THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN The oldest circulating Greek newspaper outside VEMA Greece AUGUST 2011 Tel. (02) 9559 7022 Fax: (02) 9559 7033 E-mail: [email protected] A CAUSECCAALLLL FOREEDD TT GREATOO BB EE SS AAREJOICINGIINNTTSS!! Celebrating 10 Years of our newspaper in the Church PAGE 3/31 WORLD BANK HEAD WARNS: DEBT CRISIS Media’s impact on our children: ENTERING Video Games Parents have an uphill battle in working out how to limit the exposure of their children to inappropriate or excessive video games, espe- cially when their friends are playing them. The technology is moving so fast that many parents struggle to keep up and provide adequate DANGER ZONE responses to such material. PAGE 7/35 World Bank president Robert Zoellick has warned that the deepening economic woes in the United States and Africa famine Europe have pushed the ‘a major crisis’ world into a new World Vision CEO Tim Costello says the Horn of Africa famine is among the worst humani- tarian disasters he has ever seen. "danger zone" PAGE 22/50 FULL REPORT ON PAGE 11/39 Paros The best of both worlds When it comes to tourist infrastructure and Responsible Gambling Awareness Week 2011 amenities, the Cycladic island of Paros has PAGE 3/31 got it all. PAGE 19/47 The Greek Australian VEMA AUGUST 2011 2/30 TO BHMA Australia will get its very own Mobilising “Lady... of Yellow Rock” powerful Greeks abroad Australia’s Orthodox faithful will have reason to cele- the specific dry, bush landscape at Springwood, which brate in 2012, after the Monastery of St George in Yellow Eleni Federikou had whilst living in England. Upon reaching Rock, has commissioned the creation of the icon of “Our Australia she found herself in Yellow Rock where the mo- Parliamentary Speaker Filippos Petsalnikos wel- Lady of Yellow Rock” to coincide also with its 50th an- nastery stands today, and immediately identified it as that comed 32 lawmakers, senators and politicians from niversary. which she had ‘seen’. around the world - all sons, daughters and grandchil- The initiative authorised and made possible with the The purchase went ahead with the support of other dren of Greek immigrants - to the opening of the 8th blessings of the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in faithful and the blessings of the Archbishop at the time. biennial assembly of the World Hellenic Inter-Parlia- Australia, Archbishop Stylianos, is a first in this country and Construction of the monastery was initiated and it was mentary Association (WHIA), held in Athens on July 17. bears much religious significance. dedicated to Saint George. In his speech, Petsalnikos took the opportunity to Usually such blessings are given and sanctified by the The monastery will hold a national celebration for its stress the powerful bonds that unite Greece’s dias- Church after repeated miraculous events have been asso- 50th anniversary next year in 2012, and finds the abbot of pora members with their homeland. He said Greeks ciated with a given icon. Following the establishment of the monastery Father Kyriakos overjoyed that it will coin- abroad can help Greece overcome the economic cri- evidence, the icon is usually given an epithet that links it to cide with the inauguration of the icon of Our Lady of Yel- sis by “contributing in every way towards overcom- the geographical location. low Rock. ing the crisis and creating a new perspective”. Of course geographical epithets (eg “Ierosolimitissa”, “This is the miracle. Nothing happens unless it has been Petsalnikos called on WHIA members to make the “Tinou”, etc) are not the only ones ascribed to icons, but blessed from above. Yet another holy icon of Panayia will most of their visit to Greece by mobilising Greeks also dogmatic ones and those highlighting a spiritual char- be in our midst very soon. Our very own Lady of Yellow abroad to assist the country. “The entire dynamic of acteristic: “the merciful”, “the consoling one”. Rock” said Father Kyriakos, who expect parishes and faith- diaspora Greeks - entrepreneurship, opportunities In the Australian case, although no specific miracle has fully from all around Australia to attend the event. for public and political intervention, international net- been ascribed as such, the actual foundation of the said The iconographer appointed to create the icon is Peter working, know-how - can contribute to the recovery monastery in Yellow Rock has its beginnings in the visions Stefanovic, and upon completion, the icon of Our Lady will from the economic crisis,” he said. of a Greek Orthodox immigrant who purchased the prop- be housed in a small chapel specifically built for this pur- According to John Pandazopoulos, the president of erty and brought it to life. pose. WHIA, the four-day assembly was “productive”. When the Greek couple, Eleni and Dimitrianos Federikou, Orthodox faithful are invited to participate