GWC Community Services (the Greek Welfare Centre of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia in NSW), as part of the month-long community awareness month “October 2018”, in cooperation with Inner West Council on Friday 2nd November at Marrickville Town Hall organised an event titled “Greek Cultural Day” devoted to the migratory wave of Greek immigrants in the 1960s and 1970s, which in their overwhelming majority settled in and around the wider area of the Sydney suburb, Marrickville.
Attending the event were the Parish Priest of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Marrickville, Father Christodoulos Economou, the Federal Member for Grayndler, Mr Anthony Albanese, the Mayor of Inner West Council, Mr Darcy Byrne, and about 130 local Greek people.
As part of the event's program Mrs. Stella Sorotou, teacher at St. Spyridon's Greek Orthodox College, Sydney, spoke about the historical timeline of Greek migration to Australia, and a short video production of the students of the College was also presented.
"Migration was the reason for our separation from our motherland Greece," said Mrs Sorotou. "At the same time, however, it was the reason and the occasion for us to unite Greeks all over the world in a special way and to keep the timeless values we inherited from our home, love for freedom and dignity, in our hearts in particular", she concluded.
The program of the event lasted four hours and all guests were able to wonder the hall to look at a photo and book exhibition about Greek immigration of the 1960s and 1970s, which marked the universal presence of the Greeks in the region so much so that Marrickville was dubbed "Greekville".
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne then presented an Award to the owners of the Corinthian Rotisserie Greek Restaurant in Marrickville, while the GWC Seniors Choir entertained the guests with singing and dancing of traditional Greek songs. The event came to a close with a traditional Greek lunch.
GWC Community Services is the social and welfare services arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese based in Sydney, Australia. It is a not for profit organisation that provides services and programs to meet the needs of individuals, children and families, the frail aged, people with dementia and their carers.
