Melbourne Hellenic Club

27/10/2025

Τιμή και δόξα στους ήρωες της Πατρίδας 🇬🇷

27/10/2025

Today is a very monumental day to be proud to be a Hellene 🇬🇷

On October 28 we commemorate the courage of the people of Greece in 1940 when they stood firmly against the forces of Fascism, facing threats of occupation, loss of freedom, and even life itself. Boldly, the cry of “OXI,” of “NO!” was exclaimed, as they refused to concede their sovereignty and submit themselves to the tyrannical leaders of the Axis forces. Instead our forefathers rallied to defend their ideals and to protect their liberty. In confronting a power that was destructive of freedom and driven by evil machinations, the people of Greece chose to serve freely what is just and true.

If there had not been the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the outcome of World War II would have been. Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks - Churchill

“On the 28th of October 1940 Greece was given a deadline of three hours to decide on war or peace but even if a three day or three week or three year were given, the response would have been the same. The Greeks taught dignity throughout the centuries. When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the German monster raising against it the proud spirit of freedom.” - Roosevelt.
At 3 a.m. on the morning of October 28th, 1940, Emanuele Grazzi, the Italian ambassador to Greece, delivered an ultimatum from Benito Mussolini to Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas. Il Duce demanded that Metaxas allow the Italian army free passage to enter and occupy strategic sites in Greece unopposed.
Faced with this demand, Metaxas delivered an unequivocal response in French, the diplomatic language of the day, “Alors, c’est la guerre.” This brief phrase, “Then, it is war,” was quickly translated into the laconic “Oxi,” the Greek for no, by the citizens of Athens.

This battle ultimately changed the outcome of the war.
“ΖΗΤΩ ΤΟ ΟΧΙ”. #ΟΧΙ #1940 #ζητω #ζητωτοεθνος #28οκτωβριου1940

20/07/2025

51 years since the invasion and illegal occupation of Cyprus 🇨🇾 🇬🇷

19/05/2025

Today, (19/5/22), is a day of mourning. May 19, Remembering the Pontian Greek Genocide 🌹

Pontian Greek Genocide

May 19 marks the remembrance of the Pontian Greek Genocide (1916-1925), one of the darkest moments in Greece’s history.

Records kept mainly by priests show a minimum 350,000 Pontian Greeks exterminated by Turkish troops and Kurdish para-militaries. Other sources including foreign missionaries mention 500,000 deaths, most through deportation and forced marches into the Anatolian desert.

Greek cities (Pafra, Samsous, Kerasous, and Trapezous) endured massacres and deportations that destroyed their populations

Pontian Greek Genocide

Pontus (Pontos), an ancient Greek word for “sea”, refers to the Black Sea and the surrounding coastal areas.

The Genocide saw the end of Pontos in its historic homeland, which held a huge Greek population and culture.

Entire villages and cities were devastated, while thousands were forced to flee to neighbouring countries. The Ottoman government’s plan to annihilate the Christian populations living within Turkey, including Greeks, Syrians and Armenians, during World War I was set into force in 1914, with the decree that all Pontian men aged between 18 to 50 would have to report to the military. Those who refused to do so, were ordered to be shot immediately.

The Ottoman regime feared the Pontiac population not only because of their rapidly growing numbers that had reached 700,000 by the early 20th century, but also because of the cultural and economic growth of the minority.

Cities like Samsous, Trapezous and Kerasous displayed a remarkable growth in churches and schools. The rise of the Young Turks movement, however, would put a brutal end to the thriving Greek community of the area.

May 19 is the day of remembrance of the Pontian Greek Genocide.

We will never forget.

24/03/2025

25th of March, 1821 🇬🇷
ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΑ Η ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ ⚔️
The Greek War of Independence:

On March 25th 1821, began a long a brutal war lasting 11 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 1 day.

