THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN The oldest circulating Greek newspaper outside VEMA Greece DECEMBER 2016 Tel. (02) 9559 7022 Fax: (02) 9559 7033 E-mail: [email protected] OUR ARCHBISHOP’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2016 PAGES 5/33 Miracle Worker Eleni Georgiou outsmarted a kidnapper and overcame a ki ller disease to take over her family’s iconic Newcastle business. PAGES 14/42 - 15/43 6th EPISCOPAL Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ASSEMBLY OF OCEANIA The Feast of the Nativity of Jesus is one of The members of the 6th Episcopal Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Oceania welcomed the opportunity the most joyful days of the Orthodox Church. to meet in Sydney on Thursday 8th December, 2016, under the chairmanship ex officio of His Eminence Archbishop It ranks next to the greatest holiday, the Res- Stylianos of Australia. urrection of Jesus. The Feast of the Birth of Present were: His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos (Ecumenical Patriarchate); His Eminence Archbishop Paul (Anti- Jesus is also known a s the “Inc arnation of ochian Church); His Grace Bishop George (Russian Church); His Grace Bishop Siluan (Serbian Church); His Grace Bish- Christ.” This means that Jesus became a man op Mihail (Romanian Church); His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilochios (Ecumenical Patriarchate); His Grace Bishop and came into the world to save us. We also Ezekiel (Assistant Bishop); His Grace Bishop Seraphim (Assistant Bishop); His Grace Bishop Nikandros (Assistant Bish- refer to this joyous feast as Christmas. op) and His Grace Bishop Iakovos (Assistant Bishop). PAGES 18/46 - 19/47 The Announcement with decisions rendered at the Assembly, will be published in January’s issue. To our readers we extend our sincere good wishes for a Merry Christmas and Arcadia The heart of the P eloponnese retains a a Happy New Year genuine rustic feel amid tr aditional villages and fir forests. 2017 PAGE 24/52 DECEMBER 2016 2/30 TO BHMA The Greek Australian VEMA 40th Nameday Celebrations for our Primate Archbishop Stylianos held in Sydney Left: The official table. Centre: Professor Socrates Dokos during his speech. Right: His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos during his response More than 400 representatives of Parishes and THE PROFESSOR’S ADDRESS every strength in the continuation of your Godly Communities, Institutions, Associations and Brother- work. From all your children who know and admire hoods honoured the 40th Nameday anniversary Re- “Your Eminence, Your Grace, reverend Fathers, dis- you, we are immensely proud to have you as our hi- ception for the Primate of the Greek Orthodox tinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, erarch, and unreservedly proclaim, well done indeed, Church in Australia, His Eminence Archbishop Stylia- Your Eminence, you once said in an interview: “The Your Eminence!” nos, held at the ‘Palais Function Centre’ on Sunday world at large eulogises exceptional men and wo- THE RESPONSE 27th November, 2016. men, sometimes out of self-conceit. But in the All proceeds from this function each year go to- Church you are speaking of “the mystery of deifica- In his response, the Archbishop stressed that the wards St Andrew’s Theological College which has al- tion”, and you present a witness to what the grace of most important purpose of the evening was to recall ready yielded priests, teachers and theologians who God has been able to achieve”. Allow us then, Your the righteousness and unwavering faith of Saint are working in specialist areas of pastoral, social, ed- Eminence, to give our own humble witness of God’s Stylianos whose life, as the celebrating Archbishop of ucational and other ministries. grace and presence in this continent, which we at- Australia, he has striven to emulate. THE OFFICIAL GUESTS tribute to your enlightened leadership at the helm of St Stylianos was from Paphlagonia in Cappadocia, our Church for 41 years. An indeed miraculous period Asia Minor, living in the latter 6th century and early Besides the celebrating Primate of our Greek Or- of unprecedented growth throughout all of Australia 7th century. