Monthly Archives: September 2015

The book by Greg Callaghan and Ian Cuthbertson is available for AU$29.99.

The extraordinary story of how the gift of a heart gave meaning to a senseless tragedy and inspired a lifelong friendship between two families

When 20-year-old Australian Doujon Zammit was bashed by bouncers on a Greek island in July 2008, his tragic story made headlines in both Australia and Greece. Doujon had sustained terrible head injuries and would not recover. His grief-stricken parents, Oliver and Rosemarie, honoured Doujon’s previous wish to be an organ donor, and Oliver became famous overnight in Australia and in Greece when he announced that Doujon’s organs would be donated to Greek recipients.

The day Doujon received his fatal injuries was also the day 31-year-old Greek Australian journalist Kosta Gribilas was given a death sentence in a hospital in Athens.

Critically ill with virus-induced heart failure, he was told he had only two weeks to live. Without an urgent transplant, Kosta knew he would soon die. He’d followed Doujon’s story on TV, and even as he watched Oliver’s emotional announcement, Kosta hadn’t thought he might be saved – the doctors didn’t want to give him false hope.

On 2 August, after an emotional farewell to partner Poppy and his family and friends, Kosta drifted asleep for what he thought was going to be the last time. A day later he woke up with Doujon’s heart beating in his chest and the life he’d longed for now ahead of him.

Because of the public nature of Doujon’s fatal attack, Kosta met Rosemarie and Oliver when they visited Athens. It was to be the beginning of an extraordinary, heartwarming friendship that would sustain both families through the dark days to come – a roller-coaster course of events neither family could have possibly predicted. Through all this, Kosta is constantly reminded of Doujon’s remarkable gift: “How can I ever forget Doujon, when every heartbeat reminds me how blessed I am?”

A beautiful, inspiring story about two families united by tragedy and how a selfless and courageous gift of love keeps on giving to this day.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Greg Callaghan is a journalist who has written feature and news stories for most of the major newspapers and magazines in Australia. He is the author of Bondi Badlands and co-author of Men Inside Out with Ian Cuthbertson. In seventeen years at News Limited he was a reporter, features editor and deputy editor of The Weekend Australian Magazine, and was an early adopter of video to enhance the art of features presentation.

Greg is currently deputy editor of Good Weekend, published every Saturday in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Greg also contributes long-form features to the magazine.

Ian Cuthbertson has had three overlapping careers. He was as a psychiatric nurse from 1975 until 1995, initially in large psychiatric institutions and later in senior roles at community centres in Bondi and Cremorne. He began his journalism career in 1980, writing freelance pieces for music magazines and women’s titles. Ian worked full time at The Australian from 2001 until 2013, writing on technology and arts, and for five years served as the paper’s television editor. He is also a musician who started performing in folk clubs at the age of fourteen. Ian has since performed in musicals, cabarets, choirs and rock bands. He released the solo album ‘Fathom’ in 2010.

To purchase the e-book go to http://www.booktopia.com.au

source:Neos Kosmos

Surprisingly, the airline owns a Boeing 767 and leases an Airbus A330

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded abroad after Greek airline SkyGreece announced that due to Greece’s financial state, it can no longer provide a service.

The Athens-based start-up had only been running commercial flights for three months, operating flights out of Montreal, Toronto, New York JFK, Athens, Thessaloniki, Budapest and Zagreb.

Shortly after launching scheduled international services in May, SkyGreece suffered financial setbacks, mainly as a result of capital controls.

“SkyGreece Airlines would like to apologise to all of its passengers who have been affected as a result of the company’s current operational crisis,” the official statement said.

“The founders, managers and employees of SkyGreece care deeply about their passengers and have been working around the clock to resolve the problem.”

The airline, which only owns one Boeing 767-300 ER, and leases an Airbus A330-200, that is based in New York, had pre-sold thousands of tickets to and from Greece.

“In spite of the resulting immediate and dramatic reduction in ticket sales, the company’s founders have worked tirelessly to maintain scheduled service,” a statement on the airline’s website reads.

