The Greek Community of Melbourne and the Antipodes Festival is delighted to announce that Pantelis Thalassinos will be performing a free concert at the 2012 Lonsdale Street on Saturday 25 February. Thalassinos has one of the greatest voices in Greece, with lyrics that have inspired thousands.

2011 has been a year full of activities in the areas of education, arts, history and culture for the Greek Community.

The Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) in conjunction with Alphington Grammar* school will be introducing as from 2012 a Student Assistance Program that will provide financial fee assistance for overseas students from Greece who will choose to attend Alphington Grammar.

By Dr. Christos N. Fifis

In 2011 the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria (GOCMV) becomes 114 years old. The Community was established on 22 August 1897, in Melbourne, at the shop of Grigoris Matorikos, where a number of Greeks gathered to discuss the issue and bring over a priest from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem for the religious needs of themselves and those Arab speaking Orthodox people of Melbourne. Many people at the gathering promised various amounts, together with the promises of others who were unable to attend the meeting.

Φέτος η επέτειος της 17ης Νοεμβρίου αποκτά ιδιαίτερη σημασία για την Κοινότητά μας. Σε μια ημερομηνία, σημαδιακή για τον ελληνικό λαό, εφόσον συμπίπτει με την 38η επέτειο της ηρωικής εξέγερσης των φοιτητών του Πολυτεχνείου το 1973, η Κοινότητα θα απονείμει πιστοποιητικά στα 80 και πλέον άτομα που παρακολούθησαν τα σεμινάρια Ελληνικής Ιστορίας και Πολιτισμού.

Ένας μεγάλος αριθμός συμπαροίκων παρακολούθησαν με ενδιαφέρον την ομιλία του καθηγητή Ελληνικών του πανεπιστημίου Flinders της Νότιας Αυστραλίας, Μιχάλη Τσιανίκα, την περασμένη Πέμπτη, στο οίκημα της Ελληνικής Ορθόδοξης Κοινότητας Μελβούρνης και Βικτώριας.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Nicholas Kotsiras along with Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle flicked the switch and shone the light on Melbourne's Greek Precinct. The Victorian Government contribution has equipped Lonsdale Street with new gateway lights marking the entry to the Greek Precinct and enhancing its identity.

From the Principal: This has been a very successful year and our enrolments are more than nine hundred students.

Our schools are well organized and they offer an important Greek education to your children. As a Principal, I am at the schools during every lesson, supporting the teachers with resources and encouraging the students to enjoy their time at Greek School. I would like to thank you, the parents of our school, for your continued support.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis announced that they have commenced the necessary processes for the signing of a reciprocal agreement between Greece and Australia which will allow Greeks and Australians to visit both countries as tourists and work during their period of stay.

The Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria's afternoon and Saturday Greek language Schools hosted its annual Dinner Dance at Stars International Receptions on the Saturday 17th September.

Over 300 students, families, staff and friends attended the dance and spent an enjoyable evening filled with music and dancing.

The highlight of the evening were the impressive traditional Greek dancing performances by the students of all ages, led by their teacher Jenny Iliou.

As the offices of the GOCMV have been inundated with phone calls and emails in recent weeks we wish to remind those interested in migrating to Australia that our organisation is not a Migration Agency and that we endeavour to provide general immigration information and direction.

The Community will continue to advocate for migration policies which may assist immigration between Greece and Australia as it is currently doing by pursuing a bilateral working holiday visa.

For general information we note the following types of visas that are frequently referred to:

In response to the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria's submission to the Minister of Immigration & Citizenship, the Department has scheduled a Skills Expo in Athens to take place on the 8th & 9th of October 2011 in a venue to be announced soon.

Οn the occasion of the 114th Anniversary of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria we are proud to publicly release detailed images of the first minutes of the GOCMV (1897-1916).

The minutes contain hundreds of names of early Greek settlers and through its pages we observe the history of the organisation as it evolved through its first two decades: the establishment of the first Greek Orthodox Church in Melbourne, the contribution of the founding members to the war efforts in Greece and the first constitution of a Greek organisation in Australia.

As of the 1st July 2011 Australia's new immigration rules will focus on higher qualifications and advanced English language skills as requirements for those wishing to migrate to Australia.

The Australian government announced changes to its independent skilled migration points test, introducing the new immigration point system which will put more emphasis on work experience and high-level educational qualifications and higher English language proficiency.

As a result of an unprecedented number of telephone calls and correspondence that the Greek Community has received from our compatriots in Greece, we wish to stress that in accordance to existing Australian immigration legislation a person that wishes to enter Australia can do so for the purposes of holidays, study or to work in Australia. For your information we note the following:

The Greek economic crisis has led to a sharp increase in the number of highly skilled and educated Greek nationals seeking opportunities outside Greece. The main destinations of choice for Greeks include the UK, US and other European nations. There has also been a significant rise in the number of Greeks seeking to work and study in Australia.

The purpose of this report is to outline the ways in which Greek nationals can make a valuable contribution to the economic and social fabric of Australian society and to suggest practical reforms to the Australian immigration process to facilitate the entry of Greek visa applicants to Australia.