The Greeks descended on the capital on 27 March 2024 in a lavish reception held in the Great Hall of Australian Parliament House in Canberra to celebrate the remarkable and enduring Hellenic-Australian connection, coinciding with Greek National Independence Day and the centenary of the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Australia.
The Parliamentary Friends of Greek Australians, co-convened by the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security, Hon Clare O’Neil MP and the Member for Sturt, James Stevens MP, combined with Federal parliamentarians Steve Georganas, Chair of Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth, and Senator Hollie Hughes, Deputy Chair of Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and respectively the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Greece, to stage the reception in a true display of cultural bipartisanship.
Clare O’Neil as MC welcomed guests from all over and especially acknowledged the newly-appointed Greek Ambassador to Australia, Stavros Venizelos, and the visiting Greek Alternate Minister for the Interior, Theodoros Livianos.
Also present were the High Commissioner of Cyprus Andonis Siamoutis; the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Hon Linda Burney MP; the NSW State Minister for Industrial Relations, Sophie Cotsis MLA and David Hill, Chair of the Australian Parthenon Association, and many Greek Australian community leaders from across Australia.
The Great Hall is a magisterial space used for ceremonial and other official occasions. Known as the Room of the Land, it features soaring ceilings and polished floor and wall panelling made from beautiful Australian timbers.
The centrepiece of the Great Hall is a magnificent tapestry based on a painting of a forest of towering eucalyptus trees in the Shoalhaven area by the great Australian landscape artist, Arthur Boyd. During his illustrious career Boyd was also influenced by figures from Greek mythology and, pointedly, given the setting of Parliament House, he produced a series of works inspired by the play “Lysistrata” by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes which famously told the story of the women of Athens who occupied the Acropolis and denied their husbands and lovers all sexual favours until the men of Athens and Sparta ended the Peloponnesian war.
It was therefore somewhat fitting that the Greek celebrations took place in the Great Hall in the midst of such artistic grandeur, now interwoven with contemporary Hellenic folkloric dancing by the Canberra Hellenic Dancers, fine Greek cuisine, ouzo cocktails and the sound of the bouzouki, but interspersed with interesting political discourse amongst the 250 or so guests who gathered to honour the historic bonds between Greece and Australia which have been forged through migration, war and an undying commitment to the principles of democracy.
Clare O’Neil, whose own electorate of Hotham in Victoria has a strong Greek base, recounted how passionate and robust her Greek-Australian constituents are in their conversations and how their love for politics and democracy is so endearing.
She then introduced the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, who she described as a “lover of all things Greek” and who, after 30 years representing the people of the inner-city electorate of Marrickville, is now well and truly an “honorary Greek”.
Anthony Albanese opened by acknowledging the presence of “my friend” Archbishop Makarios, the Greek Orthodox Primate of Australia, whom he has made a South Sydney Rabbitohs supporter in view of the fact that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is physically based in Redfern. However, some might argue that spiritually the team to support are the St George-Illawarra Dragons whose uniform is of course inspired by the Byzantine saint Agios Georgios. Never mind.
Mr Albanese, who had previously released a letter in praise of the Greek struggle for independence, acknowledged the 203rd anniversary of the start of the Greek War of Independence and the great revolt in the Peloponnese that saw Greek people rise to their feet and end centuries of occupation and did so armed with one of the most powerful mottos of all: Freedom or Death.
The Australian PM noted that the courage shown then is “a remarkable moment in the life of a remarkable nation” and explained that the connection between Australia and Greece is deep as it is warm:
“Where better to celebrate that contribution than in the home of Australian democracy given the history of democracy and the role that Greece has played in it.”
The Prime Minister, whilst acknowledging that Melbourne is “one of the great Greek speaking cities of the world”, was content in the knowledge that Marrickville has been named “Little Greece” by the local Inner-West Council.
The Federal Member for Little Greece concluded with a stirring Ζήτω η Ελλάδα (Long Live Greece).
Senator Hollie Hughes, although yet to visit Greece, expressed her heartfelt admiration for an amazing diaspora and how Greek culture has become an integral part of Australian society: “it has become what you want multiculturalism to be”.
The Federal Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, spoke of the deep symbolism of the gathering in the Great Hall:
“This is where on many occasions we celebrate world leaders and we greet people from all over the world demonstrating our democracy and our way of life in our multicultural existence in this beautiful building.”
Mr Dutton praised the contribution that Greek Australians have made to this country since the nineteenth century and the fact that they still celebrate their heritage and their culture is incredibly important not just for the present generation but for generations to come.
The Greek Orthodox Primate, Archbishop Makarios, lauded the organisers of the event for recognising the invaluable connection between Greece and Australia. His Eminence noted that throughout the month of March Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate the feast of the Annunciation of Theotokos and also celebrate an enslaved Greece longing to be freed from the shackles of centuries of tyranny and how their struggles and sacrifices opened the way for national independence.
Archbishop Makarios also noted that these events coincide with the centenary of the establishment in the fifth continent of the holy Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia which now numbers over 300 parishes.
After the formalities were concluded, guests and dignitaries mingled freely during the night.
David Hill and this writer spoke to the Australian Prime Minister who is on the record of supporting the campaign for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece. It is a cause célèbre that the Parliamentary Friends of Greece and Friends of Greek Australians are also eager to take up, particularly as Australia has taken a principled position in the case of the return of contested cultural artefacts and indigenous remains that were removed in colonial times.
The Federal Member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas is also keen to file a motion in the Federal Parliament calling for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures.
The prominent Greek-Australian photographer, Nick Bourdaniotis, who has produced a magnificent photographic essay on Greece’s famed Presidential Guard, the Evzones, took the opportunity to hand a limited edition copy to Anthony Albanese who accepted it gleefully and said it would be proudly displayed in his Marrickville electoral office.
Former Australian Ambassador to Greece, Arthur Spyrou, was also in attendance. Now based in Canberra as Chief of Protocol of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Arthur fondly recalled his diplomatic time in Athens and provided a useful insight into aspects of Australian foreign policy-making.
The newly-elected President of the Pan-Macedonian Association of Melbourne and Victoria, and member of the Australian Hellenic Council, Peter Stefanidis, had an opportunity to speak to the Opposition Leader about issues of mutual interest to the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian communities following a day of lobbying with the Joint Justice Initiative.
During the night Clare O’Neil publicly acknowledged the “amazing generosity” of Peter, Paul and Yianni Zaparas of ZaparasLaw to enable the event to be staged in the beautiful environs of the Great Hall with superlative catering to enhance the experience.
Judging from the reactions of those present the Greek-Australian experience is alive and well in the Australian Parliament. There was even talk of reprising the event next year as a testimony to both the enduring connection between the two countries and their people and Australia’s vibrant multicultural society.
And why not?
George Vardas is the Arts and Culture Editor of Greek City Times and is also the co-Vice President of the Australian Parthenon Association and a member of the Multiculturalism NSW Advisory Board
