greater quantityin Europe and America than in Asia and Africa, andthe same goes for evil. In recent history, the West hason numerous occasions flirted with the forces of Evilto promote its interests, which should make us skep-tical to claims of purity and goodness.

A second lesson is that the religious and culturalmap that we have come up with in a bid to conve-niently give locations to our ideas is too a product ofbiased fantasy. No matter what the Scriptures say,there has never been a religion that was purely be-nign. Similarly, no civilization in history has ever beenvirtuous and immaculate through and through. OurGreco-Roman legacy has its own failings simply be-cause it was the product of history, not metaphysics.

So if we insist on treating history as a clash of civi-lizations, the conflict is not one between Western andAfro-Asian civilizations, or between the Christian andMuslim religions.

The dividing line is between the culture of freedom,solidarity, tolerance and democracy on the one hand,and the culture of violence, intolerance, authoritari-anism, religious zeal and theocracy on the other. Thetwo camps are clear, but they have no relevance togeography or race. After all, how can one forget USPresident George Bush, a religious fundamentalist inspite of his Western background?

Among other things, the above was underscored inthe massive demonstrations in France, a countrywhich has once more drawn the eyes of the world as

the locus of ideological fermentation. The crowds didnot protest against a specific religion or race - afterall, the demonstrators came from different races andreligions. They did not demonstrate against refugeesand migrants that supposedly threaten to Islamicizethe West. Rather, they demonstrated against thosewho try to install fear while speaking and killing in thename of - absent or ignorant - gods. They protested

against those who sow or exploit fear.Demonstrators did not just carry “Je suis” signs,

which could be interpreted as an indication of ephe-meral emotional identification. Other signs carriedthe revolutionary slogans that have inspired genera-tions of people across races and religions. “Liberty,Equality, Fraternity.” The one and only chapter of anever-timeless gospel.

A French national flag remains hung at the statue named 'Le triomphe de la Republique' (Republic Triumph) by Frenchartist Jules Dalou, in the Place de la Nation (Nation square), on Monday, a day after demonstrators put during a unity

rally ‘Marche Republicaine' in tribute to the 17 victims of a three-day killing spree by homegrown Islamists.

Left: His Grace Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis with guest speakers Mr David Feeney MP, journalist and former newsreaderMr George Donikian, the Parish Priest Fr Dimitrios Catrinei,College VP Mrs Denise Summers, and the College Principal, Dr Charalampos Ladopoulos. Centre and Right: Dr Ladopoulos with students/recipients of awards

JANUARY 20154/22 TO BHMA The Greek Australian VEMA

Letterfrom

Maroubra

Christian Dior, Gucci, Ted Baker

Ro

de

nst

oc

k, R

ay

Ba

n

Sere

ng

eti,

Ma

ui J

im, F

en

di

Nina Ricci, Oakley, La font

874 Anzac Parade, Maroubra Junction874 Anzac Parade, Maroubra Junction(at bus stop, on RTA block)(at bus stop, on RTA block)

TTeell :: ((0022)) [email protected]@maroubraoptoms.com.au

Katerina + Kyriacos Mavrolefteros

How important is Greek?

The church that I attend uses a mixture of Greekand English in the liturgy. This has its good points andits bad points. It would have been unthinkable 20years ago.

Mind you most parishes now include some Englishbut the funny thing is that there is no consistency. So-me prayers in one parish are Greek while a few kilo-metres away, you can hear that part only in English.Anyway, the policy seems to be some sort of hybridi-sation of the liturgy.

I should note also that there are special English li-turgies in some parishes, even in those with the mi-xed Greek-English liturgies.

For the most part we have adapted to this silentrevolution.

Let’s leave aside the quality of the experience for amoment and think about where we are heading.What is it that we are trying to achieve? What effectswill these changes bring about to Orthodoxy in Aus-tralia? What will we gain and what will we lose? Andthen of course there is the question of how importantis Greek?

I am not sure that even one of these questions canbe answered in the 700 words or so that I have at mydisposal. So, where does one start?

The practical problem is that religion and languageare intertwined. Orthodoxy is flexible. It does not oc-cur in a social, cultural or linguistic vacuum.

As you know, Orthodoxy was brought to theseshores by immigrants and nurtured by them. Withthe effluxion of time, these earlier generations arelessening and the newer mainly English-speaking gen-erations remain. Despite the best efforts to maintainlanguage, it has been eroded through acculturationand assimilation.

There are many reasons for this situation. It doesnot help that in our family and community we aregradually removing any need to speak Greek (even inthis opinion piece). I think it is also a question ofwanting.

Some say that it is too hard to acquire Greek but Ido not understand why people I know who can excelat four-unit maths, or learn all sorts of other lan-guages, or cope with complex university studies or ac-quire intricate skills or even learn English, cannotspeak a little Greek? I mean just some Greek not thewhole Oxford Greek Dictionary. Is it that hard? Couldwe perhaps be lazy?

It is admirable to see people of other cultures - likea Vietnamese travel agent in Sydney who had cometo Athens as a refugee - being able to converse to mein Greek. It is even more admirable to hear my Con-golese students in Kinshasa speaking Greek. Yet insuburban Sydney, you might be lucky to get a kalime-ra from a second-generation Australian. We have be-come intellectually obese.

It is not a matter of Greek vs English or some com-promise. It is about maintaining a heritage that washard fought for and worth keeping. It is a matter of

deciding what is one’s cultural identity. It is not amatter of Greek vs English because that is like askingwhether I want my eye or my hand. My answer is thatI want both.

My Greek will never be as perfect as my English.I have trouble expressing abstract or complex ideas inGreek. I struggle to read the headlines in theKathimerini newspaper. I need a dictionary or GoogleTranslate when writing. Liturgical Greek takes sometime to become familiar but it is do-able, especiallywith bi-lingual service books.

Speaking even my broken Greek is really about whoI am and who I want to be. It is about maintaining arich cultural and theological heritage that is irreplace-able. Let me stress “irreplaceable”.

Returning to faith - no doubt with God’s grace ourChurch will find its way through the linguistic maze.Translation from Greek to English is only a partial so-lution. At times, the words can be stilted and artifi-cial. The meaning is decaffeinated. English is forcedinto some strange-sounding hymnology. Neverthe-less, I can cope with this.

The real question is: ‘How important is Greek?’ Theanswer is intensely individual.

The views expressed are those of the author and not neces-sarily those of the VEMA

[email protected]

Letterfrom

Maroubra

Big increase in the number of students opting

for ancient Greek in AustraliaStudents studying Ancient Greek at the

University of Melbourne have doubled(49% increase) since 2010. It is indicativethat the interest in Ancient Greek andLatin language studies is growing in Aus-tralia, Asia and worldwide.

Currently, at the University, 71 stu-dents have undertaken classical studies.Dr Hyun Jin Kim, from the University ofMelbourne’s School of Historical and Phi-losophical studies, was born in Seoul, Ko-rea, and grew up in Auckland, New Zea-land, before making Melbourne his ho-me and furthering his studies and expert-ise in Ancient Greek.

Dr Kim now teaches the language andsays numbers have been increasingsteadily, peaking at 71 in 2014. “Our an-cient world studies program has beenbooming in recent years. The number ofstudents in Ancient Greek and Latin hasbeen consistent. It fluctuates over time

but in recent years it has been very con-sistent and also showing signs of growthso, it’s pretty positive I think”.

He believes both Ancient Greek andLatin extend beyond their influences onfounding western civilisation, by stretch-ing to the far eastern corners of Asia.

“If you look at Buddhist sculpture, wewould think of that as quintessentiallyAsian, that it is the soul of Asia. Actuallythe art form derives from the mixing ofGreco-Bactrian art. And there are many,many other things that we could claimgoes back to Greeks as well - moderndemocracy, which has a home not just inthe west but also in the east. The politi-cal language we use and also a lot of thequintessential features of civilisation goback to ancient Greece, so knowing thelanguage allows you to enter into thatculture and also interact with that cul-ture much more effectively” he added.

TO BHMA 5/23JANUARY 2015 The Greek Australian VEMA

Our Primate’s View

On the Occasion of the New Year

Dear brothers and sisters,

In whatever way we communicate with our fel-low human beings these days - whether it be bytelephone, a letter or meeting personally - thesubject we talk about is a stereotyped one: theNew Year. We hasten to wish one another that itbe full of health and joy, blessed and prosperous.Whether it is said simply as a social custom orwhether it responds to an inward wish, it certainlyexpresses a legitimate and justified desire.

