The new leadership team behind the Greek Fest at Darling Harbour stepped up to perform the annual duty of transforming the heart of Sydney into a Hellenic hub, with thousands flowing through for the grand celebration.
The Greek fest, organised by the Greek Festival of Sydney, went wild at Darling Harbour all day on Sunday with various stalls, dance groups, musical acts, a clinic held by Western Sydney Wanderers and other activities entertaining the many Greek and non-Greeks present.
The event was capped off with the headline act in Greek singer Ioulia Karapataki whom, along with an accompanying band, delivered a nighttime concert for the thousands of people in attendance.
Con Apoifis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, was left overjoyed with the success of the first Greek Fest since the new leadership team of the GOC NSW and Greek Festival of Sydney took hold.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos, he stated that the event, compared to his expectations going in, “went over and above what I expected”.
When asked what stood out to him, he noted:
“More than anything, to see there is enthusiasm in the Greek community for things like this on this particular scale.”
He implored people to make their thoughts known for initiatives, saying:
“Tell us what you want and we will endeavour to bring it to you. Not only for festivities like this but also other items, whether they be cultural, educational or historical.”
Festival President Persefoni (Persa) Thliveris admitted it was a fantastic experience leading the charge along with the team in putting together the event, albeit challenging even with her experience in contributing to the Festival via other roles in the past.
“The fact that we only had a minimal amount of time to get it all happening is quite a feat. I think we really achieved something today,” Thliveris told Neos Kosmos.
“It is just lovely that we can showcase this beautiful culture that we have. It is so rich, so diverse and I love the fact that this culture still, and I feel this a lot in Greece, keeps developing and changing.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns was among the dignitaries who attended the official welcome in the evening just before Karapataki’s concert, and he stressed his joy with the good spirits the event fostered.
“It has been a tough month, a tough couple of months in Sydney. It is fantastic to see a community together coming in peace and love for one another…Thank you for being out here tonight, we needed it. We needed it,” Minns said in his speech.
Consul General of Greece in Sydney Georgios Skemperis used his speech to make two commitments in relation to the Greek Consulate, the first being for services to improve by the end of his term.
“Athens has recognised that and we already have been reinforced with extra staff. We hope that soon we will be able to bring the time of the appointments down half of what it is now. From these coming weeks you will see a huge difference,” he said.
The Consul General’s second promise pertained to bringing modern Greek culture closer to Australia, building on the work the GOC of NSW has done for many years through initiatives like the Greek Festival.
“The second promise I can make is that, in the next coming years, we are going to have a lot of events like that, events that will bring modern Greek culture to Australia.”
Others who were present for the official welcome included NSW Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis, Federal MP Ash Ambihaipahar (representing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese), and Acting Chief Executive of Bank of Sydney Kieran McKenna, the last two also giving speeches.
Earlier in the day, the NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane and Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Roads, and South Western Sydney Mark Coure also addressed the crowd and spoke of the significance of the event.
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