On Saturday, 14 June, the 49th Anniversary of the Central Union of Pontians of Melbourne & Victoria the Pontian Estia, was celebrated in the organisation’s event venue.
One year before completing half a century of uninterrupted struggle to preserve and promote the Greek culture of the Black Sea. Forty-nine years of ethics, knowledge, and patience.
The event was honoured by the presence of the president of the Pontian Women’s Welfare Association, Mrs. Litsa Athanasiadis, the president of the Maria Kallas Society, Mrs. Roma Siahou, the secretary of the Kalamata 23 March Association, Kaiti Karabatsos, the speaker at the annual lecture on the genocide of the Pontian Greeks, Konstantinos Kalymnios, the presenter of the Pontian programme on 3 XY, Xeniteas Olga Kydoni.
Parents and children began to arrive early, as they were the main participants of the evening.
The board of directors, headed by Mr. Kostas Tseprailidis, organised a traditional evening full of entertainment and spectacle.
The programme was opened by the youngest lyre player of the association, Petros Tsopanopoulos, who accompanied his father, Dimitris Tsopanopoulos, in song, accompanied by the daouli of Alexandros Pilidis. The baton was then taken up by brothers Nikos and Kostas Psychogios. The former sang and the latter played the lyre. The renowned musician Giorgos Bletas kept the entertainment level high with his rendition of contemporary Greek songs.
Nikos Pilikidis, originally from Alonakia in Kozani and now a resident of Adelaide, was the guest artist for this year and truly impressed the audience with his experiential playing and sweet voice he amazed the audience.
For yet another year, the dance groups of the Pontian Association proved that they rightly rank among the best in Australia. From the youngest dancer to the oldest, they promised, with passion, love, seriousness, and discipline, that Romania, no matter what has happened, will flourish and bring more.
The Central Union of Pontians of Melbourne and Victoria would like to thank the following families for their generous financial support of this year’s event.
- Kostas Kyvelidis. $3,500
- Saristavrou Kostas $ 1,500
- Pavlidis Athanasios $ 500
- The Pontian Men’s Association and the Pontian Youth Association $ 1,000
Also, all the parents of the children in the dance groups, the dance teachers Parthena Tsopanopoulou, Michalis Vasileiou, Daphne Gika, Xenophon Parfalis, as well as the musicians Stefanos Levogiannis, Konstantinos Kostidis, Alexandros Pilalidis, Dimitris and Petros Tsopanopoulos, Nikos and Kostas Psychogios for their tremendous effort, passion, love, selfless contribution, and creation of this wonderful cultural family.
Romia may have passed, but it continues to flourish and bring forth more.