However, in the mutual “wishes” of these daysthere is no mention at all, even in a stereotypedway, about the year which passed, as if it did notexist, and as if we do not want to remember it atall. ln the name of one value, which we did not yetcome to know, we altogether push aside and for-get a tested value, which was just completed andattained its definite image. Therefore I will tell youa few words about the significance of this neglect-ed value.

The year which has passed does not have a neg-ative relationship to the new year. It is neithersubstituted nor abolished, as we replace a pair ofold shoes or a worn out garment. It is part of ourhistory, our life and our truth.

Of course we shall not see the year 2014 again inour diary, but we will carry it within us both in2015 and in all the years that will follow, just aswith all the other years which have passed sinceour birth up to the present time. If yesterday hadnot pre-existed, we would not have been here to-day. Our time is not cut to pieces, it does not partfrom us, it is not estranged. It is simply marked andcharacterised.

Therefore, let us thank God for the year 2014,which has been completed and filled our life. Andlet us pray that everything good, which we cameto know in the past year, may also engraft the newyear in a beneficial manner. May every success ofthe year 2014 become the good leaven of thecoming year.

Blessed be the year 2014, sisters and brothers,which has passed.

Blessed also be the year 2015, which comes.

Christ is the same yesterday and today and untothe ages. To Him be the glory and the power nowand always and to the endless ages. Amen.

By ARCHBISHOPSTYLIANOSOF AUSTRALIA

Hundreds of worshipers visit St Paisios’ tombHundreds of worshipers traveled to

Thessaloniki, Greece, in order to paytheir respects to the recently canonizedSt Paisios, whose tomb is located at theMonastery of Saint John the Theolo-gian.

It is estimated that a total of 1,500people visit the Greek monastery eachweek, a figure that will surely increasesignificantly, now that Elder Paisios wascanonized. Archbishop of Mount Sinaiand Raithu Damianos was among thetomb’s visitors.

The regular monastery visitors notedthat the worshipers who have recentlystarted arriving are people of every ageand nationality. In fact, many Russiansare travelling to Thessaloniki in order tovisit the monastery individually or byorganized travel coaches.

Elder Paisios was canonized by theHoly Synod of the Ecumenical Patriar-chate on January 13, 21 years after hisrepose in 1994, despite the fact that,according to Orthodox Church rules, aperson can be canonized 70 years afterhis death.

Paisios inspired thousands of peoplewith his work and way of life. His can-onization is expected to significantly in-crease tourist flow from the Balkansand Russia.


90th Anniversary Celebrations in PerthOn Sunday 19 October 2014, official

celebrations took place in Perth to com-memorate the 90th anniversary of thelaying of the Foundation Stone of theChurch of Sts Constantine and Helene.

A special visit from His Grace BishopEzekiel of Dervis added an important di-mension to the celebrations.

At the Divine Liturgy of the Church ofSts Constantine and Helene, presided byHis Grace, he mentioned in his homily hispersonal links to Perth and how privi-leged he felt to be asked by His EminenceArchbishop Stylianos to be attending thecommemorative events.

Bishop Ezekiel gave a brief outline ofhis connection to Perth, stating that hehad spent three years here; one year as apriest (in 1976) and then two as a bishopthereafter before moving to the easternstates.

He stated that it has been nearly 10years since his last visit to WA and 35years since he served in Perth. He hasbeen in Australia for 51 years. However,he remembers faces and people well andwith great fondness, quoting names suchas the Kakulas brothers, amongst others,for their collective efforts with regard tobuilding churches and the monastery inthis city.

His Grace spent considerable time pay-ing tribute to all past and present mem-bers of the Greek community in Perth fortheir exceptional sacrifices and service;and for their achievements with regardto the magnificent churches and mona-stery that now exist for the benefit of theGreek Orthodox Christians of this state.At this point, His Grace also highlightedthe importance of continuing to teachthe Greek language to future genera-tions as it is inextricably tied to the Faithbut also to the wonderful legacy of ourGreek forefathers; the gift of civilisationto the Western world. Finally, His Graceoffered the congregation greetings andblessings from His Eminence ArchbishopStylianos.

Celebrations continued with an officialLuncheon at the Hyatt, starting at mid-day. Mrs Catherine Papanastasiou, theMaster of Ceremony for this event, wel-comed all 450+ guests and directedeveryone’s attention to a commemora-tive screening of the foundation historyof the Church of Sts Constantine and He-lene. Complimentary copies of a DVD

showing a Sunday Liturgy filmed andbroadcast by the ABC were also availablefor all guests at their tables.

Special guests at the Luncheon includ-ed Bishop Ezekiel, the Reverend Fathersfrom all of the Greek Orthodox parishesof Perth, the Honourable Consul ofGreece, Ms Sofia Choli, Eleni EvangelMLA, and many generous sponsors ofthe event.

After a delicious buffet lunch, Mr GaryMitchell, President of the Hellenic Com-munity of Western Australia (HCWA) ad-dressed the audience. There were a sig-nificant number of descendants in theaudience of the two women who laid theFoundation Stone; Mrs Jasmine Miche-lides and Mrs Triantafyllia Kalafatas. Garyalso acknowledged all those who havepassed and stated that an inauguralaward has now been created to acknowl-edge contributions to the Greek commu-nity of WA. The announcement of theaward, known as the ‘Peter MichelidesCommunity Award’, was received withgreat enthusiasm by everyone present.The eldest grandson of Peter S. Miche-lides, Mr Peter Paroulakis, spoke about

the inaugural award and of his grand-mother, Mrs Jasmine Michelides.

Welcomed also on the stage was MrNick Kalaf, a descendant of Mrs Trianta-fyllia Kalafatas. Mr Kalaf exuded an equalamount of pride as Mr Paroulakis regard-ing the achievements of his ancestor. MrKalaf presented the original silver trowel,boxed, to the Church of Sts Constantineand Helene for the 90th anniversary ofthe laying of the Foundation Stone. Thegift was received by the Very ReverendArchimandrite Elpidios Karalis.

In turn, Father Elpidios presented a giftto His Grace Bishop Ezekiel for his pres-ence at the commemorative event as atoken of everyone’s appreciation. Thegift, an Engolpion, (a medallion with anicon in the centre worn around the neckby Orthodox Bishops) was well receivedby His Grace who was moved by the ges-ture.

Mr Mitchell also took the opportunityto pay tribute at the Luncheon to theConsul of Greece, the Honourable MsSofia Choli, who will be leaving after al-most five years in Perth. In his speech,Mr Mitchell referred to Ms Choli as

“clever, professional, able, personable…”and someone who has earned “… enor-mous respect from all who are in contactwith her”. He stated that there is sadnessat losing “… this dynamic person” fromour consulate. However, he went on toannounce that the Perth Consular Officewill remain open, most likely as a resultof the status and the diplomatic achieve-ments of Ms Choli. “Her presence andpassion will be sorely missed”, were MrMitchell’s closing remarks. Ms Choli re-ceived as gifts from the Hellenic Commu-nity of WA a coin from the Perth Mint, anhonourable membership to the HCWA,and an exquisite trophy dated 22/1/2010to 10/11/2014, marking the dates of herservice to this state.

Yet another significant individual to re-ceive honours was Dr John Stamatis, FirstChanter and Choir Master at the Churchof Sts Constantine and Helene. Father El-pidios stated that Dr Sta-matis had hard-ly missed a Sunday in 30 years and thathis contributions to the church also in-clude the very beautiful and creativeflower arrangements on special FeastDays and of the Kouvouklion at Eastertime. Dr Stamatis received a gift from Fa-ther Elpidios whilst his wife, Maria, re-ceived a beautiful bouquet of flowers forbeing the supportive spouse that she hasbeen during these many years of John’scontribution to the Church.

The formal proceedings ended withthe President of the Hellenic Communityof WA offering sincere thanks to all ofthe members of the Committee and Sub-committee of the HCWA, and in particu-lar to the MC for the event, Mrs Cather-ine Papanastasiou. Catherine received astunning bouquet of flowers for her ef-forts as MC but also for her behind-the-scenes work in helping to make theevent a success.