“Unfortunately, as a result of recent technical issues, the company is now facing a system-wide multi-day delay and significant additional expenses. Passengers should contact their travel agent to arrange for alternate travel and/or accommodations.”

A Facebook group has since been set up called SkyGreece Troubles, with nearly 1,000 people launching complaints. At the same time, owner of SkyWay Tours, Aris Sideratos, says that he has “no clue of what’s going to happen” in terms of getting customers home.

One passenger, Alex Repka, was forced to shell out extra cash last week when his flight back to Toronto from Budapest was cancelled.

“When I had arrived and walked to their counter, there was nobody there, just a sheet of paper stating the numbers that I could call to figure something out,” he told CTV News.

Bessie Broussalis says her elderly father is stranded in Greece after his return flight to Canada was cancelled.

“He is elderly. He is 74 years old. He has medication that he will run out of,” she added.

Source: Quebec News, DailyMail

$33.4 δις άφησαν στην Αυστραλία οι τουρίστες.

Άνθηση σημειώνει ο τουρισμός στην Αυστραλία, με τα έσοδα να φθάνουν σε ύψη ρεκόρ $33.4 δις, το χρόνο, το μεγαλύτερο ποσό μετά από τους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες του Σίδνεϊ το 2000.

Η αύξηση είναι ύψους 10%, τους τελευταίους 12 μήνες – μέχρι τον Ιούνιο.

Πιο συγκεκριμένα, σημειώθηκε αύξηση ύψους 32% από τους Κινέζους τουρίστες που είναι και οι πιο γενναιόδωροι πελάτες της χώρας μας, προσφέροντας $7 δις στην οικονομία, ενώ σημειώνεται και αύξηση ύψους 39% από τους Ινδούς τουρίστες, οι οποίοι για πρώτη φορά έσπασαν το δικό τους ρεκόρ δαπανώντας $1 δις στην Αυστραλία κατά την επίσκεψή τους τους τελευταίους 12 μήνες, μέχρι τον Ιούνιο. Αυτό αποδίδεται εν μέρει και στο Cricket World Cup.

Mε την ευκαιρία, ο υπουργός Εμπορίου και Επενδύσεων, Αndrew Robb, δήλωσε ότι ο τουρισμός, όπως έχει διαμορφωθεί σήμερα, αποτελεί μεγάλη οικονομική δύναμη για τη χώρα.

“Ο τουρισμός μπορεί να αποβεί ταχύτερα αναπτυσσόμενος τομέας της οικονομίας μας, αυτήν τη δεκαετία, αν συνεχίσουμε να προβάλουμε τη χώρα ως “τον καθαρό, πράσινο και ασφαλή προορισμό στην Ασία”.

Ας μη μας διαφεύγει το γεγονός, ότι η Κίνα προσφέρει το ένα σε κάθε πέντε δολάρια που δαπανώνται στην Αυστραλία, την καθιστά βασικό παράγοντα στην συνεχιζόμενη, σταθερή ανάπτυξη του τουριστικού μας κλάδου.

Αυτός είναι εξάλλου και ο λόγος που η κυβέρνηση ανακοίνωσε ειδική διάρκειας 10 χρόνων βίζα για τους Κινέζους και μια ειδική συμφωνία η οποία θα τριπλασιάσει σε 67.000 τις εναέριες θέσεις μεταξύ Αυστραλίας και Κίνας , μέχρι το τέλος του 2016″, δήλωσε ο κ. Robb.

Εν τω μεταξύ, η τουριστική υπηρεσία Tourism Australia, επιδεικνύει ιδιαίτερη δραστηριότητα στην προώθηση του εγχώριου κρασιού και της κουζίνας, καμπάνια στην οποία δαπανά $500 εκ. ετησίως.

Ως φαίνεται η καμπάνια έχει καρποφορήσει, δεδομένου ότι έχει εξακριβωθεί ότι οι ξένοι τουρίστες διαθέτουν ένα από τα πέντε δολάρια που δαπανούν στην Αυστραλία σε κρασί και φαγητό.

