Greek music, traditional dancing and celebrations of Hellenic heritage brought the community together across two days at Oakleigh Glendi on Saturday, 31 October and Sunday, 1 November, with popular Greek singer Kelly Kelekidou among the festival’s entertainment highlights.
Kelekidou performed on Saturday, adding to a weekend of festivities celebrating Greek culture, tradition and community life in Melbourne’s southeast.
The festival also commemorated OXI Day and Greece’s rejection of the Italian ultimatum on 28 October 1940, alongside the 1 November feast day of Saints Kosmas and Damianos, the community’s patron saints.
Oakleigh Grammar students played a prominent role in the formal proceedings, opening with an OXI Day parade featuring flag bearers and drummers. The school’s Byzantine choir also performed, while a wreath-laying ceremony honoured those who fought for Greece in 1940.
Beyond the cultural celebrations, the approaching Victorian election brought politics firmly into focus, with Labor pledging $440,000 over four years for the festival if re-elected and the Liberal Opposition committing $400,000 over the same period.
Local Labor MP Steve Dimopoulos delivered most of his address in Greek, reflecting on his upbringing in Oakleigh before announcing his party’s commitment.
“Today I am glad to announce that, if we are re-elected, we will give $440,000 to the festival over the next four years,” he said in Greek.
“It takes two to tango,” he added, thanking both the Greek community and the broader Australian community for making the festival’s success possible.
Representing Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, Liberal MP David Davis pledged $100,000 annually over four years and reiterated a separate $200,000 commitment to the Cypriot Halloumi Festival.
“We will work with the community on what more can be done if we are elected to government,” Davis said.
Speaking separately to The Greek Herald, Davis indicated the Liberals were open to negotiating an increase in their Glendi funding commitment.
He also addressed land tax, describing it as “a tax on the thrifty” that penalised migrant families who had worked and saved to build assets.
Davis outlined a Liberal commitment to raise the land tax threshold from $50,000 to $300,000 over four years.
“We would like to do more, but that is a very significant step,” he said.
The festival also provided an opportunity to highlight the importance of Greek language education and cultural preservation.
Oakleigh Grammar principal Mark Robertson outlined plans for a new language and cultural centre incorporating junior and primary school facilities, reflecting the school’s ambitions to strengthen its educational and cultural offerings.
“It’s a project valued at around $15 million,” Robertson said.
“I thank Clare O’Neil in her absence for the pledge of $4.5 million, which will go to that wonderful building.”
Speaking to The Greek Herald, Robertson said the project was approaching an important planning milestone.
“We are close to submitting to the State Planning Department for a Language and Cultural Centre that will also double up as a new junior school. Angelo Candalepas’ architects are finalising our submission which we are very excited about.”
Monash Mayor Stuart James confirmed $80,000 in council funding for this year’s festival, including an additional $25,000, recognising Glendi’s “cultural, economic and community contribution”.
He also acknowledged the generations of Greek migrants whose hard work and sacrifices helped establish Oakleigh’s businesses, church, school and community organisations, shaping the suburb’s distinctive character.
“You don’t have to be Greek to feel at home in Oakleigh, my family is proof of that,” he said.
The festival’s enduring cultural significance was also highlighted by Greece’s Consul General in Melbourne, Dimitra Georgantzoglou, who described Oakleigh as a place where the heart of Greece beats strongly.
Speaking in Greek, she reflected on Glendi’s evolution from a local gathering into an established celebration of Hellenism, connecting younger generations with their cultural heritage.
Recalling Oakleigh Grammar’s recent OXI Day commemorations, she expressed pride in seeing students honour the courage of 1940 and thanked the teachers, musicians and dance instructors who continue to nurture an appreciation of Greek history, language and traditions.
Other attendees included federal MP Karina Garland, Councillor and former mayor Paul Klisaris, community leader Chris Damatopoulos, former community president Angelo Sardelis and longstanding community figure Sam Vassos.
The political atmosphere extended beyond the formal proceedings.
Nearby in Eaton Mall, local resident and business owner Fotini Theodossopoulou was campaigning for a Lower House seat with the Libertarians, the party of Upper House MP David Limbrick.
Asked what funding she would offer Oakleigh’s Greek community, Theodossopoulou characterised the announcements by the major parties as “political promises”, instead emphasising her party’s broader priorities, including government debt, personal freedoms and parental rights.
Father Stavros Kakavas also brought a moment of humour to the proceedings, acknowledging the political presence at the festival.
“I think there’s election coming up. That’s why you show up, all of you,” he told the assembled politicians.
“God bless you all.”