His Grace officially closed the eventwith a prayer and best wishes for the fu-ture of Perth’s Greek community and allparishes.

May His Grace’s blessings be heard byGod and may the Greek Orthodox parish-es of this city, along with all the parishesof this beautiful country be progressiveand fruitful in their endeavours!

Dr Angela Evangelinou-YiannakisPerth, Western Australia

Left: The Divine Liturgy at the Church of Sts Constantine and Helene, was presided by His Grace Bishop Ezekiel of Dervis. Right: Father Elpidios during his speech at the Hyatt.

Mr Kalaf presented the originalsilver trowel, boxed, to the

Church of Sts Constantine and Helene for the 90th

anniversary of the laying of the Foundation Stone.

The gift was received by the

Very Reverend Archimandrite

Elpidios Karalis


The Greek Orthodox Board of Educationcongratulates all Greek Orthodox Colleges in Australia

for their outstanding results in the Year 12 HSC, VCE, SACE and WACE examinations

THE GREEK ORTHODOX BOARD OF EDUCATION (GOBE)

The Greek Orthodox Board of Education is the central body which represents theDay Schools of our Archdiocese around Australia, providing a strong voice inissues of common interest.

It has taken some time since it was first established in 1990. However, the GOBEis now a dynamic and decisive reality.

It functions under the Patronage and Presidency of our Primate, His EminenceArchbishop, and is Chaired in Sydney by His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Apollonias.

The GOBE enjoys the collaboration of our Colleges and has the authority todetermine the religious, spiritual, cultural, and organizational standards whichour Archdiocese expects in the mission of education.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

The Board of Education confers and provides advice for the coordination acrossGreek Orthodox Archdiocesan Schools within the following areas:

Orthodox Studies Modern and Classical Greek language Promotion of the ethos, phronema and values of Greek Orthodox

Schools Coordination of response to relevant issues, providing a National

voice to our Sector Promotion of common advertising and marketing campaigns Professional development of staff through St Andrew’s Theological

College

The Board of Education is comprised of the following representatives of each DaySchool:

Parish Priest Parish President School Principal

ROLES and RESPONSIBILITIES

Orthodox Studies Review programmes related to Orthodox Studies within a Primary

and Secondary context. Develop programmes for use at all Archdiocesan Day Schools. Provide professional development to teachers of Orthodox Studies.

Professional Development Through St Andrew’s Theological College, provide Courses for all

educators in Orthodox Schools on a Christ centred approach toeducation based on theologically informed values.

Greek Language Studies Develop positive public awareness of the teaching of Modern Greek

within Archdiocese Schools. Enhance the status of both Modern Greek and Classical Greek

studies in each State. Regularly advertise and publish notable student work and events

through the media. Conduct Workshops for Coordinators and relevant Staff to ensure

Programmes and Resources are developed and implementedeffectively.

Publicly recognise and award students achievement in collaborationwith other key bodies and stakeholders.

Provide professional development to teachers of Modern andClassical Greek.

Promotion of Orthodox Education Coordinate the promotion of Orthodox Education through written

and social media as a united Sector, still maintaining individualschools’ identities within the umbrella of Orthodox Education as awhole.

Determine and approve the participation of our ArchdioceseSchools in any community events.

National Voice Provide advocacy on behalf of Orthodox Schools in promoting their

interests as a Sector, particularly in issues affecting levels ofgovernment policy and funding.

Review & Assessment of All Proposals for Future Parish Day Schools Parishes across Australia must be made aware that all proposals for

establishing future Day Schools are required to be forwarded to theArchdiocese Board of Education for Review & Assessment at leastthree years prior to commencement.

All proposals will be assessed to ensure current and futuredemographics, financial viability, and impact on existing schools isanalysed, to indicate future sustainability.

Recommendations will then be made accordingly, based on theterms stated above, to His Grace and His Eminence.

The first Meeting of the National Greek Orthodox Board of Education (GOBE) was heldon 9th May 2014 chaired by His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Apollonias

Top Row: L to R: Dr Ladopoulos, Principal St John’s College, Victoria; Mr Hirakis, Principal St Euphemia College, Sydney; Rev Father Triantafyllou, All Saints Parish,Sydney; Mrs Mayson, President, St Spyridon Parish, Sydney; Rev Father Scoutas, St Spyridon Parish, Sydney; Mr Triantafyllou, President All Saints Parish,Sydney; Mr Robertson, Principal Oakleigh Grammar, Victoria.

Bottom Row: L to R: Mrs Lillis, Head of School, All Saints Grammar, Sydney; Mrs Stefanou Haag, Head of College, St Spyridon College, Sydney; Chairman, His GraceBishop Seraphim of Apollonias; Mrs Coate, Head of Secondary School St Andrew’s Grammar, Western Australia; Mrs Katsogiannis, Principal, Senior School,St Spyridon College, Sydney.

Absent: Rev Father P. Protopsaltis, St Euphemia Parish, Sydney, and Mr P. Theofilou, President of St Euphemia Parish

In this edition, the GOBE takes much pleasure in presentingthe HSC results of our three Colleges in New South Wales

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

TO BHMA8/26 JANUARY 2015The Greek Australian VEMAGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

Congratula ons Year 12 Class of 2014

RANKED 106 (OUT OF 641 SCHOOLS) IN NSW AS LISTED BY THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

FRONT ROW: Sophia Lee Goergas, Michael Vlachos, Yianna Cri cos, Eleni Mavrole eros (College Captain), Panayio Kapodistrias, Chloe KourtesisSECOND ROW: Georgia Giatsios, Yianna Carpis, Natalia Srnic, Elena Ganis, Nansia Koukounaris, Fo ni Kapsabelis, Nicole e Gregory, Demetria Kioukas, Lena Sialepis,Evelyn Tzivakis, Natalie Michos, Andriane Efstra ou THIRD ROW: Alexandra Tsesmelis, Sandra Milisavljevic, Pamela Prineas, Nicola Demetri, Jovana Radic, Rena Lambos,Lena Nesterenko, Cassandra Georgiou, Katerina Dion Arvanitakis, Chris na Andrew, Stephanie Mio FOURTH ROW: Timothy Dokos, Alexander Vij, George Karapanayio dis,Anthony Vasili, Anthony Theofanidis, Luka Kasalovic, Jonah Richard Robertshawe, Dane Ivanovic, Elias Andreou, Nikolas Baratsas, Dylan KontosABSENT: Marisa Calligeros, George Malomi s STAFF: Mrs A. Petzler, Mrs A. Katsogiannis (Principal Senior School), Ms K. O’Shea (Year Adviser), Mrs V. Belajcic.

We are pleased that the following students of the HSC Class of 2014, achieved results in Bands 5 and 6 (OVER 80%) in one or more courses:

S T S P Y R I D O N C O L L E G E

Classical GreekKaterina Dion ArvanitakisNatalia Srnic

Ancient History Chris na AndrewKaterina Dion ArvanitakisNatalia Srnic

Business Studies Chris na AndrewAndriane Efstra ouDemetria KioukasChloe KourtesisNatalie MichosPamela PrineasLena SialepisEvelyn Tzivakis

Biology Nikolas BaratsasPanayio KapodistriasDemetria Kioukas

ChemistryPanayio KapodistriasLena Nesterenko

Food TechnologyYianna Cri cosChloe KourtesisSandra MilisavljevicStephanie Mio

Mathema cs General 2Timothy DokosElena GanisLuka KasalovicDemetria KioukasChloe KourtesisNatalie MichosJonah RobertshaweAnthony Vasili

GeographyChris na AndrewCassandra GeorgiouDemetria KioukasNatalie Michos

Legal StudiesNikolas BaratsasElena GanisDemetria KioukasChloe KourtesisSandra MilisavljevicStephanie MioPamela PrineasJonah RobertshaweLena SialepisAlexandra TsesmelisEvelyn Tzivakis

Mathema cs Nikolas BaratsasYianna Cri cosLena NesterenkoPamela PrineasNatalia SrnicAlexandra Tsesmelis

Mathema cs Ext 2Panayio Kapodistrias

Mathema cs Ext 1 Panayio KapodistriasEleni Mavrole erosLena NesterenkoNatalia Srnic

