The President of the Hellenic Community of Melbourne (HECM), Vassilis Papastergiadiswarmly welcomed Antonis Koutoufidis, an independent candidate in the upcoming Melbourne mayoral race.
Also present at the meeting were the Director of the Greek Center, Mr. George Menidis, and the Events Manager of the Greek Center, Mrs. Antonia Tsami.
During his visit, Mr. Koutoufidis was given a tour of the Hellenic Center and was informed about the cultural and educational activities of ECM. Mr. Papastergiadis emphasized the importance of preserving and celebrating Greek heritage in the diaspora and underlined that ECM plays a vital role in Greek cultural expression, hosting over 100 events annually.
Mr. Papastergiadis stated: “We are very happy to have Antonis Koutoufidis with us today. Not only is he a star of the Carlton Football team, but also a man who is deeply invested in his community, particularly in the city of Melbourne, where our organization, the Melbourne Hellenic Community, one of the largest Greek organizations in the global Greek diaspora, is based. Naturally, Antonis, with his Greek origins, is running for Mayor of this wonderful city, often ranked as the most sustainable city in the world. We are excited to discuss his initiatives. We also exchanged ideas on how we can improve the city, especially in recognizing the importance and importance of the Greek community in this vibrant, cosmopolitan and multicultural city. Key issues discussed included keeping events on city streets, supporting district programs and cutting red tape for events and businesses.
Mr. Koutoufidis commented: “It was a privilege to meet today with Vassilis and George. What they have achieved with the Greek Community is incredible, especially maintaining the Greek presence on Lonsdale Street, which means so much to us, given my Greek heritage. I look forward to working with them, and together, making Melbourne the world’s most sustainable city again. This organization organizes so many great and important events and we need to support them as much as possible. I have been impressed by the extent of their cultural and educational program. I was particularly impressed by the way ECM developed its 15-story cultural center and how it is used by so many other organizations. The replica of the Parthenon frieze on the outside of the building is simply amazing. Thank you very much for what you have done for the community and I look forward to our future relationship – once I become Mayor.”
As a token of appreciation, Mr Koutoufidis was presented with a book of the history of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria from its foundation to 1972.
A few words about Antonis Koutoufidis
Antonis Koutoufidis, also known by the nickname Kouta, was an Australian footballer for the Carlton Football Club. Considered by many to be one of the most powerful and athletic players of all time, he played almost every position and is often called the prototype of the modern footballer.
Of Greek Cypriot and Italian descent, Koutoufidis has been an Australian celebrity, making numerous television appearances both during and after his football career. He was a gladiator in the Australian TV series Gladiators as Kouta, “a gladiator touched by the gods” and won the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars in 2006.
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