in the creation “We will carefully study the conclusions and build immigrated to Australia from England they decided in 1962 of the chapel and support related activities for Our Lady, in on the contacts with our fellow Greek MPs,” he said. to purchase a property for the purposes of building a whichever way they desire. “Now Greece needs us more than ever before and monastery. To contact the monastery for further information please we will do what we can to help.” The purchase was prompted by dreams and visions of call: (02) 4754 1382 SIGNATURE BRASSERIE | SABIA | SABIA PRIVATE | LE SANDS FUNCTIONS | BRIGHTON KIOSK Happy 10th Anniversary VEMA! AUGUST 2011 The Greek Australian VEMA TO BHMA 3/31 Editorial A CAUSE FOR GREAT REJOICING Celebrating 10 Years of our newspaper in the Church administration of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Insti- sion and tenacity. At a time when more and more theo- tutions as well as the supplementary avenues of Ortho- logical institutions are experiencing crises, Saint An- dox religious instruction such as Catechisms, Sunday drew’s stands as a pillar of the Church here in the An- Schools, Short Courses and Public School Scripture Les- tipodes preparing the next generation of clergy and sons. teachers who will serve our children for generations to By Deacon PETER There is no need to outline individual programs or come. MAVROMMATIS * schools, people or places. My purpose is to remind Going back, then, to the gifts for such anniversaries, it everyone of the need to acknowledge the significance is clear that the nominated items are clearly inappropri- of these initiatives and the need for all of us to support ate. The aim of The Vema has been to offer responsi- them. The reality is that in the 36 years since His Emi- ble news coverage and provide opportunities for spiri- nence was called to work in this ‘vineyard’, one of his tual growth through articles and commentaries tailored Looking at a number of sources, seeking an appropri- key concerns and focus was the implementation of pro- to the needs of Greek Orthodox people of all ages. Tin ate ‘gift’ or ‘hymn of praise’ for the Tenth Anniversary grams whereby students could be taught the Faith of and aluminium (which will give way with the first appli- since the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia em- our Holy Church and the sacred language and traditions cation of pressure) do not stand the test of time. The braced The Vema as an official Archdiocesan Publica- of our Forefathers. These institutions which have be- teachings and values presented in the pages of this tion, I discovered that the traditional gift for tenth an- come sanctuaries and will become increasingly indis- publication are tried and tested as its truth and mes- niversaries is tin, while the contemporary gift is alu- pensible for the future of the Church in the Antipodes sage will resound in time. minium. Both of these fall short for this occasion be- have been made accessible to all. Truly, responding to Like countless others, I have been fortunate to have s- cause of the fact that as light and weaker metals they the Lord’s call, His Eminence has cast a great net (Matt tudied Scripture in the Public School system as a child. I both tend to rattle and make a lot of unnecessary and 4:19) wherein the souls of those entrusted to him have have been fortunate to have attended Sunday School distracting noise whilst The Vema, adopted by the Arch- been safely gathered (Heb 13:17). lessons. I have been fortunate to study at Saint An- diocese through the initiative of our beloved Primate, The establishment of the Orthodox Day Schools Sys- drew’s Theological College, I have had the blessing to His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos, is a bastion of truth tem, the organisation of Scripture Teaching in Public teach at Saint Spyridon College and my children are b- which stands the test of time against the continual as- Schools and the development of the Sunday Schools lessed to be students of All Saints Grammar. All of these sault of cacophony and distraction in a society which programs means that all children are blessed with the blessings were made possible only by the foresight, ini- tries to take our attention away from our Lord and His opportunity to learn about and experience their faith. tiative and care of His Eminence who has ‘manned the Holy Church. Despite his many responsibilities as Primate of the walls’ of these bastions like a tireless soldier. In the very short time that I have had the opportunity Church in Australia, despite the many demands of his I know that I speak on behalf of all those who have to contribute to the work of this publication, I have fo- office, His Eminence has not neglected the educational been touched, inspired and edified in these institutions cussed on the field of education given my background needs of his flock.