Following the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, most of Greece would be under Ottoman Muslim occupation for the next 368 years.
Had they not held onto their 400-year dream of freedom from slavery, most of our culture, our language and our Greek Orthodox Christian faith would not exist.
This was the first time, a Christian country had achieved independence from the Ottoman rule and established a fully independent state, recognized by Europe.
Had the Greeks not defended themselves and boldly gone where no other nation has gone before, they would have forever have been absorbed into the Ottoman Empire as would other countries and the world may have been a completely different place.
Greece’s passion and courage to defend their country, evoked courage for the Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians and Armenians to fight and win their independence too.
On that historic day in 1821, the day of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in the Orthodox Church, Greeks of all ages, men, women, and children revolted against Ottoman Turkish colonists occupying our homeland, they said “Enough was enough, freedom or death.” On this day anyone that is named Ευάγγελος or Ευαγγελία, are celebrating their name day. Evaggelismos comes from the Greek Word Evaggelia which means “good message”. This is the day to celebrate the good message that was given by God’s angel to the Virgin Mary. An Angel came to her, gave her a lily and told her that she will bring to the world the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
Ζήτω η 25η Μαρτίου 🇬🇷
Ζήτω το Έθνος 🇬🇷
Ζήτω η Ελλάδα 🇬🇷
Ζήτω η Ορθοδοξία 🇬🇷
Ζήτω ο Ελληνισμός 🇬🇷

16/03/2025

March 17, 1821: Today the flag of the Revolution is raised in Mani, in the village of Tsimova 🇬🇷

Mani qualifiers, under Petrobei Mavromichali, raise the flag of revolution in the village of Tsimova (today’s Areopoli) in Mani.

Greek fighters under Sotiris Charalambis and Petmezians besiege the Kalavryta Towers, which will be delivered after a few days (March 21th).
An army of 2,000 Maniots under the command of
Petrobey Mavromichalis, which included Kolokotronis,
his nephew Nikitaras and Papaflessas, advanced on the Messenian town of Kalamata, which had an Ottoman garrison and they captured the city on March 23.

We wound our way deeper into the Peloponnese, venturing into the Mani peninsula once so cut off from the outside world that it was never controlled by the Ottomans. While there are few ancient remains to see here, the landscape mostly hostile rock, legends abound about the more recent inhabitants of the peninsula.
The Maniots called their newborn sons “guns,” while the Maniot women’s most important social functions were breeding “guns” and singing dirges, elaborate, spontaneous metrical poems. These dirges, called miroloyia, seem to have their roots in those sung by women in ancient Greece, though in modern times it is an art peculiar to the Mani.
The Maniot women were known for being the strongest women, they were trained to fight and protect their country. While the men use to go out to war the women had the responsibility to protect the children and elderly. When they used to see Turkish ships sailing to the high rocky Laconian coast lines they used to release wild bees which would kill any enemy who dared to invade.

Mani was never enslaved.
Through the darkest 4 centuries of our nation’s history, it’s important to note that Ottoman Turks never, ever set foot on the sacred mountainous regions of Mani.

The Maniots declared war with the intention of liberating the rest of occupied Hellas.

This action is the first revolutionary act in southern Greece.

ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ - ΝΙΚΙ Η ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ 🇬🇷
ΥΠΕΡ ΠΙΣΤΕΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΟΣ 🇬🇷
ΖΗΤΩ Η 17 ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ 1821 🇬🇷
ΖΗΤΩ Η ΜΑΝΗ 🇬🇷

04/03/2024

08/01/2024

Theofania Rosebud 2024 🇬🇷☦️

08/01/2024

2024 Rosebud Theofania ☦️🇬🇷
Thousands flocked to Theofania at Rosebud on Saturday, January 6.
Victoria Police Officer Sean Burke told The Greek Herald that he estimated at least 5,000 attendees at the Theofania dive. He dubbed it “a great community day.”
The figures did not consider the waves of people who arrived in droves following the throwing of the cross due to high traffic congestion surrounding Rosebud.
Amongst in attendance was an outstanding number of youth.
Και του χρόνου όλοι μαζί με υγεία 🇬🇷