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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-07 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

GREEK DIASPORA

Mr PISONI (Unley) (15:09): Today I would like to speak about a dinner I attended in Adelaide last Thursday evening to celebrate the 9th International Conference on Greek Research: Ageing in the Migrant Diaspora. It was attended by myself and Isobel Redmond, the Leader of the Opposition. I was really pleased to hear about the history of and the reasons for the conference. As somebody who enjoys the multicultural South Australia that we live in, I was very proud to be part of such an event. These conferences are held at Flinders University and hosted by the Modern Greek section of the Department of Language Studies and the Southgate Institute for Health, Society and Equity, all based at Flinders University. It has a focus on Ancient Greek philosophy and Greek literature, language, society and culture.

The Ageing component of the conference focused on the ageing experience for the first-generation migrants, in terms of access to services for those from culturally and linguistically diverse and non-English-speaking backgrounds, both in Australia and overseas.

The event consisted of a conference over four days, which included free public lectures, social events, and the dinner which the Leader of the Opposition and I attended. There was also a 'meet the locals' day for delegates, exploring the SA countryside and wineries, for those who wanted to see more of South Australia.

The biennial conference on Greek research hosted by the Flinders University attracts learned contributions from scholars and postgraduate students from around the world. This year's focus on ageing and the migrant diaspora aimed at providing a platform for international dialogue and healthy ageing among the Hellenic diaspora, and the wider aim of a cross-cultural understanding of migrant ageing communities.

The study of modern Greek language and culture offered through the Modern Greek section allows students to enter into an understanding of the importance of the Greek Hellenic tradition for European intellectual development—a cultural intellectual continuity of at least 3,000 years. It is amazing how many words in the English language have derived from Greek.

Modern Greek Studies focusing on language and culture, based at Flinders University, offers major degrees, as well as electives at Flinders University and through cross-institutional enrolment at Adelaide University, the University of South Australia and Charles Darwin University.

The conference enhances Adelaide's reputation as the Athens of the South; it is appropriate and a compliment for South Australia that the Modern Greek section of the Department of Language Studies should have established Adelaide as its home city.

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