Adelaide’s Greek ‘renaissance’ amid Athens courtship
Adelaide is on the road to cementing a sister city relationship with Athens as SA’s migrant community continues to impact our food and culture. CityMag captures the excitement and differences in the Greek community.
When Councillor Mary Couros visited Athens in the summer of 2023, it was very, very hot.
It was reported to be the hottest July weekend in Greece for 50 years, and wildfires raged nationwide.
At the time, Mary says climate was on the minds of Athens’ council, and sustainability became a key factor in how our two cities can support one another in a more formal agreement.
“We do have that connection with our summers, very hot, dry summers, so that is where that piece of sustainability came in, in regards to supporting each other,” she says.
Co-operation in the field of environmental protection is a part of a drafted Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Athens and Adelaide councils.
The current Athens Mayor Harris Dukas is an energy policy and management professor at Athens’ National Technical University, so it’s been a keen interest since he took office in 2023.
The draft MoU had the unanimous support of councillors at Adelaide’s City Community Services and Culture Committee on Tuesday night, and Athens Municipal Council also supported the document last week.
As immigration currently causes tensions throughout the country, Mary told the committee on Tuesday night that celebrating a sister relationship with Athens is a reminder of migrant contributions to SA.
“As the daughter of migrants, migrants have been a very important part of the fabric in our city; we need to acknowledge that, how important migrants are to our state,” she says.
“This has been brought forward by the community, not by me; it’s driven by a community of people that would love to see us join with the City of Athens and how together we are very strong.”
The MoU, which also references culture, tourism and innovation, is the latest step in the process to eventually make the sister city status official.
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Owner of Dino’s, a fast casual Greek joint on Hindley Street, Andrew Papadakis, says the climate might be the only thing Athens and Adelaide have in common.
He cites the hot summers and our dining scene, but thinks here Adelaide is ahead of the curve.
“When I came here in 2012, breakfast was pretty big, brunch, all that, that happened in Greece, maybe five years later, that more modern cuisine came to Greece later, but they’re catching up, that gap is getting smaller and smaller with food and trends,” he says.
He says dining experiences and lifestyle in Athens are lively and spontaneous, whereas Adelaide is a quieter city and far more structured.
“The lifestyle here, with Adelaide, with Athens, is day and night, you can’t compare it.
“That’s why [Australians] when they go to Greece, or in Athens, they go nuts, they love it, because it’s different.
“Athens is a city that doesn’t sleep; in Adelaide, you are lucky to find something open after 9pm.
“We can’t compare, Athens is very, ‘how you going’, whatever, Adelaide is more structured, so they’re very opposite, but opposites attract.
“Australia, in general, with Greece is a big difference, you know? So if they’re going to partner, I don’t know how that works; that’s just political. It’ll be good for both, maybe we’ll get cheaper flights to Greece,” he laughs.
Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce board member and 40 Under 40 alumnus Kosta Koutsonas says our differences are what will make the sister city relationship strong.
“That’s what’s going to make it a great sister city relationship, because you need those differences to learn from each other,” he says.
“We need to take what they do really well, and what we do really well and learn from each other, so I think it’s a positive that those differences exist, and those differences are quite cavernous in some areas.
“I think having a sister city that’s too similar, which often people do, I think you miss the major learning opportunities there.”
Athens does not currently have any sister cities in Australia, and Kosta, who has been involved since early talks, says there’s a big appetite from Greece.
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“They rely so heavily on tourism, there are all these other sectors that are screaming out for attention and opportunity, and I think that creates opportunity for us as well,” he says.
Kosta says Adelaide is well placed, particularly in innovation, digital tech and disruption and points to world-class facilities like SAHMRI that can turn ideas into reality.
“Having an epicentre in Europe, where there’s so much education and access to people and experimentation and innovation, and having here in Australia, the resources, the work ethic and the facilities.
“Sometimes in Greece, they may lack certain facilities to make things a reality, but may have great ideas.
“Bringing those two things together can facilitate an amazing outcome that might otherwise be impossible or take a much longer amount of time.”
The Honourable Consul General Alexandra Theodoropoulou agrees that innovation, environment – along with food and festivals – are all similarities, but she says at the heart of it all is people.
“Of course, I have to say the number one argument in favour of this sister city was the fact that so many Greeks live here and hold key positions,” she says.
Federal Adelaide MP Steve Georganas, SA’s Consumer and Business Affairs Minister Andrea Michaels, Minister Tom Koutsantonis, Labor MP Olivia Savvas, MLCs Connie Bonaros and Frank Pangallo are among the politicians with Greek backgrounds in favour of the move.
“All the Greeks that are very much involved in politics here, they have taken the initiative to work it out, to push it. They are very, very enthusiastic about it,” the Consul General says.
She says the education sector, particularly language, is also an important feature of a cultural exchange that can come out of this partnership.
“We want to keep the Greek language alive here in Australia; it’s very important,” she says.
“We want to foster the exchanges and we know that the Mayor herself is interested about university cooperation and, last of course, tourism and wine making, so these are also some sectors that we think are important.”
Kosta says he thinks Adelaide is on the cusp of a Greek-Australian “renaissance”.
“There’s definitely lots of young Greek Australians, second generation, third generation, I feel like it’s almost like the Greek culture is getting stronger in Adelaide.
He says compared to 10 years ago, there are more Greek festivals than ever, including the Prospect Greek Festival which he was on the committee for.
“We had 4000 people through, and there were so many people under 30 there, it was fantastic. They were all dancing, so I feel like the Greek culture is really, you know, almost having a renaissance, and it’d be great for the business community to be able to keep up with it.”
Kosta says he’s been asked at different stages in the sister city courtship why Adelaide is getting the call, when there are so many Greeks in Melbourne.
“Adelaide always punches above its weight, especially lately, it’s really leading the nation in terms of, our growth, our lifestyle, you know, our sustainability initiatives. This is one of those opportunities that we just need to seize and grow.”
The Adelaide City Council will vote on the MoU, the latest step in the sister city process next Tuesday.
