AXIA_GREEKSTYLECOUNCIL_MARCH23

Welcome to our 8th issue,

As we leap into March, I am excited to introduce some new handmade crochet pieces by Miss Polyplexi and Sofia Papakosta

I take pride in personally sourcing rare and special limited handcrafted pieces - and bringing them from the loving hands of our artisans, to yours Firstly, they must be 100% made in Greece. In this fast fashion world, I often come across items that may claim to be Greek made, but may not be authentically 100% made in Greece In the same vein, I only curate high quality pieces This means quality materials, craftsmanship, finishing and savoire faire in each and every piece Our mission is to bring you nothing less than premium quality and authentically made in Greece pieces.

In this issue, we are very excited to introduce you to Helen Vatsikopoulos Helen is a distinguished Australian journalist, news broadcaster and has three documentaries to her credit. She is leading the Greek Writers Festival of Sydney on the 2nd of April, details below.

My curiosity about Pandora's Box has piqued recently So I delved further into this powerful myth and its meaning, and share it with you.

We also profile the beautiful Greek city of Ioannina and its stunning boutique hotel, Kamares. It's on my list!

Enjoy, helen

Founder GREEK STYLE COUNCIL

helen@greekstylecouncil com

Writers Festival of Sydney

Sunday April 2nd 10-6pm

Beta Bar, 238 Castlereagh St Sydney

Booking: greekaustralian-writersfestivaleventbritecomau

NEW | Niphi Earrings

by Sofia Papakosta

Thelma McQuillan

Hand crochet Gold and Pearl earrings

NEW | Crochet Bags

Thelma McQuillan SHOP

by Miss Polyplexi

Hand crochet Clutches and Bags

Vatsikopoulos HELEN

Helen has come a very long way Helen spent her very early years in northern Greece, in the small village of Lemos close to the edge of beautiful lake Prespa As a little girl, she held her parents' hands and boarded a ship called 'Patris', which was bound for Australia Helen siezed the opportunities presented by the new country and became a successful multi award winning and highly respected Australian journalist and broadcaster. With a career spanning over 30 years, Helen began as a cadet at the ABC in Adelaide, then to Melbourne After landing in Sydney, she became an international reporter where she broke ground by covering global historychanging events, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Rwandan Genocide, the HIV-Aids crisis in West Papua, the Sri Lankan Civil War, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, and the Bali Bombings Her reporting on the collapse of the Soviet Union won her the highly prestigious Walkley award in 1992. Helen has worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) on programs such as ABC News, the 730 Report, Dateline, Lateline and Foreign Correspondent, among others Helen also has three documentaries to her credit: New World Borders and the award-winning documentaries Agatha's Curse (SBS), and Getting Gehry (ABC) Helen was also the recipient of the Erasmus Mundus scholarship at City University, London, and Aarhus University Denmark She has guest lectured at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Jonkopig University in Sweden, and taught journalism at UTS University in Sydney, where she is now a Professional Fellow after having earned a Doctorate, she has since been developing a series of projects, including a manuscript that ties to her Greek roots.

(above) Young Helen at a stop over at Port Suez, about to embark on her voyage to Australia

What are you most passionate about?

As a journalist and academic I am most passionate about storytelling. We need to ask questions and be eyewitnesses to history We need to capture the stories of those who came before us I believe that storytelling is essential so that we do not forget past injustices and condemn ourselves to repeating them in future Telling stories is seen as an art or a craft but increasingly it is being studied as a science because when we read compelling stories we take on the perspective of the characters and this elicits empathy If we can empathise with others then we understand them and their circumstances and hopefully take action to change the world for the better .

What is your proudest achievement? ?

My proudest achievement professionally would have to be my working as a foreign correspondent It was a privilege to be an eyewitness to history being made Reporting on the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the genocide in Rwanda, Nelson Mandela’s South Africa, the Sri Lankan Civil War and other milestones in the world has been unforgettable. I spent three decades in journalism and then another decade in academia teaching the next generation of journalists I loved mentoring them as they are facing obstacles that I didn’t. Misinformation and disinformation are impacting their work and that is why journalism is more important now than ever before Completing my doctorate is also an achievement but nothing beats journalism and telling stories Some of the best stories I recorded are from people who have no power but great courage and integrity.

Tell us about your 'Childre f th R

During the 200 year anniversary of the Greek Revolution, the long running Greek Festival of Sydney invited me to be part of their Revolutionary committee It was an offer too good to refuse I thought we could ask Greek-Australians to contribute some writing or photography that inspired them as ancestors or ‘children’ of those who fought to cast off the chains of occupation That was 2021 and then the dreaded pandemic took hold and 2022 arrived This brought another anniversary which was not a cause for celebration – the defeat in the GrecoTurkish war of 1922 And so now in 2023 which is the anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne and the exchange of populations we are ready to publish. There are great essays: George Megalogenis contemplates whether we are ‘white’ yet Chantal Contouri who was the first Greek-Australian actress to win a Logie speaks frankly about what it was like to grow up in the 70s when Greek girls were never allowed out. How she ran away from home at the age of 15 when her mother tried to marry her off These are the stories we need to heed There are many more its been a labour of love

Which region of Greece are your parents from?

My parents come from the Prespa region in Northern Greece We lived in the village of Lemos by the Prespa Lakes surrounded by wooded mountains in what is the least densely populated municipality in all of Greece The area contains many ruins that are a legacy of the Greek Civil War (1946-39) and there is still a lot of trauma associated with the past It is a valley rich in biodiversity and was designated a National Park and Ramsar Wetland of International Importance Birds fly from as far away as Africa to come and mate and nest in the Prespa Lake in the warmer months In winter, the mountains turn into ski slopes It’s a little known part of Greece

Aquarelle, Mani

Foneas Beach Kardamyli

Prespa Lake Athens

Documentary produced by Helen

How would you describe your style ?

