In Sydney, in the packed auditorium of the National Maritime Museum of Australia, in an atmosphere of deep emotion, Greeks of all ages from the diaspora attended the official presentation of the first year of operation of the virtual museum “Our People, Their Stories” was held in an atmosphere of deep emotion, attended by Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, and Greek Ambassador to Canberra Stavros Venizelos.

The virtual museum is an initiative of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and is under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Culture. It is a tribute to memory and honor, but also a model of historical research and cultural action with a global reach. In its first year of operation, the Virtual Museum recorded almost 11,000,000 visitors.

In his address to the Minister, Archbishop Makarios described the project “Our People and Their Stories” as a living museum of the migrants’ adventure, noting that “a year ago, during his visit to Australia, the Ecumenical Patriarch launched the program on the World Wide Web, giving this initiative a universal dimension. It is precisely this ecumenical dimension that your presence here, Madam Minister, signifies. Living in a multicultural country, we are blessed with a deeper understanding of the ecumenical nature of Hellenism as an educational, linguistic, and cultural ideal, rather than an ethnic or blood-based concept that narrows Hellenism and distorts its true meaning. It is precisely this concept of open horizons, of mutual respect for high education, hard work, honesty, devotion to the sacred and holy things of the Nation, is what the Holy Archdiocese of Australia’s program “Our People and Their Stories” seeks to promote. Without memories, roots, and the past, the future is uncertain. Our museum is alive because we have chosen the stories of our own people, stories not written on paper but a living record of authentic words and images, taken from the hearts and lips of the protagonists themselves.”

“A project,” as Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni noted in her greeting, “of exceptional importance for the Greek diaspora and our cultural heritage. Because this museum is not just a digital platform. It is a living archive of memory. A valuable repository of personal narratives, emotions, and experiences of Greek immigrants in Australia. Through the stories of people who dared to leave their homeland behind, cross oceans, and build a new life on the fifth continent, the strength of the Greek spirit, endurance, faith, and unbroken connection to their roots. For most of these people, the journey of exile was anything but a path strewn with rose petals.”

In this work, with respect for historical truth and love for humanity, the stories of the first and second generations of Greek immigrants are preserved, highlighting the small and big moments that make up the mosaic of the Greek presence in the Antipodes. It is a record and an imprint of Greek immigration with scientific clarity, but also empathy, highlighting the dual nature of immigration as a historical socio-economic phenomenon and as a personal and family human epic.