Our “parea”, as we like to refer to a close-knit group of people with common interests, consists of journalists, teachers and medical professionals.
They are passionate about their Greek heritage and eager to share it with the rest of the world.
Meet them:
Eleftheria has studied Modern Greek, including a three year seminar course for Honours, at the University of Sydney. She has a Sociology degree from the University of NSW.
Her love for the Greek language and her belief that it should be taught to future generations here in Australia found Eleftheria teaching Greek since she was a university student.
She continued teaching even when she moved in the area of journalism and worked in Greek – Australian media for six years.
Later, in her capacity as Education Officer of a number of afternoon and Saturday schools she attended a number of seminars conducted by the Department of Community Languages together with the Australian Catholic University. She has also assisted in the creation of teaching material for Greek as a second language.
Her belief that the Greek language together with our traditions has to stay alive in Australia brought her to our school where she is teaching during the current school year.
Katerina Katherine is currently studying at the University of Sydney completing a double degree of a Bachelor of Arts and Secondary Education, and majoring in Modern Greek and Geography. She has completed part of her Modern Greek studies at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, with the hope to complete an Honours in Modern Greek language. Katherine has had a strong interest and connection to the Greek language and culture from an early age, and has studied Modern Greek from the age of 5. In addition to this, she has completed Certificate II in Children’s Services at the New South Wales TAFE Petersham Campus, where she gained extensive knowledge in early childhood education, and which became her foundation and motivation in choosing teaching as her career path.
In her teaching role, Katherine aims to strengthen her students’ connection to the Greek language and culture, and to instil in them a passion for learning about their rich heritage. Her strong ties with the birthplace of both her parents have encouraged Katherine to strive to pass on her knowledge and love for Greece from a 2nd generation perspective to the other children of the diaspora. She hopes to achieve this through a curriculum that is both culturally and linguistically enriching for her students.
Tanya has degrees in Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts (Honours). As part of her second degree, Tanya studied both Ancient and Modern Greek at the University of Sydney, along with Classic (Greco-Roman) Archaeology.
Tanya offers her time and, as President of the Hellenic Centre for Language & Culture of Australia Inc., is committed to promoting the Greek language and its culture. Previously having worked in the production and research of operatic performances arranged by Soaring Arc, a non-profit association aimed at promoting Greek music and theatre to the mainstream public in Australia, she assisted the team in exploring ways of achieving intercultural communication through their work.
Tanya has also proofread and edited a draft publication of a 17th Century Venetian manuscript, written by a Cretan refugee, and recently translated into English by a professor from the University of NSW.
Denise graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) degree and Honours in Modern Greek at the University of New South Wales.
She later completed a Certificate in Teaching Community Languages at the same university and has since taught at a variety of primary schools in both the public and private sectors.
Her passion for the Greek language, music, dance and literature is inspired by the nine years she spent in Greece as a child and her secondary and tertiary studies in Sydney.
In teaching Modern Greek, Denise aims to demonstrate the practical uses of learning the Greek language. She believes that building a strong Greek vocabulary early in life will later assist the student in understanding English terms and concepts that derive from Greece. Her main motivation, however, is to help students understand the value of the Greek heritage and spirit.
Eleni has completed a Bachelor of Primary Education Degree at the University of Sydney, along with units of Modern Greek studies.
Although born and raised in Australia, Eleni’s Greek heritage is integral to her identity. She loves Greek music, dance, film, television, literature and history and is highly involved in the Greek culture and community of Sydney through Sydney University’s Greek Department and Greek student society (SUGS), as well as a modern Greek dance group ‘Sydney Sizmos’.
Eleni is passionate about Greek as the language of the rich Hellenic culture and traditions, and believes it is vital that the language continues to be taught and used in Australia in order for our Greek community to flourish. This belief and her deep personal connection to Greece are what inspire Eleni to learn and now teach the Greek language and culture.
Eleni relates to her students as children of the Diaspora, learning Greek in a context so far removed from the motherland, and so strives to instill in them both knowledge and skills in the language as well as a passion for and connection to the language and culture which will inspire them to pursue and embrace it throughout their lives.
Daniel is actively involved in a number of ethnic non-profit organisations while concurrently running a design agency in Sydney. With an Honours degree in Classical (Greco-Roman) Archaeology from the University of Sydney and a Masters in Design Science, he has consistently worked for the promotion of multiculturalism in Australia while juggling career and study commitments for over a decade.
As Secretary to the Committee of the Hellenic Centre for Language & Culture of Australia Inc. which auspices “Aristotelis” Greek Language Education, since 2010, Daniel looks forward to assisting in bridging the gap between non-Greek learners of the Greek language and those of mixed-marriage backgrounds. He has also previously worked with Tanya, President of the Hellenic Centre for Language & Culture of Australia Inc., in the production and research side of Soaring Arc, a non-profit group which presented Greek music and theatre rarely heard in Australia.
Daniel is involved in the management of a number of cultural associations both in Australia and abroad including: Vice-President of the Veneto Youth Association of NSW; and Vice-Coordinator of the international Comitato Giovani Veneti all'Estero, under the auspices of the Veneto regional government in Italy. Daniel participates in representation of the youth sub-committee at meetings of the Federazione Veneta del NSW, and is an active member of Niçois du Bout du Monde, a French non-profit group for Côte d'Azurians abroad.
Karly Karly has completed a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Modern Greek and English at the Sydney University and has also studied French at the university level. She has completed part of her Degree at the Kapodistrian National University in Athens and aims to continue with post graduate studies in Modern Greek and complete a Diploma of Education. She was Vice President of the Sydney University Greek Society in 2008 and has also been involved in The Greek Festival of Sydney, community projects and Greek Theatre. She has studied Greek from the age of 6 and has spent much time in Greece.
She aims to bring a new flavour and fun to Greek School for a new generation of Greek Australians, to motivate children to love their heritage, its language and its culture, but also to highlight the the importance of keeping strong ties with their heritage, as well as the immense benefits of being bilingual. She is a 2nd generation Greek who aims to relate to the children in learning Greek as a second language, and also help build and form their identities as Greek Australians. Through a broad curriculum of not only language but also modern and ancient culture, rich Greek history and also our own unique Greek Diaspora history, her goal is to bring the magic that brought her to to love her own heritage to so many others.