Modern Greek Con nuers Michael KaranikolasCalioppe KefalasChristos KolliasVicky PapadopoulosAdonis Tsoustas

History ExtensionNatalia Srnic

HospitalityAndriane Efstra ouJovana RadicLena Sialepis

Economics Sandra MilisavljevicAnthony Vasili

English AdvancedChris na AndrewKaterina Dion ArvanitakisYianna Cri cosPanayio KapodistriasLuka KasalovicRena LambosEleni Mavrole erosSandra MilisavljevicStephanie MioLena NesterenkoPamela PrineasJonah RobertshaweLena SialepisNatalia SrnicAlexandra TsesmelisEvelyn TzivakisAnthony Vasili

English Extension 1 Katerina Dion ArvanitakisLuka KasalovicLena NesterenkoJonah RobertshaweEvelyn Tzivakis

English Standard Demetria KioukasChloe KourtesisNatalie Michos

Modern HistoryChris na AndrewYianna Cri cosSandra MilisavljevicStephanie MioPamela Prineas

Music 1Dylan Kontos

Physics

Serbian Con nuers Jovana Radic

Personal Development, Health & Physical Educa on Nikolas BaratsasYianna Cri cosNatalie MichosEvelyn Tzivakis

Visual Arts Stephanie Mio

Modern Greek ExtensionMichael KaranikolasCalioppe KefalasVicky Papadopoulos

Dance Eleni Mavrole eros

Drama Nansia KoukounarisChloe KourtesisRena LambosEleni Mavrole eros


HSC (ATAR) 2014

HSC HONOUR ROLL OF STUDENTS WITH AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY ADMISSION RANK (ATAR) OF 90 AND ABOVE AND COURSE RESULTS IN BAND 6 AS PUBLISHED BY BOSTES NSW

D I S T I N G U I S H E D A C H I E V E R S

Developing the whole person—Mind, Body and Soul

Junior School 02 9663 5363, Senior School 02 9311 3340. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.stspyridon.nsw.edu.au.

Sandra Milisavljevic TAR 93.35

Food TechnologyLegal Studies

Modern History

Eleni Mavrole eros ATAR 95.85

DanceDrama

Natalia Srnic ATAR 93.00

English AdvancedHistory Extension

Evelyn Tzivakis ATAR 93.10

Business StudiesLegal Studies

PDHPE

Jonah RobertshaweLegal Studies

Mathema cs General 2

Elena Ganis Legal Studies

Katerina Dion Arvanitakis ATAR 92.30

English AdvancedClassical Greek Con nuers

Yianna Cri cos Food Technology

PDHPE

Anthony Vasili ATAR 92.80 Legal Studies

Chloe Kourtesis Legal Studies

Dylan Kontos Music 1

Natalie Michos PDHPE

Pamela PrineasLegal Studies

Alexandra Tsesmelis Legal Studies

Christos Kollias Modern Greek Con nuers

Panayio Kapodistrias ATAR 92.85

FIRST PLACE IN COURSE

Calioppe Kefalas Modern Greek Con nuersModern Greek Extension

TOP ACHIEVER IN COURSE

Jovana RadicSerbian Con nuers

4th in Course

Michael Karanikolas

Modern Greek Con nuersModern Greek Extension

Vicky Papadopoulos Modern Greek Con nuersModern Greek Extension

Adonis Tsoustas Modern Greek Con nuers

Lena Nesterenko ATAR 90.7



A L L S A I N T S G R A M M A R Congratula ons Year 12 Class of 2014

We are pleased that the following students of the HSC Class of 2014, achieved results in Bands 5 and 6 (OVER 80%) in one or more courses.


Modern Greek Extension Maria AnagnostouVassilia HaralampidouMelina KoveosPeter LiaskosVicky OrfanosVassiliki PantzourisDimitrios S vaktasKalliope S vaktasSianne Tsandidis

Modern History Kosta GalanisVassilia HaralampidouPeter LiaskosJamison MilessisPetros Xenos

Physics Georgio KatsifisJamison MilessisTimothy SimichPeter SofatzisDimitrios S vaktas

Visual Arts Harrison HannaStephanie LimberisFelicia Stavropoulos

PDHPE Tina BroussosVassilia HaralampidouPeter LiaskosEvan MichaelsAndrea Verteouris

Mathema cs 2U Maria AnagnostouAna BoricEve e HarrisEvan MichaelsJamison MilessisAndrea VerteourisMarissa Theodorou

Mathema cs Extension 1 Georgios FountotosGeorgio KatsifisPeter SofatzisDimitrios S vaktas

Modern Greek Con nuers Maria AnagnostouTina Broussos Vassilia HaralampidouMelina KoveosPeter LiaskosEvan MichaelsStavroula NikolasDimitrios S vaktasKalliope S vaktasSianne TsandidisNatalie TsoutsourasAndrea Verteouris

Mathema cs Extension 2 Georgios FountotosGeorgio KatsifisPeter SofatzisDimitrios S vaktas

Ancient History Georgios FountotosStavroula Nikolas

Business Studies Lara BaillieAna BoricKosta GalanisEve e HarrisMelina KoveosMarissa Theodorou

Economics Kosta GalanisEvan MichaelsJamison MilessisTimothy SimichMarissa TheodorouAndrea VerteourisPetros Xenos

Biology Maria Anagnostou Natalie Tsoutsouras

Chemistry Georgio KatsifisPeter Sofatzis

Design and Technology Harrison Hanna

General Mathema cs Adrian AresLara BaillieRicky ChaudryHarrison HannaMelina KoveosStephanie LimberisPaul PanayNatalie Tsoutsouras

Geography Ana BoricEve e HarrisGabriel KoliomihosEvan Michaels

History Extension Vassilia HaralampidouPeter LiaskosPetros Xenos

Legal Studies Lara BaillieRicky ChaudryKosta GalanisVassilia HaralampidouEve e HarrisMarissa TheodorouNatalie TsoutsourasPetros Xenos

Informa on Processes and Technology Georgio KatsifisPeter Sofatzis

English Advanced Lara BaillieGeorgios FountotosVassilia HaralampidouGeorgio KatsifisMelina KoveosPeter LiaskosEvan MichaelsJamison MilessisTimothy SimichPeter SofatzisFelicia StavropoulosDimitrios S vaktasMarissa TheodorouNatalie TsoutsourasAndrea VerteourisPetros Xenos

English Extension 1 Lara BaillieVassilia HaralampidouPeter LiaskosTimothy SimichFelicia StavropoulosNatalie TsoutsourasAndrea VerteourisPetros Xenos

English Extension 2 Peter LiaskosTimothy Simich


HSC (ATAR) 2014

2014 HSC HONOUR ROLL OF STUDENTS WITH AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY ADMISSION RANK (ATAR) OF 90 AND ABOVE

AND COURSE RESULTS OF 90 AND ABOVE AS PUBLISHED BY BOSTES NSW


Primary 02 9704 6400,Secondary 02 9718 7715. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.allsaints.nsw.edu.au.

