Five Greek Community locations to benefit from $1.8m federal funding

Gathered at St Demetrios in Windsor are, from left, GCM Vice-Presidents Michael Karamitos-Anthi Sidiropoulou, Greek Consul General Emmanuel S Kakavelakis, Tom Wright (Liberal Party candidate for Wills), David Wood (candidate for Frazer), Chrestyna Kmetj (Senate candidate) Jaden Atkinson Cooper (Liberal candidate),Senator David Dan,President GCM Bill Papastergiadis OAM, Dr Katie Allen MP (Higgins), Robbie Beaton (candidate for Issacs), Dr Spyridoula Demetriou, and James Damhes (candidate for Melbourne). Photo Peter Kakalias.

Melbourne.- Five Greek community locations in Melbourne are set to benefit from a federal funding commitment worth $1.8 million that was announced on Wednesday by Victorian Liberal Senator David Van and Dr Katie Allen the federal member for Higgins as part of an expansion of the Greek Community of Melbourne’s (GCM) Greek Centre Hub program.

The locations that will benefit from the committed funding include Evangelismos church in East Melbourne, the community halls of St Eleftherios in Brunswick and St George in Windsor, as well as the community house in Leeds Street, Footscray and the community hall of St Demetrios in Windsor.

The funds will go towards the delivery of suitable facilities of the GCM’s cultural, educational and community programs.

Speaking at St Demetrios, Senator Van, who was flanked by Dr Allen and a number of Liberal Party election candidates, said the Greek community which played a vital role in making Melbourne Australia’s multicultural capital, would benefit from the projects.

Dr Allen added that the funding would help to support “the vibrant multicultural contributions this wonderful community makes to Australia and Higgins in particular.”

GCM President Bill Papastergiadis OAM thanked the Federal Government for its continued support.

“Our organisation is one part of the multicultural and cosmopolitan fabric of our country and the Federal Government has invested in key aspects of the organisation. This announcement today demonstrates in real terms the commitment of the Federal Government to the Greek Community of Melbourne. Our community halls will now be enhanced so that they offer more services to the broader community at a time when COVID has heightened the need for all of us to reconnect,” Mr Papastergiadis said.

He noted that the GCM’s community halls in Thornbury, Brunswick and Windsor had been important vaccination hubs run by state and federal governments during the COVID lockdowns.

“This funding by the Federal Government will allow the Greek Community of Melbourne to add to the infrastructure of these Community spaces so as to not only enhance their ability to deliver the activity we plan to offer, but also for them to become real hubs of connection.

“I am excited by this announcement and look forward to making these community spaces a better place for all of us to connect,” Mr Papastergiadis said.

Also present at the announcement were GCM vice-presidents Anthie Sidiropoulos and Michael Karamitos along with GCM board member Dr Spiridoula Demetriou.

“I am excited to see that the great programming that we deliver and are developing for our city HUB, will now find satellite homes across Melbourne,” Ms Sidiropoulos said.

Mr Karamitos said the funding would ensure that the funding would ensure facilities would be suitable for the cultural programming that was planned.

“The HUB project looks to present a range of programs that can now be localised and targeted to suit their specific community’s needs,” Dr Demetriou said.