Events organised by the Press and Communication Office in Sydney - 2009
May 12, 2009 - Biographical documentary, Mikis Theodorakis: The Man, The Genius, The Legend
As part of the official program of the Greek Festival of Sydney and under a proposal by the Press & Communication Office of the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, the screening of a documentary on Mikis Theodorakis’ life took place on Tuesday, 12 May 2009.
The documentary Mikis Theodorakis. The Man, The Genius, The Legend, produced by Russell Goodrick and the Greek-Australian Eleni Evangel, captures the life of the Greek composer in a 60 minute program that is the outcome of several personal interviews of Mikis within a three year period.
This up close and personal video biography, that was already shown and welcome in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne, enchanted the large audience at the amphitheatre of the Museum of Sydney.
The event that was sponsored by the Press & Communication Office, was also attended by the Consul General of Greece in Sydney.
April 30, 2009 - The role of the island of Lemnos in WW1
In the context of the celebrations in Australia for Anzac Day, the Press and Communication Office of the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney organised on April 30, 2009, the launch of Peter Rees’ book The Other Anzacs, Nurses at War 1914-1918. The book celebrates and acknowledges the contribution of nurses to the war effort in Gallipoli, giving the opportunity to commemorate the Greek island of Lemnos, where planning, camping, provisioning and hospitalisation of Australian troops took place.
Along with the Battle of Crete and the creative presence of Greek Australians, the island of Lemnos and its role to the Gallipoli Campaign is one of the key elements to the strong bond between Australia and Greece and this was a fact that was underlined by all the speakers of the event.
The book launch, that was attended by the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, officials of the Red Cross and a large audience of Lemnians, other Greek Australians and Australians, featured the author, Peter Rees and the Chief Executive of the NSW Institute of Teachers, Thomas Alegounarias, who descends from Lemnos, who both gave an account of the historic context and the choice of the island for troops’ camp hospital.
There was also a special presentation by Jeremy England, Head of the Sydney Office of the Regional Delegation in the Pacific of the International Committee of the Red Cross, who, along with two Australian nurses, focused on the role and the challenges of the humanitarian aid worldwide.
The presentation comprised, along with the speeches, the show of several photographs of Australian nurses in Lemnos at that period and of the Lemnos military cemetary.
March 27, 2009 - Paintings from the Greek islands
Traditional landscape artist, John May, presented a number of paintings from his recent tour of the Dodecanese islands at an exhibition that was part of the official program of the Greek Festival of Sydney 2009.
Using Myrties as a base, John explored Kalymnos and then travelled to Symi, Nisyros and finally Kos, painting and enjoying the traditional Greek cuisine and hospitality.
The paintings evoke the landscape, culture and history of Greece and are a reminder of our beautiful country. After Greece, John went to Italy and a number of his paintings from Umbria and Rome along with some sculptures were also presented at the exhibition.
The exhibition was officially opened by the head of the Press & Communication Office of Greece in Sydney, N. Oikonomidis, on Friday 27 March.