Recognising and Developing each child’s needs

A L L S A I N T S G R A M M A R

Evan Michaels ATAR 92.5

Mathema csPDHPE

Petros Xenos ATAR 91.65

Dimitrios S vaktas ATAR 91.10

Modern Greek Ext

Marissa Theodorou ATAR 90.5

Lara Baillie Mathema cs General

Georgios Fountotos ATAR 93.95

Peter Sofatzis ATAR 96.15Physics

Peter Liaskos ATAR 94.3 PDHPE


Jamison Milessis ATAR 92.7

Mathema cs

Georgio Katsifis ATAR 94.9Physics

Maria Anagnostou 2nd in Course


Sianne Tsandidis 4th in Course


Harrison Hanna Design & Technology

Natalie Tsoutsouras Legal Studies

Kalliope S vaktas Modern Greek Con nuersModern Greek Extension



Congratula ons Year 12 Class of 2014


Back Row: Evan Katz, Joseph Getsios, Kosta Zarafetas, Mihailo Jankovic, Dusan Borak, Nebojsa Skoric, Kostas Farmakis, Andrew Theodosiou, Panagio s ChristodoulouFourth Row: Nicole Antoniou, Germaine Kanellos, Nickolas Kalivas, George Mavroidis, Michael Skour s, Chris na Doxaras, Stella Skouloudis, Evan Loizou, Dimitris Boukouvalas, Frank

Maropoulos, Stefano Karafyllas, Gregory GeorgiouThird Row: Maria Papadopoulos, Andriana Simos, Chrisafina Papathomas, Maria Giailoglou, Tetei Bakic, Andela Subo c, Panayiota Belavgenis, Nichole a Zacharia, Francene

Christophorou, Marco Gasparo, Nicholas MessiouSecond Row: Stephanie Tokatlidis, Victoria Vre os, Julia Pimms, Konstan na Vasiloglou Gkanis, Katerina Papasoulis, Josephine Konstandis, Biljana Popovic, Maria Papantoniou,

Victoria Kotsoris, Tahsin Khan, Georgia Lafogianni, Kallie Agathocleous, Patrina Kambitsis, John TsagiannisFront Row: Zoe Christodoulou, Pelayia Chrisafis, Niki Giannaros, Teri Tzaneros, Maree Psomas, George Mouyiaris, Ms V. Radivojevic, Mr H. Hirakis (Principal), Michael Vamiadakis,

Lydia Con , Constan na Tsatsaklas, Lucia Zuniga Mendoza, Natalie Ses to, Vanessa Kambitsis, Tanjeela Anjum

We are pleased that the following students of the HSC Class of 2014, achieved results in Bands 5 and 6 (OVER 80%) in one or more courses:

S T E U P H E M I A C O L L E G E

English Extension 1 Lydia ConGeorge MavroidisMaria PapantoniouBiljana PopovicAndriana SimosConstan na TsatsaklasMichael Vamiadakis

English Advanced Kallie AgathocleousTanjeela AnjumNicole AntoniouDimitri BoukouvalasFrancene ChristophorouLydia ConChris na DoxarasGregory GeorgiouSharaban Tahsin KhanEvan LoizouGeorge MavroidisNicholas MessiouGeorge MouyiarisMaria PapantoniouChrisafina PapathomasBiljana PopovicMaree PsomasAdriana SimosAndela Subo cAndrew TheodosiouConstan na TsatsaklasMichael VamiadakisVictoria Vre osLucia Zuniga Mendoza

Food Technology Kallie AgathocleousLydia ConGermaine KanellosMaria PapantoniouChrisafina Papathomas

Ancient HistoryGeorge MavroidisBiljana PopovicAndriana SimosMichael VamiadakisVictoria Vre os

Business Studies Francene ChristophorouEvan LoizouNicholas MessiouGeorge MouyiarisMaree PsomasAndrew Theodosiou

Biology Lydia ConAndriana Simos

Design and TechnologyDusan BorakChris na DoxarasGregory GeorgiouPatrina KambitsisJosephine KonstandisMaria PapadopoulosMaree PsomasAndriana SimosAndela Subo cStephanie Tokatlidis

Economics Dimitri BoukouvalasNicholas MessiouMaria PapantoniouBiljana PopovicMichael VamiadakisVictoria Vre osLucia Zuniga Mendoza

Legal Studies Evan KatzEvan LoizouGeorge MouyiarisMaria PapantoniouStella SkouloudisConstan na Tsatsaklas

Hospitality Kallie AgathocleousFrancene ChristophorouKonstan nos FarmakisPatrina KambitsisGermaine KanellosFrank MaropoulosNicholas MessiouJulia PimmsNebojsa SkoricAndela Subo c

Mathema cs 2 Unit Tanjeela AnjumLydia ConStefano KarafyllasSharaban Tahsin KhanGeorge MouyiarisAndriana SimosNebojsa SkoricVictoria Vre osLucia Zuniga Mendoza

Mathema cs Extension 1 Tanjeela AnjumDimitri BoukouvalasLydia ConStefano Karafyllas

GeographyChrisafina Papathomas

Modern Greek Con nuers Kallie AgathocleousPanagio s ChristodoulouFrancene ChristophorouMaria GiailoglouGeorgia LafogianniGeorge MouyiarisMaria PapadopoulosChrisafina PapathomasMaree PsomasAndriana SimosJohn TsagiannisKonstan na TsatsaklasMichael Vamiadakis

Mathema cs General Chris na DoxarasKostandinos FarmakisMarco GasparoJoseph GetsiosEvan KatzFrank MaropoulosNicholas MessiouChrisafina Papathomas

Modern Greek Extension 1 Panagio s ChristodoulouMaria GiailoglouGeorgia LafogianniGeorge MouyiarisMaria PapadopoulosJulia PimmsMaree PsomasKonstan na Vasiloglou Gkanis

Mathema cs Extension 2 Dimitri Boukouvalas

Music 1 Gregory GeorgiouChrisafina PapathomasMichael Vamiadakis

Modern History George MavroidisKonstan na Tsatsaklas

Personal Development, Health & Physical Educa on Lydia ConChris na DoxarasNicholas MessiouBiljana PopovicAndrew Theodosiou

Tex les and Design Kallie AgathocleousMarie GiailoglouGermaine Kanellos

Visual Arts Maria PapadopoulosBiljana Popovic

Studies of Religion II Victoria KotsorisGeorge MavroidisMaria PapantoniouVictoria Vre osLucia Zuniga Mendoza

Serbian Con nuers Mihailo Jankovic


Greece awarded as“Destination of Year 2013” HSC (ATAR) 2014

HSC HONOUR ROLL OF STUDENTS WITH AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY ADMISSION RANK (ATAR) OF 90 AND ABOVE AND COURSE RESULTS IN BAND 6 AS PUBLISHED BY BOSTES NSW


Strive for Excellence

Primary School and High School 02 9796 8240. Email: o [email protected]. Website: www.steuphemia.nsw.edu.au.

George Mouyiaris ATAR 91.15 Legal Studies

Modern Greek Con nuersModern Greek Extension 1

Lydia Con ATAR 97.8

English AdvancedEnglish Extension 1Food TechnologyMathema cs

Personal Development, Health& Physical Educa on

Constan na Tsatsaklas ATAR 94.6

English AdvancedEnglish Extension 1

Legal StudiesModern Greek Con nuers

Maria Papantoniou ATAR 95.75

English AdvancedEnglish Extension 1Food TechnologyLegal Studies

Andriana Simos ATAR 94.65

Ancient HistoryDesign & TechnologyEnglish AdvancedEnglish Extension 1

Modern Greek Con nuers

Biljana Popovic ATAR 94.3

Ancient HistoryEnglish Advanced

Personal Development,Health & Physical Educa on

Gregory Georgiou Design & Technology

Mihailo Jankovic Serbian Con nuers

Patrina Kambitsis Design & Technology

Georgia Lafogianni Modern Greek Extension 1

Francene Christophorou Hospitality

Stefano Karafyllas Mathema cs

Nicholas Messiou Hospitality

Maree Psomas Design & Technology

Modern Greek Extension 1

Andela Subo c Design & Technology

Konstan na Vasiloglou Gkanis Modern Greek Extension 1

Michael Vamiadakis English AdvancedEnglish Extension 1

Maria Papadopoulos Modern Greek Extension 1Modern Greek Con nuers

5th in Course

Top Achiever in Course

Strive for Excellence

George Mouyiaris ATAR 91.15 Legal Studies

Modern Greek Con nuersModern Greek Extension 1

Lydia Con ATAR 97.8

English AdvancedEnglish Extension 1Food TechnologyMathema cs

Personal Development, Health& Physical Educa on

Constan na Tsatsaklas ATAR 94.6

English AdvancedEnglish Extension 1

Legal StudiesModern Greek Con nuers

Maria Papantoniou ATAR 95.75

English AdvancedEnglish Extension 1Food TechnologyLegal Studies

Andriana Simos ATAR 94.65

Ancient HistoryDesign & TechnologyEnglish AdvancedEnglish Extension 1

Modern Greek Con nuers

Biljana Popovic ATAR 94.3

Ancient HistoryEnglish Advanced

Personal Development,Health & Physical Educa on

Dimitris Boukouvalas

ATAR 92.7

TO BHMA14/32 JANUARY 2015The Greek Australian VEMA

Greece awarded as“Destination of Year 2013”


