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.

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

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