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ with his thodox Church in Australia, the official party was in the founding of new churches, monasteries, St An- whole heart and lived in strict asceticism. His prayers comprised of His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of Apollo- drew’s Theological College, the ordination of many have worked many miracles, both during his earthly nia, Assistant Bishop to His Eminence in Sydney, the clergy, establishment of Orthodox primary and sec- life and since. He is of special help to children who Consul General for Greece in Sydney, Dr Stavros ondary Schools, Nursing Homes, Clergy-Laity Confer- are ill and to childless couples. He is known as a pro- Kyrimis, Mr Michael Diamond, Legal Adviser to the ences, National Youth Conferences, Greek Welfare tector of orphans. Archdiocese and Vice-President of the Archdiocesan Centres, the ‘Vema’ of the church newspaper, St An- His Eminence expounded on the various aspects of Council, Mr Peter Theofilou, President of the Inter- drew’s Press for the publication of Orthodox books, the Saint’s Apolytikion hymn: Communities Council of NSW and President of the and many, many other praiseworthy achievements “Holy Stylianos, you were a tower of abstinence Parish and Community of St Euphemia Bankstown, directly through your inspired leadership and guid- and an unshaken pillar of the Church. Dedicated to Mr Harry Danalis, President of the Greek Community ance, achievements few hierarchs worldwide have God from your youth, you became a dwelling-place of Sydney and NSW, and Mrs Alexandra Danalis, Pro- matched. of the Spirit. O righteous F ather, intercede with fessor Socrates Dokos and Mrs Anna Dokos, Dr Spy- Yet beyond all of these successes, Your Eminence, Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.” ros Miyiakis, Associate Professor of Medicine and Di- what we remember most about you is your formida- His Eminence thanked Professor Dokos for his kind rector of the Department of Infectious Diseases at ble wisdom in Christ and learning, your powerful ser- and sensitive address and expressed the view that Wollongong Hospital, F ather Steven Scoutas, MC, mons and written treatises, as well as your enormous love often ‘exaggerates’ when it is directed in a and his Presvitera Patricia. empathy, sensitivity and approachability. When ask- speech such as this at someone who is loved. THE SPEAKER FOR THE EVENING ing my children what they thought about you, they The celebrating Archbishop also offered his pro- spontaneously responded: “He is not just an adminis- found gratitude to all present for their personal con- This year’s speaker was Professor Socrates Dokos trator running the Church, he truly cares about us”! tribution to the daily life of the Church, for their re- of the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, You once said in an interview that “belief in God, for spect and love towards His humble self and for their University of New South Wales,where his area of re- me, is more than oxygen”, and this is evident in all sensitivity to their fellow-human. search lies in electrical stimulation of heart, brain and that you do, say, and write. For us, your spiritual chil- VOTE OF THANKS retinal tissues for implantable medical devices. He re- dren, you were the good shepherd “who lays down searches and teaches mainly in the area of computa- his life for his flock”. Warm thanks were expressed to the Organizing tional simulations of bioelectric phenomena, and has On behalf of an entire generation of Greek Aus- Committee which worked, as always, under the di- published over 150 journal articles, book chapters tralians who were born and raised in this country, rection of His Grace Bishop Seraphim, as well as to and conference proceedings in this field. He is also a who had the blessing and honour of knowing you as the proprietor of the ‘Palais Function Centre’, Mr graduate of St Andrew’s Theological College (Masters their only hierarch for the past four decades, we and Michael Onoufriades, and to his wife Litsa, for their of Arts in Theology, 2011), and has been a member of our children, and our children’s children, owe you an delightful service. the Greek Orthodox Christian Society for over 30 immeasurable debt for everything you have given The evening closed with clergy and laity chanting years. In his younger days, he also taught Sunday our Church and community. Your presence among us the Pheme of our Archbishop. School and Youth F ellowships (Ομάδες), and is the is a testament that God has not forgotten his people The VEMA of the Church also takes this opportuni- current editor of the periodical ‘L ychnos’. He is mar- in this far-flung continent. Please accept our grati- ty to wish His Eminence continuing health and ried to Anna (nee Stavropoulos) and they have 6 chil- tude and righteous praise “from the mouths of suck- strength on the occasion of His recent Nameday. dren. ling babes”. We wish you many more years, and FSS DECEMBER 2016 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/31 Opinion The border and the eight Turkish asylum seekers By Nikos Konstandaras - Kathimerini, Athens The border between Greece and Turkey separates two very different countries. And yet it is not fixed – it is porous, sometimes in motion and dangerous. Just as the Evros River changes course and the borderline, so the fates of people are determined by which side they find themselves on. The case of the eight Turkish military officers who requested asylum in Greece un- derlines many aspects of the difficult relationship be- tween the two countries. We may be plagued by our country’s many weak- nesses, but Greece is a democracy.