The Greek Orthodox Board of Education invites you to enrol your children at a Greek Orthodox School

for Excellence in Education enriched by the Hellenic Ethos and the Orthodox Faith

ST JOHN’S COLLEGE - MELBOURNE Primary and Secondary Campus 21-27 Railway Place, West Preston VIC 3072 Tel.: (03) 9480 5300, Fax: (03) 9480 4314 Internet: www.stjohnspreston.vic.edu.au E-mail: [email protected] ST. SPYRIDON COLLEGE - SYDNEY Junior School 80-88 Gardeners Road, Kingsford NSW 2032 Tel.: (02) 9663 5363, Fax: (02) 9663 5365 Email: [email protected] Senior School 1130 Anzac Parade, Maroubra NSW 2035 Tel.: (02) 9311 3340, Fax: (02) 9311 4532 Internet: stspyridon.nsw.edu.au Email: [email protected] ST. GEORGE COLLEGE – ADELAIDE Junior School 54 Rose Street, Mile End SA 5031 Tel.: (08) 8159 8117, Fax: (08) 8159 8111 Senior School 75 Rose Street, Mile End SA 5031 Tel.: (08) 8159 8100, Fax: (08) 8234 5942 Internet: www.stgeorgecollege.sa.edu.au Email: [email protected] OAKLEIGH GRAMMAR – MELBOURNE Junior and Senior Schools 77-81 Willesden Road, Oakleigh VIC 3166 Tel.: (03) 9569 6128, Fax: (03) 9568 6558 Internet: www.oakleighgrammar.vic.edu.au Email: [email protected]

ST. EUPHEMIA COLLEGE – SYDNEY 202 Stacey Street, Bankstown NSW 2200 Tel.: (02) 9796 8240, Fax: (02) 9790 7354 Primary School Email: [email protected] High School Email: [email protected] Internet: www.steuphemia.nsw.edu.au ALL SAINTS GRAMMAR - SYDNEY Primary School 13-17 Cecilia Street, Belmore NSW 2192 Tel.: (02) 9704 6400, Fax: (02) 9789 2260 Secondary School 31 Forsyth Street, Belmore NSW 2192

.: (02) 9718 7715, Fax: (02) 9718 7392 Internet: www.allsaints.com.au Email: [email protected] ST. ANDREWS GRAMMAR – PERTH Primary and Secondary Schools 4 Hellenic Drive, Dianella WA 6059 Tel.: (08) 9375 1355 Fax: (08) 9376 5859 Internet: www.sag.wa.edu.au Email: [email protected] ST SPYRIDON COLLEGE – ADELAIDE Primary School 52 Oxford Terrace, Unley S.A. 5061 Tel.: (08) 8272 1655, Fax: (08) 8272 1677 Internet: www.saintspyridon.sa.edu.au Email: [email protected]

Church – Family – School

- the relationship of security that parents are seeking for their children.

Our Schools are today sophisticated centres of education where Christ and His teachings are central to a well-balanced schooling experience.

Our graduates are making an impact on the global scene in their given professions whilst our values are proudly advancing the common good of Australian society.


Archbishop Stylianos visits new Greek Community building in Melbourne

Archbishop Stylianos of Australia made a historic visit to the newbuilding of the Greek Community of Melbourne on Thursday,December 31, 2014.

Their Graces Bishop Ezekiel of Dervis and Bishop Iakovos of Mile-toupolis accompanied His Eminence in his tour around the newGreek Community Centre of Contemporary Culture.

The Archbishop met with Greek Community President Vasilis Pa-pastergiadis, as well as Vice Presidents Jim Bossinakis and GeorgeKallianis, Secretary General Costas Markos, Treasurer Nick Parthi-mos, Greek Community Centre of Contemporary Culture directorGeorge Menidis and community staff members.

His Eminence was informed about the new building, the educa-tional programs and the Greek Orthodox Community activities,while Markos presented him the Community’s first minute book,dating back to 1897.

Archbishop Stylianos congratulated the Board on the Communi-ty’s work and activities. “You are making a great work and youneed to be congratulated,” he said. Furthermore, he stated that hewas excited about his visit and wished everyone a Happy New Yearand success.

Papastergiadis noted that the Archbishop’s visit “was a historicmoment.” “It is an indication of good relations between the Arch-diocese of Australia and the Community. It is also an indication ofthe strong ties between the leadership of both institutions. It wasan opportunity to show the new Community building to His Emi-nence and talk about the positive effects of a united front, some-thing for which both institutions are proud. We shall work togeth-er so that these positive results continue in the future. ArchbishopStylianos expressed his appreciation for our great work. We thankhim for honouring us with a visit to the new Community building.”

Source: www.greekreporter.com

Greek-Cypriot Director’s film ‘Anna’ receives

Australian AwardGreek-Cypriot director Spyros Haralabous has

been excelling abroad. His short film “Anna” wonthe award for Best International Short Film at the21st Delphi Bank Greek Film Festival that was heldin Melbourne, Australia, while he also won the sumof 1,000 dollars.

The black and white drama was filmed in a villagein Cyprus and tells the history of an elderly man,Michalis, played by actor Spyros Stavrinidis, and hisobsession with his 30-year-old caregiver from thePhilippines, Mary, played by Imee Lysandriou.

Michalis spends most of his day in front of the TVwatching a soap opera about a heroine named An-na. He soon becomes obsessed with this heroine,to the point of calling Mary by the name ‘Anna’,thus portraying the importance of the caregiver inhis life.

Haralabous’ short film was also awarded the firstprize at the Cyprus International Short Film Festival,in 2012.

The Greek Film Festival in Australia is organizedannually in order to promote and award short films.This effort was established in 2010 at Loop, a bar inMelbourne’s central business district. The organiz-ers’ goal was to offer Greek-Australian filmmakersthe opportunity to present their work.

Five years after its launching, the Greek-Aus-tralian Short Film Festival co-operated with DelphiBank Greek Film Festival for the second consecutiveyear, while it also included international films, fromCyprus, Greece, France and the U.S., for the firsttime.

Singer Dimitris Basis to perform in Melbourne and Sydney

Acclaimed Greek singer and performer Dimitris Basis(pictured) headlines this year’s programs at the largestcelebration of Greek culture outside of Greece; theLonsdale Street Festival in Melbourne (Sat 14/2) andthe Greek Festival of Sydney in Darling Harbour (Sun15/2).

In what has become a feature of the two closely knitcommunity festivals, a well-known artist from Greeceheadlines their respective programs and this year’s an-nouncement ensures a set-list of popular classics. Basiswill be joined onstage by Zoi Papadopoulou and backedby a 7 piece band.

Jorge Menidis, Director of The Greek Centre in Mel-bourne said: “Melbourne and its people have showngreat love for Greek culture and we are once againpleased to bring the best of Greece to the heart of thecity. The Festival is honored to host these two perform-ers who will bring the street alive with a mix of popularand traditional Greek music that will appeal to peopleof all ages.”

Meanwhile, according to Nia Karteris, Chair of TheGreek Festival of Sydney, “our community enthusiasti-cally embraces all aspects of Greek culture, but espe-cially music. It is for this reason that we are thrilled to

have Basis and Papadopoulou at our festival to providewhat will no doubt be an unforgettable musical per-formance in the absolutely spirited environment ofDarling Harbour.”

Basis has performed with some of Greece’s premiummusicians and is a regular vocalist with the “MikisTheodorakis” Orchestra. With a diploma in Byzantinemusic, he started chanting the liturgy in the localchurch before taking his first steps in professionalsinging at the age of 20.

Greek-Australian entrepreneur Napoleon Perdis who specializes in the cosmetics industry stated that he isplanning to expand his “empire” to Greece. In a recent interview Perdis explained that he is planning to live inGreece for some time so that his daughters may have the opportunity to learn Greek as well as he does. The“makeup guru”, built a cosmetics empire from nothing, along with his brother Emmanuel. At the moment,their company is making plans to expand in various regions across the globe. Napoleon Perdis cosmetics storescurrently operate in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Latin America, Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Napoleon Perdis cosmetics to expand in Greece


Angelica Sotiriou is a visual artist from San Pedroin California, USA. As an Orthodox Christian, Angelica’sart is a vivid expression of her Faith. Using abstractand surreal forms, she originally started off drawingand painting with graphite and acrylics, but moved to-wards scul-pture. Then after many years she returnedto her first love of colour and line on larges canvasses.Having been a teacher and lecturer for 39 years, An-gelica finally decided to dedicate herself to what shetruly loved. She established her own studio and hasbeen painting for over 20 years. Her work has been ex-hibited at many renowned galleries across the USAand forms the private collections of some very promi-nent people, including blockbuster film and TV pro-ducer, Jerry Bruckheimer.

