Day: February 21, 2013

Source: TheHerald

Fed up with unemployment above 17 per cent, hundreds of aspiring migrants have bombarded local Greek organisations looking for ways to call Melbourne home.

Department of Immigration figures show Australia is on track to record a 65 per cent increase in Greek migrants this financial year, after an influx in the last six months of 2011 as Europe’s economic woes deepened.

And Melbourne – which has more Greek-speaking people than any city outside Athens and Thessaloniki – will take the lion’s share, says Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne president Bill Papastergiadis.

He said the organisation had been swamped with hundreds of inquiries a month from Greeks wanting migration advice.

“That really took effect once the economic situation deteriorated in Greece,” Mr Papastergiadis said.

The number of Greeks visiting Australia on short-term visas also increased, with nearly 4000 arriving last year, up 21 per cent on 2009.

Melbourne already is home to more than 300,000 Greeks, with many arriving in the 1950s and 1960s when government migration schemes sought Greeks and Italians.

Lazarus Karasavvidis said his international recruitment and training firm Skillup Australia had witnessed a tenfold increase in the number of Greek people wanting work in Melbourne in the last six months of 2011.

“The vast majority of them are young, urban professionals. They’re well qualified, they’re looking for a new home,” Mr Karasavvidis said.

Melbourne’s Ellie Doulgeris, 20, said Greek relatives planned to migrate.

“Some are willing to stick it through, but things aren’t great,” Ms Doulgeris said.

 

It is that time of year again when the modern Greek theatre troupe Parikia is preparing intensively for the presentation of their new theatrical work.
The most recent appearance of the troupe was in a performance about Tsitsanis, organised by the Association of Thessalonians. Lefkos Pyrgos played last November at the Melbourne Town Hall, with great success.
Over the last six years, the troupe Parikia, in collaboration with the famous theatrical duo, Thanasis Papathanasiou and Michalis Reppas, have staged their works, enjoying a great success both in Greece and Australia.
The new project that the troupe will present at the end of February, has been named To Kelepouri (The Windfall). The author of the play is young and talented writer and actor, George Eliopoulos, author of numerous theatrical works: Desperados, Bedtime Stories, 4 ever, The Black Box, The Secrets of my Failure, Second Chance and others.
To Kelepouri is his last work, performed in Athens with great success in 2011-2012. It is a hilarious character-based situation comedy, about George and Bemba. George is a desperate young man who has borrowed money and the lenders are threatening. He must return the money urgently. Bemba is a very rich, bride-to-be, that must get married before she is 25. Otherwise, she will lose her inheritance.
The matchmaking is done, but things are not as George expected. The bride is an obese girl with sinister manners. Too late for George to run away. They stay together and we have an amazing story.
The comedy uniquely speaks about the dire current situation in our homeland Greece, and asks: Where can you go for little money? Where can you go for a little love? How far will one desperate father go in order to marry off his child?
With the magical weapon of comedy – the laughs are abundant in this theatrical work – the show promises an unforgettable theatrical experience.
To Kelepouri is a show for the desperate, for those in love, for family and friends, but above all for people who want to laugh from their soul.
Stella Michail, multitalented actress from Greece, is starring in the role of Bemba. Stella was invited by the troupe Parikia just for the purpose of this role.
Greek Australians had the opportunity to see Stella last May, when she toured Melbourne with a series of shows as part of the Antipodes Festival.
Beside her, Thanassis Makrigiorgos, director of the play, is also starring in the role of George.
Co-starring are Stavros Arberoris, Vaso Farais, Melina Menelaus, Nick Deves, Nick Kalianis and John Kostarakis.
Modern Greek Theatre and Thiasos Parikia is an organisation dedicated to producing high quality Greek theatre that is current and full of many laughs.
Performances of To Kelepouri begin on Saturday 23 February, in the known haunt of the troupe Parikia, the small theatre of the Kew High School.

 

Source: TheHerald

The Adelaide Magistrates Court this morning released Timo Pasanen, 43, on bail, ordering he report three times a week to police and surrender his passport.

Unlike most bail hearings, prosecutors did not outline any details of the allegations against Pasanen, nor of the two-decade-old alleged murder, in court.

They said that, because after discussions with defence counsel, they did not object to Pasanen’s release.

 

That submission appeared to catch Ms Sinodinos’ children off guard.

Sitting in the body of the court, they cried and swore audibly as Chief Magistrate Liz Bolton approved Pasanen’s release.

He will be allowed to leave the Adelaide Remand Centre sometime today and must appear in court again in April.

Outside court, Ms Sinodinos’ son, Phillip Stevens, expressed disappointment with the decision.

“It’s a joke,” he said.

“How do you think you would feel if your mum got murdered?”

Earlier, Ms Sinodinos’ children told of their grief and wish for anyone found guilty of their mother’s murder to be jailed for life.

Police last week made a breakthrough in the murder case of Ms Sinodinos, whose body was discovered in December 1991 on the side of a fire track at Anstey Hill.

Detectives last week arrested Mr Pasanen and charged him over her murder after his DNA was allegedly matched to some collected from Ms Sinodinos’ body 21 years ago.

This morning, her children Stacey Sinodinos and Mr Stevens issued a statement detailing the pain they have endured for the past 21 years.

“There are no words that can describe the hurt and anguish we have had to endure over the last 21 years from what has been taken from us,” they said.

“We have been robbed of a mother, a daughter, sister and a grandmother. We have had our family life ripped out from under us while the person responsible for this crime has walked free.”

Ms Sinodinos and Mr Stevens said they wanted justice in the form of a life sentence for anyone found guilty of the murder.

“All we want is justice and for (any) person found guilty of this crime to be put away for life as we are already doing a life sentence without our mother,” they said.

“We would like to thank everyone who has worked on our mum’s case and for never giving up and for everyone else’s support through this hard time – at least now we hope to have some sort of closure.

“Our family would appreciate some privacy while we try to come to terms with what’s just unfolded.”