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IΙT’S
OK TO BE GREEK ON ONE DAY
OF THE YEAR
Independence day in Greece
Hellenic War of Independence
Day is soon to be upon us. What does it mean to the average
Australians of Hellenic origins? Do we celebrate because it is our
last link with the sunsets of the past, the horizons of the future
when we dream or does it merely bring back wonderful memories of our
childhood with links to our heritage? How do we celebrate it? With
parades, full of a procession of students, communities, business
organisations and floats military, politicians bands playing, drum
beats and crowds of people enjoying themselves and laying of wreaths
and speeches by those elected by the people.
I hazard a guess that some
will stop and remember the bloody sacrifices the Greeks undertook
for the sake of freedom, some will have a quiet drinks and remind
everyone around them of the glories of ancient Greece and boast
about its contribution to mankind, a few express themselves orally
on the radio, a minority in the local news media and many on social
media. Others whose health may not be the best or unable for reasons
of incapacity will smile with pride on that day. It is also their
link with their past, a link that cannot be expressed adequately
except with a "kefi" that is associated with the pride one feels
within.
Whatever the case may be,
Greeks throughout the world, no matter where they may reside or
congregate, "you can bet your bottom dollar" that the Hellenic Day
of Independence will unite all those who have Hellenic origins no
matter how much of it is demonstrated openly within their
environment. It is a time when all Greeks
put aside their differences
(and there are many) to feel for that one day a united people and
allow themselves the joy of feeling that Hellenic blood flow
ecstatically throughout their bodies. A glow within so to speak.
It matters little what
nationality one holds, it matters little with your gender is or your
sexuality preference, whether you are left or right or even neutral
in your ideology, it’s what you feel within as being the purveyor of
n ancient race for future generations. No one can take it away from
you. Whether you are of a mixed marriage, the Hellenic DNA and its
associated variables still reside in you. And yet, if one is not a
Hellene in life, they can still become one by the pride they feel,
adopt its soul cultural aspects so to speak.
The price for freedom did not
come cheap, for the struggle to survive and better ones self is
still alive and well in the Greeks of today. Those Greeks who went
before us had a burning desire to be on equal terms with their
neighbours, to live a life that they wanted, free from oppression
and external influences that place untold burdens on a tiny country.
A country that has been bled dry for its resources, manpower and
intellectualism. Whether you consider yourself an Australian,
American, Canadian, European, and Asian as a result of your
citizenship, it makes n difference for being of Hellenic origins is
greater than ones immediate environment.
Like the English, the Scots,
the Welsh and the Irish who celebrate in their own way; there is
nothing wrong with having a sense of pride and feeling a nostalgia
for ones origins. The Irish are a perfect example with "St
Patrick’s" day. A day when the Irish humour is at its best and as
everyone knows, they celebrate it in style. It is the same for those
with Hellenic origins. It has nothing to do with misplaced
loyalties, it has nothing to do whether one has or has not with
sympathies for the old country and it certainly has nothing to do
with ones citizenship.
It is Ok to have a sense of
pride on that one day; it’s Ok to feel a sense of unity and wanting
to shout for joy. It’s not too late to celebrate and the best way to
celebrate is to support the Hellenic institutions no matter what
they are, for they are a representation of you. No matter what one
may feel for 365 days; "it is Ok to be Greek for just that one day
of the year. Hellenic Forum 19 March
2013 Peter Adamis
http://abalinx.com/wordpress/hellenic/2013/03/19/its-ok-to-be-greek-on-one-day-of-the-year/
Reproduced
with the permission of the author.
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ODE TO AUSTRALIAN GREEKS
ONE DAY OF REFLECTION
The Voice from the Pavement Peter
Adamis 31 December 2024
As we approach the
end of 2013, let us for a moment pay homage to those who have
gone before us. Let us find one day in the year that we can stop
for just a moment and reflect on the past and that of our
origins. Maybe it can be on the last day of the year as being
most suitable. Let us name it "A day of reflection" for
all of us whose origins are not of this land. For many it would
include all but the indigenous people. In our case we who have
Hellenic origins.
