Greeks of the diaspora, often feel a deep sense of connection and loyalty to their homeland, motivating them to support Greece in various ways.
A recent example is a 90-year-old Greek-Australian woman who donated her land at Ptolemaida, northern Greece, for the construction of a nursery school.
Anastasia Gesa Liveriadou, an expatriate from Australia, may have left Greece at a very young age, but she never forgot her roots and her birthplace.
Speaking to Alpha TV, Liveriadou now in Melbourne, says that she spent the early years of her life in Greece. She studied in Athens and immigrated to Australia. “I spoke no English at the time,” she said but despite this she had a successful career as an educator.
Asked what made her make this donation, she simply replied quoting John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
Greeks of the diaspora in Australia
Greek Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Greek diaspora. As per the 2021 Australian census, 424,750 people stated that they had Greek ancestry (whether alone or in combination with another ancestry), comprising 1.7 percent of the Australian population. At the 2021 census, 92,314 Australian residents were born in Greece.
According to official data, Melbourne is the seventh largest Greek city (in terms of Greek speaking population) in the world, behind Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Patras, Nicosia, and Limassol. However, the Greek community of Melbourne is the largest Greek-speaking population outside of Greece and Cyprus.
Greek immigration to Australia has been one of the largest migratory flows in the history of Australia, especially after World War II and the Greek Civil War.
The flow of migrants from Greece increased slightly in 2015 due to the economic crisis in Greece, with Australia as one of the main destinations for departing Greeks, mainly to Melbourne, where the Greek Australian community is most deeply established.
How the diaspora helps Greece
Many Greeks in the diaspora maintain a strong bond with their heritage, traditions, and family in Greece. These ties create a lasting sense of duty to contribute to the country’s well-being, even from abroad.
During the debt crisis of the 2010s, expatriates in Australia, the US and elsewhere launched numerous initiatives to help Greeks who lost their job, faced unemployment and lived below the poverty line.
Also, in the aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes and forest fires, they gathered money and other essential supplies for affected people back home.
Diaspora communities often fundraise to support Greek hospitals, schools, and social programs, helping to ease the strain on public resources.
Related: The First Greek to Settle in South Australia
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!
