The 94th Anniversary of Australia’s Daily Greek Newspaper, The Greek Herald
n it’s 94th year, The Greek Herald is Australia’s Largest National newspaper in the Greek Australian community.
It started as a weekly paper in English and now it is the only daily paper in Australia for Greeks circulated in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, and NSW.
After the passing of the fourth publisher of The Greek Herald Theodore Skalkos last year, the next generation- his daughter Dimitra Skalkos and step-daughter Elaine Kintis have taken the reigns of the newspaper, continuing his legacy.
On Thursday 13th February 2020, The Greek Herald held their relaunch party to celebrate the success of the paper and share their vision for the future of the brand.
In attendance was His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Consul General of Greece in Sydney; Christos Karras, Trade Commissioner of Greece in Australia; Katia Gzikiza, representing Premiere of NSW Gladys Berejiklian was Eleni Petinos (MP for Miranda), Shadow Minister for Transport, and Shadow Minister for Corrections; Chris Minns, Member for Oatley; Mark Coure, Member for Rockdale; Steve Kamper, Member for Canterbury Sophie Cotsis, Chief Executive Officer of Multicultural NSW; Joseph La Posta, Chairperson of Multicultural NSW; Dr G.K (HARI) Harinath OAM, community leaders, advertisers and friends of The Greek Herald.
The MC for the eventing was John Mangos, who in his opening remarks stated that the event was an ‘auspicious occasion’. “I think the loveliest thing to say about the The Greek Herald (ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΣ ΚΗΡΥΚΑΣ) is that it has just always been there… The Greek Herald has played such a vital role in our society, in the decades of its existence… When I say the paper was just always there, well it was. It was there when Cyprus was invaded, it was there when reporting the Polytechnio, it was there when the ‘Patris’ landed in Australia and it played a significant role I think in connecting Australians to Greece, especially newly arrived Greeks,” he continued.
There are numerous historical moments connected to the newspaper, but John Mangos explains that his favourite one was when Mikis Theodorakis, the most esteemed Greek composer of all time, signed his resignation document from the communist party in The Greek Herald office.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios stated that it was great joy and pleasure that he attended the evening and in His brief speech stated: “Our history shows us that as Greeks, we made significant advances and made great achievements even when we faced the most difficult odds, but only when we were united with each other and our faith in church and Christ…Unless we remain united and have forgiveness and love, we will not be able to give a good witness for those around us.”
The Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Christos Karras stated how The Greek Herald “is the only daily Greek language publication in Australia and for 94 years has been an integral part of the Greek Australian landscape.” He continued to warmly congratulate the publishers- Dimitra, Elaine and all the staff, offering them all his support and best wishes.
There were also performances by the Hellenic Choir conducted by special guest from Greece, Pinelope Menounou and 3 generations of Bouzouki players- Tommy Tsonis, Sotiris Prokopiou and young star George Athanasiou.
Publisher Dimitra Skalkos expressed how wonderful it was for the Greek community to attend and celebrate this very significant occasion: “Not only are we honouring its rich history, for those who have been apart of it but also an opportunity to celebrate our recent changes moving into the future for the next generation.”
“This year certainly had its challenges however it has also been one of the most rewarding years of my life…continuing the 94 year legacy of The Greek Herald has been a journey that has had an impact in many ways. During these last 12 months, I got to meet and become better acquainted with some very generous and kind people both from within my team and in the community…we have developed this newspaper with our community, its organisations, its associations but also with every Greek individually,” she added.
Her sister and co-publisher Elaine Kintis stated that she believes “through The Greek Herald we can help continue to play a role in promoting our language and Greek culture which are imperative for our future generations.”
After the passing of Theodore, Elaine recalled that many people suggested to ‘give up the paper’. “We are conscious that over the many decades for many thousands of our community, The Greek Herald has been a stable of their daily lives and the lives of their spouses, relatives, and friends. We will continue the print for as long as there continues to be the domain for decades to come. After all who really doesn’t have a clipping or copy of the ‘ΚΗΡΥΚΑΣ’ somewhere stashed in their house.”
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