Greek Australian VEMA JULY 2002 2/34 to BHMA
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Greek Australian VEMA JULY 2002 2/34 TO BHMA ÉÅÑÁ ÁÑ×ÉÅÐÉÓÊÏÐÇ ÁÕÓÔÑÁËÉÁÓ ÊïëëÝãéï Áãßïõ Óðõñßäùíïò ST. SPYRIDON COLLEGE “ÁéÝí Áñéóôåýåéí” Educational Excellence within a caring environment We educate students to take their place in a changing world with confidence & success Junior School Campus 80 Gardeners Rd., Kingsford Senior School Campus 1130 Anzac Pde., Maroubra A K-12 Co-Educational Greek Orthodox School that promotes positive and harmonious development 117162 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR PRIMARY, MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOLS PLEASE CONTACT THE ENROLMENT REGISTRAR, MISS SAMANTHA TINKER ON (02) 9311 3340 JULY 2002 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/35 Editorial A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Although first published in 1913, the VEMA newspaper’s first issue under the banner of the Greek too quickly), the active contribution of members of the public is highly sought after! Send in your Orthodox Church in Australia came out exactly one year ago. stories that deserve to be shared, your photos, your questions about the Orthodox faith, your sug- gestions, your letters to the editor. It’s funny how people you meet often say that they have so many In July 2001, each of our Parish-Communities throughout Australia had a bundle or more of this unanswered questions about the Orthodox faith, Church practices and so on. However, when the ‘new’ paper, and gave them out freely to all who entered or exited Church one Sunday morning. avenue is provided to deal with at least some of the issues, the questions seem to disappear... Many of our readers would recall that the VEMA was a generous gift of its previous owner, Mr The English lift-out appears to be particularly appreciated by Greek Australians who live outside Greg Gavrielides, to the Church. As a nationwide network, our Archdiocese in turn saw an invalu- the larger communities of Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. In such cases, it is not only the ‘youth’ able opportunity to enhance levels of communication with the faithful, as well as between the local who find something of interest in these pages. It is also the 60 and 70 year old grandparent who was Churches themselves. born in Australia and understands little Greek. As one Parish Priest had mentioned from what he Parishioners in opposite parts of Australia (particularly the more remote towns and cities) now had had witnessed personally, just because some are unable to read Greek as well as they would like, it a means, probably for the first time in print media, of learning news about each other. does not mean that they are not interested in their community and culture. In receiving the newspaper, the Archdiocese made a conscious decision to retain the general for- That’s a very refreshing note to start our second year on. In forthcoming issues, we also hope to mat of news that would cover so-called secular news, such as politics and sport. Church news there- publish an interview given by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos to ABC Radio which should be fore would not be the exclusive focus of the VEMA, but rather an underlying thread that runs of great interest. And of course, the popular regular columns, such as ‘Windows to Orthodoxy’, ‘Facts through it. If Church events are a natural part of our everyday lives, then why should they be por- and Stats’ and ‘Towards 2004’ will continue as always. trayed as something different to this in a newspaper? That was, and still is, the reasoning behind the blend that was born just one year ago. Thank you to all local Parishes and businesses that have sent in messages of congratulations. Without the advertising that these two groups provide, it would be impossible to print and distrib- Problems still exist. The overall appearance in terms of layout and photographic resources are grad- ute thousands of copies free of charge, apart from those that are sold in certain news agencies. ually growing through their teething problems. The offices of the paper moved from their original premises of two old lecture rooms of St Andrew’s Theological College in Redfern, to new offices They say that a sorrow, when shared, is halved. And a joy, when shared, is doubled. right next to the Church of St Nicholas, Marrickville, in the heart of what was once the most ‘Greek’ This first anniversary of the VEMA is indeed a happy one, because it is shared by so many. suburb of Sydney. Another problem, it would be fair to say, is the lack of contribution from our readers. Although the Dimitri Kepreotes feedback is wonderful (people look forward so much to reading it that Churches often run out all [email protected] play with Australian children.The other mother took great care with her children’s speech espe- PM visits Australian Talking cially, insisting that they should speak more clear- ly than the locals. soldiers’ graves in Crete Point Both families were devout churchgoers. One of by Ann Coward the women made some friends, but the other retreated more and more into her loneliness and homesickness. Although sound, each marriage was different. The husband of the more gregari- Language is not ous woman had a temper, as did his wife, and the union was a rather fiery one. The other husband Always the Barrier was exceedingly conscious, throughout the years, of all that his wife had lost by coming to the ends Charles Dickens wrote about two cities, but this is of the earth with him, and was utterly devoted to a tale of two men and their families. Both men her, as she was to him. came to Australia early in the 20th century, and headed up north to Queensland. One tried his As their children progressed through to adult- hand at timber-cutting, and the other at cane hood they took on their own distinct identities. farming. Neither was married, but each had a girl Despite the parents’ desires to prevent them back home in the Old Country. Separately, the from becoming Australian, they did become two men managed to return home, fight in a war, Aussies, but each in their own unique way. marry and return to Australia. Eventually they all were to marry Australians of similar background to themselves, but many of Although the two men were happy to settle in their children entered mixed marriages. Prime Minister John Howard Australia, their wives were not. Each had come After travelling to Italy for his meeting ing about our country.” here because of her husband, not because they What makes the original couples so fascinating with the Pope, Mr Howard returned to He says the Pontiff is struggling with ill- had any desire to leave family, friends or country. are the ways in which they differed ALONG- Greece, earlier this month, for a one-day ness but he is still mentally sharp. Neither woman ever felt at home in Australia, SIDE the ways in which they resembled each visit to the island of Crete. Mr Howard says the Pope did not men- even though they created their own families here. other. Although both men were soldiers, one saw Mr Howard visited the graves of tion concerns about Australian research action in the Balkan Wars; the other served in the Australian soldiers, who died in the into embryonic stem cells. The children born to each couple were greatly First World War. And despite differences in mar- Second World War battle of Crete. He says the conversation was more gen- loved. Both fathers knew that they had made the ital harmony, it was not so much what the couples He also toured the ancient Greek site of erally about Australia. right decision to raise their children in Australia. said to each other, as to how they said it, that was Knossos. Mr Howard says he admires the Pope’s The mothers, on the other hand, were not quite the most interesting. When the rather fiery cou- role, including his efforts in his native so sure. Both women viewed the locals with dis- ple fought, they did so in Greek, the language of Pope meeting country. dain, and made it their duty to ensure that none their birth. The other couple only ever spoke in “Whatever view people take of his other of their children grew up to become ockers. One English as their homeland, the land of their birth, In Rome, Mr Howard had a private 10 responsibilities, and I take a very positive mother went so far as to forbid her offspring to was England. minute meeting with the Pope. view of his other responsibilities inciden- He said the Pope did not raise any con- tally, but separately and apart from that cerns with him about embryonic stem I think his role as a force for freedom and Letters to the Editor, not exceeding 250 words, can be mailed to cell research during their meeting in the good in Eastern Europe will be long Vatican. remembered.” The Greek Australian Vema Speaking afterwards, he said the topics At one point during the meeting, the were much more general. Pope and Mr Howard laughed out loud. P.O.Box M59 Marrickville South, “It was a great privilege to meet him, we The Pope asked Mr Howard about kan- NSW 2204 talked about Australia,” he said. garoos during the meeting. He also noted “He remembered with great affection his that Australia and New Zealand are very or e-mailed to: visits to the Northern Territory and to close. [email protected] Canberra and Sydney and Melbourne The Prime Minister then visited St and we really spent most of the time talk- Peter’s Basilica.