The Annual Christmas party-luncheon for the members of the Greek Women’s Society was held at the Goodwood Community Centre on the 25th of November.

This luncheon which is one of the Society’s longstanding traditions is prepared and served mainly by the ladies of the Executive Committee. Its aim is to provide recreation for its members and celebrate the Christmas period blending Greek customs with the local ones.

The ladies of the Executive Committee prepare in entirety this event, from the set up and decorating of the ballroom, to the luncheon itself and the desserts which follow.

The ballroom and tables were decked with green and red decorative items, as well as with fresh bougainvillea creating a festive atmosphere.  But most of all it was the friendly and welcoming faces of our members and their warm exchanges that put everyone in the Christmas spirit.  

Nibbles and refreshments were provided to the members, whilst they waited for the opening speech of the President Mrs. Roula Soumas.

The president extended a warm welcome to all and introduced the official guests, who were Michael Keenan former mayor of Unley (a good friend and supporter of the organization) and Ms. H. Tsakalos Co-ordinator for the Greek language afternoon schools of GOCSA representing the Management Committee of  GOCSA.

Special mention was made to two Executive Committee members, Mrs. D. Nikea and Mrs. Maria Alexandridis, who passed away in 2015. They were staunch longstanding supporters whose contribution will be missed but never forgotten.

AWARDS

In recognition for their support and service to the Society, three very deserving women were also presented with awards for their outstanding work.

Efthymia  Toubakaris, Katina Kakogianis, Constantina Pashalidis were presented with awards for their service and support to the organization over a period of many years.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS - "KALANDA"

After the delicious Greek lunch and dessert which consisted of Greek sweets, baklava, melomakarana , halva, etc.,  it was time for the Christmas Carols which are an integral part of the Christmas period in Greek culture. The Choir of the Greek Orthodox Community of S.A. Inc under the direction of George Katsibris gave a beautiful performance singing the traditional Greek Christmas carols with many of the attendees joining in.

The last event of the program was the customary lottery draw which consisted of many gifts which were contributed by patrons and members of the Society.

Finally the members exchanged their Christmas greetings and took their leave one by one.

A huge thank to all the volunteers and those who contributed gifts for the lottery prizes, Greek sweets or assisted in the service and the kitchen.

 Our organization is named after the first Church, the Archangels of Michael and Gabriel “ Taxiarchis” which it helped build in 1937. The original church was rebuilt in 1967 (now heritage listed) and is the Cathedral Church of the Greek Orthodox Community of S.A.

Each year the Greek Orthodox Church honours the Archangels on the 8th of November and the Cathedral the Archangels of Michael and Gabriel celebrates its Feast Day.

At the end of the service, the Women’s Auxiliary of the Church Archangels of Michael and Gabriel offer a luncheon to all the parishioners at the Olympic Hall.  

As is customary, the Greek Women’s Society participated actively in the celebration and our members prepared the traditional honey puffs as the dessert as well as the coffee. 

A special mention and thanks to the ladies of of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Church of Kimisis tis Theotokou (Dormiton of the Theotokos) who worked alongside our members for these preparations.

Our Musical appreciation and Afternoon Tea fundraiser which was held at the Hilton Hotel Victoria Square on the 30th of August was a great success.

The objective of the event was to help raise awareness and funds to support Vision Australia, a leading provider of blindness and low vision services in Australia creating equal opportunity so people who are blind or have low vision can get an education, jobs, and be as independent as they choose.

Over 100 guests joined the gathering in the Balcony room, overlooking Victoria Square in order to support this worthy cause.

Guests included the President of GOCSA ,Mr.Bill Gonis  and other  Board Members of GOCSA .

Members of GOCSA’s Women’s Fellowships were also present as were  of course members and friends of the Greek Women’s Society “ Taxiarchis”.

The event was opened by the President, Mrs. Roula Souma, who said a few words about the work and achievements of the Greek Women’s Society “ Taxiarchis  now  78years old, before introducing the guest speaker Mr. Hans Reimer,

Manager - Vision Australia Radio Network.

Mr. Reimer thanked all those present for their support and outlined the important work that Vision Australia does in improving the lives so many vision impaired citizens.

After the formalities were completed, the guests were able to sit back and enjoy a delicious afternoon Tea.

Immediately after, the tenor Tasso Bouyessis and George Katsibris and his choral ensemble entertained the guests with an hour of musical performances. 

Their repertoire included some of the great classic songs. 

George Katsibris also treated the guests to as a series of some of his more saucy anecdotes.

The gathering came to a close with the lottery draw, the proceeds of which were again donated to Vision Australia.

The Greek Women’s Society Taxiarchis wishes to thank all those who attended, and supported the event either with their donations or gifts for the lottery draw.

Without this valuable support, it would not have been possible to raise the amount of $1500 which will be handed over to Vision Australia.

To see more photos from this event please click here or go to the photo gallery

The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) was held at the Goodwood Community Center on Sunday the 26th of July  this year at 2.30. p.m. was well attended by members.

The AGM is not only a governance duty but also an opportunity to formally update  the  stakeholders  of our organization on some of the insights from the Executive Committee as well as future plans and key initiatives. 

The meeting opened with a welcome address from the President, Mrs. Roula Soumas and was followed by observing a  minute’s silence  for the members of the organization who have passed away.

Before continuing with the business of the day the President also noted with sadness, the recent demise of Mrs. Maria Alexandridis, who served as a Committee member for many years until her demise and was a long standing member and supporter of the Organization.

The minutes of the previous AGM were then read and accepted followed by the President’s Report, and Treasurer’s Report. 

Next on the Agenda was the election of a new Audit Committee which was elected and will serve for a two year period 2015/2017.

Once all the formalities were concluded, the President opened the floor for questions.

Finally there was an open discussion concerning the Organization’s future plans and several initiatives.

At the end of the meeting the President thanked once again all the members, and volunteers for their efforts and supporters of the organization

Refreshments, snacks and sweets which were prepared by the members of the Executive Committee as well as other members of the organizations were served and enjoyed by all.

We thank all of those members who attended and demonstrated their support for the Organization and the Executive Committee. 

To see more photos of the AGM  please go to the photo gallery or click here.

This year on the 17th of March, a group of 50 people boarded our chartered bus early in the morning to spend a day together exploring the sights of the Adelaide Hills and the historic town of Willunga and McLaren Vale.

On route the bus party stopped at  Echunga for morning tea picnic style. The delicious cakes and pastry were all home-made by the Society’s committee members. 

Immediately after , the party headed straight for Willunga and the historic Alma Hotel, which was built in 1856, where we stopped for a tasty lunch.  There was time for a leisurely stroll around the town for the more adventurous.
Mclaren Vale was the final stop of the excursion and the group had chance to explore the town and do some shopping.
Click here to see some snapshots of this enjoyable day.