Ithacan Philanthropic Society
Working towards 100 years
The Ithacan Philanthropic Society is proud to partner with the Greeek Community to sponsor a number of seminars throughout 2018.
Of particular interest to Ithacans is the upcoming seminar “Political Power and Social Hierarchies in the Ionian State (1814-1864)” presented by Dr Katerina Bregianni on Thursday 15 March at 7pm at the Greek Centre. On Sunday 18 March, she will present again (in Greek) “The Ionian Islands in the 19th Century" at 3pm at the Greek Centre.
The Ithacan Philanthropic Society is a proud sponsor of this year's 3XY Fronditha Care Radiothon Appeal to be conducted on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 March 2018.
The 2018 Radiothon will aim to raise funds towards the reconstruction of memory support units in Clayton South (50 beds) and St Albans (30 beds) which cater to the elderly with severe dementia.
Dementia is a debilatating and terminal condition that robs people of their memory and changes their behaviour irrecoverably.
Unfortunately, it is becoming so prevalent in the ageing community that demand for specialised dementia care is far exceeding supply. In the next seven years, people diagnosed with dementia will rise by 30 per cent.
Fronditha Care's new memory support units will be unique.
Designed in collaboration with Alzheimer's Australia, the units will be built to foster a calm environment, fitted with visual memory cues to help residents get around the facility.
Donations, however big or small, will directly go to helping our elders continue living with dignity.
Each donation above $2 is tax deductible and every pledge will be read live on 3XY Radio Hellas during the Radiothon and published in the Greek media.
Fronditha Care has been providing aged-care services for people of Greek and multicultural heritage for more than 40 years in Victoria and NSW.
But it has only been able to do so with the generous help of our local community.
How to make a donation
Call (03) 9552 4100 and pledge your donation
or
Make a cash payment directly to the National Australia Bank or Delphi Bank. Bank details are:
National Australia Bank (NAB) Delphi Bank
Account Name: Fronditha Care Account Name: Fronditha Care
BSB: 083 605 BSB: 941 304
Account No: 17 639 9983 Account No.: 2033 72 010
Thank you for supporting this worthwhile cause.
Close to 200 people gathered at the annual Christmas luncheon at Merrimu on Sunday 18 December, marking IPS' last function for the year.
The atmosphere was jovial as many enjoyed mingling with fellow members and friends. Adding to the convivial mood was renowned entertainer Christos Ioannides who delighted many with his guitar, songs and unique style of entertainment.
A highlight of the luncheon was the unveling of the exquisite centenary tapestry, created by Penelope Loom's weavers. Although there were a number of weavers who contributed to the planning of the tapestry, a core group, consisiting of Toula Agrotis, Christina Barcham and Andriana Zervoulis, worked solidly for over three years stitching the tapestry. The design was inspired by the late Spiro Sofianos' artwork 'Odyssey' which featured in our centenary promotional material. It was wonderul to have Spiro's sister, Nina Mills present at the unveiling of this very special project. The tapestry will take pride of place when it is hung on the clubroom walls.
To view the photos of the annual members' luncheon, click in the Gallery here :https://ithaca.org.au/gallery.
As we close off another year, we look forward to 2018 and are excited about the events we have planned over the next 12 months. We hope to see you at our first function in 2018, the annual Ithacan Picnic at Ferny Creek Reserve on Sunday 11 February.
Finally, we wish all our members and friends of the Ithacan Philanthropic Society best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy new year.
Social member Mr Steve Kyritsis OAM, has written a new book to acknowledge the Greek-Australian men and women who served in the Kokoda-New Guinea campaign in World War II called ‘Greek Australians in the Australian Armed Forces Kokoda – New Guinea World War II’.
The focus of this book is the contribution of over 300 Greek Australians who served their country and were a part of an important and decisive event in Australia’s history known as the ‘Battle for Australia’. This book records the stories of the men involved in the battles and the names of those killed and wounded in action.
The book, which commemoratedsthe 75th anniversary of the campaign, was launched in 2017 at Queens Hall, Parliament House in the presence of special guest of honour, James ‘Jim’ Scott (Sikiotis), aged ninety-one, who was invited to attend as one of the three oldest surviving Greek Australian war veterans of this campaign. Born in Melbourne in February 1926, Jim, the eldest son of Vasili and Elpiniki Sikiotis served as a Leading Aircraftman, 111 Air Sea Rescue Flight 1944-6 and saw active service over New Guinea.
Other Greek Australians of Ithacan descent who served in the Kokoda-New Guinea campaign included in this book are:
To order a copy, contact Steve Kyritsis:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or
Tel (03) 9859 3403
Mobile 0418 571 800
Profits from the sale of this book will be donated to the Hellenic RSL Sub-Branch and to the Australian Hellenic Memorial Foundation.
On Sunday 14 October, the Ithacan Philanthropic Society celebrated the 60th anniversary of opening of Ithaca House at our clubrooms.
Our 'home away from home' was filled to the brim with members and guests dressed in 60s inspired outfits sipping retro cocktails and enjoying delicious canapes as they reminisced about all the wonderful events they attended at Ithaca House over many decades.
Executive Committee member, Andrew Raftopoulos, paid tribute to the late Nick Sofarnos, the architect who designed Ithaca House and we were delighted that members of Nick's family could attend this special celebration.
Guests learnt about the five generous Ithacans who acted as Guarantors in the 50s, to the tune of 5000 pounds each, to start the process of building Ithaca House (which was recently heritage listed). To illustrate the enormous commitment by each Guarantor, 5,000 pounds represented the cost of a house at that time.
Congratulations to Andrea Scotis, who won best dressed, wearing an original, full length 60s gown in a beautiful brocade.
There are so many people to thank for making the 60 year anniversary event possible including the Executive, Historical and Events Committees.
A special thank you to our members, our friends from AHEPA, and Pano Apostolou from SBS for joining us to make it a sensational day. Click here to listen to Pano's report of our event on SBS radio - 'This is Ithaca': The 60th Anniversary of Melbourne's Ithaca House.
Please continue to support our events so that we may continue to provide the same high level of support for our community here and in Greece, and to ensure that our Ithacan roots are celebrated by generations well into the future.
