A farewell function was held last Friday, May 10th, to honour the Consul of Greece in Perth, Mrs. Georgia Karasiatou. The event, hosted by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia at the Archdiocese Conference Centre, was attended by approximately 500 guests.
The function served as a tribute to Mrs. Karasiatou's service and a celebration of the strong bond between Greece and Australia, particularly in Western Australia.
Many dignitaries were present, including representatives from the Consulate General, Anzac families, schools, and Greek-Australian organisations.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, filled with great joy and emotion, awarded Mrs. Karasiatou the medal of the Order of the Christ-loving. He wished her many years of good health and strength and highlighted her tireless efforts towards the Greek Community of Perth, Australia.
In her role as Consul, Mrs. Karasiatou played a pivotal role in fostering connections between the Greek and Australian communities in Perth. The farewell ceremony acknowledged her significant contributions.
The MC for the event, Dr Angela Evangelinou-Yiannakis, ensured that all dignitaries were acknowledged, with special mention of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, outlining the recent developments of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and other historic events, including the approval of the new Constitution and the granting of the new institution of a Holy Eparchial Synod in the Fifth Content, and the Centenary of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Australia this year.
A dedicated tribute, via a PowerPoint Presentation, was then offered by the MC, highlighting the key achievements of the Honourable Consul of Greece in Perth, Mrs Georgia Karasiotou, and for whom the Farewell Event had been organised.
Following the tribute to the Consul, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios awarded Mrs Karasiotou the medal of the Order of the Christ Loving. Consuls from Estonia, Croatia, and Romania were invited to speak, followed by a response from an emotional and clearly overwhelmed Mrs Karasiotou. His Grace Bishop Elpidios of Kyanea then presented Mrs Karasiotou with a beautiful bouquet of flowers as a small token of everyone's collective appreciation.
The MC, whose delivery of lines was in both Greek and English, concluded the event by inviting Bishop Elpidios and the Clergy to chant "The Fimi of the Archbishop
The gathering boasted a distinguished list of attendees, including:
- Religious Leaders:
- His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia
- Bishop Elpidios of Kyanea, His Eminence's representative in Perth
- The Very Rev. Archimandrite Makarios Souris, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St John in Perth
- The Rev Fathers from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan District of Perth
- The Very Rev Protopresbyter Fr Sasa Stojanovic from the Church of St Savva in Highgate, representing Bishop Siluan from the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia
- Diplomatic Representatives:
- The Honourable Consul of Greece in Perth, Mrs Georgia Karasiotou and her family
- The Honourable Consul of Croatia, Mr Zoran Sangut
- The Honorary Consul of Estonia, Ms Anu van Hattem
- Honorary Consul of Romania, Ms Raluca Alecsa
- Community Leaders:
- Presidents of the various Greek Associations in WA
- Representatives from St. Andrew’s Grammar and of the after-hours Greek Schools
- Mr Justin Odea, Company Director of Bowra & O’Dea and long-time funeral director for, and major supporter of the Greek Orthodox Community in Perth, together with Mr Joey Faulkner
The Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand presented the Western Australian District of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia with a framed collage of the Preveli Monastery in Rethymno, Crete, in honour of the ANZAC Veterans who were evacuated from the Monastery.
One of those ANZAC Veterans who survived to tell the story of what happened in Crete in 1941 was the late Geoff Edwards. In order to thank the people of Crete for their sacrifice in sheltering him from the Nazi Forces, he created Preveli Park and built the church of St. John the Theologian in Margaret River and donated it to the Greek people of Western Australia and in particular the Archdiocese.
The Presentation was made to His Grace Bishop of Kyanea Elpidios by President Manuel Mountakis, former President Tony Tsourdalakis, World Council of Cretans President Nick Markogiannakis, and Federation Treasurer Terry Saviolakis at the headquarters of the Greek Archdiocese in Perth in Dianella.
Photo Gallery of the Evening Event
Images Copyright Nick Bourdaniotis / Greek City Times
