19 November 2009

THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN The oldest circulating Greek newspaper outside VEMA Greece NOVEMBER 2009 Tel. (02) 9559 7022 Fax: (02) 9559 7033 E-mail: [email protected] QLD STATE YOUTH CONFERENCE PAGE 16/34 THE HEAD OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH PATRIARCH PAVLE, DIES The head of the Serbian Ortho- He became a Bishop of Ras and dox Church Patriarch Pavle has Prizren in 1957. WINDOWS TO ORTHODOXY died. He was 95. As a Bishop of Prizren, Patriarch Pavle gave a testimony to the UN about The Fluctuating Faith the Muslim Albanian repression and of Charles Darwin Pavle, who had led the church since terror in Kosovo and the forced exodus 1990, had been hospitalized for of Christian Serbs from Serbia’s Koso- PAGES 8/26- 9/27 months. He had heart and lung prob- vo province. lems. The church said he died Sunday “It depends on us whether we’ll be- morning (15 November). have humane or inhuman, and that is A respected theologian and linguist our responsibility, to be humane even also known for personal humility and with those that are inhuman,” coun- modesty, Pavle took over the church seled the Patriarch. leadership just as the collapse of com- In 1990, he became Serbia’s Patri- munism ended years of state policy of arch after the stalemate in voting for repressing religion. the existing candidates. He had headed the church during the The patriarch wrote 2 books and turbulent years of the Balkan wars in spoke Greek, Russian and German. the 1990s and the collapse of former In 2005, the Patriarch received an President Slobodan Milosevic’s regime award from the International Fund for in 2000. Enhancement of Unity of Orthodox Peo- Bishop Amphilohije has announced ples. the Patriarch’s death by saying that his In 2007, Serbia’s crown Prince Ka- “holy Christ-loving heart has stopped a village Donji Miholjac in Slavonia. He radjordjevic awarded him a medal of ticking”. ran off from his village during the WWII Saint Sava. “There are people whose very exis- when Croatia went on a genocide Russia awarded him a medal of Dig- tence connects entire peoples. That campaign against Serbs and Jews. nity for his role in the challenging days Vancouver flame was our Patriarch. His departure is my In 1948, Gojko became a monk at the for Serbian existence. lit in ancient Olympia personal loss,” said Serbia’s President Monastery Blagovestenje and was giv- In October 8, 2008, he resigned from Tadic. en the monastic name of Pavle (Paul). the position of a Patriarch but Serbia’s Tadic said that during tough and tu- In 1950 he became an assistant pro- Holy Synod had rejected the resigna- The flame for the Vancouver Olympics was multuous time he sought the Patriarch’s successfully lit by the sun’s rays in an ancient fessor at the theological school in tion. Moments before his death, father counsel. Prizren in Serbia’s Kosovo province. In Methodious served Patriarch Pavle ceremony on Thursday, October 22, heralding Patriarch Pavle was born on Sep- the start of the torch relay for the 2010 Winter 1955, he finished graduate studies at with Holy Communion. tember 11, 1914 as Gojko Stojcevic in the university in Athens, Greece. Games. PAGE 2/20 7TH NATIONAL WELFARE CONFERENCE OF THE GREEK WELFARE CENTRES OF AUSTRALIA “A VISION FOR THE Serres Ancient customs thrive alongside modern pasttimes in this Macedonian haven of biodi- FUTURE” versity. PAGES 10/28 - 11/29 PAGE 17/35 The Greek Australian VEMA NOVEMBER 2009 2/20 TO BHMA More than 18,000 Vancouver flame lit in ancient Olympia Australians request The flame for the Vancou- It has reached Canada on Greek pension ver Olympics was successful- October 30 for what organis- ly lit by the sun’s rays in an ers say was the largest ever More than 18,000 Australians have ap- ancient ceremony on Thurs- national relay, starting in Vic- plied for a Greek pension over the past day, October 22, heralding the toria, British Columbia, and in- year. start of the torch relay for the volving 12,000 torchbearers. The federal government signed an agree- 2010 Winter Games. Furlong said the Vancouver ment with Greece in October last year to al- The sun shone just enough organizing committee wanted low ex-pats living in both countries access over the fallen temples at the “to be sure no Canadian is to old-age pensions. birthplace of the ancient denied the right to dream and A total of 18,311 Australians, who have Olympics for a Greek actress celebrate.” lived in Greece and been covered by its so- in a priestess’ white gown Over 106 days, the relay cial insurance scheme, have applied, Cen- and sandals to focus its rays will span Canada, being trelink’s annual report shows. on a silver torch using a con- flown as far north as the Alert A further 2,482 people living in Greece cave