My maternal grandfather was a tailor and my parents were also trained to make clothes so I appreciate great cuts and fabrics I still have the jackets that I wore when I was presenting on television on SBS and ABC – so classical style is more important than passing fashion to me. I also like vintage. My husband was a foreign correspondent and would bring me back some great tribal jewellery from places like Afghanistan and Yemen I also collected some great pieces that have meaning and hold memories when I was travelling too As I get older I realise that we consume too much so I’ve tried to live and dress more simply in jeans and jackets and boots in winter and a few new purchases. My guilty pleasure is Birkenstocks in many colours.

Whose style do you most admire ?

Where do you like to travel in Greece?

Last year my husband and I took a long road trip in Greece We hired a car in Thessaloniki and just explored We loved the town of Ioannina It has an interesting history as the base for Ali Pasha – the Albanian ruler during Ottoman times. I loved that the remnants of Muslim and Ottoman rule have been retained and not demolished It was also a great centre for jewellery by virtue of its silver mines. Of course the Bulgari family came from there I also discovered the island of Hydra and I became fascinated with its history Nothing beats a Greek island – I’ve loved Spetses and Paros and Kea. We are planning to take a similar trip every year and discover new places

Xenodocheio Milos, Athens

I really like French sensibility The former editors of French Vogue - Emmanuelle Alt and Carine Roitfeld . Hydra

The Margi Hotel, Vougliameni

Meteora

remnants of Ottoman rule, Ioannina

MINT

SHOP

Argalios handcrafted clutch

SHOP

Ioanna Kourbela wrap top

SHOP

Maesa Morado Suede earrings

SHOP

Grecian Chic Silk Scarf

C A N D Y

SHOP

SHOP

Ioanna Kourbela

SHOP

Sofia Papakosta

Embroidered earrings

ckie Onassis in 1971

iorgos ulasidis

SHOP

Herse

Silk Scarf

Emmanuela Swimwear

Who was Pandora ?

Pandora is best known today as the mythological keeper of a sealed pithos, which contained all the problems of the world

Pandora was more than just the curious woman who opened this container She was the Greek equivalent of Eve in the story of Genesis, the first woman What Pandora did was to start the real world

According to Greek mythology, the first mortal man was created by the Titan Prometheus Man was made out of mud and clay earth, and Athena breathed life into man However, Prometheus wanted more for man, and stole fire from the gods to give energy to humanity to build civilizations Zeus, was angry with Prometheus and sought to punish him He commanded Hephaestus, god of craftsmanship, to make the first female mortal resembling the goddesses of Olympus Zeus called upon the gods and goddess to share their gifts in the creation of this new woman They endowed upon her the gifts of language, fertility, strength, beauty and curiosity and more This formidable woman was named Pandora, meaning ‘all gifts’ However, the most important gift bestowed upon her was the power to change her world

Zeus sent Hermes to gift Pandora to Epimetheus (Prometheus’ brother) However, despite Prometheus’ warning to beware of gifts from the gods, Epimetheus could not resist Pandora Interestingly some etymologists claim Prometheus means ‘pro-thought’ and Epimetheus means ‘after-thought’.

Zeus then asked Hephaestus to make a jar, a pithos Zeus then gave this sealed jar as a gift to Pandora, for her marriage to Epimetheus The sting in the tail was that she was made to promise Zeus that she would never attempt to open the seal

Over time, Pandora became obsessed by the pithos and its contents Eventually, her curiosity took over Pandora broke the seal and unbeknownst to her, had released and set free all that was bad into the world: misery, evil, violence, disease and suffering. She was horrified as she watched this all escape, so she quickly managed to shut the seal again Pandora did not know that following the bad things, was the release of everything that was good in the world Zeus had been watching her disguised as a wolf Unknowingly she had trapped Hope inside the jar, which was the necessary blessing and consolation humans needed in order to cope with, and counter the bad things that Pandora let loose on the world

Most of what we know about Greek mythology comes from the poet Hesiod In his Theogyny, Pandora’s action ended the Golden Age of Gods and Man - a world of bliss and carefree existence, and began the Silver Age, in which history begins What followed included an age of heroes

Since the 16th century this Pithos was more commonly referred to as a Box

In the end, Zeus had his revenge on Prometheus. But another view is that Pandora’s actions gave humans a chance to live deeper meaningful lives: lives shaped by the struggles to overcome adversity in a troubled world. Her gifts, as the first mortal woman, was to produce strong children In doing so, she built humankind and prepared it to face life’s difficulties and challenges.

Kamares Historic Hotel & Spa

@hotelkamares

Address: Zalokosta 74, Ioannina

Phone: +30 2651 074120

An 18th century mansion featuring elements of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture Located 200m from Cathedral Church of Agios Athanasios, this hotel offers a fitness centre. the worldclass wellness centre

Ioannina - the capital of Epirus, spreads out around a beautiful Lake Pamvotida Serenity, castles It is where nature in abundance converges - such as wildlife, forests, lakes and snow Many wealthy Byzantine families fled to Ioannina following the sack of Constantinople

During the Ottoman Empire Ioannina became administrative centre for the Pashalik of Yanina. Between the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a major centre of the modern Greek Enlightenment Following the Balkan Wars, in 1913, Ioannina was ceded back to Greece

Population: over 70,000 (2023 est)

IOANNINA