Sydney’s Inner West Council announced last week that an area of the city will be renamed “Little Athens” in honor to the contributions of Greek-Australians to the community.
The newly-designated area is between the suburbs of Marrickville and Dulwich Hill, where the majority of Sydney’s Greek migrants moved when they came to the country.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Bryne announced the decision on his social media pages last week.
BREAKING: Council has now resolved to officially rename a precinct in the Marrickville and Dulwich Hill as a Little Athens to honour the incredible contribution of Greek Australians to the Inner West. Please SHARE THE GOOD NEWS with Greeks you know 🇬🇷 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/ZF5ljxaCll
— Darcy Byrne (@MayorDarcy) April 21, 2020
He said Greek migrants made the bustling suburb what it is today.
“This is an act of symbolic recognition and respect for the incredible contributions that Greek migrants have made to the Inner West,” he declared, adding “They’ve made the Inner West the birthplace of Australian multiculturalism.”
The latest national census showed that up to 400,000 Australians have Greek ancestry — and almost half of them live in Melbourne.
Historian Nick Doumanis from the University of New South Wales told SBS news that what many people didn’t realize is that Sydney had the largest Greek community at the beginning of the last century.
Melbourne outdid it only after World War II.
“Most Greek-Australians came here after the Second World War with very little, hardly anything in their suitcases, and decided they would make a living here to try and find security and build a life. And they made the most with what Australia offered them,” Professor Doumanis told SBS.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
