Following its successful launch, the book has now arrived in Melbourne and is available for sale to the general public via our online bookstore from the Greek Community of Melbourne Office.

On Thursday, September 5, at the bookstore Themelio publications in downtown Athens hosted the launch of Georgia (Juliana) Charpantidou’s book “The Embodiment of a Distant Homeland”. The launch in Athens was attended by the Australian ambassador, Alison Duncan, who presented the title.

Greek Community of Melbourne’s President, Bill Papastergiadis ΟΑΜ, stated, “I commend the author Juliana Charpantidou and the translator Petro Alexiou for their efforts in producing this important historical work. It will have immense value for future generations in appreciating the early pioneers who laid the foundation for our thriving community today.”

Education Chair Dr. Nick Dallas, who oversaw the project, expressed his hope that “this becomes the go-to reference for anyone studying the Hellenic diaspora. The book’s content has been meticulously referenced.” The GCM is now working on a subsequent volume, aiming to bring its history up to date until the early 21st century.

The Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria is the oldest institutional representative of a Greek community in Australia. This book traces its historical course from the late nineteenth century until the early 1970s. The research is based on primary sources—the minutes and archives of the Greek Community of Melbourne, the National Archives of Australia, the Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora at La Trobe University, and both Greek and English language newspapers from the period in Australia. The thematic areas covered in the book reflect key issues that appeared either in official documents such as the Community’s board minutes and correspondence or in the Greek-Australian press of the time.