Να σημειωθεί εδώ, ότι η Βικτώρια σημείωσε αύξηση κατά 11% στον αριθμό ξένων επισκεπτών, αφήνοντας πίσω το Κουίνσλαντ και ερχόμενη αμέσως πρώτη στην προτίμηση των επισκεπτών, μετά τη Νέα Νότια Ουαλία.

Το Sunshine Coast, εν τω μεταξύ, σημειώνει εντυπωσιακή άνοδο στον αριθμό των επισκεπτών από την Ευρώπη, γεγονός που αποδίδεται σε ειδική καμπάνια που έγινε για την προσέλκυσή τους.

Πηγή:Νέος Κόσμος

Once again, Greeks living abroad are forced to abstain, unless they travel at their own expense to Greece in order to vote.

Following the signing of a new agreement with the creditors, and the dashing of expectations for the abolition of austerity measures imposed on Greece over the last five years, political developments have led to a resignation of the government, split of the SYRIZA party and a new appeal to the polls. On September 20, all adult Greek citizens will have the right to participate in the electoral process for the appointment of a new government. All of them? Well, not exactly …

Once again, Greeks living abroad are forced to abstain, unless they travel at their own expense to Greece in order to vote.

Their exact number remains unknown, with unofficial estimates varying between 300,000 and 3,000,000 voters. If we strictly calculate only those who are already registered on the electoral rolls and who will be outside Greek territory on election Sunday, my personal estimate is that we are talking about 800,000 people at least. That is approximately 8 per cent of the electorate (or more than 12.5 per cent of the votes cast, according to the results of last January’s elections). To understand the scale better, let’s imagine for a moment that general elections are held, where the inhabitants of Crete, the Cyclades and the Dodecanese are denied the right to participate. How unjust does this sound?

The arguments against the right of expatriate Greeks to vote are easy to rebut. First of all, it is something that the constitution anticipates, and the only reason we do not have a postal vote or another valid method of voting remotely is that no implementary law has passed through the parliament, determining the exact process and clarifying which and how many expatriate Greeks have the right to vote and stand for election. The filibuster in solving this problem is mainly due to petty political reasons, as in past decades the two major parties alternating in power preferred to offer free tickets only to their own voters, deepening the debts of Olympic Airways.

To claim that anyone who is absent from his country on the day of elections ceases to have the same rights as his compatriots is simply ridiculous. Many Greeks abroad have taxable assets in Greece, or contribute financially to their families back home. The students abroad and professionals on business trips also cannot vote, while the vast majority of the 350,000 (and counting) ‘neomigrants’ who left during the last five to six years do not yet meet the requirements to be entitled to acquire another citizenship in addition to their Greek one.

That results in ‘second class’ citizens, who lack the opportunity to elect a government anywhere in the world. And all that while almost all international citizens can vote from abroad whenever parliamentary elections are held in their country.

Having repeatedly dealt with this issue, I’m really angry at the continued trivialisation of democracy in my country. So angry, that I find it hard to recognise the legitimacy of any government resulting from elections in which expatriate Greeks are not allowed to participate.

Moreover, I think that the electoral law that gives a bonus of 50 parliamentary seats to the winning party (irrespectively of percentage) is completely undemocratic. Just keep in mind those seats would correspond to more than one million votes if a different law was applicable …

Therefore I urge all Greek citizens living abroad, whether they left recently or earlier, whether they reside there temporarily or permanently, to support New Diaspora’s cause to restore a democratic right that has been lost since 1862. Yes, you read that right. Last time Greeks abroad were able to vote in parliamentary elections from their place of residence was at a time when the newly-established Greek state was still ruled by King Otto.

Apart from a new collection of signatures, addressed to the head of state, the prime minister, the interior ministry and the Greek parliament, it would be good to resort to other forms of peaceful protest (aiming at bringing even more international attention to the issue). For example, you can shoot a five to ten second video of yourself, stating the country you live in, the fact that you cannot vote from abroad, and a short and simple argument why you should be able to do so, in Greek or English, and then either send it to us so we can publish it, or post it on YouTube, Vimeo, Vine or Instagram and send us the link. Alternatively, you can do the same with a photo, while holding your written message on a piece of paper. Recommended hashtags for social media are #ICannotVote and #LetGreeksAbroadVote.