What was your upbringing like?I was raised in a Greek Orthodox family. My father

was born in Pireaus and my mother was a first genera-tion Greek born to parents from Kefalonia. We werewholesale flower farmers. My youth was spent workingin the family business surrounded by acres of multicoloured fields of rows and rows of asters… Intensely

coloured salmon pink, purple, pink, lavender, rosepinks, shades of greens and blues were my visual fieldand colours became recorded memory. We were in aconstant relationship with the weather… rain, wind andsun determined how healthy the crops would grow andeventually be sold at the flower market in downtownLos Angeles. We were saturated in the mystical rhythmof nature and connected in a way that imprinted on the

heart of a young introspective artist. My senses wererichly fed.

Why did you choose to blend Orthodoxy into yourart?

I do not see my Orthodoxy as a blend or a choice… itis how I breathe, how my heart beats, who I am inChrist. My paintings have become what I pray, as inLuke 12:34: “For where your treasure is there your heartwill be also.” As a young artist my sculptures were oftenof the interior angst I had at being a woman raised in atraditional family and the longing to choose the path ofan artist. As I grew into young motherhood my workwas about polarities and the angst of losing my artistself to a husband and to my children as a wife andmother. As my children grew so did my need to praymore and to hold onto trusting in the Will of God. As myprayer life increased so my work changed… instead ofyouthful angst and searching for definitions, my worksbecame all about my relationship with my internalworld and relationship with God.

Your artist statement describes your recent draw-ings and paintings as “a personal journey of uncover-ing and revealing pathways, windows and portals oflight and of spirit.” What does this mean?

My paintings are large, the average size is 8’x 4. Theprocess of painting them becomes a tango of sorts. Theworks take much energy and broad strokes. They arelike painted choreographies. The paintings are large likegiant windows and doorways that I must pass through…I constantly work on creating and attempting to bringlight out of the painted surface. I am always humbledand made small in the presence of the enormous size ofeach canvas. The process becomes a relationship andthe canvas becomes a dimensional space that I have en-tered. Each painting I do has been inspired by passagesfrom scripture, or a phrase or prayer that touches meduring Divine Liturgy, or a perspective of the writings ofthe Holy Mothers and Fathers, or what I take to prayer.Sometimes it is something as simple as the incense thatrises or the image of the hundreds of beeswax candleslit in the Holy Sepulchre, or how the light entersthrough the stained glass images and shines on theiconostasis… all the images settle into my visual memo-ry bank and become these wordless illustrations of thesublime. As I work on the sketch of the idea/concept Ido my homework and explore more deeply the conceptwith more Orthodox reading, more prayers and ap-proaching my Father Confessor with clarifying ques-tions. As I work on the painting, more questions arisethat await answers and sometimes the work itself an-swers them for me. When a work is complete I am oftensurprised at all that I learned and how I spiritually grewin the process of creating my work. It is a grace and al-ways this process humbles me. I guess the Lord knowshow to make me listen and how I am to learn!

What are some examples of your ‘contemplativenarrative paintings’?

I have a portfolio of two hundred or more works, butmy most recent works in the last decade have becomemore illustrative of my interior world. I will take for ex-ample the last ten paintings I have done in sequence.I finished a work called “Mary’s Yes” and it is an ab-stract illustration of the moment the Theotokos says‘Yes’ to the Lord. The image is the fusion of the verymoment when the Holy Spirit and Mary’s ‘Yes’ becameone. The painting is vertically large and begs the viewerto look up to the point where the viewer’s neck strainsto see the swirl of wings and spirit above the beam ofgolden light that descends into the swirls of amber, pinkand blue living embrace. Or the painting I did of “Sinand Grace” where sin is this viscous, undulating and di

Digital MosaicWhere the Ancient Faith + 21st century media merge

Painting with the colours of CreationBy Chris VlahonasiosFounder & DirectorOFA blog + Byzanfest + THE MOVINGICON

Visual artist Angelica Sotiriou creates abstract-surreal, contemplative works of art that reflect on her personal

relationship with the Divine.

New Scripture Teachers

BASIC ACCREDITATION COURSE Monday 9th February 2015

9.45 am – 2.30 pm Greek Orthodox Parish & Community of “St George”

90 Newcastle Street, Rose Bay

This is a preparation for new Scripture Teachers in State Schools in NSW. It is also for teachers who have not attended

a course previously. Register online http://www.123contactform.com/form 1132372/Basic Accreditation Course 2015RSVP – 2nd February 2015



Cont. from previous page

mensional application of deep red, broken apart by thethrust of illuminating golds and heavenly blues fromabove and below, covering the intestinal ribbons ofdeep red. Then there is the painting of “Theosis” wherebecoming one with the Lord is a collision of galactic pro-portions… the red of the union and blend of coloursbecomes almost embryonic and the shape of the unionbecomes chalice-like and takes the form of the cup andwoman.

From the time you first started has your artisticdirection and subject matter changed?

I truly can say that I have always been searching in mywork to find reconciliation in finding light in darkness.Some earlier works were more literal and figurative. Asmy paintings became more confident in technique andmedia the works became more abstract… but all thewhile still dealing with finding “light.”

What is your creative process - from blank canvassto art?

I start out in contemplation of a verse, a prayer, achant etc. I enter into the images that form and I settleinto them and sketch them out in my sketchbook…making notations on the sketch where and how colourand texture will intersect. Most of my paintings startout being covered in black or in an indigo black… I mixblack gesso and acrylic paint together and make direc-tional scoring while wet to create textural movement.The works initially start on the floor and then are liftedonto a very large easel to work in details.

Deep shades of blue, gold and white light seem tofeature predominantly in your work.

Yes, that’s right! Blue has always been my “go-to”

colour. Perhaps the influence of my childhood workingin the fields and always fascinated with the expansiveblue sky above me. I always thought if I just looked hardenough I would see the Lord looking down on me. Butyes, blue is like the heavens, the Kingdom… the bluethat is not of this world, dense and infinite. Gold indeedis always found in some spot of my paintings. It repre-sents illumination, the uncreated light of God and Hisheavenly kingdom. The gold is Christ’s Divinity. White isalways my final application or my first application onthe canvas… like a moth to light.

Which of all your pieces would you say is yourfavorite?

My favorite piece is titled “Seventy times Seven”…thejourney in creating this painting was a poignant spiritu-al journey for me. It was my most difficult yet my mostsuccessful and rewarding. I set out believing I could por-tray in a painting the concept of forgiveness. Yet in ap-proaching the painting I realized that there was still un-forgiveness in my heart. So after many layers of humili-ty, shades of purple grey, I was able to create a goldenportal into eternity where the key was forgiveness thatlet me into God through love.

Not only are you skilled in the ‘worldly’ arts, but youhave also written icons. Has iconography altered youroverall artistic perspective?

I took a beginning iconography class from my Fatherconfessor, Rev. Fr. Michael Courey about 15 years ago.The notion of working from dark to light turned the cor-ner in my paintings. Also there was a very mystical rela-tionship when my hand painted the glycasmo onto theFace of Christ. I truly can say I fell into Christ’s eyes forthe first time in my life and I fell deeply in love. Fromthat point forward all my paintings were done to glorifyHim.

You taught art for many years before becoming afull-time artist, so what has the experience of teaching‘taught’ you?

Teaching has taught me so very much about the pow-er of the creative process, the power of the visual arts,how teaching art was such a gift because it always gaveme a glimpse into the soul of my student. I know thereis not a student in the world that I cannot love becauseof teaching.

I became a better artist, a more compassionate mem-ber of the world, a seeker of beauty and a morethoughtful mentor.

What was it like making the plunge into the realm ofa full-time artist?

There was no fear in the plunge… life finally allowedme the time to use my gifts in a more focused manner.At my age now I no longer have to balance my roles asa woman, mother, wife, daughter, friend, employee. Ihave been blessed that I never lost sight of my soul’sdesire to be an artist and I have been blessed to a havehad all of my life’s experiences and responsibilities thattransformed and shaped the artist that I am today.