mirror. forestry station in Nunavut, have also applied to receive an Australian The flame will burn at the which at some 800 kilometres aged pension under the agreement. February 12-28 Vancouver from the North Pole is the AAP Games, following a torch re- northernmost permanently in- lay across Canada and a habited place in the world. shorter run in Greece. Although cauldrons were lit Greece and “More than just a sporting during the ancient games, New Zealand event, the Games offer us a held in Olympia from 776 B.C. unique moment to serve the to 394 A.D, the torch relay is a in top ten places to visit cause of humanity and cele- modern addition to the brate the human spirit,” Van- Olympics. Greece and New Zealand have been couver Organising Committee It made its first appearance named two of the top ten countries in the CEO John Furlong said. during the 1936 Berlin Ga- world to visit next year. Bad weather disrupted the mes, and its Winter Games Australia didn’t make the grade in the meticulously choreographed debut was at the Innsbruck Lonely Planet’s new popular Best in Travel ceremony for the last three 1964 Olympics. guide, although the south-west of Western Winter Olympics - Turin, Salt AP Australia won a spot in the top ten regions Lake City and Nagano - and worldwide. officials had to use backup The travel bible named New Zealand on flames kindled at rehearsals. the basis of the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t In addition to good weather, fix it”. the ceremony also benefited The authors said the last time they from a lack of protesters this checked “the land of Maori and hobbits cer- time, even though Vancouver tainly didn’t need repairing”. relay officials had been wor- Other countries named in the top ten were ried that activists would be on El Salvador, Germany, Malaysia, Morocco, hand to protest against seal Nepal, Portugal, Suriname and the USA. hunting in Canada. AP Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games, pro-democracy and Tibetan activists protesting Droutsas lays down China‘s human rights record unfurled a banner in Oly- ‘national red line’ over mpia‘s ancient stadium during Fyrom name issue the lighting ceremony, and tried to stop the torch relay in several cities around the The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedo- world. nia cannot start talks to join the European The protests led the IOC to Union until a dispute over its name is solved, Reuters scrap international torch re- a Greek minister told on October 28. lays, and dozens of police Athens has disputed the name since Skop- were stationed at the archae- je declared independence from Yugoslavia ological site Thursday. in 1991 and took the name of Macedonia, IOC president Jacques Rog- the same as Greece’s northernmost pro- ge said the Olympic torch vince. Greece blocked its admission to Nato conveyed a global message last year over that issue. “of friendship and respect.” The European Commission recommended “The Olympic torch and fla- earlier this month that membership negotia- me are symbols of the values tions should be opened with the Balkan and ideals which lie at the country, saying it had made enough pro- heart of the Olympic Games,” gress on EU-required reforms. But all 27 EU Rogge said, as hundreds of states must agree for that to happen. spectators looked on from “The name issue must be solved before the stadium’s grassy banks. we can even think of opening accession ne- Greek giant slalom skier gotiations with Skopje,” said Alternative For- Vassilis Dimitriadis, 31, was eign Minister Dimitris Droutsas. the first torchbearer to run “This a very clear and strict line Greece is out of the ancient stadium af- taking,” Droutsas said. “We are calling this ter accepting the flame from the national red line.” Nafpliotou. Droutsas, who represents Greece in EU After an eight-day journey foreign ministers’ meetings since the social- across Greece, the torch was ists won an election on October 4, said the handed over to Canadian offi- new government wanted to find a solution cials at the restored ancient on the name. Panathenaean Stadium in ANA Athens on October 29. NOVEMBER 2009 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/21 Editorial Greece to get involved in a desperate effort to protect ilar point today? Three things saved it: intensive diplo- 1989-2009: its history and the name “Macedonia,” using up huge re- matic efforts with the EU brought in tens of billions of serves of political goodwill. Instead of taking a leading euros in subsidies and structural funds; painful eco- From crisis to crisis role in the Balkans, Greece became part of the problem nomic austerity measures taken by governments after and a suppliant for its partners’ (grudging) support.

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