Those who are able and willing to organise protests outside Greek embassies and consulates can set up a Facebook event, and we will promote it as long as you promise to send us a brief correspondence with pictures from your demonstration afterwards.

Meanwhile, lawyers and constitution specialists could inform us whether it is possible to resort to international courts, to lobby for an immediate change in Greek legislation, or to question the validity of any election result emerging on 20 September. Because, regardless of whether and how each one of us intends to vote, the country that gave birth to democracy is the last one entitled to invoke it when this democracy turns into a parody that systematically and deliberately distorts the popular will.

* Nikolaos Stampoulopoulos is the founder and creative director of New Diaspora.

Greece came back from 10 points down in Zagreb to beat host Croatia 72-70 on Sunday and is looking good for topping its pool in the 2015 Eurobasket.

This character-building performance will not only allow the Greeks earn an easier opponent in the next round, but also help this new team build its confidence ahead of greater challenges.

For more than three periods in the game Croatia had the upper hand, leading 33-28 at half-time and stretching its advantage to up to 10 points on three occasions.

However the formation with three guards by coach Fotis Katsikaris resulted in a partial 21-6 in the final period and brought Greece five points in the lead just over one minute from the end, from 61-51 down to 72-67 ahead.

Greece’s dominance in rebounds (40 against 32) told when the Croats stopped scoring at will from outside the 6.75-meter line.

Vassilis Spanoulis was the top scorer for Greece with 16 points, followed by Giorgos Printezis with 13.

Greece’s next game is on Tuesday against Georgia.

source:ekathimerini.com

General Motors Company’s [NYSE:GM] Australian division Holden has given us our first look at its final Commodore fully developed and built in Australia.

The new model, internally referred to as the VF Series II and due on sale towards the end of the year, is actually an update of the VF Commodore launched in 2013 which itself is an update of the VE Commodore launched all the way back in 2006 and sold here as the Pontiac G8.

The VF Series II will be unveiled September 13 and is expected to benefit from a few minor cosmetic tweaks as well as some mechanical updates that bring higher specification variants closer in spec to our own Chevrolet SS. Crucially, some of the cosmetic tweaks may also feature on the Chevy SS.

From the single teaser shot, it looks like there’s some extra chrome detailing on the grille in addition to a revised bumper. Note, this is probably one of the Commodore’s performance variants. Expect regular models to feature less bling and a more conservative bumper design. Key among the upgrades for the VF Series II is believed to be the adoption of GM’s 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 in the sporty Commodore SS variant instead of the 6.0-liter V-8 currently used.

With Holden confirmed to cease production in Australia by the end of 2017, future generations of the Commodore will simply by rebadged versions of other GM products. The next Commodore due in 2018 is currently thought to be either a stretched version of the next-generation Opel Insignia or a version of Buick’s next LaCrosse. This would mean a Commodore based on a front-wheel-drive platform for the first time, ending four decades of rear-wheel-drive Commodore heritage. Of course, there’s also the outside possibility that Holden may opt for a production version of Buick’s impressive Avenir concept, should such a car be built.

source:motorauthority.com

Edgeworth Eagles are the first of two sides to contest the Northern New South Wales PS4 National Premier Leagues Grand Final.

In 2015 Edgeworth are looking to become just the second side to win the top flight double in 17 years

Since 1999 the only side who has ‘done the double’, that is finish the season first and win the Grand Final, is Broadmeadow Magic who achieved it three times; in 2013, 2008 and 2005.

Edgeworth’s form this season has been incredible. Two losses in their first three rounds at the hands of Broadmeadow and Hamilton threatened to derail their season however they bounced back with twelve wins from 15 games to finish first.

In total they won 13 games, drew once and lost just four on their way to 40 points and the first placed finish.

In the Semi Final they did not win either of their two matches against Broadmedow. All of the six goals of the 3-3 aggregate score came in the first leg at Magic Park however, which meant the Eagles progressed to the Grand Final on the away goals rule.