So what’s next? I will continue painting as long as the Lord has

planned and I will continue to use my gifts to glorifyHim. I also have made a commitment to offer my galleryand studio space to show faith-based artists who other-wise would not have the opportunity to show theirworks.

I am enjoying bringing together artists in my studioand finding commonality in our works. As He says,where there are three or more gathered, there I will be!

To see Angelica’s work: angelicasotiriou.com

AUSTRALIA DAYC E L E B R A T E Y O U R W A YAustralia Day means something different to everyone, and it’s important you do what’s right for you. So on January 26, reflect on what you love about being Australian.

australiaday.org.au #australiaday

The State of EducationBy Taliésin Coward

“Rarely is the question asked: is our children learn-ing?” were the words spoken, and sadly not in jest, byformer US President George Bush Jnr. In AncientGreece, and also, for example in Australia in past gener-ations, the first steps in providing an ‘education’ havebeen to, initially, equip students with some basic skills;chief among these were often reading, writing andarithmetic (somewhat amusingly referred to as thethree ‘R’s). They are, of course, also essential skills forany would-be autodidact. The word ‘educate’ is takenfrom the Latin educare – to bring forth. As a teacher,one aims to impart knowledge and skills to help stu-dents ‘bring forth’ and develop their abilities. A nobleaim, but one that I fear is too old fashioned for many ofthe educational theories and practices of today.

A more accurate description of the educationprocess, as it is experienced by many students today, isperhaps not to bring forth, but rather to ‘stuff full’ (ofparadigms, facts, but rarely genuine skills, it seems) inorder to pass a test. For example, in my own experi-ence, it is not uncommon to come across late-primaryor early-high school students struggling with fractionsand basic mental calculations (1 + ½), or to come acrosschildren with several years worth of schooling who lackfine motor skills and are still labouring under the im-pression that the best way to hold a pen is with one’sfist, rather than one’s fingers. (In their defence, it mightbe noted that they are, however, fully proficient in the‘jab and swipe’ method of finger-pointing required torun touch screens.) How is it that we have reached apoint where vast numbers of ‘educated’ children lackthe most basic of skills? Although there are many possi-ble factors, one part of the answer is perhaps to befound in the biting examination of the English under-class mentality, Life at the Bottom, by retired prisondoctor and psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple. Whetheryou agree with Dalrymple’s observations or not, theymake interesting food for thought.

Along with a general lack of value being placed uponeducation in modern popular culture, Dalrymple citestwo highly destructive educational policies (unfortu-nately evident in Australia) centred on the notions ofself-esteem (which can also be termed the ‘glass egos’theory) and relevancy. The ‘glass egos’ theory holdsthat to correct a mistake, to tell a child that they havegotten something wrong, is damaging to their sense ofself-worth and should therefore be avoided. An exam-ple I am aware of was of a student who habitually wrotea particular letter from the alphabet back-to-front. Gen-tle correction by the tutor was met with condemnationby the parent who was following their school teacher’sview that any correction should be avoided as it woulddamage the child’s self-esteem (a view the parent re-vised when it was pointed out that it was better to begently and kindly corrected now, than to be the subjectof ridicule – overt or covert – by one’s peers or employ-ers later on).

Dalrymple suggests that not to correct mistakes at all,on the basis that it may damage a child’s self-esteem,sets a dangerous precedent, providing a shield behindwhich poor teachers can hide their lack of ability, andactively hindering good teachers from carrying out theirjob. Dalrymple notes that at one school, in order to pro-tect the students’ apparently tenuous grip on self-worth, teachers were only allowed a set number of cor-rections, regardless of how many errors were actuallypresent. If a student repeatedly made the same spellingmistake, for example, the error could only be correctedas long as the ‘correction quota’ had not been exceed-ed. Once exceeded, the mistake was not to be noted.The net result was that the students concluded theirmistakes and the correction of them was both arbitraryand unjust.

Such approaches may go some way to explaining thepoor level of maths and literary skills in evidence, but itdoesn’t explain the ever-increasing lack of cultural and

historical knowledge, which relates to the policy on rel-evancy. For example, if a child is asked to decipher thephrase ‘Achilles’ heel’, it would not be strange today ifthe answer came back, ‘wasn’t he played by Brad Pitt?’Yet that same child may harbour serious doubts aboutthe viability of the planet’s future, and therefore theirown, from constant reminders threaded throughoutvarious subjects on current politically driven topics. Dal-rymple lays the blame for this on the notion - in orderto make learning more engaging - that what people areto be taught should be somehow relevant to their exis-tence (though how relevance is determined, and bywhom, is a very thorny question). As Dalrymple pointsout, the way this has been put into practice in England(and it is remarkably similar to Australia), can result in achild’s educational world shrinking to that which he orshe already knows (or politicians/bureaucrats thinkthey should know). One upshot, he suggests, is that stu-dents do not have, or value, a knowledge of the past(and therefore the possibilities of the future) but are fo-cussed on the present, and specifically their present; anidiocentric viewpoint. It also flies in the face, suggests

Dalrymple, of the fact that an education (including theskills to be an autodidact) has been the route perhaps“...most frequently travelled – to social advancement”;a process that has seen many immigrants not only sur-vive, but thrive.

Although perhaps the flaws of current educationalthinking are not entirely new (if Lady Bracknell’s com-ments in The Importance of Being Earnest are recalled),there are excellent teachers within the system, devotedto providing a high quality of teaching, and who possessand radiate an infectious air of inspiration and enthusi-asm. The last word though, should perhaps be given toDalrymple, who suggests that education is never justthe job of an ‘official’ teacher alone. In order to make adifference, he suggests, it requires a community toprize and promote skills as valuable, and a responsibili-ty to be taken by those who have an education to ac-tively ‘bring forth’ a high standard of skill and ability,and to impart knowledge to those who do not.

References:Dalrymple, Theodor. Life at the Bottom. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. 2001.Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest.


Arts, Food & WineEditor: Imogen Coward



St John’s CollegeVCE Results 2014

Top Achiever –Congratulations to Gregory Koutsantonis who received the ATAR of 96.25.

Highlights include...6% above 95

29% above 9035% above 8041% above 75

St John’s College is a truly open entry School, and we celebrate the tremendous achievements of the Class of 2014. These wonderful results demonstrate our School community's capacity to support all students to achieve their personal best.

VCE SUCCESS 2014

St John’s College congratulates its Year 12 students on their excellent performance in the 2014 Examinations.Their success is once again testament to the talent and hard work of our students, the excellent work, professionalism and dedication of our teachers and the effective support of the parents at St John’s College. We are all proud of their achievements and dedication and wish them the very best for the future.The Dux of the College for 2014 is Gregory Koutsantonis, who achieved a score of 96.25.Scores in individual subjects were also outstanding, with George Mylonopoulos (Year 11) receiving a perfect score of 50 for Greek. Other students who achieved excellent marks include Maria Anamourlis with 46 for Greek, 41 for Business Management, 41 for Legal Studies, Gregory Koutsantoniswith 45 for Further Maths and 40 for Chemistry, Konstantinos Mylonopoulos with 45 for Greek, 42 for Further Maths and 40 for English (EAL), Konstantinos Kavaleris(Year 11) with 45 for Greek, Vasilios Psarakos with 43 for Further Maths, Niki Fotias with 42 for Greek and Petros Gkourmis with 41 for Greek.Congratulations also goes to the staff of the various studies that have students who scored over 40.

Greek 60% English (EAL) 33%Further Mathematics 25%Chemistry 25%Legal Studies 17%Business Management 13%

Gkourmis P. Kavaleris K. Psarakos B. Mylonopoylos G. Anamourlis M. Fotias N. Koutsantonis G. Mylonopoulos K.

2014 Year 12 Group photo

Stuudents witth over 90 ATAR scorre

Kou93.2

utsantonis G.20

Anamo93.15

ourlis M.5

Mylonop91.75

poulos K. Catrinei I.91.70

Fo96otias N.6.25

TO BHMA20/38 JANUARY 2015The Greek Australian VEMA

january 2015 discipline in the home angelica...

Documents