Is it possible that
we too can have an ode of our own that we can use on that one
day of the year to remind us of a past that will soon be
forgotten in the coming mists of time. I would like to think
that we as Australians with a Hellenic past have matured over
the ages and have no problems with our identity, loyalties to
Australia and that our cultural origins. after all that is what
being an Australian is all about.
Let us put aside the
petty jealousies, hatreds if have them, the wrong doings that we
may have done or have had done to us, the lost loves, to those
departed and in many cases those who are nearing deaths embrace.
Let us pause for that small moment, no matter where we are and
remember those who have gone before us. We don't have to forget
our heritage, our cultural past, nor are we being asked to deny
our origins romantic as they may seem to others. For we now
share the responsibilities and burdens of this land.
Should anyone ask
why you are so silent, remind them that you are reflecting what
it is to be an Australian with a Hellenic past. We no different
to our Anglos/Saxon brethren or to those who are the original
owners of this land. We are all Australians no matter our
cultural past.
From a personal
point of view, I would like to see a future where in our
lifetime all Australians are united as one family without having
to lose our identity and that of our cultural past. I would like
to see the following ode be read out at special gatherings, I
have no problem with only sections of it being read out, it's
the reflection and remembrance of our past that is important.
Arise and take on
the challenges of the future, you captains of industry, leaders
of men and women, and those of the cloth. Fear not the steps you
take for there are many who will follow you. The future
generation will need strong foundations upon which to build
their own futures. It is our responsibility to ensure that those
foundations are built on solid rock and not the like the marshes
with their swiftly sinking sands.
ODE TO AUSTRALIAN GREEKS. "O
stranger to this land of ours we call home, Australia. Remember
that we too are Australians. We who are of Hellenic origins, and
made Australia home were and are always obedient to its laws. We
who reside under the great Southern Cross once crossed this
great land and have memories of old. May those who doubted our
loyalty, remember that we too shared the burdens of Australia
and willingly took on the aggressor to retain the freedoms we
take for granted this day.
For those of us who are buried in
this land we call Australia we salute those who now carry the
torch we once carried with pride. To live in a land free from
oppression, hunger and disease. To raise our families and
educate our children in the manner of the land we now live in.
We ask now of the new generation that when the time comes, that
they too remember that our lives were not in vain.
Consider therefore, carefully before
you criticize, that we who lie beneath this Australian soil,
that we once lived amongst you in the flesh and felt the cool
breeze against our cheeks and the heat of the sun during the
day. We too had visions, dreams, and objectives that were not
always fulfilled, but that somehow we managed to find our way
through life.
We kept true to the laws of the
land, worked hard to sustain our selves and that of our
brethren. Laughed, cried, howled and jumped with joy when good
news or calamities came our way. We took on the good the bad and
even the nightmares of others in good stead, without wavering
from what lay ahead. In all matters great and small, we
Australians of Hellenic origins never forgot our heritage,
culture and our sense of identity during our journey throughout
this land we call home Australia.
We ask not much for the next
generation other than to remember that we never forgot that we
came from a race called the Hellenes. Therefore on the last day
of the year, spare that one precious moment to reflect on those
who went before you and that of the past and when that moment
has passed, look forward to a year with the same confidence and
courage of a race called the Hellenes. Stand tall and be proud
of our origins and let us not deny our heritage, for it is who
we are. Australians of the Hellenic race"
(The original ode published on 29 April 2024 under the title
"Ode to Australian Hellenes")
The Voice from the Pavement - Peter
Adamis is a (not for profit) Journalist/Commentator. He is a
retired Australian military serviceman and an Industry
organisational & Occupational (OHS) & Training Consultant whose
interests are within the parameters of domestic and
international political spectrum. He is an avid blogger and
contributes to domestic and international community news media
outlets as well as to local and Ethnic News. He holds a Bachelor
of Adult Learning & Development (Monash), Grad Dip Occupational
Health & Safety, (Monash), Dip. Training & Assessment, Dip
Public Administration, and Dip Frontline Management. Contact via
Email: abalinx@netspace.net.au or via Mobile: 0409965538
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