Their end of season form prior to the Semi Finals has been impeccable, as they spent the final seven rounds of the competition in first place. In fact they have only lost one of their last eleven matches.

The Eagles have match-winners all over the park, however their key man is certainly Josh Evans. In the heart of defence Evans is largely responsible for his side’s equal competition best 22 conceded, which is just over one per game. He has a huge job in this match in containing Kane Goodchild and Simon Mooney but this is definitely a job he can handle.

In the middle of the park Luke Walker dominates for the Eagles, and provides leadership and experience that has benefitted the large number of younger players Edgeworth possesses. Walker missed the first half of the season through injury, and it is no coincidence that two weeks after his return Edgeworth moved into first where they stayed for the rest of the season.

In the front third Edgeworth boast a number of key players in Keanu Moore, Dylan Holz, Brenton Olzomer and Brody Taylor.

Each of these players are game changers, but none more than Holz who showed his class and ability to perform in big games with a superb finish in the first leg of their Semi Final against Broadmeadow, and who earnt the tag from coach Damian Zane as the Eagles best player in the last third of the season and in the Semi Finals.

Zane has some crucial experience that he has been able to share with his side, as he was a part of Edgeworth’s last Grand Final winning side in 2010.

‘I told the boys to enjoy the week because an opportunity like this might not come around again,’ he said.

‘I feel lucky, it’s my first year as coach and to coach this amazing young team with the atmosphere that’s at the club is really special’.

Zane went on to say that although the win was amazing as a player, it would be more special to achieve as a coach.

The club has so much to be proud of in 2015; finishing Club Champions, Premiers in First Grade and 22 Years, a narrow Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 loss to Melbourne City, and featuring in the Grand Finals of all three grades.

The ultimate goal for any club is to win the Premiership and the Grand Final in First Grade however, so victory for the Eagles today would be the icing on the cake for Damien Zane and his men.

Bolch Hoping for ‘Third Time Lucky’ Effect

The second of the two sides in the Northern New South Wales PS4 National Premier Leagues is Hamilton Olympic.

Hamilton spent four rounds in the middle of the season at the top of the table, however Edgeworth finished the season the stronger of the pair, and a last round loss to Maitland saw them fall behind Lambton Jaffas to finish third.

They won ten matches this season, and lost a competition best two. Six draws hit the side in Blue and White extremely hard, as it saw them drop twelve points, which was ultimately their downfall in terms of the Premiership.

They still have a chance of success in 2015 as they look to defeat the high-flying Eagles, something they already achieved in a 2-0 victory back in Round 2 in April.

In the return fixture in Round 12 they were defeated 3-1 by Edgeworth, making the Eagles one of just two sides that have defeated them this year.

In 2012 Hamilton Olympic finished the season in first place, however lost the Grand Final 4-1 in a disappointing day for the club. Three years prior they won their most recent Grand Final, defeating Valentine 2-0.

Those two matches have one thing in common: Mick Bolch was the losing coach on both occasions.

Each of his last three Grand Finals, including 2015, have been three years apart, and he will be hoping that this year it is third time lucky and his side can pick up a win.

One look at the players at his disposal and their 2015 form suggests this year is his best chance yet.

Jacob Bailey has been one of Olympic’s standouts best this season, with Bolch describing him as ‘a rock in the middle of the park’. Most of Olympic’s play goes through Bailey, and he managed seven goals this season which is a huge effort from a holding midfielder.

Another key player for Olympic in 2015 has been Kyle Hodges. His season was delayed due to injury, however his presence was felt as Hamilton boasted the equal best defensive record in the competition. Hodges leads by example and will have a huge part to play in the Grand Final, going up against Edgeworth’s young and enthusiastic front third.

In Olympic’s own front third stand two new faces, who have formed a deadly partnership. The acquisition of 2014 leading goal scorer Kane Goodchild from Charlestown City Blues turned out to be one of the signings of the season. Simon Mooney signed for Hamilton at the end of 2013 but missed all of 2014 through injury. The pair scored 22 of the side’s 46 goals this season, and will have to step up in the biggest game of the year against the likes of Pat Wheeler, Josh Evans and Ayden Brice who have been sensational this year at the back for Edgeworth.

