A new chapter opens after the Greek

Community’s AGM

January 2026 The Annual General Meeting of the GOCSA was held on Sunday, 30 November, at the Olympic Hall, at the presence of almost 200 members. The AGM was opened by the General Secretary, Ms Argyro Cassoudakis, and after a one-minute silence in memory of the organisation’s departed members, the national anthems of Greece and Australia were heard. Immediately afterwards, in accordance with the constitution, Mr John Lesses was elected by the members present as Chair of the General Meeting, unopposed. After considerable discussion, the minutes of the extraordinary constitutional and the annual general meetings that were conducted by the previous Administrative Council in October and December 2024 were approved. The President of the Greek Community, Mr Peter Ppiros, in his report spoke about the activities of the past year and stressed that the organisation recorded a financial surplus of $2 million and 116 thousand dollars – a robust financial result, mainly due to the Greek Community Aged Care facility in Ridleyton. A more detailed financial report of the Community was presented by the Treasurer, Mr Emanuel Frossinakis. The President also spoke about the wide range of services provided by the Community. Among them are the community-care services, the Greek Community schools, and the organisation’s cultural activities. He specifically referred to the ODYSSEY Festival, which included the Greek Film Festival. A series of other cultural events and lectures were hosted, featuring prominent Greek-Australian academics such as Dr George Vasilakopoulos of La Trobe University and Dr Andrekos Varnavas of Flinders University. The General Meeting did not lack confrontations, with some members requesting information on the reasons that led to the resignation of three members of the Board of Directors, as well as some staff members. The President replied that the approximately six employees who resigned represent a small percentage of the 250 employees that the Community employs across its various sectors. “None of the employees were dismissed. They simply resigned for their own reasons, which we cannot disclose due to confidentiality and legal constraints. As for the two senior executive officers of the Community, they did not resign. They have taken extended leave. “An internal investigation is still underway within the Greek Community,” the President said. The President expressed his disappointment for the resignations of the three Board members. He thanked them for their contribution during their term of service, while also announcing that the three positions have been filled by the next eligible candidates. “We do not deny that there were, and still are, problems. We took over the administration of the Community at a very challenging time, at the beginning of 2025, but we are now on a very positive path of recovery. “In this process, Mr Nick Kyriazopoulos is also contributing, whom we reinstated as a management consultant to fill the gap and help us move forward. Nick is already doing an excellent job. He has balanced our finances, all the documents for the General Meeting were prepared on time, and we have almost filled all the positions that became vacant due to the resignations. Regarding the work environment at the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia, we can say that it is now on a steady path of recovery and stabilisation.” Mr Ppiros also referred to the effort to revitalise the Federation of Greek Orthodox Communities of Australia, starting with the meeting held last May in Adelaide with the participation of the Communities of Sydney, Adelaide, Newcastle and St Albans. “The four participating Communities will continue to operate as the only secular representative of the Greek communities of Australia. They will continue to collaborate on cultural matters, on the teaching of the Greek language, on issues concerning Greeks living in Australia, and on national issues where Greece and Cyprus need support and solidarity. “In this endeavour, our aim will always be to build strong cooperative relations with the Greek Community of Melbourne as well.” The President thanked the members of the Administrative Council and Supervisory Council, the subcommittees, the Ladies Auxiliary, “Taxiarhis”, the Dance Academy, the Youth group, the volunteers who work in all areas of the Community for their generous support and tireless contribution, and all the members for their dedication and continual support of the Community, by participating in and contributing to events throughout the year.

Greek Tribune Adelaide, South Australia