Within the Olympic ranks are two of the brightest young talents in the Northern New South Wales PS4 National Premier Leagues in midfielder Rhys Cooper and defender Tom Davies. Both Cooper and Davies have shown maturity beyond their ages in Olympic colours both in this season, and in previous seasons, and will need to play key roles if the side are to take out the 2015 Grand Final.

Olympic have improved drastically on their 2014 season which saw them finish sixth. No matter the result in the Grand Final they should feel proud of their efforts this season, however nothing could top it off better than a Grand Final medal and trophy.

19 Years Preview

In the opening match of the day Broadmeadow Magic challenges the first of three Edgeworth Eagles sides involved in the 2015 PS4 National Premier Leagues Grand Finals.

Magic did almost everything they could this season to finish as Premiers, however they missed out by just four goals. Incredibly, they and Weston both won twelve, drew three and lost three, and had a goal difference of 27. The Bears scored 47 compared to Broadmeadow’s 43, so the Magic finished second.

In their Semi Final they trailed after the first leg 2-1 against Hamilton, but won 2-0 in the return leg to book their spot in the biggest game of the year.

Their opponents, Edgeworth, finished the season in fourth place. Following eight wins, five losses and five draws they defeated Premiers Weston 2-1 on aggregate over the two legs to earn their spot in the Grand Final.

The Eagles have slightly better form than Magic despite finishing below them on the table. The Eagles lost just two of their last twelve matches including their two Semi Final matches, whereas Magic lost three of theirs.

The two sides have met twice this season, with a win to both sides. In Round 3 Broadmeadow won 2-1, and in Round 11 Edgeworth beat Magic 4-1 at Magic Park, the destination of this match.

Expect this match to be a lot closer than their Round 11 encounter. Both sides will come out with nothing to lose, and give their all in the most important match of the season.

It would be a fitting finish for Magic to win the trophy on their home soil, however Edgeworth will be desperate to spoil the party, and win the first of three Grand Final the club are featuring in on the day.

22 Years Preview

In the curtain raiser to the First Grade fixture, Edgeworth Eagles take on the 18 Years Emerging Jets in the 22 Years Grand Final.

This match is the only one of the day where first place plays second, and it should be a fast paced match between two sides who are lethal in the front third.

Like their First Grade side, Edgeworth finished the season in first place, they won 13 of their 18 games, drawing four and losing a competition best one to win the Premiership by seven points.

They scored 39 goals which is less than the four sides below them, however they boast the best defensive record in the competition, conceding just 16 goals at less than one per game.

The 18 Years Emerging Jets won eleven matches in 2015, drawing three and losing four. They finished second place and are Edgeworth’s biggest rival.

The two sides had a similar run into the Grand Final cruising past their Semi Final opponents. Edgeworth defeated Broadmeadow 7-1 on aggregate, whilst the 18 Years Emerging Jets went one better, downing Hamilton 8-1 over the two legs.

Both sides enter the match with brilliant form behind them. The 18 Years Emerging Jets have lost just one of their last twelve games, whereas Edgeworth were undefeated in their last 17, their only loss occurring back in Round 3 against Broadmeadow.

These two sides met twice this season with Edgeworth victorious 2-0 in Round 8, and the pair playing out a 2-2 draw in Round 17.

This match should be just as close and competitive, as the two best sides in the competition go head to head one last time for the year.

Expect an enthralling game that will showcase some of the best youth players the region has to offer. Goals may be scarce, however attractive football will be present for 80 minutes.

source:northernnswfootball.com.au

The 2015 NPL Grand Final between Edgeworth Eagles vs Hamilton Olympic on Sunday 6th September at 3.00, will be live streamed on NBN live stream:

http://www.nbntv.com.au/content/2015-npl-grand-final

for anyone who is unable to attend.

source:nbntv.com.au